Saving What We Love (An Art of Homemaking Post)

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly confrontational.  I feel like everywhere I turn someone is ready to fight….road rage, internet trolls, wars and controversy in the press and on the news…everyone everywhere seems to be shouting from their vantage point that they are RIGHT…and competition is intense.

And I have to admit…there are days I can get caught up in it.

I hate injustice and conflict and suffering…and jerks….and hate.

(I hate hate.  That’s ironic.)

And like I said their are so many days I want to put on my battle gear and fight fight fight.

But a few weeks ago something changed my battle plans…and it came from the most unlikely of places:

Opening night of “The Last Jedi” I sat in a crowded movie theater…at midnight…in between my brother and 13 year old son…surrounded by bun donning women and plastic light saber carrying men…while I wore my pajamas and pink fuzzy slippers.

(Because…aside from my insane need to fight for the right I also love me some Star Wars.)

Towards the end of the movie one character saves another…who was set on a mission to take out a bad guy…but on a course that would ultimately destroy himself in the process.  Upon being saved he asked why…why was he pushed aside when he could have defeated an evil force…the reply to his question was this:

“We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate but by saving what we love.”

 

Stop fighting???

I can’t…there is so much that is wrong…I want to raise my voice…and shout louder than those around me…but is that going to help me “win the war”?

Suddenly I’m not so sure.

I see what it does to me…to my attitude…to the way I look at others (and if I’m being honest, the way I treat them as well)..and to the climate in my own house.  When I am riled up about something my family can often feel the heat.

And that is not what I want…I am slowly destroying myself with anger and frustration when…what do I love?

I love my family, my faith, my home, the people at the gas station, the stranger behind me in line at the store, the guy who let me merge in traffic, common courtesy, kindness, service, peace, traditions, different cultures, learning, reading, nachos….

I sincerely love a lot…and want to protect those feelings, things, and ways of life, so maybe the best way for me to change the world is to preserve what I love and support others in doing the same…maybe it’s time to stop shouting, stop hashtagging, stop fighting…and start living and loving and rooting for others again ..it can’t hurt to try.

And while I think there are still times and places for us to raise our voices against wrong I think that my everyday path is going to lead towards saving what I love…and not letting the hate in.  After all light trumps darkness every. single. time.

I’m sure there is a nerdy Star Wars analogy about the darkside in here somewhere….but I’m going to end this seed of an idea I’m trying to explain by saying that this is my new experiment…this fiercely preserving what I love as my form of resistance.

I’ll let you know how it goes.