 Absence of a virtue signal does NOT equal the absence of virtue.
I believe that the masking mania sweeping 2020 is directly connected to the public visual nature of the mask itself. When we as a society decide to assign negative intent to NOT doing something we are assigning a set of moral decisions to that individual which may or may not be true. Individuals make the decisions on what is a valued virtue. The proven results of a practical behavior show its value. Outliers are allowed even if discouraged. In a communist collectivist world view the decisions are made by the assigned authority. This is the root of our current dilemma. The case for or against masking lies at the personal level not at the group level. Mass compliance requires agreement in a free society. The mask of rugged individualism is as porous and likely corrupt as the mask of communism. The difference is an individual bears the consequence of poor decisions in both. We are all now struggling with flying the flag of virtue in public. The rule of law applies and defining what is appropriate and comfortable or even moral and healthy for one and for all is a wasteland of battle flags and casualties. I repeat. The absence of a virtue signal does not equal the absence of virtue.  The loss of choral singing is crippling our families, churches, schools, and society in general. #ChoirIsLife - Singing soothes the savage beast of our souls.
Rep. Jerry Nadler is a deplorable example of leadership. He represents NY10... Hard to believe but in NY anything can happen apparently. His political Theatrics are in full swing. There is NO professionalism and civility in the words or tone of his opening statement. #MakesMeSick AG Barr is an honorable man who shouldn’t be in the room with that disgraceful excuse for a leader. AG Barr, I will stand with you anytime. Carry on.  Let me be crystal clear. I DO text but I don’t like it. I like FB but it is terrible for me so I am limiting it drastically. Texting is okay 👌 but my responses are not likely to me instant. If you are interested or need a quick response. Call me. And Text me. And call again maybe? The secret sauce seems to be response time. That is how I manage. I set my time and choice priorities. You set yours. We all do what we prioritize. FB is not a priority. Texting is important but limited. Calling and Talking is hard but worth it.  How do you do what others say can’t be done? Hint: it doesn’t happen by hiding in fear or seeking to fit in.
1. decide to embrace your vision and path. 2. develop a platform of support. People, processes, tools. 3. Acquire capital. Money and knowledge. 4. begin small and then scale, adjusting all along the way. Prove, adapt and improve. 5. Seek more support and embrace your heart and mind. Execute the plan. 6. Celebrate and repeat. Worry and anxiety kill. Faith, Hope, and Love sustains. Each of us chooses how to LIVE.
Focusing on how to not die each day is a mindset for victims and losers. Worst of all it spreads like a virus. I don’t understand the morbid attraction to suffering and victimization so prevalent in 2020. I speculate that it is perpetuated by #idiotsincharge to facilitate control and compliance.  Tech and AudioVisual personnel are the new normal linchpins. EVERY institution needs competent, professional, execution and delivery architecture.
$$$ In the RONAreality of 2020+ leaders better pay them and love them and respect them. Period.  News anchors and media personalities are NOT equal to elected leaders. One side talks and judges what the other does. That is all. The search for principles in reporting goes on. The search for principles in politicians is basicly useless.
It is easy to judge and tear down. It is simple to write a narrative which tells your story. How you tell it does not make it true. The decisions and results are the essential arbiter of truth and credibility. I have long supported the idea of the bully pulpit of the President. I equally support the principle of silence. I’m thinking that Calvin Coolidge was on to something. The executive should decide, enforce, and act, forcing the representatives to actually represent and champion principles of law and order. The judges then judge all of this according to the law of the land. News anchors and media personalities just watch and talk. They are entertainers, not influencers. Are you entertained? The gladiator asked after killing his opponent. Faith in Jesus Christ and His love and immediate care for us is a vaccine against the virus of fear. The consequences of fear are real in the near term and long term window. Faith and belief secure us now and forever. To believe that science will secure you and save you is the root of foolishness. The only thing worse is to believe that government will somehow secure and save you in the now, near, or far. That is a 2020 hindsight reality check  The population of the US will be immersed in wave after wave of fear responses. The new threat is the fear and isolation itself originally caused by the RONA.
A vaccine will be released and approved. It will be only marginally effective at treating RONA but it will be highly effective at treating the humanitarian crisis of fear and the economic disaster wrought by our lockdown cycles. The vaccine and associated media blitz will make many unimaginably wealthy and be heralded as the savior of the world in our new normal. In reality it will do almost nothing clinically to treat RONA but it will manage the fear. The new normal will be here. As the world turns, we will all move on. <100% speculation> this is not science. This is fiction.  I want to grant sincerity to technology and healthcare leaders. I don’t anymore. My cynicism born of the 2020trials and 20+ years in tech and leadership has infected me. I’m not sure there is a cure. I’m not sure there will ever be a cure. Without a modicum of respect, the distrust germinates and spreads like a virus into every experience.
