The crew in the emergency room gave me rabies shots but said there was nothing they could do for the bites. Those would have to heal on their own. As you can see, they did.
Not all injuries are so obvious. Bullies leave marks that go deep, and relationships that don't work out leave broken hearts. The past three months we've seen how small-minded people with power can stir hatred so that the ignorant and the cowardly inflict fear and act out.
They vandalize cemeteries; they attack immigrants and threaten to deport them; they vilify Muslims; and they demean gays, lesbians and the transgender. They're like that dog, possessed by an outsize aggression belied by the small size of their spirits.
As a people we can heal the injuries that they inflict, by closing ranks and standing with those being targeted by the Donald Trumps, David Dukes and Steve Bannons of the world. We say of the Muslim, he is my brother; of the lesbian, she is my sister; of the transgender, they are my family. When you hurt them, you hurt us, and we will oppose you.
There are others who led the way to healing before, men and women who have seen that the world is bigger than themselves and contains more nations than their own. The movements that they inspire are a wine that heals and brings joy; and the Lee Harvey Oswalds, Nathuram Godseas, John Wilkes Boothes and Judas Iscariots who can't understand them always want to stir ashes into the bottle.
Healing takes time and always comes with a cost, but it's always worth it.
Copyright © 2017 by David Learn. Used with permission.
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