Protecting Women’s Sports, Cyber Attacks, and White Supremacy

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.”
— Muhammad Ali

Good morning friends, how are you?  I trust you slept well; we did; we sleep well; sleep does not pose a problem for my Queen and me. Although I know some of you struggle, you might want to get one of those sleep studies to find your magic bullet.

I worked from home yesterday afternoon; as I worked, I checked into Twitter to see the outrage of some in our country.  The big news was a governor signing a bill that made it illegal for a boy to compete in a girls sporting event.  How dare he try and save female sports?  I don’t get it, guys; I don’t understand your outrage and virtual signaling.

Next up was a new cyberattack on our beef processors across our country.  If you think $5.00 gas is outrageous, wait until your hamburger costs $10.00.  Commodities are on the rise; inflation is roaring back; I remember this type of life when Jimmy Carter was in charge, is Joe just another J.C., and if so, who will be our next Ronald Regan to fix all the broken policies?

Do you know what grinds my gears?  When you are at a meeting, and people say, “table it?”

Table it means, let’s put off the inevitable, let’s not make a decision, and I always like to point out that not making a decision is making a decision.  The worst violater of this is the government, with many significant decisions never made for fear of making one side mad.  Can we collectively agree on what is suitable for the majority and move on?

The new story that caught my eye yesterday after new had a headline that people are bathing less. Fantastic, along with rising prices, a destabilizing societal fabric, people have begun to lean into not washing.  This idea might fly in some jam band community, but I’m a fan of the shower, cleaning one daily, and I hope this does not become a common theme of many of our fellow citizens.

I believe that media picks up on a small segment of society and reports it as a movement or the majority.  It’s like saying a few people are doing this; what do you think?  I think people are lazy, I believe COVID made lazy people more inert, and hardworking people slow down and pause.  The pandemic is over; it’s time to return to work, get up, get out, let’s get the economy moving again.

White supremacy was the last thing I noted.  President Shumgameh (a word he said) stated, “Terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today -- not ISIS, not al-Qaida, white supremacists.”  Where are all these white supremacists?  Have we not seen riots in major cities about defunding the police?  Is the defunding of the police part of the white supremacist manifesto?

Those are the news stories that hit my radar; some hit your radar; I wonder what is on your radar, do tell?  Am I missing the mark?  I’d love to understand your interpretation of today’s events; I think the world is going bat shit crazy.  But I have learned to look at the micro, my wife, my children, my family, and my friends.  Our micro-society is doing just fine; we don’t bicker, we do not believe that each other are systematically racist. We allow each other to have thoughts and ideas and don’t judge them based on their skin color rather than their values and ideals.  Here’s an idea, just people as individuals, not groups of people, thinking about a group on the actions of a small number of their members is well, there is a word for that.

I’m the old man screaming, get off my lawn this morning.  I’m sorry, I’m calling balls and strikes, and if you are happy about the direction of the economy and society, do tell.  Society is a pendulum, and it’s swinging one way hard, but it will return; the question is, how much damage will be done with this current swing?  History will tell; you might want to begin investing in cryptocurrency; it might be the only thing with value moving forward. As you read these words, the U.S. Dollar is being devalued. 

In other news, I met some excellent people yesterday.  Young Will, a fellow insurance agent, new to the industry, and I chatted about what it takes to be successful.  I gave him some ideas on how to look at his activity and measure success.   As we left, he shared the owner of his firm is a lot like me; I said, “what do you mean?”  He said, “He’s a creative.”  I took it as a compliment.

I left there and headed to the skyline club to meet Matt and Don.  Two of my friends part of the Synergize community.  We shared our weekend updates, Matt is a landscape hobbyist, and Don had put on an event to help support his nonprofit.  I left there and came home to get some work done, then walk my dog.  I was able to take a 30-minute nap, and when my wife got home, I helped her a little with weed control.   It’s her jam; I’m just a little helper.

We wound our night down with a new show on Amazon called Panic, I think it’s for kids, but it’s entertaining and suspenseful.  If you are looking for something to watch at night, check out Panic.  Well, there you have it, another soup, more words stitched together to give you my thoughts and ideas on our current events.  Today is our last day in Indiana; tomorrow, we begin our 3-day journey back to our mountain top.  Our time in the valley has been excellent, connecting with family, friends, and clients.

I hope these words find you in a good space; you can see the light through the pending darkness and know that in time all will be well.  Live ebbs and flows, and sometimes when ebbing, you need to observe and enjoy the ebbs of life.

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.”
— Muhammad Ali