inequality – Random Observations

Found the below video about how international news commentators and journalists see the United States and the current election and many past years. One aspect that I came away with that I am embarrassed to be called an American. It is not just one person’s fault. Personal Perspective is how proper communication, problem-solving, and compromise are no longer implemented or shown. Additionally, we seem to have forgotten our history that made America the ultimate destination for a melting pot of nationalities, cultures, skills, and religions.

The New Yorker – What Do Foreign Correspondents Think of the U.S.? Documentary posted 10/26/2020

As November third approaches here in the United States and voting nears, I struggle with my mental health needs and the conflict between Democratic and Republican sides. This battle between the two political sides brings forth anxiety when speaking with people. Personally, choose not to speak about either political label. Due to my strong illogical desire not to offend others and start an argument, I cannot win depending on which side of the political divide the individual is speaking from politically. Part of this position stems from my home; we are a two opinion household running a government. So, where does this leave me when moving around this politically charged landscape we currently call living.

Somedays, I want to throw up my hands and move to land in the middle of the forest or island, become a nomad van orR.V. dweller. My perception is that these make it easier to avoid others. Currently, that is not feasible, and I am sure many from that lifestyle or culture still interact with others; it gives the impression that it is easier to avoid conflicts. Well, now that we know, I cannot avoid things like I desire. Currently, I live with others, and my two jobs are industries that have me working with people face to face. Where do I go from here to not only survive but to thrive in this land, we call America that claims to have pride but is so fractured that the individual’s perception of what being American means.

Let us break down American Pride definition-wise. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, American pride does not even have a definition. It is just sad that there is no definition of something that the media spouts about that America is Amazing. So if we are wondering why, is there no definition describing American Pride? Let me see what I can determine by breaking down the two words. American is a word to describe an American Indian of North and South America, a native or inhabitant of North or South America, and a native or inhabitant of the U.S. citizen. Pride is the quality or state of being proud either with conceit or reasonable self-respect. Well, I guess that explains why American Pride avoided having a definition in the dictionary. As culture shows or presents the good and evil as Americans, we can be the arrogant or present culture of ingenuity and self-respect. Contributing to the world that we are conceited would not be something that, as a culture, we strive to ignore or negative over the top behavior.

Some people’s actions show conceit by feeling that they are owed things without following the rules in place or earning by effort. Just saying you are American does not give you the right to be seen as royalty. I saw that in being a Voting Poll worker in the last election. Many times, I heard, “What do you mean I cannot vote? I am an American Citizen.” Suppose one has not registered or followed the laws in place by one’s state or local county. In that case, people need to accept a mistake, learn from the error, take personal accountability, and change individual action from that point. Acknowledging the conceited behavior shows that we are abusive to those around us instead of the country of inclusion that we pretend we are. There has always been a culture entering our country that was attacked because they are escaping severe situations. Immigrants, mean the different perceptions of how life should live based on their societal and cultural norms to mesh with the new culture they find themselves with, not what the tv or movies present.

We have forgotten the melting pot that America began termed starting in the early seventeen hundreds and a method of living our religious and self-rule freedom. This desire for self-rule is why the revolutionary war was our leaving a monarchy. What is scary to me is when delving into some of the political rhetoric presented to the general public from social media or political rhetoric, we are striving to return to why immigrants left their countries of origin. Being told how to live, spend our money, and what healthcare we are allowed without a free choice. Yes, some can get insurance, and some cannot. Companies need to return to offering affordable and beneficial health insurance to all employees, not just full-time employees. Most part-time employees cannot get insurance, and with companies that do, it is low quality and takes a third to half of an individual’s paycheck. Insurance companies, the Doctor, and Hospitals need auditing. Not our Government paying for something that they can barely afford for those that are disabled or infirmed. Scared about what our future will look like when I cannot get care on time and cost due to not getting to a doctor. I have this trouble now with insurance, and I have watched over individuals with medicare get less care than I do, so why do I want a government to rule every aspect of my life. Below is a presentation of Canada and French and how it matches the U.S. system. I am not promoting any particular political party, just presenting information allowing for the blessing that living in the U.S. gives, which is the freedom of choice in voting. Yes, the presentations sound right, but U.S. government parties cannot even agree on how to help those impacted by COVID, so how would our Government even implement or pay for this supposed healthcare for all.

