Pick A Side

By Don Shetterly

These days, it seems that too much social interaction revolves around everyone doing a pick a side.  It really is a sad testament to humanity when we can't even discuss an issue of the day without people becoming opposing forces.  It doesn't matter what the issue is.

I try hard not to pick a side on things.  Yes, I have my beliefs and opinions, but they are mine.  There's no need for me to force them on anyone else.  Far too many do that on all sides these days, and I don't think it is a good thing for our world.

Growing up, I had too many in my family that thought they always knew what was best.  Nothing stopped them from pushing their beliefs and opinions on me even if the facts did not support them.  The church we went to had a very narrow way of interpreting how we view just about everything in life including who would or would not get into heaven.

These experiences I went through left me feeling bewildered because either you saw it their way or you were just flat out wrong.  There was no allowance for differing viewpoint or beliefs.  It was one way and one way only.  You had to pick a side.

I see the same thing in everyday life where if you don't pick a side, you're banished to the side of the road.  Yet, if you point this out to anyone, they act as if "others" have the problem and not them.  They can not see the tree in front of them because of the log in their eye.

Many times I see people writing similar things to what I am saying here.  They are so tired of having to pick a side and would like people to be more respectful.  I'm not sure if the more tolerant voices get drowned out by the screamers or what, but we're hurting humanity.

Too many of the things that we deem as important in life that we will fight everyone for, are not as big as we believe they are.  Yes, there are some important issues, but to degrade others through hateful screaming and name calling does nothing to help.

I see people that bash others for behavior they do, and yet they do the same to others.  It makes me wonder if any conscious people are remaining these days.  Surely, as humans, we are more than screaming, name calling and hatemongers.  Surely, there's more to our existence.

When you pick a side, and it doesn't matter which side, you're hurting others and you are degrading yourself.  You have dehumanized the world through the lack of listening, care, and compassion.

When you pick a side, you show to the world that it is "us" against "them" and nothing good comes out of that.  No, it isn't everyone else that does this.  We point the fingers as if it is, but we could not be more wrong.

Much of this happens because we are not connected to the mind and the body.  We have our opinions and beliefs, but we are so disconnected that we have become less than human.  Change needs to start within each one of us.  We need to be the change we wish to see.

Stop playing into the game where you pick a side because you're only adding to the screaming in the world.  It is devoid of love and compassion.  We need love and compassion are so badly in the world.  You do not have to follow the crowd even though our society attempts to force that upon each of us.

Stand tall in love and compassion.  Learn how to be consciously connected to your mind and body.  By doing this, together we will help the world evolve to a better place.

Try to be more mindful of life.  Stop and evaluate how you spend your day and be aware of your actions.  One of the things that most miss in their day is truly being aware and conscious of how they present themselves to the world.  We are so unconscious in our activities which elevates these problems to epic proportions.

How We Treat One Another

Some days I feel like I'm writing for the heck of it.  It is almost like my words mean nothing and fall on deaf ears.

I see the hatred shared online from people who despise the hatred.  I see people getting angry acting as if I should only post stuff that they like and God forbid we don't see things the same way.

How we treat one another these days is mind boggling.  How we censor others is mind boggling.  How we get up on our pedestals and somehow demand others treat us as if we have all the answers is mind boggling.

We have replaced love with hate.  We have replaced our religious beliefs with intolerance.  We have denigrated those that wish to speak up by making them out to be horrible people we make fun of and call names.

What gives here? 

Where is our humanness?

Where is the love we proclaim we have?

We can't walk down both sides of the fence at one time.  We can't proclaim we love others and we want tolerance if we throw mud at those who disagree with us.

Aren't we better than that?  Don't we realize that the more we do this online that we're just being anything but human?

Seems like I have more rhetorical questions than there are answers.  Maybe the answers are there, but no one wishes to see it or hear it.

Heck, I don't have all the answers either, but I at least try to not make fun of others.  I try to not degrade and mock other people.

Our social media accounts show our true nature I think.  If someone wrote a book about us based upon what we share and like online, I've got a feeling that many people would be doing damage control.

It is sad.  It angers me to see the way we treat each other, especially online.  It angers me to see people talk about love and respect and tolerance, but then they go and do the same thing they despise.

