Disclaimer: This blog entry is not really the ‘light’ type of writing I would enjoy doing, but this post was literally laid on my heart to write.

I had deleted it, but I decided to leave it as it is part of America 2017 and I don’t particularly look good in rose colored glasses.

~Mark


Part 1: Anger begat Anger

From what I can tell in an apocalypse, people turn on each other. People grow thick and insulating linings around their hearts and they become hardened and unable to feel.

But the one goal is very clearly defined: to eliminate by a rapidly spreading infection.

Ground zero for this particular apocalyptic event was the presidential election night of 2016. Somewhere, in some living room, in a recliner, in a home that looked like any other before that night, the first person’s eyes lit red in anger. A fire incubating inside of them ignited; a fire that they hadn’t known before.

And The Anger smiled. It had erupted and it needed to be fed.

The infection needed to have been quarantined but the ever-evolving news on TV and internet couldn’t allow that. The anger spread to another and another and yet another innocent and loving person. Hearts were instantly hardened.

Within minutes, people were arguing which quickly led to fighting. Then groups were fighting.

The angry skirmishes then stayed hidden in somewhat of a contained and insidious remission for a few months until the inauguration of the new president.

And on that day and the days to follow, the masses of infected people loudly charged each other. Some were physically assaulted with flags, some cried and gnashed out.  Some burnt flags of their country.

Some people sat comfortably at home and were electronically armed with dangerous keyboard swords.  The Anger was easily transmitted by TV, phone, internet and basically anything with a screen that is connected to the world.

And thus we became the barbaric societies that we read about or watch in the history channel. The ones that we watch and think to ourselves ‘man, they were mean’.

But in reality, the only difference between them and us now are Keurig coffee makers and Prada purses.

At the end of the epidemic of soulless fights, friends had devoured each other. Friends were left with nothing that was of any value. They had accomplished nothing but the spreading of The Anger. All of the hurt, the tears, the lost friendships, the damages done to homes and buildings were all for nothing.

Piles of posters and empty Starbucks cups lined now empty streets where the protests were actually staged earlier in the day to protect our environment.

Friends with damaged and broken hearts now sat alone. Families had turned against each other.

The Anger had camouflaged himself well and embedded itself in the media; in news, in papers, in social media, in celebrations and awards, in ballgames, written on the back of 18 wheeler dirty doors and in conversations among at coworkers, church friends and family as innuendo was haughtily slung at each other.

The Anger had made them think he was their friend and that he was necessary in their lives.

The Anger had done well and the Anger was immensely proud of itself.

Life as we know it had been changed and The Anger had won.

 

 

Part II: An Angry Death

So, when is it enough? When is The Anger satisfied in its apocalypse? When does the sun come out and Americans return to the love that God put in us?

When can people feel safe flying on an airplane? When once we worried about being blown up, we now have to worry about being infected by an angry zombie-like woman in the seat next to us just trying to infect more innocent people. She can’t help it. Where once she was probably a nice woman, the anger had taken her soul and infected it.

When do people of authority act and speak responsibly and learn that words are like rocks; once you throw them, you can’t get them back?

When do we see and realize that we have more in common than we do not have in common?

When do we stop listening, reading, forwarding the evil and the angst which is the required feeding for The Anger?

When do we Pay Peace Forward?

And our lives are full again,we sleep better not knowing and lamenting over everything that we can’t change.

We’re still connected but now we’re aware of our possibilities and we choose or connections more wisely, avoiding being a host to the infection.

When do we give in, humble ourselves to understand that WE were part of the problem?

Then, our hearts are softened again, sensitized and feeling.

Tears flow again from happy endings and people realize that life is indeed shortened by cancer, accidents and so many things that we can’t control and we just let this anger starve its evil self to death because it has no host in us.

Americans will stand and smile at the now sad and smoldering ash of Anger Apocalypse and boldly tell it

‘You can go away now anger.
Because love has returned.’

 

 

 

*featured pic is downloaded from the internet, photographer unknown.