The Other Side of Sanity

I have a hard time wading into topics publicly that I do not understand. So I wont speak on things in this blog I do not fully comprehend, but I wish you to join the conversation so that more topics can be discussed. I may have an opinion one way or another on most things but I leave my mind open because I fundamentally believe that we do not know all things. Even those who profess religion should be open minded enough to accept that reality. Its a shame that in so many instances we do not hold our political views under those guidelines. We are at times so narrow minded that we have failed to do big things in our country, maybe since the Camp David Peace Accords back in the 70's. Say what you will about Carter, he got that big deal done! We have proclaimed ourselves the/a leader on the world stage but have failed to really make things better.

But I digress, I did not want to speak about politics but about something very real, and becoming ever more prominent in our national discussion. In the wake of the recent mass shooting in California, I wanted to just discuss mental illness, and I wanted to discuss it from my point of view.

For me it was a real nightmare, that I felt I'd never wake from. I began in 2006. We had just had our second child, we had just had to sell our home and I was attempting to go back to school fulltime. One day after I'd gotten home my wife came into our room and asked, "why do you come home everyday and just get in the bed?" I looked dumbfounded, I hadn't realized that I had been doing that. She said it had been weeks, I was not helping out around the house. She said I'd been acting strange and that I should seek out help. To which I did.

We spent the next 6 years dealing with my medical problems. It ruined us financially, emotionally, it was spiritually draining. I was diagnosed with all kinds of illness. I was labored Bipolar, Manic Depressed...etc. I even had stomach problems that lasted 3 years. There were nights were I would literally spend all night vomiting violently uncontrollably like clock work every half hour. 

I recall at one point in time where I felt totally paranoid in public. I only felt safe at home or at the office. So getting to work was a big deal everyday. Anyone who looked at me was a threat. I found myself looking at the exits of any building I was in. Anyone behind my was a potential threat, I had to make sure that the only thing behind was the wall. It was crippling, so much so that one day I walked into my boss' office just crying for no apparent reason and told him I needed to go check myself in to LDS. I had to make a couple of those 72 hour stays. It was humiliating, which is why so many of us go undiagnosed. There were Sundays when it was time to get ready for church and I would psych myself up to go and would find myself on the bathroom floor in the dark totally paralyzed at the thought of going anywhere. I had to quit a job I loved. I found it hard holding employment, I was totally an unreliable employee. It was hell!

While I'm dealing with this you had people whispering in my wife's ear about how I was faking it, or can't he just "get over it", and how she'd made a mistake in marrying me. Instead of finding solace in her trials she was totally alone. It was heartbreaking for me to see her having to carry the weight of dealing with my issues so much so that I sought to push her away for her to leave me so that she didn't have to deal with it.

I guess what I'm trying to get across here is that there is a lack of compassion for those who struggle with a disease that in my mind is as debilitating as cancer, but lacks the physical side effects so it often goes unnoticed or untreated until someone snaps. It shouldn't take a madman with a gun to get our attention on an issue that so many of us face. We need more funding and more research thrown at this problem. We need more awareness and more compassion for those that suffer. For those of you who do, I understand and wish to lend my support to you. There is hope! Keep fighting!

For me I was fortunate enough to be able to completely come off all medication after a surgery I had to remove my gall bladder back in 2012. I am not sure why I went through what I did, but what I gained from it is a deep sense of compassion for one more walk of life that I ignored before. It is a real issue, with real consequences. There is someone in each of our circles of influence who struggles. Put your arm around them and be a friend. Show them that there is hope. Love them, be there for them when they just need an ear or a shoulder.

May our "leaders" find the will to fix big problems here at home.

