My whole life, I’ve been an advocate for equality. Quite simply, all individuals should have equal protection under the law. Period. Any person willing to work full-time should be able to afford the basic necessities and have access to adequate healthcare. As an educator, I taught people from every spectrum of society, and I tried my best to treat every student with respect and dignity, regardless of any differences we might have had. Even at my lowest, darkest points, I have remained true to and stood up for my convictions.

That said, I’m weary from all the hate and divisiveness and hypocrisy both political extremes espouse. If you believe any politician has your best interests at heart, you simply aren’t paying close attention. If you believe your political party is above win-at-all costs tactics, you are naive. Politicians and politics will not fix this country and advance our society. Only we as individuals can do that, and we can only do it through dialogue and interaction.

I’m weary from the butthurt brigade seeking daily for some new outrage to fuel their Twitter feed. You have no idea how easy you’ve had it, and most likely, if you ever encounter REAL difficulties you will learn that simple fact. If you are emotionally crippled by the depictions of fictional characters, you seriously need to go climb a mountain or swim a river and reconnect to the realities of nature. Emotional knee-jerk reactions to stimuli are a dangerous substitute for rational discourse, and hate is not the antidote for hate. Real love, tolerance, and forgiveness are the cures.

I’m so weary from Ivy League graduates telling me that I am privileged. I’m tired of being judged for my skin tone and gender yet told that’s not racism or sexism because I’m part of the powerful group. Hate is hate. Prejudice is prejudice. Opposite sides of the same coin are still the same coin, no matter how loudly one side screams that it’s the “good” side. Double standards are self-serving and only breed more animosity and resentment, and for the segment of society that wants an eye for an eye, no amount of retaliation will ever satisfy them.

That’s all for now.