I must confess that I don’t keep up with news like I should. The reality of the world in the U.S. and around the world can be so sad and disheartening that I volunteer, spend time with my family and do what I can… but if you quizzed me on current politics, I’d be screwed.
That said, the world in this moment feels like such a dichotomy. And, I’m struggling with it.
Our country is at war with itself. People are killing innocent people. People are killing those who have dedicated their lives to protecting us. That doesn’t make sense and we can’t survive like this.
I fully believe in a “united front,” whether that’s in my office, with a nonprofit Board I sit on, and with our country as we present ourself to the world. If we look beaten and shattered with internal strife, we look weak. That’s disastrous.
It hurts my heart that my children — who are currently oblivious to this — are growing up in a world where we can’t tolerate people different than us. Maybe some of you feel differently than me but I want to live in a tolerant world where skin color is irrelevant, where love is love, and where we can create lives for ourselves that are filled with joy and kindness.
I’ve learned over the years, primarily with now stupid, petty arguments and nonsense, that anger and hate take up too much space in my heart, in my brain and in my body. I can’t imagine and wouldn’t want to live a life where that was my daily outlook.
At the same time that it feels like we’re falling apart, I struggle with content on this blog, and with a number of “style” bloggers I follow. Yes, we all still want to present ourselves nicely but what the hell does the #nsale, some girl’s endless supply of designer, and everything matter when this is happening around us? I love sharing a deal, I love connecting with women, and yes, bloggers are business people who receive a small commission when you make a purchase, but it feels so superficial and inappropriate.
Part of me feels disgusted as myself for showcasing cute booties when people in our society are killing police officers, when people see hatred and act on it simply because someone looks different than us. We all must continue with our daily lives but we also need to stop to soak in the magnitude of what’s happening around us.
It breaks my heart and I struggle with what to do. On a micro level, I continue to demonstrate kindness, an open heart and compassion to my children. Candidly, it’s not always easy when you don’t live in a super diverse community. You can talk, but it’s all about action. People around us in our community largely look like us and have similar beliefs.
I’m a minority (beyond that I’m a red headed, left handed, female… as if that wasn’t enough!)…. I don’t get how people hate me without knowing me simply because I’m Jewish. They don’t know me, but they hate me and have persecuted my people for lifetimes. They hate my family and many of my closest friends, and they’re willing to risk their own life to destroy mine. I don’t understand how there are people out there filled with hatred so big that they act in such horrific ways.
Changing behaviors and thoughts starts in the home so I’ll continue to do what I’m doing.
It’s a start. And, even if I go back to sharing an outfit of me tomorrow, we have to stop sometimes. Toady, I’m stopping. I hope you will, too.
I apologize that this post is a bit of a consciousness of thought however I feel compelled to do more than I’ve done, and to start a dialogue. There’s this platform here and I know it’s usually light and easy and filled with ways to improve our lives in smaller ways, however these days I’m ready to think bigger.
Let’s all think a little bigger, a little brighter and imagine the world where there’s no room for hate.
Join the Conversation
Emily Agosta
July 20, 2016 at 1:50 AMI completely agree that in our world more conversations need to be had and so much needs to change but I think it’s a fine line, especially for someone who blogs as their business. They don’t want to lose potential “business” (so to speak) so they remain non-political. I don’t blog but honestly I don’t post anything on IG that could be controversial or spark debate. 1. People are crazy and 2. IG is kinda my escape from the realities of what’s going on. I think we all need some kind of escape or we’ll go crazy ourselves, so keep doing you lady. You’re doing a great job and don’t ever feel disgusted by it, you ARE helping people…even if it’s to just chat about booties. Sometimes that’s exactly what is needed.
Shira
July 19, 2016 at 10:13 PMIt’s such a tricky subject because so much horror and tragedy has been happening and yes our blogging can seem so superficial sometimes. But at the same time we also can’t not live our lives… although don’t get me started on the nordstrom anniversary sale because that’s a whole other story lol. But fashion blogging is a tricky thing because so much of it is superficial and it’s nice when we can incorporate more thoughtful posts and conversations in the mix but more often it’s a super well curated collection of staged moments…
Beautygirl24
July 19, 2016 at 5:58 PMThank you so much for this. I e been really struggling lately too. My mood is so up and down. I know this community is about connection and positivity but it can also feel really superficial and people aren’t connecting as readily. All blogging seems to be nowadays is making that commission. I understand it, but I often get so sick of it. We need more reality, less bs. I couldn’t agree more with this post. So thank you again!
Leenie Glowka
July 19, 2016 at 5:44 PMYour post today is refreshing… I rather enjoy your vent sessions… Let’s be honest, as positive people as we may be, what is going on around us is completely disheartening and complex. How do we as individuals solve this? How do we as a nation solve this? I came across this in church and it has resonated with me since I heard these words by MLK Jr. “In spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.” Still thinking about these words today and how we move forward with our individual contributions to making this country a better place for our aging population, for ourselves and the younger generation. I think your blog is a positive part of my day, where yes, there may be cute booties, but there is another person out there whose spirit and contributions are positive to the bottom-line of this complex situation that we are all facing today. Thanks for today’s vent session. Well said!
Rachelle
July 19, 2016 at 6:10 AMI’ve been ranting about this for the past few weeks, this is such a scary world we live in right now. All I can think to myself which is so wrong, I’m so happy I don’t have kids that are growing up in this mess. That thought alone is the saddest thing. Most of all I am upset at people that don’t realize that this hatred do exist and is bringing us down. I’ve heard so many say oh this is not a racial issue, this is all just make belief and people need to follow procedures and it will all be fine. I don’t know when people will realize we ALL need to treat each other fairly, with love and respect.
xo
PinkSole