Tag: self-reliance

Moving Forward Without Moving On

America, Education, Government, Headlines, Media, Morality, Politics, Reason, Religion, Society & Culture, Technology, Values

Many of us are so angry at what has transpired not just in the election, but to our country altogether, that we either quietly or loudly talk about revolution, rebellion, armed insurrection, etc. Many have bought guns, are hoarding ammunition, and above and below ground organizations are springing up discussing what to do about the raping of our country by the Leftist, woke mob.  

Others are complacent, waiting for either the MOAB (the Mother of All Bombs) to drop or some event or action that will save us from this madness.

It’s January 1, 2021. The cavalry may not come, the Senate could fall into Democrat hands, Biden and Harris might actually be inaugurated on January 20th, and America will have not just descended all the way to the bottom of the slippery slope, but have replicated the scene at the bottom of Mt. Sinai when Moses came down with the tablets. The whooping and hollering, the recklessness, the profligacy and debauchery will overshadow the anguish those of us who believe in a traditional America will feel.

I used to think the Silent Majority would speak up and speak out, and believed the majority, albeit a small one, of Americans would reject the stupidity of the Left. I now fear that the dumbing down of two generations behind me, their surrender to peer pressure of social media and the perversion of the “knowledge” that was placed in their heads by too many of the recycled hippie teachers of MY generation, i.e. the brainwashing, has finally caught up with us. The levers of power in all our institutions are now in the hands of the base-of-Mt.Sinai misfits.

What can we do about this? I’ve been wrestling with this question for months as Leftist forces seem to have grown in size and power and the influence of the Right waned.

First, we must not concede defeat. Even if traditionalists are now a minority in our nation, we know our values are right and just and must stick up for them, set an example using them, have courage to defend them in the face of ridicule, condescension, belittlement.

Second, we must not let disappointment and sadness give way to despair. We must become happy rebels. Think of the hedgehog in cartoons that gets slapped hard and is sent flying across the room. He rolls into a ball, comes to a stop and  then with a grin stands up ready to fight again. We’ve got to learn to derive meaning and contentment by fighting back against evil. We must band together under the banners and slogans we all know: “Don’t tread on me”, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”, “Never give up. Never, never give up”, “The colors of our flag don’t run”, “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave”, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction”, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” and on and on.

Third, we must get fit physically. We need to shed the Covid pounds. We need to MOVE – even if we’re working from home, we need to force ourselves to get out of our chairs regularly and exercise. Just stretching and walking is helpful. We need to make physical activity a habit, not a chore.

Fourth, we must get fit morally. We have to practice Good (a.k.a. righteous) Principles that we know but have allowed to atrophy, starting with the Golden Rule. In our confinement we’ve gotten testy, short, frustrated, easily annoyed. We need to do unto others, starting with our own families, as we would like them to do unto us. And we need to consciously avoid the barrage of “trending” garbage coming at us from social media, television, Hollywood. We need to honor each other, be true and faithful to one another, seek to find the good in others instead of needing to find fault (tough task here!)

Fifth, we must restore faith. Whether we believe in God or not, we must recommit to believe in the principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition…the principles that have ALWAYS, IN ALL TIMES and ALL GENERATIONS, helped mankind to grow and prosper: Freedom, the tenets enshrined in the Ten Commandments, the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, belief in the dignity of Human Life, the Work Ethic, Meritocracy, common Decency, Self-reliance, Accountability, Kindness and Charity. If we have faith, we need to make it a habit to return to our houses of worship as soon as possible, to gather with others of like mind in fellowship. There is strength in numbers.

Sixth, we need to feed our souls with GOOD food. Uplifting literature, music, film, web destinations. There are many. I’ll devote another post to some we can rely on for inspiration, motivation and positive reinforcement of our principles.

Seventh, we have to keep our eyes and ears open and listen for the call to resist when and where needed. I’m not talking about armed rebellion. As angry as we are, we must stay under control, not give in, not give up, but not lose our cool. We need to “stay frosty” as the special forces and good guys would say.

So, no easy road ahead. But let’s breathe in, breathe out, stiffen our spines, do what’s right and even if we never get this mess turned around and aren’t able to climb out of the hole we’re in and back up the slippery slope, recognize that a journey of striving to promote Good, and Right and Truth will be a meaningful and gratifying one.

Re-Entry

America, Health Care, Reason, Society & Culture, Technology

It took just a minute to turn the switch off. But in the Northeast Blackout of August 2003, it wasn’t a matter of flipping the switch back on…the electrical grid had to be brought back on gradually lest some nasty power spikes set the whole system on fire! The COVID-19 mess is similar.

The parallels end with how relatively straightforward restoring power was as compared with restarting an entire economy. The complications: pragmatic, sociological, psychological, political, even spiritual, are mind-boggling. It amounts perhaps to the most intricate optimization problem society has ever faced. Compounding the problem is a lack of good will…the Swamp is the battleground.

One could argue that were the government at all levels to just step out of the way, the ship would right itself. Commerce, ingenuity, inherent good judgment and common sense could very well generate answers to the myriad problems.

