Blog

An Overwhelming Sadness

May 15th, 2023 by Kenneth Abrahams

Writing blogs is usually very therapeutic for me. Find a topic that I am interested in and share my thoughts with whoever chooses to read them. If something is bothering me or I see something that, in my opinion, is wrong I get to write about it. Sunday night is my usual time to write these and after I finish there is usually a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and peace. Tonight, there is none of that. Usually, blogs take me 2 – 6 hours to write, depending on the subject, research, and the flow. As you can see by the wide time range, some are easier to write than others. This weekend it has felt like a marathon and, to be honest, it felt like the race was being run in the mud. To say it has been a struggle would be a gross understatement. The topic on this one left me with an overwhelming feeling of sadness.

Reading the news, watching TV, and listening to the radio, I have been plagued by stories that have cast a pall over my world. Recently, there have been more mass shootings, one at an outlet mall. Several more members responsible for the Jan. 6th capitol riots were sentenced to jail, and an SUV drove into a bus stop killing several people and injuring others who had just come into the country from Venezuela. They had spent the night in a shelter and were waiting for a bus to take them back downtown. It is unknown at this time if the action was intentional, due to intoxication, or truly an unfortunate accident. Let’s hope it is the last option. Earlier today, I also spent time reading an article in the Boston Globe about a recently held school board election in an Illinois town not too far from Chicago. Two distinct factions were trying to retain control or take over control of the board. In a scenario that is all too familiar in this country, one side was left leaning the other a more conservative group. Part of the election centered on some of the summer reading lists that the school put out to the students and some of the books that discussed gender identity issues. In all fairness, according to the article one of the books “Gender Queer” a graphic novel, had some very detailed illustrations that some found disturbing and too mature for high school seniors. What was troubling was the vitriol and personal attacks that accompanied this election. As described in this article, this once peaceful community was being torn apart.

Regardless of the issue these days be it race, gay marriage, abortion and women’s reproductive rights, health care, politics, or even sports, we have lost the ability to have civil discourse anymore. It is easy to say that this is a problem centered in Washington, DC where a bunch of dysfunctional politicians can’t seem to agree on what day it is and are more concerned with being right than solving some of the problems that we have in this country. Let’s face it, there hasn’t been a president for decades that has won an election with a significant majority of the popular vote. Contrary to what politicians like to tell us, there is no clear-cut mandate. Many of us identify somewhere in the middle, neither hard right nor hard left. This divisiveness is now creeping into states, counties, cities, and small towns from coast to coast in the form of hate for the opposition. It festers in our universities and on Main Street. Somewhere along the line we lost the ability to debate or disagree in a civil manner.

Where has all this hate come from? Has it always been there, and I just never noticed it before? Honestly, as a kid growing up, I don’t remember hearing about mass shootings or young children being gunned down as collateral damage by a drive by shooter. Was I that naive, that sheltered? I don’t understand why anyone should have the right to tell someone else who they can and cannot fall in love with and marry? I may not fully understand gender identity issues, because I have never felt that I was not meant to be in the body I have, but I have met and worked with many trans people who are far happier now than before they transitioned. Why should somebody hate them for wanting to be comfortable with who they are and live a happy life? I don’t know about you, but I have too much going on in my life, don’t feel it is my place, and have absolutely no desire to make decisions for others.

So much in this world I don’t understand. People who are opposed to a woman’s right to choose but are adamant that we not, in any way, shape, or form, mess with the second amendment. Either you value human life, or you don’t because there is irrefutable evidence that guns are the most used weapon in this country for mass killings. Some of those same folks support the death penalty as well. How do they decide which lives are most valuable? It all makes my head hurt.

This Sunday night I will not sleep well. There will be no sense of calm or peace. Tonight, there will be no sense of accomplishment, I will not feel good about writing this piece. As I put this blog to bed there will only be a deep sense of sadness and a tremendous feeling of loss. Questions will run through my mind like how did we get here? What can I do to help? It feels too overwhelming. Growing up, my mom read us the story of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. In the story a boy saves his village by putting his finger in a leaky dike and stays there all night until the townspeople find him in the morning and repair the dike. It feels like every time we plug a hole another one springs up, and we quickly run out of fingers.

All I can do is make sure the people around me know that I am there to support them. Speak out against injustice when I see it. Try to encourage civil discourse whenever possible and not feel like this is a problem that can’t be solved. It doesn’t mean that my heart won’t be heavy, and I won’t be concerned about what is going on around me.

About the Author

After more than 150 blogs in the last 3 plus years there is very little that you don’t know about Ken Abrahams. He loves to cook but hates to bake with one exception batter breads. Those are breads like Banana bread and zucchini spice bread you make a batter and not a dough that you knead. Several of his clients know about the bread and on occasion request it, when time permitting, they will get it. Recently at a job when he arrived several of the students greeted him by asking if he had brought them Banana Bread. Now you know another fun fact about our author.

To find out more about the company go to our website www.funent.com you can also go to this link to sign up for our newsletter which comes out about 6 times a year    https://funent.com/subscribe-to-the-funny-pages/.  Our newsletter will tell you more about the company and the products and services we offer as well as some games, things to do, and the occasional cooking tip.