By the author of Be Ready for Anything and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Sometimes I fear for humanity.
Not because I think an asteroid is going to wipe us all out or that Skynet is actually coming to fruition (it is!) or that aliens are going to take over the planet or that a pandemic will kill 99% of us.
But because of the utter lack of ethics, humanity, and compassion that I see every single day. Maybe the end of humanity is just that – we will regress to some animal mentality without that part of the brain that causes us to care for others and will exist only to satiate our need for food, water, and reproduction.
And if that sounds extreme, you haven’t been spending much time on the internet lately.
It seems that I can publish the most heart-wrenching thing and if it doesn’t fall in line with somebody’s political opinion, they can turn it around and say something that makes me doubt they even have a soul.
Or an atrocity is committed and if it’s done by a particular group’s political icon, it’s perfectly okay. It’s justifiable and they’ll provide all sorts of reasons why it isn’t really an atrocity.
But if that same atrocity is committed by “the other side” then suddenly it’s on the cover of Time Magazine.
I’ve received emails asking me how I manage to keep my sense of optimism when I research and write about terrible things every day of the week. Well, here’s the answer. It isn’t those terrible events that get to me.
It’s people’s responses to those events that sometimes shock me to my core.
Generally speaking, the commentary here on my blog isn’t excessively harsh. That’s just not the community we’ve created here, thankfully. You, my dear friends, are wonderful people with big hearts and you make everything I do worthwhile.
And if you aren’t one of those folks with big hearts, you are probably going to sincerely dislike my little rant of the day. There will likely be a surge in unsubscribes from people who think I’ve got a lot of nerve and I’m okay with that because this needs to be said:
BE A DECENT HUMAN BEING. DECENT HUMANS AREN’T HAPPY WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO OTHER HUMANS.
Sometimes when my work gets republished on other websites, the comments are a brutal, shocking glimpse at how some people think. People on social media LOVE to drop a nasty one-liner that provides me with solid evidence of what makes them tick. And what’s worse, those people are often busy staking their claim on the moral high ground.
Let me be clear. It’s obvious that I have no problem being controversial. I LOVE controversial things. But can’t we be controversial and still have our ethics and humanity?
Here are some examples.
It never fails when I write about California, a bunch of yahoos pop up and say, “Oh well, it’s California, I hope they all die.” I lived in that beautiful state for 5 years and loved the friends that I made there. Not everyone is an ultra-liberal from LA but the self-reliant libertarian types are greatly outnumbered. And for goodness sakes, not even the people with whom you most stringently disagree deserve to be burned alive in a wildfire or buried in a mudslide. But still, there are folks who chuckle and make a big joke about it. (This is a topic I wrote about previously.)
Or when I write about the misfortunes of someone who has found themselves suffering due to a socialist government in their nation, there are always people who gloat, “I don’t feel one bit sorry for that starving family. They got what they voted for.”
First of all, I’ve never in my life heard of a unanimous election anywhere. To suggest every person suffering under the rule of a bad leader voted for that leader is an assumption so broad as to be idiotic. Secondly, does anyone ever actually “deserve” to watch their children die of starvation? ANYONE? I’m not saying you must immediately dig out your wallet and send aid, but would it kill you to have a moment of empathy?
Or when I write about a woman who is a single parent (like me), there never fails to be a chorus of happily married women or smug men who criticize those single moms. They say that we shouldn’t have had children, we should have chosen better spouses, we need to find new husbands, or assume all our children have different fathers. They don’t consider that the children’s fathers may have died (like mine) or that things may have changed at some point in the marriage or that there are dozens of ways for a woman (or man) to have become a single parent and that none of those ways reflects on what that person or those children “deserve.” (This article I wrote about single parent preppers has some of the lovely comments I’m referring to on it.)
When a natural disaster strikes any area, there are always some people who roll their eyes and say, “Well, don’t live near the ocean if you don’t want to die in a tsunami/hurricane/shark attack.” Or they say, “I hope it was nice living there until the wildfire came and destroyed your home. If you live where there are wildfires, don’t complain when you get burned out.” Or, “That’s what you get when you live in a low-lying area. Insurance shouldn’t have to replace your home that was destroyed by a flood.” And on and on, never considering perhaps the person grew up in that area, has elderly family members who don’t wish to leave, or has a job that keeps them there in an economy in which good jobs are increasingly hard to find.
I was absolutely sickened when I read comments on other websites about Jose’s recent article about the mom with diabetes. They ran the gamut from criticizing her for feeding her diabetic son grains (it isn’t like she can just pop over to Whole Foods) to criticizing her for engaging in her pre-collapse profession to suggesting she never run an air conditioner to admonishing her to eat the family pet to proposing she engage in prostitution for some extra money.
I could go on and on about the things that I see here in Internetland but it really all just leads to one question.
What in the hell is wrong with people?
How did we get to this place of ugliness?
Is it just the internet that allows anyone to anonymously air their hateful points of view? Or is it that our society has devolved into something hideous and dark? We can’t blame this on religion or lack thereof because many of the worst culprits in the examples I listed above consider themselves pious individuals who attend church regularly.
I believe that we have reached this point because we’ve been set up to hate one another. No longer do people just exchange pleasantries with the neighbors. And certainly not if that neighbor had a sign in their yard during the last election that makes you roll your eyes. The fires of moral outrage are stoked every single day on network news and on social media and on websites. And yet the responses are anything but moral.
How is it that at the same time we’ve reached peak absurdity with regard to political correctness we’ve also lost our sense of humanity? How is it that we see people who think differently as “the enemy” and that so many people revel in the misfortunes of others?
Some rules of engagement
Here are some new rules of engagement on social media to consider.
- You cannot claim moral superiority if you are “glad” when bad things happen to another human being.
