Fb People

Enough already!

Let's start posting nice things.  Happy moments. Surely they compromise more of your life than abused animals and children and those dumb enough to stay in those kinds of relationships.  Enough of $rump stories (yeah, I have posted a few, too).  Enough of people, animals and homes under water.  Enough of fake news, how you loathe your white privilege, bandwagoneers.  You jump on a cause, bleed it until there is nothing left and do absolutely nothing about it after you moan and groan.

Is this all you know?

I had a wonderful weekend.  There was a daycare center picnic, a boat tour around Casco Bay,  trips to downtown Portland, a Marimba band concert, dinners and lunches out and at home.  There was lots of family interaction, and a toddler who knocked at my door in the morning calling my name.  And a toddler who asked where I was when I left to fly home.

Life is for the living.  There is more positive than negative in the world.  Hold the moments, tell a funny story. Inspire others.  Leave the world and others better than you found them

On Self Leadership

Do you really have to look to another person to lead you?  MLK, Obama, some mouth on the news, the internet and media will tell you who to follow. Where are you on any of this?   Where is your heart?

C'mon we all know what is right.  I don't buy for one second that you blame your lot in life on anyone else.  Really?

Beware of the Fb nemes, posts that tell part of the story and get your adrenaline pumping.  We seem to be in a culture that does a lot of that.

There is a writer for a local newspaper, the SMN.  One writer never tells the whole story.  Who, what, where, how and why.  Basic tenets of journalism.

Most recently, she headlined a story about a local tribe who was not going to fund senior citizen utility bills.  The headliner was heart wrenching.  I even wrote her to suggest that she do a full interview and get to the real story. (they are other funding stories to take care of them).  Have called her in the past telling her to do the WHOLE story, too.  I suppose the editor doesn't care much.  Nor does the readership.  Apparently.  Anyway, they lost my following.

Stand up.  Speak out.  Love from your heart.  You don't have to like the behaviors of others.  You do have to be kind about it.

Be your own self leader.  Now. Our survival demands it.

Rethinking America

The latest outrage in the United States is now about Confederate statutes.  A recent incident in Charlottesville, Virginia touched off the sensitivities of a few.   Many have jumped on this bandwagon.  Remove the statues they say.   A group of thugs decided to do the deed themselves.  They await the legal system. A nation cries out.  Why now?

Let us be clear.  We are not a fair country.  51% of our statues do not represent women in all the areas women were and are involved.  Streets and highways are named after paid male politicians, judges and others and don’t reflect the free contributions of all citizens.  Statues often reflect the victors of war, not those who sought and continue to peace and unity.  

It seems these bandwagon movements are short lived and not sustainable.  We see this in civil rights; how we treat one another on a daily basis ; children, animals, veterans, and those at the sunset of life.  Those that rule our country come from wealth and tend to enact laws that maintain their lifestyle, not the population they are elected to represent.  

We are a country that gives corporations personhood, allows puppy mills, child and elder abuse, human trafficking, and the 51% to be treated as second class citizens.  We continue to do that with anyone who isn’t white, wealthy, male.  

It is said we are one of the most charitable nations.  On paper, money transfer, checks.  We don’t get involved with the hungry family down the street, or the older woman living alone whose front door won’t open.  Our time is spent sedentary, often on the internet, not engaged with our community. If we do, it has to be over beer and wine.  We couldn't do it sober.

A recent survey of Facebook bandwagon comments doesn’t bring disparate groups together, or even groups with similar opinions among the so-called liberal community.  They are about puffing themselves up, putting you down.  They aren’t about listening, engaging or moving the human spirit forward.  

Where will the bandwagon mentality be next month?  Who will they put down?  These people don’t care about you.  They care about themselves.  That, is the real outrage.