Why I chose to vote the way I did.

We had two candidates who nobody wanted to vote for. No sane person was excited to make this choice. For me, it came down to one thing. The Second Amendment.

Here is why:

Both candidates were hateful liars. Both candidates have broken laws. Both candidates wanted to improve our country the way they think is best.

One candidate was pushing restrictions on the 2^nd Amendment. The other was assuring us they’d throw open the doors and let us have our 2^nd Amendment Right as it was intended.

To me, that was the deciding factor.

Think about it my way for a moment. One person wants to rule the country and limit my rights for self-defense and my rights to fight tyranny if needed. The other person wants to rule the country, but promises me the right to self-defense and to fight tyranny if needed.

Of course I’m going to vote for the person who promises me the ability to keep an equal footing!

Why would I vote for someone who I don’t like and don’t trust who also requires me to fight with my hands tied? The choice sucked! It really, really, sucked! But at least I have the Right to rise up and fight this candidate, to protect myself, my loved ones, my friends, and that stranger on the street.

That other person… wouldn’t have left me with that right.

Yes, Bernie would have been a much better option. Sadly, that other person and their team ensured he didn’t have the chance.

So, I chose hateful liar number one, and if you need me to fight for you, you know I’ll be there. Just like I hope you would have been there for me if your hateful liar number two had won. 

Choices and Questions

We are all able to make choices. Do we wish to be the person made from easy choices? Or do we wish to be the person made from hard choices? What is the effect on our spirit from each type of choice? Should we only make hard choices? Easy choices? Or should we make both? If both, how do we know when to choose the hard decision over the easy one? How do we know what is Right? How do we know what is Wrong? Is the world only black and white or are there billions of colors seen and unseen that we need to acknowledge to be able to reach who we are supposed to be? What if you’re blind and are unable to see any colors? How will you make your choices then?

For me, I truly try to answer questions like this in the simplest way possible. Those answers come from additional questions thought.

Will this help me? Will this harm me? Will this help others? Will this harm others? Is the good greater than the harm? To me? To them? If I choose to help myself, will I have a chance later to help others who are harmed by my choice? If I choose to help others, will I later be able to recover from the harm to myself? If not, can I live with that harm I took on to help others? Will they help me now that I’m in need?

So many questions for every decision, so many answers too! It has been said: There are two spirits inside us all who fight for dominance. The one that will win, is the one we feed the most. Sometimes we may need to feed the evil spirit with in, but hopefully we can feed the good spirit on a regular basis so it will not be harmed when we must make bad choices for good reasons. Jumping in front of a speeding car is a bad idea, but if you save your child by pushing them to safety, it is worth the consequences.

Life is no easy thing. Every decision has a ripple effect and we won’t know until the end, if they added up to a tsunami or canceled each other out creating smooth waters. 

Get Ready to Vote!

Early voting and mail in voting is starting. This political season has been especially volatile and many people have lost track of the purpose of voting.

There are people to hate on both sides of the republican/ democrat party lines. However, this vote is not about who you like as a person. We are voting on issues.

Issues such as abortion, gun laws, health care, and many other things. Please don't let your opinion of a human representative interfere with you voting for what matters to you personally.

Vote the issues and only the issues. If you wait for a respectable politician to vote for, you'll never have a reason to vote.

Politics are about what matters most to the people, not who the people like, trust, or respect. (Especially when we have no options at all in those categories.)

So please, Vote! It does matter, the issues at stake matter. The people involved matter too... but the issues are always whats most important. People come and go in politics. Laws tend to stick around long after.

Dying Alone

A show I was watching was talking about "dying alone" and I realized something.

No one dies alone. Anytime someone dies they take a small portion of soul from every single person who knows them. That's why it hurts. You can fill the void by making new friends, but that piece of your soul will forever be gone.

This isn't really as sad of a thought as you may be thinking though. Take a second and process what I said. That person who died has a part of you with them forever for whatever is 'next'.

Even if you're an atheist like me, think about the science of energy. Energy can not simply cease to exists. It's always in a new form instantly if the last form stops for any reason. Every time you interact with your friends, whether it be a hug, kiss, handshake, or even a fist bump... you're sharing energy like kids (in my day and before) became blood brothers. You are literally a part of your friends, family, and loved ones on a scientifically proven level.

