Tuesday, January 22, 2019

RUNNING ON EMPTY


Express delivery
At some point we're going to have to stop the
madness. Sadly in our zeal to right wrongs we
jump to conclusions. Last weekend a plethora
of news stories invited talk of impeachment.
Then Mr. Mueller's team chimed in and what
we thought was true was questionable at best.
All were immediately aghast when a gaggle
of MAGA be-hatted teenagers appeared to be
taunting a drum pounding Native American.
Only to subsequently connect the dots to find
that said tots had been verbally assaulted by
a group of African Americans obviously in
the wrong. When will such foolishness end?
Look before you leap
As this blogger has suggested many times, the
best way to navigate times like these is to do
one's homework. In other words look before
we leap. Otherwise we're as guilty of spewing
"alternative facts" as the next guy. The fact is
we don't know what we don't know. Thus post
hearing something beyond believable, there's
a strong chance that it is exactly that. Sadly in
our rush to point fingers we are often guiltier
than those we've already charged. Thus now
is the time to stop, look, and listen before we
deep dive into the foray. That's because each
time we say something wrong, they're right.
Half way there
Consider the current mess in Washington D.C.
Those on the right want us to believe the left
are rabid extremists. Those true blue suggest
that anything red is wrong. All sans realizing
the truth is somewhere in between. As our
government spins out of control, the middle
should be grounding us. A sweet spot where
both sides give a little to get a little. However
for reasons beyond our control we're unable
to maintain our balance. Rumor and innuendo
distract us from facts. Which serves as proof
that winning isn't everything. Especially as
we Americans lose our dignity in the process.
Balancing act
Ultimately the truth will find you out. Amidst
our current media blitz - both sides are moving
too quickly. Leading us to a state of perpetual
misinformation. All of which puts the rest of
us at a disadvantage. The more lies spread -
the easier it is for some to violate the rights of
others. Assuming we can't trust anybody at
face value each of us must do our best to be
a check and balance.  Standard bearers of facts
versus fiction. All that's required is reserving
judgement. And as important to wait until we
know what we're talking about. Otherwise
we're as bad if not worse as the rest of them.