To love another person is to see the face of God

My post title is a line from a song from the classic Broadway play Les Misérables.

I'm well-aware that when I post on Facebook or on my blog here, I'm posting on hot topic issues, primarily marriage equality. On Facebook, I see pictures with captions that support what I believe, and I (probably) annoyingly share them on my profile in an attempt to expose and educate.

Everyone sees the world through a different lens, based on whatever their life experiences include, and many times, some people may feel as though their lens is the one true view of the world, and they defend their world perception with tremendous passion and emotion, potentially alienating others who disagree with their particular perception. Standing for something can definitely indicate what kind of person you are, your character. And one's character can easily be exposed by how one approaches and deals with others who view the world from their own lens, also insisting that their view is the correct one.

I see the world through the eyes of someone who deals with discrimination daily. I see and experience injustice first hand. I'm not in the majority. I'm part of 2 minorities in that I'm Hispanic and gay. I've known people who are members of even MORE minorities. I once met a man, when I was in college (over 8 years ago), who was Hispanic, highly hearing impaired, blind, gay, and even HIV+. The only other way I could see him be more of a minority is if he had also been a little person.

Because I see the world through the eyes of one who's a subject of daily discrimination, it teaches me to empathize with other people, to be able to walk a mile in their shoes and see life through their eyes.

That being said, here's the challenge:

If you know someone who opposes your views, and is as stubborn about being educated in your view point as you are about being educated in theirs, how do you deal with that? Do you just let the sparks fly in friction of potentially inevitable heated debate? Or despite the fundamental disagreements, do you look at that person and still do what Jesus taught us to do and love that person anyway, even when you each hold irreconcilable view points?

In today's political climate, we have 2 major political parties, and each one believes in their heart of hearts that their beliefs are the right ones. So what happens? You have 2 sides arguing and arguing, and slinging mud at each other, trying to expose each other's lies, half-truths, misinformation, etc. One side paints the other as being bigoted, while the other side paints the other as being immoral, and so the mud-slinging continues, seemingly without end. Then one side will use Scripture to justify and support their beliefs, and then the other side will use it to counter the opposition's beliefs.

A relative brought to my attention that when I post as much as I do on Facebook, I'm taking part in the mud slinging. After careful reflection, I've realized I am. I've also, upon reflection, realized that as much as I try to maintain that I'm trying to expose hypocrisy (by being a "digital activist"), I've failed to recognize my own. I cannot claim to be follower of Christ if I'm yelling in judgment at those who disagree with my view of the world. That's not love. That's hate and intolerance, something I actually would like to fight to eradicate. But I can't help rid the world of intolerance when I'm practicing it myself.

A few weeks ago, Frank and I had the privilege to see Les Misérables through Broadway Across America. It's our favorite musical. I love the music, and he loves the story, and he essentially aspires to be like the main charactor, Jean Valjean, a man who truly and completely embodies Christ-like behavior in his actions. He starts off in the story as a criminal, robs a priest who gives him food and shelter, but when the priest covers for him against the authorities, Valjean becomes converted and vows to live a righteous life. His vow puts him in very difficult situations in which he is faced with difficult dilemmas whose options lie in self-interest, or selflessness. And each time, he chooses selflessness in remembering to honor his vow to God, to lead a righteous life. When I listen to the soundtrack, and when I saw the play, there was one line in a song that struck me:

"To love another person is to see the face of God..."

Those words echo in me very deeply. I thought about those words this Father's Day weekend. And simply the thought of these words started making me cry. I felt so humbled, so guilty, so...hypocritical. Here I am being a "digital activist" intending to educate and expose falsehoods my "enemy" teaches, and I feel like I might be causing more harm than good because I'm too busy trying to push my beliefs onto others when I vocally preach against others doing that as well.


I guess what I'm saying is that though there's nothing wrong with debate, and deep, intelligent discussions, there's certainly nothing wrong with educating people, I mean, for cryin' out loud, I AM and educator by profession! But It's not that you educate, it's how you educate. And I think I'm going about educating the wrong way. I don't know. I may look at this post in the next few years and think, "What the hell was I thinking writing that post?" All I'm saying is that I'm looking at how I've been behaving lately, and it doesn't line up with the ideal person I'd like to think I'm striving to be, and that type of person is the one described in this quote from Les Misérables. I want to be the type of person who loves all, not just those who agree with me, because I think that's what Jesus would do.

