Rant

     Never have I seen so much hate, so much fear and distrust, such a lack of "Christian" charity. I'm buried in negative media - TV, FaceBook, Twitter, e-mails. Even positive messages get torn to shreds by negative comments. It's starting to get me down.

     Thank goodness for 
       baby animal pics!

     What's causing all this? - intentional and unintentional misinformation, ignorance, biased media, propaganda, international affairs, insular national characteristics...?

     Many are seeing Syrian refugees as terrorists, dressed like Muslim women in burkas with machine guns tucked under their "skirts", or as jihadists with suicide bombs strapped under their jackets. Why are we so afraid? Why can't we see a family, traumatized by war, seeking asylum?

     Some view our own governments, Provincial and Federal, as crooks, out to get our money in one form of tax or another to line their own pockets, make the rich richer. Others see police forces as sinister covert agencies further restricting our freedoms. Many blame our economy on our governments, ignoring international influences beyond our borders. And there may be partial truths in all of these views.

     It seems to me that our disgruntled natures are fed by our own ignorance and/or refusal (laziness) to ferret out the truth, jumping to conclusions before all the facts are on the table. Ignorance can be taught (things like racism). It can be perpetuated by traditions, by religions, by xenophobia. If we see a video clip, an article, a meme, anything that supports our view of the world, it's easy to hit "like" and/or pass it on without fact checking, spreading fear and hate while thinking we have ours and our family's best interests at heart.

     Knowledge can alleviate fear. Knowledge can provide understanding. Knowledge can combat gossip and misinformation.

     Everyone does have a right to their opinion. Anyone who reads my blog knows I'm opinionated, and admittedly I have been guilty of hitting that "like" button on FB without checking facts, and I appreciate feedback when I do. We all have a desire to sway others to agree with us, but before we perpetuate outright falsehoods, it might be a good idea to check facts, educate ourselves, and make an attempt to broaden our viewpoint.

     Otherwise, those baby animals are really nice, and toddlers dancing, and music videos, and wildlife pics, and jokes, and good cop stories, and...