The word “thoughtless” has many meanings for me today. First, the incompetent idiots who packed and loaded the contents of our “old” house wreaked much havoc on our possessions. The most serious bungle is the rendering of my treadmill into a large doorstop as they broke the male end of the electrical connection, the part actually in the treadmill. On an upset scale of 1 to 10, I am a 100.
Of course, we didn’t buy extra insurance so I think we’re only covered for pennies per pound. The “Johnny Astro Syndrome” is alive and well.
Second, I had many topics about which I wanted to write today, but as I recounted here, if I don’t actually make a note to myself then it’s highly unlikely I will remember those topics. Granted, that’s a stretched definition of “thoughtless.”
Third…
How many people are wearing masks?! You DO NOT have the right to make me and others sick. (In the “better late than never” category comes this story about the CDC finally acknowledging that masks also help the wearer. No sh*t, Sherlock!)
For centuries “ordinary” citizens rebelled against the yoke of tyranny, against kings and lords. I think in many contexts that the pendulum has now swung too far in the other direction. Many people have absolutely no respect for authority or for the rights of others. NO ONE has unlimited freedom. Unlimited freedom is anarchy, not freedom.
Your political views do NOT give you the right to wreak havoc on others. YOU are NOT the only person in the world and YOU are NOT even the only person that matters. A hundred years from now you won’t even be here. Stop having delusions of grandeur.
Speaking of politics, here is a personal definition:
Democracy is a form of government where citizens have the ability to partly–but only partly–mitigate the effects of idiotic policies enacted by governments, regardless of the political party doing the enacting. In a totalitarian state the citizens have little or no ability to mitigate.
When ideology triumphs over common sense and empiricism, the result is what you see today, sh*t. This is not a veiled endorsement of Democrats/Liberals who claim to be the party of “truth.” They will stray far from the truth when it suits their purpose just like all people who blindly adhere to ideology and refuse to acknowledge that their beliefs are NOT absolute truth.
To quote Jerry Seinfeld once again, “We are nothing but raindrops on a windshield.” Stop thinking that you have the right to impose your “beliefs” on others.
Sorry, no cars today.
#”Thoughtless”Thursday
#WearAMask!
#SayNoToIdeology
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
I’m really sorry to hear about how badly the movers treated your items. How does one end up busting a piece inside a treadmill? I know it’s likely the kind of thing that mean it’s as expensive to repair as to replace, and that sucks. I hate the idea of having to buy extra insurance too – I mean, if they’re pros, they should do the job without breakage, why do I need to further insure you’re able to do your job properly? Anyway, sorry to hear that things have not gone as smoothly as they could have. Sometimes is really hard to see ‘the lesson’ in these occurrences.
Ahh, not wearing masks. Even here in sedate, tow-the-line Canada, there have been protests. Seems silly, in that I’m really not sure it meets the level of tyranny some would have us believe. I sometimes want to challenge anti-mask protesters and ask when they will be actively campaigning against speed limits and seat belt laws. I mean, I can get in my car, drive without a belt at 30kms over the limit and not die and not hurt anyone else, and do it repeatedly for years. Of course, I know that frankly, they’ll likely say “it’s not the same thing” because it doesn’t fit their cause.
I try not to be too political, but honestly one thing I feel is the huge downside to this internet thing is it has given everyone a voice. It hasn’t given everyone a sense of responsibility in terms of how they use that voice. And instead of broadening thought with different points of view, people have simply sought out those who align with their own ideas. Instead of listening and respecting others, they’ve tried to amass more allies so as to shout down any opposition.
I say that, and I try to think maybe that’s still mostly the extreme edges. I hope the majority are still people who are willing to listen (rather than simply waiting to respond). I’m not sure discourse and civility are dead… but they seem to be taking a beating.
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Excellent comments, sir. However, I think the social/political polarization of society is quite pronounced, perhaps intractable. I agree that the Internet, specifically “social media,” has accelerated the polarization.
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I have always been a cowboy and always will be an independent thinking, go my own way person. It is a result of my childhood heroes and the way and where I was brought up, the West. As as result I do NOT like to be told what to do, period. When told “thou shalt DO,” ask why. Where I live the Mayor of Tucson and the Pima County Board of Supervisors have mandated, thou shalt wear a mask when in public. The cowboy in me says “why?” That being said, I follow their dictates, in spite of the fact that I sweat profusely under the mask and it aggrevates my breathing difficulties. I may be retired but I still have responsibilities. I take my grandson to kindergarten two days a week (mask required) and occasionally pick him up. There are other activities where we help our daughter and grand children out where masks are “required”. Also, doctor appointments also require a mask. We comply with the mandates, in spite of not wanting to do so. I will end my comments here as politics has poisoned too many discussions and we have zero need for anymore anger and stress from the disagreements. We all need to relearn the lessons from our Mothers: Learn to get along and just agree that you may not always agree on something, but thou art still family and/or friends. We SHALL get through this pandemic, and to do so, we NEED to work together as family, friends, and citizens. We are still ONE nation, under God, in spite of the radicals efforts to divide us.
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I appreciate your desire to not blindly follow the dictates of others. Sometimes, though, and only sometimes IMO, we have to put what we want aside for the good of everyone. I think that’s The Golden Rule, right?
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You need to work and function with others in this world and to do so, you need to put aside your wants to meet the needs of others. The Golden Rule is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and quoting from the English Standard Version,
Matthew 5:17 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
By tying that statement to the Law, Jesus connects it to the summation of the Law in the two Commandments: To love your God and to love your neighbor, which come from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. To really understand it all together, takes more time and space than a blog comment allows.
Just know that your reasoning is correct.
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Thanks. Philip.
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Moving companies have bad reputations and rightly so. Yet those of us who can no longer handle self-moves are dependent upon reliable and careful service. Between poor quality work and holding people’s possessions hostage for additional payments, they are among the least respected service businesses.
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Amen, sir.
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