People responsible for own actions
(My Eastern New Mexico News column for July 1, 2020)
You bear no guilt for things you had no part in. Don't accept guilt you didn't earn.
I'm not going to blame you for things you have no control over, nor will I accept blame for the same sort of things. We have no control over who our ancestors were, what happened before we were born, the color of our skin, or what other people who have no real connection to us choose to do.
You aren't guilty because people in history did bad things. You aren't guilty when someone who shares your "race" did something bad. You aren't to blame if someone you don't associate with does something wrong. Those are not your fault. Don't accept blame on their behalf. It's not healthy. You are only guilty for any wrong you have personally done.
It's completely different if you choose to join a group known for violating life, liberty, and property. By choosing to join-- and remaining a member-- you are endorsing what they do, and in that case, you have personally committed a wrong.
You won't change the gang from the inside, even if that's your noble plan. You will be changed. From the moment you join you share in the guilt of every act any members commit in the name of the group you choose to be a part of. If you join or passively support those who actively violate the life, liberty, and property of others you share their guilt. Choose wisely.
You can absolve yourself by quitting and denouncing the group and its activities. I suggest doing so immediately.
Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Your first responsibility is to not violate anyone else. You can't be responsible for what people you don't control and have no real influence over do. Does anyone imagine you control anyone besides yourself?
Unless you openly side with people who are doing bad things I'm going to assume you're not on their team. I'd rather think the best of you. This means I may say something in your presence against the people doing bad stuff. Take this as the compliment it is.
I don't support holding history against people who weren't alive then, or who were too young to change anything. I'm for forgiving past offenses and I am not a fan of punishment. I'd much rather see you doing the right thing than to look for ways to blame and punish you for doing wrong.
I feel like a SHTF event is imminent. Notice I don't say I think it is, rather it's just a feeling. Possibly triggered by the upcoming election.
I don't have a crystal ball. I'm almost definitely wrong.
If you can see it coming, it's not going to happen. That's almost a guarantee.
Just like the Coronapocalypse came at us out of nowhere, triggered by unexpected government overreactions to a fairly normal virus, a more serious event will also be a surprise. Consider the Coronapanic a practice run. It should have shown you the holes in your preps if you were paying attention.
I lucked out with the panicdemic because I was ready. Well, maybe it wasn't completely luck; I've prepped for years "just in case", and it finally paid off. I was pretty sure I wouldn't see it coming when it finally happened, and I didn't. But it didn't matter because I stay ready all the time-- and I have done so since well before the Y2K fizzle. I intend to be just as ready, if not more ready, the next time something ...
Sometimes it's good to just listen to people's stories without interrupting, even when you know the stories are nonsense.
My 2nd wife used to tell of a ghost that lived in her house when she was a kid. It was an interesting story even though I didn't believe it. I learned quickly that her family was very prone to believe anything as long as it fit with their magical worldview.
Other people tell me stories about beneficial things political government can do. These stories are no more true-- in the sense of being objective reality-- than ghost stories, but they can still be informative if you want to know which particular superstitions a person is living under.
Interrupt and you'll never hear the whole tale. Listen and you might be entertained by some fantastical tales of magical realms. Just don't bet your life on them being true.
My nature is such that I simply can't see government as a solution to anything. This puts me at odds with most of the rest of my species.
Yes, I think "social media" has become a horror. This doesn't mean I want government to regulate it; it means I think people who don't like it (or are too dumb to know not to take it at face value) should probably stop using it.
The same is true of so many other things I don't like.
Litter/pollution, scammers, sexual predators, abortion, animal cruelty, Hillary Clinton, poverty, drug abuse, pandemics, crime, and all manner of awful things.
I may hate them, but that doesn't mean I want government to step in. Look how often that has the opposite effect anyway; making the original problem worse-- or at least not solving it-- while also creating a host of new problems that never would have existed otherwise (anti-gun legislation being a perfect example).
And even if government intervention doesn't make this specific problem worse this particular ...