It almost, no it does, remind me of the house I grew up in with the church-going-family who hated everyone that didn't think like them.  Maybe that's why this bothers me so much.  I have already lived this once in my life.

Little did I know, I would have to relive it again.  Where's the spaceship - I want to find a new planet that has tolerance and love, not hatred disguised as love.

May we all try a little harder to share a little less online and love a little more.  That's my hope!

Maybe we could work to be a little bit more conscious and aware.  After all, those things are not evident because of words, but because of the actions we portray.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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News Focus

I don't get it.  I really don't!  We are supposedly an advanced species living on this planet and yet, we act as if we only have one brain cell to engage.  Yes, this blog post is a rant.  I'm sorry.  I apologize, but I just don't understand humans.

Everything now and for the past year seems to be all oriented to politics.  I don't care what issue about politics it is or who is up and who is down, I'm just sick and tired of seeing politics plastered all over the internet as being the only thing that matters.

Again, this isn't about one political viewpoint over another, so if you think it is - sorry, but that is not what this post is.

I even had the audacity of someone take such a benign statement I made last night that was about pets and turn it into something that was political.  I'm still scratching my head about how that could be related to the subject of politics in any way, shape or form.

I look at the news feed reader on google that I use and it is all politics.  There are no other stories.  I can't help but think that we are so puffed up and egotistical in this country that nothing else matters in the world.  I'd love to read "the news", but I guess it does not exist.

People will sit there and complain about one group or the other right now, one disaster or another or whatever it is that is being shown around the clock on the media.  Yet, they don't know how to turn it off.  In fact, I don't think anyone can turn it off.  They just keep watching it and complaining and getting mad at those who don't agree with them.

Your favorite news channel doesn't enlighten you...

Years ago we dropped cable and it was one of the best things we did.  Now, I don't see all the garbage trash being disguised as news and have no desire to see it.  Watching your favorite news channel doesn't enlighten you or make you informed.  In fact, all you're getting is the beliefs and opinions of that show disguised as news.  It doesn't matter the issue or the cause.  100% of all news sources do it!

On the Newsroom, the premise of the show was that to be informed with facts, not beliefs and opinions was the foundation of a strong country.  Yet, everyone today thinks that as they read the "so-called-news" that they have the facts.  Some even think if you listen to multiple sources, you're more informed.  I sit here completely amused by these things.

I can guarantee you that if people start disconnecting their cable and turning off the news, things will change quickly.  Do you honestly think the media will run programming that no one watches?  They make their money by advertisement dollars and the more people that sit in front of the TV there is, the more they make.  If people don't watch, the advertisers leave.  Yet, for some reason people are glued to their news source.

One good thing is if you turn off the news and quit reading all the slanted news stuff out there, you'll fine your life gets less stressful and your quality of life improves.  I'm so glad we turned the cable off.  Not only did it save us an enormous amount of money, but we got our life back.  We learned what being human was.

So instead of turning everything into one singular focus of politics or the latest news story of the day, try to unplug.  Try to find a way in life to discover what is truly important, not just what others feed you and get you to believe is important.  The entire planet will be much better.


#NewsStoryOfTheDay

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Are People Confusing Beliefs with Truth

Time and time again, this topic gets on my nerves.  We as a society (maybe as a world) confuse facts with opinion.  We think that just because it is our opinion or belief, that it is fact.  This could not be further from the truth and that is the truth in how I see it (just so we are clear).

On this blog, I try my hardest to write from my experiences.   The  things that I have seen or witnessed or experienced firsthand.  However, I try not to stop there.  It isn't just the one time feeling of an experience, but the repeated moments when I see something transform and change before my eyes.

We had to believe without question...

I grew up in a home where we had to believe what my dad and mom told us to believe.  We had to believe without question what the church and minister told us to believe.  We had to believe and accept as fact, whatever it was that the teachers taught us to believe.

There was no questioning it.  There was no moment of not believing it.  You either accepted what was told to you as THE TRUTH or you were considered to be a bad person.  You were a lost person that needed to find your way.  You were a deviant that would be severely punished.

Unfortunately, what I've now found through some very difficult experiences in my life is that most of what I was taught, really doesn't hold one ounce of water.  As bad as my programmed and brainwashed mind wants to believe that what I was taught was true, I know deep in my heart that it is not.

