A Letter to Society

Dear Everyone in my World,

In the past year and a half, I have seen a rapid decline in society. I thought that the death of my father-in-law was the low point of 2015. Compared to everything else I've seen, that was a bright spot of the year.

I know, we're talking ancient history for those who don't remember anything before this election...an election that began in summer of 2015. A summer when gay rights were extended and the Confederate flag was vilified. A summer when Bill Cosby was exposed as a dark pervert for decades.

Too much change at once is not good for anyone's psyche. We don't know what moderation is anymore, it has to be all at once or nothing at all. People are feeling discouraged, depressed, angry, and sometimes suicidal or homicidal...or both!

 

On the political front, I saw Hillary Clinton pretty much pledge to continue the rapid change (in not so many words). I saw Donald Trump pretty much pledge to change the changes, in way too many words. Both of them chewed up the scenery for 16 months and there was no avoiding them. There was also little to no chance for anyone to challenge them within their own parties, any opposition was squashed and humiliated .

The result that I have seen from that carnage is a different civil war in this nation. There are no moderates (at least none being heard). There is the Trump camp filled with those who want to go back to an earlier time (I think they mean pre-Civil Rights) and general Nazis who can't microwave popcorn. There is the Hillary camp filled with those who want every microcosm of society to be valued and funded by the public, those who want religions vilified (I know, I used that word twice, sue me!),  those who want everyone allowed into the country, and those who want the nation disarmed and dis-policed.

There is little-to-no common ground for both camps to share. The divisions were enhanced by the media, TV and social. Radio talkheads in both spectrums spat their hatreds for the other side daily.

At school, things are not much better. Common texts for reading and math are still not present. Common Core IS present, to teachers' and parents' chagrin. We are expected to fill our students' heads with more knowledge than they can be expected to process at their age. Teachers are also expected to follow a strict guideline of practices that were not demonstrated in practical terms for us to follow...therefore some have it, some don't...I'm trying to figure it out still, but I am a visual learner. I could go on about education, but it's Sunday.

What is the answer? Ask those in either huge camp and you'll hear direct opinions with no tolerance for anything different. If you're lucky to find a moderate, embrace them, for they are a rare breed. 

What do I want, you ask? I want the impossible. I want for everyone to get along and be thankful for what they already have, particularly if they have it all! I want the religious and anti-religious to live their lives and stop imposing their ideas on others forcefully. I want our political system to be washed, sanitized, and refilled with fresh bodies (time to empty the fridge, people!). I want people to stop trying to erase history...for if you erase it, how can you learn from it?

Most of all, I want people to be happy. Find your happy place and enjoy it, hopefully with another person or 2. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bryan