#COMMONGROUND

If I Were Commander in Chief

I have no desire to have that mantle, but if I were, the first thing I would do is to call a primetime press conference on a Tuesday evening. I would sit at the desk in the oval office and I would say, "My dear fellow Americans, my brothers and sisters in the great struggle we call freedom. I wish to tell you that we are bringing all of our troops home, in fact many are in route right now. I, as Commander in Chief have issued an immediate evacuation of every foreign military base the world over. I have sent orders to destroy or evacuate every military secret and have relinquished those bases to the powers in who's country they are in. These were our allies and thus we have left them with hardware to protect their borders as they see fit.
I have called on the U.N. General Secretary to call a session and to invite ALL leaders of every country for council. Yes my fellow Americans, ALL leaders, even those we currently deem terrorists. I will stand before the nations of this world and declare that the great nation of the United States will no longer send troops to solve your problems. I will express regrets for many of our foreign policy stands that may have caused harm and detriment to their nations.
Now my fellow Americans, we will use the funds that we will save and keep our men and women in uniform employed but we will employ them to build first. We will put the millions of Americans to work repairing our decaying roads and bridges. 
We will use those funds to spawn new industry. I have counseled congress to appropriate some of the funds for small business owners, true small business owners who have ideas to make the economy better who provide decent jobs. They will have an opportunity to propose business plans and will be given grants based on a good sound plan. We will replenish the Social Security Trust so that it is sound and we hope to restore your trust in us. We will pay down the deficit every year and borrow no more. I will seek congress' help in enacting policy that forbids the treasury from irresponsibly printing money. We will protect your hard earned sacred tax dollars. We will seek to remove FDIC protections from investment banks. It seems that far too many of our nations banks have not fulfilled their charters to serve the communities, but have failed us, thus those who seek to be investors rather than caretakers will be stripped of federal protections from failure.
We will use the funds to teach children how to survive the new economy where specialization is not always the answer. We need wise and flexible individuals entering the labor market. Our teachers will receive an increase in wages, and better tools in which to reach the students.
We will do this America because we are Americans and we have a strong history filled with men and women who were courageous and we have a bright future full of promise.
America, we will focus on the U.S. on US then when we are stronger we will help others by showing them the way, not by force, but by example.
We will promote freedom and ingenuity by the sheer force of example and accountability. We have no fear, we have two oceans, satellites in the sky and courage that protect us from state actors. An ally to the north and a friend to the south. Yes we will have extremism in our midst, but we will regulate this as a police matter and not the military. We will not curtail our freedoms because of fear. We are a people of destiny! Let us rise to the challenges we face and let us rise to the heights of our founding fathers and mothers who left us a great ideal and legacy.
Thank you and God bless the United States of America!"

#COMMONGROUND

Ad Hominem

The word means: appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason, or attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.

 

This is where I would like for us to depart. There is no doubt that each one of us do this at some level. But where I would for us to begin is to drop the Ad Hominem attacks. When we disagree we can do so on the issue and in a gracious manner. Where I see we fail is to simply say, "you're wrong!" And then there is no follow up on an alternative. It is better to reason with one another than to attack with no clear plan to given to the other group or individual to consider.

 

As we make this journey together there is no doubt that we will have differing views on certain subjects and when we do let us respond to one another with a sense of respect and dignity and let us attempt to find a bases that we can work from. In our discussions please let us not become bitter and angry with one another and if we can't agree on a solution today lets table it for later. Time tends to lend us wisdom and often in the heat of the moment one tends to be blinded by his or her own prejudices. Let us be different from all the other movements that may have failed at this.

 

I bring this up because a great fear I have is an issue will arise that will divide us, but that's okay that we do not completely agree on all things. When can still discuss and lend support for the cause of good, even if we do not fully see the grand vision of another individual. I appeal to our "better angels", in the words of Abraham Lincoln. I believe that humans are inherently good and can bring about much good in the world. I believe we are stewards of a beautiful world and we being the only animals conscience of their existence are duty bound to take care of all else the planet harbors, for all we can see scientifically, we are all there is in the universe, why not do all in our power to protect it.

 

Whether you are religious and believe there is a god who placed us here to have dominion or you are an atheist and believe this is all we have, why not make sure our species lives on forever in peace and harmony. I especially appeal to those who feel this is it, we are obligated to make sure planet Earth survives with a race of people who have overcome their tendencies for war, and greed, and hate.

