Americans Need Enemies

I've thought a lot about politics lately.  It's not my usual blog topic, and when I do talk about politics it's usually about Utah Republicans and the whimsical reality they seem to live in.  In thinking about politics, in Utah and around the country, I've come to a conclusion: Americans absolutely need to have enemies in order to live.

I'm not making a statement about Republicans, Democrats, or otherwise.  I'm talking about almost everyone - every kid, every adult, every hard worker, every welfare recipient, every politician, and certainly every talk news personality.  We simply cannot be content with anything at any time.  Once one enemy is vanquished, we move on to the next.  With every defeat, an enemy becomes more of a threat.

No, I am not talking about foreign counties hell bent on destroying the USA.  I'm not talking about religious extremists who care for no one but themselves.  I'm not talking about people looking to overthrow some government.  I'm not even talking about the oppressed living in their own hell simply because they come from a different clan, tribe, family, or ethnicity.  These things are all an image of what I'm talking about, a residual effect of the problem, as I see it.  No, the problem isn't quite so easy to distinguish.  You see, the enemy to each and every human being is every other human being.

We are not content with coexisting anymore.  Sure, we have family and friends, strangers even, who we live near and share the same cities, streets, and resources.  But there are the others - the people we don't want to share our existence with.  For one person, that could be someone of Hispanic origins.  For others, it's anyone of color.  For another person, it could be someone of a different religion.  It could be someone dressed in the remnants of long-worn clothing.  It could be someone driving a Jaguar while wearing thousands of dollars worth of clothing and jewelry.  It could be anyone.  The problem is, there's always SOMEONE.

Even for the most accepting of people, there's always a type of person they cannot accept.  There's always someone else to blame.  There's always an enemy to combat with.  There's always someone who is deserving of distaste, disagreement, and for some, hate.

Personally, I'm sick of it.  I'm sick of people hating someone they don't agree with simply because of their ideology, religion, political affiliation, color, or origin.  I don't even understand why someone needs to hate someone here illegally.  Or someone who wants you destroyed.  When you hate something or someone so much for so long, you start to hate everything and everyone.  If you manage to see that which you hate changed, removed, or vanquished, then you move on to something else to hate.  Hate begets more hate.  And many people of this world, perhaps a majority, even the most well-intended person you know, can fall to into a cycle where they thrive on hating something.

Just let it go!

The solution is simple.  Get over it.  Get over the fact that there's someone different from you.  The reality is, everyone is different.  You can have someone almost entirely similar to you in every way.  Guess what?  They're still different.  There is still something in them that is different than you.  Are you going to hate them for it?  Is it worth hating the most similar person near you, simply because they don't mind that the grass grows long?  Is someone liking another team or school so bad that you hate them so much to beat their face in?  Does someone who identifies with the Democratic party deserve punching, kicking, stabbing, or killing?  I'm sure most people I know would not take such extremes, but their voice would seem to contradict them.

Today, I read through an article about President Obama giving a speech to kids in school, about school - which he has done in the past, as well.  And like last time, some people are acting as if the freaking Antichrist is coming to disembowel their children.  If you read last year's speech, you literally won't find anything that would make you think he was trying to steal your child's mind away, though I know someone who hates Obama so much WOULD find something to stretch into a case of some serial killer looking to rape your entire family.  Why can't you just let it go?  Do you honestly think Obama would use the opportunity to discuss health care, small business incentives, or some other hot topic?  Any politician would be a fool to do so.  He's going to tell kids to stay in school, do their best, and excel in their education.  I'm missing the part where he's telling them to become anything other than good students.  Why does someone have to hate another so much that they treat them like complete shit?

I didn't like Bill Clinton.  I didn't like George W. Bush.  I didn't mind George HW Bush too much.  I like Barak Obama.  I voted for Ross Perot.  WHO CARES?  I don't hate any of them, and I don't love any of them to the point of lunacy.  And yet, merely saying who I did or did not like will cause someone to find some little piece of hate for me for doing so.  I can't win with anyone, because everyone seems to have their enemy.

Hell, even I have my enemies.

But why do we become so agitated by their very existence?

If someone is going to hurt or kill you, or wants you and your way of life to be destroyed - do whatever you can to prevent or thwart it.  Do you have to then mutilate them while they're down?  Or can you just move on with your life?

Someone has different views - do you need to cut their heads off for not being you?  Would you want someone else to decapitate YOU while you were down, simply because they disagreed with you?

Do you really think I'm exaggerating all this?

Americans, like everyone else in this world, need enemies.  They need them because they need to hate something.  It can be little, or it can be big, but it must be hated.

But here's something to think about: not everyone holds hate inside them.  You do not have to be one who hates simply because your mind requires something to hate.  Are you able to be one of those people?