Make Love not Gun Laws

Good morning folks! I’m off to a late start this morning but I did go to bed at 10pm and wake up on time, I’m just moving at the speed of molasses.

I have been caught up in the news coverage about the boy that was kidnapped off a bus in Alabama. I was happy to read yesterday that he has been returned to his home safely.  This got me thinking about how far we have come as a “civilization” (I use that term loosely).  Nothing is sacred anymore. You can’t go to the movies, fly on an airplane, or send your kids to school.  Where do we go from here?  We might as well be living in an episode of Walking Dead because this wild wild west mentality is dangerous and hinders our evolutionary progress.  What are we without our humanity and compassion? Animals and zombies behave better than we do. Don’t attack your own unless you are threatened; zombies don’t eat each other, I’m just saying.

As a non-breeder it makes you hesitant to even consider having children because what kind of world do we live in. I’m going to have to wrap my kids in kevlar, live in an underground bunker, and exercise my 2^nd amendment right.  The Atlanta news did a segment about bullet proof book bags! Really them make bullet proof book bags now?!?! It is completely disheartening to know that creating a safe environment for your family in today’s world is so complex. How do you keep your kids safe and still educate them about the world?

I started thinking about home schooling and immediately ruled that out because I am not prepared to be trapped in a house with my future children for 8-10 hrs teaching them reading, writing, and calculus (let’s be real kids today don’t learn arithmetic they are teaching them MIT level engineering calculations).  I suck at calculus, I’m pretty sure I only passed because of the Grace of God.   I will likely have to pay somebody to home school my kids.  Then I realized I was thinking about my future kids and this conversation I was having with myself was expensive and completely inappropriate! LOL

After that I focused my energy on thoughts of self-preservation. What would I do if the world was overrun by zombies or if I was out in public and folks start shooting?  What do you do? What would Rick from Walking Dead do? Of course I would run but I like to think that I would act smart, look for my partner in avoiding crimes and make sure he was ok. I also want to be where he is since he packs heat! When you care about people I think they become an extension of yourself, so your instinct for preservation extends to them.  I would try to help people I hope. Honestly, I don’t want to ever find out what I would do because I don’t want to be in that situation. It is unfortunate that statistically the chances of that are becoming more and more unlikely.  So what do we do?

I try to avoid discussing politics because I would probably find myself in office somewhere waiting for Olivia Pope to bring a team of warriors to fix a mess I made. I will say that I don’t feel one way or another about gun laws because I’m a firm believer that if it wasn’t guns it would be bombs, or rocks, or bricks, or fists.  Make love not stricter gun laws. We need to change our culture and how we socialize our kids.  A weapon is a weapon, what is the problem is people’s comfort with attacking and harming others.  It’s a new right like breathing for some which is an indicator that our society is desensitized and moving toward the emotionally inept.  We are too advanced for our own good and we have forgotten we are all animals on the same team.  Sing Kumbaya people, drive a Volkswagen, listen to some Bob Marley and find your inner peace. Keep your emotionally unstable, aggressive, murderous behaviors to yourself. We should be working together, building each other up, not grabbing kids off buses and shooting up public places.

With that said we are all on the same team until you pull a gun on me or my future kids, I will come at you like a spider monkey. Know that I am ride or die for my family, which means over my dead body (or yours).

Photo from:
© Wannous | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

Good Deeds

I have many friends of the cynical variety and I’m constantly fighting the good person battle.  I am not a conspiracy theorist, and I don’t believe people are out to get me. I’m also not a subscriber to the belief that people are inherently bad. Sure this world can be bad, sure some people are bad people but overall I believe in the goodness of spirit and people as a whole. Some feel that makes me naïve, others think I’m a fool.  I just think I’m a believer!

I was attending a conference most of this week and listened to a presentation were many great points were made about humanity and the way westerners meander through life.  The most impactful statement I heard was:

Most citizens regardless of the country don’t trust their government. This is a common occurrence internationally and domestically. But only the United States has a government that doesn’t trust its citizens. 

Now in the context of public health the point was being made that regular citizens (Toms, Dicks, Harrys, and Janes) are capable of responding in emergencies. We aren’t always victims; sometimes the bystander can be an active participant in helping solve a problem. This is true but something has stopped us as a whole from executing and it isn’t our government. Maybe we are untrustworthy but it wasn’t always that way! One argument is that society as a result of certain government infrastructures has us conditioned to be bystanders.  The argument I am making is capitalism and western socialization have us conditioned to fear the consequences of being a helping hand! I also think this country is short of common sense and common decency but that is for another blog!

We are a country that values the life of animals more than human beings.  A country that forms advocacy groups that don’t advocate, creates non-profit organizations to make profit, and swindles hard-working folks with gimmicks and schemes. I’m not sure when doing the right thing became a liability but apparently it is! The obvious is no longer obvious and the simple things have become increasingly complex. On average more people assume somebody else will handle a problem and avoid helping to evade being burdened. Well assumptions make an ass out of you and whoever you are trying to avoid helping.

Only in America can you try to save someone’s life and get sued!  Only in America is it customary to watch a person suffer because you are waiting on  first responders to tell you how to act. Only in America is it more profitable to be a bystander than to help a person overcome tragedy. Hiding in the shadows gets you a front row seat that comes with 15 minutes of fame. I-witness accounts get you book deals! You tube videos get you press coverage!

Then there is the fear that the person you are attempting to help is a sociopathic decoy trying to trap you so they can kill, steal, or make an example out of you! There is a lot to be fearful of in today’s world when trying to help others. But for all of the people out there looking to cash in, there are still many of us that genuinely care about the well-being of others. Some people really need your help, so just help them!

Today I am advocating for those who live above the new incredibly low standard for being a good neighbor. I thank those willing to offer a helping hand or a free meal. I applaud the kind-hearted and giving spirits in this world! Kudos to you and I am happy to be on your team! 

I want to give a special thank you to the random woman from Texas that offered me her sandwich today because she thought I was being unfairly treated!  Your kindness made me realize (a) I should be angry at my job for not springing for the meal tickets and (b) people can be kind to strangers without ulterior motives!

Do a good deed today and make a difference! Here are some things you may consider:

·         Apply pressure to a  wound

·         Buy somebody lunch

·         Cover your mouth when you cough

·         Don’t be a homewreacker

·         Don’t laugh when a person falls down…offer to help them up first

·         Don’t speed through the puddle in front of a bus stop

·         Donate to charity or your church

·         Give a dollar to a panhandler (it’s just a dollar and so what if he is using it to buy alcohol)

·         Give directions to a lost pedestrian or international visitor

·         Give somebody a compliment

·         Give up your Marta seat to a pregnant woman or an elderly person

·         Head-butt a terrorist (not a suspected terrorist but an actual one in the middle of high jacking something)

·         Hold open a door for the person behind you

·         If you see a suspicious package tell somebody

·         Leave money in the restaurant tip jar

·         Let somebody cut in front of you on I-85

·         Offer to help somebody change a tire

·         Pay the toll for the person behind you

·         Pray for someone

·         Respect crosswalks (pedestrians have the right of way)

·         Say excuse me when you bump into people

·         Tell your friend what you really think of her baby daddy (without attitude or an audience)

·         Throw out your leg to stop a mugger from running off with an old lady’s purse

·         Try to return a lost cell phone if you find it

·         Turn down the radio when your passenger gets on the phone

·         Use your turn signal before actually turning

This has been an LC public service announcement!!!! Remember to just do the right thing!