AN HISTORIC IMAGE

DECADES AGO I WALKED AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

Earlier in my life I considered myself a Liberal Progressive.  After much listening, reading and thinking I grew into a Libertarian Conservative.

Before my perspective and opinions changed, I believed what Democrat politicians, Liberal Progressive leaders and the mainstream media said about so many things.  I believed Russ Limbaugh and just about every Conservative was a racist.  I believed the Democratic Party represented good values and the Republican party was for the rich.

Now I think for myself. Now I know better.  Now I pray much more. And now the contrasts are greater and more obvious than ever. And I have now noticed something extremely frightening.

I see how brainwashed people are. I've seen how powerful propaganda is!

As a Jew, I used to find it so hard to imagine that Nazi propaganda achieved what it did. I was found it hard to accept that propaganda was capable of persuading so many in Germany, even if they were anti-Semitic to begin with, into allowing Hitler to do what the Nazi's did to their own fellow country people, neighbors and even friends.  NOW I GET IT!

Now I appreciate what propoganda can do, that it exists in our Republic and it is tearing down the Foundation our Nation was built upon.

When I see how people still believe what Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, AOC, Ilhan Omar, Maxine Waters and so many others are doing is OK, I get it.

I see how mainstream media is 95% negative about Donald Trump and Republicans and how powerful propaganda is. I see how good and intelligent people can be convinced.

I AM NOT ALONE!!

Millions and millions more are seeing what I see. That is the biggest reason the impeachment hoax and what has been happening to Donald Trump since he came down the escalator is backfiring.

Tens of millions of people, not just in America either, are awakening to how they were deceived by propaganda by the Left.

The public knows the House Democrats called 17 witnesses and Republicans weren't allowed to call one. The Public knows the House wouldn't allow the President to be represented. And the public doesn't believe the "whistleblower" without hearing and seeing him under oath!!

The TRUTH is being exposed. The truth is finally coming out about corruption and what the Left and the Deep State which INCLUDES REPUBLICANS, have been doing for a long long time!

People recognize now the news is more propoganda driven by a Partisan agenda. And the people are coming to appreciate two things that the Left realized decades before the Right and which Democrats are way ahead of Republicans:

1. "Culture is Upstream of Politics" Andrew Breitbart - If you can control popular culture (Hollywood, TV, etc.) you can control minds and that let's you control the message.

2. "Freedom is Never More than One Generation Away from Extinction" Ronald Reagan - If academics (college professors) are championing Partisan political opinions they can indoctrinate the next generation.


Since 01■01■2020 Truth has been on the march.

The image of Pelosi tearing up the SOTU speech has already destroyed Nancy Pelosi's future. It will tarnish her for the balance of her life. That IMAGE WILL BE HER LEGACY!

And Pelosi knows it and it is driving her insane.

Throughout this year we are going to see many bold contrasts. None will be better, stronger or more visually obvious than the image that the world saw of Trump delivering the SOTU while Pence stood to applaud and Nancy Pelosi stood to tear up his tremendous message to America.

That image is much more than an ordinary photograph. I believe that as years go by this image will mark an historic turning point in America. It will come to represent the point when the transformation of America began.

Over the months and five years ahead with Trump as President, many more lies to be exposed.
There will be many more truths and contrasts to come.

As the truth is exposed tens of millions in America will recognize the propoganda they were deceived by. Propaganda from all sides.

Americans are awakening to the corruption of our government at large. They are realizing that there is a Deep State in Washington D.C. which is protecting the ESTABLISHMENT.  That involves Democrats and Republicans! Whether the outsider who threatens their egos, money and power is Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy or Donald Trump it doesn't matter!

Like Moses did, George Washington's is speaking to us from the past through his Farewell Letter.

Millions of Americans are finally recognizing that our media has long been used by the Washington establishment to manipulate the citizenry for money and power reasons.

There are some very powerful and corrupt individuals inside CIA, the Deep State and political parties who will lead us into wars, destroyed lives and even assainated their enemies who threaten to expose them.

Destruction is ahead for the evil forces in our country. It will not come with physical force. It it will come from exposing the truth from the darkness to the light.

"THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."
Jesus in John 8:22.

