Politics; Obama, Churchill, and Tyler Durden

Up until this past year, I hated politics. I didn't know much about them besides always hearing that politicians were dirty, lying tricksters. However, after my first year in college, I began to ask questions and gain knowledge on the different facets of liberalism, conservatism, capitalism, and socialism. For the first time, I was able to formulate my own opinions, instead of just going along with what people around me said they believed.

Now hear me out: I do not claim to be an expert on any of these things. I am merely expressing thought through the knowledge that I have gained. I'm sure there is more that I have yet to learn. But just because I am not an expert on something doesn't mean I can't blog about it.

So here it goes. Our current president, Barack Obama, is often pinned as a socialist. For the most part, people like the idea of that. To reluctantly quote Fight Club, "We'll redistribute the wealth of the world." Minus the whole anarchy thing, I think Tyler Durden might have voted for Obama. I mean- it doesn't sound all that bad; if everyone works hard, and some people just get lucky, why shouldn't their wealth be distributed evenly among men? Other people just missed the mark; it isn't their fault.

It sounds generous. It sounds unifying. It sounds good.

But if you could ask the late Winston Churchill what he thought. He'd disagree.

 

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

- Winston Churchill

 

A little harsh? Perhaps. But upon careful inspection of the flaws of socialism, it makes sense.

 

"If we can't all be as rich as the richest, let's make the richer poorer by giving their money to the poorest."

 

"Okay, Robin Hood. But some people just missed the mark. And that sucks for them. But tough luck."

 

And that's a taste of the flaws of capitalism. It's the reason we fight for the closer parking spot; the reason we rush; the reason we strive for the best name brands. It's why some products have over a 500% mark-up rate. Capitalism creates the cut-throat, money-thirsty society in which we live today.

 

Both systems have flaws just like any system if one looks close enough. But the fact of the matter is: The United States of America is a capitalistic society. It was created that way. Why? Because freedom means capitalism. It means people are FREE to do what they'd like with their money.

 

Socialism doesn't take away all of that freedom. You can still do whatever you want with the money you get to keep. But some of your money is going to be taken away and given to the people who didn't work quite as hard or just didn't manage to hit the sweet spots.

 

And here's why I believe socialism won't work: if all Americans and born and bred in this society I'm talking about, they're used to capitalism; it's the natural way of American life. Go ahead and argue that it's taught. Go ahead and argue that nothing like this is "natural," rather that Americans are "conditioned" to a capitalistic lifestyle. Whatever. The point is: trying to convince Americans as a whole to be naturally socialistic isn't going to work. BECAUSE in order for a society to truly want to be socialistic, they have to be willing to be selfless. Because they don't get to keep everything they work hard for, and some of it might end up going to someone really undeserving.

 

Not only does this go against American nature, but it goes against HUMAN nature. And that's a tough thing to beat.

 

Which leaves government leaders with the option of force. Joseph Stalin tried this; remember how that turned out? Hundreds dead, ruined economy, paranoid government. No big deal.

 

All I'm saying is, I don't see a way of reiterating American society to truly operate socialistically (which, again, means selflessly) without the application of government force.

 

Like picture this:

"I KNOW you worked hard to buy that new bike, but you must let your sister use it just as much as you do. She doesn't have as good a job as you so SHARE! NOW!"

 

... I'm not saying capitalism is the only way to go; I'm not saying it's perfect. I'm not saying socialism is terrible. I'm just saying, is it really possible to change this without compromising what the United States was founded upon anyway?

 

All right. All right. I get it. My last post was how I stopped reading controversy blogs. Which I have. But that doesn't mean I get to avoid all controversy. The world is full of it, and it doesn't just lie in articles on the Internet. Plus, just because I don't read them doesn't mean I can't write them, and it doesn't mean you can't read them either.





Blog Posts

I feel like the trend of blog-reading has substantially spiked in the past year. The majority of the blog posts have a couple of criteria.

