Coffee With A View: Failing By Default

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case, you fail by default.”

-JK Rowling

I just watched "The Social Dilemma" [ironically, only on Netflix] finally, in its entirety...without falling asleep, LOL. None of it contained anything I didn't already know...yes, we're all just numbers made up of algorithms for advertisers, investors, etc. Yes, we are all traded as "human futures"....and "They" all need "a lot of data" about us.

Whatever.  Blah, blah, blah. For those intelligent enough to understand that we are all being used, it's really not such a big deal. But for those who are ignorant to it, I can see how it can be an "OMG! The sky is falling!" Chicken Little eye-opener.

But hey, Big Brother...can Your idiots grow a fantastic garden? A beautiful beefsteak tomato? A crop of sweet, delicious corn? A ripe cantaloupe, ready for breakfast?

Can "You" knit or crochet a beautiful, homemade afghan?

Can "You" write/co-write a song in a songwriters' circle and play an instrument that delivers that song?

Can "You" make beautiful jewelry? Have "You" spent countless hours doing intricate beadwork, with your own hands? 

Are "You" an Artist? Creating art that is meaningful and timeless?

Can "You" make an awesome batch of venison jerky? An award-winning pot of chili? LOL 😉

Can “You” do my hair the way I want? Massage my neck, shoulders, back, arms/legs the way I really need and want?

Can "You" really escape to the lakes, the mountains, the tropics, Alaska...without WiFi/cell service?

Can "You" help a person on the side of the road with a flat? Help someone that needs their lawn cut, their snow shoveled? Someone who is in trouble and may just needs a listening ear from someone who is a live body, not some auto-bot "customer service"?

Can "You" really find me a true companion...a best friend...that is compatible for me, NOT just based on a dating profile or app? Swipe left or right?? (Lame.)

Can "You" even hear, taste, smell or touch?

Can "You" ignore all of the political propaganda...the party hype...the fake news, conspiracy theories, etc...without any thought of compensation, in any form...monetary or trade...and bask in something that is called, um…HUMANITY?

I CAN!

I primarily use Facebook because, quite frankly...most folks do...to connect with friends and family, to share our lives...share our glories and triumphs, our mistakes and failures...our thoughts and beliefs...reaching out for help, answering the calls...

However, I pretty much ignore the advertising and propaganda a whole HELLUVA LOT! Especially the Left and Right party bullshit. (Sorry to say, you're all morons.)

I'm no fool. I know we're on the brink of a Civil War. I’ve known it for quite a while now. But it’s not about left or right politics, or about racism…it’s not about Trump or Biden, or who is in the seat of President or power. It is not about who has the loudest voice, clanging in our ears or burning our eyeballs out of their sockets, every f***ing day.

No, this has come down to a fight of good versus evil…and the "truth" that lies somewhere in the middle, lost in the chaos. If you adhere to a religion that helps you sleep at night, I can't blame you one bit. But for me, it's going to take a lot more than any belief system to fight on the front lines against what is right and good on this planet we call Earth.

I'm the Mom of two US Marines. They have both fought on horrible battle fronts that no one will ever know about. They won't talk about it, and I know why. I also work for our local EMS services. While everyone is decorating assholes above their heads, most of the ground troops "know" what it's all about: 

Image.

While most folks think I'm a "fence-dweller" as a Moderate, I tend to think: "Good! Go ahead and think that." But...don't think for one second that a "Boston Tea Party" could never, ever happen again.  Where will I be when that happens? Who knows. Most of all, what would it really mean, in the grand scheme of things?

We just finished up the Fall Harvest Festival in Riverton, Wyoming. We all came together as a community of families, friends, neighbors, tribes, politicians and businesses. We came together, despite our politics, beliefs, differences...and had a great time!

Proving, once again, that Life is more than the addictions we’re being fed by “Them”.

Shame on those who don’t think past the politics…corporate or governmental.

Shame on those who are simply jealous of those who want and succeed at living their lives in peace and prosperity...way past "high school" socialism.

Shame on those who think they “know” better than everyone else, just because they skim the “news” every day and share their biases…because quite frankly, they really don’t “know” anything at all.

They've already failed. Epic fail. They just don’t know it.

I am a human being. Not an algorithm.

And there is the Civil War.