“We stand on the edge of the abyss, across whose unknowable face we paint meaning so as not to see into it. It is always there. But we’re here too, and we are no less real than the abyss. We are no less meaningful for being transient creatures caught up in something too big for us. There is still value to our lives. I’ve learned that those things that are most fragile are also the most precious.”
― Ovadya ben Malka, A Damaged Mirror

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Don’t Move The Goal Posts

I grew up watching with my siblings Charlie Brown Cartoon Specials. Almost in every one somehow Lucy would talk Charlie Brown into running and kicking the football while she held it. Sure enough, just as Charlie Brown was in motion of kicking the ball Lucy would move it causing Charlie Brown to land flat on his back on the ground.

So it was in politics in America, Democrats would play by the rules while the Senate Leader changed the rules of the game, moving the goal posts. President Obama was left trying to have his nominee for the Supreme Court denied. The excuse given by Senator Mitch O’Connell was, it was in an election year. Fast forward October 2020 President Trump nominates someone for the Supreme Court during an election only a month away. Once again the goal posts are moved and the nominee was confirmed during an election year.

Keep Your Cool!

On the blog site Competitive Edge I found this paragraph on poor sportsmanship:

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…A poor sport is someone who takes the emotions that go with losing and “shares” them with everyone around. They put the winner down, claim that their opponent’s victory was either lucky or not deserved (like Plushenko did), bad mouth the game officials or media, and in many other ways, distinguish themselves as immature asses.

If I’m Angry, Upset and Disappointed…

I believe I have written before about how my father would react if he lost a game. When he lost it usually lead to a temper tantrum, sometimes throwing everything to the floor. I soon learned how to avoid playing any type of game with him. What he did was to show me what a poor sport looks and acts like when they lose.

We are seeing a similar situation being played out on a national and global stage. President Donald J. Trump throwing temper tantrums in the face of losing the presidential election. Having lawyers filing law suits in the courts trying to overturn the results of the election. He has not learned how to be gracious in the face of defeat. My guess is that at his age he will not change. He probably has been that way all of his life. When faced with losing he reminds me about a saying I heard while growing up, “taking his ball and bat then goes home”.

Blind Leading The Blind

I am not one who follows someone just because everyone else is doing it. My mother would ask us when I would get myself into trouble with my friends. She would ask the question, “if so and so would jump off the bridge would you also do it”? While watching newscasts seeing people acting irrational being caught up into a “mob mentality”.

…Mob mentality, also called as herd mentality, describes how humans adopt behaviors, buy merchandise, and follow trends based on their circle of influence.  It explains how one’s point of view can be easily altered by those around them…

What Is Mob Mentality?

I can see a situation where President Trump starts to spout rhetoric for his base to watch the polling stations claiming that the Democrats are committing fraud with the ballots.

“Watch it,” he continued. “Be poll watchers when you go there. Watch all the thieving and stealing and robbing they do. Because this is important. We win North Carolina, we win.”

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So dear reader these are a few lessons that I have learned so far in 2020!