I am soon to be 71 years old. Today I finally figured out how to cope with all the craziness that is going on in the world. I am just going to change my focus and priorities. From now on my focus is going to be my physical and mental health, my marriage, my immediate family, my grandchildren and my golf game. I will also continue to work on some community boards. I am not going to worry about things I cannot control. I am just going to try to keep things in perspective. Such as:
- I am not going to get upset about mass shootings. They only represent 2% of all gun deaths.
- The death of 19 school age children in Uvalde is nothing compared to the 246 ages 5-14 who were murdered in 2019. It is just part of life in the U.S.
- I am going to put the Buffalo mass shooting of 10 black people behind me. Compared to the 9,951 blacks who were murdered in 2019, it is not even a blip on the radar.
- I am not going to care about the 100,000 people who die of overdoses each year. Most of them are drug addicts so it is part of their lifestyle.
- The million who have died of covid-19 are not my problem. I wore my mask, social distanced and got my vaccinations and boosters. Having more deaths than any other country is a price we pay for our freedoms to choose.
- Why should I care about the 50 Republican senators who won’t do anything about background checks and gun safety? I am from Michigan, and we have two Democratic senators who support background checks and gun safety. I have no control over who the rest of states vote for.
- I have no control over the shortage of mental health professionals and the broken mental health systems we have in Michigan and most of the U.S. And is clear our politicians do not care.
- I am not going to care that we have more guns in this country than people. I am sure that is what our forefathers had in mind when they created the 2nd amendment.
- I am now longer going to be upset about an insurrection at our Capitol building. The election wasn’t overturned, so the insurrection really didn’t mean anything in the long run.
- I am going to forget about the confederate flag flying in our Capitol building. The Civil war was over 150 years ago when people died to keep it out of our Capitol. Why should I care?
- I am not going to worry about the contradiction of the right to lifers who do not want to deal with gun deaths.
The way I figure, the Republicans are always going to have at least 41 senators, so any headway on things like gun safety, voting rights, women’s rights, and a whole bunch of other things will never happen because of senate rules on filibuster.
Wish me luck on my change in priorities. I am confident it is going to work out well.
As far as this blog moving forward, I am not sure what I am going to be writing about because I am sure not many people are interested in my gym workouts, my bike rides, my golf scores, my aches and pains, and the activities of my grandchildren. I will figure out something.
Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence?
Quote of the Day: “I am going to use the women’s bathroom; it is always much cleaner.” A friend.
Orchid of the Day: A certain person close to me who played pickleball today. The first time playing a competitive racquet sport.
Onion of the Day: Anyone who believes that I am going to quit speaking out and caring about what is going on in this crazy world.
Question of the Day: What will it take to get 50 Republican senators to care about background checks and gun safety?
Video of the Day: Senator Chris Murphy
Happy Birthday and keep the faith Tom. Hopefully it sinks in to someone. The answer to your question I’m afraid is that it’s going to take one of their children or grandchildren getting shot.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.