Different Beat, Different Drummer....Okay

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I’m Convinced: It’s Not That Bad

(Different Beat, Different Drummer….That’s Okay)

Standing in line waiting for chicken and grits, a woman from Mississippi starts asking Kathy and me if this is the best chicken in town.

That turns into this huge conversation about chicken, life, Mississippi and the current state of affairs in our country. She is black and we start talking about racism….an open, honest, dialog with smiles, no judgement and lots of laughter and agreement.

A few days ago we’re in a great little pub, the only two white humans in the joint, having the same conversation with the bartender.

Upstairs, at the hotel we’re staying at, a bartender at the hotel asks us where we’re from and we end up in the same conversation.

Those interactions, coupled with all the conversations we had with Uber drivers from all over the world tell me America is in better condition than the media, the movers and shakers and the politicians want us to think.

We watched during “The Dark Time” how trying to control us with fear, kept us from having deep conversations with people, to take their temperature and find out where they really were coming from.

Instead, we allowed the media manipulators to spin their web of stories to divide us and make us believe “the other side” was out to get us.

Hey, I’m a realist and still believe there are a bunch of problems but it’s time to take the mega-phone away from the manipulators and put it back in the hands of you and me…..The People.

Kathy and I already noticed the difference moving from Oregon to Montana. I know some of you take this as “Oregon Bashing” but I don’t really care. There is a difference when you get to other parts of the country and many of the things happening in Oregon really are just crazy. Instead of standing up for where you live take a deep breath and read the rest of what I’m saying,,,,please. When you live in crazy you get used to it when you get away from it one realizes how screwed up it really is.

And when you get away from your own life and start talking to people who are not like you but actually use critical thinking skills and live in reality rather than places that see what’s going on as “normal” you realize people are awesome and they too love this country and still see it as the best in the world. If you don’t….there’s the door.

I guess the best reality check for me was not one of our 10 Uber drivers was from the United States. All of them came from other countries. They all talked about how great it was here and the opportunities it gave them. None of them took for granted the freedom we have and a few, when asked, said “If people only knew.”

So it’s time to rope this thing in. It’s time to stop focusing on gender, because some of us follow biology not culture and that’s okay. If you want to identify as the opposite sex or no sex, I have no problem with that but don’t ask me to celebrate it. I can and will honor you as a person who thinks differently. But please don’t try to do as was done during COVID, and try to force me to adopt your belief system. I’m a God fearing man and would NEVER try to force you to buy into my faith. My faith is not based on your accepting it or me.

It’s time to allow folks, yes us too, to be who we want to be but in the process culture doesn’t get try to redefine for any of us what it means to be an American, what it means to decide right from wrong nor can it tell us what is good and what is evil.

When we get to a place where requiring people to think the same I’m out. Well the truth is it’s not working.Look at the boycotts and pushback on PRIDE month. I’m not anti-gay, I have too many great friends who are gay, they respect my choices and I respect theirs. I’m not anti-trans, what you choose to do with your body, life, etc is none of my business. What I’m against is an attempt to force me to believe what you believe. Again, let’s go back to my faith in God. I’m a follower of Christ but I don’t expect you to believe in Him in order for us to live together. Our friendship is not based on your believing what I believe…I don’t care.

My battle is not against any group of people. The battle I will fight is against the ideology that tells me I must get on the merri-go-round of likeness, smile and pretend like this is normal. I will not and my right to step off the ride is what makes this country so great……and you can’t or won’t take that away from me.