On the other hand, so reliant, even dependent have our citizens become on the government to tell us what to do, leaving the re-entry to the good will of society and the workings of the marketplace, especially now that the government like the Blob has inextricably inserted itself into the equation, could result in an s-show of monumental proportions!

What to do?

Think for ourselves. Play strategic “what if” games. Start with the worst possible set of circumstances – there’s a renewed outbreak, the hospitals are overwhelmed, the therapeutic drugs don’t work and there is civil unrest, i.e. roving gangs of looters and killers. What, if anything, could you do about such a scenario?

Then, think of the more realistic dire but potential circumstances: you lose your job, your savings will last only so long, you’re healthy but it doesn’t look like there’s going to be any kind of meaningful recovery for you and your family in the near future and you know anything the government gives you is peanuts compared to what you were making before and your obligations. What do you do then?

Or let’s imagine the other extreme. The crisis was overblown and with a face mask on you return to work by, say, mid May. The kids go back to school with an extension of the school year into late June or July. How will you handle THAT?

To one degree or another any or all of the above scenarios are possible right now! Hard to believe since Netflix and the Internet are still operating, and even though the news shows look like the beginning of the Brady Bunch, with each co-host in his or her own square and your closet is stuffed with toilet paper and paper towels, life while different and crazy, goes on for most of us.

In short, assume the government is not the solution but the problem. How do we inoculate ourselves from a cure that is, indeed potentially worse than the disease?

Unfortunately, the time for preparation is gone. We’re in it now and have to make do with what we have and the circumstances we face. Certainly I cannot tell you what to do. Neither can some bureaucrat. Nor can some talking head on TV. Assume there will be no black and white decisions. All future forks in the road will be shrouded in fog, and ambiguity will reign over every decision we face.

Each and every one of us must think for ourselves, critically, pragmatically and do what is right to the best of our abilities. And each of us will have to be sole arbiters of “what is right”.  

Take heart! As bad as things are, they will get better, and better, and better. We can do this! Think of what the Apollo 13 astronauts faced. Think of what the battered bastards of Bastogne faced at the Bulge in December 1944. Remember Winston Churchill’s words, “When you’re going through Hell, keep going!” And think of what we went through on 9-11.

We can beat this thing. Those of us who have survived will be stronger. Those who have perished will be taken care of in a Better Place. Those who have lost loved ones will be comforted, in time. Those of us who have been knocked down will get up and fight again, for our families, for our friends, for our neighbors, for our communities, for our country. We will rebuild. We will rejuvenate, and we will once again re-assert our position as the greatest nation the world has ever known.

May God bless us in this novel (.sic) endeavor.

Grumps’ First Law of Experts as Applied to COVID-19

America, Economy, Family, Health Care, Politics, Reason, Science, Society & Culture, Uncategorized

“On any subject one can find at least twelve world-renowned experts citing documented, empirical, irrefutable evidence to support arguments that are diametrically opposed to one another.” – Grumps

Who you gonna believe? Dr. Anthony Fauci? Dr. Deborah Birx? Dr. Oz? President Trump? Secretary Steve Mnuchin? Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy? Senator Chuck Schumer? Senator Mitch McConnell? Larry Kudlow? Rachel Maddow? Laura Ingraham? Nancy Pelosi? Andrew Cuomo? Chris Cuomo?

Simply put, there are no end of experts, pundits, commentators, ‘contributors’.

Have you ever wondered why these people after being interviewed by some television host most often say “Thank you,” at the end of their segment, right after being thanked by the host? If it were I, my last words would be “you’re welcome”, or “happy to contribute”, or “my pleasure”, or even a simple nod. No, most say “thank you” or “thank you for having me”.

The reason is simple. The media is theater and these people being interviewed are being paid to entertain (.sic…they claim to inform but they’re mostly offering opinion, parroting someone else’s commentary, or simply making up stuff on the fly) so I’ll say entertain rather than inform despite even the best of intentions. If they’re not being paid, they’re hoping to someday be paid. If they’re neither being paid or hoping to be paid they’re desperate for attention and recognition in order to advance their careers, at best, or just their egos, at worst. They got their 15-180 seconds of fame. That’s why they say “thank you”.

I say despite their best intentions because many of the talking heads really do try to present relevant, useful, information and some even say what they really think. And some tell the truth, some omit the truth, some flavor or color the truth, some think they’re saying what’s true, and some disclose that they’re offering their opinions, which many take as truth.

On the other hand, there are many who intentionally deceive, ‘spin’, twist and color truths as well as outright lies to further their agenda. The more outrageous the deception, the better to “make it bleed”, thus “lead”.

And of course, depending upon where one sits on the ideological continuum, lies are truth and vice versa, spin is omnipresent…it’s a question of degree.

So whom to believe?

Ourselves. We went to school and supposedly learned how to think there. Instead of lapping up what the talking heads tell us, we need to think for ourselves. And the thinking needs to be critical. If what we’re hearing is contradictory, obscure, wrapped in gobbledygook or simply sounds like nonsense, it probably is. Doesn’t matter who’s spouting it and it doesn’t matter how much of it is fact, applicable to our own circumstances, or how much is conjecture, fiction, outright falsehood, etc.

We need to believe in our own God-given good judgement and make decisions that are right for us, not just run along with the sheep.

The only expert needed is us.

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