By Owen S.
Today I am torn.
For the first time in my life I am truly afraid...
But not for me.
For my children.
I see and hear so much death and violence that it makes me wonder if I should have had kids...
Then I see things like fantasy characters visiting sick children in hospitals, police offices playing with children, citizens interacting with, thanking---and hugging---police officers, people laughing together.
And it gives me hope.
Hope that maybe we actually can be better people.
Hope that we are still capable of doing the right thing, even when the right thing is not easy or comfortable.
I consider myself a pretty good judge of character, which is why I can be so cynical---people generally show their true colors all the time.
You just have to look, and not very deep either.
I see people, listen to their words, watch their eyes and form a pretty accurate opinion---which I then act upon.
People will generally say what they think you want to hear while their true intentions hide just beneath the surface, and the observant will see this and respond accordingly.
I have been right about more folks than I care to remember.
I really want to be proven wrong in my assessments.
I seldom am.
I want to believe that maybe we can turn the corner and realize the true potential we have as a species.
But what lies beneath shows me otherwise.
Hence I am torn.
Today I am torn.
For the first time in my life I am truly afraid...
But not for me.
For my children.
I see and hear so much death and violence that it makes me wonder if I should have had kids...
Then I see things like fantasy characters visiting sick children in hospitals, police offices playing with children, citizens interacting with, thanking---and hugging---police officers, people laughing together.
And it gives me hope.
Hope that maybe we actually can be better people.
Hope that we are still capable of doing the right thing, even when the right thing is not easy or comfortable.
I consider myself a pretty good judge of character, which is why I can be so cynical---people generally show their true colors all the time.
You just have to look, and not very deep either.
I see people, listen to their words, watch their eyes and form a pretty accurate opinion---which I then act upon.
People will generally say what they think you want to hear while their true intentions hide just beneath the surface, and the observant will see this and respond accordingly.
I have been right about more folks than I care to remember.
I really want to be proven wrong in my assessments.
I seldom am.
I want to believe that maybe we can turn the corner and realize the true potential we have as a species.
But what lies beneath shows me otherwise.
Hence I am torn.