CNBC – How Canada’s Universal Health-Care System Works

CNBC – How French Health Care Compares To The U.S. System – 2019

Making America Great or Build, Back Better, living in our country, is a personal choice. We must take responsibility for our actions, and that means re-building our nation. As individuals, we cannot wait for the Government to do it for us. We must do it as individuals, not the Government’s place to tell us how to make our country. We need all economic and social society levels, but evening this out would be lovely but impractical; there has always been a society based on financial separation. What is essential is to strive to take care of those in need without stripping away their desire to improve themselves. We can all, at a personal level, survive and can be thriving. It is all in the perception of our circumstances. What is essential food on the table and family safe. What if we reached for that instead of things that have minimal value.

Voting and Living for Pride in America is learning and presenting a society and culture, celebrating the differences in all of us. Culturally, Economically, or Religiously that may not always agree but disagree with humility and genteelness. America began from a desire to live with a free religious and governmental rule; our forefathers fought the Revolutionary War for independence from a monarchy and tax without representation. World War Two, we rationed to support our troops. How have we gone away from this get-up and go to sit and talk/complain? It does not mean riot but research extensively and get out and vote what your conscience leads you to. Get out and volunteer with groups that help underprivileged, abused, or sex traffic. Needs are plentiful in our country. Please get out and volunteer or financially support the needs of the many who do not expect a government that no longer understands the financial needs of their constituents. Suppose you cannot help with time or money and support word of mouth by talking or posting on social media. Making America something to be proud of again is a ground roots action of taking care of the needs of those around us, not waiting for the Government who probably could not even agree on what color to wear one day. We are a melting pot, and right now, we are not a cohesive aromatic blend. We are a rotting separating mess.

Let’s get out and vote based on research and conscience. Let’s get out and help others and accept that we will not all agree, but each of us can make a fantastic blend in this melting pot we call the United States.

Here is a music video that registered, and I kept thinking of how many of us live in self or situational cages. It is time to strive to step out and break the apathy wall that has fallen on many of us. Make choices to change the world around us individually, not the big picture that will take care of itself as time moves forward if we return to striving to treat people as equals and care for their physical and emotional needs.

We The Kingdom – Cages (Live Album Release Concert) – 9/3/2020

‘Feed a man a fish he starves the next day. Show a man to fish he will eat every day.’ Of course, my depression just took over my writing and finished that with ‘then the man starves when he overfishes the stream.’ But that is the beauty of humanity and the diversity of people. Where one association can show a man how to fish, and others can come in and show how to do so sustainably. Suppose we return to working together and stop pushing ourselves to strive for the media’s idea of an ideal life and determine our perfect personal experience that brings a sense of mind and heart peace. Peace looks different to all of us. I would be happy on 500 acres of land providing care to RV and van dwellers through a laundromat, wifi, showers, place to stay for a couple of days to a year privately. Another individual may be happy living in a prominent downtown city or small town caring for our immigrants, police, youth, military’s emotional needs, career training, or financially supporting a food bank.

Get out and vote and look to yourself to make changes to a better society to understand that mental health, physical needs, culture, lifestyle, religion, and life experiences will impact yourself and those around you. Agreeing to disagree is okay. Strive to help those around you through word, action, or both. Let’s make American Pride something to be Proud of again.

