What Now?

It’s Labor Day.  Summer is winding down.  School has begun.  The Olympics have come and gone.  Baseball is gearing up for the big finale and farmers are preparing for harvest.  Change is in the air.  The primaries are also behind us and the general election season is in full swing.  Ballots are getting ready to be printed for the November elections.

For me, as for many, this is a pivot time.  It is time to re-evaluate priorities and set new goals.  It is also a good time to reflect on our successes and failures and to come to terms with reality before moving on and repeating the same mistakes.

I have been doing some reflecting and trying to come to terms with some realities that, whether pleasant or not, cannot be ignored.  I have focused a great deal on the political process, trying to get good people in office and bad legislation from being enacted.  The reality is that those efforts have not been very successful, and this has been frustrating. 

I think this reflection is important, and I think it takes time.  Simply being on the losing side of a contest is not the end of the world, especially in a field of good candidates.  But there is a great deal more that needs to be absorbed from this year and this lesson, and it will be necessary to take the blinders off in order to see the truth.  That takes a conscious effort and is not pleasant.

We all see the problems in the world but we do not all see them the same way and we certainly do not agree on the best way to solve them.  It is easy to get frustrated when you have no power to change things and you are stuck out here in a forgotten corner of the internet with a little unread blog and Twitter feed.  You want to do more, perhaps start an organization or a charity or a political party.  But one quick glance will remind you there is no shortage of organizations or events or charities or even political parties.  We don’t need more.

On a side note, this is my 200^th Random Thoughts post.  I can’t believe I have written 200 of these but I hope I have gotten better with practice, so even if you do not share my views I hope you are at least slightly entertained.

Upon reflection, I have decided to honor my 200^th post with a new plan for moving forward.  As I write this I know it is going to strike many of you as an extremely selfish plan, but I would ask those readers to stay with me to the end before judging.  And so I now present to you my new areas of focus moving forward.

Me.

·         If I am not strong, I cannot help others.  If I am weak, I am a burden to others.

·         Only the guy in the mirror can control my eating and exercise and sleep.

·         I am the only one saving for my retirement, and I don’t want to burden my family later.

·         I am responsible for me, and I need to take that responsibility seriously and take care of myself.

 

My Work.

·         Without my health, I can’t do my job; without my job I can’t care for my family.

·         My work is my contribution to society, the better I do my job the more I contribute.

·         The better I do my job the more I am compensated and the more secure my future becomes.

·         Each of us doing our jobs better makes the world a better place.

 

My Family.

·         From my Mother to my Wife to my Grandson and Children and Siblings; we are all connected.

·         Caring for my family is my responsibility but enabling bad behavior is not.

·         Our family centers us and provides a support structure and I am a part of that structure.

·         Families are the building blocks of communities; strong families make strong communities.

 

My Community.

·         The most important people in our lives outside of family are the people you see daily.

·         Our schools and churches and teams and community associations are our friends and neighbors.

·         We share common interests and purposes and experiences and impact each other’s lives.

·         This is where we can have the most impact on the world by supporting our neighbors.

This is as far as I have gotten on my plan, because I am starting to realize that these four things will fill my plate completely, and I have run out of room for saving the world.  Let me at least address two things that I was not able to include above.

The Election.  Yes, I am well aware that there is an election coming up in November and many of you are still campaigning hard in hopes of making a difference.  I applaud you for that.  Between now and November there will be absolutely no shortage of opinions for you to listen to.  I will of course vote but since my plate is full with the items above I will let those who are more passionate advocates make their case and not add to the cacophony.  I do think we have to look at the way we choose our candidates and improve the process but some of you are not going to be ready to reflect on that until after the election.

Regardless of who is elected to the US House or Senate they are immediately going to vote for a bloated Omnibus Bill.  Regardless of who is elected to anything government will continue to expand.  Yes, some are better than others but none of them share my values.

Prayer.  Obviously prayer is always an option and I would encourage those so inclined to pray and meditate on what is needed to fix the problems in our society.  Here again there are a multitude of voices to guide and encourage you.  I don’t think God takes sides in elections or athletic contests and I think there are a lot of voices out there that are not speaking the truth.  Since my plate is full, (and to avoid offending anyone needlessly), I will leave the preaching to others.  I will say that any outlook based on fear and hatred rather than love and caring is misguided in my view.

That’s my plan.  I know it is a little bit self-centered.  I realize it will not solve all of the problems in the world.  There are big, bold plans out there.  The Republicans have one called A Better Way. http://abetterway.speaker.gov/  

It is an interesting plan with some good ideas.  It has 6 parts, and although none of them are Debt, one of them is Constitution, and if you look in that one there is a sub-point about restoring Constitutional Checks on Spending and if you look in that one it does mention the rising debt.

On second thought, maybe my plan isn't  so bad.  Stick with me here, but what if we adopted my plan for everyone?  What if everyone’s first responsibility was to take care of themselves?  What if everyone watched their own diet and sleep and exercise and saved for their own retirement?

What if everyone’s second order of business was to find and do meaningful productive work?  To continue working hard and doing their best in order to provide a secure future for themselves and their family?  What if everyone took responsibility for the care and welfare of their family?  What if families and communities all looked out for one another?

If everyone followed my plan there would be little need for a federal or state government and who won elections would not make much difference.  Of course everyone is not going to do those things but the truth is that the more you follow my plan the less you will depend on government.  You can argue that it is overly simple and not useful to solve the problems we face.  You could argue that the most important thing for us to do is to pass this law or elect that candidate.  Those things are important, but not nearly as important as the 4 points of my plan. 

Whatever the solution is to the problems we face in our society it will eventually involve strengthening the physical, financial, and spiritual health of individuals along with meaningful work and the support of families and communities.  We will not succeed without addressing these factors and strengthening them for the generations that follow.  The key to solving the problems we face does not lie in electing the perfect leader to government; the key is to empower the individual.

I will continue to advocate for the principles I believe in like limited government and fiscal responsibility and I will continue to lobby for or against legislation that corresponds to my values.  But I have to acknowledge that the tide is against me, and I can have limited effect.  But I can influence those closest to me and make sure they understand the plan and the expectation, and I think in the long run there is no more effective tool than instilling proper values in the next generation.  They may go on to become the agents of change for the future.

Even if they cannot change the direction of society any more than I can they will at least benefit from clear minds that understand that they own themselves and are responsible for their own lives, and that is worth more to me than anything.