- You are not “the better person” when you are amused by subjugation, starvation, or the horrific death of another human being.
- If you catch yourself starting a comment with, “Anyone who does X deserves Y” – just stop. Delete it.
- If you can’t say something kind or helpful, perhaps saying nothing at all is the better choice.
- While it’s fine to learn from another person’s misfortune and consider it a cautionary tale, it isn’t fine to degrade them for it.
- People born in other countries are actually also human beings. Even if their country has a different form of government. Even if they are of a different religion. Even if they don’t speak your language.
- People who are hungry don’t “deserve” it.
- If an action is wrong, it is wrong whether a Democrat leader does it or a Republican leader does it. Wrong is wrong and you need to stop justifying it just because a party you like is in office or denouncing it only when the party you dislike is in office.
It’s quite simple. Ethics are standard and are not relative based on the political party performing the action.
If you can’t be a decent human being who cares about other human beings, you should realize that YOU are part of this crumbling society you like to complain about.
Your article needs to be broadcast far and wide!!! Thank you for putting my thoughts into words. Every time we see others suffering and do nothing to help a little of our humanity dies. We become insensitive and hardened. There are those who put themselves first and for them nobody is second. That is a sad world that they live in. Thank you for shining a light on this topic.
The devolution of mankind on social media sites is why I deleted or abandoned all my accounts years ago. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Hopefully it gets through to a few folks.
I have to agree that it’s spilling over from the Internet to daily life…nowhere nearly as bad as online, but hate crimes are on the rise which is an indicator of how folks are buying into the us versus them mentality which inevitably leads to seeing “them” as the enemy and deserving of punishment. Some days I just need to skip the news entirely because it just makes me crazy how poorly folks treat each other.
I’ve always liked the quote Rodney King shared to try and quell the LA riots back in ’92 “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids? … It’s just not right. It’s not right. It’s not, it’s not going to change anything. We’ll, we’ll get our justice … Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to work it out.” Source: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rodney_King
I have to agree. We are also being programmed on TV.. Just today I saw an article stating that we should have more abortions on TV to “normalize” it…
ultimately like someone or their opinion/race/skin colour/social position/etc or not it is no excuse for hatred
as John Connor said to The Terminator in Terminator 2, “we’re not gonna make it, are we?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF_4EWSuzQY
I could not agree more. There but for the grace of God go any of us.
Preach on Daisy. Maybe a few will see themselves
Beautifully stated. I can’t help feel that people have somehow been programmed to be cold, black-hearted beasts. Maybe it’s the frequencies being beamed forever into our heads. Maybe it’s something in the GMO. Who knows. It’s become a strange, dark world.
When I hear about someones bad luck I think There but for the Grace of God go I. I work in a grocery store as a cashier and I hear things about people who use food stamps or wic. I had a lady who came in whose baby is allergic to breast milk and standard baby formula. She had to get formula from the pharmacy which cost almost $70 a can. The woman behind her told my that she didn’t want her tax dollars paying for that. For a baby. Also the ones who think that anyone on food stamps lives on steak and crab legs. I tried to get food stamps when my husband’s place of employment closed it’s doors. I was only part time and couldn’t get any more hours. It is incredibly hard to do.
You have written something incredible. Always enjoy what you write.
Amen Daisy. Just amen!
WE are who we are, choices and events in life make up our individual personality good or bad.
People are unlikely to change, I rarely leave bad comments but I have.
Example..
People build on an active volcano like in Hawaii and they are shocked at what happens ?
Things like that, real low sympathy there.
I haven’t made the best choices in my life but I’m not that stupid.
I purposely live in one of the most disaster free area’s of the USA, that is my choice.
was going to elaborate, just don’t feel like it.
Not everyone has the means to relocate. You’re who she’s referring to. You’re making the world a worse place.
Gee Mike. That was pretty rude. Maybe it is YOU of whom Daisy speaks as well. I honestly must say, my first thoughts when the volcano erupted in Hawaii and I saw people’s homes being swallowed by lava, were the same as BROTHERHORSE. No I did not post it on social media. But I did think it. Then I asked someone who lived there WHY would you EVER IN A MILLION YEARS build a house on an ACTIVE VOLCANO!!?? He told me how expensive property is there and that they could really get it cheap on the volcano or within eruption/flow areas. Many Hawaiians don’t have high paying jobs so being able to buy a little part of heaven to call your own is very fulfilling. As it should be. So maybe do a little research before you spew your mean thought on social media might be a better suggestion? Sure. Having empathy (Sorry your house is being swallowed up by lave, but you do live on an active volcano… Is there anything I can do to help?) for the situation. Yep. Not everyone is empathetic. And you are correct, not everyone has the means to be able to relocate to a safer area. I can empathize with folks losing everything, but I can still see the point of why would you build on an active volcano. Maybe I too am part of the problem. Who knows?
carme: We used to live in a hurricane area, moved inland three decades ago for a better job, and others have since left the gulf coast. Critical thinking is something only few people seem to have today. As a retiree I have seen people make stupid choices on common sense things, mature adults. Wealthy people can afford high insurance, but most of us can’t afford areas with high insurance and taxes like in Florida. People will take risks to live in areas that are like that. I never mention prepping to others, as it is too deep topic for most. Most people are in denial about the future and/or how to make good choices ( staying debt free, choosing where to live and work, planning ahead, etc.)
You are forgetting the human condition…”it will never happen or happen to me” in my lifetime”….same can be said of all of California with huge mega cities built on the San Andreas fault. New Orleans, mega city built below sea level (which is stupid beyond words)…but they just rebuild. Major cities built from north to south on the Madrid fault line…city and county building departments approving construction on unstable soils with little vegetation for the view lots…the list goes on. I quite often feel when a natural disaster strikes those areas…oh, well they shouldn’t have located there but then, “it will never happen” always comes into play and even though my location may not be disaster prone…doesn’t mean some subhuman might not terrorize, or with a biological weapon wipe me out. So do you live in fear or just live the best you can and pray and hope for the best.