For starters, blogs drawing readers in with excellent link bait. I remember one that was literally titled "Why Jesus Wants Me to Get a Divorce in 2014." This "divorce" he was referring to was breaking off his obsession with social media and his cell phone (which is, BY-THE-WAY, a misuse of the definition of "divorce," but whatever...).

Secondly, wordy, brutish display of opinions. Some of these people just have different opinions just to cause mayhem (cough, cough, Matt Walsh.)

Thirdly, clear display of whether the writer leans left or right. But you don't just get to lean your way- no, that's not confrontational enough. Everybody likes a little bit of drama. You gotta lean your way hard and bash the other side while you're doing it!

"Not only am I supporting feminism, but all you women who want to be stay-at-home moms are BRAIN-WASHED by the patriarch! You poor things aren't even thinking for yourselves!!!"

"The Noah movie was SO biblically incorrect, I will now forever boycott anything by that producer, company, or including those actors."

WELL, what if someone just wants to be a stay-at-mom because that's simply what they want? And honestly, is everything you watch biblically correct, or do you just watch Bible movies and Veggie Tales?

Anyway. I was a blog-reader. Even though, if I disagreed, the posts would just get me worked up, and if I agreed, the comments against the writer would get me worked up. There was no winning, unless my side won by bashing the other side's views with a WELL-WORDED. CAPITALIZED. ARGUMENT. Finally, I got so fed up I decided to stop letting the link bait reel me in. I scrolled right past the multitude of re-posted arguments on Facebook and Twitter. If people sent me blog posts and asked me to read them, I'd have to tell them that I was not really reading blog posts anymore.

Sure. I probably sounded like an old lady who just couldn't handle "kids these days." But if that's what kept me from constantly exposing myself to conflict, argument, and warring opinions, then that's what I wanted to do. How could I not expect myself to be touchy, overly-opinionated, and hostile after constantly reading that stuff?

Now. I know what you're thinking. She's honestly writing a blog post about not reading blog posts. I get it. Woe Is Me is my vent page though; I get to write about whatever I freakin' want. Also, check out my other posts. I'm sure a couple of them meet the previously-listed criteria for an argumentative, link-baited, share-worthy blog post. I seriously have one titled something like "Blinkers: an Opportunity for Great Joy," so yeah, I too am guilty of it too.

I'm not blameless; I'm just blabbing, because that's what I do. And I think that'll be my new blog catch-phrase. Because in the end, we just want to draw people in, become famous, and have our brilliant, innovative opinions (which usually aren't innovative at all) to become honored nationwide.

Newbie- Green Grass/Brown Grass

So I have been recently employed into not a new line of work, but into a new business. Let me tell you, it feels like a completely different world compared to my work life at JoAnn's.

At JoAnn's, we were constantly understaffed, always busy, and always at odds with the district manager. We did not have a very strong leader, and for a group of employees called "team members," our lack of coaching hurt us greatly. We were always hanging on by a thread (pun not intended initially, then (once I realized my cleverness) VERY intended.) and it made for a very stressful work environment.

That being said, when my window of opportunity for escape open up, I jumped, quickly and without hesitation.

I've done this once before... At the end of the summer before my freshman year of college; I got a glimpse of the greener grass calling my name, and I jumped. I jumped right into the dramatic, even less-appealing world of Hobby Lobby. Being understaffed and undercoached was not nearly as bad as being coached by a manipulating, narcissistic bully. Luckily, JoAnn's took me right back once I realized the mistake I had made.

However, this next time, I knew that when I jumped, I couldn't come running back to JoAnn's for the third time. Unbeknownst to me, the grass would be greener in some ways and not in others. The green outweighs the brown, but the brown ultimately teaches me things.

Allow me by to elaborate. I work at a tiny baby clothes store in a wealthy part of Birmingham. By tiny, I mean like 18' by 18'. TINY. By wealthy, I mean people who, without blinking, will drop a hundred bucks for two pair of pajamas for their nine-month-old. WEALTHY.

