“Although we’ve made it a world of hatred and envy and violence, the preponderance of evidence proves to me that it is a world created to inspire friendship and love and kindness.” 
– The City (pg. 339), by Dean Koontz

When I read the quote above in The City last night, I stopped for a moment to think about it.  I believe it to be a statement of truth.  I believe God created this world to be a place of community (friendship) that would overflow with loving acts and random and purposeful kindnesses.  Sadly, I also believe that if something is meant for good, we human beings have a knack for doing our best to muck it up.

Let’s take the United States of America – a country built on the idea “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)  That sounds like a really good thing!

The past year of political rhetoric has been a great example of how human beings do their best to muck up a good thing.  The hatred that I saw and heard on television, on social media, and in every day conversations – from both sides of the aisle – was alarming to me.  The “I’m right and you’re wrong” attitude that I have seen so many people assume in the face of disagreements brings sadness to my heart.  In fact, I have reached a point where I can barely even be around anything political anymore, simply because it doesn’t seem like anything is happening other than blaming, yelling, and mocking.  The hate has just become too much for me to take; so I have done my best to change the channel of my television, unfollow the political posts on social media, and set a boundary when I’m in conversation with others that I prefer not to discuss politics.

And, when I am finished traveling through my day, going to work, and completing my studies for my schooling, I love to read Dean Koontz books.  His stories are often built around characters that are struggling to survive and thrive in a world that is filled with scary things and scary people.  They recognize the ugliness that I wrote about in the previous paragraph, but they also focus on the goodness of the characters.  His stories hone in on the importance of friendship, love and kindness.  There is always a message of good.  At the end of the day, that’s what I need to fill me up.

It is important for me to remember that the messages I receive on a daily basis can only influence my mood if I allow them to.  The more I focus on the negativity around me, the more I will feel negative.  But, if I set boundaries with others to keep the negativity at bay, I allow myself the opportunity to be a friend, express love, and act kindly.

In this world – and this country – that was created for friendship, love and kindness, but is filled with so much hatred, envy and violence, I need to focus on my contribution to it.  Before I speak or act, I need to ask myself: “Will I be contributing friendship, love or kindness by saying or doing this?”  If the answer is “no,” perhaps it would be a good idea to pause and rethink my next step.