What are you about?

Simple question right?
           One would think that if you were about... Faith for instance, that you go to church often enough to be considered a "regular" there. One might think that if you were about "Morals" that you might be someone with a rather clear definition of your morals and ideals. If you were about money however, one would think that you have a very clear grip on how to earn it, how to spend it properly, and how to save it.

          The reason I ask this question is, because I'm curious what this nation of ours is about? If you take a look at any one person, yourself for instance, and look at your budget. That is the only real way to see what you care about. I believe this because if I care about my car, I will spend money keeping it nice. If I care about food, I will spend money getting the finest produce and so on. If my child is the love of my life, I would do without some comforts like my car or food to ensure that my child has everything he or she needs and maybe even wants.

         So if you look at our Nation's budget you may get confused. I can understand that, we spend money over here, and over there. There are so many different places our money goes that it's confusing because what you think you spend on Cancer research may end up going to provide nutrition to felines suffering with cancer. The point is, you have to look elsewhere.

        Where do you look? If you look at a company, and you study the leader or head of that company, you may find out their morals, ideals, and values. If you are a capitalist, however, the picture changes. You don't really care WHY that person does what they do. You don't care WHO they do it with or even WHAT they do with their time. YOU CARE about how much money they earn or save or produce for YOU. Capitalism is the almighty embodiment of GREED.

        This would suggest that we are a nation of greed then wouldn't it? We are a Capitalist nation...
What if we just care about what's popular? Wait.... I'm not trying to suggest that the presidents of the past were elected simply because of their ability to speak and convince people to LIKE THEM enough to vote for them. Surely the people we freely elected to run this country in the past were chosen for their morals, ideals, or values. Surely a nation such as ours would have taken the time to understand exactly HOW the future or would-be president was living his or her life? Surely we wouldn't vote into power of OUR NATION, OUR HOME the ability to GOVERN OVER US, based on something as trivial as their ability to speak on camera convincingly enough to ... wait... CON ? Us into voting them into power??

          I'm not in any way shape form or fashion bashing any past, present, or future president. For the record, I am simply stating what is so very clear and obvious to me.

         We are a nation who looks at our deficit and CRIES "WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO FIX THIS DEBT ?!" I think to myself, if I needed financial advice.... I'd go to a rich person.....

         I wouldn't care about their morals, ideals, values, or perspective. I would care about WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR ME. At that particular moment of crisis, I need a fix to the situation. NEED. Suddenly I'm in a position to drop off the radar some of my predilections. Suddenly my give a crap about Global Warming evaporates as I watch my balance slowly go further and further into the negatives and I realize that I have to stop this bleeding of money. Suddenly I realize that I MUST do something to fix my situation before I wind up on the street with NOTHING.

       So suddenly I hear today "DONALD TRUMP IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT" I thought, Gosh, he's a smart man. WE NEED A JUNK YARD DOG IN THE RING, not a poodle. WE as a NATION, need a person who is going to bite at the hand that would take our food. We need a person to guard our house from those who would steal our diamonds. We need a representative who is DAMN PROUD to be in a place where people are BEGGING to give him money that he doesn't yet have. This man, actually has people ASKING HIM IF THEY CAN GIVE HIM MONEY. Imagine, if our Country were that prosperous. Then we could afford to give to charity. Then we could afford to help the homeless. As a Nation, if we were that wealthy, and that well ran, we could solve the domestic problems. I'm not saying that Donald Trump is going to sweep down into the White House and solve our nations problems all while balancing a ball on his nose and reciting "Yankee Doodle Dandy". What I am saying is that, if you need a hammer, you grab a hammer. If your Nation is in war, you get a Warrior.

          I feel that we as a nation care too much about how things look or feel to us. I think that as a PERSON, this applies directly to me on an individual level as well. I don't do some things because I'm afraid of how they will be seen. I don't do some things because of my fears of how the things I do might impact those around me. Trust me though, if you enter my house, and attempt to harm my family, you will be shot. I'm not afraid at that moment. I won't care if I'm naked, or if my hair isn't fixed. I won't care if my shirt isn't buttoned. You, get introduced to my pistol, and you stop your effort to harm my family. How far as a Nation must we go before we realize that, it's past the point of being afraid what other nations think of us. They can't think much worse of us than they do now...

