And, when it comes to politics maybe it’s time to hand it all off to younger generations. But, don’t bring that up at Thanksgiving dinner….
Time to honestly give thanks
First, Happy Thanksgiving to you and those you love.
Next, there seems to be less to be thankful for each year in our personal sphere of influence. People we love, and truly care about, die, move on, or find another plateau in life that may not include us.
Sometimes, it feels like the whole world is on a downward spiral of depressing news, political upheaval, family feuds, and territorial disputes in which those who do not have a say-so are discarded as collateral damage.
Wherever you turn, it seems as if social media, television news, radio talk shows, and screaming, streaming podcasts are filled with procrastinations of “gloom, despair and agony on me.” The world feels like an old “Hee-Haw” routine; “If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all….”
It’s hard to be thankful when many reasonable people are hesitant to voice an opinion about anything for fear of starting a verbal firefight. Every move anyone thinks about could lead to second-guessing: “If I voice my opinion, how is that going to be perceived?”
Far too many families are going to come up with excuses this week not to attend the regular Thanksgiving tradition for fear of having to take sides in a familial battle royal over politics or global situations that have hit the home front, or a possible discussion about other untoward topics.
Family gathering can be exhausting enough without worrying about saying or doing something – anything! – that will set off Uncle Charlie or Cousin Becky.
This is the first Thanksgiving since the Middle East blew up; it is not the first year of trying to avoid prickly subjects.
The Thanksgiving of 2008 was no picnic, so to speak. After the election of Barack Obama, the mood shifted noticeably; our world, and especially our nation, seemed to pick sides of an argument that, in fact, had not matured into the spectrum of various degrees of “hate”. It wad, at first, just a feeling, a difference in how various folks viewed the here, the now and the future,
And, honestly, it seems to have noticeably gotten worse every year for the last 15 years.
This year let’s all pledge to be thankful for our families, our country, and remember to pray for peace and an understanding of different points of views. (“Understanding” does not equate to “capitulation” or “agreement”; it just means everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.)
And, most importantly, let’s all be thankful we still live in a country that allows different points of view.
This holiday season, look around your house, check out all the photos of loved ones, and … stop and remember the good times, the laughter and the shared experiences of growing up in a good time and place and with people you loved and returned that love ten-fold.
Then give thanks for those pleasant memories and pledge to hold onto to them forever. And, then, pledge to make new ones, better ones, starting…right now!
Make this holiday season the beginning of a new era of ‘thanksgiving” in your life, your country, and your world.
New political blood needed
President Joe Biden is four score plus a year, making him three years older than me; Donald Trump is three score and 17 years, one year younger than my 78 years. .
The point is: All three of us are too old to be president. I’m not talking about mental acuity and experience….I am talking about the reality of perception. If we think age is a factor in how a person operates…then it IS a problem. In life, perceptions matter.
Due to previous injuries and age, President Biden walks like a prototype robot… stiff and creaky. Trump is overweight, has a bulging gut, and hasn’t seen his feet since the mid-1970s. Both have severe “senior moments”, including slurred speech, calling folks by the wrong name, and constantly crowing about how he will cure the ills of America and the world.
Mixing up Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus or burying your first ex-wife on a golf course to get a tax break are not actions designed to raise the confidence level in educated voters.
In real life, a majority of folks know when it’s time to slow down, to give up some of the hard-fought-for prestige and power, and let the younger generation help tote the load.
This country, needs — no, deserves! — new thinking, new ideas, and new leaders now more than ever. Raise your voice and have your voice heard loud and clear.
There is no better place to start than at the ballot box.
George Smith views the world from the back porch Bedspring Ridge, a dogtrot house he built in Sutton, Arkansas on old family land on a spot where his great-grandfather’s house once stood. There he lives and opines with his wife BobbieJean and a rescue dog, “Li’l Dawg.” A former newspaper reporter, editor and publisher, he has a master’s degree in business, is a retired director for a global technology company, has been a business owner, student of government and the behavior of politicians. He has been a college instructor, national motivational speaker, community development and festival development consultant and is a published author.