can we talk?

ok.  so i try to put myself in other peoples' shoes, i try to see things from a different perspective and have some empathy and understanding.  by doing these things, i can more easily connect with other people, especially those that have different beliefs or opinions than me.  also, it makes me a more well rounded person and i have learned a lot from listening to another person with an open mind and thinking about a specific issue or topic through the lenses of detachment and humility.  i prefer to have a conversation with people about an issue that we disagree on in a manner that is respectful and nonjudgmental.  i really try, because it takes a lot of effort.  i get that we probably won't change the other person's opinion about something, so just debating and arguing for the sake of confrontation or for the sake of trying to talk someone out of their own ideas isn't really productive.  it's completely different if both parties are coming into the discussion in a mode of learning, with open-mindedness, humility and respect.

with that being said, i'd like to reach out to my friends and family that voted for and/or support President Trump.  actually, before i get into that i'd like to attach a few caveats and conditions.  i'd like to have this discussion (probably online) in a respectful manner, wherein we can all try to understand each other, respect one another and actually treat each other like human beings.  no disrespect.  no judgement.  no name calling.  no treating each other like we are separate when in fact we all come from the same source.  at first i wanted to post this on Facebook but thought that i'd first write a blog post about it to test the waters because i don't want to spark some hateful and divisive discussion about politics.  i don't subscribe to a political party, and really try hard not to get sucked into politics in general, but i do keep myself up to date on what's going on since it does affect us all.

this isn't a debate about politics.  i actually don't think these issues are solely political, at this point they are on the scale of what's decent and right on a human level.  which is why i even have the desire to spend my time on discussing them.

so.

like i mentioned above, i really try to understand views that are different or even opposite than mine.  but GUYS!  i'm reallllllly struggling with this one.  i feel like every day that i open my news feed and read about what new executive order has been signed i'm re-living a nightmare!  or this is just some crazy joke.  i mean, alternative facts?  gag orders?  revoking entry BACK into the country for people carrying visas and green cards?  a giant wall that the taxpayers will pay for? cutting off insurance to those who need it the most?  and then all the other crazy stuff like this obsession with crowd sizes and voter fraud.  and my favorite---twitter wars.  the president should not have time for twitter wars.  

ok, those last few things aren't human rights issues, just annoying.

and i'm not listing some of the other things that i don't necessarily agree with, because to me they are more about politics than human issues, because ultimately i understand that whatever president is in office i may not like their ideas or policies but it will likely change with the next president.

i don't know.  maybe i am being short sighted.  maybe he is taking away all these things without some sort of backup plan and will eventually implement something.  i hope.

it just seems like we are moving backwards in terms of common decency, respect and love for our neighbors.  i'm not blaming one "party" or the other, one group or the other.  it's everywhere.  and it is weighing down my soul.

i guess i am just interested to know if this is all cool with you?  if so, why?  if not, how do you reconcile it?  does it seem strange that when the previous president signed executive orders lots of conservatives lost their collective minds but it's ok for this president to?  is it as simple as "as long as it's someone i agree with, then the means justify the end"...?  would it still be ok if the opposite party did any or all of these things too?  specifically the alternative facts, gag orders, executive orders?  think about this----would these things be ok with you if say, clinton was the president?  or sanders?  or stein?  or whoever else that wasn't republican?

again, i'm really trying to not make this political, and i'm not asking about the details of the policies and orders, or the legality of it or anything like that.  i'm interested in how you feel about these actions that the president has taken, and also about a president who, if you are a believer in God, doesn't really represent any faith's principles.  and, if these things would be cool with you from a president that you did not choose?

because that's how i can more easily understand at this point---using my heart.  because my head has alarm bells ringing.