Balanced History

There is currently a movement going on to ban recognition of anyone from history who by today’s standards would be seen as a bad person, regardless of the great things they may have also done. One example is that some people want to remove George Washington’s name from schools and other sites because he was a slave owner. This is a dangerous thing. To judge the past by the perceived justice of today is not something anyone should do. Is it bad that Washington owned slaves? By today’s standards, Absolutely. By the standards of his day… No.

We as a people and as a society evolve. Our standards of good and evil evolve. That is a great thing! However, we need to let the past be the past. We cannot improve the present, let alone the future, if we are so busy attacking ghosts. We need to learn from the past, of that there is no doubt, but we also need to let go of our own guilt, hate, and victimhood of how things are now due to the past in order to be able to create effective change. If we are so focused on changing what happened in the past, we cannot focus on what needs to change now. If you don’t like how you are treated, find a way to make people treat you how you want to be treated. Yes, I know easier said than done and not everyone will see beyond face value. However, if you don’t affect change yourself, why should anyone else change?

We have to admit that we are all flawed. I know some of you are thinking “Well duh! I know that!” and some of you are thinking “I’m not as flawed as you are!” Guess what… Those are flaws. That is entirely your ego talking. If you truly want to admit you are flawed, you should have thought about what flaws you know about way back in your mind that you try to hide from everyone, even from yourself.

Without being able to shut off your ego and admit that you too aren’t perfect, you will never affect change in yourself nor in the world around you. Will you be thought of in two hundred years by your ancestors the same way we are now being told we should think of George Washington? Odds are you will be. In two hundred years the world will be an entirely different place with entirely different morals and societal standards. All you can do is try to do great things and improve the world so that your “bad deeds” as seen from the future, are outweighed by the good things you have accomplished. Kind of like George Washington who was integral in our separation from England, winning the Revolutionary War, setting up the foundation for The United States of America, and laying the path for all the amazing things we have done since. So, yes, George Washington was a slave holder. But he himself laid out the path for a nation that fairly soon after, abolished slavery.

Dreamt of Philosophy

It’s interesting how life and science fiction can help you learn more about humanity, its flaws, and its greatness.

I’ve been spending time with a new friend who has been having a rough… life. Through my friend’s eyes, I am seeing more and more of the subtle messages that have long been in both my real life and in the Science Fiction that I enjoy, in new or more in depth ways. This is, to me, why community is so very important. If we only see the world through our own filter, or through the filters of the same sources, without change we can become so complacent with our world view that we can no longer see anything outside of what we expect to see. To quote The Bard “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Those words are always on my mind, now so even more. Shakespeare knew so very long ago, that one singular point of view will always prevent one from seeing the entire picture!

How have you challenged your point of view lately?  What lessons have you learned to expand your dreamt philosophy?

So, you want to blame guns?

So you want to blame guns?

Let me ask you this, my dear students. How many of you have bullied someone this year? How many people have you spread rumors about? How many times have you posted on social media that someone should “just die”? “Kill themselves”? Or said anything else along those lines?

How often have you seen someone else bullied and joined in?

How many times have you seen someone bullied and ignored it?

How many times have you gone over to the person who was being a bully and told them “That’s not okay”.

How many times have you gone up to the person who was bullied and told them that other person is a jerk and just to ignore them?

How many times have you given a hug to that bullied person even if you weren’t friends with them and said “You matter!”

How many times have you ditched your “cool” friends because they were constantly attacking people either verbally or physically?

How many times have you stood up for others?

Guns are not to blame for school shootings. However, you probably are. It’s okay though, just pretend like an inanimate object is at fault so you won’t have to feel bad and start changing your own behavior. Just keep on pretending like everything will be okay once guns are gone. It’s not like people are also killed homemade bombs… by being run over by cars… by being stabbed… by being poisoned… beaten, strangled, kidnaped and murdered in secret, or a million other ways. Because hey, guns are to blame for everything right?

No, you are to blame!

If you want gun violence to stop, stop treating people in a manner that makes them want to kill you. Even if it’s that weird kid who has no friends, or that jock who is always making inappropriate comments, or the teacher of the subject you don’t like. If you want to be a voice for change, you have to change yourself first. Stop blaming other things, other people, or whatever else makes you feel like it’s not your fault.

Take action. Get your head out of your ass and realize gun violence can be stopped by you! No new laws have to be passed. You just have to be a better person and help make other people realize they can be better too!

It really is that simple. Just be nice.