Little Old Ladies / Be Bigger People

A few days ago, we had a pretty exciting day at the library.  We held a Performer's Showcase, where people from all over got to come and show their stuff to, not only members of the public, but to any other group or organization that could make use of their talents and services.  My personal favorites of the large group were the handwriting analyst, and the lady with the three-toed sloth, armadillo, and a monkey (A MONKEY!).

Anywho, so it was a busy day of making sure everyone was taken care of, accounted for, handouts, numbers, stats, etc etc, and I was happiest doing what I do best - escorting little old ladies back to their vehicles and assisting them in whatever way possible.  Only...one particular little old lady saddened my day when she asked me, sadly and seriously: "I have an Obama sticker on my car... is that OK?"

I turned to and giggled a bit, because I thought it was sweet and funny that she'd ask.  "Of course it is!"  I offered her the greatest smile I could, showing both sincerity and even the slightest hint of a similar preference.

"Well..." she paused "I was a bit worried about it."

When I asked her why she'd ever worry about it, she told me that, on the way home, she has to pass through a particular area where truckers frequent.  "I get a lot of them honking their horns and giving me the finger.  A lot of them.  ...My husband worries about me."  This little old lady had to ask me if it was alright that she had an Obama sticker on her car, because I was helping her carry her things and I would undoubtedly see it.

My heart broke.

Please make it a point to keep from insulting anyone and make it a point to not judge what your friends or members of the general public personally believe.  I've held my tongue when some of my friends have publicly said unnecessarily cruel or insulting things because of  whomever or whatever it is they choose to believe, but I'm tired of it.  I'm tired of seeing hurt feelings and worried looks.  I'm tired of people hiding behind the freedoms of speech and thinking that it translates to a freedom to be inhuman.

I assume that people are passionate about whatever their beliefs are because they inherently want the best, and they fear that any belief otherwise may not meet that raised bar.  Please understand that people that believe something opposite a personal stance may also want the same thing.

...If only people were as selfless as that.  If only I could actually believe that people would put the constitution first, because of what it represents, not because of whom it benefits.  If only people would worry more about where the uneducated children of today will stumble with all their school budgets and programs slashed, as opposed to re-elections and overflowing wallets.

At the end of 8th grade, an English teacher wrote all of her classes a letter.  I don't remember much of it, save for one line: "...be people of integrity."  The line always resonated with me, because I felt it was hypocritical - she was the same teacher that never said anything while others picked on me in class.

Now, I want to repeat it with the hope that it will resonate with someone else.

Be people of integrity.  Let this foolishness of gnawing away at each other like base animals filled with selfish drive and instinct end.