And that's not easy to do. It's a lifelong challenge.

The reality of 2nd-class citizenship

Dear Potential Voter (I say "potential" because a lot of Americans don't care to vote):

Are you married? If you are, great. You have the right to marry the person you love.

Can you get fired from your job due to your race, ethnicity, sex, creed, color, disability? No? Good for you. Your employment is protected.

I, on the other hand, am not married, despite what my Facebook relationship status reads. Why am I not married even though I'm in love with my partner of 6 years? Because my right to marry has been denied. So all the benefits and protections that come with a marriage license will never be available to me...so long as such laws are in place.

Also, though I can't be fired for being Hispanic, male, white, disabled (I'm not) or a progressive Christian, I CAN be fired for being gay. So I'm *not* completely protected because most employment discrimination clauses do not include "sexual orientation or gender identity/expression"...6 words that offer invaluable protections.

Which is the party that opposes marriage equality and supports sexual orientation-based employment discrimination? REPUBLICANS more so than any other American political party.

If you're legally married, good for you. You probably had to pay a small fee and show proof of ID to get the license. Me? Since it's illegal for me to get married, my partner and I have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops, and pay a shitload of money for an attorney just to get the PROTECTIONS the marriage license gives you automatically. How is that fair in a country where "all men are created equal" as stated in our Declaration of Independence? How is that fair in a country where "no state shall . . . deny any person within its jurisdiction equal protection under the law" as stated in the 14th Amendment of our US Constitution? 

Being denied these rights make me and millions like me a 2nd-class citizen in my own country. And as long as you vote for Republican candidates, especially socially conservative candidates, YOU ARE CAUSING US PERSONAL HARM.

So.

If you are empathetic to equal rights for ALL citizens, please vote Democrat. If you refuse to vote Democrat because you support the Republican party on MOST issues, then contact your senator or representative and urge them to rethink their voting. They represent you. They're elected to SERVE their constituents. And if they don't represent you well, vote. them. out. Further, talk to fellow constituents and educate them about the issues.

If you're a heterosexual male or female, congratulations. You're in the majority, and none of this applies to you. But if you know someone who's gay or lesbian, then YOUR VOTE AFFECTS THEIR LIFE, not yours! Do you really want to support a candidate who will strip your friend or loved one of those rights? Would you be able to look us in the eye and say, "I'm better than you. We're NOT equals, and I will support candidates that will support or pass legislation that will oppress you."? If you can't bring yourself to look us in the eye and tell us that to our face, then vote Democrat or contact your representative. But make sure you VOTE.

When unjust laws are passed, a minority of people will be oppressed. Oppression and freedom are antonyms, and we learn about those in elementary school. That being said, I leave you with this quote: 

"If anybody is oppressed, nobody is free." -Unknown

Cold summers

It's around 100 degrees outside. There's little to no shade. You're thirsty, you're hot, and the only thing you can do is lie down and take the heat on a flat, hot surface, or in hot grass. You want to go inside to be with your friends and family, but the door is closed, maybe locked. There's no way you can get in to enjoy more comfortable surroundings unless you get lucky and someone comes to open the door and let you in, or at LEAST remember to make sure you not only have water to drink, but that it's at least cold enough to keep you hydrated.

Or worse. All of the above applies to you, but you're tied and can only move around so much. Your very freedom has been severely limited, and is under the total control of the one who tied you up outside. You'll vocalize your need for company, for attention, for love. Simultaneously, you'll accept your current situation and just deal with the card you've been dealt.

