That's right, you heard correctly. Even though my life as a blogger hasn't even existed for a full 24 hours, I'm going straight for the jugular. I can't help it, that's just how I roll. For months now if you've been within a 175 mile radius of a television, radio, computer, smartphone, or messenger pigeon, you've ABSOLUTELY HAD to have heard something about the complete circus of a presidential race happening in our country.
Do I have anything new to tell you? No, not really. Do I know something that NOBODY else in the world knows? Nope, I don't think so. So why do I think so highly about myself to believe that I have any authority whatsoever to write about this topic? I don't know, maybe because I'm an American with the freedom to do so and I just really feel I have to get it off my chest.
Whether you support Donald Trump for president or not, is actually slightly irrelevant... a little bit...kind of. What is relevant however, is the fact that we are witnessing a sort of, 2nd revolution in the U.S. Sure, every election in which one person is voted out and a new person is voted in is a mini revolution in itself. BUT, this is way different! How??, well here's my take on it:
American colonists got fed up with their system of governance and decided they needed to take action and let it be known they were "mad". Hence, events like the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, etc. occurred, which then led to an all out war for change. Sure, they knew they could die, the whole thing could fail, and if it did fail things could be MUCH worse than they were already. But here's the best part, THEY DIDN'T CARE. They did it anyway. They lit the fuse, not knowing what the resulting explosion would do. Were they stupid? I don't know, I never met them. Were they uneducated? I don't know, I guess it depends on the scale by which you measure a person's level of education. I don't know much about folks involved in the American revolution, but I do know this. THEY WERE DESPERATE FOR CHANGE. They didn't just want it, they didn't just wish it, they were DESPERATE. Willing to take the most drastic actions possible, even if those actions went against their own personal well-being.
Fast forward to today, and in walks Donald Trump. The most unorthodox person to ever be so close to becoming POTUS. How......in the world......can this possibly be?! Donald Trump lies. Donald Trump is not the person he claims to be or appears to be. Donald Trump exhibits some of the worst qualities imaginable in a presidential candidate. And yet so many Americans are declaring, "We want Donald Trump to be the POTUS!" What!?!? Are you kidding me!?!? How??? You can turn on almost any tv channel and see/hear example after example of Donald Trump being caught in a lie, saying things generally regarded as inappropriate for a presidential candidate to be saying, and pretty much a litany of other reasons why he shouldn't be president. But as you probably know, enough republican voters are favoring him (by an incredibly large margin) to thrust him forward in this process. This leads us again to raise the question, "WHY?" He has given these voters time and time again more than adequate reasons to drop their support for him. Here's my answer to that question of "WHY?" THEY (the voters) DON'T CARE. The same reason the revolutionists were willing to do things that carried a high likelihood of backfiring and having adverse affects. THEY WERE DESPERATE FOR CHANGE.
Electing Donald Trump as POTUS COULD truly be one of the worst decisions ever collectively made by human beings. Follow me on a tour through the THEORETICALLY skeptical annex of my brain. Donald Trump gets elected POTUS. He somehow manages to screw up the economy even more than it already is by angering business rivals, or freaking out wall street, or burning down the federal reserve. I don't know, I'm just hypothesizing. The U.S. falls into a financial depression that makes the previous one look like a One Direction concert. A chain reaction occurs and the whole global financial system crumbles and the surviving human beings are left panning for gold and eating berries in the wilderness (ok that's a little extreme I know). OR, another not completely unrealistic scenario involves foreign policy. The Donald angers some of our increasingly mentally unstable and nuclear-capable neighbors, initiating the whole doomsday nuclear war scenario and once again, the survivors are left panning for gold and eating berries...just watch out for the glowing ones. Am I being extreme? Yes. But not 100% unrealistic. There's more to my point.
Both horrible scenarios I just described could be the result of ANY person elected POTUS. Or could be the result of ANY completely stupid political decision made by our government as a whole. Do I think that if Donald Trump gets elected POTUS either of those scenarios will be imminent? Not really, and I hope I'm right if he does get elected. But let me get back to my original point. A significantly large amount of Americans, from an incredible array of education levels, ethnicities, career fields, religions, ages, and everything elses are still saying they want to send a man quite capable of initiating the end of the world as we know it to Washington. No, not everyone wants this, but an almost disturbing number of people do. The reason for this is they are SO tired of putting up with the status quo of our government. They are SO tired of the same old empty political promises, the same old political gridlock and arguments, the same old uphill battle of working hard to achieve the great life they want while the government makes the hill steeper and steeper for them, and the same old ineffectiveness of the political representatives we elect to protect our hopes and dreams. A large number of Americans are saying ENOUGH!
