So Which is it? I am Confused

I have been teaching in a jr. or sr. high school for almost 22 years now.

When I first started teaching, we hammered the students that they needed to go to college to increase their possibilities of success.

So we got a glut of students in college increasing their knowledge and maybe influencing their thought processes along the way. Those college educated people got jobs in cities and live their lives just fine.

In the last 10 years or so, we have really hammered that college isn't for everyone and that they don't have to go to college to be successful. They can go to a trade school, start a business, but that there are more options and don't feel badly if you do not attend college.

So the amount of students not attending a four year college has gone down some, and those people usually live where the jobs are, in rural, less populated areas.

Now we are seeing an ever increasing political divide.

Many think it's Democrat and Republican, but if you look at an electoral map, it's urban vs. rural.

Urban people tend to be more college educated, more "poor" minorities tend to live there and both groups tend to vote Democrat.

Rural areas tend to not have as many college educated people living there and the "poor" there often are white.

If you follow social media, which is one of my weaknesses, I see a growing anti-rural or anti-urban sentiment.

Those who live in the rural areas believe that the urban people are elite snobs and those in urban areas believe the rural people are hick racists.

It's my opinion that these feelings are being driven by having so much information at our fingertips.

How much would we actually know if we did not have 24/7 coverage on the news and social media running continuously?

But we do, so what do we do with it?

Do we guide students into college again so they can be properly educated and indoctrinated on the left politically way of thinking? 

Or do we continue to send kids where they will be successful even if it means a two year degree and living in a rural area and indoctrinated on the right political way of thinking?

Or we could look at the millions and millions of people who vote for each side and not generalize that they're all elitists or they're all racists.

All that does is further the divide between the two groups, and I am sorry to say, it's the only thing I see anymore.

My fear is that we will all continue to move to the far left and to the far right stretching the middle until there is nothing left remaining. Blinded by inability to see past our own belief systems. Blinded that what we may define something as may be defined differently by someone else. And our middle will stretch so thin that we all fall down on top of each other ruining the great thing we have here in the USA, and that's a life that's better than many, many places in the world.

But what do I know?

Jon Parsons

 Jon Parsons...I hope I spell his name correctly because he's important. (It is, I found him on Linkedin)

Not because he introduced himself to me Saturday night at the volleyball regional in Corydon.

Not because he told me he remembered when I was the head coach at Henryville and he was a student at Lanesville.

Not because he said he's followed my blog and twitter since waaaay back.

But because he's a high school athletic trainer who helps student-athletes when they are injured or hurt.

But because after our 15 minutes conversation I can tell he's someone who obviously has grown and continues to change for the better.

And because he's willing to volunteer to reach out of his comfort zone to help others.

And finally, because he made me feel good about myself and helped me to understand that we can all have an effect on someone even if we don't understand at the moment, or if we don't even know them.

Thanks John for all you do.

Faith is...

Fear is...

Doubt, the unknown, past disappointment, trusting the intelligence of others, not wanting to take risks, unrealistic expectations, frustration, not being in control of every situation, anxiety, depression...

Hope is...

Being able to function within the parameters of fear, and understanding and being okay with not being in control because there is something greater at work.

Sadness and anger are...

When fear takes over and you cannot think clearly or rationally.

Joy is...

To be relatively content in all things.

We are all fearful, but it is how we deal with it tells us a lot about ourselves.

Do you continue on with a decently positive attitude, or do you bring down not only yourself, but those around you.

Love is Truth

"What is truth?" retorted Pilate. John 18:38

When it comes to this world, the Internet, political and social division, etc, etc I am not sure I know what is "the truth" anymore.

For every single issue you can find an article with an expert who knows "the truth" and I believe it. I mean this person is an expert and they are citing official documents.

Then I find someone on the other side of the issue.

In fact, it happens on almost a daily basis, and sometimes hourly.

I feel that I am educated and up on what is going on at any given moment, but even I wonder if I know what truth is anymore.

And there are so many people who are so secure in "the truth" and are unwilling to even listen to an opposing viewpoint. And if they do, they're quick to point out why you're wrong because they have data, they know the intent, they are smarter than you, you're the one being misled.

We have in our pockets the history of the known world and every detail and opinion ever written, it seems, yet we continue to become less..."smart". 

Me included.

Social media is so powerful in allowing us to keep up with friends from way back, for sharing out thoughts, and possibly becoming more informed and making money from it.

But it also allows a platform for the uneducated and even the good intentioned to be wrong, ridiculed and "canceled".

What is truth?

I'm not sure anymore other than what I can see.

Truth is the love I have for my wife and kids, and how I feel about my co-workers and students.

Truth is the feeling I have towards real people who interact in my real life.

And truth is my faith in Jesus Christ.

And even that truth has more denominations and interpretations that I care to write about here.

It's sad and depressing, yet I have hope.

My hope is in Jesus, not in a person, not in a self-help book, not in a philosophy, not in a politician, but in Jesus.

The rest of you people can argue about what you want, but if I'm going to be wrong, I'm going to try to love as Jesus said to do.

What's Wrong With Us?

We all need Jesus!

No kidding, it would make for a much better world and some day, he's coming back, but until then what exactly is wrong with us?

The hostility, the division, the anger, the smirks, and rude behavior seems to surround us everywhere we go, even online...especially online.

I have a theory and I am sure many people will disagree, but I remember when social media started to take off in around 2008-2009...somewhere in there. People, especially younger people, would post their emotions online and if you confronted them face to face they got embarrassed and removed that post. It was because that was not who they really were, maybe it was, but it was not how they wanted to be seen in "public".

Somewhere along the line, people stopped being embarrassed by things they posted online and became defiant. "It's my page and I can post what I want, if you don't like it unfollow me" or something along these lines. It was a weird transition, but people started to remove the veil of being a "nice" person. I guess it made/makes us more authentic, it's who we really are or can be, but it is it good for society? It seems to be in everything we do from politics to mask wearing during a global pandemic for gosh sakes.

My point is that the hostility, division, anger, etc has now moved from online into the real world. We've forgotten how to act with decency, even if it were a phony decency, but it seemed we got along better.

Who knows?

Maybe I am just aging and wishing life were like the "good old days" before the Internet, social media and cars (just kidding), or have we descended into an abyss that cannot be fought out of, but fought inside and that does not help anything.

It just rewards the meanest, best fighter...for the moment until someone meaner and better comes along.