I live in a 2-story house with my partner and our 2 awesome dogs, Apollo and Ares. They're both big, mixed-breed dogs. They're domesticated. We treat them like our children...because to us, they are. We love them, feed them, take them to the doctor, teach them, play with them, clean up after them, etc. They're loved and completely cared for, and they know it. Then I look out a window upstairs that overlooks our backyard and the backyards of the neighbors who share our back fence. One house has 2 dogs, and from what I can see, they both stay outside. They're not tied up, and they do have a small area of shade provided by the rear patio. I have no idea if they'll stay outside, or if they're just out there to do their business before they're readmitted into the house. I don't know. But when I see dogs outside in the heat, I just want to go to them and show them someone cares.

I grew up with smaller dogs, and they weren't really "family", but rather, pets in the background, accessories. When I think about how I could've done so much more for them had I known what I know now, my dogs would've been so much happier. I grew up in one house where we had our Italian Greyhound, Grigio, living indoors with us. When I got to high school, we moved to another house, and Grigio became an outdoor dog. We only brought him in when it was too cold, too hot, or it was raining severely. But he had a dog house with a comfy bed in it with blankets. He was given good fresh food, and fresh water, sometimes with ice cubes to keep him cool. He also had a large shaded area where his dog house was. I'd go outside to play with him periodically. He had regular trips to the vet. So as far as all that, he was treated very well. But he could've been treated so much better.

When I think about Grigio, and especially other dogs we had after he died, I feel like an asshole. We could've done more, but we didn't, and I feel this way for dogs who've died under circumstances that, though good, could've been a lot better. Now I have Apollo and Ares, whom we treat so well that we even share our bed with them. They don't get under the covers, but they sleep in our bedroom; one on our bed with us, usually Apollo, and the other, usually Ares, on the futon across from the bed. When I get into bed, Apollo is either lying down at the foot already, or I'll crawl in, he'll jump up, and rest alongside my legs, and I feel his weight press against me as he lies down, and that contact, his body weight pressed against my leg is such a great feeling. I feel connected to this creature, this adopted child of ours, whose love and loyalty to his parents is unconditional. Our dogs live a great life.

But not all animals are as lucky as our babies.

It's taken a few years for my perspective to change. I didn't see things back then the way I see them now. When I drive through my neighborhood, and I see a loose dog running about in the street, my heart breaks for it. I want to find the owner and reprimand them for not being more responsible.What if that dog gets run over? What if they leave the neighborhood and become a stray? Can you imagine a child in such a situation? The police would be called and the child would immediately be returned to their home. The parents may even be charged with child endangerment or neglect. But in the case of an animal? Nope.

I feel like I'm starting to prattle here, so let me get to my point which I was trying to make in my first paragraph:

Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. The Golden Rule that Jesus himself taught us.

When you see an animal in need, do you think to yourself, "Someone else will take care of it", or do you take action? If you have a dog or any pet that stays outdoors, please reconsider, at least for the summer, to let them stay inside with you. If you're unwilling to do that, then FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL. Give the dog away to a family who will take care of it the way it needs to be taken care of. It's so sad to know so many animals are suffering, and so many of them need good, loving forever homes. But we're all too busy taking care of our own lives. People don't want the responsibility of taking care of an animal who just wants to be loved.

If you ever think, "They're animals. They can take it" if they're out in the heat, you're wrong! We've been domesticating dogs for years. They're no longer capable of "taking it". Once they're domesticated, it's unlikely they can re-adapt enough to survive as a wild animal.

Though I'm primarily addressing dogs, the same holds true for cats, though they are more self-sufficient in taking care of themselves. Dogs are incredibly social creatures, and no other species of animals works with social human cues the way dogs do.

I know this summer I'll be seeing dogs kept out in people's back yards. They'll be taking the heat, and probably enduring intense thirst. In worse scenarios, there'll be animals outside tied up, their freedom limited, kept in the background, enjoying human company when their owners feel like it.

If you have a dog, please think about how you're treating it this summer. If you don't want your dog to be indoors, but you love it too much to give it away or sell, then make their outdoor living tolerable. Play with it daily, or take it for a walk. Make sure their water bowl is always full, because they can't tell you when they're thirsty. If you ever try to rationalize how you treat your dog because...they're a dog...then ask yourself if you'd like that same treatment. If not, make your treatment of them more humane.