This May Piss You Off, But...

"Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God" - Benjamin Franklin, currently rolling in his grave as he watches our country crumble into oblivion....

In 2019 and 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck US soil and, for around a year, the entire world knew they would fall victim to this horrible virus. Then, low and behold, a cure comes along; people get vaccinated; the mask mandate is lifted.

Take note that every - single - person on earth knew they were going to die, and in hindsight, peculiarly so, you would think this would unite us, right? I mean, we faced death, only to be saved from its horrible wrath.

Fast forward several years to 2023 and 2024, and now we have two wars heralding us; school shootings are a daily occurrence; we have become more disconnected and more divided than ever before.

Now, we face two harsh truths:

• Biden is too old to know where he is, let alone run a country,
• Trump wanted to nuke a hurricane, and if you don't believe me, click here.

As I Said...

This is not a tale about COVID. I brought that up to make a point: we all faced our deaths, and yet no one seems to realize that life is far too precious to be bickering over (yes, here it comes!) who wins a goddamned election.

My father always said: "There are two things you never talk about: politics and religion." I always believed him, until the Capitol Hill riot occurred. It was at this point that I voted for Biden, and four years later, I regret it.

Mind you, I do not regret not voting for Trump.

I merely regret voting - period.

I am a fond believer that we should be able to speak openly and pragmatically about religion and politics without confrontation, and that is what I am doing here: I am testing the waters to see how many comments flood in about if I am right or wrong. It seems that the mere mentioning of either candidate's name is a blaspheme. Now, I will go ahead and say two things we all know is true:

1) Trump is going to win, just because this is how America is, and

2) I - don't - care.

Seriously, what in the hell is wrong with us? Why are we so hellbent on dividing ourselves into categorical, political sanctions? I have an example: my best friend comes over to my house once a week and gets drunk, and I mean drunk.

Like most Trump supporters, he likes to open his big, flappy mouth and bash Biden. I never quite understood how someone could hold such a tight bond with someone they have never met. It is almost as if he is defending his father, and what this example represents is not a bash on Trump supporters.

It is simply me saying:

"Talk about it."

Talk About It

Seriously, let's talk about it! I hate both candidates. I really do. That is why I am not voting ("oh, Ryan, but it's your American right!") Is it? I did it once and I despised the outcome, and as Tom MacDonald once said:

"It's like, we get three choices: a sandwich soaked in crap, a hot dog soaked in crap, and a doughnut soaked in crap. At the end of the day, no matter who you vote for, you are going to have to eat a piece of crap."

Now, I can feel the tension rising; I can feel your nerves shaking; I can sense that this is pissing you off. Good. You see, I have read Franklin's autobiography.

He stated once that "the responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few." In other words, rather than worrying about who wins, we should be worrying about what - we - have - become as a democracy, albeit, a society.

That is the real war here. Not Putin's war; not whatever is going on overseas. We are here, and this is where we are, and this is what we have, and it's not perfect, but it is all we have. Whoever wins, whoever votes, whoever says what, at the end of the day, the people of this country have to begin to learn to talk about it.

Without arguing. Without shooting one-another. We need to do this. I swear, if we all started talking politics and religion openly and honestly, without ending up raising our voices and acting like threatened primates, we would be a much more peaceful, albeit conducive society.

Discontented And Proud Of It, Too

Whoever wins, does it really matter? Think about it. Both candidates have no place in a position of power, and if I get shot tonight over posting this, at least I know it was said; the words appeared; someone finally spoke the truth, and the truth is...there is something terribly wrong with this system, isn't there?

I am discontented, and proud of it, too. I know this is not a discussion most LinkedIn users are used to, but please, please, please, just take my advice: realize that we, as a society, have the power to make our own decisions.

When we are stripped down, barren and broken, we are at our peak. There is not enough time on this earth, there really is not. Rather than bickering about who wins, or who is right, or who is wrong, or what is right, or what is wrong, just talk about it. Articulate your points, and if the person you are talking to disagrees with your position, nod and back it up with a valid response.

More importantly, make a mental note that you are now engaging in a conversation as a human being, not a person. You see, the human is smart, but the "person" is a scary, dangerous, panicky animal and we have seen this not just in recent years but throughout history.

Now, we have to make a choice come election time, and it is not who we vote for. You would think that would be the decision to make, yes, but rather, it is to accept the outcome of what happens after.

If Trump wins, we may as well set ourselves on fire.

If Biden wins, we may as well set ourselves on fire.

My point is not to bash either candidate. To be honest with you, I believe both have valid ideas while simultaneously disagreeing with others. Just like you.

But rather than voting based on loyalty to a specific nominee, consider the mannerism that we will be seeing riots in the streets; we will be back to where we were in 2019; we will all be scared, tired, ashamed, embarrassed, and possibly defeated. That is because no matter who wins the election, at the end of the day, if we cannot agree in a civil manner that "this is who won, move on," then no one wins. Period. Keep this in mind, and I will end with a quote as I always do.

"A country cannot be conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within" - William Durant

Thank you, and God bless America, whether you like the person running it or not.