THE TIME HAS COME FOR ALL GOOD CITIZENS TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY

I have written on this subject several times before within other context. I now make this subject priority one, as I believe it should be.
Our country is in deep trouble. Financially, diplomatically, and most of all in the lack of engaged citizenry. We have become a nation of extremes. We either are extremely left, extremely right, extremely liberal, extremely conservative, extremely religious, extremely secular, extremely Democratic, extremely Republican and predominantly, extremely apathetic. We tend to pigeon hole ourselves within a selected group and parrot what that group says, believes and votes for. By such ideological slotting, we can then disengage brain and let the other members of said groups think for us when it comes to our citizenry and politics. Just like in sports, we pick a team and then bash every other team. We second guess the coaches and berate losing players. Here is the difference. In politics and good engaged citizenry, WE are in fact the coach, owner and players. We would like to place blame on an administration, party or group. Just like in so many other facets of our lives, we have shunned responsibility and accountability.

Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong. ~Richard Armour

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle. ~Alexis de Tocqueville

We'd all like to vote for the best man, but he's never a candidate. ~Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard

There must be common ground which we can all stand upon. We must find that common ground. I believe we can all agree on keeping our republic sovereign and autonomous. I sincerely feel we stand to lose that soon should we continue down the path we are on. How can we accomplish this? We must start locally by approaching the party of which you are not a member of. If you are not now, or have ever been a member of any party, good. We must forgo this party mentality. I know it will be difficult to accomplish. Start by developing relationships with people of every party. Stop refusing to talk to liberals/conservatives. Be a citizen, not a republican/democrat/libertarian. Love liberty, not a politician. Love freedom, not television. Love your country, not dogmatism.

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right. ~H.L. Mencken, 1956

All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field. ~Albert Einstein

The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it. ~P.J. O'Rourke

The future is up to us. We have to understand that we are the government. We have to become engaged in the process. We have to insure our posterity enjoys the same freedoms and liberty that our forefathers secured for us with hard knocks and blood. We have to understand that it is our noble charge to secure this future. The days of laziness and lackadaisical approaches are over. The party is over. Should we allow things to take the course those who would destroy our republic for their financial gain would want, which is what we are currently doing, we will lose our monetary autonomy and with it, so goes our republic.

Midas, they say, possessed the art of old
Of turning whatsoe'er he touch'd to gold;
This modern statesmen can reverse with ease -
Touch them with gold, they'll turn to what you please.
~John Wolcot

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America? ~Author Unknown

Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan

We must educate our youth on the rights and duties of citizenship. We must get our children engaged in the process. To do this, WE must be engaged in the process. Ask questions. Take the time to call your representatives. Force change by numbers of those us engaged. Take up the mantle of good citizenship and be a good example for our youth to emulate. Take responsibility and be accountable. Be Americans one and all. This house is once again divided. This house will not stand as such.

Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country - and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians. ~Charles Krauthammer

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks. ~Doug Larson

One ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end. If you simplify your English, you are freed from the worst follies of orthodoxy. You cannot speak any of the necessary dialects, and when you make a stupid remark, its stupidity will be obvious, even to yourself. Political language - and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists - is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. One cannot change this all in a moment, but one can at least change one's own habits, and from time to time, one can even, if one jeers loudly enough, send some worn-out and useless phrase - some jackboot, Achilles' heel, hotbed, melting pot, acid test, veritable inferno or other lump of verbal refuse - into the dustbin where it belongs. ~George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language," Shooting an Elephant, 1950

COMBATTING NEGATIVITY

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Now I don't know about you, but after accepting a gift this wonderful from our Lord, it is hard for me to be negtive about anything. There are many people though, who find themselves caught up in negativity whether it be their own, or that of others.

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.) ------------------------------God has given us everything we need to live the abundant fulfilled Christian life. We need to learn how to use what we have so that our lives will overflow with joy and thanksgiving.

It’s undeniably true that there will always be people in this world who see the glass as half empty. These are your negative people, who typically see the worst in a situation, no matter what the situation may be. Communicating with these people, whether they are friends, family, or coworkers, can often be difficult, exhausting, and can hinder your happiness. Why are these people negative though? Once we know the answer to this question, and gain some understanding into the problem we can find solutions to beating the negativity that these people possess.

The Good & Bad Sides

To every situation there is in the world, there is always a “good side” and a “bad side”, or positive and negative sides. These positive and negative sides are typically subjective and dependent on the person who views the situation. In reality there is no situation that is strictly good or strictly bad. This is all determined based on the perception of the person who has the view. People who view the positive/good side are known to be optimistic, while people who view the negative/bad side are pessimistic.

