A Matter Of Opinion - One Less Dog In The Hunt

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

Catching up

Okay, so I’ve been there, and I’ve done it. I can actually speak from experience now. THESE ARE MY OPINIONS and we all know the comparison between opinions and assholes. I AM NO EXPERT. I am not a doctor, but I am a reasoning individual, with at least an average education, and the ability to research and think on my own. I am going to share my opinions and I am going to call BULLSHIT on a number of things with which I find conflict. I’m going to have this post and one other on the subject of COVID-19 and then I’m moving on.

I am certainly fortunate in my Covidventure. I had it and my family had it. We were all fortunate, and though there are several things in my mind that I feel contributed to our experience, the fact is many others don’t fair as well. In fact, I’ve recently attended the funeral of a family friend who lost a battle with COVID-19. He was much younger than me. He was more active than me. It’s tragic, but my feelings and opinions haven’t changed.

November 10, 2020November 21, 2020

“History,” repeated?

History. It takes many shapes. It’s documented in various forms. Photographs, letters, journals, books, buildings, battle sites, monuments, statues, and plaques all come together to mark the passing of time, trials, troubles, progress, victories, and the existence of a human society. These things tell our tale, both the good and the bad of our journey. The American portrait has been painted with brush strokes which offer both amazing colors and dark shadows. Collectively, our tale mixes the sweetness of freedom and liberty with the bitterness of prejudice and tartness of ignorance. Throughout our history, we’ve taken and conquered, we’ve given and shared, we’ve protected and defended. We are what we are, but we are not what we were.

Our founding documents claimed a hope for “A More Perfect Union,” but they never claimed perfection.

October 27, 2020October 24, 2020

Think Stats

With the focus on COVID-19, and the currently over 220,000 deaths, it’s easy to get lost in what is happening around us. Death is something that gets people worked up, especially when we feel it is unnecessary, could be prevented, or that someone died before their time. Birth and Death are two things that every human being on this planet have in common. No matter what our differences, where we live, how rich or how poor, our ethnicity, our social status, religion, sexual orientation, or gender — we are all born and we all will die. When we talk about death, it is almost natural for emotion to rule the conversation. But sometimes it is important to develop a perspective, to look at reality, and to recognize the facts.

According to the Population Reference Bureau (PBR), the United States, average annual death rates climbed by 400,000 between 2009 and 2018; from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. Factors could include aging population or growing underlying health issues such as heart disease, cancer, or other illness. The three top causes of death in 2018 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents.

September 6, 2020October 24, 2020

Embrace Your Fear

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and
Demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and
Its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and
Bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and
For the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,
The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,
For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts
Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes
They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again
In a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
― Chief Tecumseh

A generation stands upon the edge of life, yet they fear death so deeply that they waste life fighting it. I don’t suggest death is something to be taken lightly… that it should be mocked… that it is cause to throw caution to the wind. Yet, for man (humans for those who get hung up on a word) it is inevitable. We are born to death. We cannot cheat the reaper. What matters is what lies between the beginning and the end, and for some, what waits on the other side.

July 12, 2020October 24, 2020

Fear itself

“The only thing we have to fear… is fear itself” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

From the beginning I’ve tried to keep politics out of this blog, and I hope it can be recognized that I am still trying to do so with this post, though I’m sure some will see an issue one way or another. I feel what I have to say isn’t political, but it will be controversial.

This blog was intended to explore a lot of things, but one of the main points of focus was the aftermath of life change, specifically the loss of employment. One of the land mines to avoid in that aftermath is fear. So many of us live life fearing one thing or another. Losing a job — your only source of income, having a mountain of debt hanging over you and no income to throw at it, looking for an answer to your problem and coming up empty; those things can strike some real fear into a person.

The truth is people are filled with fear — fears of failure, rejection, loss, emptiness. Fears of change, judgement, and uncertainty swarm around us. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 18.1% of the U.S. population or 40 million adults are affected by anxiety. In the UK Mental Health Today reports 49% of young people ages 18 -24 years old claimed high levels of stress. While 36% of women claimed anxiety related to self-esteem, body image, and appearance.

December 19, 2019April 11, 2020

Merry Christmas!

http://clipart-library.com/clipart/christmas-clipart-4.htm

And now, this break from politics. You have to shake your head. It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, the non-stop intrusion of politics into our lives is crazy. I’m saying this as a person who considers himself a news junkie and highly interested in politics. We know that politics is a part of our lives, but it seems it is becoming the most important part of our lives. Rather than getting a short recap in the evening from Uncle Walter Cronkite, we’re flooded with twenty-four hour, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year political news. Some times you just have to sign off.

I’d distract you with Christmas, but even that has become controversial. I like this quote from humorist writer Dave Barry:

“In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say, ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the atheists) ‘Look out for the wall!'”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/211075-in-the-old-days-it-was-not-called-the-holiday