The TRUTH about our Government will come from the President doing just what he has been doing, DECLASSIFYING classified information!  It will come from FREEFORM OF INFORMATION filings by organizations such as Judicial Watch.

The truth will come from legal battles like the lawsuit of 16 year old Nic Sandman against CNN and Tulsi Gabbards lawsuit against Hillary Clinton. It will come from the long overdue criminal investigation that is underway by US Attorney Durham and AG Barr.

The truth will also come as a result of the hundreds of conservative judges which are being confirmed and who will strictly interpret the Constitution rather than legislating from the bench.

The truth will trample over the lies and cause much destruction in the process. The truth will cause the rise of rage.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:The truth is march on.
GLORY, GLORY HALLELUJAH!

Can an image set us free?  An image is light. Light is truth.

Ultimately, there will be a REBIRTH in America.  The best is yet to come!

🙏STAY CALM🙏

IT IS HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LINCOLN AND TRUMP

As far fetched as it may seem, there are multiple parallels between President's Lincoln and Trump.

The first created the Republican party. The later sought to restore it and expose the "Republicans in name only," so called "RINO's."

They both stood tall at over 6'3" with a very distinguishable appearance that their critics enjoyed mocking and making cartoon caricatures of.

They were both where considered interlopers by the Washington elite.

Pundits of each predicted before their start that their Presidency would be a ruiness failure. Of Lincoln a major Memphis newspaper published this statement:

“Within 90 days from the time Lincoln is inaugurated, the Republican Party will be utterly ruined and destroyed. His path is environed with so many difficulties, that even if he had the ability of Jefferson and the energy of Jackson, he would fail, but he is a weak and inexperienced man, and his administration will be doomed from the commencement.

They were both despised by D.C. insiders and posed a threat to the "Establishment."

They both had to endure endless, ruthless public and personal attacks. They both endured relentless hostility in the media.

They both never shied from going out in public despite considerable risks and challenges to ensuring their physical safety.

They both were famous for their oratory talents and possessed a charisma that commanded attention. They were both known for their sense of humor.

One is credited for making the Republican Party great and the other is credited with uniting the Republican party the most in history.

There is a credible theory that the House would have impeached President Lincoln had he not been assassinated first.

They both became forever associated with a great split in our nation.

They both had to deal with States violating Federal requirements concerning legalities over citizenship.

They both made a huge difference in the prosperity of Black lives.

They both believed that legal citizenship mattered and was worth fighting for.

They were both loathed and hated so deeply that fantasies of their assassination were not unusual.

They both had extremely close Orthodox Jewish supporters. They both made frequent strong references to their Faith in the Almighty.

Here is what was said about Abraham Lincoln:

• The contempt for this President upon his arrival in Washington DC was so widespread, so vicious and so personal that it marked an historic low point of USA presidential prestige. 
• On arrival to Washington his support in the nation is estimated at about 25 percent — roughly equivalent to the lowest approval ratings recorded by modern-day polling.
• He is no more capable of becoming a statesman than a braying ass has of becoming a noble lion. 
• Americans projected onto him everything they saw wrong with the country.
• Critics in Eastern cities said he was inadequate to the needs of the democracy. Hostile masses elsewhere said he represented a deadly threat to the republic. 
• His imbecile mind and disgusting manner have made the USA the laughing stock of the whole world. 
• This man is more of an unconstitutional tyrant and a repulsive dictator.
• The European powers will despise that this President was the best that Americans could do.
• The press suggested that the president deserved the deepest disgrace that the crushing indignation of people can inflict. 
• Critics said we soon would have a self-proclaimed dictator who would carry out his plans by "iron rule of the worst kind of despotism."
• To millions this resident was a standard bearer for a vast corrupt political system.
• One major NY Newspaper joked darkly that the President "may live a hundred years without having so good a chance to die."
• Democrats savored the spectacle of the President's demise. Democrats announced "he will never be President again."
• The elite were fed up with his "little jokes" [tweets]. They called him an obscene ape and vowed to depose him from Washington and the White House.  

Those remarks are virtually quotes from major publications and politicians at the time describing Abraham Lincoln during his Presidency.

It is hard to tell the difference between what the mainstream press and Democrats said about Lincoln in his day from what they say about President Trump today.