Daisy , thank you for your insights. I really enjoy your prepper magazine, I anxiously await it every month!
I agree with everything you have said. Thank you.
How I wish more people would hear you. The last several weeks as the atrocity taking place on the border has come to light I have been so shocked to hear how some react. Shocked….appalled….furious…..sad…..terror…..for what our world is coming to. How could people who have so much be so unfeeling and unkind. This is the best they can do??? I alternate between downright RAGE and Tears.
I live right here in the home of the Church of God yet a conversation that I heard at Walmart this morning made me want to scream and rip their faces off. First of all, I wasn’t attempting to eavesdrop but I think the several women having the convo really wanted people to hear their “opinions”. Those self-described Christians had better think twice about using God and religion to justify their thoughts because one day when they are least expecting it those thoughts will come home to roost and be turned against them. I left a cart full of groceries because I was afraid of how I was going to react.
More and more frequently I don’t even recognize the USA but what I do see in such large numbers makes me want to scream revulsion of the dumbing down because I want people to know that I completely disagree. I don’t argue with these people though because you just can’t fix stupid…..they have to have some degree of intelligence to know how wrong they are. But right now it does seem that STUPID is winning. Their stupidity and righteousness is terrifying me. I don’t see how we can go any lower
Scary stuff for our future. Unfortunately I think it is going to take something really horrible to wake people up….but I don’t want to wish that on anyone. I thank God daily that I’m retired and don’t have to be part of this world on a routine basis because too many make me so ashamed.
Except for blogs I don’t use social media because I don’t see much good coming from it. With the exception of pet rescue groups and a few others. But last night I saw where they are going to attempt to use it to locate the missing children by having anyone who sees them report it on social media so that hopefully they can get them back with their parents. But most likely those poor parents probably don’t have access to computers to search for their kids.
I’m just sad, sick and overwhelmed.
Totally with you on this one. I’ve never been so afraid for the future of this country—it is not the place I grew up in, and not the country I joined the Air Force to serve once upon a long time ago. Common sense left town and partisanship and hatred and hypocrisy and fear moved into it’s place. After having trouble breathing for the past year and a half, and trying prescribed inhalers, antacids, etc the doc finally put me on something for anxiety a few months back, and that did the trick for the breathing at least. Still appalled on a daily basis, however, on so many fronts they cannot be counted.
Spot on with your comments Daisy Luther. There seem to be far too many posting on the Internet who are both deficient in empathy, and not the sharpest knife in the drawer as well.
Daisy, you’ve got the nail on the head with this article. Thank you for reminding us that we need to walk a mile in the other person’s shoes before we’re qualified to comment, much less pass judgement on another human being’s seeming shortfalls. The very people who claim to be “Christian” and then turn around and belittle a person need to remember Christ’s teachings. And I must admit I’ve been guilty of snap judgements as well. Much to consider.
Often times when someone makes rash statements about disasters being someone’s just desserts, I think that they’ve never really been on the receiving end of a disaster. While I don’t say this to defend insensitive judgements or to wish bad on anyone, those folks would have a better understanding if they had a little “rain” fall in their lives.
Well said and I totally agree!
When my article was published on Zero Hedge the comments were abominably hateful toward me for every loving in Ferguson in the first place. The names they called me and the horrible things they said about me and my family were absolutely not true at all. I was shocked, but unfortunately not surprised.
Oh, I’m so sorry that happened. ZH is a very, very tough audience. I often wonder what those commenters are like in real life.
ZH is a conservative finance website with some real rabble rousers.
It is one of my favorite websites. It was through ZH that I found this website. (Posts by J. G. Martinez D. were posted there and really caught my attention)
That’s the funny thing about 1st amendment rights – you can learn a lot if you filter out the BS.
I learn much more from the comments in alternative news sites than the stories themselves.
Yes, ZH is a rough bunch but I have learned a lot by ignoring the ignorant.
I agree with you, Adminuser. It’s one of my first stops on my internet news rounds every day. 🙂
Good article, and spot on. I try to live like you have suggested, and mostly I have succeeded, but there are failures along the way. I don’t do any social media; too much opportunity to fail
Personally, I think that what you are seeing in social media is the true human being. We are flawed and it takes a concerted effort to be nice or kind. We have had the chains of civilization removed from some of the Progressives, and they are acting as the basic human without rules of living.
Either it stops by persuasion, or we end up in civil war.
jmo
Thank you for putting into words, what I have been thinking. I find my self spending less and less time on social media because of all the hateful comments. You definitely hit the nail on the head in this article. Thank you.
You are right: we are being manipulated into divisiveness for reasons unfathomable to me (politics? money? domination?). I REFUSE TO BE USED! I can fight for my rights and beliefs without stooping to the viciousness and hatred we see every day on the internet.
When you propagate to an audience, what you hear and see in the false orthodoxy, you become an elevated player in that false paradigm. Divide and conquer rules humanity, controversy and fear are the fuel. This is how it has been for thousands of years and this is how it will remain. This behavioral attribute is embedded in the genome of the human hybrid. There is no longer any question to the fact that the human race has been hybridized.
Great article. I unfortunately seem to see so many super derogatory and negative comments (especially in these types of forums) that I end up leaving. When people debate by hurling extremely negative words around, it’s such a turn off. If more people could take the high road, it would be such a better place or even just respond in a reasonably considerate fashion so people don’t immediately tune them out.
On behalf of those that cannot say so, thanks.
