Pondering and Postulating

So, I've been a little pensive lately.

 

(Oh sweet cripes, here we go….)

 

You be quiet. When I get pensive I often come up with some pretty entertaining stuff, and you read every word. It's kind of our thing.

 

(Touché, pussycat. Carry on.)

 

As I was saying, I've been a little pensive lately, about a great many things. Some things confound me, some confuse me. Others astound and amuse me, while still others irritate and anger me. I suppose we all experience these sensations when we view the world around us, but few of us voice our feelings on the subject matter. I do, mainly because I can, and because I generally don't care if people think that my doing so on these pages makes me just another narcissistic, postulating blogger.  The greatest compliment I've received from a reader came in the form of a thank you, in which the reader thanked me for writing the words that the reader thought, but couldn't express. As long as that one person is out there, I'll continue sharing.

 

(So, what are you sharing today?)

 

Good question. I have a lot swirling in my mind right now. Let's start with this – It never ceases to amaze me how extremism and fanaticism plagues our society, and the faces it takes. Surprising faces, faces of those whom I'd never expect to be so emphatic on a matter. Case in point – after a drive-by shooting in my home city, followed quickly by national news of a disgruntled newscaster gunning down two former co-workers on air, I posted a Facebook status update saying that something needs to be done about guns in this country and that people need to stop hiding behind the Second Amendment and wake up to what's happening around them.

 

(Whoa, man, you were just asking for trouble with that one.)

 

Apparently so. My update sparked quite the debate, featuring some of the most extreme positions one could imagine. The exchanges between people in some cases saddened me, and in others downright frightened me. Though I probably shouldn't have been surprised, the hardline positions some people espoused on both sides of the issue frankly took me by surprise. So devout were these people to their causes that they misquoted or cherry-picked provisions of the law to support their arguments, or flat-out ignored any contrary position. Example: At no time in the discussion did I ever call for a ban on guns; I simply suggested that the system we have in place doesn't work and that greater gun control was needed. Nevertheless, several continued to accuse me of wanting to ban guns, ignoring my words, even after I wrote in all caps that I NEVER SAID I WANT TO BAN GUNS. It didn't matter. Nothing I said mattered. They were so entrenched in their belief that no amount of reason or discussion could break through their opinionated defenses.

 

That people I know could be so incapable of having a reasonable discussion, and exhibit such utter failure to accept another's position, truly bothered me. It was the perfect example of the proverbial stating of an opinion, and then stating it over and over again, louder and louder each time, as if repeating it and doing so at a higher volume would somehow make it right. They ignored anything anyone else had to say and kept repeating the same thing again and again, neither with any support for such a position nor admittance or acknowledgement of the fact that in some cases they were flat out wrong (i.e. accusing me of wanting to ban guns despite me repeatedly reminding them that such was not the case, or others making assumptions about gun owners and their intentions.) They didn't hear because they couldn't be bothered to listen, and that terrifies me, it really does. That is the kind of mentality that many Americans have come to develop, and as we enter an election period, it couldn't manifest itself at a worse time.

 

No matter what the political regime in power, people are also always going to spew ignorance towards whomever is in the White House. Democrats did it to Bush on a daily basis, Republicans do it to Obama. I've nothing against contributing to the political discourse, but I truly am terribly, terribly frightened about the future of this nation knowing that people that hold such opinions are actually allowed to vote.

 

(I… can't argue with you there….)

 

Another example of this lunacy - The President recently issued a declaration whereby the name of Mt. McKinley in Alaska was changed back to Denali. Here is a summarized smattering of the responses: "Who does he think he is, messing with history?" "Doesn’t he have anything better to do?" "So glad he cares about a mountain and not [enter topic of choice]." "He should be impeached!"