I am by no means the first to draw a comparison of Trump to Lincoln. Other's have and I'm certain more will.  Here is one example. 

It remains to be seen how history will judge Trump. But there is an increasing sense by Republicans that they are on the right side.

[LINCOLN AND THE JEWS]

PREPARING TO REST

Poet's Walk Park

Life is filled with opposites and everything in between.  We go with the flow and try to live in the moment.

A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

God designed us to get ready for the times in our life. Part of life is preparing for life itself.  Spring planting prepares us for Summer growing. The fall harvest is to last us through the winter.

God gave us time itself. We need time to prepare the future, from our birth to the hereafter and everything in between.

Genesis 1:14 Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.

To make the most of the time we are given, God gave us the sun to measure the day and the moon to track the months. The ability to measure time helps us to organize and order our life.

Every day is like a minature life. Every week has a beginning and an end. God gave us festivals and holidays to mark the months the even the years, such Tu Bishvat which begins this Sunday evening.

 “man is a tree of the field” (Deuteronomy 20:19)

We are made in the image of The Creator. We create. So too do we rest. 

As we live our life, we fill it.  Our soul is the vessel our life is collected in. The body holds the soul for the time we have, until the body's time is up and the soul moves on.

In life, when we pour out our soul, we are sharing the deepest and richest essense of who we are. And when we put our soul into something we are investing the deepest and richest essense of ourselves.

One of the amazing things about how God designed us is that when we put our soul into something the vessel is filled, rather than emptied. Love multiplies.

GOD GAVE US REST AND COMMANDED US TO OBSERVE IT. 

God gave us rest to observe time.  Observance is the act of letting go of creation. It is a time to see and appreciate life and all God's gifts. Rest isn't simply the absence of work. It is much much more.

There is meaning in deliberate and conscious rest. Rest makes life richer.  Our work is more fruitful because of our rest.

God gave us the morning to prepare for the evening. The busier our day, the greater our relaxation.

Rest is so precious that God gave us time to prepare for it. God created six days to prepare for one day of rest.

The greater our preparation the richer is the reward.  Such is the Sabbath. Such is life.

I heard that at night a tiny bit of our soul leaves our body to be restored. And in the morning, as we awaken and our nostrils take a breathe, we are restored.  That is when we are best to say a morning prayer.

The Hebrew morning prayer is called the Modeh Ani.  Here is that prayer Texas Style. (I think is a great song to use to teach a child about how precious each day is so they will make the most of it.)

Modeh Ani Lefanecha

Melech Chai Vekayom

Shehechezarta Bi Nishmati

Bechemla

Raba Emunatecha

I offer thanks to You,

living and eternal King,

for You have mercifully restored my soul within me;

Your faithfulness is great.

Each day we fill the vessel.  On the Sabbath we get to appreciate life and get a taste of what is to come.

Before Shabbat we have a mystical prelude to Shabbat, Kabbalat Shabbat. Time to prepare for rest. Time to prepare to recieve the Shabbath - to enter Shabbat.

God gave us time to prepare for life. God gave us the Sabbath rest to prepare for time.

For whoever enters Gods rest
Also rests from his own work,
Just as God rested from his own.
Hebrew 9

We OBSERVE the Sabbath to observ rest, to observe time.  TO HAVE PEACE

Shabbat Shalom.

L'Chaim 

P.S. This blog post was inspired by this week's Shabbas email message from Rabbi Yacov & Hindy Borenstein.

My Kippah Is Not a Problem

On the morning of February 4th I boarded a train from Poughkeepsie on my way into NYC for both business and personal meetings. 

l felt the entire day was going to be special. I decided to take my Kippah with me. That's not uncommon for me to do. 

Like most Jews raised in a Reform temple, I put on a yarmulke during Holy days services, Festivals and Shabbat in Synagogue. We step out, it comes off.

I also like to put on my kippah when I am in strange places, like a foreign city or when the occasion moves me.  When I feel like having God and Judaism on my mind I put my kippah on my head. 

I'll digress for anyone who is unfamiliar with a kippah. It is Hebrew word that literally means skullcap, also referred to in Yiddish as a yarmulke. 