Works Cited

International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Melting Pot, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/melting-pot

Merriam Webster, Melting Pot Definition, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melting%20pot

Saw this tree on my walk, and it reflected how it’s alone in a field just at the beginning of housing development, and behind a strip of stores, both just sitting there not moving, not offering anything productive just resonated with me. This weekend (6/1/2020) that with the protest turned riots and the overwhelming feeling of what’s the point and what have I contributed to help or hinder. I thought I helped by supporting my local church and missionaries in our inner-city area of Cleveland, OH. What’s the point, another example of our politicians and apathetic people not doing anything, which got me even worse feeling with my anxiety. Realized, I do not have enough personal knowledge and facts to make an informed opinion and action. I have included a video I watched a couple of days ago. I will say now it is a Christian pastor I am sorry if this offends but appreciated what he said. I have also included Tested by Adam Savage, who also gave a different perspective personally, it came off harsh. Both provide different views but similar in how this looks moving forward. Both helped me realize that due to my physical and mental health limitations, my task is to find where I can help in the small picture, not the large image.

Tony Evans – A Message From My Heart

Adam Savage Tested

Adam Savage’s Tested – The World Right Now- Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project – 6/2/20

What I came away with from both that we are responsible for our actions alone. For me, that puts me at peace with continuing to donate to food pantries, homeless shelters, and personal churches. For the prejudice is not forward any inflammatory social media posts when possible respond with researched facts and linking websites. Strive to greet all citizens of this world equally. When a conversation comes up, be honest that I do not have enough effects to make a decision.

Part of this current peace that turned into rioting partially about the fact that inequality of finances, health, insurance, work, bullying, foster care, school shootings, and the list goes on. Our media presents it when something traumatic happens, and we hear about it, and social media becomes agitated for a couple of weeks, but nothing ever entirely changes.

Selfishly some emotionally, this makes me exhausted from trying to figure out what I can do in the big picture. Realistically I cannot, so small changes will continue to be a battle plan. As mentioned earlier is donating where I can, treating others as equals. Verbally and social media respond in a virtuous manner. Limit my watching of news and research the actual problem. Another aspect is striving to examine the voting history and speeches of the people I vote for and participate when I can on local policy issues or changes. Sorry for the long and draining writing; it has been an issue listening to the diverse opinions of both positive and negative.

My anxiety and depression have gotten a workout from overthinking what I have contributed to the problem. Then I have to realize I am in an area of Ohio that is limited in interaction with the blatant racism currently publicized at least that I am aware.

Another aspect of thought that came to me as I struggled emotionally over this subject is It has only been 155 years since the Civil War and 55 years since Martin Luther King Jr killed. As a people, we do not like change. An example of this by the Jim Crow Museum (below is what I found about the museum). What is impressive to me is how recently this was in place if you look at the dates involved. It is fantastic that we live in a country that voted a black president so recently given the years seen in the movie. Even then, Obama characterized in the video. Something that struck me is what seen in this museum is a time frame that these people are or were recently alive bringing up children who could now be in our political arena, protection fields, and any other corporate structure. We have a long way to go, but progress is being made.

Nevermind, we have the Native Americans systematically being killed through a lack of services on Reservations. They were here before any of us. Here is an article Native American tribes’ pandemic response impacted by many inequities https://news.yahoo.com/native-american-tribes-pandemic-response-124729299.html. So much pain in this world inequality comes in many forms, as mentioned previously in all aspects of our society. Even those struggling with mental health have limited resources to help us due to personal finances and lack of insurance.

As an individual, what is the position of accountability when our social media tells us that we are right or wrong? As an individual, what is my place with the inequalities of life? Unsure how others feel, but I will continue to grow as an individual with a variety of health issues and a desire to support my fellow man within my limited sphere of influence. I cannot fix the world and its issues. There always be inequality all I can contribute is not to add to the pain and support those I come in contact with that are in pain.

I have really been struggling this week and end of last so I had to get my thoughts out on paper. If it helps wonderful, if not I am sorry.

WARNING: This video of the Jim Crow Museum has some very violent pictures and scary images showing what was in place early 1900 to now. I am sorry if this offends people but felt it is important to show there is a long battle ahead to counteract many years of racism.