{"id":325,"date":"2019-02-05T10:07:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T16:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/?p=325"},"modified":"2019-02-05T21:22:53","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T03:22:53","slug":"its-ok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/?p=325","title":{"rendered":"It’s ok"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s ok<\/span><\/p>\n

February 05, 2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s ok, really. Even the stuff that isn’t ok, is ok. Why? Because, I looked outside and the sun was up again today and my cat meowed. Dirt was still there on the ground. There was a light chill in the air and I saw a few birds. Sort of like this time last year and the year before and the year before that. Look around <\/span>and you will see that the\u00a0stuff that is real doesn’t really change much. The chaos and cataclysm that I hear about on TV, social media and echoed from the mouths of some folks I meet ALL comes from artificial constructs. I have been saying it for a long time. Reality is a pesky constant. Cultural and social constructs are whatever we make them which also means they are changeable. They could be good and pleasant, but we are making them bad. Let’s stop. Things are ok if we allow and make them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to a new day! A new set of everything! As I venture into 2019, I, like a few others, want to continue to better myself through introspection and calculated life changes. One of those changes I am working on is to try to ratchet down rhetoric and catastrophizing in my world. I won’t be the first to say this, but I absolutely want to co-sign the sentiment that we are getting out of hand with our statements, accusations and embellishments in this Country. A cursory look on various pages, boards and other media will quickly yield salacious, accusatory, divisive blah blah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relax, America is in existence and will be for the foreseeable future. Our economy is mostly good and stable. Our culture is mostly good and stable. Our educational system is mostly good and stable. We have what I think is the best healthcare and access to healthcare on the planet. We are engaged in science that touches everything from fuels, to soil, to food, to healthcare to space. Our police are mostly good. Our politicians are… ok, they are mostly sort-of good. We are ok. It’s ok, really it is. Can we do better? Heck yes, and I pray that we won’t ever stop trying. But, just because we aren\u2019t perfect, we shouldn\u2019t think for a moment that we are terrible and look for perpetrators. I challenge you to look for responsibility and accountability where it matters, in the mirror.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the record, I am pretty sure I have been guilty of some strong rhetoric in the past. I realize that I have a responsibility with my words. Growing means that you are better, stronger, faster, wiser, smarter etc. than before. The definition has a built-in premise that at some point you were less than, not as wise, not as informed and you made changes to be more than, wiser and more informed, etc. Cultural concept change \u2013 Let\u2019s shift the focus & celebrate the progress and outcomes. Please, let\u2019s not operate in what isn\u2019t anymore. For example, Johnny used to be a punk. He got his butt handed to him a few times and he has decided that punkdom isn\u2019t the way to go. Let\u2019s work with the new Johnny. Let’s not define him eternally as the punk that he once was.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personal growth statement of principle — If I believe I am to have influence, then I must be responsible for managing that influence. I am open to new information and I am open to thinking and acting in new ways. Echo chamber thinking doesn\u2019t allow for new information. Not all information is good for me, but I can\u2019t reasonably believe that I know everything there is to know. I desire to and am capable of learning and growing. With that, I will make mistakes and do things that are to be corrected. I try not to cast too many stones, because I am constantly guilty of something and I need to manage my own faults first. I am allowed to help others with their mistakes and faults and learning, provided it is done in a way that increases health, promotes well-being and advances the culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, as we go forward into this new year, I want to encourage folks to join me in ratcheting down the catastrophe talk. Let\u2019s view difference as a potential opportunity. Let\u2019s be less scared. Let\u2019s be more confident. Those two things don\u2019t come with price tags that we must collect from others. Our society, our country and our mutual existence & relationships are not zero sum gain events. I can go forward without having to take from someone else to get there. I can be better and grow without tearing someone or something else down.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years I have had to help people ease into a new way of thinking with baby steps and stating the obvious. Sometimes I will use disclaimers. The disclaimers for the lawyers and wannabe lawyers out there — I am not saying overtly or covertly that everyone is good or wants to be. I am not saying that we live in a perfect world. I am not saying that all cops are great people. I am not saying that our current President is wonderful or even good. I am not saying that people don’t do things that they need to be punished for.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the standard to which we are held accountable? Everyone can\u2019t be right at the same time. Can we exist in a confined space (let\u2019s say 3.9 million square miles) together without feeding on each other in order to exist?<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking through a plan here.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s ok to add to your world if it doesn\u2019t take away from someone else\u2019s world. It\u2019s ok to have things. It\u2019s ok to want. It\u2019s ok to have dreams. It\u2019s ok to pursue happiness. I don’t have permission to take from anyone, whether it’s things or power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe that can be a standard to operate in for a while. I am not in charge though, we are. One person doesn\u2019t rule another nor should they. I don\u2019t gain by taking and you aren\u2019t permitted to do that to me either. The sky isn\u2019t falling. But it will if we make it. We all have a say in that. We determine a lot. We have been yelling fire and foul for far too long. The most control you have and the most power that you have is within you. Control your thoughts, words and actions. Be responsible for you. Be accountable for you. Today, take a deep breath. Tell yourself that it\u2019s ok. Really, it is. We have places to go, things to build and lives to enrich. Hurt, hate and selfish will get in the way of those things. I am willing to only HELP you. Are you willing to only HELP me?\u00a0I am willing to do my part. Are you?<\/span><\/p>\n

— R. A. Grier<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s ok February 05, 2019 It’s ok, really. Even the stuff that isn’t ok, is ok. Why? Because, I looked outside and the sun was up again today and my cat meowed. Dirt was still there on the ground. There was a light chill in the air and I saw a few birds. Sort of … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-qui-tacet-consentire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=325"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":400,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325\/revisions\/400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ragpages.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}