Sunday Night With John: Everyone Deserves This

I’ll admit walking through downtown Iowa City on the way to the night Hawkeye Football game the day after the Paris attacks had me spooked. There was a small part of me that was wondering if it was stupid to be going to a big social event, was it worth the risk? Over the next two weeks I read and witnessed others dipping into this fear as Governors began to say they wouldn’t accept Syrian refugees because that would allow terrorists into our country. I began to see facebook posts and read comments supporting this cause, saying we don’t lock the doors of our houses because of the people on the outside, we do it because we love the people we have on the inside. I looked at my beautiful wife and my wonderful puppy and realized I too have a family I would do anything to keep safe. I could at least understand the line of thinking, “I must protect the people I love from harm. Keep those Syrians out.” Fear from experiencing pain and loss will have a gripping effect on our actions. It will cause us to close our minds, turn away those in need, cause us to turn selfish under the false guise of safety and protecting loved ones.

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, shook my fear and my stomach after I ate so much I threw-up early Friday morning. As I was celebrating with my wife’s side of family and calling family members in Ohio, I remembered I have these unique wonderful relationships with so many loving people. I made a comment to my wife, that I never thought I would be this happy. I have a plethora of people I want to spend time with.  People who make me laugh, smile and people who are worth trying to keep safe, that I fear losing. A number of us have this problem, it’s a good problem to have. The thing I kept coming back to sitting in my safe place stuffing my face with deviled eggs and ham was I’m not the only one who deserves this feeling. Other deserve the chance to attempt to create a family, to find happiness, to live in a place free of  violence, whether they come from an abusive home or an abusive country.  Out of my fear around protecting my loved ones, I wasn’t standing up for people who didn’t have the luxury of our freedoms, who just want to leave a war torn country.

Will I lock the doors at night?  Yes because I want to be able to greet whoever is attempting to enter my home.  Will I still have that tinge of worry about attending large social events?  Yes because I’m human, but I won’t live in fear and I won’t turn away people who need help and I won’t say we shouldn’t open up our country to those in need. Everyone deserves the freedom to eat so much good food they have to throw-up in the middle of the night.