I Don't Even Know Where I'd Begin

I avoid watching the news. There was a time when it was nearly all I watched. Columbine. 9-11, the war on terror...I couldn't break away during those events, and my outlook on life and general mood were altered greatly. I read enough to stay informed now, but it is rare that I sit in front of the television for the onslaught of sensationalism and exploitation.

This century has gotten off to an incredibly violent start. I wonder how history lessons in 60 to 70 years will treat us. We invaded, bombed and occupied other countries, we shoot up our own schools and vie for which life matters more, black or blue. We finally legalize marriage for all, only to create the transgender bathroom debate. We say that we want change, real change, yet we saddle ourselves with impossibly bleak choices for our country's leader. We are outraged and take to social media to let everyone know, but do nothing about these ills that divide and cripple us as a nation. A century from now history lessons will not be kind to us and we are deserving of all that will be written.

This country will not be great again because it was never great to begin with. We were founded on the blood of Native Americans, bought and sold other humans and allowed greed to be the top motivator in life. No, this country was far from ever being great. Don't get me wrong, I know that in comparison to other countries, we have it good here. I'd still never call this nation great. We are great at glossing over the truth, telling a distilled and twisted version of history to the new generations, involving ourselves in others' wars, distracting the general public from the issues by pointing attention to other nations, and refusing to admit just how serious the issues of violence, crime and drugs really are here.

I've resigned myself to just continuing to live life the way I think it should be lived and surround myself with others who feel the same. Maybe someday there will be enough people like us to change the ugly things this country stands for, the heinous things its citizens do and the overall direction we appear to be going in. Maybe.