I just read something that made me think. People and groups are multi-faceted. For example, if one person in a group makes one statement (and it can be misconstrued and there may be more to the story) that is no reason to assume everyone in that group feels and thinks the same. We are guilty of stereotyping when there is that kind of thinking. I often look at the whole picture but many people just can't, they take one thing at face value. If one person in your political party is arrested for something and is "bad" does that make all in the party equally guilty? We have to stop this thinking. It's the same if you have a family. One kid in the family goes wrong, is that meaning the entire family are horrible people? Remember to look at the entire picture before jumping to conclusions. All Christians or Muslims, or whites or blacks, or any other group you can think of don't all fit in the square peg definition, some are round pegs. Let us all think hard before we make assumptions. One person wrote to a local newspaper and made a few remarks. I did not see what that person said. But, I saw an onslaught of hateful letters written by people after the fact saying this person was a white supremacist, a bigot and all sorts of things. I kind of wish I had seen the original letter that was written, but perhaps I should be glad I did not. One, or more, letters told the newspaper that they should not have published the original letter. The person who wrote the original "thing" had free speech, as do they. I don't know what was said but the temper tantrums and requests for censure bothered me. We have constitutional rights to say what we want to say. I could be here saying I'm better than everyone else, but I know that is not so. I have a right to free speech and when a newspaper starts "editing" letters someone feels are "bad" we begin a march down the wrong path. You can disagree and hate whoever wrote whatever it was you thought was "bad" and you can write a letter to the newspaper too, as some have done. But, someone wrote and said what they are thinking, no matter how provocative it may have been they exercised their right. Be at peace and perhaps rather than ripping a person to shreds, one might take an opportunity to respond and attempt to educate that person and realize that responses could be an educational opportunity. I had a grandmother I loved dearly. She was a good woman and she loved her family, she would have died for us. Yet, as I reflect back, she was a bigoted person and rather superstitious in nature. She'd freak out if you broke a mirror and step on a crack in the sidewalk. I chalk it up to the fact that she grew up in different times. I loved her and wish she was here, today, to hug. Would I berate her publicly for her beliefs, or might I say a few gentle things here or there to help her understand times are changing? I'd like to think I would love her and be kind and maybe, just maybe, I could help her change her views. We accomplish nothing with hate and mean spirited words. We also, in my humble opinion cannot erase history. We can turn around something that happened with educational and thoughtful words to explain to a new generation what the thinking was, and now is. You are not "wrong", I am not "wrong" if we think differently, we just need to understand each other better. Thank you for reading this.

Empaths beware

Last night, Mark and I purchased the pay per view movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. Though I feel it was a good movie, I was left sad. I'm kind of sorry I watched it. I often react differently to certain movies other people love, and it's just me I guess. A good example of how I know myself rather well is that I have never seen and will never see the movie Titanic from years ago. I know how it ends, why would I form an attachment to characters who would die in the end? That would have haunted me and I'd have been sad for a long time after seeing it. It was fictionalized, but real people with lives and hope for their future died when that ship went down, I don't need to see it. I know the story already. No thanks. I don't care to see things that leave me sad, there is enough in life that does that on it's own without paying money to add to it all. I should have known better last night. As for me, give me entertainment that actually makes me happy. I'm a happy ending kind of gal. The music was good, though. This portrayal of Freddie Mercury would end with us knowing he was ill and of his impending death. What a shame his life was ended at only 42 and he was often so lonely. But, from a teaching perspective, I hope the teens who might watch it would perhaps get that fame and fortune is not everything and that even with all the tea in China, you could be a very lonely, sad and misdirected person. Meaningless relationships left him sick and dying and those people were not at his bedside when he died, they were takers who took from him. I suppose the teaching from that is that long term promiscuity, and a party life style can leave one hollow and actually lead to an early death. We've seen so many in the entertainment industry fall due to the drugs and the other lifestyle situations. I wonder if kids of today get that? Would watching this story change anyone's direction and how they might handle fame and fortune? I have no answers. It does make me thankful that my life is as it is, that I made some decent choices over the years, though I had a rocky road in my 20s. I lived, I learned. Mercury did achieve greatness and the music he was part of lives on. I love Queen's music and grew up with it, and I should have just not watched the movie. So, with this melancholy mood, I wish you a good Sunday and I hope that I do some serious cheering up as I go through my day. Once I get busy, I'll feel more like me again. Normal is a good thing. Yes, I am the empath who should know better than to expose myself to various things that hurt my soul. I do wish that empath warnings might be available for films and TV shows, perhaps they are? I should check if that is so. I know I had begun to watch the TV series "This is Us" for awhile and had to stop, it was just too sad for me.