My co-workers aren't really like those people; they're used to them though. Me, however, I'm the newbie. Here's where the rant comes in.

Let me please offer a piece of advice to all or any readers (I would say "kindly offer," but I'm not going to guarantee anything.) If you frequent a specific place so often that you know the employees by name, and a new employee offers to help you one day opposed to the ones you know... PLEASE, for the love of HUMANITY and people's SELF-ESTEEM, give them a chance.

I get it. You're comfortable. You spend a lot of money there. You want the kind of service you're used to. However. That person is trying to get comfortable too. The least you can do is show enough courtesy to step off the high-horse of "I-come-here-so-much-the-employees-know-my-name-and-I-only-want-to-receive-help-from-them."

Stop. Picture this. The screaming kid in the grocery store. "I WANT THE RED AND BLUE POPSICLES! NOT THE RED AND WHITE ONES! I WANT WHAT I WANT AND I WANT IT NOW!" Sound annoying? Well, yeah. It is.

Before now, I've never experienced the slap in the face it is for a customer to walk in, myself to offer help, and for the customer give me a quick glance, before demanding, "Yeah, Janet knows what I like. Where is she?" This. Is. So disheartening.

I, of all people, understand comfort zones. I like my comfort zones, and if I'm pushed out of one against my will, I turn into a self-conscious, shrinking, stuttering slub. But being uncomfortable is never an excuse for lack of courtesy.

So here is what the brown grass of this retail here has taught me: always give the newbie a chance. You never know, you might find a new favorite employee; you might learn something you have in common with this person; OR you might find yourself having to practice a little patience with someone. Either way, it isn't going to hurt you, and even if you don't get anything out of it, it's probably going to help that new employee's self-esteem in his or her job. Then he or she can begin to confidently help more and more people. Just because you spend a lot of money somewhere doesn't mean you get to be rude.

And that's all for today. Basically I don't even know if people read these posts, but I just like to get my rants out there sometimes, in case somebody stumbles across Woe Is Me. So stay tuned, because there is probably going to be more patches of brown grass within the next few weeks...

Blinkers: Consider Them an Opportunity for Great Joy

Today, on my way to school, I had a moment, while switching lanes, where I wished that my blinker would turn itself off after I switched lanes... I mean- it turns off after a turn, why shouldn't it be able to do it after a lane-switch? After a second, I suddenly brought my thought process to a quick and complete halt.

HOLD THE PHONE.

Did I seriously just complain to myself about the fact that I have to flick my blinker off after I switch lanes? Because THAT is pathetic. My own laziness just blew my mind.

Words that my pastor spoke on Sunday resurfaced in my mind. He was elaborating on a point about "training on the little things." As an example, he then started to talk about his workout regimen that he start a few months ago. "It's amazing," he said, "What people will do to get out of a little work. They'll drive around in a parking lot for five extra minutes versus just parking and walking from a parking space that might be near the end of the lot! They'll wait ten minutes for an elevator instead of just taking the dang stairs!" A few moments later, he brought up another profound point: our fore-fathers didn't have to exercise... because they lived!

His words got me thinking (I know- scary stuff.) These days, how much trouble do people go through to "make things easier" on themselves? And at that point, are they really making it easier at all? What would it look like if people sucked it up and stopped taking the easy way out? Would more people pack lunches instead of eating fast food? Would more people take the stairs? Would less people smoke cigarettes? Would graduation percentages rise?

The possibilities don't stop there. This laziness goes beyond physical short cuts. What about your spiritual life? How many times do we, as Christians, slack when it comes to spiritual advancement? Personally, the times I slack far outweigh the times I suck it up. Do I usually just read the verses on the screen or do I actually break out my actual Bible (gasp. I don't just mean the app.) and physically spend some time in God's tangible word? In the morning, do I usually hit the snooze button once or twice, or do I actually get up and spend a few minutes in God's word to kick start my day? And beyond that, what would it look like if I was joyful about bettering myself in these ways?

