All Lives Matter?

Hmmm.  Do ALL lives really matter?  Think about your answer before letting it leave your lips.  Do you really believe that ALL lives matter?  When all of the “________ lives matter” business started up, I immediately was on the “all lives matter” bandwagon.  I didn’t give it a single thought.  Until most recently, I still didn’t put too much thought into what I was believing or saying with hashtags or posts on Facebook.

I had to sit with myself and really think about if I believed what I was saying.  At the time, I did believe that all lives do matter.  I still believe that, but I had to understand that “all” really did mean all.  First of all, what does the word “all” mean?  Well, according to Merriam-Webster:

Simple Definition of all

• : the whole, entire, total amount, quantity, or extent of

• : every member or part of

• : the whole number or sum of

Look at that “simple definition.”  The whole….every member….whole number.”  So, again, I ask you if ALL lives matter.  As the conversation went on in my head, I started thinking about people like Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, David Berkowitz, and the others on this page. Manson, in my own opinion, is the epitome of evil.  Did/does his life matter?  Dahmer killed seventeen.  Not only did he kill them, he did other horrible acts to them.  Did/does his life matter?  Berkowitz killed six leaving some others severely wounded.  Again, did/does his life matter?

If I am going to spew those words that “all lives matter,” then I have to say that even those whom I see as Lucifer personified matter.  The child molesters, rapists, murderers, and anyone who has ever harmed anyone else….their lives matter, too.  It’s a difficult pill for me to swallow as I realize that if I say “all,” then “all” should be what I mean.  Yes, when I made that realization, I shuddered.  But, if I am going to live as a woman of my word, then I need to mean what I say and say what I mean.  Is murder, child abuse, any abuse okay?  Of course, it is not.  I despise those acts.  I am not okay with anything that purposely causes another pain.  I do not have to like what other people do or say.  Reading this, you may not like what I say.  That’s okay.  In fact, I hear things, read things, see people doing things all of the time that I do not like.  That does not mean that those people do not matter.  Their lives DO matter.  Should they be held responsible for the things they do and say?  Absolutely!  Does that mean I get to treat them as “less than?”  Absolutely not!  I surely do not want to be the best friend to Charles Manson.  While he has headed some of the most gruesome acts on earth, he still matters.  His life still matters.  I have to believe that if I am going to be on the “All Lives Matter” campaign.

I know some folks reading this will be disgusted, and some will call me a name like, “bleeding heart liberal.”  Your opinion is your opinion, and I respect that.  Please understand that I believe those who commit horrible crimes should be held accountable and do the time.  We all should have to be held accountable and responsible for the crappy things we do and say to each other.  That being said, we should also mind ourselves before coming down on others.

All lives DO matter.

How do we change a world where there is so much hate, discrimination, judgments, and hypocrites?  We love people.  We love ourselves enough to know that we are faulty individuals who have zero business judging other people.  People say they are a loving people, yet put a picture of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or Barrack Obama in front of them.  My goodness, that loving person disappears.  I have seen some of the most self-proclaimed “loving person” people say some of the most hateful things.  Just because we have the right to free speech doesn’t mean we should always freely say some things.

If I am going to claim to love people, then I should love people.  I should also show a great deal of discernment and be safe.  I will fail at loving like I believe I should.  My promise, though, is to try as hard as possible to love my neighbor as I love myself.  I’ll let God deal with all the rest.