A letter of love

Dear Peaceful People (This includes Muslims/ Christians/ Buddists/ Athiests/ Humans/ Humanoids),

I have a mixed bag of emotions to share with you.

I’m sorry that there are people who choose to steal lives away from innocent victims. I’m sorry that your peaceful demeanor gets confused with those who are using your category of existence as a scapegoat to violently attack others. I’m sorry that you are being grouped with others based on your ideals. I’m sorry that judgement has encompassed a large group of people based on a smaller sect. I’m sorry that we are uneducated enough to use the same tactics that were used in so many genocides in order to instill fear and hysteria. We are reliving Salem time and time again.

I am angry that people have been killed. I am angry that children have been hurt. I am angry that our media is lying to us by perpetuating on assumptions and biases rather than the pure facts. I am angry that our country has been unable to learn from its mistakes in the past. I am angry that my children are living in such a world. I am angry that families must learn to grieve their lost members when life is hard enough. I am angry that there is no easy answer to terrorism.

I am sad that there are more innocent lives being lost in this war on evil than the people who are responsible. I am sad that children are motherless and fatherless. I am sad that we cannot help a group of people who need our help because of our anxieties and fears. I am sad that humans are not compassionate towards one another. I am sad that semi-automatic weapons can be bought legally in our country by people who misuse them. I am especially sad that mental health is still a problem.

I am hopeful, though, my peaceful friend, that someday good will trump evil. Light will shine in the dark. Love will overpower hate. Friendship will outweigh blind alliance. Peace will prevail. It has to. If it doesn’t, what can we tell our children? I do not judge you based on your personal beliefs unless those personal beliefs are based on evil. I admire you standing by your God even when He’s not popular (this is for every religion, because let’s face it, all kinds of spiritual people are being persecuted). I commend you for choosing the more difficult path of acceptance. I want you to know that I believe your heart and soul is not defined by your clothes, religion, or place of birth.

Sincerely,

Me

Just remember that people fight for their lives every day. We are in control of how we treat others. We need to fix this. I believe in humanity, I believe in love, I believe in peace. We cannot give terrorists our terror or they’ve won. We cannot create a hysteria based on propaganda. We need to stop history from rewriting itself.

Claire Pelletier

About Claire Pelletier

I'm 30. Boy am I 30. I have three children: Shelby (almost 8), Harper (3), and Aidan (1). I work full time as an English teacher, full time as a mom, part time as a wife, part time as a cook at a Diner (this is actually a paid position), and a per diem house cleaner. Basically, I do it all. Oh and I like to write (revert back to my full time teaching position). This life is crazy, people are even crazier, and online blogging has given me a voice. Some may think it's a loud and obnoxious voice, but I kind of like it. I do my best to write about things that interest people, mainly about myself. Sometimes I verge into the political land, but that place scares me, so I mostly write about every day things that make me laugh, cry, or scream. Thanks for reading!