Just a Thought, Before I Go...

in #politics5 years ago

It's late at night here, and I have had a long and tiring day...

I'm trying to take a few moments to relax, before I head off to bed.

So much happening in the world; so much strife, so much anger, so many people wishing each other harm.

0734Sunset.jpg
The sun setting on my day...

Thousands of displaced refugees from Central America heading north.

Some looneybird sends out pipe bombs.

Another looneybird shoots up a synagogue.

Meanwhile, few people seem capable of simply holding a dialogue about these things... instead, any such effort almost immediately descends into a party political shouting match, wandering completely off-target from the original intent.

Today, somebody yelled at me simply for sharing a statistic. That statistic wasn't my "opinion," is was a set of cold hard numbers: This many people died of this cause, in this year... blah, blah, blah.

I was suddenly labeled unpatriotic and other expletives for simply pointed to a documented fact in the record books. But because it didn't fit reality is it existed in the other person's mind... I was suddenly evil.

I didn't make it any better by pointing out that what he was doing was akin to calling someone a criminal for pointing out that it was raining... because your reality depends on sunshine. Doesn't alter the fact that it's raining, though...

Maybe that's a lame analogy, I don't know.

0438Stones.jpg
Stones on the beach...

Although I don't claim to be an optimist, I have generally felt pretty good about life and existence, in general.

Today, though, I started having doubts.

In a different situation, a friend — whom I've always thought to be pretty smart and insightful — started showing me that he had declined into the realm of being a "talking head."

What I mean is, he seems to have stopped thinking for himself and is just spouting canned doctrines. Politically speaking.

What is happening to the world?

Is THIS "Making America Great Again?"

I'm not "taking sides" here, but I am siding with the ability to think for yourself, rather than just fall into lockstep according to strict lines.

Did everyone just lose themselves, along the way? Or is it just a sign of the times? Or are we all pretty much doomed?

I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Sorry for the lame blog post... but I felt compelled to "write it out of my system" before laying down.

Grateful I still have the freedom to do that...

Peace, out.

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(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 181031 00:28 PDT

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Have a great rest!

Everyone is just so wound up as if missing a step is game over. If something more could have been done when that just not reality. Granted I'm guilty of such things as well. Set backs are just tiring and we like to think we have some kind of control in this crazy world. When we don't it everyone else that is the issue it seems these days.

well said!

I was suddenly labeled unpatriotic

this is an example of what happens when people are too far gone and divided. If you disagree with someone, state something they don't agree with or have a different ideology... you get lambasted. so sad

Today, somebody yelled at me simply for sharing a statistic. That statistic wasn't my "opinion," is was a set of cold hard numbers: This many people died of this cause, in this year... blah, blah, blah.

I think that quite often opinions can be expressed as statistics - they can convey different opinions based on what data sets one wants to include, how the data sets are presented, etc.

Our national news service had an article some few days ago on the anti-socialist movement in the US. Recently the white house released a report "The Opportunity Costs of Socialism. I haven't had time to read the report itself, just the critique from our national news service - of course I can believe the claim that the standards of living in the US is much higher than in the socialist Nordic countries is quite a trigger for many employees and bosses at our national broadcast service.

One of the statistics presented in the article is that the yearly cost of owning a Ford Ranger compared to the average salary would be 4.4 working hours in the US versus 7 working hours in Norway and 12 working hours in Finland. I have no doubts it's true - but presenting statistics in this way is nothing more than an opinion. The article boringly points out that the "average salary" in the US is a meaningless measure because it's very much affected by a small part of the population having extremely high salaries. I'd go a bit further: I'm quite sure that if one had exchanged the Ford Ranger with a Tesla Model X , and exchanged the "average salary" with "median salary", one could easily conclude that it sucks to live in the US. (And, actually, both cars are produced in the US. Just because of that they should be cheaper to purchase and maintain in the US than in Norway. Perhaps public transport would be a more fair thing to compare - I do believe that getting from one arbitrary point in a small (Oslo-sized) city to another is both cheaper and easier in Norway than in the US. Except, an "arbitrary point" in Oslo would easily end up being in the sea or in the deep forest).

And that's of course the way to tackle "statistical opinions". I believe it's a typical American thing to get angry and upset and use words like "unpatriotic" when being confronted with statistics :-)

It is not in ANY way a lame blog post. It is simply YOU expressing something that is affecting you within... and I think you did precisely the right thing by getting it out before going to bed so that you can start your day tomorrow with a refreshed perspective.

We all have those days, moments and people that can sway us out of "sync" with where we usually are - but don't let it get to you too much!

And hey.. I think you are plenty positive!!!

Sweet dreams @denmarkguy!

Tomorrow, the sun will shine :)

The content of the post does not quite match the username.

There is no rinse. Just repeat. Say something often enough in multiple ways and people start to repeat it thinking it is their own thought. How to be popular.

It's morning, I overslept. I'm on the bus heading for work. This post is not lame. Rather it is an astute observation of the ever changing experience we call life. I couldn't agree with you more. It is the same sintatment I had in my post of steemit decline. Everything is upside down.

I'm hoping this is a temporary moment in time but I fear it's a result of our education system. It seems we are teaching our children and now adults, "what to think" instead of "how".
How dare you have a differing opinion or an actual scientifically backed statistic. You should be stoned to death for that.
Personally I think it's amazing people don't realize they are being brainwashed and submitting themselves to slavery in doing so, but what do I know. Anyways, it's a new day, I'm determined to enjoy it and focus on the task that lies in front of me.
Have a blessed day...

We are going through a phase of history where the masses have dumbed down, people each year are brainwashed and politics is seeping into the lives of everybody, whether they can handle it or not.

People more powerful than us have taken our sense of unity and given us individualism, they've fed us a lie by feeding upon our problems and portraying themselves as some kind messiah that will solve all their problems.

Humanity doesn't need a messiah or one person, it needs to take its head out of it's own ass and start thinking as species rather than being part of religion, nation, cult or a gang member. As soon as we take sides we're doomed and we have been doomed since the begining of time.

What i'm saying now has been repeated before and will repeat again, reminding us that we are more powerful together than divided. But then again people are stupid and vast majority of them lack empathy for the fellow human being.

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