Dear Facebook, I Hate You
Dear Facebook,
I wanted to let you know how much I really hate you right now. You have turned my country, state, and city upside down. You have made enemies out of friends and ripped us in half, and left us bleeding out. You have lawmakers removing historical monuments because someone screamed 'those are racist'. The 'R' word scares the holy h.e.double hockey sticks out of people, and sometimes makes them think that by just removing a symbol we can take away the pain of the past. Wrong. A symbol is just a symbol & an individual is the only one that can give it any power. Hate lives within a person not a thing.
To the leaders of our country, state & city: FYI, this is a southern state. FYI, we were part of the confederacy. Does that mean we still believe in slavery? No. Does it mean that we believe in the segregation and exclusion that some people assign to this state? No. Does it mean we can learn from the mistakes of our ancestors' past? Absolutely! I need the southern confederacy monuments up, so I can tell my children and grandchildren about the rocky past of the south. I want them to know that the south was drenched in hate, but we make the choice to not carry that legacy anymore. We have the power here and now to claim what was used for hate and turn it around for good.
This is especially true for my hometown. What you see as a symbol of hate, I see as something that calls to all alumni and current students to be as one. When you play one Rebel, you play us all. And you know why I feel that way? Because I've lived it more times than I care to think about. There is something about this town. We take care of our own and we serve others & each generation lives by that motto. You ask any student that has had a parent pass away. You ask any person who has had to face tragedy. The children at the high school raised over 250K, in cash, for 2 different charities last year. These kids: bring food for food pantries; provide clothing and blankets and books for groups; build houses; help widows and the elderly; and log thousands of service hours together. If one Rebel serves, you get us all. We are drowning in this legacy, and don't rationalize it away, because it's part of who we are. The adults in my community are examples of this legacy, because we model the behavior we want to see in our children.
If you don't like what I've posted, sorry, I'm not sorry. You can go start your own blog and rant away. If you can't agree to disagree, please say nothing. If you like what I wrote, please say nothing. You can send this to someone, but I want NO COMMENTS, from anyone. These are my thoughts and my thoughts only. This blog is where I come to get my thoughts in order. I love my country; I love my state; and I love my city, but my heart is breaking and I'm tired of all the bickering.
I think we all need to be offended less and love more. Worry about your own side of the fence and not your neighbors. Instead of trying to tell them how they should believe, how about you just love them. Love them for or in spite of their differences. Stand up for what you believe, but be nice about it even if your neighbor is really showing their fanny. Choose to be the bigger man.
Celebrating life and loving my city,
~ashley
I wanted to let you know how much I really hate you right now. You have turned my country, state, and city upside down. You have made enemies out of friends and ripped us in half, and left us bleeding out. You have lawmakers removing historical monuments because someone screamed 'those are racist'. The 'R' word scares the holy h.e.double hockey sticks out of people, and sometimes makes them think that by just removing a symbol we can take away the pain of the past. Wrong. A symbol is just a symbol & an individual is the only one that can give it any power. Hate lives within a person not a thing.
To the leaders of our country, state & city: FYI, this is a southern state. FYI, we were part of the confederacy. Does that mean we still believe in slavery? No. Does it mean that we believe in the segregation and exclusion that some people assign to this state? No. Does it mean we can learn from the mistakes of our ancestors' past? Absolutely! I need the southern confederacy monuments up, so I can tell my children and grandchildren about the rocky past of the south. I want them to know that the south was drenched in hate, but we make the choice to not carry that legacy anymore. We have the power here and now to claim what was used for hate and turn it around for good.
This is especially true for my hometown. What you see as a symbol of hate, I see as something that calls to all alumni and current students to be as one. When you play one Rebel, you play us all. And you know why I feel that way? Because I've lived it more times than I care to think about. There is something about this town. We take care of our own and we serve others & each generation lives by that motto. You ask any student that has had a parent pass away. You ask any person who has had to face tragedy. The children at the high school raised over 250K, in cash, for 2 different charities last year. These kids: bring food for food pantries; provide clothing and blankets and books for groups; build houses; help widows and the elderly; and log thousands of service hours together. If one Rebel serves, you get us all. We are drowning in this legacy, and don't rationalize it away, because it's part of who we are. The adults in my community are examples of this legacy, because we model the behavior we want to see in our children.
If you don't like what I've posted, sorry, I'm not sorry. You can go start your own blog and rant away. If you can't agree to disagree, please say nothing. If you like what I wrote, please say nothing. You can send this to someone, but I want NO COMMENTS, from anyone. These are my thoughts and my thoughts only. This blog is where I come to get my thoughts in order. I love my country; I love my state; and I love my city, but my heart is breaking and I'm tired of all the bickering.
I think we all need to be offended less and love more. Worry about your own side of the fence and not your neighbors. Instead of trying to tell them how they should believe, how about you just love them. Love them for or in spite of their differences. Stand up for what you believe, but be nice about it even if your neighbor is really showing their fanny. Choose to be the bigger man.
Celebrating life and loving my city,
~ashley
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