"In a World Full of Hate ..."

"Be a light." - Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett - Internet Photo

I read a Facebook comment from someone the other day that really struck me. This particular person is not someone I consider a friend or even someone with whom I am friendly, so her comment was even more appreciated than if someone else had said it. While she said more, her final sentence was this, "So I'm not ready to lecture anyone on this."

She was talking about COVID-19 of course, but specifically about whether or not we should leave our houses to ride our horses, ride our bikes, take a drive, and so on. ​Those words struck me as one of the most respectful things I've heard yet.

Yesterday, I heard Thomas Rhett's song, Be a Light, and it felt like he was singing about the situation we're in today. Right now, our world feels as though it's being ripped apart. We're shouting and screaming at one another with the absolute certainty that we're in the right. Our media source is right. Our political voice is right. Everyone else is not only wrong, but stupid, and their choices are threatening our very lives.  

Before calling someone an asshole, sociopath, or a covidiot, can we first stop and consider, just for a moment, that that person feels like they're making the best choice they can for their own situation? None of us know why someone is making the choices they're making. Would it be possible to give them the benefit of the doubt? While they aren't behaving in the same way you or I would, does that make them wrong and us right? Surely someone else sees our choices as wrong and theirs as right.

The last stanza of Rhett's song speaks a truth that's hard to deny. 
Yeah, it's hard to live in color
When you just see black and white
In a world full of hate, be a light.

Here's the song if you haven't heard it yet. The lyrics follow.

Be a Light

In a time full of war, be peace
In a time full of doubt, just believe
Yeah, there ain't that much difference between you and me
In a time full of war, be peace

In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

La-la-la, la, la, la, la

In a place that needs change, make a difference
In a time full of noise, just listen
'Cause life is but a breeze, better live it
In a place that needs a change, make a difference

In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Oh, don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la

In a race that you can't win, slow it down
Yeah, you only get one go around
'Cause the finish line is six feet in the ground
In a race you can't win, just slow it down

In a world full of hate, be a light (Oh)
When you do somebody wrong, make it right (Make it right)
Don't hide in the dark (Don't hide in the dark), you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

Yeah, it's hard to live in color
When you just see black and white
In a world full of hate, be a light

Yeah. In a world full of hate, be a light.