 

*blink blink*

 

Shut. The. F*ck. Up. You. MORONS!!!!! I cannot stand the level of pure, unadulterated ignorance I've seen lately. First of all, Mt. McKinley WAS ALREADY NAMED DENALI, but some arrogant white man decided to change the name to honor another white man. Naming the mountain McKinley was just another example of "white privilege." To say that returning the mountain to its original name is messing with history? I think you got that one backwards, bub. And the notion that doing so was the only thing the President was doing that day? Are you really that dense to think that a President handles only one task at a time? He was in Alaska to discuss climate change, people. He was seeking to find answers and solutions to the climate change that is forcing people in Alaska to relocate as warming temperatures melt ice packs and threaten their environment and their lives. Then again… those that make such asinine comments probably don't think global climate change is real, either. Don't even get me started about those calling for impeachment.

 

I have grown so terribly pessimistic about my country because of the daily inundation of stupid. People are too concerned about Donald Trump's hair or Hilary's emails to focus on the actual issues that need addressing. And then we have the Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, refusing to execute the duties of her position, i.e. issuing marriage licenses, because of "God's Authority." See, Ms. Davis doesn't believe in "gay" marriage. [Note: I use this term for illustrating her ignorance only. It's not "gay" marriage. It's MARRIAGE. And it’s the law.] Of course, she doesn't appear to believe in the Establishment Clause, i.e. the separation of church and state, either, in that she is dragging God's name into her government office. Oh, and by refusing to issue marriage licenses for same sex couples, she seeks to protect the "sanctity of marriage."  

 

(Oh boy… I see where this is going….)

 

Yup, you sure do! See, for her, same sex marriage violates the sanctity of marriage. Yet, the fact that she was divorced three times directly violates scripture (what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder ~ Mark 10:9), was married four times, and to top it off, had extramarital sex, got pregnant and carried one man's twin children while she was still married to another? Oh that? That's all okay. That doesn’t violate the sanctity of marriage at all, apparently. Last time I checked, though, "thou shalt not commit adultery" was one of the TEN F*CKING COMMANDMENTS.

 

Have we devolved so much as a society that we're incapable of basic understanding, acceptance or respect? I really hope not, yet here I sit waiting for someone to prove me wrong. In fact, I'd grown quite disillusioned with my fellow folk, until something happened. Someone posted a photograph that gave me hope that maybe we aren't so bad; maybe we are strong people after all.     

 

As I scrolled through Facebook one evening, I came across a profile picture of a friend that she'd just posted of herself. What struck me was not what she wore in the picture, but what she didn't. Absent was any sign of make-up; she wore none, and was simply herself, and nothing more. IN doing so, she exuded an air of confidence. She had a look in her eyes that said "this is me, take it or leave it." The combination of natural beauty and confidence was stunning. I think the photo affected me so much because I was knee deep in the some of the nonsense I described above when I came across it.  Amongst so much idiocy, there she was, offering herself to the world, unapologetically, confidently, and courageously. She didn't need to say a word. There was no need for discussion or argument or debate, over anything. She was just… being. Naturally. Beautifully.

 

I wish more of us could do the same. I wish we could all just be, without judgment or concern. If we could, I think we'd have far more respect for one another. We wouldn't need to get into arguments over gun control and abortion and mountain naming and who can marry. We would discuss such things, openly, and respectfully, because we'd have enough respect for ourselves to educate ourselves on such topics before opining on them. And then, when we discussed, we could do so with confidence and without the need to hide behind facades crafted from sound bites we heard on Fox News or MSNBC. Finally, when the discussion was over, perhaps we'd actually find a middle ground based on reason instead of retreating to fortresses of misguided belief.

 

It's amazing, the effect one photograph can have. It made me stop and think. Not just about all the nonsense in the world, but about how something as simple as being yourself can have a dramatic effect on others. It caused me to set aside the negativity and focus on something positive. So you know what? I'm sorry, people. I shouldn't swear or call you morons. Perhaps your passion simply clouded your judgment. I'm sure I've been guilty of the same. So I take it back, and ask you do something for me – don't think. Don't think about anything. Just be, for a few moments. Take a deep breath, and then think… and then speak.  Do so with the same confidence with which my friend posted her photograph, because if you do so, you will be honest. You will be natural. And you won't need silly or misplaced words or regurgitated talking points to state your case. And people will respect you. Hell, they might even find you beautiful.

 

 

 

© 2015 J.J. Goodman. All rights reserved.