The Jewish tradition of wearing a kippah is not derived from any particular biblical commandment. Rather, covering one's head began as sign of respect and reverence for God. A simple article of clothing, it is also a recognition that there is Someone “above” us who watches our every act.

There is central Jewish prayer called the V'Ahavta. It is the prayer inside teffiln which some Jews wrap on their forehead, arm and hand. It is inside a mezzuzah on the doorposts and gates to Jewish homes and offices. In the V'Ahavta we pray to "Be mindful" of the Torah as a means of consecrating ourselves to God. 

Two Jews, one raised in a non-religious Reform house and temple and the other being Orthodox, get on a train separately . . .  Do they sit down together?  If they do, what do say?  

I boarded the train for my trip to NYC and sat down. I remembered the kippah that I had shoved in my coat pocket on the way out and put it on.

At that moment a young Orthodox Jewish man, judging from his appearance, was walking by me in the isle. He greeted me "Shalom aleichem" and I responded "Aleichem shalom."  I offered him the seat next to me.  He offered me the seat next to him on the next car up. I went and sat. We started talking. We stopped at my stop - 125th/Harlem.

It was most serendipitous for me because I had questions and thoughts about the Torah portions from both the previous and current weeks. (Parshat Beselach and Bo in the Book of Schmot, commonly known as EXODUS.)

I soon learned that this man was the Rabbi for a Chabad House at a very prominent college. He asked me about my connection to Judaism.

I said I was raised at Vassar Temple, Poughkeepsie's Reform synagogue.  He responded with an assumption,  "so you are secular."  From the intonation of his voice I sensed he was making a statement rather than asking a question. 

Someone might have taken insult to his remark. But I didn't.  For me it was just another lead into the conversation I felt we were destined to have. I was already convinced that Hashem had a reason for us to find ourselves together. 

Our conversation covered nice ground. The trip flew by.  We even said a healing prayer together for a mutual friend we discovered we had. As anyone who knows Chabad, the rabbi was all too happy when I asked him to put teffiln on me. I think he was surprised when I knew the V'Ahavta.

Before I knew it, my stop was not far. And I felt close enough from our conversation to ask him a very personal question that I've been waiting to ask the right Chasidic man, who so happened to be seated beside me on this particular train, because of my kippah.

I asked the young rabbi, Have you ever experienced people judging you for becoming "too religious?" Has this ever been a problem for you personally?

His head rolled back and his eyes opened wide and a smile came on his face. The young bearded man in a dark suit, and a white shirt over a tallis, said without much hesitation,  YES. He had a personal story to share. 

He told that me grew up in a liberal Jewish household. When he was a just a young boy, his mother wanted him to know, "If you ever realized that you were gay I will accept you. It is OK." Many years later his mother expressed much anxiety over how religious her son had become. One day, he addressed it with her. He said to his mother, "You told me you would accept me being gay. But you have a problem with my faith in God?"

Our conversation continued until it got cut-off when the doors opened at 125th street, Harlem station. I scrambled to gather my papers and coat and raced off. The doors closed and off went the Rabbi. And so did my cell phone, which I left on the seat!

Thinking quickly I went into the Station and explained to a ticket teller that I just left my phone on the train and asked if she could contact the conductor on the train to grab it. She couldn't, but she took out her personal cell and asked me my phone number. She called my cell phone. Rabbi answered.

My cell phone problem was easily solved. I just needed to go to home and the next day I could pay the ransom to get my phone back. Off I went to have my meetings.  Without my cell. Lacking a cell was karma, per my wife.  

I had two wonderful meetings in NY and a special day over all. After, I took the subway uptown to Harlem to catch an evening train back to Poughkeepsie.  

It was dark out when I got off the subway in Harlem. The streets were dirty. As I walked to the train station I was aware that I was a stranger.  I was also aware of my Kippah. I didn't feel alone. 

I've had God on my mind increasingly these last 10 years or so. The desire to wear my kippah is more common for me in my life today than when I grew up.

That was why I asked the Rabbi on the train about his personal experience. On my train ride home I wondered to myself why didn't I wear my kippah every day? 

I realized it was because people might look at me strange and judge me. Most of all I was concerned what my family might think. 

