I voted today. After months of getting angry, railing, bitching, and moaning, I completed my ballot! I selected my choice for President, voted for/against some of the propositions, ignored the one's I knew nothing about, sealed the envelope and placed it in the mailbox. I am done!
After my selections were made, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I made my decision and, with that, everything I saw on Facebook and mainstream media no longer seemed to matter. My head was clear and my thoughts were succinct. Colors seemed brighter and food tasted better. I heard the sounds of nature that I tuned out for the past few months and life seemed better. All was fine until I reflected on my actions over the course of this years election and realized...I've been an asshole.
If you've read any of my previous blogs, you may have noticed a tone of aggression. I railed against the media, I mocked followers of both parties, I engaged in arguments while lamenting that nobody every changed their mind because a stranger ridiculed their point of view. I posted way too many links to articles expecting people to "see the light." In other words, I was an asshole. In fact, I was the very asshole that I lamented.
For all these reasons, and more, I owe you all an apology.
As I said, I lamented the bias of the media, but at the same time, my anger was fueled by listening to the media. Sure, there is bias in all forms of media, but I knew that. Yet I still succumbed to the bullshit headlines and allowed it to take control of my emotions. I've always said, "Never let a stranger ruin your day," but that's exactly what I did. I allowed media sites to piss me off and ruin my day. I clicked on links that I knew would set me off and then shared my discontent with whoever decided to view my feed or read my blog. For some reason, the hypocrite in me thought by posting my disdain or support that I could convince you of a better way of thinking. I'm sorry.
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| "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry!" |
I am passionate in my beliefs. I am equally passionate in my disdain for our political process. It never occurred to me that you are equally passionate in your beliefs. You have your reasons for voting however you choose to vote, just as I have mine. I assumed that if you believed a certain way that did not align with my way of thinking, then you were simply misinformed. While I have often been commended on my ability to empathize with other opinions, I failed this time due to my arrogance and cocksure attitude. I'm sorry.
Yes, our country is in a bad place. Despite my own antics, if nothing else came out of this, one thing that is certain is that the government and the election process has exposed us in dire need of repair. We exposed the division within our once great country. Many of us exposed our own flaws and insecurities. We saw each other at our worst. You saw me at my worst.
In a few short weeks we will have a new President. Half of us will be elated and the other half will be pissed, but what remains is that we will still be in the same place we were before this travesty of an election took hold of our lives. We will still go to work, pay our taxes, and love those that are close to us. We will still hate traffic, bitch about the cost of coffee, and secretly hate a coworker, but when all is said and done, we will all still be Americans dreaming of a better life, hoping for financial security, and pushing to create a better life for our children.
How we proceed is up to us. We can continue to hate each other for not agreeing with each other. You can call me a racist redneck for my desire to keep my guns. I can call you an ignorant pacifist for wanting to take my guns, but tomorrow nothing will have changed except a greater divide between us. Personally, I'm tired of the hatred and disdain for each other.
So, I will take this opportunity to apologize for my part in the divide that has been created. As well, I will also take this opportunity to embrace the differences between us. We won't agree on everything, but one thing we can agree on is this...life is hard! The last thing anyone needs is some random guy with a blog pissing you off just for having a different opinion than me.
That said, go forth and live your life how you want and believe in whatever you want to believe. I won't judge. I won't demean. I won't rant and rave. I have enough shit on my own plate that I don't need to concern myself with things I can't control. I am quite certain that should you and I ever find ourselves getting to know each other over a beer, we would find that we have a lot in common and a game of cornhole would be a blast.
Again, to everyone that suffered through my bullshit, I apologize. I am, and will be, better than that. Now, let's get back to writing about fun stuff.
Sincerely,
Lasthonestmanonearth
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