 

I want to leave this world behind much better not just a little, if for some reason this is it, I want to make sure one million years from now we have left a legacy, that they look back at our generation and say, "Those were the founding fathers and mothers, who made a better world. They are the reason we have peace and that we have sustainable life. They were the ones who provided freedom the world over. They had courage in the face of insurmountable odds."

 

I have reached out to some for their thoughts on what should be discussed here. I want to recognize those thoughts and if for some reason you have felt I did not do them justice feel free to post a reply and I will post it, I will leave you anonyms if you would like, but I need your voice. I will discuss them more in depth as we go along. 

 

I have had a few responses they have been, "Why do we spend so much on defense?" and "How come many other countries have found a way to offer healthcare to their citizens and still function, why can't we figure something out?" or "How are they capable of offering higher education for nearly free, while we saddle our people with debt?" I've also heard we should discuss accountability, I believe this is needed among all classes of people, we are responsible for many of our situations. I've also heard we need to discuss how we can help others feel a sense of pride and dignity and character development even though they may be impoverished.

 

There is so much to do and it really hit home this past Saturday listening to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror,

"I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right...

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change..."

 

I've heard this song 100's of times but I finally got what he was trying to say. All the things we say we want to see change, you must then start with yourself! This is why I started this. I'm gonna make a change!

 

As always lets start with what we have in common which right now is that the world is speeding to the abyss.

 

#COMMONGROUND

Welcome To Common Ground

"Jesse Owens taught not only me, but many of us some important lessons: to strive for excellence and to encourage communication across borders; or to ignore the political boundaries that otherwise separate us." This was a quote from a German citizen on a documentary presented by the PBS program "American Experience". I take it that because I'm looking to motivate others to join me that I see these words everywhere now.

I decided that my "Bread of Life" blog is not the appropriate avenue for what I am attempting to do as that it may be a roadblock for those who may not be religious. I must be upfront with you, I do wish that many would join me in following Christ. I am commanded by Him to spread His teachings. But I am also under obligation to help people in a temporal way. And at present I am feeling the need to focus more heavily on the temporal state of my brothers and sisters world wide. I look around at our society and I fear that we are headed down a path that will leave the world in shambles for our children. We owe them to change course.

We, united can be a force for good. I have this fire in me that is motivating me to be an advocate for those who may be less fortunate. There are many causes that are available for us to take up. This is the reason why I had someone create the symbol you see. I ask that you take up this symbol and spread it abroad. For we are "COMMON GROUND" use it with a hash tag.

The symbolism is this: The roots are connected to common ground and the tree is fed and sustained by the common ground we all share. The base of the tree represents strength. The birds are rest, refuge and peace. The leaves are a representation of how this movement will flourish and it will give back just as trees give us clean oxygen to breathe.

My vision is that this movement will take up any worthy cause. That it will be a power and when action is needed we will bring that power to bear. This is not a political movement but we must realize that politics are everywhere and we must operate in the system that we have until we change that system. I foresee this movement forcing our elected leaders to change course and to focus on real issues instead of keeping us segregated on matters that do not really matter. This is more a social movement.

Everyone that I speak with believes that the entire world is moving too fast and in the wrong direction. We all feel helpless because we believe that our individual voice is not enough. We all agree we need better and more courageous leaders and we long for a MLK or a Gandhi. What I am coming to realize is that we must be who we want. I have attempted in the last few weeks to change my life even more to be a better  Husband and Father and to make it where people would trust me with their hopes and dreams. I don't want to be a morally bankrupt leader or a hypocrite. We have plenty of those already.

Enough talking about change lets get together and really change. I know each of you has ideas and ideals of how you would like to see things. What are they? Lets make a plan of how we can make them reality. Because that we have different experiences we will each have different goals and passions. Mine is the state of my people. What I saw and participated in growing up was unreal! No more children should have to deal with the pressures of poverty and violence. Help me help my people. I will help you with your passions and one day we will be able to look back at our fruits and see how far we have come.

I know this will be a long hard fought battle and the first step will be the hardest. The question now is how? How do we do this? Where do we start? You ready?

Our anthem is #COMMONGROUND!