Mama always taught me, if you didn’t have something nice to say, then say nothing at all. I have staeted, many times, to type a response to something on social media that would not be very nice, and after checking for spelling errors and rereading, have deleted said response. I top do not understand the hatefulness some folks display towards total strangers! It’s appalling. Thank you for so eloquently expressing my feelings as well! 🙂
Let’s not go too far, and demand “compassion” and “empathy” from everyone who posts something. But why not just delete comments that are hateful?
Just gotta add…I got a real kick out of the poster who wanted to “rip the faces off of” some people overheard making hateful comments. 😉
I’m not demanding compassion and empathy. I’m suggesting it. And I do delete some comments but only if they’re nothing but pure hatred. If the person has a point to make and just doesn’t like me, then I’m not going to censor them. Discussion is important, even if some people don’t know how to do it civilly. 🙂
Daisy,
Thank you for writing this piece. It is important and needs to be broadcast far and wide and perhaps it might make people stop for a minute and think about the ramifications of what they do and say. The internet is too impersonal and I think that anonymity is what gives people the incentive to be hateful to others as they can remain hidden. They also are insulated from any remorse they might feel because of the harm their words cause to others. It seems to me that social media brings out both the best and the worst in people but not necessarily in the same individuals.
You will never understand until you understand the root cause, the CURSING of CHRISTIANITY and the acceptance of the lies of totalitarian atheism based in the lies of Darwin and Marx. No one wants to hear even the remotest reference to Jesus Christ, let alone be told they must obey His commandments. They don’t give a fuck, and they will use violence to make sure they control you entirely so that you HEAR THEM and feel their OPPRESSION of you in order that you accept THEIR RELIGION of atheism and all its immoral doctrines of Paraphillia, baby murder, pacifism, Anti free speech, anti everything that is good and pro everything that destroys and debases Christianity and anything even remotely associated with it. All other viewpoints as to why the west is lost are deflections created to manipulate you away from the truth.
It may come as a surprise to you, but all religions, even paganism have a Golden Rule. You make blanket statements about atheists without obviously knowing much about them. I know people of all religions and find there are many just like the ‘Easter Sunday Christians’ who are holier than thou and speaking through their hats. And many, many others who are as kind and loving as can be. Any belief or choice of non-belief is personal.
I think the constant manipulation of our emotions for political ends and the effect of too much being plugged into a virtual world is causing a terrific amount of stress, depression and frustration in my opinion. The World is no worse than it has ever been, but people seem a good deal angrier and less balanced in their response to everything. A widespread electrical black out for a limited period of time might in fact restore some sanity…
Daisy this was a wonderful article, and I agree 100% with you. Everyone should read this artical, and learn from it. Thank you Daisy for all that you do.
Thank you for writing this. I too am appalled by some peoples superior and hateful comments. I live in California, the hated state. My family’s been here for five generations. My ancestors came to this country legally and strove to be worthy of their U.S. citizenship. They cherished being citizens of such a great country. California has changed for the worse over the span of my lifetime (almost 60 years), and it saddens me greatly. I love this state and have always lived within 60 miles of where my ancestors settled and lived all their lives. It is all that I know. My husband and I are very conservative, and we vote conservative in every election, but we are outnumbered by the liberals and illegals. We have thought of the benefits of leaving California, but I have elderly parents here who could not make such a move. It would kill them. So, for now we stay. I hope those who write hateful comments about California and it’s demise will remember that there are MANY of us here who want a more conservative and sane state, but cannot overcome the liberal forces here. We are not all wealthy liberals and movie stars. We are just normal folks trying to make as much of a difference as we can. Thank you.
Jan, I am also a native Californian and I am PROUD of it. I enjoyed growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles and love my home state. Yes, California has many issues but what state doesn’t? California has a vast variety of different people and personalities. Some good and some not so much, but again, what state doesn’t? I live in Arizona and believe me, we have a large number of issues here but I don’t read about anyone wanting horrible things to happen here because of our problems. I grew up hearing everyone tell me that California was going to break off into the ocean because of all the horrible people that live there. I’ve also read the comments on how Californians “deserve” the wildfires, deadly earthquakes, the other natural disasters the state has experienced. If California is so terrible, why is it the number one state for tourism? I fall somewhere in the middle of conservative and liberal and I believe that most Californians just like every other citizen in this country just want to make a living, raise their families and have a nice life.
Imagine what might happen if we chose to put our time and energy into making our world a better place rather than complaining about others, creating decisiveness between neighbors, having a total lack empathy and compassion for our fellow man (and woman), and feeling like we are somehow superior to others?? Can we even fathom a world where we all looked out for each other and treated each other like we want to be treated?
Very good article. I think all the hatred and divisiveness is the globalist plan for problem, reaction, solution. They want all this chaos so when they want to bring in the NWO, the masses will be begging for it. Everyday, our world seems to be more like the Twilight Zone. However, if people see what their plan is they will hopefully not participate. The world is being manipulated. Everyone go out there and spread love and kindness.
Well said Daisy! These rules need to be on every social media site to remind people haw to behave.
Here in Australia the Victorian government have just started an ad campaign encouraging people to step up and intervene when they see bad behaviour happening….in light of a rape and murder a few weeks ago. Good on them, but sad we need it.
Do not discouraged. I too have compassion. Keep doing what you do. There are thousands like us!????
Wonderful article!! The old Native American saying about “walking a mile in another’s moccasins” comes to mind. People end up in various situations at various times for any number of reasons – and NOT ALWAYS due to bad moral character, profligacy, or other gross personality failing on their part. It can be a decision made with incomplete information which leads to ruin; it can be sudden illness/job loss/accident/whatever; it can simply be “the fickle finger of fate” or “wrong place at the wrong time”. ANY of these can destroy a person’s life and place them in an abject situation; NONE of these is deserving of the “serves you right” blame game so many people love to indulge in.
