Positively Polarizing Times

The unjustified murder of George Floyd, the protests, and the riots combined with the already stressed economy, unemployment numbers, and unconquered COVID-19 pandemic has had a way of dividing the country in unprecedented fashion. Not only are we being divided into many subgroups based on our opinions on the issues of the day, but we are being much more open about it. The initial public response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of its Tik-Toks and social media challenges, has created a phenomenon where more people than ever before have become comfortable being themselves online and have begun welcoming the world into the more intimate parts of their personal life through social media. Americans are sharing images and videos of their children, pets, living rooms, eating habits, and love lives. Likewise, our followers and who we follow has increased and diversified, as more of the population has adopted use of social media platforms. In this time of controversy, Americans, in their newfound comfort for web broadcasted self-expression, are sharing their more intimate opinions and philosophies regarding the polarizing issues of the day. One’s political views has never been so public as it is today.

While the present times are exposing how we are different, they are also showing us how alike we are. The country’s use of the internet and social media has left us with very few barriers to information and very little censorship of ourselves with regard to our opinions, which is exposing how we share similar viewpoints on issues with demographics of people we’ve never associated ourselves with previously. Even in the context of our differences, we’re seeking an understanding of exactly why we have the differences we have with renewed enthusiasm. The time in quarantine has given us unprecedented exposure and acceptance of groups of whom we’ve never previously given our attention to. The people we’ve found refreshingly entertaining and inspiring during the early pandemic times, are now sharing their opinions with us on things like criminal justice reform and giving us unique angles on complex issues. All this opinion sharing is publicly dividing us into much more complex and uniquely diverse subgroups.

If you’ve been paying attention, you should have noticed how there isn’t only two groups or two opinions about the issues plaguing our society these days. There isn’t one unified Republican or Democratic opinion, neither is there one unified white or black opinion. Instead, we are able to see, now better than ever, how misaligned our stereotypes and biases are with reality. There are violent and peaceful people of all races and backgrounds. There are black people who refuse to protest for black issues, while there are white people who willfully stand against injustice in spite of their own personal risks. There are black people who refuse to be violent or loot businesses, and there are white people who are showing up to the scene for the sole purpose of looting. There are unique struggles for the small business owner that are blind to race, and the same for the struggles of the uneducated non-essential worker. For all the different ways a person can choose to identify themselves, there are those who are fine with how their life is working out, and there are those who are demanding change. If we wish, we can continue to focus on what divides us, but it is growing increasingly difficult to remain ignorantly affixed on race-based stereotypes and historical lies. History is repeating itself in a way, that won’t allow us to be passively ignorant because the truth is too frequently flashing across the screens of our timelines. Many are googling historical accounts of abuses of power in America and relearning the lessons fed to them in history classes.

Through research and understanding, we should take the time necessary to break down the mental barriers we’ve placed on people who don’t look like us, believe what we believe, or share our sexual preferences. If we adopt a new understanding and stop categorizing ourselves in all these outdated subgroups, we can have more honest conversations and treat each other as humans, and nothing more or less. This could potentially be a powerful lesson for our collective social consciousness, where “the majority” isn’t viewed as the white majority, but as the voting majority. The voting majority desires to live in peace, with all the rights and privileges the constitution affords the citizen of the United States of America. The voting majority could demand the government to make changes that benefit all people in the country and stop those in position of power from violating the rights of anyone.

This is a pivotal time where we should better understand the quote “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, seeing first-hand how the issues that plagues me today can affect you tomorrow. This was illustrated in the supposed mismanagement of COVID-19 by the Chinese government which has resulted in global outbreak and an investigation into China’s actions by other allied nations. This is also illustrated in massive protest and outrage of the American public that is currently aimed at the criminal justice system of our country but has had collateral damage in the form of curfews and property damage that has affected people who never saw it coming. In the midst of division, there are Americans standing together today, that may have never stood next to each other if it were not for the combination of monumental events occurring back-to-back. It is clearer today than ever before, that our differences, as humans, are much less than our differences of opinions. It is clearer than ever before, that our socioeconomic status and education levels govern our choices much more than the color of our skin. As people organize and protest together, new and diverse networks are being formed and I predict this year’s voter turnout and voting results will be unlike anything of the past. The ability to construct a platform that reflects the sentiments of the voting majority, using all the statistical data made available in the last 6 months of social media activity, and the conclusion or lack of conclusion of the issues we currently face is going to make for an interesting election in November.

