Being my own man in 2006

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Matt89

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Wife and daughter out of town today...so I have some time for deep thoughts
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The more I read and think, the more I realize that I just can't go on 'the American Way'.

I'm so tired of the excess that I see around me. It seems that the biggest thing a person can aspire to these days is driving around yapping on a cellphone about NOTHING, making and spending more and more money on expendable crap, and finding an ever-wider and plusher seat for their fat ***es.

I'm sick of listening to the one-sided, canned babble coming from both sides of any given issue, whether it be the war/Middle East, immigration, church & state, free speech, racial issues etc. It seems like everyone is either 'bought & paid for' or signed on to a given agenda from which they can't deviate, or risk being voted off the island. Don't believe me? Read some political documents from the 17-1800s and contrast them with the crap that passes for critical thinking now. I fear the 'mob mentality' I see developing in many segments of our society - whether that be immigrants, leftists, or radical conservatives. Everyone seems to be circling the wagons and drawing lines in the sand instead of thinking for themselves and trying to find common ground.

I'm tired of the mediocrity of our elected or appointed officials and short-sightedness of our business leaders. It's like everyone's scurrying to get a chair before the music stops, or picking out curtains on the TITANIC.

I used to believe that there was an American spirit of RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM and SELF RELIANCE that has enabled us to be so successful over the past 250 years. Maybe there was at one time, but I'm just not seeing it in 2006.

So what's my point? Not sure. I took an oath to support & defend the CONSTITUTION of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And I fully intend to hold up my end of that bargain - as an abstraction, a concept, it is worth defending to the bitter end. But as for the rest of it, I don't know...it doesn't seem worth dying on the beach for anymore. What I do know is that I'm committed to being my own man, taking care of my own problems best I can, and thinking for myself even if that means being lonely in the 'no man's land' between the contenders in our often pointless struggles.
 
I totally agree Matt. I am increasingly frustrated at the way complex issues are dumbed down into black and white based on 15 second TV sound bites. And, 99.999 percent of people are happy to be ignorant, selfish, fat, and lazy. Just put it on credit.
 
I've said it before. Once we drifted from the Constitution, we were toast. There is nothing in the constitution about freebies for all no special guarantees for certain groups, no secure income for those too lazy to work, no protection for people who aren't citizens....and when we even mention actually enforcing our borders like every other country does, people come unglued...bizarre....I better stop now.
 
Matt89 done said a mouthful.
And I agree, with the addition of being saddened by the hijacking of Faith by a certain party(which speaks neither for the Big Guy nor many, many of his followers), and the idea that nationalism is the same thing as patriotism.
Matt is right, we need to break free of the herd mentality.
 
You sound like a true Libertarian, among, what, 3% of the populace?

patriot.gif
And thank you for signing up to defend this occasionally mediocre nation.
patriot.gif
 
A lot of people have never been through any real hard times such as the Depression that lasted for 16 long years. A lot of the " Baby Boomers " have no clue. As jobs leave our shores for others and unemployment starts to stack up some of these people are going to get a real wake-up call. Too many Americans are letting other people do their thinking for them. Matt has some good points(questions)that , if you're paying attention ,you should have also!
 
Do a favor for your neighbor, in exchange for another. This supports yourself and your community without supporting the cancer in the system.
 
The "mob mentality" of which you speak functions as (I think) a substitute for having a genuine sense of communal belongingness in a lot of cases. Take that however you want. People have a need to belong to something, sometimes it ends up being an idea.

I don’t know about your area, but I see plenty of “individualism” over here. Come to central Illinois, and take a walk through yuppie village. All the houses are carbon copies of each other (beige or light yellow please) and everyone has the same lifestyle, but for some reason, they all are more “individualistic” than anyone else. The whole neighborhood buys these little invisible fences that keep everyone from interacting. (I’ve never seen one; they must be buried in the ground like the ones for dogs). Or perhaps it’s just that they are all too similar to each other, and have nothing to talk about. That must be it. But gosh, if that’s the case, then I guess I’m wrong: if everyone is exactly the same, you can’t get much more communal that that, right? Maybe I need to rethink my position…

People can develop the tendency to focus their efforts on personal growth too much in one direction. They see building a strong community and building a personal fortress as mutually opposed means to self improvement. Too bad. They spend so much time macing perceived opponents and fleshing out their internalized conception of perfection that they forget about the people in world around them (except those they are competing with of course). He who dies with the most toys wins? You’re going to buy your kids a better life? Okey dokey.