You see, we often get taught opinions and beliefs as if they are THE TRUTH.  Unfortunately, when we are not allowed to question those things, that is not truth.  It is called control or brainwashing or being very narrow minded.  I'm sorry if I am ruffling feathers here, but again, I am sharing with you what I have learned from my experiences in life.

My truth may not be your truth...

My truth may not be your truth.  My beliefs may not be your beliefs.  My opinions may not be your opinions.  After all, we are all unique and different and we have brains that process different input in different ways.  How could we all hold on to the same beliefs, opinions and truth as if there was only ONE way of looking at things.

I do realize that in our society, it is easier to form societal group units if we all adhere to one way of looking at things or one set of beliefs disguised as truth.  However, this is not the sign of a healthy civilization that is growing in awareness and consciousness.  In my view, this is the mark of a controlled people to get in step behind whoever they look to as their leaders.

There is a much different world out there then what we were taught as children or that we adhere to as adults.  I believe more and more people are beginning to see this and to me, it gives me hope.

I try to write from my experience...

I may fail from time to time on this blog, but I try hard to write from my experience, not what I believe to be TRUTH.  Experience always conquers opinion and beliefs because it is something you can see and touch and usually repeat.  Belief and opinion changes from person to person and throughout the ages.

The most important part of this blog post that I hope you take away is to be careful of confusing facts or the truth with beliefs or opinions.  Realize that maybe your way of viewing things is not the way everyone else sees that and be okay with this.  Realize that what you know today may not add up tomorrow in what you see and understand.

If we all are aware of how we confuse facts with opinions, we'll advance this world in ways that are hard to imagine.

Do you want to read more on the subject, check out truth that we believe in.

Question Of The Day

What ways do you spot whether something is fact or beliefs? 

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Do You Live An Entitled Life?

I am often taken aback by the views and opinions of some in our lands.  It is too easy to think we're entitled to get our way 100% of the time.  Yes, no one will admit to this and deny that they do it, but if we are honest, our society and world has become nothing more than this.

Everyone is so busy screaming and demanding that they get their way, that they fail to realize just how much they are adding to the problem instead of helping.   Of course, when one is screaming, one is not listening and when one is not listening, its hard to really see the big picture or respect your fellow humans.

I don't believe we as humans are meant to act the way we are currently acting.  I don't believe we as humans are meant to only look out for ourselves and those that agree with us.  I don't believe we as humans are meant to be what we currently are, limiting the advancement of our species and of the world.

Change To Heal

Its easy to just go with the flow and think the skies will part and the birds will fly.  Yet, in order to heal, we often need to make changes in our life and our beliefs.  Some of these changes to our beliefs will be met with resistance unlike anything we have ever attempted to do.  Yet, if we hold on to everything that continues us to live in our despair, how will we change?  How will we heal?

From the moment we are born, we are brought into a world of beliefs, opinions and teachings that we soak up at a record pace.  What our caregivers, parents, siblings and those around us do, we soak up as a sponge soaks up water.  We crave to know more about this world we have been born into and inhabit.

Unfortunately some of the things that we are taught really don't serve our life well.  Some times they are limiting to us and throughout our life, we will come to know that we must shed them if we want to discover more about our self. 

When we come upon moments in our life where healing is being held back, sometimes we have to go in and change our life from these core moments so we can heal.  Sometimes it requires us to step out in faith and change core beliefs because while that belief got us to this point in our life, it may no longer serve us going forward.

Hopefully We Evolve As Humans

I got chastised not long ago on a website about this concept and I thought it was time I needed to clarify what I mean.  Obviously what I wrote missed the point as to what it means that hopefully we evolve as humans.  The dictionary refers to it as developing gradually or working something out.  It may also refer to the way a biological organism will change and develop through the evolutionary process.

Evolve is not a negative in my mind.  It doesn't mean some horror movie of creating a monster.  It is not harmful.  I see it as completely positive and developing process.  It is an evolutionary process within each one of us and the world or universe at large.

I really don't understand how it can be viewed as a negative unless it is something that makes an individual uncomfortable.  If that's the case, I get it.  Many people don't like our beliefs and opinions challenged.  We tend to go into our respective corners and hold dearly and tightly to everything that we claim as our own.  Unfortunately, the more we do that, the less we evolve.