It has been a while since I posted something. I have yet to get out of the funk I have been in lately. Don’t worry; I am doing the work and will persevere.

Here is something I posted in August of 2017, around the time the white nationalists gathered in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, before a rally organized by a group known as “Unite the Right.” The rally’s purpose was to protest the removal of a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Later that day, a 32-year-old woman was killed, and more than 19 others were injured after a car rammed into a group of counter-protesters who were demonstrating against the alt-right.

This was the first year of the first Trump administration, and we had no idea what was ahead.

I sound angry about this. I don’t know if I have that energy now. I feel like I should, but I also feel like it’s too late.

15 Aug 2017
Let me preface this by saying that this is a long and preachy message, and I apologize for any offense it may cause. I will address any opposing opinions in private messages, as I am open to changing my mind through intellectual discussion. If you would prefer to wait until later for more pictures of Hawaii, please do not read this.

I would also like to clarify that I am a straight, white, privileged male American. However, I see myself first and foremost as a human. I believe in your freedom of speech and expression, and I served 12 years in the Army to defend those rights. Nevertheless, I do not think it’s always wise to impose my freedoms and rights on others. I have been personally attacked by terrorists and spent most of my childhood being bullied. Yet, I do not harbor hate for either the terrorists or the bullies; hate is a waste of time and energy and does not change anyone.

I know that I have rights, but my mother taught me to treat others as I would like to be treated.

We live in a society that holds individual rights and freedoms in high regard. However, common sense and decency are often forgotten in the pursuit of freedom. I have the right to think hateful things and speak my mind, as long as it does not cross into hate speech. Nonetheless, my mother raised me to be kind to others, a concept that seems difficult for many to grasp these days. Here are some examples:

You have the right to oppose a war. Would you want your loved ones to deal with protesters at your funeral?

You have the right to support a war. Would you want it in your country, city, or neighborhood? Would you want your family to endure it?

You have the right to notice similarities in groups of people. Would you want others to make judgments, comments, or jokes at your expense based on the group into which you were born?

You have the right to tell someone they are attractive. Would you want to feel uncomfortable or like your only value is your physical beauty?

You have the right to hold different political views than someone else. Would you want someone who disagrees with you to lash out at you in a way that is anything other than diplomatic and respectful?

You have the right to fear competition for jobs. Would you like to be dismissed because of your race, gender, religion, or anything other than your ability to do the job?

You have the right to advocate for your political views to change public opinion or law. Would you want someone to use unlawful methods to change laws or opinions you support?

You have the right to say almost anything. Do you want to hear cruel, unkind, bigoted things directed at you, even when you’re wrong? (You can denounce something without being cruel.)

You have the right to feel that someone else’s life choices are wrong. Would you want to be forced to conform to another person’s lifestyle through anything other than social agreement?

You have the right to feel wronged when you have been attacked—physically, verbally, emotionally, or otherwise. Do you want people to retaliate unlawfully against you when you have wronged them?

You have the right to celebrate your strengths and accomplishments. Do you want to be belittled because someone else is stronger, richer, or better at something than you?

You have the right to be offended when you are prejudged based on your gender, race, ethnicity, etc. Would you want to be prejudged in return for belonging to a group by birth that has wronged another group?

You have the right to hate. Do you wish to be hated?

If you answered “no” to all these questions, then good for you; it means you understand how not to abuse your freedoms.

We can discuss freedom and rights endlessly, but that doesn’t automatically make us correct. We need to shape and change society when we encounter something we disagree with, standing up to injustice by fostering mutual respect in conversation.

You may think that you don’t need to respect others because it’s all about your needs. But remember, you are part of a social contract that relies on the contributions made by others in society. These contributions include: Food, roads, clean air, clean water, protection from fellow humans, protection from natural disasters, art, philosophy, medicine, tools, iPods, cars, and guns.

Every time you think about going off the grid and not cooperating with others, remember that whatever you cherish is built on the work of those who came before you. This social contract is global. When we force a foreign power to submit to our will, we tacitly acknowledge that if they can do it, they should feel entitled to do the same to us.

When choosing how to express your rights, remember to ask yourself: How would you wish to be treated if the roles were reversed?