In the FANTASTIC movie The Dark Knight, there's a scene where The Joker (beautifully portrayed by the late Heath Ledger) tells his villain colleague, Two-Face, the following bit of rhetoric, "Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos." A great scene by the way! Donald trump is the anarchy that a lot of people want to "introduce" into the government. They want to upset the established order. They want to rattle the cages (that's another line in a batman movie fyi!) They want to send their message loud and clear that they are done with the status quo. They're done being ignored. They're done feeling like all their efforts are for nothing. They're done trying hard and getting nowhere. They're done trying to do it the "right way" by sending one failed politician after the next after the next to get the job done with no success. They're done being told to hold on a bit longer. They're done watching political discourse resulting in absolutely no resolve for their everyday struggles. They're done....well that's enough, you get the picture.
Is it fate? I don't know, I'm not a fortune teller. But it would appear that even though Donald Trump may not be the most suitable person for POTUS, he is the perfect vehicle of anarchy desired by so many. Also, it's not just a republican problem like I've heard a lot of people claim. Bernie Sanders is holding his own when it comes to disrupting the democratic status quo. There seems to be a non-ignorable call for change from both sides in this election. A "revolutionary-like" call from the people to ruffle the political feathers. And you better believe it's happening. There's a lot of established politicians requiring a lot of antiperspirant these days. And in my humble opinion that's not such a terrible thing.
A lot of Americans (at least more than seemingly usual) are willing to elect someone as POTUS that could have extreme, potentially catastrophic consequences for our country and mankind. But here's the connection to the first American Revolution. People calling for political change are willing to take an action, and accept that if it fails, it could make things MUCH worse than they are now. (See, I even bolded and underlined the connection between then and now to make it easier for you...I'm so thoughtful :)).
Will Donald Trump become POTUS? I don't know. Do I want him to become POTUS? I don't know. Will I be voting for Donald Trump? Almost certainly NOT. However, am I supportive of a civilized overhaul of our governing body and political process? Yes, yes I am. Do I share the same feelings of unrest and disapproval of our current government officials? You betcha. So now what? Well, this little boys' wish is for Americans to do what they deeply and logically believe is right. Do what needs to be done to fix a broken system. Do what's going to preserve a fantastically unique and special country. Do what's going to ensure that we don't blow up and in any way kill the planet. Just remember this as you're "doing" whatever you're going to do. The U.S. didn't always exist. There's NOTHING that guarantees and affirms that the U.S. MUST exist. And if you think that the U.S. is too big and powerful to cease to exist, I'd like you to ask some ancient Greeks and Romans how that line of thinking worked out for them.
My final point is this. I know politics and government is a tough subject. There's no way of knowing whether or not someone is going to keep their promises, stick to their word, or have the capacity to do what they say they're going to do. That's the unfortunate name of the game. You've heard the old saying, "Q:How do you know when a politician is lying?A:When their lips are moving" Well it's true. Now don't get me wrong, I know there are great public servants out there honestly trying to do what's right. Trying to "fix" the broken system. But they're outnumbered. We need to somehow re-balance the scales. So as you are navigating your own path to a decision through this political jungle, please do so knowing that you're actions and decisions have consequences also. Choose smart, choose logically, and please choose in way that you feel will solve the problems, not add to them. That's it. That's what I felt I needed to say. I thank you for taking the time to read through all this and I hope you will come back again.
Have a great weekend and we'll talk again soon!
p.s. Woohoo for warmer weather coming!
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Yes, It Has Actually Happened.....I Have a Blog!
First off, I'd like to say a huge hello to the world of bloggers and bloggees out there that I am reaching for the very first time. Whether our blogging time together lasts 2 days or 2 centuries (I'm pretty optimistic about the future of medical capabilities), there's a few things I need you to understand about me first.
List of things I need you to know about me:
1.) I fully admit, accept, and concede that I am not perfect. None of us are. If you think you are, we can't be friends. I have made mistakes in my life. I have made bad decisions. I haven't gotten it right 100% of the time. But I do have a pretty darn good track record in life and work hard to keep it that way. I self-reflect....ALOT! With that said, I'd say I've got about a .933 batting average in the game of life. When you consider a pro baseball player is regarded as god-like when they cross the .300 threshold, I think I do ok for myself!
