Enough is enough

Been a while... yet again.

Monday in my substance abuse group we were talking about argumentativeness. When I was asked to share I ended up rambling and got on a tangent on everything going on between the GLBT community and the LDS church in the fight for human rights, Boyd K Packers comments in General Conference against gays and the dramatic rise in bullying and suicides of young teens. All that sharing brought up some very rough emotions for me.

I grew up LDS and actively went to church until I turned 18 and also came out as gay at 17. My first year in High School I was suicidal while I was trying to figure out who I was and hadn't come out of the closet yet. Since then I have battled suicidal tendencies, drug and alcohol addiction and depression as well as self mutilation up to this very day. Everything since Proposition 8 between the gay and LDS communities has been escalating up until the most recent event with Boyd K Packers comments on homosexuality in Conference.

There have been so many comments and opinions from both sides and so many hateful and hurtful things said. All of this arguing has been hitting me very hard. I can see both sides. I've LIVED both sides and I've been suicidal before so I can relate to the young teens with how they feel and how President Packers comments can come across to young LDS members who are struggling with their sexual identity. I feel like I am caught right in the middle and it is incredibly painful.

Every time I read the hurtful comments from either side, it just makes me sick to my stomach. It increases my depression ten-fold and I find it very hard to try to pull myself out of it and still maintain my sobriety and recovery. Since the substance abuse group yesterday when I starting bringing up all those feelings out of nowhere and not realizing fully how passionate I feel about it, I feel like I just needed to create something to express what I am feeling. This is what I came up with.

I titled this graphic "Enough is Enough". That is how I feel.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I am sick of the fighting. Sick of the hateful and hurtful comments. Sick of the bickering. Sick of the close-mindedness. Sick of the discord. Sick of the disrespect. Sick of the lack of love... I could go on and on.

We are all children of whatever Higher Power we individually believe in. Call it what you will, but we are all children of God. God loves each and every one of us regardless of our race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. Bottom line, GOD LOVES US ALL NO MATTER WHAT! What is the problem with loving each other as equals?! Why do we think we are better than other people because they are different. Just because people have different beliefs doesn't give ANYONE the right to tear them down. We are all entitled to our own beliefs.

It is time for us all to act like mature adults and treat our fellow humans as equals and with respect. No more tearing other people down. Time to get past the fighting and realize we are all entitled to the same rights, same freedom, same unconditional love. Isn't that what religion and God have taught us? To love one another as you would love yourself? Well.. then it's about time to starting loving unconditionally and practice what you preach. This goes for everyone, on every side of the arguments. 

I say again.. enough is enough!