A Few Thoughts From The Bouncing Mind — Again

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Personal, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

These are some of the thoughts that have run barefoot through my mind today …

Bigotry in all its forms is a result of ignorance.  We fear that which we do not or cannot understand. Unfortunately, some people are weak and can be easily convinced to fear almost anything.  Politicians play on that weakness, hence you have people who are scared of immigrants, scared of LGBTQ+ people, scared of anyone basically who does not act, look, and think as they do.  If you are uncomfortable about immigrants, talk to some of them, learn about their culture, try their foods – you won’t regret it. Our neighbors moved here several years ago from Iraq and spoke only about 10 words of English.  We communicated through some signing, some Google Translate, laughter and compassion, the language that knows no boundaries.  Today, they are our best friends – we have learned a bit of Arabic, they have learned a LOT of English and all 5 family members passed their citizenship tests in 2020.  We share meals, laughter and love – I wouldn’t trade that experience for all the money in the world!  If you are frightened by LGBTQ+ people, get to know a few, try to understand that who they choose to love really isn’t your business.  About half of my friends are LGBTQ+ and they have enriched my life, my understanding, in too many ways to count.  But you have to open your minds and your hearts to understand people of other cultures, views and beliefs … if you don’t, you are the one missing out!

Life is what you make of it.  A reader commented yesterday that life on earth is hell.  Well, admittedly things around the globe are in a dark place right now, but … I don’t think that makes it a hell on earth.  That just means we all need to do our part to change things.  If you don’t like the stack of dirty laundry piled up in the hallway, you can get off your arse and wash/dry/fold it, or you can spend an equal amount of time sitting around whining about it.  Your choice.  Don’t like the way the country is being run?  Then vote the bastards out and vote in people who are possessed of a conscience, who care about people over profit.  Don’t like the price of fuel?  Drive less.  Wait it out … it will stabilize.  If you want to lay blame, put the blame where it belongs – on the oil companies who are raking in record profits.  The best thing we the consumers can do, seriously, is to drive less, therefore buying less fuel.  Law of supply and demand … when the supply exceeds demand, when oil companies are selling less fuel, miraculously the price will drop.  Turn the thermostat down, turn some lights off, and stay home more!

Politicians are like prostitutes … they sell themselves to the highest bidder.  They’ll still take your paltry $20 contribution, but you won’t get a damn thing in exchange, for you cannot compete with the millions of dollars they receive from the rich dudes.  So, don’t waste your money … give instead to organizations that help feed hungry children or house the homeless.  Give to environmental groups that are working toward saving the future of the planet for our children and grandchildren.

Some of the unlikeliest candidates on the ballot this year are puppets.  Take, for instance, Herschel Walker.  Mr. Walker knows very little outside the sports arena, as he’s shown us nearly every time he’s opened his mouth.  He lies, he has no policies, no values, but is saying he stands for whatever his handlers, the puppetmasters, are telling him to say he stands for.  What would he do if he won a seat in the U.S. Senate?  He would vote in whatever way his handlers told him to.  A vote for Herschel Walker is actually a vote for Mitch McConnell who would ‘advise’ Mr. Walker how to act/dress/vote in every circumstance.  The same can likely be said for a host of others on the ballot with an ‘R’ next to their name.  Whatever happened to the day when candidates had some relevant education and experience?

And finally … let’s remember we’re all on this planet together.  We share the same resources, and what happens to one happens to us all.  “America First” is nothing but exclusionary trash talk.  We need all people in all countries to work together to solve the biggest problems facing us all:  the environment and world-wide poverty.  There is no “them vs us” — we’re all people.  People with flaws, but most of whom care about others enough to change the world, if only we stop allowing ourselves to be ‘led’ by religious leaders and politicians who have their own agendas.  Choose peace over hatred & violence.  Your grandchildren will one day thank you for it.

19 thoughts on “A Few Thoughts From The Bouncing Mind — Again”

  1. Thank you for sharing!!.. “The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.” (Frederick Buechner), don’t give up… 🙂

    Time flies, and memories fade.
    People change and new friendships are made.
    Only the true remain forever at our side.
    Eventually the disappointment and pain will subside.

    It is all about the journey and what has yet to come.
    Life is what you make of it; you are what you’ve become.
    Life is too short to hold onto regrets.
    Forgiveness is key even though you may never forget.

