Yellowstone, Civil Conversations, Grammarly, Logic, Reason, and the American Way

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening; I don’t know when you might find these words, trying to cover all my bases.  I trust you are well; I am great, my pup and I are up, the coffee is made, my wife is in bed as is cousin, we had a lovely night last night.  We caught up on Yellowstone and watched our kid’s pup.

Yesterday I had a new engagement appointment with my daughter; we added another client to our family; thanks, Doug. In addition, I had a management meeting with my team, and we had a good discussion about the future, how we might navigate, and we had some excellent input from our coach.

I left the house after our meeting and met my friend Dave for lunch.  Dave is a new friend, a very principled guy with kind eyes.  We met this past summer and then got to know each other at his grandson and my daughter’s wedding.  He’s a wise man, and I like how his mind works.

I think I’ve shared this before, but if not, I tend to lean socially liberal and fiscally conservative.  Politically I lean to the right but have an open mind.  Dave was a long-time union representative who taught and worked at a major phone company.  He leans a little left, and it’s interesting to see how he views various issues.

As we sat and chatted, I wondered how many of these civil conversations were going on between people with different views of the world. Unfortunately, it seems we live in a time where if you think differently, you must not be friends or God Forbid have a conversation.  But there we sat, me having two soft tacos and Dave having two hard tacos talking about our country and our beliefs.  It was a beautiful conversation, and I suspect Dave and I will have many more.  Cheers to positive and engaging discourse.

He gave me a document that has guided him over the years; I won’t share it with you; it’s private, and it’s his mission statement.  Not many people ever take the time to pen such things, but there are four pages of words that define his beliefs to my left.  Although I won’t share his comments, I will give you the outline of how it is framed.

First, what do you believe? It might be handy to write 8 or 9 lines of words that help you identify how you live your life.  Next, what is your choice?  How do you or how will you choose to live your life?  What is your responsibility?  What is your faith?  Where do you find encouragement?  What is your understanding? What is your desire?  Where do you find proactivity in your life?

I’ll stop there; that’s page one; I think those are good journal topics.  I meet many people that want to write but don’t know where to start. So here’s an idea, follow the outline above and start your journal. If you are worried you don’t know grammar or syntax, download Grammarly and use that tool to make your words align with good prose.  It’s a must for anyone writing more than a sentence or two.

My wife is up; she’s cleaning up the kitchen, making dog food, aka chicken for the pup.  I’ve got an interview this morning at 9:00. Then, there is a board meeting at 9:30 until 1:00, a 2:00 appointment, a 2:30 appointment, and then I’m meeting a friend up north at 4:00.  It’s a busy day, but I like to stay active; it keeps the rust off.

Tomorrow I have a few appointments, and then Thursday, I wind down passing out some gifts and connecting with friends. After that, my wife and I will hang out on Christmas Eve and Christmas, celebrating the birth of that baby hippy man that walked everywhere.  It’s been a busy year; I’m looking forward to some downtime of rest, reading, and relaxation.

According to my “Smart” news app, the top story is “Anti-vaxxer protesters now targeting Cheesecake Factories, REIs and Panera Bread.   If I understand the headling, people who do not want to get the vax are doing something at places we all have visited.  Let’s take a deep dive into the actual article.   The body of the story describes a man going to New York, where you must show your vaccine passport to dine.   He carries a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  Let me retitle the article “Man exercises his Rights.”  I don’t think he is anti-vax; I believe he is anti-authoritarian?

Next up, “Biden to offer 5000M at-home COVID_19 tests as virus surges.”  According to this fear porn piece, “Scientists don’t yet know wheater omicrons cause a more serious disease.”  I’m not a scientist, but I believe all the data shows that this new variant is much like the common cold; we can go on with our lives and don’t fear the reaper.  I like the idea of the tests; I think that if you can’t taste or smell, you test; other than that, why bother? 

To navigate society today, you must use your mind to discern what is real and hyperbole. Unfortunately, today’s stories tend to be hyperbole and not facts.  Things are written and shared to get you to conform to a narrative that others want you to follow but refuse to follow themselves.  Rules for thee, but not for we.  Your creator gave you a brain; please use it for the sake of humanity.  As a free-thinking, doing, being human, I ask you to join me in using logic and reason to guide your daily quest for truth, justice, and the American Way.

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
— Mahatma Gandhi