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The volatility of our world today creates pessimism, confusion, uncertainty … and eats away at our individual and collective American spirit.
We live in a world at war -- literally in battle and with words.
Just spend even the slightest amount of time on social media, news outlets and watching mainstream television media and you'll soon be very depressed about life.
Do not, dear readers, spend too much of your time watching the mainstream television media or in front of a screen reading or watching talking heads tell you what they want to hear so you can help their ratings.
They emphasize the bad news -- over and over again to the point of ad nauseum.
And with all due respect to healthy, peaceful civil protest, please do not listen to those politicians who use their words to torch our Democracy.
Human behavior is atrocious.
With their relentless, divisive (and spiteful) rhetoric that gives us the impression the "world is ending" -- all to gain ratings -- the mainstream and extreme media outlets and social media news manipulators are turning our world into one big fight.
Add to that the growing autocracies around the globe -- those political leaders who want more and more power to satisfy their selfish lust and create their own social order -- and you come to the conclusion that our future is not very bright.
But alas, it has been worse.
During World War II, for example, young men and women left their families to go into harm's way. Many died.
At home, supplies such as gasoline, butter, canned milk and sugar were rationed so they could be provided for the war effort.
Many people got three gallons of gas a week. People stood in line every week for sugar, the first and last commodity that was rationed.
The allocation was half a pound a week, half of what Americans typically consumed.
Americans used ration cards and stamps to take their meager share of household staples including meat, dairy, coffee, dried fruits, jams, jellies, lard, shortening and oils.
Americans learned, as they did during the Great Depression not too many years before, to do without.
And to make sacrifices together without attacking each other for political gain.
Today, we must stand firm with and for our nation and our fellow Americans and NOT get caught up in the hate and anger that tries to make you believe our Democracy is a piece of crap.
It ain't pretty.
It ain't perfect.
It requires sacrifice.
But it is ours as Americans.
Our method of self government requires a steadfast spirit of decency. Said judge Charles Pickering, "A healthy Democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful."
Folks, there are "honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful" Americans out there.
Read about them.
Watch what they do.
They espouse the best in us all.
Sadly, in this world of 24/7 news and ratings, they don't get nearly attention they deserve.