How In The World Did We Get Here (Politically)?

 I am conservative. To be specific, I am a conservative libertarian and believe in small government, freedom, and the free market. As a conservative, I agree with many of Trump's policies and positions, but some of the things he says, I'm not a fan of. I would like him to be kinder and more relaxed. He seems confrontational just for the sake of being belligerent.

In thinking about Trump, many think he is causing much of the hatred that exists in politics, but I am confident that is not true. I think it is the opposite. The climate of today's politics created Donald Trump's Presidency. It did not begin with Trump, and it won't end with Trump, and chances are, it will create something worse.

Historically, the Republican Party has been the party of your grandfather. The nice old guy with a pocket full of butterscotch candies. The Democrats were young, emotional, and opinionated, and said whatever they felt. The Republicans were polite, not passionate. This was fine until the left moved farther left, and many centrists found themselves on the right. They were not the typical Republicans; they were young and opinionated. They found themselves in the crosshairs of the current liberals because they didn't agree with transgenders in athletes, they disagree with abortion, they don't side with Palestine, and they don't want to get rid of oil and natural gas. They were called racist, sexist, and homophobic. They found themselves in the crosshairs of angry liberals, and when they looked to the existing Republican Party, they found the nice old guy who just took the verbal assault. They viewed the Republican Party as weak and spineless, and they needed someone who represented them.

The current politicians weren't going to do it, so they found a new breed of Republican. Led by Donald Trump, we now have individuals in the party who are not the picture of grandpa with butterscotch candies. They are angry, opinionated, and not going to sit by and be attacked, simply because they are being polite. They hit back, they hit first, they are not just going to take it.

This may be a biased opinion, but the liberals have been the bullies for so long, they didn't know how to take it. They were used to being able to say whatever they wanted, and no one but Rush Limbaugh said much of anything. Republican lawmakers sure didn't, so just the few pundits on the right were easy enough to ignore. After all, most of the legacy media was on the side of the liberals. They were happy with their ability to speak to the angry masses, the minorities, the young people, those who were struggling. They could stand up and yell and scream. Now, there is a sense of rampant disgust at Republicans by the Democrats because the Republicans now act like the Democrats.

Republicans and Democrats have become mean, nasty, cruel, and hateful. This isn't because of a President or elected official, it is mostly from social media. The elected officials are a reflection of the culture. Those in office are a reflection of the society. Why do we have a President who acts the way Trump does? Simple, he was elected in response to the behavior and actions of the Democrats.

This is a hard pill to swallow for many, but the Democrats caused Trump.

When Kindness Bites Back

 I have worked with several organizations that help people, and have personally tried to help people. This isn't a post to brag; lots and lots of people also help others. I have worked alongside these people, working on houses, making beds, handing out school supplies, giving food, packing boxes, and trying to make my community better. There are lots of people with good hearts, and organizations that exist to care for people. These are great, and they need to continue.

Once in a while, when you are helping someone, you find a bad apple. I have seen first hand what happens when you try to help someone who falls into the category. Often they are a bit of a narcissist, and often they used some sort of controlled substance (often meth). These individuals often feel like they are entitled to help and support, and they expect you to give them whatever they want. If they don't get it, they often lash out. They don't have boundaries, and they killed their conscious a long time ago. These individuals will make your life difficult if you do not give them what they want. They exist, and they may show up in your life. They will often go to great lengths to get money, including scamming, extortion, lying, threatening, and theft.

These people exist, but they are not my point. My point today is, keep helping people. These individuals will show up, and they will make things hard for a while, but the world still needs people to do good. Keep moving forward, these individuals will quickly move on if they discover they can't get anything from you. If they attack you, know that is because they see love and compassion in you. They seek to take advantage of that, but that doesn't negate the love and compassion in you. Keep moving forward, seek to do good, even to those who do evil. The world needs it!

What is the Deal with Profanity?

As I finished the school year with my seniors, I asked a couple of questions I wanted them to think about. First, who are you right now? Second, who do you want to be? Not your job, not your position, but who you are as a person. Then I asked them about the way they talk, and I want to open the question up. Why is profanity so prevalent in our society?

If someone were talking to you and used the f-word over and over. They constantly swore in their conversation, what are your thoughts about that person? Do you think, "Wow, they are really educated"? Do you think "they are so well spoken"? Do you have more respect for someone who uses lots of profanity? Do you think they are a good person if they use the f-word over and over?

The reason we call those words "vulgar" is that the vulgar aspects of the language are the aspects used by the poor, uneducated, common folks. It's low class, it is trashy. When you hear people using a lot of profanity, are they associated more with high society or trailer park trash? Be honest with yourself, how do you think about people who swear often?

My students agreed that profanity makes us think less of a person. We think rude, disrespectful, uneducated, and unrefined. We don't think highly of people who swear a lot, so why do so many people use it? Does it make you better to swear? Does it make you a more well-spoken individual? Does it make others respect you? Do you seem tough, strong, mature, or wise? What advantage is had by using profanity?