    Cherish the good and remove the bad.
    Some people don’t realize till it’s gone what they’ve had.
    Moving on is a way of life.
    There will always be obstacles, pain, and strife.

    You must believe that you are strong enough to fight.
    You have to believe in yourself to do what is right.
    Always do for YOU no matter what you do,
    Because in the end the only one who has your back is you.

    Never be afraid to take a stand,
    And always be willing to lend a helping hand.
    A little bit goes a long way.
    All it takes is a smile to brighten someone’s day.

    Your chance to live is now, so what are you waiting for?
    The world is yours for the taking and so much more.
    Endless possibilities are forever at your disposal.
    The chance to live another day is life’s golden proposal.

    Never let anyone tear you down,
    And never let anyone steal your shine and make you frown.
    So will you sit in the shadows and let darkness win again?
    Or will you rise up and make the light your friend?
    (Hollianne Boucher)

    Until we meet again..
    May the sun shine all day long
    Everything go right, nothing go wrong
    May those you love bring love back to you
    And may all the wishes you wish come true
    (Irish Saying)

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  3. I fully agree with all points, Jill. Especially the suggestions for better people to whom to donate than politicians. You’re right; they don’t need or appreciate my little contribution. That money can be better used by a charity that’s meaningful to me.

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    • Thanks, Larry! Bernie Sanders, who I greatly admire and would vote for if I lived in Vermont, keeps asking me for a donation of $2.70. Well, that ain’t gonna break even my tiny piggy bank, but … neither will it do him much good, whereas in the right hands, it can provide dinner for a child tonight. And Bernie, like all the other politicians, has far more money than I have.

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  5. Pingback: A Few Thoughts From The Bouncing Mind — Again. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  6. Jill, great post. Let me start with a middle comment. Negative news has a higher bounce than positive news. It also is covered more, so if you only watched the news, you would think the apocalypse is here. Australians swept out conservatives over the summer for climate change denial, inaction on child care and poor stewardship. Brazil kicked the corrupt and bullying Bolsonaro to the curb and the UK saw how inept Tory leadership is with the annointment and annulment of Liz Truss in a matter of weeks.

    Politicians are very untruthful as a whole and some are just mean-spirited and incompetent. That would include the former president. The one thing that surprises me most about the former president is not the lying and bullying – it is his incompetence as a manager and leader. Basic Leadership 101 stuff he is horrible at.

    As for the bigotry, fear sells. Fear the other. They are the problem for your troubles. It can’t be you that messed up. This equation is as old as there have been leaders. It is the reason many poor schmucks have died, fighting whims of greedy or poor leaders. Even in today’s world, acquisition of more territory, more business, more market share often hides incompetent leadership. If you grow, you can mask that incompetence.

    I have gone on a tangent. It is not all bad, but could be better. We should start by ignoring a few folks peddling BS and blaming others.

    Keith

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  7. Pingback: A Few Thoughts From The Bouncing Mind — Again | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  8. How to say this nicely, Jill. You read my words, and you reacted. That was what I intended to have happen. Since there is no such place as hell, no matter how many people think there is, my words were meaningless in themselves. It was the emotion that I was aiming for….
    The election in the USA is a Very Important Project, yet from the sound of things I have been hearing lately, Americans were getting apathetic again. My sole purpose was to make Americans angry again. (Actually to make people all over the world get angry, but not everyone is having an election right now. America is!) Angry people vote!
    I hope your reaction is indicative of most Americans who read it. Knowing your audience are mainly peole who vote Democrat, they are the ones I wanted to inspire. Republican voters would not react to my words, because they seem to want “hell on earth.” But Democrat voters do not. If I pissed off even one Democrat enough to get out and vote, then I succeeded. You and your family had already voted, I knew that. But for those who had not, and weren’t sure if they would vote, especially those living in Red states, I have been trying to keep them motivated for much of this year. But my words seemed to be falling on deaf ears of late. And so I changed tactics! When reason does not work, play on people’s emotions…

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    • Sadly, my voice and yours don’t reach enough people to make a huge difference and most of those who read our work already think pretty much as you and I do. My hope is always that my words will make one or two people stop and think about things that perhaps they never thought about before, or in a different light than they had previously thought about them. Thanks for planting the seed of the idea!

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