Timeout for the World

Three stories. What do they have in common?

The team is showing fatigue, there’s 11 seconds left in the game, and our opponent is only down one point. We get a costly turnover as the ball is mishandled out of bounds. “Timeout!” said the coach. Before the ball is back in-play, we have to clear our heads of the mistakes made in the last possession, because we cannot change the past. We may have to substitute tired players with players on the bench that are energized and motivated to turn the tide in our favor. We certainly have to lock-in defensively and use all our collective energy to protect our point advantage and secure the victory. You can bet that was coach’s reasoning behind the timeout call. You can bet that’s the message in the team huddle. You don’t even have to be on the team.

The class is making cards to send to the men and women of the armed services. The teacher has succeeded in getting everyone excited about the joy their cards will give to the men and women who protect our freedoms. One student can’t contain themselves and is running about with scissors in hand. “Timeout!” said the teacher. Before anyone gets hurt, the child needs to sit alone and watch the other children behaving as instructed. The child knows the class rules, but just needs to practice a bit more self-control. A few minutes in timeout is all a, usually well behaved, student needs to make the behavior adjustment.

The people of the world are so divided. It’s “every man for himself”, and the means are always justifiable if the price is right. Pollution and poverty, in some places, has never been worse. Mention the word “pastor” or “priest” and thoughts of greed, corruption, and pedophilia come to mind. Worldwide, similar skepticism and lack of trust exists for the elected official and the media. As the children grow older, more self-sufficient, and secure more wealth, status and success, the family is reduced to a band of moochers and are excommunicated, replaced with friends and business partners. Mankind is consumed by our greed and obsession for more wealth, fame, and all that comes with it, to the point that we don’t care what comes with it, or what it takes to obtain it. Some overeat daily, living a lifestyle widely documented as unhealthy, with no interest in doing better, while others are a picture of good health engaging in nothing that puts themselves at a disadvantage, even if it means helping someone less fortunate. Selfishness comes in many forms, and how creative we are at personifying it. “Timeout!” said the creator.

As selfish as we tend to be, most people have good intentions. We spend our time and energy chasing after wealth and opportunity, because it is what we were taught to do, because we want better lives for our children, and because if we don’t, we believe we won’t survive. If we don’t save ourselves, we don’t believe there will be anyone to save us. We don’t believe anyone will care if we don’t come up with the money needed to pay our debts. We live as though we are in this world alone. The timeout of this pandemic has caused many to realize that we are not alone. Suddenly, we are forced to acknowledge our global struggle. Creditors, Insurers, and other Service Providers are making concessions as they attempt to ease the shared burden of their customers. Many have concluded that we need to be more concerned with the lives and activities of others, because their troubles of yesterday can be our troubles of tomorrow. Air pollution is down, and nature is responding to our inactivity. We have had to face our respective health conditions and the vulnerabilities associated with our poor health choices. As we contemplate our mortality, people are returning to their faith and family. We are remembering who we really are, and we are evaluating how far off track we’ve drifted. The wrong information or directive can lead to death, and truthful information has never seemed so important from the podiums of our highest offices and professions. Sheltering in-place, we are forced to trust the word of our governments and scientists. Humbly, we depend on our fellow man to do the right thing to “flatten the curve” and prevent outbreak.

When the game-plan isn’t being executed as practiced on the court or field, the coach calls timeout to make adjustments and get the team back on track to avoid losing the game. When a teacher or parent places a child in time out, they intend to calm the child and give the child time to evaluate their actions, their parent’s or teacher’s expectations, and how the two are not aligned. When unexpected circumstances in life cause you to stand still or prevent you from going about your life as you wish, sometimes, that’s God’s way of placing you in timeout. Whether it be loss of work, illness, near death experience, or death of someone you love. There are things that happen that give us pause. We begin to contemplate our mortality, our life’s purpose, our habits, our choices, and how it all ties together. If we’re honest, we don’t always pass our own self-evaluations. Our habits don’t always align with our goals or what we believe our purpose is, but should they?

