Yesterday a fellow author made a distressed post on Facebook. She declared that all her friends who are Democrats had gone crazy. My guess is that they were all excited about the “Golden Showers” scandal. She couldn’t understand how they could believe such a thing and thought they must be being willfully cruel.
I thought my response to this author was a bit inspired. I said, “Remember when Republicans believed that Obama was going to kick in their doors and take away their guns? Remember when he was going to lock us all up in FEMA camps? He didn’t do those things. The belief was unrealistic. I think we need to give Democrats the same opportunity to be unreasonable that the Republicans have exercised for the last eight years.” My friend felt much better after this somewhat insane definition of reality. I felt horrified that our society has devolved to the point where the best we can do is allow equal opportunity for craziness.
We can do better.
At this point, it doesn’t much matter what anybody believes about Obama or Trump. Those men will be who they are whether we like them or approve or not. Our challenge is to attempt to function when bombarded with craziness. The first step we need to follow is to not get caught up in the craziness. We need to focus on what is really important to each of us as individuals.
I have a dear friend who has her political preferences and started to get upset over the news, but she is a wise woman. She sat down and thought about what is important to her. She decided that she wanted to spend the remainder of her life working on making life better for women. This is what she is going to do, and she isn’t going to ask for validation of her priorities from anybody. She’s identifying individuals and organizations who have the same goals and starting to work.
I think my friend has found the best path forward. By focusing on what is important to her, she will connect with her passion and actually make a difference in this world. Her goal is reachable no matter what some man somewhere does.
Think about it. What is important to you? Football? What about supporting your local Jr. High football team? You can make a difference in the lives of others. It doesn’t matter what you are passionate about or what your priorities are, when you engage with what is important to you, you do make a difference in the lives of those around you.
I have a cousin who coached girls’ soccer for years. He started coaching because his girls wanted to play soccer and didn’t have a coach. He came to realize it was unfair that others wanted to coach boys but not girls, so long after his own girls were grown, he still coached girls’ soccer. He loved it and he cared. He taught the girls sportsmanship and skills, and knowing this cousin, he taught them how to laugh and have fun. He made a real positive difference in the lives of hundreds of people, perhaps more so than any great leader we see on TV.
A local restaurant has a new owner. This is an establishment that should do well, but has failed repeatedly over the years. The new owner wants to make this place the social hub for our small community. She’s sponsored game nights and an open mic for local poets and musicians. Her own passion for parties and need for her business to succeed is getting people away from their TVs and helping them connect with their neighbors. After only a couple months, this is making a huge difference in our small community.
Now is the time for you to make that first step forward. Forget the glitter and sensationalism of your favorite news source, look at yourself. What is important to you? What were the issues that prompted you to vote for one candidate over another? Find that issue and start working on making lives better for others around that issue. You will feel better and actually make a difference in this world.
I thought my response to this author was a bit inspired. I said, “Remember when Republicans believed that Obama was going to kick in their doors and take away their guns? Remember when he was going to lock us all up in FEMA camps? He didn’t do those things. The belief was unrealistic. I think we need to give Democrats the same opportunity to be unreasonable that the Republicans have exercised for the last eight years.” My friend felt much better after this somewhat insane definition of reality. I felt horrified that our society has devolved to the point where the best we can do is allow equal opportunity for craziness.
We can do better.
At this point, it doesn’t much matter what anybody believes about Obama or Trump. Those men will be who they are whether we like them or approve or not. Our challenge is to attempt to function when bombarded with craziness. The first step we need to follow is to not get caught up in the craziness. We need to focus on what is really important to each of us as individuals.
I have a dear friend who has her political preferences and started to get upset over the news, but she is a wise woman. She sat down and thought about what is important to her. She decided that she wanted to spend the remainder of her life working on making life better for women. This is what she is going to do, and she isn’t going to ask for validation of her priorities from anybody. She’s identifying individuals and organizations who have the same goals and starting to work.
I think my friend has found the best path forward. By focusing on what is important to her, she will connect with her passion and actually make a difference in this world. Her goal is reachable no matter what some man somewhere does.
Think about it. What is important to you? Football? What about supporting your local Jr. High football team? You can make a difference in the lives of others. It doesn’t matter what you are passionate about or what your priorities are, when you engage with what is important to you, you do make a difference in the lives of those around you.
I have a cousin who coached girls’ soccer for years. He started coaching because his girls wanted to play soccer and didn’t have a coach. He came to realize it was unfair that others wanted to coach boys but not girls, so long after his own girls were grown, he still coached girls’ soccer. He loved it and he cared. He taught the girls sportsmanship and skills, and knowing this cousin, he taught them how to laugh and have fun. He made a real positive difference in the lives of hundreds of people, perhaps more so than any great leader we see on TV.
A local restaurant has a new owner. This is an establishment that should do well, but has failed repeatedly over the years. The new owner wants to make this place the social hub for our small community. She’s sponsored game nights and an open mic for local poets and musicians. Her own passion for parties and need for her business to succeed is getting people away from their TVs and helping them connect with their neighbors. After only a couple months, this is making a huge difference in our small community.
Now is the time for you to make that first step forward. Forget the glitter and sensationalism of your favorite news source, look at yourself. What is important to you? What were the issues that prompted you to vote for one candidate over another? Find that issue and start working on making lives better for others around that issue. You will feel better and actually make a difference in this world.
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