I am sure by now you have heard the story about Ellen DeGeneres attending an NFL game where she and Portia were seated beside former President George W. and Laura Bush.
Ellen, in her delightful comedic-style, quipped that she was surprised
her Twitter feed chose to discuss her friendship with the Bushes’ and their
opposing views, over her possession of the new iPhone 11! She garnered a lot of
laughs to that wise-crack!
More important than just the fresh face Ellen showed on that day, it was her very wise words that struck a chord within me. Ellen said, “I know people think it is strange that I am friends with the Bushes’, yes we are different, but when I preach ‘Be Kind’, I don’t mean be kind to those people who think like you, I mean be kind to EVERYBODY.”
Some of Ellen’s followers on social media jammed up the airwaves with scorn over Ellen’s retort citing that George W.’s gay marriage views and his part in US activities during the Iraqi war as a huge issue. Where I respect the freedom of speech for all, I just think we all need to stop and let the healing of past discretions begin and move forward. There was one brave soul whose tweet summarized this best, “Seeing George Bush and Ellen together makes me have faith in America again!”
Well said!