Essential Value

Essential Value

As the number of unemployed continues to rise in America, it is painfully clear that, in addition to health, the financial worlds of many have been shaken by this COVID-19 pandemic. Those of us fortunate enough to still have our jobs, are doing what we must to keep them. Empathize with me, the stress of the Essential worker who has to continue to get up in the morning and commute to their jobsite, as if none of this is going on. It’s hardly “business as usual”. Imagine the fear of being infected by a co-worker and bringing that infection home to the ones you love. Imagine witnessing coworkers quit or elect to stay home without pay in order to prevent exposure, and wondering if you’re doing the right thing by continuing to work to provide for yourself and your family. Imagine how hard it might be to go to work, when you actually know someone, personally, who has been very sick or, worse, has perished from this deadly virus. You’re receiving the same paycheck but at a greater risk than ever before. If at no other time in your life, you may do some cost to benefit analysis of taking advantage of the government assistance that is available versus continuing to leave your home. If at no other time in your life, you may consider many new avenues to get what you consider “essential”.

Now then, imagine you’re a warehouse worker for Amazon, Target, Walmart, or a similar company. How could your employer make you feel like you’re essential to them? What if your employer provided an exclusive shopping experience for you, their essential worker? Would that make you feel important? If it were me, I’d say, “It’s a good start”. As an essential worker, why should you have to go without the essential goods that have all but disappeared from the markets? If you’re picking, packing, and shipping the very toilet paper, hand soaps, bottled waters, and other items you find impossible to secure when you get off from work and head to the super market, wouldn’t it be awesome to have some exclusive access to buy those items directly from your employer? I asked someone, who works for Amazon, how they would like to have an “employees only” store, and they’re response to me was insightful. “We have to look at the stuff all day anyways”, they said. They compared working at the fulfillment center to window shopping. I figure it’s a lot like working at the mall. You’re seeing all kinds of things you want to try out, along with items you feel like you need. As you’re working, you’re subconsciously creating this shopping list based on the items you’re seeing throughout the workday, like ads you see as you scroll through your social media feed. As if these essential workers didn’t have to deal with enough, they’re being teased all day at work, sometimes coming in direct contact with items they’ve run out of at home.

Many are extending their gratitude to the essential worker, and while simply having a job is a clear and obvious blessing in this economic climate. This time has given us unique perspective on specific job functions within our society. The essential worker contributes to society in such a way that we cannot do without them. They’re part of an ecosystem that keeps our nation going and keeps us all alive. They shouldn’t have to go without the things they need for their families, and, if only during this time, they should be paid better wages for their health risk. Let’s give our essential workers hazard pay, and let them know we appreciate their sacrifice.

America’s Grand Re-Opening

The states of America are not so united on how to handle the economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. As states like New York, continue to plan, and states like Georgia, seemingly, throw caution to the wind, our nation appears as divided on how to deal with the Wuhan coronavirus issue as any issue that happens to fall on the cracks of political party lines. While many shout to the heavens, “this is a health crisis, not a political one”, some factors of the issue strike political nerves at their very roots. Republicans believe in shrinking government involvement in private matters, in preservation of freedom. Democrats have a more “save the people from themselves” approach to governing, because they know that the people look to the government to make decisive actions, or at least set the standards, on many issues that affect the masses, like healthcare. When you consider those perspectives, it becomes a lot clearer to understand that the confusion surrounding this issue, like any other political drama, is the cause of unwillingness to compromise.

The more right of center your viewpoints are, the more likely you are to believe that the government should stay out of the way and let people do what they feel is best for themselves and their families. The truth of the matter is, the quintessential “American Way” of governing should not involve country-wide mandates, telling people how to do what is best for themselves and their businesses. Frankly, telling the masses to stay home and forcing businesses to close their doors is very similar to what Obama called “crippling sanctions”, only these sanctions aren’t to prevent nuclear weapons from being created abroad, they’re sanctions on American businesses. The American businessman and woman who, like the rapper Roddy Ricch says, “got it out the mud”. These business owners do not want to sit around and watch their hard work go up in smoke. As a business owner, I would want the opportunity to conduct my business in the safest way possible, in effort to save what I’ve worked so hard to build. Owners of businesses, small or large, have a responsibility not just to their own families, but to the families of their employees and the people who demand their goods and services. Shouldn’t it be a business owner’s right to conduct their business, if they believe they can tweak their business practices to the safety standards set in place?

