Anti Anti

On our drive through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia today I  had a lot of spare time to read billboards and bumper stickers. And I gotta tell ya’ I’m annoyed.

The first one to cause my eyebrows to twitch was a bumper sticker with the American flag with the words ‘No aid or comfort to the enemy. Not ever!’ Then there was the one with a hand gun and the words, ‘America the brave’ plastered underneath and the one with a rifle and the words, ‘In guns we trust’ and then there were the seven ‘Nobama’ bumper stickers we passed in a one hour stretch.

All of these messages fed into my irritation about people who are anti all kinds of things but pro very little. People get all fired up over how much they are against war, religious persecution, discrimination, disease and bullying but if you were to ask the same people what they are for I’m afraid very few of them would know how to respond.

 All of those things are good things to be against. All socially conscious, moral people should be against anything that causes pain and division but what are you putting in their place? Are you just trading hates? Have you traded the hate of people who are not like you with the hate of the hate? Pals, that’s like pushing a cloud.

Being anti something is taking a stand, being pro something is moving forward. Being anti is putting up boundaries, being pro is building a monument for change. Being anti is feeding hate, being pro is fostering life.

Be anti-bullying but also be pro kindness, acceptance and encouragement. Be anti war but also be pro peace, tolerance and understanding. Be anti religious persecution but be pro love, unity and respect.  Be anti AIDs and malaria but be pro research, debt forgiveness and clean water initiatives. Be anti hate but be sure to be pro each other.

Being against is not enough. In order to really change things, in order to end violence, hate and strife we MUST be for things, for good things.

Be for Hope.

Be for Peace.

Be for Encouragement.

Be for Kindness.

Be for Change.

My fondest wish ... is that you will find something in your life worth fighting for. Because when you do you will have discovered a way to unite the will of the spirit to the work of the flesh and all of humanity will have discovered fire for the second time.

~Martin Sheen