I work with this lovely man who also works as a priest for a progressive sect of the Catholic Church. This sect is all-inclusive toward homosexuals. They perform homosexual marriages, and the priest himself is, in fact, gay.
A local university was hosting an
interfaith candlelight vigil for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in
Orlando. They asked him to speak along
with several other ecclesiastical leaders including two Muslims, a Mormon
leader, the president of the Jewish coalition, and a priest from the Roman
Catholic Church whom my friend knew all too well.
"The Roman Catholic Church
doesn't accept homosexuality or allow gay marriages," he informed me. "I can't believe they would ask
him! I've spent years counseling,
nurturing, and seeing all the pain of the people he has cast out and refused to
help!"
I had never seen my friend like
this before. He wasn't shouting, but he
was livid. He was so emotional he
couldn't focus on anything else. It
really brought him down. He was sullen
and on edge the rest of the day.
He sat there, upset, repeating
how he couldn't believe they invited him.
After all the years the Roman Catholic Church (and, in particular, this
priest they had invited) spent shunning the gay community... Now to have him show up for a night of
remembrance and offer shallow support and hollow prayers...
"I don't think I can
go," my friend said. "I don't
think I can stand to be there with him."
"Isn't the whole point of
this vigil--and the Pulse aftermath in general--to love and accept one another
even when we don't understand someone's choices and/or disagree with their
lifestyle?"
"Yes. And, I know you're right... And, I know it's just my own baggage... But, I was raised Roman Catholic. And being in that environment for so
long… And now seeing how they treat the
LGBT community... And, all the hurt and
suffering it causes... It just... It makes me SO UPSET."
And so the cycle continues.
Amid vigils of solidarity,
hashtags of love, and profile pictures of support, the cycle continues. Hate and anger live on.
Except, when the hate is
fashionable…no one really notices.
What happened in Orlando was
noticed. When a man with a vendetta
(we're assuming against homosexuals for religious and/or cultural reasons)
shoots 100 people in a nightclub...it's noticeable. People are hurt and angered by this act to
say the least.
Gays blame conservatives for not
being more accepting. Conservatives
blame Muslim extremists. Muslims blame
Americans. And the circle never
ends.
What I have observed about humans
is that it's easier to place blame than accept responsibility, it's easier to
recognize the behavior of others than it is to recognize our own, and it's
always easier to be on a side that's popular, or feels strongly supported.
Not just easier. Easy.
As easy as breathing. In fact, it
comes so naturally that it just happens; undetected and unnoticed.
When an attack happens, the
natural response is to push back. To
oppose the opposer. To retaliate. We hurt--intensely--and we need an outlet to
direct our overwhelming feelings.
Like rainwater, our feelings will
follow the path of least resistance.
And, the easiest route is toward whatever we view as the source:
person(s), religions, teachers, elected officials, et al.
The pendulum can only swing so
far in the opposite direction, however, before it becomes the same position,
just reversed, i.e., the lovers become haters, and the hater becomes hated. We're often so concerned with maintaining the
distance between us and them (keeping our eyes ever present on the target), that
we fail to look down and notice where our feet have taken us.
When people hear the phrase hate
breeds hate, they usually think of it coming down a hereditary line: a father
teaches his son, who passes it on to his son, and so on, and so on. Thus, people who have renounced the hate of
their fathers tend to prize themselves as loving and exempt.
But, hate isn't always filtered
down. Sometimes hate is Big Banged into
existence.
An event that leaves 50 people
dead and another 50 hospitalized is so cataclysmic it becomes a social
bomb. Just as an explosion sends debris
flying away from the combustion, so too does a socially singed event.
Socially, we are blown away from
the source, i.e., we scatter in the opposite direction: we become an ally
rather than a foe; we feel compassion rather than malice; we feel sadness
rather than anger; we feel helpless rather than extremist. And--what we get--is Facebook fallout:
harmless, carcinogenic, ashy snowflakes floating their way into our
newsfeed.
However, there is no push without
shove, no joy without sorrow, and no love without hate. For every action there is an opposite and
equal reaction. Often our best
intentions are not far off from our worst nightmares.
In the wake of the Orlando
attack, here are some quotes I've read:
"If this picture/video of
two men kissing disturbs you, then unfriend me right now."
· Sounds like the opposite of the acceptance the LGBT community
seeks.
"To all my friends who
'claim' to be Christian but have not reached out to me after the shooting in
Orlando...you should be ashamed of yourself."
· Doesn't sound like the empathy and compassion with which the
LGBT community wishes to be regarded.
"Westboro Baptist Church is
coming to protest at the funerals of the Pulse shooting victims. Orlando businesses--DO NOT SERVE THEM. Boycott the Westboro Baptist Church. Close your doors and do not allow them
in."
· Sounds a lot like the Freedom of Religion bills causing major
upheaval in select states.
"Florida Governor, Rick
Scott, who has repeatedly turned his back on the LGBT community has invited
himself to speak at the Lake Eola vigil tonight. When he speaks, turn your back to him."
· Doesn't sound like the respect, understanding, or open mind the
LGBT community wishes would receive their voice.
My own friend and coworker--a man
of the cloth himself--unable to attend an interfaith vigil due to his inability
to accept another's faith.
And this represents only a small
spoken fraction of the anger, hurt, and hate I know is simmering unsaid.
Granted, my friend’s hurt and
anger (as well as all others quoted above) stem from the great love he has for
the LGBT community. Anti-LGBT is the
hate du jour (remember how a hate bomb sends us all in the opposite direction
when it explodes?). We feel justified in
this hate because we have a formidable current event to attach it to. And, that's the thing...
Yesterday we hated
communists. Today we love the gays. Tomorrow...who knows?
But, one thing I do know is love
and hate cannot be separated. They live
hand in hand. Always have, always
will. Therefore, wherever one goes...so
goes the other. Each act of love is an
act of hate, and each act of hate is an act of love. It just depends which side you're on.
Recognizing the duality and
understanding the harmony of love and hate is essential for bringing peace. Even so, as both are fashionable, each person
may choose which to wear: love or hate.
And--make no mistake--the decision reflects heavily how one will be
viewed.
Personally, I wish to drape
myself in so much love I'll be the most hateful man around town. Spreading hate wherever I go. Hate of suffering, hate of depression, hate
of complacency...
And my primo, most potent hate of
all, is the way I hate how much you don't like yourself. Yes, I am aware of it. Yes, I am passing it on. And, yes.
I do hope this hate will trickle down to you.