What can I do?

I sent this email to my Senators and Congressman today:

As my heart breaks for the slain Baton Rouge Police officers and their families, I, like many citizens am asking myself how can I help make things better?  How can I help promote communication and compromise, how can I help encourage finding solutions without violence?

I would ask that you do the same.  I believe that the behavior of the Congress and the Senate for the last few years contributes to the problems in America.  The unwillingness to find common ground, to pass legislation that is good for America, to have hearings on appointments; these behaviors demonstrate commitment to political ideology over commitment to the citizens of the United States.

I implore you to examine your conscience, and really think about your speeches, your rhetoric and your behavior.  Have you encouraged partnership and compromise?  Or have you encouraged division and partisanship?

We all have a role to play in making it better.  In decreasing violence, and in valuing and promoting civility.

I'm going to do everything I can to make it better.  I hope you will too.

Best Regards,
Anne Marie St. Clair

I hope at least one of them reads it and takes it to heart.  When we care more about ideas and ideology than we do about each other, we start down a terrible path.

We have arrived in America where that path leads.  We are a country divided.  We shout and hurl insults instead of discussing.  We "Stand our Ground"  instead of finding common ground.  We resort to violence far too quickly.

It is time to collectively join hands and sing a resounding rendition of "Kumbaya".  It is time to stop digging in and defending our positions and time to start reaching out to each other, no matter what our positions are.

We all have a better self within us.  It is time to bring that better self, our best self, to the forefront.  It is time to love one another with all that we have.

The killing has to stop.  The violence has to stop.  The hate has got to stop.  The fear has got to stop.  And all of us have a responsibility.

At Mass yesterday, Father talked about how looking at things differently can change your world.  He challenged us to look at all the things we have to do not as obligations or responsibilities, but as acts of love.  He believes that if you go about your day looking at the things you do as acts of love, you create the opportunity to make everything you do a prayer, and thereby bring great joy to your life.

I tend to look at much of what I do as acts of love anyway, so this is a natural fit for me.  I hope that you too can learn to see your daily activities as acts of love.  Because when we are all acting out of love, it has to get better.