I don’t know quite how to start this, but after seeing some of the replies on some of the issues I care about, I have to say something.

I’m a huge fan of older TV shows, movies and books. I enjoy the ability people once had to deliver a zinger without tearing another person down, just the argument; the ideals of it. Things are now so out of hand, the first thing some people say is “Go kill yourself, you’re so fricking stupid!”, and I have to ask, how did we get here? How can we argue for the sanctity of life on one hand, and promote death on the other?

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. ” — Oscar Wilde

While I understand that we change over time, and that there are many factors responsible for this change, this doesn’t seem like a direction we want to go in. When I look at human history, a lot of change seemed to lead us into a new and brighter future, now it seems that we are heading towards an absolute breakdown. We profess to care about life, while at the same time, encouraging others to die. We are walking oxymorons.

If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality. — Socrates

So the question is, what has to happen to fix this? How do we get back to caring about important issues and voicing our opinions on them, without tearing down and still caring for our fellow man? We currently have a president in office that just says whatever pops into his head, damn the consequences. Some people really appreciate that, but in reality, it’s a danger. When you sit in the highest office in the land, words and actions matter. Not just to Americans, but to everyone around the world. The messages Trump sends are not helpful. Being on Twitter all day isn’t helpful. Running the country like a business he can just declare bankruptcy on isn’t helpful. I know that most people will see this as an attack on Trump, but it isn’t. I want to see America succeed more than anyone, but Trump isn’t doing that. He’s just causing chaos everywhere he goes.

I believe in leading by example. The many times I’ve been a manager in one capacity or another shows that it is most effective. I would never ask my people to do anything that I haven’t personally done. I think one way to get back to civility is for our president to be civil. To not call Kim Jong-un ‘rocketman’. To not lie to Justin Trudeau. To not post ridiculous videos of himself attacking CNN. To admit his mistakes. That would show real growth.

None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. To admit to wrongdoing is a sign that we want to learn and grow. I think now we are all in a state of ‘right-ism’ where we all want to be right. We all want to have the solutions to our problems. The thing is though, I don’t see one person having all the answers. We have to work together, and in order to work together, we have to care about each other.

One note does not make a symphony; one artist does not make an orchestra.

#change #politics #movingforward #thinking