Tag: hillary

Well, This is Going to be Interesting

November 9, 2016

Relief. Fear. Excitement. Disappointment. Intrigue.

Just when we thought we’d reached a boiling point, emotions (and with them, tensions) are at an all-time high in this country of ours. The entire world looks to us as it wonders what we will do next as a nation which has historically set the example of how industrialized society should conduct itself. It is difficult to argue that the United States has, over time, carved itself into the role of older brother to the rest of its peers – the innovator, experimenter, and deviant who paves the way for others to follow. It’s economic, cultural, and military influence has long dominated the planet, creating a massive responsibility for itself of upholding the core values upon which it was founded.

For those in my generation, we have witnessed a very depressed version of The American Dream – as our only perception of society since entering the work force has dealt with near-unprecedented economic decline, political corruption, and heightened social tensions. We’ve witnessed mass murders on a frequency never before seen. We saw the financial collapse of ’08 just as we graduated college. We experienced millions having their homes helplessly stripped away during the housing & mortgage crises. We watched as civilians were killed at the hands of those sworn to protect, simultaneously begging the question of whether these incidents were simply exacerbated by a cruel and manipulative media seeking to create a distraction. Heck, one of our first adult memories was 9/11.

Perhaps those reading this will think I’m being too harsh. Regardless, one thing is true: people my age have never been fortunate enough to experience the America our parents told us about. Our narrative has been dominated by violence, divisiveness, and the greatest wealth gap in our history.

Yes, it’s suffice to say that we could all use a break.

Thankfully, our country is vehemently fighting a crucial battle of tipping the scales; one that will quite literally dictate life as we know it in the coming years and likely decades. This “we’ve had enough” mentality, for better or worse, just resulted in what I daresay was one of the greatest political upsets in the history of the world. For once, no amount of money, power, or corruption could subdue the voice that the masses so loudly cried. You may not support the president-elect, but any respectable person has to agree that those who hold high society in contempt have finally gotten what they asked for – someone they believe will fight for them. And soon, as the world looks on in both frightened & hopeful anticipation, we will discover if that historically muffled voice will be heard.

Its going to go one of two ways. The man will rise above the hate, pushing the doubts aside and become one of our greatest leaders ever – or he will epically stumble and fall. Regarding his journey of overcoming unbelievable odds, I can’t help but be reminded of the metaphorical dog who finally catches that car he’s spent a lifetime chasing; that moment of now what? Donald Trump has at last caught the one position with which he’s spent a lifetime flirting, and only time will tell what he does with it.

I, for one, am hopeful. Maybe it’s my mother’s optimism shining through. Perhaps it’s childish naïveté. In any case, hope is all we can cling to as we ride this wave into the unpredictable waters ahead. As citizens, however, it’s incumbent upon us to give the man a chance. If we shut down, cross our arms like children and refuse, then we embody the exact judgmental attitude that we all claim to despise. It’s imperative that we maintain open minds if we expect this place to get any better.

I think we can all agree that one thing is true, no matter where we stand.

There has never been a more important time for us to stick together.

The World Will Change Tomorrow – Or it Won’t

November 9, 2016

“It is what it is.”

Don’t you hate it when people say that? As if we have no control whatsoever over what’s going on. Well, tonight, I daresay, that cliche will be all we have to turn to once the results of this election have been determined.

My only hope is that the majority of us still understand that we’re all in this together and those that pull the strings should have little to no influence on our happiness and daily lives. Sure, policy-makers affect the high-level things, but what’s truly important in our lives? That’s the main question I think we need to ask when considering how important our leaders are when it comes to daily life.

Sometimes I wonder if most of us have actually asked ourselves that most fundamental of questions.If you’re reading this, think about it. What really matters to you? What kind of things are important enough to cause you to get up and do something?

Hopefully most of us have these answers figured out when we go to the polls. We want to cast our faith (because that’s what voting is) in a person who reflects our values. We want to support someone who can shape the world into the image we would most like it to be. Most importantly, we expect them to maintain accountability to our expectations. They represent us. That’s a very important fact that I think is far too often overlooked.

I’ll keep this short. All in all, don’t let this election taint friendships or family relations. We would be doing ourselves a disservice if we allowed that to happen. The world will still be the same tomorrow. The only difference being that come January, the White House will be stocking either extra toupees or hideous pant suits.

 

 

The Next America

October 26, 2016

One day, the millennial generation will inherit the planet. 

If we take a step back and look at the world in a high level view, there are some things that become clear. There seems to be a generational disconnect on how things should work. Almost like the old, and the new. It’s like the world is struggling to adjust to the monumental leaps we’ve made as a society, and government is a particular subject of these growing pains. 