I am happy. I try every day to be a kind and loving person. The discomfort I feel is the internalized opinions of other people. The shame I feel is not about my relationship with God or the desire to wear a kippah. It is the shame loved ones feel about me. 

Rabbi Menachem Posner said that, "Ultimately, the hope is that wearing the kippah will serve as encouragement and a gentle reminder to progress."

I made a decision on my ride home from NYC. When I called the Rabbi the following morning to make arrangements to retrieve my phone I told him about it.

I am wearing my kippah every day. It is not my problem. It needn't be anyone else's either.

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

Isaiah 26.3

HOW ANGRY PEOPLE ACT AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR AMERICA

Democrats are seeing their chances of removing Trump through impeachment slip away. The reality of having to actually beat Trump head-on in the 2020 Presidential election is becoming a more frightening reality for some.

Prospects for Trump in 2020 are extremely good.  He is going to be very hard to beat. As the probability of four more years becomes a highly likely reality, fear and anger in America will escalate.

As we come down to the last six months before the election the volume of political advertising is going to significantly ramp up. There is a ton of money itching to be put to use. That money isn't going to be used to make many of us feel good!

Fear and anger are perennial "go to" emotions in political ads. Politicians and activists stimulate and exploit fear and anger to bring out the vote. Voting is healthy.

Sadly for society, the fear and anger carries over after the election. And politicians want it to in order to achieve their agenda and because there are elections every two years.

All Along the Watchtower 

"I [We] can't get no relief." Jimi Hendrix 

Unfortunately, fear and anger also trigger negative unhealthy behaviors such as hate and aggression. Hate is a popular subject of concern today.

Fear and anger expressed as aggression is something we had all better get ready for in America.  It's going to be coming big-time to a town near you.  Perhaps even to a home near you.

For a few months now I have been saying we are going to see a rise in rage.  Rage is the most pitched form of active aggression.

You'll recognize this type of aggressive response when it happens. Active aggression is more easily spotted.  The most obvious example is a crowd of Anti-Fa protesters.

A passive aggressive response to fear and anger is more common but it is less easily spotted. Passive aggression is typically found in personal relationships such as between family members and with co-workers.

Passive aggression is quite insidious and damaging to relationships.  If you are unfamiliar with it there is considerable information available with a simple search.  Here is one example of what you might find.
7 Reasons Why People Use Passive Aggressive Behavior.  

Angry people will often justify their aggression. Some are in denial or even unaware of their own aggression.  Here is an excellent related article.
Do Passive-Aggressives Know When They are Passive Aggressive?

This is the Hebrew year 5780.  It is also an election year and as the political season revs up to full speed going into November, I think we need to know the types and signs of aggression and to guard ourselves.

Since we are as likely to have strong emotions both for and against the different candidates, we are likely to be harboring feelings of fear and anger as others do.  In other words, we can be an assailant and/or a victim.

Therefore, we have to be as conscious about how our own emotions manifest in our own behaviors as we are of others.

As for me, I prefer open communication.  I am not just an open book, I write and publish it. 😉

I also find that the more I put my faith in God, the less fearful and angry I feel.  I don't tend to have aggressive inclinations.

The negative emotion that is most familiar for me is impatience. I want to fix problems, which isn't always as beneficial as it might seem.  So I have to work on having more patience.

WHERE IS SOCIETY HEADED? 
Last year it became apparent to me that there was much more fear and anger present in society.  I started to write more about the consequences our society may face moving forward in the toxic Partisan atmosphere we live in.

I identified 0101■2020 as a milestone. The decade of the 20's will be a period that will mark a new reality. America's is going to sleep in the bed our nation made for itself. I also envisioned the twenties as a time of transformation.

As a literary technique I coined two expressions. I made repeated use of them in order to established a theme which i carried through like a thread into many of my politically oriented social media posts:

• DESTRUCTION and REBIRTH 
• 🙏STAY CALM🙏

As 2020 unfolds I think it will become increasingly apparent why I chose those particular word phrases.

Eventually the 2020 election will come & go. Unfortunately, I do not see the passing of the election bringing an end to the pattern of fear and aggression. To the contrary.  One side is apt to be more angry than ever before.

