The Arizona Tragedy

Eight days after I started my journey to say nothing negative about anyone ever our nation was rocked by a horrific tragedy in Arizona.  A gunman shot several people at a political meeting outside a grocery store.  His main target a United States Congresswoman.  What followed was an incredible nation wide outpouring of finger pointing and name calling.  The right blamed the left, the left blamed the right.  Newscasters, politicians, talk show hosts were all blamed for the shooting, or rather the uneasy heated political environment that existed before the shooting.  The same environment that was so well highlighted in the lack of discussion and storm of screaming that followed.  I am not here to share my opinion.  There are plenty of places to hear every opinion under the sun.  I am here to say nothing negative about anyone and share what that journey is like.  What I am experiencing is anger, sorrow and fear.  The one thing I do know is that this event has focused even more attention on the words we use and their impact on those who hear them.  My reaction is different today than it would have been before this personal journey began.  I do not want to say anything that divides.  Instead I find that because I am forced by this vow I have taken to say nothing negative about anyone I am only left with these feelings of extreme sadness as I watch the name calling.  My deepest sadness tonight is not caused by harshly judging those involved in the political rhetoric.  It is a more profound sadness than that.  It is a sadness for who I was and the time I have wasted, because I know I would have been thick in the middle of this rhetoric if not for this vow.