To me, this ALL points to the kind of world predicted in the Bible in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. This scripture points to people “being fierce” and “having no natural affection”. And what makes THIS time in history different from ANY OTHER time in which people were saying “the end is nigh” is that the world’s problems today are TRULY GLOBAL in scope. Always before, in any other time when one country or region was descending into the abyss, there was another ascending. Such is NOT the case anymore. The ENTIRE WORLD is about to “crash and burn”. It was foretold, and it WILL happen.
You keep going girl. Fight the good fight.
Yes, I can call you girl since my kids are older than you. LOL
My family has lived in NYC since the 1860’s. I was on active military duty on 9/11 and listened to my fellow soldiers say “Who cares if New Yorkers die, just a bunch of godless liberals.” They knew I was a NYCer and said this kind of shit in front of me anyway. That day killed my patriotism. No one seems to believe there are conservatives in NYC but like the conservatives of California we are outmanned and surrounded. We stay because this is the home we love and we are not quite ready to hand it over to the enemy and move to Montana or Texas.
That is heartbreaking, Maggie. I’m so sorry you had to hear that. And I agree – I refuse to live where I’m “supposed” to, just because I’m outnumbered. And I’m glad there are others who feel the same way.
Dear Maggie, I am sorry you feel that “liberal” New Yorker’s are your “enemy”. I don’t live in NYC but am what you would probably consider a “liberal” in spite of the fact that I support our military and firmly believe in the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I have some friends who are conservatives and some who are “liberals”. Hopefully, someday you will find it possible to consider “liberals” fellow citizens and not “the enemy”. By the way, I thank you for your service to our country.
Zabeth, you might want to reread Maggie’s post. She wasn’t the one saying it.
Great article, Daisy! We thank you…! 🙂
Hi Jon, I was actually commenting in response to the last two sentences in Maggie’s post in which she said “No one seems to believe there are conservatives in NYC but like the conservatives of California we are outmanned and surrounded. We stay because this is the home we love and we are not quite ready to hand it over to the enemy and move to Montana or Texas.” If by the phrase “the enemy”, she was not talking about liberals, then I stand corrected and I apologize to her. However, sadly, I think that was what she meant, and, if I am correct about that, then I sincerely hope that someday she will someday no longer view “liberals” as “the enemy”.
Then I should apologize too….My response was only based on the first line of her comment, and I should have taken more time myself to read carefully. It’s nice that we can have a polite conversation on this. Maybe there is hope for at least some of us…. 🙂
I think there is 🙂
You make some very valid points here. You have a very good perspective on an ongoing problem. ????????
Good rant. As a prepper I a percentage of goods for charity mabe me or a someone i care about when the day comes
We got here because of a steady diet of entertainment from Hollywood and were de-sensitized, lack of religion, consumerism, video games, years and years in public school indoctrination that “your” feelings are justified even to the point of disrespecting someone else. throwing out the value of the Ten Commandments…Immorality and democracy can not and have never co-existed….Hard to feel for suffering of people when everyday some movie depicts the slaughter of human beings as heroic and never examines they why’s or wherefores. Just that the hero felt justified…In short, our citizenry has been indoctrinated. We have allowed the base instincts of humans to rule, not the spiritual. Indeed, anything spiritual or remotely religious is ridiculed and discredited. It is our spiritual development that gives you the attributes of compassion, love, sacrifice, selflessness and respect for other human beings. Unfortunately, for this planet those qualities have gone the way of the do do bird in huge sections of cultures and societies.
1. Going to church is simply an action. It’s theater if your heart doesn’t belong to God.
2. If you haven’t read “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire”…do so. It (and the Bible) predict our (not to distant) future. We’re overdue. That’s why I’m a Christian Prepper. Just remember…God is in control (whether one believes or not). That helps me stay centered on what’s really important.
3. I am too judgmental and inpatient. But I know that…and am fixing both thanks to my faith.
4. Focus on what’s important. One’s greatest concern and motivation should be where you’ll spend eternity. Everything else is fluff and temporary.
5. Keep up the good fight Daisy.
Indeed, the Bible predicts how horribly people will behave. Here is one instance, and pay attention to the last sentence because has given them over to their reprobate minds (Romans 1): “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Beautifully and powerfully said, Daisy. Thank you for that moving and much-needed message. You are appreciated!!
Yes, a million times, YES!!!! Thank you for saying what needs to be said!
Dear Ms. Luther, I wholeheartedly agree with your comments in this article. It is terribly sad to see how some people seem to have no compassion for other human beings. Sometimes it is hard to remember that there are still good, caring people too – of many different political parties, faiths, religious affiliations, ethnic groups, nationalities, etc. As far as internet “trolls” go, I think they will continue to spew hate as long as they are permitted to remain anonymous. I think what is needed is for all social media platforms to require that all posters identify themselves with their true names and locations. I don’t know if that will ever happen but, if it could, I think that the number of hate-filled posts would be dramatically reduced! If the trolls knew that everyone around them would know who they truly are and what they really believe, they could, at last, be held accountable for their vile remarks, and the members of their respective communities could either try to convince those trolls to moderate their views, or could at least protect themselves from those hate-filled individuals.
So true! I admit I catch myself in the same cycle at times and am working on the basics- simply caring about humans. I think watching and reading so many negative things has an influence on our sense of humanity. In my case its also bad experiences with certain group of people but its still wrong.
I think when we see bad behavior and lying modeled by our leaders in all levels of government we start thinking it is ok to be insensitive to others too.
This should be required reading in high schools and colleges. And what a great thing if newspapers and cable news would add this. Thank you for your way of expressing what so badly needs to be read by everyone.
