#TaelerArmy — Ever remember hearing how life’s like a give & take? Recently, with all the craziness going on in the world it’s never really seemed more so in at least my lifetime or at least to me from my perspective. It all made me stop — sit — and really think what should realistically be a give & take? Before I knew it, I was remembering my time in College during 2008/9 where students from across the country gathered in D.C and marched on Capitol Hill. We were all there for reasons so much more than ourselves. I never forgot that experience. Later on that night, I read something on social media that instantly clicked with me and my memories of D.C: “Equal rights for all doesn’t mean less rights for you. It’s not a pie…”
I’m clearly not a man. Yet, I think you shouldn’t need to be female to support the real resolves behind the Me Too Movement. I believe extremists of any kind ruin causes for everyone. I’m not gay and nor am I transgender yet I fully support PRIDE year round — not just in June. I think Drag Queen Story Hour is amazing. I’m not Catholic but I still go to church. I’m not a Billionaire but I pay my bills. I’m not homeless but I have lived in my car for a short time. I’ve never had an abortion. I do however support other women who have just like I also support foster and adoption programs. To me you can be Pro Choice and Pro Life. I’m no longer a child but I strongly feel in protecting children from hunger, homelessness, war, disease, abuse, and more. I’m not an immigrant but my great great grandmother was. She was from Canada. I believe you don’t need to be a victim in order to have empathy. I believe veterans are just as worthy of support even if we don’t agree with the war at hand.
I learned in school that among other things our country was supposedly “founded” by people who weren’t originally from America. So, if you aren’t a descendant of Native American tribes who predate Columbus, then you yourself are a descendant of immigrants. I learned that our Statue of Liberty supposedly states give us your tired, your poor, your hungry but I’m not sure we’re living up to that statement.
I’m not a parent, but I believe in paternity leave just as much as maternity leave. I believe sexism goes both ways. Sexism is towards men almost as much as it is towards women. Body shaming has many forms and is directed at men as well as women. I’m not African American but I believe racism still exists and is a major problem. I also believe racism goes many different ways and has for generations and that doesn’t make it right. I don’t own a gun. But I believe in the right to bear arms. However, I do feel there needs to be more protection against shootings of all kinds regarding children, public places, races, religions etc. I believe its trashy to not recycle. The environment should be protected. If not, then what will you expect to happen when people live on the moon? The same thing that happened on earth… I believe education & health care should be free. I believe in separation of Church & State as it’s written as a fundamental factor in our governments system of checks and balances. Yet, I see people dictate laws about marriage and the procreation of children as its supposedly defined in their bibles. My religion doesn’t give me the right to tell someone else how to live. I can see why people believe the American Dream is made in China. Just look at where your stuff is from. I believe the minimum wage doesn’t reflect the cost of living. Teachers are underpaid. Childcare professionals are underpaid and raising your children for up to 12hrs a day. The elderly are often forgotten. We blame society for our problems, but aren’t we the society? So its us that need to change it. Bottom line: if life’s a give and take. If it’s a pie. Then where does that leave us? I was never great at math in school. Calculus blew my brain. But I do remember pie charts, & statistics. Statistically speaking, if life really is a give and take with the pie of life then I ran out of pie a long time ago with how many slices I’ve given caring for what I believe in. I believe in doing the right thing is always the right thing to do whether it directly identifies with/affects you or not. Equal rights for all under the law doesn’t leave me with less. Life’s not a pie. Nor a give and take. I don’t see my glass as half full or half empty. I’m just grateful to have a glass at all and I’ve only just begun. -- Taeler Hendrix