2.) I do not know everything, nor do I claim to. But I do know a lot, and so do a lot of other people.
3.) I am an only child (unless my parents have lied to me for almost 31 years....well actually more like 24 years, I don't think the topic came up much in our early conversations). With that said, I need you to know that my life has been shaped within the context of being an only child. Does it mean I'm selfish? No. Does it mean I know less than people with siblings? No. Does it mean I know more than people with siblings? No. Does it mean I'm better than people with siblings? No. So, what does it mean? It means I grew up sometimes playing civil war by myself. Yes, sometimes I was the Confederates, sometimes I was the Union Army. It also means that from an early age, when I found someone that I felt was worthy enough to let into my little circle of solitude, I did so with the understanding that there would be an unwavering level of mutual trust. So far, I have not been disappointed........with people admitted into the circle anyway. To some extent, I still utilize this model of relationship-building today.
4.) Now to thoroughly confuse you with what I just described in #3, I am a very (and I mean VERY!), welcoming person. I engage every new person I encounter with initial trust, with the hope that they will reciprocate the same trust with me. I have found this can be an enticing opportunity for others to try to take advantage of my "trustyness". Don't do that....it's naughty, it's mean, and I will most likely blacklist you on my "DO NOT EVER GRANT MEMBERSHIP ACCESS IN THE CIRCLE OF SOLITUDE" list.
5.) Now to COMPLETELY confuse you! Confuse you more than anyone has ever been confused before in the history of confusion!! I am an ambivert......you don't know what that is?!?! (good grief what are they teaching in schools these days!!) I am an extroverted introvert (Say what???). Deep inside my thoughts and my soul, there is an Alpha personality saying GO JON!... GO!...DOMINATE THE PLANET!!! But then unfortunately the introverted part of my persona gets tired of being around people and needs to go watch tv alone for a little bit to recharge itself. Sounds like I'm some sort of socially awkward hermit right? Wrong! I genuinely enjoy socializing, but I'm almost always in some sort of deep philosophical thought. When I'm not talking, I'm thinking. When I'm trying to think and my extroverted surroundings disrupt my thinking, I get agitated and want to be by myself. That's all. Not anti-social. Not a loner. Not a weirdo (ok I may be a little bit of a weirdo). You just be nice to me and all the other ambiverts our there, because one day, we're going to rule this world! What this boils down to is I keep close company with a few genuine, trusted, and vetted friends. If you are just another person fleeting in and out of my life, don't expect us to braid each other's hair and talk about clothes.
6.) Despite how all of this may sound so far, I am not a selfish jerk. I truly care about helping other people succeed in life. In fact, I will go the full mile (figurative miles, not measurable distance...duh) for anyone I come across that proves to me they are deserving. I shatter the stereotype of the whole only child thing. I am genuinely compassionate about other people, their needs, and their struggles. I've been a volunteer firefighter for almost two decades.............so there!
7.) I want to make the world a better place before I die, help me figure out how.
8.) I love my parents, even though I don't say it enough.
9.) I love my dog Axle, and I say it too much. [No....seriously though.....I would take a bullet for him.......(DON'T. MESS. WITH. MY. DOG!!!) except for playing soccer with him, he loves playing soccer]
10.) In future blog posts, I'm going to say some things that you may not agree with, you may not like to hear, and you may wish I hadn't said. That's fine...relax....we're still gonna be cool. I'm just going to exercise that wonderful 1st amendment right given to us by the freaking amazing founding fathers of our great country. I encourage you to do the same. I won't like everything you say either.....but I'll sure respect your right to say it!
That's it....... Those are the things I need you to know about me..............Well, also......I'm a little bit nerdy and weird, and I have a very unhealthy desire to become a real-life Batman. Please start a Go-Fund-Me page to help me get enough capital to build a real Batsuit, tools/weapons, and something that resembles a BatCave.
Ok bloggettes, we did it. My first blog post. Please, please, please come back soon and bring your friends. I have plenty more to say.
