With devastation happening all around, there’s no better time to unite. A plea for more kindness | Opinion

Is it just me? Or has anyone else noticed that people will say and do anything these days. There’s a level of boldness with people expressing themselves at an alarming rate. The rise in wars, surges of violence over political views, protests for social and economic justice trickle-down to the aftermath we deal with in our everyday lives.

The trickle-down is where everything rolls downhill. When we start with love and kindness it flows through our actions, the things we say and things we do. Same goes for hate and envy, what goes around comes around. When you come from peace and understanding, that’s what you give and what you get, same when we come from chaos and confusion, what you give is what you receive. Everything comes full circle, it’s called Karma.

The unpredictability of how people may react has transformed society to intense hostility and animosity. We’re on guard like never before because you never know what to expect. This new world is different, people are subject to do whatever, then post it on social media for everyone to see. There’s no shame in their game! Nothing is considered sacred or private, everything is everything. But like the proverb declares, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

For a society that is supposed to be intelligent and sophisticated, the influences of social media and reality television have warped the belief of what’s real and what’s not. We’re living in jaded times, what we consider as entertainment has desensitized us to arguing and fighting each other, which is unnecessary. We should be able to settle personal differences in a calm, cool, and collected manner without yelling, name calling and conflict; Or worse, violence. Is it always necessary to comment on what you think or feel? Everyone is allowed to have their own point of view and agree to disagree for having different thoughts and beliefs. We’re not always going to agree completely but at least be respectful towards one another. I’m just saying, can we all just get along?

There’s no limit that people will go through to hurt themselves and each other. Case and point the New Year’s Eve attack followed by the Cybertruck bomber. Then there’s Luigi Mangione who’s accused of murdering the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in broad daylight and considered a martyr. Don’t forget the historical Jan. 6 deadly insurrection that’s coined a ‘gathering of love’ to minimize unimaginable behavior. We’re living in extreme times and divided on audacious behaviors that are normalized. What do you think that trickle-down looks like on a smaller level, smaller cities, and neighborhoods that we live in? Are we flooding our communities with love or hate?

What happened to “My Brother’s Keeper?” Neighbors helping neighbors? Do we still uphold the Golden Rule to treat others the way we want to be treated? Remember back in the day people came together? A moment in time that if you did something wrong growing up your neighbors corrected you and then told your parents, so you got in trouble twice. It’s different today, we live in fear of getting shot over a little mishap.

Can we start a new challenge to stick together —take back our neighborhoods and communities, and give hope and joy. Be a helping hand, check on the elderly, visit the sick and shut-in, volunteer to help someone less fortunate. If each of us worked to create a better society we would be unstoppable. With devastation happening all around, there’s no better time to unite. People are still living in tents in Asheville, N.C. since the hurricanes last year. California fires have destroyed lives, homes, schools, and businesses. It’s destruction and demise all around us. In a world where we can be anything you want to be, can we choose to be kind? In a world where we can achieve anything, can we find a solution to world peace? In a world where the sky’s the limit, can we take care of ourselves and each other?

We used to say, “make love, not war,” now we make war and there is no love. When you know better, you do better!

Michelle Antoinette is a Lexington native, a writer, and a graduate of Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky.