“Why do we resort to ignoring every fiber of our being to appease others? Everywhere I look, I see people who are crippled by the fear of what might happen if they were to veer from tradition, or religious indoctrination. Placing the opinions of others above their own authenticity. Forcing themselves towards “achievement” as approved by society. We are prone to do this, although it is a well-known fact that you can’t please everyone.
When you are making decisions for the heart, and in line with your purpose you cannot even rely on a majority vote.”
Category Archive: Opinion
Do you know who Thomas Corwin is? Neither did I until I decided to do some studying up on the history of this great nation.
“I think this year I have a different sense of motivation to complete a summer bucket list. With the quarantine that we have all endured it has been hard to feel like you’ve accomplished anything. You can feel bored and unmotivated. But this year more than anything I WANT to complete something. I want to feel like I started a project and finished it. So I’m challenging myself to find the best bucket list for us and to work hard to complete it with my children.”
“There are many painful truths living and being aware as an American minority. One being the road to reconstruction is hard. But the call for justice reform is a torch that must be carried, a light that cannot be snuffed out. Nothing is going to change until the system is dismantled and reconstructed. Preferably with everyone effected present during the conversations. It can happen. It has to. Policy over everything.”
“Nearly all of us are learning of things we could have never predicted, unless we were the scientists whose voices have all too often not been ‘heard.’ And so, we understand that whether or not we know what comes next, it does not always prepare us for how we will respond.”
“How I Came to See Time Differently” is the second installment of a short series exploring how we look at the past, the passage of time, how some times can seem more recent than others, and why it might be useful to think carefully about how we consider what is and what isn’t ancient history.
“I think it is important to support black owned business, especially at a time like this where people are being divided more and more. Supporting black-owned businesses is not reparations, and it is not enough, but it is a small way that an individual can empower less privileged communities and help lift them up from the many systemic ways that they are oppressed.”
“America, God is not our scapegoat. God did not create these problems; we did. And whether you are holding up the Bible as a magical talisman or whether you think the president is the Antichrist, God wants no part of our partisan fiddling as the nation literally is burning. In another time of national crisis, President Lincoln once said, ‘Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.'”
“Recently I read a story about a YouTuber who adopted a child and three years later “rehomed’ him to a new family. Why, you ask? Because her son has special needs, specifically Autism.”
“When someone is grieving one of the best things to do is just be present. Your presence was felt Three Rivers. I balled afterward and finally regained a sense of peace knowing that so many others care, are willing to have the hard conversations, and take a stand against injustice. After all of the mourning, there was joy.”
“As a white man I am not held responsible in the court of public opinion for the crimes of my fellow whites. There are a few on Twitter who have tried, but it hasn’t really taken hold. Mostly I get to be me. Every time someone meets me, it’s a clean slate. A clean white slate.”
“As a fan, as a Little League alum., as a ‘stat nerd,’ baseball has provided me more joy over the years than I can put into words. But for MLB to play ball right now would be greedy, foolhardy, and dangerous; and worst of all, it would be our national pastime sending a terrible message to the rest of the country precisely at the time when we need moral leadership the most. So in the words of a century of Cubs’ fans, I’ll ‘wait ‘til next year.'”
“As our entertainment options have exploded, they have also become more fractionalized. Everyone can now have their own gated community of content, where you never have to be exposed to anything that you don’t like or that you disagree with.”
WSV Columnist Dave Vago on this week’s protests in Minneapolis: “Make no mistake: no matter how it manifests, the anger at systemic injustice in Minneapolis this week is righteous, and it is rooted in a situation exponentially more egregious than stolen electronics.”
“My days are filled with manic highs and mind-numbing lows. There are days where I am just ‘fine’ and days where I can barely get off the couch. There are days where I feel like I am drowning and being swallowed up by sadness. Of course on these days parenting is the hardest. Thinking and breathing hurts. Doing anything hurts. Parenting is the last thing on my mind. I can hardly take care of myself, so how do I take care of another human being?”
“The cost to the Village and the people of Constantine from the aspects of including recreational marijuana sales here is incalculable. In fact, any new ordinance in the Village should spell out restrictions on marijuana for the protection of citizens — youngsters to the older generations — NO marijuana smoking in or adjacent to our parks and public spaces with adequate signage to that effect.” — Rebecca J. Shank
I pushed out the thought, “This is not fair” with “What is this teaching me, and what good remains?” Even when it’s dark and hard to see, there is always a silver lining.
This week Watershed Voice columnist and Midland, Michigan native James Smith writes about the recent Edenville Dam failure in Midland County, and poses the question, “Act of God or Human Inaction?”