An American Reality Check

I woke up this morning knowing that I needed to write this. 

We need to change our ways.

This isn't for a select group of individuals... this is for all Americans. And mankind, actually.

How many unbelievable things need to happen, need to slap us in the face, need to wake us up before we realize our world is shifting into a very dark place? And we are letting it.

We live in the Divided States of America. It's been in the works for decades, but 2020 threw us in a bonus round of how many more things can we create to split the American citizens? (so they can't see what's really happening)

2020 was an obvious turning point in history with COVID. We were quarantined to our homes, separated from friends and family. We were "highly encouraged" to take jabs in the arm for protection, that would then turn into another divide in the US. As if the decades of divisional hate weren't ridiculous enough with racism, and religious, cultural, political, & geographic divides, gun control, the rich vs. the poor.... let's throw in who's the bigger idiot: the vaccinated or the nonvaccinated. It became blatantly obvious that the media was taking every single chance they could to throw fuel into the fire to make sure we stayed mad, frustrated and confused, focusing on what was "wrong with others". 

And we let it happen.

2021 would start with a post-election Capitol riot. Yep. Another conflict that would further divide the US people. More hate, more natural disasters, more COVID related deaths.... each segment of media information breaking down hope for humanity piece by piece, day by day, person by person.

2022, we all kept thinking "this is it! We are going to see a turn for the better in our world. COVID is (somewhat, but not really) behind us and life is getting back to normal!"

Nope.

We would see the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, stripping all women of having rights over their bodies that would cause subdivides in religious beliefs, political views, human rights and so on. There would be 695 mass shootings in the US alone in 2022. Yes: SIX HUNDRED. NINETY. FIVE. More Gun Control debates. Not enough mental health awareness. Global warming, climate change, natural disasters, stock market plummets.... 2022 was a continuation of the sh*tshow that was Divided States of America's new normal. 

2023 and into 2024, hope is dwindling. Americans would be at the point of numbness. 2023 starting with multiple train derailments carrying hazardous material, more disasters, more gun violence, the fire devastation of Lahaina, more conflict, more divide. 

At some point, I have to be honest, decisions had to be made and I turned to my sense of humor to cope with whatever incredibly crappy news event was smeared on my social media feed. There were aliens in a Florida mall, aliens on Ring cameras, & alien ships over Vegas. Grrreat, another divide: 

"there's no such thing as aliens" vs. "BEAM ME UP SCOTTY, I'm tired of this place!"

Team Scotty here.🙋

Then over to political divide (insert hand slap to forehead emoji): Trump is indicted by a grand jury that we later realize means nothing on the resume for a Presidential candidate. Maybe that makes him more well-rounded? And wasn't he also impeached? Or is that another Mandela Effect? Meanwhile, over in the White House, Biden can barely formulate a sentence. One of several examples, as he describes America in a single word as: "ASUMFUTIMAEHAEHFUTBW." Is that Bidenese for a Hot Mess? If so, yes. I don't have any love for either man and, to be honest, either party, because I don't actually know who is really truly fighting for us anymore. And with that said, not only do we have shaky candidates (literally and figuratively) to be our Leader, the American people are so distracted by all the divides, no one seems to care about this HUGE RED FLAG, ya'll. Hello? Bueller?

The retirement age in the US is 67 years old. Seems to me, it should also be the retirement age (aka. cap) for anyone running for US President. Meanwhile, all of this has me punched in the gut with the realization that we, Americans, are not focused on the right things to be pissed off about. Yet, there's still that divide in which I want to ask in the most respectful way possible:

How can anyone actually vote for either of these people?! Is this a joke? Are we being punked?

Where is the candidate wanting the best for Americans? Gone are the days of Let's Make America Great. We should be looking for someone who wants to Make America Whole!

We have been so easily sucked into the divides because it's in our face every day. Passing blame, lack of education, misinformation, and short sidedness has led us to thrive in that divide. That kind of negativity and us vs. them mentality helped fuel our lifelong-programmed minds. Unbeknownst to us, we, as human beings, weren't put on earth to live in that kind of negative state of hatred. That negativity does nothing but eat away at us, robbing us of ever really feeling pure joy. And I don't mean the joy of victory. I'm referring to the joy of life, of relationships, of love, of being in the moment, of all the little things that feed our souls. Hate doesn't feed your soul. It's pulls you further away from it. That's the kicker, the further we are from what truly feeds our soul, the more controlled by others we will remain.

I realize that Americans are never going to see 100% eye to eye. This isn't what it's about. It's about putting yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment to see their point of view and why they have it. You don't have to agree with it. You don't even have to like it. But if you can learn to respect it, you will see a change within yourself. Suddenly, you're less judgmental, more forgiving, kinder, gentler, and more patient. And the things that fueled you to the point of anger, naturally no longer seem as worthy of your attention. The shift is one of being driven by hate to being driven by love and acceptance. When that happens, reality is clear. We are all humans made of blood and bones. Period.

The point of this isn't to start a political debate or any kind of other debate for that matter. I am here, as a concerned American that is doing everything I can in life to stay afloat financially, emotionally, and mentally. Did I mention that I am an anxiety-ridden Gen Xer menopausal mom of 6 with a touch of ADD and my daddy's sense of humor? I'm a bit of a loose cannon but in the best way possible, depending on who you ask. I'm here for love, not war, so don't come at me unless you're ready to exert a whole lot of effort into being a keyboard warrior, in turn getting no response. 

Now, if you're here to support this shift from hate to love, WELCOME. And if you're under the age of 67 that loves love and hates hate, put your name in the comments and you can be my write-in vote in November. 

All joking aside, why can't we all just get along and get this country and ourselves back on track? Maybe it's a little too late. Maybe the countless years of damage is done. Maybe no one cares anymore.

But MAYBE,

Hear me out....

...there's still hope.💗

I haven't given up.

Kristen