🙏STAY CALM🙏

I AM AN ADDICT

ad·dic·tion

/əˈdikSH(ə)n/

Learn to pronounce

noun

1. the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity.

I admit it - I am an addict. They say the first thing an addict must do to deal with their problem is to acknowledge they have it. So here it goes.

I am addicted to reading and writing online.  They call it social media addiction, but that doesn't seem to cover it in my opinion.

I am addicted to reading about trends, religion, business, philosophy and all sorts of things. I have subscribed to dozens of websites and YouTube channels. Nearly all I do on line is free, but I do have paid subscriptions to two Torah study sites and the Daily Wire.

Most of what I read and watch is serious and intelligent. I'd even put satire into that category. Others are just hillarious.  For example I find Key & Peele skits to be brilliantly funny.

My reading material sources also include audio books. I do lots of those!  I prefer non-fiction. In addition I spend about six hours a week studying Torah and just reading the Bible.

What I do NOT do is watch much TV! Whatever Mary has on is fine in the background as long as it isn't political.  Preferably it's sports! Golf, hockey, tennis, football, baseball even the Hallmark Channel - anything but politics!  When I do watch TV it is an awesome show on Netflix that I binge on my phone or tablet with headphones.

Here is how I explain the reasons for my reading and writing addiction.

I love thinking about the world and trying to understand the big picture and what is underlying events and behavior.

I enjoy getting below the surface and developing theories and explanations for what is happening in the world.

My intense joy from religious faith is fed heavily through reading and writing.

I take pleasure in trying to offer out insights. It delights me to help others see a positive perspective which may be different than their own.

When I am on Facebook, to me it feels like I am at a giant party with almost everyone I know. I have the sence that I am socializing with my friends.  Listening to some, striking up conversations with a few, avoiding certain folks and basically enjoying one another's company.

Facebook feeds my curiosity and interests.  It also gives me a medium to test out thoughts and opinions. I am very open and trusting, but if I don't feel safe with someone I simply block them or just stop following them.

I will tolerate differences of opinion. Many of my friends are very Liberal and progressive, whereas I am a Libertarian Conservative. But I have received considerable encouragement from friends with polar opposite political views. I find that as long as people's hearts & intentions are kind, the capacity for tolerance is very high. For me personally the key is that I have no expectations that anyone will change who they are because of me.  I am responsible for me, period.

Things can get tricky, and I do draw the line at being disrespectful or hurtful.  I have had a couple of run-ins, but very few considering the time I invest and how expressive I am.  I'm not intimidated or fearful. It's just that I prefer not to waste my time.

Back to why I am addicted . . .

It feels good when I get a positive reaction. It is especially satisfying to me when I get the sense that I have helped someone else in any constructive way.

I am addicted to the endorphins that are produced for me through reading and writing.

I read and write on social media, but that isn't the only place. I write three other blogs besides Ritter's Rants & Rumblings. The other three blogs are for my business.  It is essential to my business that I build content which generates organic traffic to my websites.

1. GoldMine Success
2. Get a Better CRM
3. Better Business CRM

I also write email messages that I broadcast out to thousands of businesses every month.

Occasionally I write an article for the Jewish Federation's monthly newspaper The VOICE.

Looking back in my life, writing isn't new. I wrote personal journals when I was in my teens and early twenties.

Back in the early 1990's, I enjoyed writing and delivering speeches for the Poughkeepsie Area Toastmasters Club. Evidently those weren't too bad because they chose me to be the area's Toastmaster of the Year in 1993. I am particularly proud of that even though it feels like a lifetime ago.

For 10+ years while I was an Adjunct Professor teaching Direct Response Advertising at Marist College I enjoyed writing on marketing subjects.

I tried writing a book on marketing psychology based on a theory I had worked on developing.  I did a couple of lectures on it at the time which were well received. But regrettably I never finished the book.

Back nearly 30 years ago when I was President of the Dutchess County Realtors Association, I somewhat enjoyed writing the President's speech for the annual dinner.

For two years, while I was President of Vassar Temple, I would write a column for the monthly Temple bulletin.  I wrote about 20 articles.  That was very enjoyable for me!  I also especially liked writing my Temple President speeches during the High Holy Days those two years!

