We discuss the issues with those who will share their thoughts. It is a scary thing sharing your own thoughts. Some say that the USA is the model of FREEDOM. In some ways we are, but in other ways I feel people look at us like they remember their winning team in 1940! I hear the chants now "1776!"
Two hundred and thirty seven years ago we were arguing over the same issues that we do today. That amount of time doesn't seem so long when you think about it in terms of lifetimes. The way I view my lifetime is very different then when I was a child. I used to think by the time I was 55ish I would be looking at retiring and hopefully have another 20 years of leisure life some place warm. By the time I was in college I realized I am going to work a lot longer than 55, and maybe live to 100. I just added an entire new lifetime into my plan.
My parents worked for the same company as long as they could, until each company went under, and they started fresh again. My parents worked many jobs in between jobs. We did what we had to, and focused on our own so we could survive. We didn't think about solving the worlds problems. We just focused on our country.
Today we are so intertwined with our neighbors all over the world. We have huge questions in front of us. These questions will not be answered until enough of US, have met and accept WHO WE ARE AS INDIVIDUALS.
Many people are shape-shifters. They alter who they are, and their opinions based on the company they are with or the success they think they will find with their "STAGE NAME." They are great at sound bytes and regurgitating other peoples views. They are "SPEAKERS," who don't recognize THEIR OWN VOICE.
I truly believe the founders of the United States of America came to the same conclusion that we are all coming to today. That our country is founded on ideals, and we need to clarify what those ideals are. This is why the declaration of independence is written in the very emotionally charged way it is.
DEBATING WITH FINESSE
Debating is necessary. Freedom of speech supports the ideal that we are each individual and can express our person any way we choose. Debating is an art form. This starts with listening, then understanding, then responding. When we debate facts, anyone can take any position, research and present a case. When we debate emotion, all rules are off, and we have to be willing to say, "It may not seem right to you, but it is to me, and I stand behind what I say, until I decide otherwise." That is our FREEDOM.
RIGHT VERSE PRIVILEGE
First we have an ideal like a seed. We then create rules to uphold and enforce those ideals. We have an entire garden of ideals. Healthcare is considered a basic human right by some people, and others feel it is a privileged. This healthcare seed, always gets worked on above the surface. Even if we chop it off at the base, the root of the plant will continue to grow. People will argue every little detail about a proposal, tear it apart leaf by leaf, but they do not get the root. Our ideals are now a garden overrun with DANDY-LIONS.
KNOWING YOUR OWN IDEALS
My ideals that I held on to for the first part of my life, were not my own. They were the ones I grew up with. It took a lot of time of me being miserable to understand that I didn't know my own voice. If I don't know my own opinion on whether healthcare is a basic human right, then how can I weigh in on any debates about it? We are after all debating the ideology of a society, which should reflect the individuals. However, I consistently observe people debating ideas with no consistent ground to stand on.
RECOGNIZE WHEN SOMEONE IS OUT OF TOUCH
When you are debating with someone who is out of touch with their own ideas, you will not get anywhere burying them in links and rhetoric. You can do society a favor and recommend that they figure out what they think is right and their plan to get us there.
FINAL THOUGHT
My opinion of what was a basic human right changed when I changed my own point of view. I changed my point of view, because the world I live in today is insanely different then the one I was in as a child. People don't know their own opinions (like the pro-lifer who supports invitro OR the pro-choice who is against gay adoption or marriage).
We cannot think of things as country exclusive anymore, the internet has given us a global consciousness. We need to do individual work on ourselves, so we can play nice in the sandbox. I would love to see my government pass black and white laws about our position on basic human rights in a simple way (not by having to research precedents to find a ruling.)
MY PLAN
1) USA English is the Official Language (One language to unite us.)
2) Any government document from this point forward must be written in a way that a panel of 5th graders can read through it and understand it.
3) Position Statements. These statements are used as the reference guide to make decisions by. These statements are voted on by the people and can be revised when the time calls for it. This would also give the United States a cleared definition of who we are and what we want. I have to believe we are more than a bunch of parrot chirping all the time.
4) LIVE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE FEEDS. All meeting everywhere that are public given by an elected official must be recorded and accessible and unedited for the public. We must have accountability.
I truly love you all, and Google+ for giving me this platform to SHARE my IDEALS
kris10.us
SHARE ME IF YOU LIKE ME
SHARE ME IF YOU DON'T LIKE ME AND WANT TO TEAR DOWN MY ARTICLE
JUST KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING!
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