The more left of center your viewpoints are, the more likely you will believe that the masses cannot be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to health issues, because the average person isn’t a health expert. Daily, on the news and on social media, you can see the confusion of the masses. The death tolls are rising, and the loss of life is a cost that cannot be repaid. The virus is still so new that even the experts are changing their story on how to combat it. You don’t have to be an expert to know the country isn’t ready to go back to how it was at the new year. Many feel this time is a break that the planet needs to heal as carbon emissions are at record lows, and many companies are already changing their business practices to allow people to work from home. This could, very well, be a re-tooling moment for the American workforce. The nation could benefit greatly if more people took advantage of education and training resources, becoming more tech-savvy and computer literate. App downloads are way up as more people step outside their comfort zones to find new comforts. Online Shopping and video conferencing are just a few ways people are continuing old habits, in new ways, and it’s about time. It’s about time more companies offered work from home positions, it’s about time more companies invested in their network infrastructure and data security, it’s about time more people invested in themselves and their own talents through entrepreneurship, it’s about time for many changes that have come with being placed outside of our comfort zones. We all want this to come to a safe, peaceful end, right?

In conclusion, whether your viewpoints are right or left, we all can be right on this issue if we meet in the middle. We must all demand for competent direction from our leaders. Both Democrat and Republican citizens have been told their jobs are not essential, but no one disputes that taking care of your family is essential. Business owners shouldn’t be forced to close by the government, especially when the government has no means to cover the losses. That would be disenfranchisement of the American business owner. However, business owners who don’t want to close their doors need detailed guidelines that spell out, plainly, the acceptable standards for conducting business safely in this pandemic environment. If a business cannot meet the standard set in place, they can, at least, focus on a new business or make the necessary adjustments to become compliant. Without enforceable standards, businesses are free to do “due diligence” measures which may not maximize safety by minimizing the spread of infection. Without clear standards, the consumer cannot make educated decisions on whether they want to patronize a business. Now more than ever, we need leadership at the highest positions in our nation to be on the top of their game. The futures of all our children depends on it.

Housekeeping the Peace

Housekeeping the Peace

Fresh Idea to keep your peace during the pandemic.

“Home is where the heart is”, they say. People decorate their home according to what brings them peace. What brings us peace changes seasonally, and some people redecorate their homes each season. What brings us peace changes with the times, and older people can attest that they decorated their home quite differently now than back in the 70’s. It is perfectly normal for trends in interior decorating, architecture, and general home making to change for reasons such as this.

Home is a place of peace. The things we find there are the things that give us peace. Our families, our friends that come to visit, and our prized possessions are all wrapped up in our fondest memories, and many of those memories take place in the home. We decorate the common areas of our homes according to the people we entertain there, and the ways we entertain ourselves. We decorate our bedrooms based on what brings us the required Zen for good sleep. We decorate our home offices to limit distraction and provide the comfort to focus and work the required hours to get the job done. All these decorating ideas produce an outcome of which we can be at peace with.

When we could leave our homes and go anyplace we’d like, the home shared the burden of maintaining our complex peace of mind with the world around us. At the office, we found peace in how we setup our work area. At lunch time, we went to eat at our favorite restaurants, shared meals and conversations with our favorite coworkers, or made a quick pit stop to our favorite coffee shop. Frankly, the act of or some factor surrounding the things we do regularly give us peace of mind, and it can be very disruptive to one’s peace of mind to stop doing these things abruptly, as though placed on house arrest. You go through mental withdrawals. Your mind misses things, and so does your body. Some people are really struggling mentally, because they cannot go to the gym. Others really needed church on Sunday, and the atmosphere and people of the congregation gave them the peace of mind they needed to handle the stresses of their week.

For those of us creative enough to reorganize our homes to save money or who can financially afford to redecorate, we should do so for the sake of our mental health. Now that we’re home and cannot go out to places we love, do the activities we love, with the people we love, it is now time to rethink our home decor. To re-tool our homes for our peace during the pandemic. Because what brings us peace has changed hasn’t it?

Clutter adds a different type of stress, so the directive isn’t to just go out and buy a bunch of things to bring your favorite places from the outside to the inside, though that is an option. The point is, the role our homes play in our life is, for the moment, changed, so we must be creative in effort to bring the peace the outside world gives us into our homes. Basically, setting our homes up for success to, once again, be our place of peace. We don’t have to think so literally about this either, because sometimes it isn’t the place as much as it is the “vibe” of the place. We just have to take a real good look at how we lived our lives before this, to better understand what we’re missing about life before social distancing, and come up with a creative solution for what we miss the most about the outside world. If what we miss is eating lunch with coworkers, we should be setting up virtual lunch session so we can still chat or gossip with “the crew”. And for the record, every High School should be planning a virtual Prom Night, if they’re not already. This pandemic could start a host of new trends and become a cultural phenomenon of its own; a cultural phenomenon that we could use to unite us in a way that we never thought possible because we didn’t appreciate each other until we lost each other.