a little universal LOVE, this valentine's day

I'll do my best to avoid all ranting behavior today.  ;-)  Reason one, my husband is a good guy and deserves a good mood from me, this of all days.  Reason two, although ranting gives me a sense of satisfaction, it doesn't contribute to actual HAPPINESS.  To help maintain cheerfulness, I think i'll be staying away from facebook, particularly.

The things that piss me off, on that site, are distinctly "lack of love" stories.  The Kansas legislature passing a bill which legalizes anti-gay discrimination.  Another city which requires special licensing before it's legal to feed the poor.  One place in Florida where the homeless are being jailed because they're keeping warm in public with BLANKETS -- the nerve of them!

A lot of these hateful jerks call themselves Christians.  They're not.  And the Christ knows it.

Frankly, I don't know what's the matter with them.  This has gone far BEYOND "oh, they're frightened because their world is changing."  This isn't fear, it's a sense of license that they can be as nasty as they have wanted to be all along, but have been inhibited by public opinion -- you know, that "political correctness" which teabaggers have turned into a dirty word, just like "liberalism."  To be liberal ONLY means allowing others freedom (look it up) -- it isn't by definition the foolish excessive "left-ness" that most people use it for. 

"Political correctness" was a way to try to get impolite people to behave politely.  It, too, got out of hand in some circles ... but that doesn't mean the concept wasn't sound in its beginnings.  It just meant that you don't call your buddies "retarded" because people who overhear you, who might be "developmentally challenged" or have loved ones in that predicament, feel bad.  THAT'S WHAT PROPER MANNERS DO -- make people comfortable.  Being considerate -- that's proper manners.  Applying the Golden Rule.  Not being rude and hurtful, just because one has a mean and nasty nature -- society is built on certain basic civilities, but some people aren't taught them so if they aren't naturally sensitive, they don't know -- and it isn't REASONABLE to blame people for what they've never learned.  Ergo, societal rules saying what you should NOT do, as a very minimum -- political correctness.

Despite the theoretical desirability to live in small tribes as hunter-gatherers, the world has moved on and it's just not possible unless you're rich enough to buy your own island.  If we HAVE to live in a "society" we HAVE to behave in a social fashion.  This requires civility.  It requires a certain generosity of spirit, because when we look around us these days, we see what happens when that goes out the window. 

The breathtaking hatefulness of an abnormally large segment of society these days is going to catalyze catastrophe.  It amazes me that they think they can get away with it and rise above the mess that is fermenting.  I do my best to pity rather than despise them, as is my instinct....

On the other hand, I see the discussions of really wonderful people on certain websites, that assure me that the WHOLE world hasn't got their priorities thoroughly bassackward.  I treasure the ones I read of and communicate with every day.

May ALL the world get a glimpse of what love OUGHT to look like, today -- and every day.  May people of goodwill be rewarded for the service they do the world.  May the misled and deficient see the light before it's too late.