This means that when they die, you will always have a part of them with you. This isn't wishy washy religion, it's science.

So the next time you are thinking about that person you lost. Remember that they are in some way with you, and you are in some way with them. Then think about what they'd say to you about being sad and missing them. Do you think they'd want you to be miserable? I doubt it.

When I die and you all are thinking of me, know that I'd tell you to smile and go do something silly. If that doesn't work, know I'd grab your tits (ladies) and kick you in the balls (gentlemen) because that's the type of weird person I am. I want people to be happy even if I'm not with them. I love life and the adventures people can find, and I hope all of you do too... even if I'm not there with my camera taking a thousand photos of moss on a tree while you impatiently wait for my ass to finish.

So, again, next time you're sad over the memory of a loss in your life, just connect to that small portion of the person that is a part of you and listen to their advice. Most of our friends know they're smarter than we are anyway! 

September 11

Today, yet again, the internet is full of people saying "I remember". They are pushing the idea that remembering the attacks on September 11th 2001 is enough. They are dead wrong.

Here are my questions for those of you who are remembering:

• What actions have you personally taken to prevent such attacks from happening again? 
• What have you done to improve the world? 
• What have you done to stop religious hate? 

If you have no answer for those questions, you may as well forget what happened all those years ago. You clearly didn't learn anything.

For those of you who are sitting in church today, I have two more questions.

• How many people have been murdered in the name of the religion you follow? 
• Are you really okay with being a part of that history? 

You can claim all you want that it's zealots who push religion too far. That they are responsible for the deaths in the name of your faith. You can claim that you are representing what your religion really means. You can claim that you are far more open to other faiths than (insert alternate faith here).

We all know the truth though. Those are the exact same words any and every zealot has used to justify the atrocities they have committed. If you are religious, you are carrying along with you all of the sins, all of the horrors, all of the blood of those who have been unjustly murdered because they believed something different.

We will never have the peace your religion promises to provide, until religion no longer exists. If there are sides to choose between, someone will always think theirs is the best and be willing to do anything to prove it. Sadly, that is the human condition.

Symbols

I've not put up a new post in a few years, but I'm feeling the need to talk to the internet again. So, here I go. (As always Polite discussion is always welcome, don't be an ass hole.)

Something has happened to society. Something very sad. All of the symbols we have created to inspire and drive ourselves, and others, to greatness are now looked upon with scorn. The Flag of The United States of America is one such victim. I’m not exactly sure when it was first chosen as the whipping boy of our country but the most politicized era of flag hate was in the 1970’s during the Vietnam War. Every person who felt the war was wrong, and fought U.S. Involvement, started burning The Stars and Stripes that represent our country.

I will always wonder what could have happened if those who burned The Flag in protest would have instead waved our Flag while performing acts that they felt were more in line with the ideals they carried, for how the government of these United States should act. The protestors who burned our Flag instead, also, burned all their hopes and dreams for our country. They gave up on the dream The United States of America has represented since the moment The Revolutionary War was set into motion. Old Glory, our primary symbol of who we wanted to be, was beaten, torn, and burned because people became confused about what she is. The Flag of The United States of America is our goal, not our present. Every time something happens that we disagree with we need to look to Our Flag. We need to remember what we want to be, and realign ourselves with that goal, that dream. Only through action, with a clear destination in mind, will we ever reach the finishing line our forefathers set for us.

Next time something happens in our country that you disagree with, please don’t take it out on our one true symbol of hope. Instead, please raise Our Flag as high, and as proudly, as you can. Let her fly in the wind before all to see. Let her call out with every flap in the wind “I am still here! We are United in our belief that we are the greatest nation. We will strive to be better than we are at every moment. We are here to treat every living thing as our equal, for we are, none of us, more important than anyone, anything, else. We are the United States of America. We will stand as one people, for liberty and justice. We are here. We remember why we came. We choose to make our struggles help us grow, to make our country, and all those living here, the absolute best we can possible be.”

That is what The Flag of These United States of America stands for.

From now on, when in doubt, when in fear, or when unsure of what to do: Look up at Our Flag and remember the dreams and hopes The Stars and Strips hold. She is waiting for us to reach out and achieve that dream.