I like writing for my friends on social media. Which is where my addiction has caused me the most trouble.

My friends on Facebook are people who mean a lot to me personally.  Some of them are friends I grew up with.  These are 45+:year relationships in some cases!:

I enjoy trying to stimulate my friends. I enjoy sharing with them - both ways.  I take the greatest pleasure in pleasing them. And you bring out the best in me!  Which brings me to the main reason I write.

Fortunately I don't have to write that explanation here because this article is already long enough. And because I already wrote that explanation once before. In fact, it was the subject of MY FIRST blog post nine years ago.

For all these reasons and others I am addicted.  And like anyone with an addiction, I have hurt the ones I love most of all. Therefore my addiction is hurting me.

So I'm going to seek help with my addiction.  I'm sure I can improve.

Lest you think this post is intended to be snarky, I want to be clear. I do have an addiction.  And the points in this post are sincere explanations  Regardless of whether it is justifiable or understandable, it is causing pain and anguish. So I am seriously trying to figure out how to deal with it.  It'll take some time on the couch.

Fortunately I do like gardening very much. Perhaps it is time to spend more time doing that.

COULD THIS FIX AMERICA?

The other day I heard that "having an argument can be healthy."

Which raised a question in my mind. How does one have a healthy argument? So I googled it.  What I found was interesting.

As you'd expect, there are many articles/tips on how to have a "healthy argument."  Here is a link to one such article with super tips for arguments in a relationship.

Naturally my search on the subject  brought me to a lot of material on "how to win an argument." That vein had nothing to do with my inquiry but it is understandable why it came up in my search. I will only say this on that.

Of course, it is one thing to win a "debate" or a court case, and another to win an argument in a relationship with a loved one.  That reminds me of two old adages: "Pick your battles" and "win the battle but lose the war."  (Dam the ego!)

There is another perspective concerning "healthy arguments" that you might not have anticipated. That got me thinking on another level.

Arguments can make us smarter. In other words, arguments can raise our intelligence.  This article explains.

Arguments help the way we see and understand a problem.
Arguments provide meaningful alternative perspectives.
Arguments reveal flaws.

Arguments can lead to new approaches and trigger fresh ideas for solving problems. 

By the same token, stifling or silencing other views diminishes the potential that an argument offers. If this happens, people on all sides of the problem lose!

As I read that article the thought occurred to me. There is a potential flip-side to the terrible disagreements in our society today.  I began to wonder. That led me to the following question which is also the basis for the title of this blog post.

CAN WE FIX AMERICA BY FIXING HOW WE ARGUE?

Then I formed that question into the premise of a possible argument:

IF we improve the way we are arguing we have a chance of fixing the things we are arguing about!  Let me repeat what I just said.

IF WE FIX HOW WE ARGUE WE CAN FIX AMERICA'S PROBLEMS.

To illustrate the potential value of fixing the way we argue I will state it more specifically:

• If we fix the way we argue about the problems associated with climate change we can fix some of the problems associated with climate change. 
• If we fix the way we argue about the problems associated with gun violence we can fix some of the problems associated with gun violence. 
• If we fix the way we argue about the problems associated with homelessness we can fix some of the problems associated with homelessness. 

I realize that what I am saying is not entirely realistic. I also recognize that I am oversimplifying the solution to many of society's most complex problems.

By the same token, you must agree that there is too much "stinken thinken" in the world.  (That phrase is a quote of one of my favorite humans named Zig Ziglar. He used to love to say that when he was alive. I miss old Zig.)

In conclusion, if it is true, and if arguing can help us to more intelligently solve problems, then it is reasonable to believe that we increase the potential for solutions by being more open to healthy disagreements.

On a very personal note I want to add this.

As a Libertarian Conservative; as a person with strong views on faith; as a "thinker" who cares about the world that people I love are growing up in - I often share thoughts that people don't agree with. It can lead to arguments. Sadly, that isn't turning out so well. Some wish I'd keep my thoughts to myself.

I know I can NOT change the world by myself!  I'm not a fool. But I have two children and grandchildren that I love with all my heart and I am trying desperately to do my best in the simple ways that I have. By writing.

🙏God give me the wisdom to know.❤