Hi, I read your article and I agree with what you said. There was a time when we could sit down and talk about the issues and solve problems. My friends on the right side of the political spectrum feel abandoned by their party . It has been taken over by actual nazis. It’s a sad thing to see. But, we will survive, I don’t know if the country will. The next few years will tell
Agree. Thank you for giving a voice to what many people feel.
I thank you for the writing that you do and respect the emotional “drain” that it must cause . The last line I believe says it all …
I will keep you in my prayers , for this too will pass.
We’ve been socially engineered to hate and scapegoat each other. Get in touch with your local community (like, actually in touch) and build the place you want to live in.
Unplug from social media if you’re tired of the schadenfreude. The selection bias there is giving you misanthropic views of humanity, which I’m sure is to plan.
Anonymity, afforded by the internet, leads people to write or say things they wouldn’t if their identity were known. Compound this with the half truths and downright falsehoods spread by media with an agenda and you have the makings of a civilization in decline.
I believe that the decay of our society happened when we as a nation decided to ban “sparing the rod”. I grew up in a different time ( born 1955). When we were told to do something we did it, may it be out of respect or fear of the consequences. We learned respect at a very young age. All it took was a sideward glance of our elders. When the government took away the parents obligations as far as rule and punishment for our children it seems our society went, where I don’t know, but it sure isn’t here today. A great majority of our youth think that they are “entitled “ and expect something for not lifting a finger to earn it!!!
I hate to think of what this world will be like in 10, 20, 30 years from now!!! It’s a scary thought!!!
Human rights are for Saudi Arabians. Real Americans demand civilian authority.
Our responsibility IS TO OTHER AMERICANS not to the United Nations or to BritishEmpire/N.A.T.O. HEROINE MAFIA.
The Declaration of Independence means WE’RE NOT BRITISH. N.A.TO. is treason. The pentagon is permanently pledged to serve the British Empire. The pentagon wipes its ass with our Declaration of Independence.
FARMY NOT ARMY. FOOD NOT BOMBS. War is not a “career”.
The entertainment industry is the best answer I can come up with.
This includes mind numbingly hideous movies that are too silly to laugh at. Horror movies that are equally with a plot, that seems intent on the “dumbification” of the audience.
Video games that seem more addictive than heroin, and desensitize children as well as adults.
News “programming” that has morphed from Walter Cronkite to the angriest, and most argumentative participants available.
Then we have social media…
It gives the unsuspecting victims of the aforementioned platforms a place to vent their innermost feelings without any consequences.
I have a book written long ago that describes, and In fact predicts mankind destroying itself.
I am very thankful that there are still so many wonderful people still doing the right things for others inspite of the rapid moral decline in society as a whole.
Daisy, your integrity and your caring comes through loud and clear with every word you write. Even when you are deliberately trying to be provocative in an article, your integrity shines through. We readers see your integrity and appreciate you. Your clear, concise and to the point articles are a delight to read, but if they weren’t honest I, for one, wouldn’t be here. Keep up the good work, no, great work!
This is a great article. The developed world’s population is polarising into two camps: one good and one evil. In the last 5,000 years, this is the first time humans have been able to operate independently of social constraints. Before mass communication, everyone was expected to tow the line for fear of rejection. People were held accountable for their actions according to community protocols developed over time to preserve communal integrity. Those protocols have lost their efficacy. Millions of individuals are now running rampant, free of any accountability, proclaiming their right to free speech no matter how hurtful and destructive it might be. Their true nature is coming through, backed by laws that were designed to give all an equal voice to benefit society. Those laws are now being abused. Those relative few still adhering to traditional values can only look on in horror. The spirit of freedom of speech laws needs to be enforced to bring these reprobates back in line.
I am 75, my entire life has been bad feed back from family, co workers, people I met, strangers. WHY? They have a major problem, by putting people down, they feel big, special. BUT if you say anything negative to them, they attack with everything they can. As I said to my father: “I am always wrong and my brother is always right”, he said “YES”, I told my father and my mother: “I was not asked to be born”.
Dear Darkwing, It is probably not my place to say this but I am very sorry that you have been subjected to such negativity and verbal abuse in your life. I have had personal experience being verbally abused (for over 10 years many years ago in a bad marriage), and I know how it can break down your self-esteem and make the whole world seem like a sad, bad place. If you have not already done so, it is not too late to seek some emotional counseling to help you deal with the long-term effects of verbal abuse and a dysfunctional family. I hope you will find some comfort in knowing that other people have also gone through it.
Oh your comments brought back memories for me. My family also was toxic. I chose to have little interaction with them and build a new, healthy “family” including my husband, his family and our friends. It is well worth doing! I chose NOT to allow my family of origin to define who I am.
I am a black american and i am a republican although i did not vote for Trump i just stayed home. The amount of negative comments regarding the separated children of illegals is disgusting. How can anybody not have any compassion regarding this issue?
That’s what is baffling to me. None of us chooses the circumstances into which we’re born, or has any control over them. It’s one of the many reasons I oppose abortion.
If someone is upset with adults for seeking asylum legally, so be it. But why do you have no compassion for a traumatized 3-year-old who had zero choice in the matter? The fact that other children are traumatized in other ways (through a parent being jailed for crimes, etc.) doesn’t change the effect on this child, nor does it change the sadness of any of these situations. I can’t fathom making light of traumatized children or suggesting that they don’t deserve sympathy at least.
You nailed it, we have lost our compassion.
We have been lead in this direction for years, our lives are full of mis information , sound bites, and visions of cruelty everyday on the television and print media. We have lost our ability to be shocked by these things and it has become normal for our children. We are beyond the point of no return.
Daisy, your bullet points are spot on. It might not look like I’m on board with the first one (“You cannot claim moral superiority if you are ‘glad’ when bad things happen to another human being.”), since there are certainly people I am rooting for to have their crimes found, prosecuted, and punished. My prayer about politics these days is that God would root out all the corrupt leaders on all sides. I surely don’t know what’s hidden or not reported on, but He does. But I don’t wish for them to be physically attacked, for example, so I think that’s still in the spirit of the statement.
