Slow to evolve

I really am sick of all the hatred in this country and in the world, this looking for who to blame for what has gone wrong in our lives, who to be afraid of, who to be better than.  We pink monkeys have been evolving for a long time.  We've solved massive, complex problems, and still we can't seem to rise above our fear and opinions.  Shouldn't we be getting better at this?  Why are so many countries at war, wars that cost trillions of dollar, while millions of children live in ignorance and want?  Why do we spend so much of our precious energy and time hating each other?

We must listen carefully for who in our lives gives us messages of hatred and fear.  We must let these people out of our lives. Feeling as though you must always have a gun nearly is no way to live.  We must learn to humanize one another.  It's harder to hate "them" or "him" than it is to hate a person whose name you know or face your recognize or shoes you have stood in.

This is going to be just as hard for me as it will be for those people I have already decided are not willing to open their minds and hearts.  I have a lot of work to do to live up to my own ideals.

Fantasy (I enjoy sharing my fantasies.  They're mostly family-friendly.)  (I do have a pretty big ego.)
So, fantasy: Sweet Hubby records me while I'm dancing my ass off, posts the video on YouTube, and Granny Owl becomes in Internet sensation.  And of course there are people, youngsters mostly, who post about how gross it is to see a fat old lady with saggy boobs dancing around like a spazz.  I would reply publicly, with just exactly the right amount of dignity and strength, "If you are fortunate enough to live as long as I have, I hope you have people in your life who cheer you on instead of tearing you down."  And for just a moment, that becomes an Internet sensation, too, a reminder that we will all get old and that everyone needs cheering on at any age.  The notoriety won't last long, of course.  But some people's eyes might have been opened and so, for a moment, my life will have meant something.