Last year I was told to listen, I was told to be silent, I was told it's not my time to speak, it's not my time to be, it's not my time to defend, I should sit down and shut up. Well, I wasn't silent because the only people ever allowed to tell me to be quiet were my mama and daddy.
But I did listen momentarily, even though I didn't agree with what was being said. I actually did try to advocate for positive change, so I listened. You know what I heard? That he's racist (he's not), that my kids and I deserve to be raped and murdered (we don't), that we should all go away (we won't).
You know what I saw? Violence. A lot of it. Countless innocent Officers villainized who did absolutely nothing wrong; sacrificing sleep, family time, mental health, emotional well-being, sustaining injuries, enduring loss of blue family, and very few outside of our community condemning that and sticking up for our Officers. For. Months. When you watch those that you love take on abuse that they didn't do anything to deserve, being badly bruised, physically and mentally, you kind of stop caring about what everybody else is saying and self-preserve. I was willing to listen right up until my husband was berated and attacked at numerous "protests". After he was told by people they hoped he died a gruesome death and his wife and kids were raped and murdered, I kinda stopped listening.
So forgive me if I feel like not being one of those people that is saying all the things you want to hear. I started to realize people didn't want conversation, they wanted complete agreeance, and anything less wasn't satisfactory. I guess I'm not "woke" enough. Oh well.
The major thing that I have learned this year is that most people's opinions matter very little to me. They don't see the truth, won't see the truth, and refuse to seek the truth. It's hard to have a conversation for change to occur if people are constantly telling you to shut up and sit down. I discovered it wasn't a conversation they wanted, but to make you listen and have you totally agree with no arguments.
Guess what? I'm not gonna. I will defend the profession as a whole and those that selflessly serve their communities until my last dying breath. Don't like it? I don't care, bye. I always condemn evil, I will never demonize all Officers, punishing the people with no affiliation for others' wrong-doings. Being in the same profession doesn't make you accountable for others that do the same job. We don't require this kind of response from Doctors, teachers, or any other profession.
I will defend, uplift, love, and support those in our family as the rest of the world forsakes them. Can't stop, won't stop. One day, people will see the monster they created when the country starts crumbling, and that day is near. Stay safe, folks.