Monthly Archives: November 2016

Take Responsibility for your own Stuff

Some of you know a little bit about how my 2016 has gone. In January, a local real estate agent, and a group of my neighbors, lied to me, and misrepresented their interests, so that they could buy my house – the house I had personally designed and lovingly built over the course of 10 years – and tear it down. Not to build something else in its place, but simply so they didn’t have to look at it from their own homes 2 miles away. I became aware of the real truth of my life only when I stopped by a week after closing to pick up my equipment trailer, and there was an excavator demolishing my house.

I was really pissed. At the time, I believed I had every right to be pissed. I still believe that. I feel the actions of my neighbors constituted a minor but a heinous Injustice. I remained pissed – and, honestly, quite depressed – for many months.

But you know what I feel about that anger now? I believe it was an absolute waste of my time. The depression and self-doubt certainly were.

My anger – and the rest of my emotions, whatever they might be – are my responsibility and my problem, no one else’s. I could choose to live in that anger forever. It would actually feel good to do so. I’d love to carry a grudge against the rich f**ks* who tore my house down for the rest of my life. Why? Because it would resolve me of my own responsibility – my responsibility to manage myself.

When you act out of anger, and fear, and despair, you are choosing to continue and promote the cycle of fear and anger and despair. This is the mathematics of emotion. I didn’t invent it.

However, when you manage yourself properly – when you take responsibility for what is in your own heart – you realize that carrying these emotions around is literally like putting a ball and chain around your own neck.

When you act instead out of self-awareness, self-acceptance, love, and openness – you are then ready to re-engage with the world as a full contributing human being. I am now thus re-engaged, and it feels good for the first time in a while.

In the end, what my neighbors do – and realtors, it should be said – is my neighbor’s problem, and they have to live with it. It doesn’t change my future, or my past, and it doesn’t have to change my present. Because I always have a choice. And me? I will always choose love. Every single time. Love, and forgiveness. There are no exceptions. It’s simply a healthier, smarter, and more loving way to go.

I wish each of you best of luck in your own struggle. Life can be very difficult. But it doesn’t have to change you.

Bon courage, Dave

*folks

Soliden, Doublehead Mt, Sandwich NH, 2005-2016 RIP.

Trump is wrong and so are you. Let me explain.

I ask forgiveness in advance for the continuing political screed, but I need to address those who say the protesters should just shut up. Really?

I’m no hater, but you can count me among those who are seriously pissed off at the moment. Personally, I think my anger, and the anger of those many other Americans who are protesting, is entirely valid. Why? I’ll answer that for you. Because our fellow Americans just voted for a guy who:

– spent Obama’s entire term trying to convince Americans he was an illegitimate president.

– has no political experience whatsoever, no knowledge of international affairs, and very little interest in compromise.

– wants to ban Muslims from the country, essentially punishing an entire class of people for the actions of a tiny minority.

– wants to throw millions of generally hard-working immigrants out of the country, and build a wall to keep the rest out.

– uses his money and power to sue and silence women he has himself abused. And admitted to doing so, boasting that his money and power gave him the right to do so.

– wants to ignore years of validated science and let climate change continue unabated, abandoning our leadership in the world on one of its most important issues.

– invites our most significant adversary to hack into our systems and mess with our election.

– floats the idea of America – the richest nation in the world – reneging on or renegotiating its debts.

– suggest abandoning our allies if they don’t pay their bill.

– constantly undermines Americans faith in our electoral system, and in our Free Press.

– lashes out like an angry child at the most irrelevant criticism, and shows no sign of being able to take responsibility for his own actions.

– Has to hide his own financial statements in order to get elected.

– wants to cut taxes, spend billions on defense, and billions on infrastructure. With no new revenues. More voodoo. Again. Do we never learn?

– tweeted after Barack Obama’s 2012 election that Americans should March on Washington in protest. March . On . Washington. Trump’s words.

So, I don’t hate you, and I don’t believe your stupid: in my opinion you’ve just been systematically sold a bill o’ goods, such as that there is a ‘Great Divide’ in our country or that there are massive disagreements among Americans. I think that’s largely an illusion, as is much of what we fear and believe. But you’re buying it and you don’t really want to think about it more than that.

That’s your choice. But, you need to know .. I think the man you chose has no right to be in the office. The contrast between Obama and Trump should be stark to you. And not in Trump’s favor. It boggles me that you don’t see that.

So here it is – I disagree with every single thing you apparently stand for, and will do everything in my power to make sure your policies don’t succeed. The next time around I will work to make sure that a decent man once again gets elected to the presidency of the United States. That’s the least I can do..

If you really want to be taken seriously, please: you need to first get serious. I know you simply hated Hillary – another bill o goods you bought into – and you really had this itch to tell someone ‘you’re fired’. The problem is, you didn’t fire someone. You hired him. And now we all have to deal with the consequences.

That’s my rant. Feel free to jump in and defend any of the above positions. Those that know me know I always have loved a solid intellectual debate. It’s not personal, folks. It’s all about the ideas. I hope and pray that we can keep it that way.

With love and kindness, Dave

———

P.S. Other trump horrors added since the election:

– Conspired with Russia to effect the outcome of the election, including (perhaps) collusion to influence the election.

– Cuts foreign aid to anyone even mentioning abortion

– Calls judges who disagree with him ‘so called’ judges

– Says that the free and institutional press is the ‘enemy of the American people’

– Doubles the membership fee on his personal country club to monetize his new position

– Requires Secret Service protection for wealthy family members on business trips.

– Does not ever release his taxes, or divest from his businesses.

More to come. How long will this list get?