I have lot of “bricks in my wall” that occasionally turn me into a self-serving recluse like everyone else, and if it came down to me or you one day, I’ll protect my interests. But at least I’m not completely under the illusion that I have to live my entire life like that. Some people act like they are in a perpetual war or something; you want security, I understand. You think you can make your life turn out perfect by manhandling everything you come into contact with? You’re ******* in the wind. Take a big step back and look at things; you are not ultimately in control of the outcomes in your life: fate still trumps all. Pu-leeze stop trying so hard to build your own island for you and your family to live on, and get together with the people who live next to you. Have a block party!

Images of the self-made man are inspiring for some, but the people who work together are the ones who win in the end. Rugged individualism and self reliance? I believe you are thinking of John Wayne and George Washington. Being a “self-reliant, rugged individual” is not just the ability to split yourself off from the world. The strongest “individuals” are people who can bring everyone together under a common cause.

***This message brought to you by the National Council for Regurgitated Cheesy **** That Only Pseudo-Hippies Like Johnsmith Believe Even Though Everyone Still Knows It’s Kind of True (NCRCSTOPHLJBETESKIKT).***
 
"And I agree, with the addition of being saddened by the hijacking of Faith by a certain party(which speaks neither for the Big Guy nor many, many of his followers), "
===========================================================

And the other party disavowing His existence in our lives.
 
I went upstairs here at the apartment I'm living in for work last night... the guy upstairs invited me up for a beer...

He's been living here for 6 months, and hasnt met anyone relatively friendly in the slightest.

Here he's a native Alabamian, Im a transplant, and we both lack to see the hospitality of the south.

He calls it stuck up folks... I call it the way everyone is in the NE, just migrated south.

He thinks that people are uncomfortable if he comes up to say hello, because the news brainwashes them to think theyre being followed by a child molester or murderer. yet hes a disabled retired christian man, with wife and daughter.

He commented that people in the apartment complex dont even wave when he's walking and theyre driving by, and he tries to smile and wave.

Everyone needs to look out for themselves morally, politically, impact-wise, money-wise, socially, etc... But I suggest that everyone attempt to say hello, wave or at least nod to one random person every day. People just cant fathom why someone would say hello to a stranger anymore, and it ruins the social ties of society, aiding in further and greater polarization on every account.

JMH
 
JHZr2 I think You hit the Nail on the Head !! Around here Everybody where I live (Every body calls it a "holler" a small country rode that connects to the two lane and then to the highway) Everybody waves and knows everybody when something happens everybody is almost immediatly there to offer their help. When somebody new moves in every body still waves at them when you meet them coming up or down the road and if something needs to be done its expected you'll help them and it also goes vice versa. I think this goes a long way to helping ease peoples nerves and to releiving tension. IMO
 
Move to a small town or village away from it all. Then, after you are there a while, and get to know a few people, and what the local problems and issues are, get involved.

Life is more manageable when you can see that you can have input and make a difference.

Unsubscribe to all your magazines and things that tout ownership of the latest and greatest material things. Posessions cannot buy happiness.
 
quote:
Originally posted by k1xv:
Move to a small town or village away from it all. Then, after you are there a while, and get to know a few people, and what the local problems and issues are, get involved.

Life is more manageable when you can see that you can have input and make a difference.

Unsubscribe to all your magazines and things that tout ownership of the latest and greatest material things. Posessions cannot buy happiness.
Click to expand...
I just moved to Collingswood, NJ... My neighbors are all awesome. Its very small townish, despite seeing the Philly skyline in the background. Everyone comes out and waves on our street. Reminds me of my hometown in Northern NJ...

And to think.. Im talking about NJ!!!

yet come down to Auburn, AL, and people dont seem all that friendly... oh, and MANY girls drive new 3-series and guys drive new diesel pickups!

ANyway, back on track.

JMH
 
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