That's my two cents, I meant no offense to anyone by writing this, and this is in no way meant to insinuate or harm anyone's feelings or sway opinions toward any one person. This is just the way I feel. These feelings are mine and mine alone.

Thanks for reading.

Clear the Air

Sometimes, people are nasty. Sometimes people are rude, callous, crazy, insensitive, and downright frigging MEAN. Sometimes people are as benevolent as can be.

I don't know you. I don't know what your life has been like or what you have been through. You don't know me either. You don't have a clue who I am or what I am capable of.
Now that we got that out of the way, we can talk.

When I'm rushing to work in the morning, trying to juggle the 3 or 4 things on my mind along with my coffee, oatmeal, and vapor ( I quit smoking evil tobacco stinkers) I may cut someone off on the road. It's not meant to be mean or rude. I'm not TRYING to cause an accident or hurt someones feelings. When I'm in line at the supermarket and I have a basket with three things and I see someone heading for the same line as me with a cart full of groceries, I may rush to get there first. I'm not shy of admitting it. I'm not trying to be rude or nasty.

Although, when I'm thinking about the day that I have had, and how I just want to get home so I can take off my boots and have a hot shower. When I am in the car contemplating my day, and someone cuts me off, sometimes I'm glad I cant be heard outside my vehicle. When I have a cart full of groceries, and a family at home, hungry for food and some (insert nasty name calling here) cuts in front of me with two items OBVIOUSLY in no rush, I want to harm them.

The point in both of these situations is, it depends on where you stand as to weather or not you feel angry or justified in your rage. Some people just never do such things. Most of us are human beings and sometimes we affect others without thinking about it.

Now, for the fix. Follow me here, it gets good.

If you wake up, in the morning or late at night because you have to work the night shift. When you wake up, thank God for the breath in your lungs. Thank God that you can open your eyes, thank God that when you do, you can see. Then, pretend that everyone, EVERY LAST PERSON YOU MEET has just found out that the love of their life is dying and there isn't a thing they can do about it. Pretend, as you drive, that everyone on the road is in some exuberant hurry to get to the hospital to be there for the last moments of that person they love the most life. As you stand in line, at the store, the person in front of you is buying flowers for a casket or a head stone. I'm not fixated on death mind you, that's just the most dramatic example I can think of.

You see, if we treat others as if they are going through some huge trauma, maybe we will think before we speak, cut the car off, jump in line, or shout obscenities. Maybe we will take a moment and be nice to the person who just slammed the door in our face, maybe they were preoccupied and didn't mean it at all. What if you say nothing and simply open the door and walk in unharmed? What does it cost you not to be angry at someone who may or may not realize they just offended you? For that matter, what pain does it bring you to NOT be angry at someone actively harming you? You can stop that person from doing you more harm of course and you should. The point is, why get mad?

I HATE when people act out against others for the sheer joy of it. When someone is a "Bully" in any sense of the word. I hate it, it pisses me off, it makes me angry it makes me see red I want to KILL!!! Wait, aren't I just as bad as that person? Someone is being a bully to me, so I get mad and strike back. Evil begets evil, or so it is written. How about, someone is striking me, why? The person you are being attacked by obviously thinks that they have a reason or right to do so. Why not ask what that is? Why not find out why they are being mean or rude? Why not ask questions before loading bullets? After you have the answer, no, don't load your bullets, after you have your answer, pray for that person, or wish them well. Chances are, they are just as miserable as they are attempting to make you.

"But Matthew, when do we get to load the bullets??"

When someone threatens me, my family, or my home, with lethal or potentially lethal force, I will respond in kind. That is the only time I will. I will use violence only as a last resort to defend my Family and my Home. I will do that because I believe that as a Man, that is my duty, privilege, and obligation.

I wish you all the best.