Offended

     No one likes to be offended, but in these days it seems like people are easily offended. I don't try to offend anyone but I don't worry about it. It's their decision if they choose to be offended. I live in today's world and can't change the past and have no desire to.

     It seems like some people are looking for a reason to be offended. Guess what?  People usually find what they are looking for. I could spend my days looking for things that displease me and I'm sure there would be many, but that's not living a productive life.

     I choose not to be offended by your religion, culture, lifestyle, race or political views. Most importantly, I choose not to be offended by history but use it to learn to live my life better. We hear frequently than no one wants to be judged; yet many of people are judging our ancestors without ever walking in their shoes. To judge our ancestor by today's standards is unfair. There's no question that slavery was wrong but that's easier to see today.

     Confederate soldiers were not evil people. They were patriots born in the south. Slavery was just one reason for the Civil War, but there were others like economic (taxes) and social differences plus state versus federal rights. Tearing down monuments won't change the past; it hides the truth. We need to teach the truth and these monuments could be the right tool.

     It easier to choose not to be offended than tear everything down that offends you. "Just Saying...."

I Don't Understand

     I'm sixty-eight years old so you might expect that the experience of living has given me a better understanding of life. That's true to some extent but life has changed vastly since I was young. It's become more complicated in many ways but we as a society have forgotten some of the basics of living.

     Young families today, struggle with outside influences that parents of my generation did not have. The social networks effect child rearing, which make it that much harder for parents raise their children to high standards.

     Technology is basically good, but not when it's interrupts a healthy family life. Sometimes parents need to say "No" without any explanation. If your three-year old child tells you they were born in the wrong body, that's a good time to ignore that comment. When I was three I wanted to be Superman then a Texas Ranger, a space explorer and a cowboy. I was influenced by television. My parents didn't take any of this serious or even comment about my desires. They knew to wait a week because my desires would change. A three year old should not run your household.

     I see young people with weaknesses that seem to be a result of weak parenting. When I was young everything didn't always workout but people from my generation weren't coddled. We learned to deal with difficulties, which made it easier the next time we ran up against a wall. We didn't whine and moan every time someone made a derogatory comment toward us. We were taught to laugh it off. That doesn't happen as much now. The youth of today has become ultra sensitive twisting words and phrases skewing the meaning. I congratulate those young parents raising their children to be upstanding citizens. I believe there are many but they are unrecognized because good parenting is not news worthy.

     I don't understand LGBT but I would give them the same respect I give others. I don't need or want to know about your sexual preference. It's not important or relevant to me so I won't be judging. You deserve the same rights as me but not more.

     There are rules at home, in schools, in the military and in life that are there to make life better, but only if you follow them. We all have an opinion but if we don't listen to others opinions, we will be missing half of the information.

     I don't understand why some people think they're always right and others are always wrong. I don't understand why the more powerful a person is the less tolerant they become. I don't understand dark humor or tragic comedies. Dark and tragic are the opposite of comedy to me. I don't understand hate and all that it brings with it. I'm not convinced that more guns make life better and I don't understand why my opinion should be so polarizing.

     There is a lot I don't understand but maybe I don't need to understand everything. The one thing I do understand and believe is life gets better when you treat others with respect. Just Saying….