Those words were spoken by the great director Charles Chaplin in the movie, “The Great Dictator.” This past election has shown me something. And that is that Chaplin was right. But not in the way you may think.
It’s easy to say you’re right when you have peace before an election like this one. Many hoped that Clinton would become the first female president, yet they were disheartened when she lost. It’s true that Trump thinks on impulse, and ran a nasty campaign. But I saw nastiness before the election - even in my on county. The ads they played on TV sought to make the other person seem selfish and unkind. Hillary herself did it too.
Instead of saying what “they could do for their country, they let their country do for them.”
To be honest, I still see that. I see a nation that’s not doing for their country what they can, and that major thing I’m thinking of is peace, and kindness.
Chaplin lived through two World Wars, and still found a way to inspire people and make them laugh through movies. An art form at its best. He saw the cruelty of Hitler and the stallng of a president until we were attacked.
He grew up knowing the face of disappointment and pure hatred, and yet he rose above it. He didn’t expect to get his way and then throw a hissy fit when he saw otherwise. Instead he kept up his craft, still inspiring hope in a hopeless time.
We live in a world where the United States is one of the most powerful nations, where we have showers on a daily basis, where there is TV and movies like his that continue to inspire and make us laugh, where you get a trophy for participation even if you didn’t win.
An election is not a contest to see who can win or who gets a trophy for participation. It is a right and a civic duty that we often take for granted. The problem is, we’re thinking too much and feeling too little.
In a couple months we will have a new president - one that no one expected, and one that is not at all popular. Many people *THINK* it will be the end of the world - I did for a couple days. Many people *THINK* they have to riot - yes, I said it - riot, because in some cases that is happening. People *THINK* they need to throw Trump and his supporters under the bus because “both he and they did that before”.
It’s time to wake up, America. It’s time to put on your adult face and go out and face the world, with feeling, instead of just thoughts of “it’s not fair”. WW2 wasn’t fair. The Civil Rights movement was hard, even harder than this. People now days say we need to make America “great, smart, kind, etc” again. I think America needs to FEEL again. Because let’s face it, America has not felt anything but hate for one another - and for other nations, for a very long time.
We think too much, but feel too little. We whine too much, when we don’t get our way. People will undoubtedly come on this post and tell me, “It’s not whining because he’s a racist, a sexist, the KKK supports him. Whatever. And, he’s not my president.”
Now it’s time to feel, and by that I mean being proactive in your community, writing letters to your senators, governors, district judges and the like. Feeling is seeing the best in people, even though you expect the worst. Feeling is proclaiming love in the streets and looking out for one another - being courteous and god forbid, getting back up with dignity when you’ve been knocked down. Lately I’ve not seen that. Feeling most of all, is love. And love means swallowing your pride.
The man hasn’t even been in office yet, and yet people are all ready to cast stones at him. Sound familiar? I’m not sure what my faith is, but if I were to guess, Jesus would be saying, “Whoever has not sinned, cast the first stone.”
The dream I had the other night I realized was not a premonition about the Trump presidency, but how people would react to it. I drank the water and stood for the green light, but then I sat down and spit up the poison. Because I realize what the poison is now.
“We think too much, but feel too little.”
These are my own thoughts on the matter of riots and such. Yes, I hate Trump, but you know what I hate more? Fear - I've spent most of my life being afraid of things, especially what people would think of me. My point in this post should be obvious. America doesn't need marches and protests, it needs to show Trump what love looks like. Real, actual kindness and love toward one another. Note: THIS IS NOT A POST TO START A WAR, ANY NASTINESS WILL BE EDITED,, ETC.
You are the best group of people I know, I wanted to share this with you all.I had a dream in which people were handed out poisoned water and they were brainwashed afterwards into standing for a green light. I'm glad I spit up the poison.