Return to the simple things?

 by Rain Trueax

What a week. We thought or rather hoped that the upset would begin to disappear after the election. The blame game has just grown and it's coming from both sides and from high up the political chain.It is intended to upset those of us who have no real power to change anything. The answer to it is to move away from those pushing agendas and make our own lives good-- as much as we can. 

For me, that means staying away from political talk as I think it's a kind of sickness now and I don't care if someone is red or blue. If their lives revolve around making others do what they see as best, I am concerned for the future of my country if that becomes pervasive. The country I grew up in didn't exist in the minds of many. White privilege means a white has nothing they can say about what should be done.  And yes, that means you even if you are on what you see as the correct side. 

 

I've had to give up even blogs I used to like because they now are only for those in their bubble. It used to be that was just Facebook. I consider no longer seeing some of these blogs on my list to read each morning to be a loss but mental health is more important. I can't post what I think on their sites as I am not in their bubble and hence not really welcome.

Have you ever looked at how the country breaks down for red and blue? I thought this map gave someone a good idea of how it was breaking down with this election. Good guys and bad guys. .

In Facebook, a lot of those on the red side are angry over how it has been censoring ideas that someone there does not think are helpful to the community. Their answer was to join a new site called Parler (French for talk and pronounced Par-ley). Out of curiosity, I joined, but it was all politics on the red side.  I don't want to read a constant drumbeat of either side.

What I'd like to find is a site that explored cultural issues; but from what I can tell, they have become partisan. How about sites that talk about birds, nature, gardening, travel, cooking, decorating along with what we should about immigration, taxes, education? You know mix up fun with serious.

On Facebook, I had seen something interesting (not saying what here) and posted the link to it. One of my friends there said she'd not read it because of the site from which it had come. Keep in mind, this was actual quotes regarding the issue-- you know the kind regarding exactly "what was said;" but she will trust that wherever she gets her information will tell her if she needs to know. Yikes lol

If someone, who reads here, knows Diane and me, they will know we don't agree on politics. We can discuss that logically and let it go without needing to convince the other that we are right and they are wrong. That is disappearing fast in this country. I don't know that we can get back reasonable discourse where ideas can be explored. 

It takes a lot for me to give up on reading someone's ideas; but when it's a constant drumbeat of one political agenda-- that'll do it. My blood pressure matters more to me than continuing to read things that cause it to rise. :). I know we lost some readers here because of my thinking where it comes to what is going on-- and that didn't involve favoring one political candidate but just not liking to see rioting (from whichever group it might come). Even burning down a business has become a political agenda for some instead of what it used to be-- criminal. 

So, with a new president, I will hope things will improve, in terms of the constant rage, but not sure I believe it. I find it ironic when the red side is told they should cooperate when the blues did no such thing in 2016, when pussy hats were worn to demonstrate their disdain for that new president, and when there were large gatherings where one of the celebs said she dreamed of blowing up the White House. That was their idea of cooperation?  I hope the reds don't see it that way. I'd personally like a time of peace while the country considers what will make it work better for more people-- of all colors and religions.

 

I won't be writing about politics here, might sometimes about cultural issues but mostly want to stick to what makes me and whatever readers I have left feel good about life. It is short enough at best that we should make it good in whatever ways we can. Besides bird watching, we are continuing to read out loud from different books. Now, with less time to watch news, we are reading more than the mornings but always short amounts. The current one is The Hidden West by Rob Schultheis. The writer has been some interesting places, where I will only visit through his words, which he also explores from an anthropology and historic angle. He takes us away from our current world and that's good enough for me-- even if it wasn't that perfect then either. 

Below is the cover for our copy of this book from 1982. I looked at it online and it's still available but not with this cover. Maybe the contract with its creator, David Tamura, had run out. Beautiful though and says a lot about the book, which is what all writers want from their covers... or hope maybe.

 

One change for the blog is I was not willing to spend the increased fee to be in Google Play when the only place I used it is with photos here. Once Google took over Blogger, things changed. I am not sure how many pictures I can use here without paying the extra money. I reduce mine to make them faster to load and maybe the free 15GB a year will be enough for Diane and me. I know people like seeing her paintings here-- I sure do. I realize to some Google's increased fee is nothing but it all depends on your budget and where you want to put your available cash. I prefer mine to go for birdseed. Going out and sitting to watch the birds is one of my 'making it good' activities.