The bigger question is, why do so many people use it so often? What is the purpose of using profanity? Why do we start using it, why do we continue to use it, and why is it so prevalent in our society? Does it demonstrate our collective ignorance or anger, or just a lack of imagination in our vocabulary? Does it simply show how Americans (and Western society) are unoriginal and just do what everyone else does? Do we just do it because we feel like being "cool", that is how we are supposed to talk?

Do you use profanity? If so, why?

Why is Kindness so Rare?

 Like most individuals, I spend time on Facebook. I really like Facebook Marketplace, but I am on some sites for local news and information. On those local sites, I have found a great many of them are dedicated to people just being hateful to each other. It seems to be the default these days on social media, to insult and be hateful to one another. It is just how people respond and communicate these days. It can be pretty toxic, and I have often wondered why people are so quick to be hateful.

I spend my time in two very specific circles, the classes I teach and the church I Pastor. There is some good-natured roasting in my classes, but the kids all seem to generally like each other and get along. I don't allow cruelty in my classroom. Most of my students are good-natured, and there isn't much of an issue most days. There is the occasional conflict that we solve pretty quickly. We laugh more than anything.

At church, of course, there is very little hatefulness. Where I currently pastor, we all get along very well, and conflict is almost non-existent. This isn't the case in every church, but we are fortunate. Our church genuinely cares about one another, and there is healthy cooperation and communication. At church, we definitely don't assume the worst in people, and there is no venomous hatred like we see on Facebook.

When I find myself outside of my typical areas, I have seen excessive hatred. Sometimes you see it in the retail world, with people being angry about not getting their way. You sometimes see it in restaurants or other places in the public square. You see it constantly on social media. It seems to be a place where anger and hostility boil over, and individuals have no restraint. The only place you see the same level of hostility is when people are driving. Go too slow, too fast, or wait too long at a stop sign, and you will see what I mean. Put people behind the wheel of a car, and Dr. Jekyll is quickly replaced with Mr. Hyde. Why are people so angry? I have a few thoughts.

First is the obvious: people are unhappy with their lives. In our consumer-driven, self-focused society, people are angry. People want more than they have, want to be comfortable and happy, and never bothered or inconvenienced. Those things are impossible to have all of the time. They are disappointed in their wages, the cost of living, taxes, the government, the weather, and anything else that seems to cause a problem. People no longer know how to deal with disappointment, with hardship, with not getting their way, so they are angry and unhappy. People feel victimized and targeted all the time, and if they spend time on social media, they probably are. People are treated badly by others, so they are unhappy. In today's society, people are miserable because they have no idea how not to be.

Contentment is a skill; it is something you learn. No person will ever be completely satisfied; there are some things outside of your control. No matter how much money you have, no matter how successful or famous you are, you can't save yourself from heartbreak and disappointment. It is going to happen and the things and stuff will not bring comfort. Sitting on a pile of money will not mend a broken heart. Bottom line, the most successful people still lose sometimes, even the healthiest people die, and nothing can save a person from hurt. We have stopped teaching how to deal with adversity. We have tried to help everyone have good self-esteem and self-image, but we created a community full of narcissists who feel like they should never have to struggle. The result is anger and the constant battle cry of "this isn't fair" when in reality, struggle and pain are the only fair things, because they are the only things that come on all of us.

In addition to people not knowing how to deal with adversity, people have become extremely selfish. I call this the selfie generation. When I was growing up, I only saw myself when I was standing in front of a mirror. Most cameras had to get film developed, unless you had one of the instant cameras. We didn't stare at ourselves, and filters didn't exist. Today, many people spend a lot of time looking at themselves, taking selfies with filters on. They are constantly airbrushed like a magazine model, and they have become quite full of themselves. People feel like they are the best, should have the best, and are the most important. Selfishness is at an all-time high. The selfie generation loves itself a little too much.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, people are not naturally kind. Kindness and politeness have to be taught. Toddlers do not share instinctively; they have to be taught. People must be taught to be kind, and it is a skill that is taught less and less today. Parents who are unkind raise children who are unkind. Hateful people spread hate to others. Our society does not value kindness, goodness, gentleness unless it is in other people. Many people expect others to treat them well and with respect, but they refuse to reciprocate. Everyone has expectations that they will be treated better than they treat others, and it is not difficult to see the end result. Disrespectful people are not respected, and lash out and act badly. The disrespect breeds disrespect, and the cycle continues. The golden rule has become antique, obsolete, and neglected, and the result is a self-centered and hate-filled society.

The answer is simple, but very difficult. Be kind to people who are unkind. Show respect to the disrespectful. Give compassion and grace. It will require you to be abused, to be treated unfairly, and for you to not get your way. It will be hurtful and difficult, and you will feel like you are being walked on. The only way society will change is to have people strong enough to handle it. Weak people lash out in anger and hatred; strong people withstand the storm. Our society has become emotionally weak, egos are fragile, and people are broken. Strong people are required, and strength is built and earned; it is not given. We have to become strong to stem the tide of hatred that is threatening to devour our country.