Aggravation

Actually a pretty fun game.

I’m not sure about the world. I’m not sure about the country. I’m not sure about the state, region, county, or you. However, I’m absolutely positive about me. I am fed up.

That’s right, absolutely sick and tired of the way things are. How are things? Aggravating, to say the least.

We live in a world where mass murder masquerades as political or religious activism. Every single day there are multiple people killed, maimed, or injured by lunatics that feel the need to prove that they… actually I don’t know what they are trying to prove, but they are insane.

On top of that, we are filled with anger and vitriol. Political arguments have this country more divided that I have ever seen it. Of course, I’ve only been paying attention for the past 10-15 years. I know that, historically, things got pretty bad, but we’re not living then, we are now. The now is filled with the 24-hour news channels, talk-radio, and sound bites; all driving us further from discourse, cooperation, and compassion.

I really don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. Demublican or Repocrat, I don’t care. Yet, we have to get to the point where we stop calling everyone idiots and listen to what they have to say. Try to see things from the other person’s point of view. We rail against the Iran’s and North Korea’s of the world, but are our political tirades any more civil? If the wingers on either side had the option to destroy the other, would they? Based solely on the rhetoric I’ve seen, the answer to that question scares me.

We are in the wake of a tragedy here. These always bring unity, but I really wish we didn’t have to wait for one.

 I could go off on all the individual issues at hand, but chances are you have already made up your mind about those and we won’t do anything other than get mad or at best waste time arguing.

One thing remains that I will address. We, as a country, as a nation, as a people need to return to one thing. The one that that we have lost since “The Greatest Generation” served our country (and arguments could be made there as well).

That thing is Honor.

We as a people, have lost this (if we ever had it). We have kids in our schools today that have no desire to succeed. I began teaching only five years ago. At that time, I dealt with a class that had one or two people that didn’t care. One or two, that ruined everything for the rest. Now, in half a decade, we have a group that has no motivation and no interest, couple with three or four that want to do the right thing.

I fear for us as a country. Not because of some great “liberal” threat, or horrid “conservative” plot, but because we are no longer instilling a sense of honor in our children. Maybe, we’ve never done that. Maybe I’m speaking out of naivety, but the fact remains, we need a change.

That change won’t come from a political leader. It won’t come from some great hope-bringer. It will come from you. It will come from me.

It will come from teaching our children that everyone is important. That there is no one beneath you, and there is no one above you. We must be, as our country aimed at the beginning, equal.  We must be willing to work for that equality, and work for our place in this world.  Everyone must pull their own “fair share.” Not just the rich, not just the middle class, not just the poor, but everyone.

It’s not about politics, it’s not about religion, it’s about respecting those around us.

I’m not saying that I’ve always been perfect at this. I’m not saying that you and I can fix this overnight. But the effort must be made.