It's Time For A Change

[Gato 0]

I don't know that this will do any good at all, and I may just be setting myself up for a toasting. I don't care. What follows are just some questions I've been asking myself. They are driven by ideas and perspectives of mine - maybe you feel the same, maybe you don't. This is not in any way intended to point fingers, or blaspheme in the churches of either Al Franken or Ann Coulter.

I have conservative views and opinions on some things, and I have liberal views and opinions on other things. These have no basis in political thought, as per se; they come from my own personal sense of right and wrong. So, would it be appropriate to call myself either of these things? And if I can't put a finger on how to align myself, is it ever appropriate for anyone else to identify me as such? Am I only a statistic?

The media tells us how we feel, how divided we are. Is this true? Do you all feel so separate from others? From me? I feel very close to you all here, because I know what it feels like to let go of a plane in flight, and I have the eyes of a skydiver now.

If the media refers to a soldier as a "troop", does that soften the blow when that son or daughter is sent away or killed? These brave souls who protect our freedom are PEOPLE. Men and women. A person is not a troop, a thing, or a commodity to be won or lost. There is no such thing as acceptable losses, and no revenge that is justifiable. One of my heroes is a Recon Marine named Rudy Reyes, one of my wife's childhood friends, who became my friend and teacher. He's not a troop. He's a man, and I know a lot of people who really, really love this guy. Thank God he was spared, that he came back to his wife and family. (Were it not for Rudy, I NEVER would have started down the path of a skydiver.)

Isn't it true that most desparate acts (by an otherwise healthy and functional human or animal) are driven by hopelessness, fear, or lack? Have we not all felt this? Does acting out of desparation turn a person evil? Does acting out of ignorance make a person stupid? Does acting out of hunger make you a criminal? How would you know the difference, in any case?

It's time for us to stop killing each other, stop taking from one another. I am so very happy to have a body, and to have the opportunity to experience this life I've been given. Nothing I can ever do in this life can compare to how amazing it is to be alive in the first place. I know for a fact that I was dealt a good hand to be born in the US, to make a living as a musician, to have a wife that loves me (and still gives me head after 9 years of marriage), and to have the chance to fly with you folks.

After 40 years on this planet, my life keeps getting better, and yet I see death all around me. How can I change that? How can I help ease the suffering of others? I should be looking for that opportunity, yes?

It is my belief that we are all more alike than we are different. Our greatest hope is for a long, healthy, and happy life, and our greatest fears are old age, disease, and death. Until we all can see the value in others, we will continue as we always have. I don't see that as acceptable, and I hope you don't, either.

Thanks for reading. Help somebody out today, and thank a soldier whenever you can.

T.I.N.S.

[Beerlight 0]

ditto.

But I enjoyed being called a "troop"! Term of endearment...for me that is.