Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Will The Real Optimists Please Stand Up?

What follows is an essay by Alex Anderson who works for the Black Sheep Agency in Houston, Texas.  It was written for the Black Sheep Agency.  Alex is my grandson, but that's not why I'm publishing his article.  It stands on its own merit, is an excellent piece and as the events of January 20 left me grinding my teeth in the depths of despair, Alex offers a glimmer of hope for the future.

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2017 Doesn't Seem So Bad Anymore:  Motorcycle accidents, keyboard activism and my trip to the White House.

It's not exactly news that some things didn't turn out the way we had planned in 2016.  All of us started the year with an almost joyful spirit, as if for some reason we were confident of the good that would happen in the coming year.  And we were wrong about some things.  And we're still mourning, some of us.

I imagine that you and your friends had some hopes dashed as well, if the collective thoughts of Twitter are any indication.  It remember showing up to work the day after the election--an office full of determined activists suddenly silenced, if only briefly.  We just weren't sure what happened next.  Aleppo's tragic story lingered in the background of every social media trip I've taken this year, blood-soaked children orphaned and claiming the headlines consistently, almost as if they knew America wasn't eager to actually do something.  But eventually our fingers tired from the keyboard's solidarity, and we moved on to the latest Tasty recipe.  Syria is a world away.  What can we do?  We saw our legends die, far-off figures who fantastically seemed as if they lived next door. They had offered up words to remind us that we're not the only ones who are lonely, tired, or dying, and honestly, I'm not sure if we'll ever realize the impact that they made on our lives, or even how much time we spent alone with them. At least not until that moment when we pull their names up on Spotify or Netflix because we desperately need to see them again.

I've always thought myself as an optimist, but in a year that seemingly fought to quell any proactive thoughts I might've had, it's been almost exhausting to pretend as though I was still looking forward to what the future had to offer. Outside of my immediate life-is-good bubble, it was as if the world was determined to prove my optimism unrealistic.

Turns out my cynicism isn't unfounded, considering there's no reason to believe that suddenly humans will treat each other better.  America isn't what it was, nor is it what we hope it to be. ...

Please click HERE to continue reading the article.


[Note:  This article published with permission of the Black Sheep Agency.]

2 comments:

William Kendall said...

Thanks for reposting!

Bob Poris said...

I forwarded this as I agree with the author in general. Simply Complaining is not effective enough and will not be, unless there are legal ways to counter or change what we believe is damaging. The election is over and the winners are in control. Unless there are some legal methods or actions taken to change “bad rules or laws from happening we, must live with the results of the election. Supporting or joining groups that can change things will continue, but simply repeating our objections will not do it.. The next election will give everyone the opportunity to change things and hopefully will. Maybe the media or our representatives will educate the public or help prosecute law breakers to the fullest, but crying or simply complaining amongst ourselves will not. Democracy is not perfect., but it is what we have to work with. peaceful protests will help make some pay attention but we know they have some risks

Keep hope alive. Remember those that won the popular VOTE.

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