To forgive a Trump … (03/14/16)
Dear Donald,
Let there be no mistake, these are dark days for America … And let there be no mistake, YOU are one of the reasons they are indeed so dark. You have riled up the more fear-filled half of the American populace and have frenzied them to the point where they are now teetering over a very real precipice of self-destruction — precariously poised to mold America into the Fourth Reich — more than ready to splinter the once United States into a land of authoritarian confinement and a home of violent cowardice — more than happy to make those still United States even more impoverished at home and even more hated abroad.
AND YET I humbly admit that hating you for this movement towards madness is not the solution … Attacking you as a man is not going to inspire you to be more dignified or have more integrity … Blasting you for your dangerous demagoguery is not going to cause you to become the Kind & Noble leader that America so desperately needs … Insulting your lack of decency is not going to force you to strive to instill the value of Fairness in our workplaces, or the value of Justice in our courtrooms, or the value of Compassion in our neighborhoods.
Yes, even though you are a man whose mere tone of strident arrogance & rabid aggression calls forth massive effusions of hatred & violence, you too are a human being — You too are worthy of the strong Love we wish you would champion — You too are worthy of the pure Forgiveness for which we all yearn.
And so I take this time this morning to forgive you, Donald …
*I forgive you for denigrating women — for implying that they are less than; that they should feel shame for their gender; that they should be subservient to men … AND — even as I forgive you, know that I will spend the rest of my life loudly championing the rights of all women to live lives graced with equality and dignity and respect; know that I will spend the rest of my days boldly standing between sexism and its intended victims — our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our friends.
*And I forgive you for your racist comments about Mexican immigrants — for implying that they are criminals and rapists; that they should feel shame for trying to better the lives of themselves & their families by risking everything to sneak over the border and work very hard for very little pay … AND — even as I forgive you, know that I will spend the rest of my life proudly supporting their inalienable right to be treated with decency — with open arms instead of closed borders; with generosity & goodwill instead of a cold, jagged wall and the callous threats of dismissal & deportation.
*And know as well that I forgive you for spawning the fear, and indeed the hatred, of Muslims — for blatantly spewing the lie that most Muslims hate America; that most Muslims are violent people; that most Muslims are dangerous and want to destroy the lives of non-Muslims. I forgive you for openly calling for the use of torture against those Muslims who are merely suspected of being terrorists, and I forgive you for openly calling for the cold-blooded murder of innocent Muslim men, women & children who happen to be family members of actual radicals — ironically (and sadly) claiming to do so in the name of “freedom” & “democracy” … AND — even as I forgive you for these atrocious acts of ignorance (and yes, wanton evil), know that I will spend the rest of my life staunchly defending ALL those who are similarly persecuted, and that I will spend the rest of my days uplifting ALL those — Muslim & Christian & Hindu & Buddhist & atheist alike — who are being unjustly thrown down by the cruel hands of ignorant bigotry and callous aggression.
So my dear Donald, while I unabashedly loathe everything you currently stand for (and deeply mourn the loss of everything you do not), I set aside my anger at the many you are harming & my frustration over the many who are helping you to do so. I set those feelings aside to write to you today and send you my most unconditional Forgiveness and my purest Compassion …
… God knows you need them more than most.
Sincerely yours,
Scaughdt
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