More empathy...please?

Sometimes when I can't sleep at night, I wonder what the world would be like with more empathy.

How softer could life be?

How kinder could life be?

How loving could life be?

I will admit that having empathy for others can be difficult and is a skill.

A skill ANYONE can learn.

A skill that can provide deep human healing and connection.

Sympathy is saying I feel for you, but empathy is saying I feel with you.

It's sitting in that cruel, calamitous place with someone.

Imagining the emotions they are feeling and feeling it with them.

Stepping into a mind outside of your own.

Putting yourself in their shoes.

I wish this world would beam with empathy. I wish it were everywhere and we all had it for one another.

This world is wicked and ruthless. Life will take you for a spin and spit you back out on the cold, cruel streets.

Evil lurks in our politics, our president, and the division of this nation (Thanks, Trump).

So why can't we come together and show empathy for those who are less fortunate than us?

Can you try to imagine being the mother, being ripped away from her 2-month-old baby, and being thrown into a facility with inhumane conditions?

Can you imagine being a lower-class woman who isn't ready for kids and wants to do what's best for her?

Can you imagine being Queer and called names? Being killed for being you?

All of the above hold their own trials and emotions. Maybe life isn't just about understanding life through our lens, but rather others' lenses.

Maybe life is about loving one another so fiercely that there is no room for judgment and hate.

Having empathy doesn't come easy. It truly is hard to imagine what it's like in someone else's shoes. To feel the pain they are feeling. To be so attuned to emotions, you can feel them when you are around them. I am going to school to be a counselor, and they TEACH us empathy. Maybe it's time the rest of the world learned Empathy, too. I will now talk about why our government is prohibiting more empathy. Republicans, grab your tissues. You might get offended.

Why is the republican party so focused on hate and taking away others' rights? They say they're for hands-off government, but then vote for people who take away rights? Conservative sounds like something is suffocating you, while liberal sounds like freedom. Interesting, isn't it?

I don't understand it. They are in a cult called MAGA, and the sad part is that most of them don't even know what a cult is. It is also interesting that studies show Republicans have less education than Liberals....hmmm....

Trump knows he can prey on people with less education. He is taking advantage of his followers and has even said, "'I Could ... Shoot Somebody, And I Wouldn't Lose Any Voters'. Please look at the hyperlinks that back up everything I am stating in this blog. I am not being rude, but rather trying to get conservatives to look at the facts....Though I am not sure even that works. You could have 10 verified sources, and they will be ignorant.....which, no offense, makes you look like a dumbass.

I truly don't care if y'all think I am rude. This is the truth, and that shit hurts sometimes. We need more empathy, and it's hard to achieve that when half of the world votes and idolizes a felon who has no empathy.

I am a Christian, and I am so sick of **some** other Christians using the bible to judge people. NEWS FLASH! Not your place, leave that to God. Also, while we are talking about the man above, I would like to state that it seems I know a different God than most Christians. I don't think God thinks being gay is a sin. I don't think my God thinks having an abortion condemns you to hell. I think God would love immigrants and wash their feet like Jesus did. Think what you want about my spirituality, but it's mine, so I don't need your input.

I write this post during a very turbulent and tense time in our world. Our president is a certified idiot who incites hate and violence. Half of the country has no empathy or critical thinking skills. Religion is being weaponized and used to be hateful. Everyone's getting scammed. Life is more expensive than it has ever been. There are more unemployed people than there are jobs.

BUT

Love will win. I truly believe that. No matter what, love will prevail and win.

Love is the center of the universe.

Stand up for what you believe in. Be loud about what you're passionate about. Make lots of noise and don't worry about who it bothers.

Be kind to one another.

Be good to each other.

And please, don't judge things you don't understand.

My challenge for Republicans is to challenge your views. Read the articles people send you and look at the evidence. Respect journalists and remember it's not all fake news. Learn how to research and verify that what you're reading is FACT. Not opinion. Work on loving people better and not being so fucking judgmental. Be a better person! If you're feeling triggered by this post, ask yourself why. Then call yourself a snowflake and wipe your tears.

Christians (alt-right and nationalists only)- Christian Nationalism is NOT a good thing. Being hateful goes against everything God says. Judging others goes against God's word. Think about that before you get on your high horse. You're not better than anyone else just cause you're a Christian.

My challenge for everyone (yes, Republicans and Christians, you too) is to try to have more empathy every day. Choose to sit with people through the joy, the heartbreak, the pain, the anger, all of it.

Feel with them. Don't make them sit alone.

Always be unapologetically who you are.

Xoxo,

Unapologetically Rachael