Zombie Viruses, My Mom, Permafrost & Society

Hate Language

My siblings and I differ greatly, and we love each other unconditionally. Growing up in a two-bedroom trailer and then later upgrading to a three-bedroom, space was a premium; add to this, we moved constantly in the early years, we were forced, by circumstance, to be close. (But hey, how could you not be close to Scott & Kim – they are adorable.) We played constantly and fought frequently. 

Some arguments were inevitable, but the things Mom did not abide during these disagreements were name calling or ridiculing each other. Never. Nope. Not At All.  The most egregious and forbidden word was “Stupid”. (We had a limited “ugly vocabulary”. Seriously! I thought the “F-word” was “fart” because I had heard it said once at school and even though I did not know what it meant, I had no doubt  it would not be permitted at home.)  We did not wield these words or any others; I don’t remember even considering it.  We are siblings, after all, we love each other.  

And we never considered humiliating or ridiculing the other for issues that were out of our own control. We defended each against those who would. When I  was young, I struggled with a speech impediment. I do not remember even one time being mocked by my siblings. I do remember, though, them helping me with my speech lessons. Repeat after me, “Put your foot in the boot on the floor” (it has a nice rhythm).

We still fought and became irritated with each other.  We did not always agree. Especially Kim. She was the girly-girly-older-sister who loved pink, lace and anything foo-foo-fa-fa and who had to endure a  tomboy, lizard catching, tree climbing little sister. It could not have been easy. But she did not mock, or name call … she did pinch my cheeks!

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A Melting Permafrost & Zombie Viruses

Permafrost  is made up of soil that has been kept at temperatures below zero for long periods. Layers have remained frozen for hundreds of thousands of years but now it is melting due to climate change.  Some  scientists believe that permafrost – at its deepest levels – may contain viruses that are up to a million years old, far older than our own species. Over the past few years, some of these ancient zombie viruses have been thawed and reactivated into nature, a problem that has affected the wildlife. 

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Society

So, what does global warming, melting permafrost and zombie viruses have to do with name calling, ridiculing and society?

In a healthy community, we have a societal permafrost.  Yes, we all know that evil and hatred exist. But in a society that does not allow, condone or embrace it, those filled with such darkness are kept in check, frozen under soil. When they attempt to speak or act on such evil, society shuts them down, just like my mom would do to me and my siblings. She understood that you cannot permit ugliness to become the norm. Why? Because it melts the permafrost. And, after all, we are all siblings.  We should love each other.

But our society is melting. We are making up juvenile and even depraved names to sling at each other. We are spreading knowingly false and ugly rumors, maliciously ridiculing and making seemingly veiled threats of hostility against our neighbors with phrases like, “Time to Lock and Load” and other dog-whistles.

Stop It!

When this happens, the truly dark and immoral are thawed. They receive the message that it is okay, even valued to spew their vile. The racists. The misogynists. The everyone-who-doesn’t-look-or-act -like-me-haters are released to spread their sickness. They are zombie viruses plaguing our world with viciousness and violence.  

Stop It!

_{But …
“What if I don’t like the other person?”  – That’s acceptable.
“What if I don’t agree with the other person?” – That’s acceptable, too.
“What if I think the other person is horrible?”  – That happens.  Tell them. Explain how you believe
their behavior is wrong or inappropriate or dangerous.}

Disagree.  Argue your case with passion. State the facts. Stand up for what you believe.  But STOP the hate talk. STOP thawing the permafrost and releasing evil-loving zombies into our world.

If you believe, as I do, that we are all brothers and sisters, then Stop It!

Mom would not approve!