Looking Back

This blog is 3 weeks old. What have I learned by doing this?

First, my inner turmoil has lessened. Second, I think things through a little more fully. Third, I continue to connect issues to one another; life is interdependent and rarely stand-alone. Fourth, I still get passionate (ok, angry even!) about some issues, usually political items. Fifth, it is easy for me to get carried away. Sixth, writing one post per day is hard to do. Seventh, working ahead one or more days is neither easy nor timely. Fresh material is just that; it must be new during the previous 12 hours; it makes the issue ‘immediate’ and more compelling to write about.

I continue to ponder my motivation for writing the blog. I think they are these:

• Many interests have become a tangled mass in my mind
• Tangled masses makes logical thinking more difficult
• I need order; an ordered mind clarifies ideas and conclusions
• Writing a blog helps me achieve some of that
• New ideas emerge from this process
• I like fitting practical ideas to solving or easing problems
• I hope to motivate others to think and take action
• I hope to spread positive attitudes in others
• I want to help unleash American creativity and action

These are NOT my motivations:

• Running for political office; I’m too old and independent minded
• Looking for employment, although the income would be nice!
• Boosting one political ideology over another; they all have major problems
• Supporting one political party over another; they are all flawed

I hope to write in a way that helps others think clearly on matters that are of interest to them. I want my readers to think for themselves, come to workable conclusions, and take action that will help push our nation forward.

I feel we citizens need to do out part. We need to vote in each election. We must be well informed on each election. We have to understand the long-term stakes of each election and who will provide leadership for those desired results. We must be willing to learn about things we don’t always understand. This takes effort. Trusted partners in research and writing will make this easy; but caution: developing trust in these partners takes time and effort, too!

We have allowed politicians to define our ideologies for us. They are hardly the ‘trusted’ partners we need because the stakes they pledge allegiance to are their own power and influence. It is in their interest to create false arguments and issues to distract us from the work that most needs doing.

I think the American People have painted themselves into a corner over the past 25 or 30 years. They have been so busy enjoying pop culture they have lost sight of what is important. They have enjoyed earning higher incomes and buying fun travel and luxuries to the point that they have been distracted from the higher values of our culture. Along the way we have delegated decisions to people who are looking out for themselves, not us.

Democracy is a high maintenance form of government. It re quires informed citizens committed to holding elected officials accountable. That means we have to understand what is going on around us. There is no easy way out unless we wish to delegate our freedoms to others.

We must invest the effort to keep our nation’s dream alive for future generations. It is up to us, not somebody else.

October 24, 2011