{"id":962,"date":"2016-11-26T13:54:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-26T18:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tamara.tedzplace.ca\/?p=962"},"modified":"2016-11-26T13:54:04","modified_gmt":"2016-11-26T18:54:04","slug":"the-bitter-taste-of-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tamara.tedzplace.ca\/?p=962","title":{"rendered":"the bitter taste of words…."},"content":{"rendered":"

Behind me the other day, as I sat reading my book, \u00a0was a conversation about nutrition, about the additives and unhealthiness of food….\u00a0<\/span>when a comment was made “that all the plastics in our food was what they say is causing all the gay people”.
\n<\/span>This stopped me short, in the book I was reading. \u00a0It snapped my head back, I gasped slightly and sat in stunned silence with millions of giant question marks encircling my head, like little blue birds in a cartoon reel.
\nThe seemingly absolute absurdness of this statement struck me.
\nThis from a presumably intelligent person, somehow casually thrown into general conversation.
\n<\/span>I guess if ‘they’ can determine a cause \u00a0then possibly that means ‘they’ can determine a cure, \u00a0Is that the intention to such a statement as this ….. \u00a0 \u00a0I wonder .. \u00a0???<\/p>\n

I choose not to challenge, or call out the speaker. \u00a0Instead I return to my book, but
\nthis stays with me .. \u00a0a bit.
\nThis morning I log into the world ‘online’ and the first thing I see is from my friend Jena Schwartz, an email she received that reads in part, “”You should be ashamed of yourself and make sure you move out of the country sooner than later.”
\nShe was referred to as “you people” and “whatever else you are”.
\nNow I call Jena Schwartz, my friend, though we have never met. \u00a0This is what I do know about her, she is a writer, she is a gifted poet of heart, she is a woman, she is a mother, she is Jewish and she is gay. \u00a0Most importantly what I know about Jena is that she shares what’s in her head, and in her heart, with me (and many others) and because of that we are blessed, and this<\/strong> is why I call Jena Schwartz, though we have never met… \u00a0my friend.<\/p>\n

I will never understand the distinctive marginalized thinking of ‘us and them’.
\nIs it us versus them?
\nIs it perhaps us over them?
\nIs it us instead of them?
\nWhat has happened
\nto we?
\nWhen then,
\nare we
\nWe?
\nIn the current political climate of turning back the clock, rapidly flashing images, sound bites, who shouts the loudest, fighting fear with FEAR, have we then turned away from human kindness? Are we no longer capable of individual thought?
\nFreedom of speech, free rights … \u00a0I get this … \u00a0you do not have to agree with me nor I you, I don’t need to dispell your religious beliefs, or question your politics, it does not come to me to tell you how you should live
\nbut have we run so far away from just being kind to
\neach other?
\nDoes kindness somehow now make you weak, simple minded
\nobtuse?
\nYou people
\nThose people
\nThem<\/p>\n

Are they not us?
\nAre we
\nnot
\nUs<\/p>\n

My brother once told me that I was too confrontational, and I told him that he preferred to have his head in the sand (or maybe, I said .. somewhere else)
\nand we spit our words out
\nin spite
\nand threw them like daggers
\nuntil we
\nwere no longer
\nwe<\/p>\n

or us<\/p>\n

and then, \u00a0I guess
\nwe became<\/p>\n

them.<\/p>\n

Simple words,
\nused as poisonous darts,
\nintentional or otherwise,
\nbegin to decimate
\nus all<\/p>\n

you
\nmake the choice
\nfor You<\/p>\n

Think kindly
\nChoose wisely
\nChoose
\nRespect
\nand Compassion
\nand
\nLove<\/p>\n

Human Kindness<\/p>\n

it is
\nafter all
\na much lighter load
\nto carry \u2665<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I explained to him how naive we were, that the world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.\u201d \u00a0~ Elie Wiesel<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Behind me the other day, as I sat reading my book, \u00a0was a conversation about nutrition, about the additives and unhealthiness of food….\u00a0when a comment was made “that all the plastics in our food was what they say is causing…
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