Pay Attention — People are Dying!

Once again we find ourselves questioning the sanity of our society and our world, as we face yet another multiple killing on the campus of an institution of higher education.  What strikes me most about these situations is the relative ease with which this disturbing practice continually occurs.  After more than enough examples of unstable individuals taking matters into their own hands, shouldn’t it be more difficult for this to happen?  But no, it seems to me that it is something that happens more frequently now than ever.  In addition these types of things used to be isolated to schools, but in the past year we’ve seen people shot and killed in churches, at malls and at work.  Where does it end?

The answer to this may lie in the same place that holds the meaning of life – and by this I mean we may never be able to stop it.  The real question for you and I to ponder may be:  What am I going to do to prepare myself and those around me for a sudden and tragic loss of life?  I know this may sound cliche or terse but the realization should be that there are no guarantees in this life.  You could die tonight with little or no warning and then what?  Are there things left undone in your life right now?  Do you have a “bucket list” so to speak (you know things to do before you kick the bucket)?  Who needs to know you love them?  Who needs to hear you say “I’m sorry” or “I forgive you”?  If you died tonight what would you regret doing or not doing?

I don’t know that life is all that simple for most people but it seems to me that the more you simplify things the better they are.  With that said:  Pay attention — people are dying!  Will you be next?

 God Bless

21st Century Politics — A Game We Cannot Win!

Let me begin by asking you a series of questions.  What do you hope for in the coming national election?  Do you hope for sweeping changes in policy and direction?  Do you hope to continue the battle against terrorism and tyranny?  Do you hope that somebody in the government will pay all your bills so that you can do whatever you please?  What is it that you hope for and what will you waste your vote on?  I know what I will waste my vote on, but I will not divulge this information for the appearance of being objective.  Right about now I have some of you angry and some of you interested and with this in mind I shall continue.

That is right, I used the word “waste” to describe your and my vote this coming November.  You will probably chastise me by saying that our “vote” is what makes America what it is.  It is what makes us the greatest country in the world, the fact that we can choose - by our own free will - our leaders and policy makers.  If this is the case then why is the country of Iraq in such a mess.  Haven’t they held multiple “free” elections in the recent months?  What about the countless other countries around the world that hold “free” elections.  Why do these countries not claim to be the greatest in civilization?  What exactly is the power of voting, at least in today’s world?

I can tell you that I voted successfully in every general and primary election that have been available to me since I became a registered voter at the tender and ignorant age of eighteen.  I have always voted for the candidate that best represents my values, beliefs and the direction I would like to see my city, state and country take.  I have voted for winners and losers alike and one thing stands out as the result of my vote.  My city, state and country are still not headed in a direction that pleases me.  This sounds like a selfish statement but isn’t that the idea behind voting.  Giving power to every citizen to have a voice in the direction of our society.  Yet somehow in every election there are millions of people represented by losers in the game of politics.  That’s right, in November tens of thousands of you will vote for the loser!  You will not win, your candidate will lose and you will go unrepresented on the national stage for at least the next four years.  There is something quite unsettling about that, don’t you think?  It doesn’t matter what side your on, at some point you will lose and your idea of success will lose as well.  On top of that, you don’t really have a voice in the government anyway.  The only real influence in our national government is the ridiculously wealthy and the major players in the world of business (and that is on both sides of the isle).  At this point you probably think that I am some kind of anarchist that believes in a true government of the people.  I couldn’t be further from that.

 I do not think we should scrap the system of democracy or that we should stop holding elections.  I do believe these are foundational parts of our country’s design and of our society.  I do, however, think that there needs to be a fundamental change in how our elections are accomplished.  We the people of the United States of America need to reclaim the process of selecting our leadership from the tyrannical two-party political system.  The two parties of our political system are severely failing in the process right now.  There is a destructive tear down the middle of our beloved country that pits our citizens against one another.  Our society is polarized to the point of implosion.  Do you think I’m crazy or wrong?  Then you should listen to talk radio or watch the programs on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc…for one week and then see if you can claim that America is united in its direction. 

I have gotten a little jacked up on this subject and it is time to put a lid on it.  I am proud to live in the greatest country in the history of the world.  I thank God everyday that he blessed me with freedom and choice.  I love my city, my state and my country and I would be willing to die for the beliefs and ideals that we are founded upon.  However I do know one thing.  If we don’t reign in our elected officials and their lust for power and influence then we the citizens will pay the price and quite frankly I’m not prepared to foot that bill.  Thanks for reading.

 God Bless!

The Friend Test!

I have spent a couple of days contemplating the subject of my first ever blog post.  I wondered if it should tackle a major social issue or take to task a prominent public figure.  Then again maybe it should be about sports, at least the ones that I love to watch and participate in.  After all the Super Bowl was just yesterday.  But no, none of these topics would do for my maiden voyage into the sea of internet writing.  Do I dare write about myself.  Yes!  In fact I have decided my first post must be personal.  Maybe introspective or even a bit critical, but definitely personal.  So here goes.

 Are you a good friend?  I have always thought of myself in this light.  I pictured my friendships being mutually rewarding and beneficial.  I love my friends and in each one there are great qualities that enrich my existence.  I like to think they feel the same about me.  I am a nice person with a good sense of humor.  I am respectful and caring when around my friends.  I smile and return greetings and in many cases I will stop and chat for several minutes when I run into one of my friends out and about.  I do take care to pay attention to the surface level of my friendships, but does all this make me a good friend?

I can tell you after some soul-searching and looking back over my short life-span I have decided that overall I am just an average friend.  I can tell you that there have been certain circumstances of awesome friendship on my part.  I have pulled more than one guy out of a ‘bad’ situation and I have given any-time-of-day assistance to female friends with car trouble.  I’ve even picked up some friends whose car died and they couldn’t get away after they let the air out another person’s tires.  In some case I have been there for my friends.  My biggest problem with my ‘friend’ skills mostly comes to this.  I suck at sticking around.

I will give you an example.  I have two friends (who shall remain nameless) that I have allowed to slip away over the past five or so years.  These were my guys.  The three of us were inseparable for a good portion of ten or so years.  We went to church together, played ball together, fought together, lived together and worked together.  We were like brothers without the sibling rivalry.  We were even in each other’s weddings.  As Forrest Gump would say, we were like peas and carrots.  Then after we were all married we got separated geographically.  We no longer worked together or lived together or got to see each other much.  As the years have passed these two men have slowly slipped out of my life and today they might as well be complete strangers.  I have had a couple of phone conversations with them in the past year or two, but I haven’t seen these guys, my best friends, face to face for over three years!  I let this happen and it feels like crap.  I love these guys and yet I chose to neglect our friendship and for what? 

Well I would venture a guess that many of you deal with this same issue.  You see there is this little thing called life and it happens to all of us on a daily basis.  We get married, buy a house, have kids, get full-time jobs and suddenly five or so years have passed and we look around and things have changed.  Now don’t get me wrong, life is good.  I have the greatest family a man could ever ask for.  I have great friends that I love and have fun with, but what I am talking about is something more.  True, great friendships should last the test of time and life.  I would give anything to have these two guys in my life today.  We would be having some great times together and making lasting memories, but because of my lack of ’sticking around’ that is not how things are.

Well I have written almost seven-hundred words about my sucky friend skills and I am sure you’re saying to yourself, ‘please wrap this up lame-o’.  I will end with a promise.  No more drifting apart.  I will get better at sticking around and I will start today.  I will even try to get back in touch with my ‘brothers’, if for nothing else to help myself become a better friend.  Hopefully this will inspire you to do the same.

 God bless!