I trust God. Period. His power is absolute. His love is unbounded. He listens and hears me in my whining. Distrust leads to disregard. Disregard leads to disgust. Disgust leads to demagoguery. Demagoguery drives division. Division codifies distrust. Diversity complicates but it is the life blood of humanity and progress. Unity does not require uniformity.  The government told you it was dangerous. The government is now telling you it is safe. If you trust the government you should be fine right?!
Perhaps trusting the government and the media is the actual problem with 2020. Think about it. I have a specific and personal view of the #idiotsincharge but I am also bound by my views on Romans 13. As for me and my house... Life. Liberty. Pursuit of happiness. Faith over fear ... trust in God. If you choose to blindly trust and follow the government into fear and subjugation, that is your choice. I strive to not judge. It is very hard. The response and action plan for conservatives to make America greater. Honor. Love. Faith. Sacrifice. Awareness and education of history. Reverence for sacrifice and service Respect for rule of law and authority Commitment to community Choice and Liberty coupled with consequences Family and Life in faith over fear. Singing and saying something serious. American lives matter.  A hallmark of knowing something important is the ability and willingness to stand up for it in the face of withering criticism. Great change occurs from holding to principles and ideals above practice but a balance is required.
To accomplish change based on what I know, a platform is required. People, processes and tools that pass the test of scale and duration. All of this occurs under the great assault of normalcy coupled with mob insanity opposing. Information and knowledge are far apart in 2020 it seems. The #idiotsincharge of America’s public health policy are unable or at least unwilling to qualify and quantify risks and reactions to decisions. The risk of dying immediately (acute crisis) MUST be balanced against the long term ramifications and chronic crisis concerns. This reasoning includes employment, social connections, and the entire Maslow hierarchy of needs.
Life, Liberty or Lockdown seems to be the current state of affairs in leadership. The cost of impairing education, and jobs/dignity along with creating systemic dependency and victimization is catastrophic. As a man of faith, I am not afraid to die today. I do not want to die today. I do not want others to die today either, but it will happen as life goes on and our story continues to be written. We live and we die. The crisis is not in the death as much as it is in our choice to not live. We need to reject fear. We need to seek liberty and livelihood and love and service. We must choose a better balance as we rebuild America. Hindsight is 2020. The fear of the first half of 2020 must be managed. To live or not to live will always perplex us in the how. I say that we accept the crisis and manage but we must see and embrace the totality of the crisis. There is no drug to fix it. There is no magic easy button. Every day, I choose to live. You decide or do you? The debate centers on who gets to decide how we care for and treat others. Wearing a mask is a powerful psychological symbol. The medical effect is up for debate. In this world of 2020 where nearly all trust in government authority has been eroded or even actively destroyed, we the people WILL decide. Blame and shame is a pathetic excuse for leadership. Period.   Headlines read “cases up, new record highs”
this is a good thing. The virus will spread as they always do. The morbidity rate for just about anyone under 70 is so small that it is largely insignificant. As the cases in the “99.9+% likely to survive” segment increase the human race develops the ability to fight back with its intelligent design immune system and systems. the approach must be to minimize the deaths from this new threat. Period. That means isolating elderly, at risk segments and continuing life among everyone else. Yes the virus will spread. Yes. Folks will get sick and in rare cases die... That is LIFE. we all live in face of fear and and make choices. I choose to LIVE and do the best I can as I always have. The viruses and sickness and tragedy surround me. My faith hope and love sustain me. The fear is a disease in itself and the impact and fatality rate of this global fear virus is at a record high. Cases are up and spreading even now.  We are all more than a little afraid of what these leaders will say next. That is the reality of our new normal. One is a leader. One is a follower. One of these is crass bare knuckled and sometimes shocking. The other is scripted programmed and almost always clueless. The question Americans must answer is who is best to get us through the next 4 years. Future requires more than words.
I am not afraid. Past history is not proof of future results but again, one of these is not like the other. Does tone matter? It does. Decisions and actions matter more. some lead, some follow. Being afraid of what someone might say is weak. Suck it up buttercup and hold on for the ride. Buckle up. Gonna be rough. |
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