"My People"


Each day that passes feels more and more like a slice of wasted time that I cannot get back. While it's true, I can't get them back, I honestly wouldn't want them anyway. That's how I've felt lately. The brightly lit red arrow still flashes through my bedroom window keeping me up at night. My skin still bubbles when I stare at it long enough and my veins now carry question marks throughout my body. I can feel them; especially when their curled tops get caught on various entryways into major organs. Sometimes, when I sneeze, strangers turn and stare at me with quizzical looks on their faces and I suddenly wonder if the question marks have learned how to escape. Have they become airborne? Are they infectious? Will everyone around me now wander aimlessly through their day questioning everything currently happening in their lives? I certainly hope so. You people need an awakening.

I said "you people" haha. Fuck, that's fun.

"My people" are currently bombing the ever living shit out of the Gaza Strip. I use the term "my people" very loosely seeing how I am only related by a faint strand of genetic code. Besides, if I really wanted to break it down, we have to use the term Zionism here, right? Regardless, as I watch what is currently happening and try to learn the history behind it, I cannot help but think how similar the Israel/Palestine conflict is to the heated issue of abortion. I'll explain. Both of these issues are huge topics of contention in America and will violently divide a room of people within seconds, and both issues have been an ongoing battle for both sides for a long time. When I look at Israel's claims and then witness the results of their actions supporting those claims, I can't fully get behind it. I don't discount the fact that the Jewish people deserved and have created their own state. It's right there on the map and it's not going away, so let's just get past that fact. That being said, I can't ignore the history of how they got there, nor can I disregard the notion that they have literally turned Gaza into a huge prison. Not to mention the 40+ years of hostile take-over of the Palestinian land around them. If I ignore all that stuff and merely say, "Hamas is a terrorist regime and the Palestinians deserve what's coming," then I have to erase away the dirty parts that exist and pretend I never learned it. Same with abortion.

I'm pro-choice simply because a decision that personal should only be made by the parties directly involved: the woman, the man, their doctor and family. That's it. Everyone else needs to shut the fuck up and acknowledge that a situation this difficult and traumatic doesn't need to be worsened by those who are completely unaffected by the outcome, especially the old assholes in Washington D.C. who spend their days shifting around in 3,000 dollar suits, consumed by their lust for greed and power. That being said, those of us who are pro-choice cannot ignore the fact of what an abortion is. If we simply choose a side and disregard the "dirty" stuff to help ourselves feel better about our stance, then we're being disingenuous. An abortion snuffs out a tiny life ember inside of a womb, plain and simple. It interrupts and extinguishes a process that, if left on its current course, would likely become a baby human being. That's the fact that "my people" have to acknowledge and come to terms with when choosing their side on the issue. Same with the Israel/Palestine conflict, see?

I would be remiss if I didn't sew a final common thread into the analogy I just outlined: religion. I don't think I really need to explain how heavily religion plays a part in influencing peoples' minds on both of these issues. If you are a super-duper Christian and I were a gambling man, I know exactly where I would place my bet on where you stand on these topics. I don't feel compelled to rattle the thought loose from the nut in which it is contained, but I will say this: isn't it interesting that one tiny little clue is all it takes to know exactly what a vast majority of people are thinking? If religion is completely removed from the equation and I can't use it to understand your heart and mind, and you can't use it to help yourself in deciding them, then are we not left with merely facts in front of our faces? I don't know, I could be wrong. Heck, I'm willing to be wrong. In my opinion, being wrong is one of the greatest learning experiences there is in life, and trust me, I've had plenty of them.

I didn't sit down at my laptop today with the intention of writing my thoughts on two extremely divisive (and heartbreaking) subjects, but it happened and I don't really care. Maybe I have given you something interesting to read for a few minutes. Maybe I've given reason for your blood pressure to soar to dangerous levels. Maybe I've gained some new fans and lost a few friends, or maybe nobody will read this and life will go on just as it has been. I'm okay with any/all of it really. The question marks that flow through my body flow through yours too, and you know it. I don't care how well crafted your life is or how perfect you feel within your bubble, because when the sun goes down at the end of the day and you find yourself sitting there alone with just your thoughts and memories of your past experiences, you know damn well you feel it too. It might not tug at you nearly as hard as your neighbor or it might not steer you far from your path, but deep within I know you feel those curled question marks catching on your aorta as they enter and exit your heart. It's okay, we all feel it. We're in this shit together, remember? You are all "my people".

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