We are approaching a point where the relevance of title, birth, and class are increasingly irrelevant. Anyone can make it in a world supported by capitalism. This societal mobility can also be attributed to globalism and the internet. Instant access to information, the quickness of physical travel, and other technological achievements have had enormous social repercussions. The chains of the masses have essentially been unshackled, and the majority finally has access to real information and opportunity, allowing anyone and everyone to reach their full potential. There is still a ways to go in parts of the world, but it’s a start.

The important thing is that we are gradually leveling the playing field, which is something the higher ups do not want. That’s what we’re seeing today. We’re seeing the liberation of the majority. And it’s beautiful. 

To be perfectly honest, I think that’s one reason we see the establishment fighting tooth and nail to hold on to the antiquated policies and ways of doing things. That’s why we’re seeing so much Trump bashing and Hillary baiting by the media. The interests of much of Americas corporate, public, and privates sectors lie together, and they cunningly take care of each other. Of course you can’t really blame them – they’re used to their way of life and this evolution is a threat to it. But this enormous surge of Trumpers seems to reflect the American mentality that they’re sick of being treated as lesser individuals.

But that seems to be the state of things. I suppose people will keep pushing until it doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or where you were born – you have all the rights and say as anyone else.  From what I can tell, my generation seems to agree that there is a certain degree of universal equality. There are outliers of course, but I think that will be sorted out in time as popular opinion takes its course. 

When It’s Over: After the Election

October 26, 2016

Everyone feels the tension. There’s an inescapable, lingering stress that our country won’t shed until this election season is over and all ballots have been cast and counted. 

Regardless of where you stand politically, there is one, transcendant requirement that we all must bear in mind – at our core, we are one. 

Now obviously, there will be winners and there will be losers. That’s the nature of our political system. But for us, the people, we need to be aware that division is precisely what gives power to those that hold it. On November 9th, we mustn’t let ourselves bicker and fight. The winners should be humble and the losers respectful. Because ultimately we all have the same goal, and that is to live in a country which fosters opportunity, freedom of choice, and liberty. 

I’ll keep this brief. My point is this: please don’t let the outcome of this election adversely affect your relationships. We all have friends and family each with unique perspectives. 

Unity

October 12, 2016

I’m going to keep this short.

It’s no secret that this political season has gotten people riled up. Everywhere we turn we see partisan this, negative that, she did this, he said that, and so on. And to a certain extent, it’s warranted. Americans feel cheated by the conditions they’ve been forced to live under, and it’s reached a boiling point. Totally understandable.

But let’s not allow the tensions to destroy what we’re fighting for to begin with. Our relationships and communities are what hold us together. It’s important that we remain united, regardless of what happens after the election. Because at the end of the day, these politicians and higher ups have no idea what it’s like for the rest of us. They don’t live the lives we live. They don’t get up every morning wondering if the bills are paid. They don’t care what actually going on in our lives.

You know what they do care about? Their legacies. Their egos. Their public perceptions. Heck, the majority of the problems we deal with were manufactured by them to begin with. This whole race thing, the bickering over gender, all the other junk we’ve been distracted by –  you think it was a coincidence that all this just happened to occur during a major election?

I’m not going to get on a soapbox (for once). I just want people to get along. Please, please focus on what matters: making the world a better place. Both candidates suck, we all know that. We also know that one of them is going to win. Sure, we would love to have Gary or someone else step in, but let’s be real. It’s not gonna happen. So we need to face reality and make the most of it. 

Effective problem solving is facing a situation and tackling it for what it is. That’s what we’re going to have to do as a country. And we can’t do it if we’re fighting each other. 

Human Beings are Not One Dimensional

September 23, 2016

I feel compelled to write this after zipping through my news feeds and reading the persistently biased headlines of our lovely mainstream media. 

Human beings are just that – they are human beings. 

Regardless of your opinion (which, ironically, is usually formulated based upon third party reporting without any first hand interaction whatsoever), people generally do not embody one thing or the other 100%. Good, bad, racist, not racist, democrat, republican, what have you – human beings are by nature dynamic, complex organisms with a slew of differing thoughts and values.

I think it needs to be said that we should make ourselves more aware of this. The amount of polarization we are seeing is getting entirely too out of hand. We need to stop looking at things (and people) as totally for or against us. Believe it or not, a middle ground does exist in the vast majority of cases.

This applies to everyone, on all sides. Each person in your life, in the news, and anywhere else for that matter is a multi-dimensional person that likely has many differing viewpoints. And even though they might say one thing, that doesn’t mean they don’t question or wonder about it themselves.

Please try to keep this in mind. We are all human.