A Valentine

Twitter quality went down again, and at a time that demonstrates why that is an issue, but I want to keep it kind of short and positive today.

One thing that I expect to go off on soon is how dominator culture manifests in taking sides, where you will find people wholly devoted to their team at the expense of any logic or integrity.

There are forces that skew in that direction, so I am not saying this is the only cause, but I suspect one cause is a lack of self-worth.

If you don't feel like you have much value or make much difference, it may seem more plausible that affiliating with someone who has wealth or fame or beauty will be the ticket, like you can share theirs. 

You can't, but if you were feeling like that was your path, maybe then you would feel compelled to overlook their faults and deny any wrongdoing on their part. Maybe that would lead to things like doing name searches and camping out in the mentions of strangers who criticize your hero.

This is purely speculation. I see it happen, but I don't know for sure why it happens. My first thought is that it's weird, but then my second thought is "Maybe they don't like themselves."

There are a lot of forces out there telling you that you are worthless.

But you're not.

That's the important thing for me to say.

You have value as a living being, a human, a child of God.

There is room for disagreement on the best way of saying that. Some people won't be thrilled with the religious reference on the last one, but if I just say "a human" that seems to overlook my value for other living beings. 

And I know some no longer living who are dearly missed.

They all matter, and so do you.

You are also capable of making a difference, but you will be able to do that better by showing kindness and support to those around you, organizing for social change, and working for a better world. No, you may not accomplish all you want to, but it can still have worth, especially on an individual level.

With my love,

Gina