Just drove home from my favorite seafood restaurant with my wonderful wife and fantastic son, we put "Let It Be" on the CD player and we all sang along. It was the perfect end to my birthday. Makes me realize that sometimes my life would be nothing short of complete if I was capable of playing that song on my piano and having my family and friends sing with me.
Sometimes life just seems real simple.
Showing posts with label about-me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about-me. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Why do I Write
My step-sister was killed with a gun.
An ex-girlfriend was killed by a gun.
A friend was killed by a gun.
Strangers have aimed at me with guns, and fired. I was lucky. Many around me were not.
I have strongly held beliefs and feelings about not just guns, but violence. I write with hopes that someday my son Connor, when he's older, will have the chance to read this and get to know his Dad a bit better, and we can have a constructive discussion about the politics, the violence, and what can we do about it. I write because when someday he might ask me "Daddy, what did you do about it?", I can at the least say that I did this, this blog, with your basic garden-variety liberal hope to "make things better". It's my hope that my writing here stays constructive, and it's my belief that I'm at least providing myself some therapy with this; and that if I can make myself better, I've made "things" better.
While I'll make a good-faith effort to present facts and address misconceptions - including my own - I want you to know that I'm not looking for a rational, objective argument that might prevail in a debate. I suggest that the time for deference to rational, objective debate is gone; I admit that I feel intensely emotional about what's happening, and that sometimes listening closely to what we deeply feel, and acting on it, is important - it's what makes us human.
In my deepest heart of hearts, I hope that what I write causes one butterfly somewhere to flap its wings, and this creates a chain of events that save the life of one child from gun violence.
An ex-girlfriend was killed by a gun.
A friend was killed by a gun.
Strangers have aimed at me with guns, and fired. I was lucky. Many around me were not.
I have strongly held beliefs and feelings about not just guns, but violence. I write with hopes that someday my son Connor, when he's older, will have the chance to read this and get to know his Dad a bit better, and we can have a constructive discussion about the politics, the violence, and what can we do about it. I write because when someday he might ask me "Daddy, what did you do about it?", I can at the least say that I did this, this blog, with your basic garden-variety liberal hope to "make things better". It's my hope that my writing here stays constructive, and it's my belief that I'm at least providing myself some therapy with this; and that if I can make myself better, I've made "things" better.
While I'll make a good-faith effort to present facts and address misconceptions - including my own - I want you to know that I'm not looking for a rational, objective argument that might prevail in a debate. I suggest that the time for deference to rational, objective debate is gone; I admit that I feel intensely emotional about what's happening, and that sometimes listening closely to what we deeply feel, and acting on it, is important - it's what makes us human.
In my deepest heart of hearts, I hope that what I write causes one butterfly somewhere to flap its wings, and this creates a chain of events that save the life of one child from gun violence.
Politicians
I've watched for years as our political leaders get elected with promises that end up broken, with self-descriptions that end up disingenuous.
I've seen them address crises as consoler-in-chief, as if that should be sufficient. I've talked to friends that are invested in the charisma of our leaders - that someone is a gifted orator, or that we believe she's a good person, or that he appears to be sincere.
I respect those views. However, I personally need neither consolation nor charisma; nor do I care whether any given politician has "character". This, in my view, misses the point. We elect these people to take care of the needs of our country - to do a job.
For many years I've wondered what would it be like to simply track our politicians, and connect the dots between what is said and what is done. I'll make that effort here, with this blog.
I've seen them address crises as consoler-in-chief, as if that should be sufficient. I've talked to friends that are invested in the charisma of our leaders - that someone is a gifted orator, or that we believe she's a good person, or that he appears to be sincere.
I respect those views. However, I personally need neither consolation nor charisma; nor do I care whether any given politician has "character". This, in my view, misses the point. We elect these people to take care of the needs of our country - to do a job.
For many years I've wondered what would it be like to simply track our politicians, and connect the dots between what is said and what is done. I'll make that effort here, with this blog.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Walk the Talk
Speaking out about our broken political system, and our culture of violence in particular, has become something I must begin. It's my own fears that have delayed this - but now that I tell my son Connor "no fear", it's time I walk that talk.
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