Spreading Fear

     The NAACP put out travel warning for Missouri. All they're doing is spreading fear, with no basis on fact, just conjecture. There was a post on Facebook with a number of comments about how racist people in Missouri. It was obvious that they only read the headlines. The story was about a bill the Missouri governor got passed that is being interpreted as negatively affecting racial lawsuits. I don't know if that's good or bad, time will tell.

     Is there racism in Missouri, yes and in every state? Was it fair for the NAACP to put a warning out about traveling to Missouri? No, not in my mind. It's politically motivated grandstanding, to get media attention. Lobbyists do it all the time because fear is a motivator.

     I look forward to the day when lobbyist stop using fear to promote their agenda. It may be a long wait. Missouri is a great state to live, work and vacation in. Can we do better? Yes, of course, but it's more difficult when Missouri has to defend these accusations. "Just Saying..."

Angry People

     There are a lot of angry people in this world today, but I rarely run into any face to face. Social media seems to be where they exhibit their anger. You can't win an argument on social media because there are no repercussions. In a way you're invisible. All you can really do is agitate others, so if that's your goal, mission accomplished.

     Would most people use the angry vile words to your face that they use on social media? Some maybe but most I suspect would tone down their use of hostile words. Anger is a negative emotion, which breeds more anger. Sometimes anger is justified but it's easy to cross that line to the dark side.

     The courts just ruled that the St. Louis Zoo has a right to ban guns from their premises. This has lead to a rash of comments regarding this decision both for and against. The funny thing is there were hostile comments from both sides. To me this proves that people are more interested in preaching than listening. Angry people always feel they are right and are unwilling to listen to another viewpoint.

     Open carry is just one of many hot topics. We all know and understand the arguments from both sides. On this topic, there seems to be no option for negotiation on either side. If we are going to live together in a peaceful society, there has to be negotiation. Everyone can not get everything they want, all of the time.

     We recently visited the St. Louis Zoo with relatives from Colorado and had a great time without feeling our lives were in danger. I personally would not have felt safe if open carry was allowed at the zoo. The argument is that criminals will ignore the law and carry their guns anyway. So if you choose to ignore the law as well and carry your gun into the zoo, are you a criminal?  "Just Saying...."

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….

The Road to Heaven Runs through Hell

Struggles are many in a life so short

No one knows what lies ahead

A challenged life deserves no remorse

One can hope it will reward

Success over rigor is payment enough

The road to heaven is rocky and rough

Love and kindness are the weapons to use

In battling the Hell laid at our feet

One belief gives us hope

The Road to Heaven Runs through Hell

Eat to Live or Live to Eat

     Life changes constantly. The way I grew up is very different from the way life is now. Back in the 50/60's food was fuel. It was important that it taste good but calories and fat weren't a concern. We were young and burned off calories easily. Food was not fancy, at least in my world. The main purpose of food was to sustain us. We ate to live, that's not saying we didn't enjoy the food, but it was not the star of our life.

     Today, food seems to be the star in many of our lives. People live to eat. Look at all the cooking shows on TV that promote every aspect of food in both quality and quantity. I admit even my life food plays a different part than it has in the past. We use more spices to improve the taste of our meals when preparing a meal at home and we enjoy dinners dining out but we don't live to eat. 

     The real star of a dinner is the conversation with the people at your table. The food is the supporting actor to the conversation. Sharing a meal with friends and family is the best part of the evening. I look forward to meals and have my favorite foods but it's best when you share it with a friend.

     So, whether your having a dinner that cost $200 or $20, enjoy the meal but remember it's the people around that make it special. "Just Saying... "

No Bad Day

     While watching the X games I noticed some of the snowboarders had NOBADAY written on the bottom of their boards. As it turns out, it's the name of the board, so it's an advertisement but such a great one. I guess it conveys the attitude of snowboarders.

     We can't all be snowboarders but we can look at life the same way. What would happen if we adopted those three words "No Bad Day" into each and every day? Just saying them aloud makes me smile. It's not a magic pill that will make every day great but isn't it a great way to start your day. It makes the trivial problems melt away leaving you with the best part of the day.

     It could be that snowboarders get such enjoyment out of their sport they can't have a bad day. That's what we need to do, find something we look forward to each day and focus on that. If you look around you find inspiring messages all over. This time it's from snowboarders. "Just Saying....?