Thinking is heavy work.
Some of us avoid it at all costs,
as if it were a dread disease.
Why else do we submerge our brains continuously
on our cell phones, the internet, TikTok, games, TV, porn…
you name it?
Sometimes we go days and days without thinking.
What are we running away from?
Life.
The young man who will now spend his life in prison
after targeting and killing ten beautiful black people
in a Buffalo grocery store
wrote:
If I could go back
maybe I’d tell myself
to get the f___ off 4chan
and get an actual life.
Today
I hope you are thinking today.
I hope you are thinking about something constructive and important.
Something that deeply matters,
beyond your everyday activities and worries.
Something that will help you to build an actual life.
What are your hopes and dreams for yourself?
What are your hopes and dreams for your country?
I hope you will hit the reply button
and tell me.
I would be honored if you would.
I won’t be able to reply to all of you personally,
but what you tell me
will help shape the topics I write about.
Especially if you include some tough questions!
Sharing with each other
I think we all need to listen more
and respectfully share our thoughts and ideas
instead of just debating and dissing and canceling each other.
As you all know,
we have a dangerous division building in our country.
Both sides of the divide
now view the person on the other side
as the enemy,
not as just their political opponent.
We need to pull ourselves back from the edge.
Back toward the middle.
We need to build and strengthen
our central core of shared principles–
before our angry division escalates
and explodes into war.
We must find our path forward
to declare
as we did after September 11:
UNITED WE STAND
Let’s begin
Let’s begin by thinking!
Actually thinking hard
about our own thoughts and concerns
for ourselves
and for our country.
Then let’s open up
and actually listen
to the thoughts and concerns of our fellow citizens.
Let’s listen for what we can agree on,
not constantly focus on our differences.
Let’s respectfully and genuinely ask each other,
because we really want to know and understand:
What are you thinking about these days?
OK–
Somebody has to go first…
Looks like it’s me. 🙂
So…
what’s on my mind these days?
I am wondering: