I believe in the inherent goodness of people. That we are basically kind beings, capable of a great deal of compassion, humor, and more than a little intelligence. The current global political climate of “Hate Power Driven by Fear” drives me bananas. Life is too damn short to be focused on how we can kill our enemies—and sometimes our friends—and clamor over their dead bodies to get ahead.
I’m not looking for everyone to do their best “can’t we all just get along” Rodney King impression here. We disagree, and we always will. I love few things more than a good fight. But in the end, as the song goes, only kindness matters.
But I digress…
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| This is Erin. She’s an awesome writer. |
I’ve never met Erin McHugh in person. I met her (virtually) on Twitter, though, and I look forward to her commentary on books and publishing as well as her posts on her ONE GOOD DEED blog because they are tangible evidence that I’m right about people being capable of finite—and ultimately, infinite—good. I’ve shared ONE GOOD DEED with a lot of people, and all have the same reaction: that the world needs more smart, funny, compassionate people like Erin.
Now Erin has a new book, THE L LIFE. It is about lesbians, yes, but more than that, it’s about people. It includes text and pictures, stories about people you might never have heard of and whose tales of having a positive impact on the world around them will give you food for thought.
One of the kinds of hate of which I’ve grown especially intolerant in recent years is the practice of pigeonholing people for things that have nothing to do with anything, including their sexual orientation. I don’t usually seek out or find myself advocating nonfiction books, but this one is an exception. It is a positive force in a world that is too dark.
Understandably, I imagine most of the marketing effort around THE L LIFE will be primarily focused on the LGBT community. I find this unfortunate, though, because I’d love to see Palin-loving hate mongers take issue with a book that was clearly created with love and compassion, one that could give them insight into fellow humans who are making a difference in this big bad world we all inhabit. My un-cool straight self, for example, didn’t know much of anything about Rep. Tammy Baldwin or Kate Clinton.
I would love to see THE L LIFE on coffee tables and shelves right next to one of the many picture books about, say, Ronald Reagan. Yes, Republicans, I’m talking to you. I’d like to live in a world where people open their minds and hearts just a little to learn about people who are having an impact on others’ lives. In this increasingly intolerant, hate-filled world, I hope a lot of people read THE L LIFE.
Hey, a girl can dream.