Seems to me, hyper-emotional opinion has replaced facts, and or one persons opinion is better/greater than someone else’s opinion.
And if you dont agree with them or their opinion, you are a great big fat poopie head!
Soical media has only made it worse.
I generally dont bother reading the comments sections in most sites, with the exception of this one. I may not agree with them all, but most are more intelligent than what is out there on the internet.
As a former high school English teacher, I took early retirement because of the behavior of the kids as in bad language, name calling, surliness, fights, and lack of support at home or from the administration, stealing, lying and lack of interest in learning.
We often discussed in the faculty lounge how if this were indicative of the future, we sincerely hoped to die young.
The lack of respect tolerated in this country is appalling.
How is it helping when we hear filthy language full of disrespect at an awards show? How is it helping to see college kids, especially young women with obscene gestures and foul obscenities hurling hate on our college campuses? Or see political figures giving the middle finger to people they disagree with?
Or calling people racists and Nazis because you don’t like their politics?
You are dead right, Daisy. We will be brought down as a society when we accept this behavior as a “right” and “freedom of speech” when it is nothing but a path leading to chaos and inhumanity.
I cannot speak for others Daisy but your article brought hope to me! And besides I need you !!
You bring clarity to so many about things and in a time when our country and yes the world seems to be coming unglued you have been a steadfast voice of reason! I have personally learned so much from your articles and blog !
So THANK YOU!!
Thank you, Daisy!! I, too, have mostly given up social media because of the hateful attitude. I cannot say what the root of this change is. I think there are many things that have led to it. We certainly don’t live in the world of ‘Thumper’ any more. It is saddening that many feel that empathy for anyone’s misfortune is a sign of weakness or, worse, is undeserved. Unfortunately as others have stated, the very people who need to heed what you have written, will not. I have found that I am more likely to call someone out on their rude or vitriolic statements, but with a lot of caution since one never knows how violent the reaction might be. It is a scary world right now and we can only hope that the pendulum will swing back.
Dorthy – thank you for the accurately stated article. I hope it is picked up & run on many other websites to spread it far and wide.
The world has always been divided between those that are self serving and those that serve/help others. My opinion is that the numbers haven’t necessarily changed or increased but that now that they have an anonymous way of expressing themselves we are seeing it more frequently in addition to being fed and promoted to do so by Hollywood & main stream media. They were self serving, self centered and judgmental before the advent of the internet – it was just harder to see/identify them. The ability to annonomously spew their feelings and denigrate others makes them feel better/bigger/more important than those they condemn.
When judgement day arrives I have great sadness for those in that camp that have lived a life to serve themselves.
Thank you for saying this, Daisy. I have mostly jumped off of Facebook because of the meaness. (Except for your site.) What Peter Fonda said on Twitter, so turned me off, that I just can’t put up any more of the insanity. Is there no civilization and compassion left?
Hi Sandra, I am what I suppose you might call a moderate “liberal”. Just want you to know that I was also horrified by the vile comments made recently by Peter Fonda. There is absolutely no excuse for someone to ever suggest that such foul things be done to any child, or any other person for that matter!
Hey Zabeth, have read several of your comments in this thread, and just wanted to sat that while we have slightly different views on some things… you are alright in my book! Blessings to you! 🙂
Thanks Jon, and the same to you 🙂
Amen
First Daisy, thank you for this website. I appreciate your fine articles and effort in helping all of us by providing great information. Yes, there are some very horrible, nasty and even evil people out there, some of whom are in positions of power; you know this. Regardless of the communication medium, people should be courteous and respectful, but in today’s world many people are anything but. The internet gives the really nasty people something to hide behind. Were they to say some of the garbage that comes out of their mouths to someones face it would probably not turn out well for them. But the lack of common courtesy has been getting worse for decades (yes, I am old). Mostly because people are no longer held accountable and their parents didn’t teach them any manners when they were kids. Lastly, we are, and have been at war in this country for many years. We are at war to maintain our freedoms on many fronts within our country. There are those in government telling us flat out they’re going to strip us of our constitutional rights; nothing new but it’s getting worse and more overt . The people who support those working to destroy this country, are the enemies of those fighting to keep our freedoms, and vice versa. This is the world we live in unfortunately. Just my opinion why it keeps getting worse. There are a still lot of really, really nice people out there;
it gives me hope. Hang in there.
Well said Daisy. You have a conscience and some manners that blogging on the web have not erased! I seldom hear folks make such hateful, nasty comments in person. It is my opinion that being basically anonymous in commenting on the web allows people to become these hateful people. It easy to write it when there is no one there in person to react. That’s why cyber-bullying is such an issue.
I had a horrible experience on Twitter many years ago. It was enough to make me immediately delete my account and swear off social media!
I appreciate good discussion even if opinions differ in the end.
I really dislike the rudeness so common with on-line commenters.
I mostly enjoy the community here on your site. I appreciate your sense of humor and way with words. Don’t let the nasty mouths get you down. I see plenty of other folks here in the comments who appreciate what you do.
From my generation “Keep on Truckin!”
Great Points Daisy. If everybody followed the love your neighbor instruction, we should have a better World.
Bravo Daisy! You’ve put the words that have been in my head on “paper”. The trend of bullying (that has ended with children taking their own lives), hoping a disaster befalls someone because they somehow “deserve” it, and the shocking comments people make to someone they’ve never even met before. Did the creation of social media automatically give people the idea they have the right to say whatever they want to another?? I rarely log on to my social media anymore because of the negativity, the cruel comments, the bullying, and the general ugliness. What happened to our humanity?
Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? What would happen, if before we post something hateful, we ask ourselves this question? Would I want someone to write that comment to me, about me, or to someone I love? Could there be fewer thoughtless comments and more compassion for others if we put some effort into thinking about what we are going to write before we post it?
Daisy,
How true and so sad.
Putting yourself in another person’s shoes is hard. but it is necessary. Not everyone deserves the bad things that happen to them; actually, I don’t think anyone does. Bad things happen to good people,
Amen. Yours is one of only 4 sites I subscribe to any more, 2 of them are medical info sites. People are going to collapse society on themselves just by the hate. I don’t always agree with everything you write, but people often don’t agree with me. We have to start looking at what others say and feel, not attack them for being different.
Well said… the internet is breeding a nastiness amongst people… I also believe we are being set up…
you hit the nail on the head today.
defining Harm as
what people do unto others.
A convenient litmus test for recognizing real humans
is that Beings do not do things to other people.
Those who want to do things to other people are not safe to be around.
Remember that when you meet someone who wants to lead.
I would really like to invite your wisdom on
memo.cash
100% on!
Strong opinions are rampant. They are also, usually, done anonymously and uncontested. In my opinion, when challenged, the speaker cannot justify the remark with facts. I think that Social Media is causing many problems and we only listen to or watch what we are comfortable with.
I posted a comment about a spelling mistake on a Facebook post, nothing, about the subject of the post. (I should have sent it as a private message so that was my mistake.) The poster was relating the news that the Attorneys General in multiple states had filed against the separation policy. I immediately got responses such as, “hater.” When I challenged the responder to explain, she and several others just laughed and could not be specific. They were saying I was the problem and was against anything supporting the people at the border. At least I think that is what they were commenting on since I did not get a factual argument about why they thought I was a hater; I deleted my post about there/their. I would have deleted it anyway because it detracted from the message.
Here are my facts. The original poster, of Mexican descent who speaks NO Spanish, is my cousin through marriage . My cousin! I do not hate him or his relatives or any of the people coming to the border. My cousin, and the people who commented are children/grandchildren/g-g-grandchildren of immigrants. So am I – my grandparents. I am more closely related to the immigration issue than most of them are. If they think I “hate” immigrants – they are wrong. However, Mine are from Denmark and Germany; not obviously a minority. They entered through Ellis Island but I doubt they had pre-approved permission.
My daughter’s family has International High School Students every year. She, and her family, have traveled to Asia to meet their families. My husband and I also have extensive travel experience – 20 countries; he speaks Spanish due to his travels to South America.
As a family we have known discrimination – but from a very different side: A 30-year old, white, Air Force pilot with an MBA is too qualified for an entry level job, etc. We were qualified for free school lunches and food stamps for two years until a real job was found. I know, that is very minor compared to other people’s issues.
It seems to me that the people who make these comments, not the ones above who have a single issue, have not had any serious trials in their lives. They have not experienced the other side. They hide in their small communities of like minded people, listening to one side of the issue, and cannot escape. They can sit behind their computer screen and scream at the world anonymously. When pressed, will they take action? Or stand on their soap box and preach? Most people just do not have the time to pay attention to what is happening or see the large picture because they only hear one side, let alone understand it. Being retired I have more time, but I cannot comprehend how we got to this place. It is not at all how I was raised.
I stand on no soap box. We open our hearts and homes. We agonize over the direction of our country but do not abandon our neighbor, or family member who voted for the other side.
My grandparents were told, “you are in America now, speak English.” We must become one country. Celebrate your ancestry but assimilate into the new reality. We cannot hold to the attitudes from our old homes and expect to live in a new one.
I was having this same conversation with my husband the other day. I told him I am flabbergasted by the replies to many of the stories I am reading on various sites. I do not and will never understand someone’s need to lambast someone else’s viewpoint or opinion because it may be different from my own. What happened to the days when you kept your opinions to yourself and allowed others to have their opinion as well. Why is there so much anger and rage against everyone who doesn’t hold the EXACT same opinion that I do. How did we get this way. Is it like this in other countries too, or is it just the US that this has become so epidemic. It truly saddens and concerns me. I have 4 children. I want them to live in a positive world. But my fear is that that will never happen. Everyone seems hell bent on tearing the rest of the world down, word by word, and brick by brick. What kind of legacy are we leaving them?
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
2 Peter: Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
I’ve debated long on whether or not to comment on this article. Not because I disagree with what you’re saying, but, because what you’ve said doesn’t surprise me.
Let me explain before someone says I’m as bad as those you speak of.
I spent 20 years serving my country, specific branch or job(s) doesn’t matter. After that, I spent another 20 years working for a global company doing several different roles. I was exposed to varied scenarios, cultures, religions, and many biases.
I have the “luxury” (misfortune?) of being hispanic, and as such, most minorities didn’t consider me “white” and most caucasians didn’t consider me a minority. So… I got to hear what all sides really felt/thought about the other sides.
I’ve always had the ability to see people for what they truly can be. I say “can be” because most of the time we see the face of people that they want us to believe, not who they really are.
All in all, this exposure has made me a VERY strong pessimist. When I meet someone I size them up and draw my expectations of them based on my first impressions. I decide what their worst “behavior” can be. So, when it actually surfaces, I’m not surprised. If it never surfaces, or they prove my impressions wrong, I’m pleasantly surprised.
Sorry, all this info to say that I believe humans are inherently animals with an elevated intelligence. And the social media we’ve created has given them the courage to voice who they truly are without fear of reprisals. Don’t get me wrong, just like there are kind, loving animals out there, there are kind loving people as well. We’ve just allowed the “ugly” ones to have a voice. And the ugly ones strike a bigger nerve when they speak.
Thank you for saying so succinctly how I feel. It’s even more difficult when your spouse has lost the ability to see good things. Society needs work