huey lewis makes me wonder

huey lewis makes me wonder
what's the power of love?

when i was young, huey lewis taught me a powerful lesson- it don't take money, it don't take fame, don't need no credit card to ride this train. it’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life. that’s the power of love. as high esteem i hold mr. lewis in, i can't help wonder if love is in fact that powerful.

we all know love takes on many forms; the love between family members, the love one shares with a partner, the unshakable love for close friends. but there is a different form of love that is often swept under the rug by my idealistic minded friends and myself. the downside to love, when love is rooted in something darker and more sinister, i'm speaking of none other than those who love to hate. i'll refrain from using the expression, 'haters', as i think that has an immature 'poppin bottles in da club' vibe to it. i'm talking about those whose passions and beliefs are grounded in anger and hate. those who simply choose to disagree with a lifestyle and those who find others behavior immoral or intrinsically wrong- i have no issue with. you are more than entitled to an opinion, as am i. it's those who get a rise out of upsetting others; those whose goal is to hurt another with their words; it's those people that break my heart.

my love of women is something some people love to hate. i have no issue displaying my HRC decal alongside my 'practice random acts of kindness' bumper sticker as i don't find them particularly offensive (if i can get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic behind a straight guy who proudly displays mock-testicles hanging off his truck hitch, then i really don't see how my politically correct stickers are offensive, but i digress). they have incited rage in some of my traffic neighbors. so much rage in fact, that it has prompted cars to follow me around the beltway flicking me off, shouting expletives, all whilst trying to ram my car. one charming fellow went so far as to follow me for miles sticking his tongue between his fingers and licking in my general direction...right, like you being a douche bag and driving erratically is going to teach me the err of my lesbionic ways.

when it comes to love i refuse to believe that it's all rainbows, unicorns, rays of sunshine, and flowers. anyone who's ever been persecuted has seen how destructive hate can be. don't get me wrong, love is powerful- more powerful than hate, but what do you do with love that's been pickled in hate? how does one combat it, or at least defend oneself against it?

while some would tell you to simply 'kill them', most would suggest the always vague and clichéd, 'kill them with kindness' approach. not a bad approach to take, unless of course the 'them' referred to is a hate filled character who has several feet on you. if that were the case, i'd suggest you just shimmy your way out of the situation asap. others would suggest you ignore those whose goal is to antagonize. the problem i have with that is, ignoring or devaluing other peoples opinions simply because you don't agree, or you deem them unimportant, is a bit presumptuous. because as quickly as you toss out anothers ideas- they could do the same to you. it's all a matter of perspective.

mr. lewis opened his 1985 classic with the thought, the power of love is a curious thing. make a one man weep, make another man sing. indeed it can, huey. for in the same breath that i utter, 'love can be destructive' i also rest assured knowing that an open heart can scale mountains. trite as it might be to say, there is no hate that is stronger than unwavering love and compassion, and that's the power of love.