We're Missing the Point

Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed that my fellow bloggers have seemingly taken to fending off cyber abusers. They've been ridiculed, discounted, and in some cases accused of pawning fiction off as fact. Through it all I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop on my little piece of internet heaven. Although this hasn't happened (thankfully) it has prompted me to think about how I would react in a similar situation. A huge part of me wants to get out there and defend my foster brothers and sisters- we're all we've got in some cases. Unfortunately I feel as if I would only be adding to the noise.. and the noise is distracting. You see, in these cases, nobody wins. If the bully is truly just a bully, logic and common sense are not the weapons to bring to their battle. It simply will not work. The only thing we accomplish by entertaining these clowns is to provide a platform for their ignorance.

Such negativity invokes a sickness inside of me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sure I am not alone. We've all encountered this from time to time. Sure, the people are different but their outlook is the same. In fact, if life were Twitter the following would trend: Why are you still complaining about the past?...It was a long time ago...Are you crying about this again?....Not every case is as bad as yours....You never really had parents, how would you know how to be one?....Abuse breeds abuse....If this really happened somebody would've done something about it by now....You're overreacting...you're overreacting....you're overreacting.

I know that life is better now. That isn't the point. I know that what happened to me happened a long time ago. That isn't the point either... and yes, I know, god I know, that there are others who have had it worse. If you think this is the message that I'm trying to convey, then you're missing the point. The point is that there are children in foster care right now who need advocates. With each passing day, their innocence fades, along with their expectation to come out on the other side a thriving functional adult. Even worse.... there are children out there in this world that are not in foster care but their circumstances are such that they probably should be. These children have seemingly fallen off the grid. They are neglected by their parents and forgotten by the world. Their future is not promising.

Everyone loves a good success story. One look at the box office will tell you that. With hit movies like "The Blind Side" or "The Pursuit of Happyness" you would think that compassionate people are a dime a dozen. So where have all of these people gone? Do they not notice the drama going on right in their own backyards? I am afraid that real life is harder to confront. There is no guarantee that the uneducated boy will make big, or that the homeless man will work his way up the ladder of success. Sometimes the uneducated boy never goes onto college. Sometimes the homeless man just needs a damn beer. Wouldn't you? In life, there isn't always a Sandra Bullock to rush in and save the day... that is to say there isn't if you don't take off your spectators glasses and get your hands dirty. Even then, you should do so knowing that even that might not be enough.

In case my point is not clear, I believe we can make a difference. In an attempt to make a difference, I share my story. Pointing fingers, name calling, judging and bullying - all of that is just noise. It deludes the real message and deters those who may happen to take a stroll by one of our blogs. To my fellow foster brothers and sisters, I hope you know that I stand behind you 100%. I think we all have the same objective and I know we can make a difference. To the internet bullies, should you ever happen across my blog, I welcome you to stay and chat. If chatting is not on your agenda, in the words of Michael Oher, it's time for you to go home.