Well, this is a mile stone blog. This is #100. What should I write about in this one? I don’t think I will write about a particular topic. I will just make this one a collection of thoughts, whimsy, or observations… …let us meander…

I must thank my wife for encouraging me to write. The chance to express myself in words never occurred to me. Instead I would bottle up the stress and frustration with the world around me. Writing has released these weights of conscience. It has helped me analyze and focus my opinions specifically. This has been a lot of fun and I plan on continuing…

The Ten Commitments need to be at the forefront of governance. The ten commandments belong in a church or synagogue and no closer to a house of governance than that church or synagogue. Religious zealotry has no place making policy. The Ten Commitments are: Altruism (I will help others in need without hoping for awards,) Critical Thinking (I will practice good judgment by asking questions and thinking for myself,) Empathy (I will consider other people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences,) Environmentalism (I will take care of the Earth and the life on it,) Ethical Development (I will always focus on becoming a better person,) Global Awareness (I will be a good neighbor to the people who share the Earth with me, and make the world a better place for everyone,) Humility (I will be aware of my strengths and weaknesses and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of others,) Peace and Social Justice (I will help solve problems and handle disagreements in ways that are fair to everyone,) Responsibility (I will be a good person even when no one is looking and own the consequences of my actions,) and Service and Participation (I will help my community in ways that let me get to know the people I may be helping.) https://americanhumanistcenterforeducation.org/ten-commitments/

I find the service of MAGA, the officials/people that support it, and Christian Nationalism are in direct contradiction of these commitments. I feel they need to reflect on what service to the nation means. Their reality is skewed. It lacks rationality. It promotes violence and hatred. Promoting an agenda where humans are nothing more than capitalist commodities for trade is not sustainable. I dissent with their weak opinions and thoughts.

Practicing the commitments demonstrates strength of a different kind. One of service, kindness, and enlightenment. I aspire to meet the standards of these commitments. Most importantly, I want to make the world a better place for everyone through service and commitment. My professional pursuits of education and music align with them. The hardest of these commitments are Responsibility, Altruism, and Ethical Development. Our all to frail make up as humans leave us rationalizing our weaknesses. The religious call these the seven deadly sins. It really is just human frailty and weakness. We don’t need the threat of an afterlife in heaven or hell to be motivated to do good for the people of the Earth. It is a simple conscious decision of determining whether or not I want to be altruistic or selfish. Altruism is so much more gratifying.

Privilege is defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted only to a particular person or group. The white minority in South Africa exercised this privilege during Apartheid. Their governance promoted racial segregation and wealth inequality. One may draw the similarities here with MAGA. They are all acting as if they are privileged. Exercising privilege is not good humanistic practice. It is a rationalization where one thinks they are exceptional based on x,y, and z when in actuality they are simply weak people looking to dominate others to feel better about themselves.

I have been privileged to live a life free from oppression. Unfortunately as of late I feel more oppressed as my governance disregards the very things I hold dear for all people. I stand with my fellow citizens who feel the same way. Together we must bravely face this oppression together. I will add, that the oppression that I’m feeling does not even come close to comparing to the oppression being faced by immigrants and people of color throughout the land I call my home. I am small. Know that I stand with you all as well. I can only imagine your feelings, I have not lived them. How can I assist?

Finally, I would like to dote on about my dogs. My dogs as my wife affectionately refers to them are Bubbles and Mack. Bubbles is a Neapolitan Mastiff and Mack is a Bull Mastiff. These two 150 lb. puddles of slobber have a unique and most comforting way of loving me. Bubbles is a hugger. She leaps on to my lap with all of her strength and attempts to lick me with a tongue as large as Delaware. In the process I get badges of slobber on my clothes and plenty of dirt marks across the shirt and pants from her ginormous feet. This ritual that lasts about 2-5 minutes comes with me scratching her neck, chest, and back while trying to hold her head just far enough that my face stays dry. Yes, I could tell her to get down, but this is how she shows me love. She is not a snuggler… she’s a full contact rugby tackle… I would not change a thing with this. My clothes will wash.

Mack on the other hand is the snuggler. When I rise in the morning and go through my morning routine of eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and reading some news before doing a word game. Mack hops up on the couch and lays across my lap. He is a bio-electric blanket in the winter. As I read I scratch his head and ears. I rub his spine gently. This connection is very reassuring for both of us. We’ve been doing this for seven years together. He also loves to sit with his back to me as I write on my computer. He then launches himself backwards in a huff as if to complain… It is my turn for some attention… That machine can wait… I love big dog love. It is an acquired taste, but having a couple of dog friends like Bubbles and Mack helps me forget about the troubles of the day. I encourage everyone to have an animal companion like them… Large or small… There is a lot of joy in those big heads, and I am blessed to share it with them.

100 blogs… Plenty of dissent and plenty of non dissenting… Thank you for those that read my musings. I appreciate it. Thank you for giving me the privilege of writing this stuff down. It has been a wonderful creative outlet. Until next time friends…

…so it goes…