Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesdays – Finding the Best Way Forward

Tags

Conservative, Democrat, Global Challenges, Issues, JFK, Liberal, Politics, Republican, SOTU

“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” – John F. Kennedy

Read more at: Brainy Quotes

The President of the United States delivered the State of the Union address last night. 76% of the American people approved of his speech. For those readers who are not from the United States, the State of the Union (SOTU on Twitter) is delivered by the President at the first part of the year, typically at the end of January. This year it was delivered late because of the U.S. Government’s shutdown.

JFK got it right. The only way to make progress in any government is to deliberate, debate, and compromise. Finger pointing, name calling, and all the rest will never deliver the results any country on the globe wishes to make to improve the lives of its citizens. The only way forward is to engage each other in dialogue, working through the issues, weighing what’s right or wrong, and pushing legislation forward that serves the people of the nation(s) it is being created for.

We all have our political slants. We all have a vision of where our respective countries need to move forward. It is so easy to get aligned with one side of the political spectrum and attack the other side. If you find yourself getting too stressed out when watching the news or a political talk show, take stock of yourself. The news outlets of today are designed to stress you out. The news is designed to frighten, create conflicts out of nothing, and support one side or another. If you find yourself in this situation, simply walk away. Take a break from it. That being said, be tolerant and educate yourself.

Read the legislation that is in consideration. Listen and read about these issues from a variety of sources. You’ll have a well-rounded view about what is about to take place and truly understand the issue. Understand both sides of an issue, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. If you can do that, you will be in the unique position of understanding why your position works because you can argue the other side’s views as good or better than they can.

There are many issues we all face in the years to come. The challenges of Global Warming, Terrorism, Poverty, Disease, Technology, and Human Trafficking. These challenges will be met and beaten by an educated citizenry who elect people who are truly deserving of the political posts they are running for.

Until next time…

Dave

Advertisements

Daily Ramblings – Series Sunday – Improving Character Traits

Tags

Ben Franklin, Character, Consevative, Discrimination, Liberal, Open Minded, Politics, tolerance, Traits

“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” – John F. Kennedy

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_f_kennedy_133845?src=t_tolerance

This month I’m going to work on another character trait—tolerance. In some cases, I am pretty close-minded, particularly when it comes to politics. I want to open my mind to other’s ideas. So, starting this month I’ll be reading, watching, and listening to the other side. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still voting straight Republican across the board, but I want to be informed about the other side’s ideas and views as well.

Subsequently, I have begun listening to NPR, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Daily podcasts—just to hear the other side of things. I also listen to Tim Ferris, Rush Limbaugh, and Ben Shapiro. I also want to read more broadly. I have been using Google News for my daily update and read articles by the Washington Post, The New York Times, and other Left-leaning news outlets.

Tolerance is much more than just politics. Tolerance is also about letting other people be. I am pretty liberal when it comes to abortion (A woman can do whatever she wants with her own body—none of my business), liberal when it comes to drug use (people can put whatever they want into their bodies—again, I don’t care).

I really want to exercise my critical thinking to truly understand the other ideologies out there. I think oppressing or persecuting others, because of their beliefs, is not something I want to be a part of. Each of us believes what we do because of our upbringing, our life experience, and our social interactions.

We have so much division in this country and I am just OVER IT. I believe we are all interested in a society and world that are free from oppression, persecution, and allow people to pursue their interests freely. Wish me luck!

Another installment for this series will arrive on the first Sunday of December.

See you then!

Dave

Inauguration Day

Tags

change, inauguration, Politics, president, trump

Yesterday marked the peaceful transition of power from one President to another. This inauguration was special to me because it was the first time in over 30 years I had the time to sit down and watch the whole thing from start to finish. To say this inauguration was different is an understatement. This inauguration, like the election, was divisive before it began. On one side, there are protests, fiery rhetoric, and all kinds of skirmishes on the social networking feeds. On the other side, condescension, claims of fake news, and all the rest.

I’m a firm believer that each President that has been elected has been the right President at the right time. Initially, none of us will know if this belief rings true, but I have looked at past Presidencies and have found that each person, holding this office, has done things that moved our country forward. Each President has dealt with the pressures of the office in his own unique way, right or wrong, and did what he thought was the best for the country, with all the information he had at the time.

President Obama represented a paradigm shift for the Oval Office. Besides being the first African-American President, he brought a tremendous mind to the office and demonstrated to some of the American public a revelation that families are the same regardless of race, religion, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and all the rest. It was easy to see that the President loved his family and did the best he could to get done what he believed was the best for the American People.

President Trump, like President Obama and the rest of the men who held this office, takes the reigns of the most powerful nation on this Earth. Like President Obama, he continues to add to the fabric of the American Story. He faces challenges like each President before him. His first day in office was met with protests across the planet and a very divided electorate. He, like any other President is being faced with the same things that any other President faced, a country worried about the future, concerned about the changes that may come, and the need to know they are safe.

When I look back at my 20-year career in the Army, I remembered the epiphany I had, when I realized that the people I came to know in places like Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, weren’t much different from me. Despite our differences, all the people I met had the same concerns. They wanted to be safe, to be loved, to be treated fairly, take care of their families, and hoped the world would be a better place for their kids, that they had it a little better than they did as parents. Is there anything different today in our country? No. People are afraid that they will lose something they had yesterday. They are fearful that the new President will take away things they had yesterday. In a nutshell, they are afraid of change.

President Trump’s candidacy, and now Presidency, has met with opposition that many say is unlike any in history. I would argue that probably is a little exaggerated. If you look at each man who has run for the office of President, each faced his own demons, the opposition of the other party, coupled with the many challenges the office presents all by itself, not to mention the forces outside of our country who are vying for supremacy in the ever-competitive world.

Will our new President do well? Will his Presidency be an absolute disaster? Will he divide our country more or find that balance to bring our country together? Will he achieve something great for the American People or will he fail miserably, demonstrating to the pundits of his Presidency that they were right about him all along? Only time will tell. Personally, I look forward to the changes and hope that our new President will succeed, just like I have hoped that previous Presidents would win and accomplish what they were voted into office to achieve. Again, I believe that everyone elected to this office is the right person at the right time. Will I be right? All I can do is hope.