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Positivity in a toxic climate.

Joe, I’m sorry that everyone is treating you this way. You have lived a wonderful life, filled with blessings and tragedies, and deserve to be somewhere peaceful making the most of what time you have left on this earth with your closest family and friends. Your resolve to make the United States a better place is admirable (whether we agree on any of the ways you plan on accomplishing that or not) and should continue to be commended. It really does bother me that so many in our society resort to hurling insults about your family and the personal obstacles you’ve faced instead of spending more time learning about the vision you have for our country.

Donald, I’m sorry that you’re in this mess too. You seem intent on staying as active as you can, and involving a ton of your family in the process – while I’m sure many of them love and support you, it must take such a toll mentally and physically. As it is with every disaster society faces every few years, you didn’t ask for the opportunity to lead a country through a pandemic – any of us would age 10 years in the span of a single year when trying to do what you have been tasked with. While your demeanor may not resonate well with many in this country, there is something to be said about the strength you showcase in many areas of life as you try to find ways for our country to rebound from the disaster of COVID-19.

Jo, Howie, Brian, Brock, Gloria, Don, and even Kanye… I am SO so sorry that our country can not mature enough to handle dialogue between more than two parties. You have gone above and beyond to get your names to appear on ballots throughout the country, even with so many people putting you down and trying to convince you that the attempt is futile. While many of you embrace platforms that could be considered too radical for much of the country to embrace right now, you are to be commended for sticking your neck out and taking criticism from all sides to try and do the right thing. I sleep better at night knowing there are people like you out there taking it on the chin while climbing uphill in the battle to bring dignity and fairness back to our election process.

You see, it is incredibly easy to get along with people (and even possibly pay them a compliment) yet still disagree with much of their platform and values. While I may share a meme or two that poke fun at some candidates, I also reason with my conscience on a regular basis and get down on my knees to pray for all those running for office as much as I can remember to. By stark contrast, the amount of funds being spent on mailers, spam messages, and commercials spewing catchphrases and slander by Republicans and Democrats is downright horrific, and should motivate all of us to be better.

What does that look like though? For some, it will mean taking the couple weeks of voting to volunteer at local polling centers to help the senior citizens who have done so for decades and have already done their part. For others, it will take a very honest and open conversation with their loved ones about the consequences of trying to run for local office because they feel that it is their calling. Though it has always been looked upon as an honor to serve, the conversations and culture surrounding holding office in 2020 is so toxic that it is scaring away many people (like myself) from considering such a run.

For most of us, being better implies that we need to be more thoughtful about the content we put out for the world to see – be it on our Facebook, Twitter, or front lawn. While it becomes quite comical at times to fall into the black hole that Reddit threads and photoshopped candidate memes can be… we as citizens of this great nation have an incredible chance to show the world that the federal election outcome this year will not reflect what we as a country want as our future – and it will start with our careful selection at the city, county, and state levels. Do just as much research about the neighbors running for city council, and have a conversation with them if you get the opportunity. Each small step will propel us further to a political climate that will make us believe it once again when we sing that we “are proud to be an American”.

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Political Homelessness.

I came across this term the other day during the constant quarantine scrolling, and it really struck a chord with me. There isn’t much that seems to properly define my views when it comes to our chaotic world… but it is a safe assumption to say that I feel politically homeless.

Our society has continued to evolve and expand throughout the years, and yet for some reason our “fearless leaders” continue to convince us that the two-party system actually represents our best interests at heart. They are quick to spend the necessary resources to convince those around them to disregard Libertarians, Green Party members, Tea Party believers, and anyone else who is willing to sacrifice their time and money to challenge the status quo. I don’t know about you… but it is starting to feel like an awful amount of suppression is being applied to our friends and families.

Well, let us dive deeper into the emotions of Ben for a second. Ben believes that marijuana in every form should be legalized – something members of both parties struggle with at times because of their lobbying interests, in addition to their feelings about those who are incarcerated for that type of crime. Ben believes in the sanctity of life from conception until natural death – choosing to help and care for someone no matter WHAT phase of life they are in – which breaks up into multiple arguments, which of course have several sides and stories to compliment each. Ben believes that everyone has the right to arm themselves… but that doesn’t mean automatic weapons should be in the list of options for individual home purchase. Ben believes that the process to become American should be one that every immigrant should go through when they’re ready – but that it is our neighborly duty to care for others when they are often coming to our country to escape an evil from the place they used to call home.

As you can probably determine on your own – with each statement several of you desired to high five me in one half of a sentence, then you probably lowered your hand as I finished the same train of thought – and vice versa. I (very openly) voted third party in 2016 for President, and created a state/county/city ballot that mostly resembled the color of purple by the amount of times I crossed sides. I’m voting for a person to fit the assigned role, not the party and the nonsense they try to shove down our throats. The parties are corrupt, flawed, and in desperate need of a generational overhaul – this applies to BOTH the Republican and Democrat parties, so don’t flatter yourself if you think I’m attacking just one side here.

From what we have seen this week, it is apparent that our “only” options for the coming election are to put one of two gentlemen (using that term loosely) in the White House for 4 years because the skewed format of our politics demands it. If you think my conscience will be clear voting for either a businessman who only puts himself first with each thought, or a man whose demeanor implies that he’s been through enough hell and is ready to be moved into a nursing home… I can’t say that I’m going to sleep well at night knowing that the country I love so much prefers one or the other as the leader of the free world. As Americans, we have a duty to each other to challenge when something isn’t right… and this is my simple way of stating just that. As a God-fearing individual, I take on an additional moral code that obliges me to speak up for those who may not have a loud enough voice in their fight.

Please do not be afraid to speak up if you share some of the same feelings. If the statements made here are enough to unfriend/unfollow, I get it – not everyone has the guts to say what they truly think when most of our content posted these days is the perfectly filtered shot of whatever we want others to be consuming. My suspicion is that I’m not alone in this, and that with enough effort (all we have right now is time, right?) we could make a dent in the current operation that constantly disregards our best interests.

Regardless, I hope this gives everyone some food for thought as we try to figure out this thing called life together. Don’t forget that I love each of you, and will always strive to do what is best for all of us.