The classic “glass with water” analogy proves this pessimistic/optimistic theory that the way we view things subjectively ultimately determines if a situation is positive or negative. In reality, the glass has water in it taking up half its volume. It isn’t “half empty” nor is it “half full”, those are opinions based solely on an individual’s judgment.

It’s important to realize and understand that situations have both a good and a bad side. Choosing one side over another limits your ability to find the real truth that lies in seeing the broader picture. We folks are lazy these days. Very lazy as comared to our forefathers. It is sometimes easier for us to claim one side, and when that side is the "bad" or negative side, we by our laziness choose it. Sometimes conciously, but most times subconciously. If we put our spirituality and God into this equation, though it may take more work, thought or time, before long it will become habit to make Him a part of every decision we make and perception that we have.

People who are overly negative are depressed. This is typically the main reason why negative people always see the worst in a situation. They can be depressed for many reasons, and it’s possible they are despondent about a certain topic or situation because it has hurt them in the past. Whatever the reason, they reflect their sorrow on the world around them, seeing only the bad things in life, which makes them even more depressed, and thus continues this downward spiral of negativity.

Once we realize that a person is depressed, we want to help them if we can. We don’t want to see our friends and family in pain. So, we try to help them cope with their sadness, or fix their problems and reasons for their depression. What happens though is that these people can’t really be helped until they want to be helped. It isn’t until a depressed person realizes that they are depressed, and desires to make a change for the better, that they can be helped. If you feel that a friend of family member of yours is depressed, I seriously recommend having them discuss with a professional such as a psychiatrist about their depression as it can be a very serious problem leading to physical harm and death.

I have known negative people who after I had told them good news about myself, were the first to show their cynical attitude and point out why it isn’t good news at all. I knew that these people were only trying to sap my happiness, and I ignored their ill-willed comments. People should be happy for the success of their friends, family, and the people around them. Instead of feeling bad about not having someone’s success or achievements, these defeatists should use it as a learning experience and stepping stone to change their own lifestyle. Like I said, it is much easier to perpetuate a negative attitude than to change it.

If you know a person who shows this type of jealous negativity, I would recommend avoiding them if you can. Share your positiveness with them as best you and offer yourself as a good example for them to emulate. If they are incapable of listening (many are) than seperating yourself from them might bring them to the realization that you are uncomfortable around them. These people believe that you are part of their problem, even though in actuality you aren’t, so it is best to stay away from them, because they will only continue to attempt to make you feel badly about your achievements.

Breaking the Negativity Virus

Negativity is truly a virus of the personality. It infects the mind of one person, and that person continues to spread the virus to other people. It’s extremely important that you don’t become infected, and here are a few tips on how to break the chain of infection from the Negativity Virus:

Trust in your own opinions

Negative and positive views are only opinions, and you should realize that no opinion is a fact, so trust your opinion above the opinions of others if you don’t agree with them. It’s important to get the opinion of many different people anyway, so don’t focus on a single negative one. Remember that your happiness is valuable to you and no one has the right to take that away from you if you don’t allow it.

Show the good in the bad

If you know a pessimistic person that always points out the bad in situations, you can combat the attitude by telling them the good in the situation, or even have them tell you the good in the situation. Pessimism is based on a subjective view of something, so it is helpful to have a pessimistic person realize that there is a good side as well to be seen.

Be kind, but don’t be an ego feeder

Negative people often search for people to feed their egos to make them feel better about themselves, which is only a temporary gratification. It’s important to be kind to the people around you, but don’t overdo it to the point that people talk to you just for an ego boost.

Include the negative person in a positive situation

Sometimes it can really help to change the outlook a person has just by including them in a fun event, or happy situation. People can sometimes be truly missing out on the great things that life has to offer, so if you can, try to include them in something fun that you are doing. You may just happen to guide them back on the right track.

Isolate yourself as a last resort

Sometimes there are people that no matter what you try to help or resolve a person’s negativity, they remain pessimistic. At this point, I recommend breaking ties with these people, and isolating yourself from them. There isn’t much else you can do to help, so it is pointless to continue subjecting yourself to their negative attitude.

Dealing with negative people can often seem like a daunting task, one that leaves you feeling sapped of energy, but once you understand the cause of a person’s pessimistic attitude, you can help try to fix it or recommend someone who can. Trust in yourself and do your best to see the great things in the world while trying to eliminate the bad. If you do this and do it well, eventually the pessimists will follow.


The way we see the world is only a matter of perception