-Jon
List of things I need you to know about me:
1.) I fully admit, accept, and concede that I am not perfect. None of us are. If you think you are, we can't be friends. I have made mistakes in my life. I have made bad decisions. I haven't gotten it right 100% of the time. But I do have a pretty darn good track record in life and work hard to keep it that way. I self-reflect....ALOT! With that said, I'd say I've got about a .933 batting average in the game of life. When you consider a pro baseball player is regarded as god-like when they cross the .300 threshold, I think I do ok for myself!
2.) I do not know everything, nor do I claim to. But I do know a lot, and so do a lot of other people.
3.) I am an only child (unless my parents have lied to me for almost 31 years....well actually more like 24 years, I don't think the topic came up much in our early conversations). With that said, I need you to know that my life has been shaped within the context of being an only child. Does it mean I'm selfish? No. Does it mean I know less than people with siblings? No. Does it mean I know more than people with siblings? No. Does it mean I'm better than people with siblings? No. So, what does it mean? It means I grew up sometimes playing civil war by myself. Yes, sometimes I was the Confederates, sometimes I was the Union Army. It also means that from an early age, when I found someone that I felt was worthy enough to let into my little circle of solitude, I did so with the understanding that there would be an unwavering level of mutual trust. So far, I have not been disappointed........with people admitted into the circle anyway. To some extent, I still utilize this model of relationship-building today.
4.) Now to thoroughly confuse you with what I just described in #3, I am a very (and I mean VERY!), welcoming person. I engage every new person I encounter with initial trust, with the hope that they will reciprocate the same trust with me. I have found this can be an enticing opportunity for others to try to take advantage of my "trustyness". Don't do that....it's naughty, it's mean, and I will most likely blacklist you on my "DO NOT EVER GRANT MEMBERSHIP ACCESS IN THE CIRCLE OF SOLITUDE" list.
5.) Now to COMPLETELY confuse you! Confuse you more than anyone has ever been confused before in the history of confusion!! I am an ambivert......you don't know what that is?!?! (good grief what are they teaching in schools these days!!) I am an extroverted introvert (Say what???). Deep inside my thoughts and my soul, there is an Alpha personality saying GO JON!... GO!...DOMINATE THE PLANET!!! But then unfortunately the introverted part of my persona gets tired of being around people and needs to go watch tv alone for a little bit to recharge itself. Sounds like I'm some sort of socially awkward hermit right? Wrong! I genuinely enjoy socializing, but I'm almost always in some sort of deep philosophical thought. When I'm not talking, I'm thinking. When I'm trying to think and my extroverted surroundings disrupt my thinking, I get agitated and want to be by myself. That's all. Not anti-social. Not a loner. Not a weirdo (ok I may be a little bit of a weirdo). You just be nice to me and all the other ambiverts our there, because one day, we're going to rule this world! What this boils down to is I keep close company with a few genuine, trusted, and vetted friends. If you are just another person fleeting in and out of my life, don't expect us to braid each other's hair and talk about clothes.
6.) Despite how all of this may sound so far, I am not a selfish jerk. I truly care about helping other people succeed in life. In fact, I will go the full mile (figurative miles, not measurable distance...duh) for anyone I come across that proves to me they are deserving. I shatter the stereotype of the whole only child thing. I am genuinely compassionate about other people, their needs, and their struggles. I've been a volunteer firefighter for almost two decades.............so there!
7.) I want to make the world a better place before I die, help me figure out how.
8.) I love my parents, even though I don't say it enough.
9.) I love my dog Axle, and I say it too much. [No....seriously though.....I would take a bullet for him.......(DON'T. MESS. WITH. MY. DOG!!!) except for playing soccer with him, he loves playing soccer]
10.) In future blog posts, I'm going to say some things that you may not agree with, you may not like to hear, and you may wish I hadn't said. That's fine...relax....we're still gonna be cool. I'm just going to exercise that wonderful 1st amendment right given to us by the freaking amazing founding fathers of our great country. I encourage you to do the same. I won't like everything you say either.....but I'll sure respect your right to say it!
That's it....... Those are the things I need you to know about me..............Well, also......I'm a little bit nerdy and weird, and I have a very unhealthy desire to become a real-life Batman. Please start a Go-Fund-Me page to help me get enough capital to build a real Batsuit, tools/weapons, and something that resembles a BatCave.
Ok bloggettes, we did it. My first blog post. Please, please, please come back soon and bring your friends. I have plenty more to say.
-Jon
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