I'm obviously not guiltless on the subject. No one is. But the identification of the guilt is as good a place as any to begin a spiritual workout routine. So come on- flick the blinker off, start training on the small things, and find the joy in the mission you've been given.

"Dear brothers and sister, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." 

James 1: 2-4

Take a Second

You know that movie? The one with that really good-looking actor? And he just totally makes the movie? Picture him. Strictly for the sake of example, I'll post a picture of Ryan Gosling:

You're welcome.

 Let's dream big here for a second, because dreaming big is okay. Let's say one day, that man hears about you; a friend of a friend of a friend mentions you to him:

"Yeah," the friend says, "I agree that the riot was definitely overboard. But I know this girl, who wrote this interesting blog post about the whole situation. You should read it."

McDreamy nods his head. "Yeah. I'd like to."

The friend pulls out his phone, quickly brings up the post, and the two read through it.

"Wow. She's pretty talented," McDreamy states. "You know her?"

"Yeah. Her cousin married my mom's step brother... Or something like that."

"Hmm."

Over the next few days, McDreamy can't get over you. He doesn't know why, but he keeps rereading your blog, trying to find out what you're about. He thinks you're witty. Smart. Beautiful. He thinks you're really going places.

But you're just average, like me. You might think you are pretty, good at writing, and nice, but beyond that, you're unsure if you are really going big places.

But what you don't know is that the talented, successful, good-looking McDreamy can't get you off his mind. The guy who made that chick flick the one to beat. The guy in the majority of pins on the "Man Candy" Pinterest boards! He's got his eye on you.

Snapback to reality. Collect yourself. Scenario number two.

Say you want to be a writer (yes, in case you haven't caught on, these are my fantasies.) You've got this one writer you look up to; she's brilliant. Let's just choose J. K. Rowling, the one sensational ideas "just come to." (Not that I'm jealous or anything.)

Say she runs into your fiction blog one day when surfing the internet... (Do I know for sure that millionaires such as Ms. Rowling do this? Of course not, but this is a fantasy so it doesn't really matter.) She really likes what she reads. She thinks you've got incredible potential. For one fateful second, she's even slightly jealous of your story. She thinks you'd make an excellent co-author.

The famous, wealthy, brilliant author wants to get to know you.

Snapback. While those ideas are nice to dwell on, I've got an even better one.

There's this other Guy. He's an artist, author, director and more. Let's just say, his resume would pretty much knock out every contender without problem. And you're all for that; you like intelligence. He has painted thousands of sunsets, each one different from the last. He's designed systems so complex that it has taken thousands of years and hundreds of scientists to decipher them. But he didn't just design systems; in fact, He designed everything. But the wild thing is, He doesn't just want to know about you, He wants to really know you. He wants to know every nook and cranny of who you are, good and the bad. He wants you to lay in bed at night and tell him about your day. He wants you to tell him about your problems so that He can help you. He wants you to want to know Him too.

God's love for us is so powerful. It can do more things than love from a movie star or author could ever do. So why do we downplay it so much? 

"God loves you, Glennleigh."

"I know. I've heard it a million times..."

vs.

"Glennleigh! Ryan said he wants to get to know you!"

"What?! Oh my gosh! IS this real life?!"

Take a second to realize that God's resume is more impressive than Ryan Gosling's will ever be. God's love can do more for you than love from any man or woman. Don't depreciate love from the greatest Author, Director, and Artist of all time; it's a big deal. 

This love is extended to everyone. So don't waste your time on other fantasies, because you and I are the target of the the greatest love story of all time.

"And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3: 18-20

Inspiring to Serve

Bbbrrrrinnnngggg. Wait for the second ring. Brrrrr- "Joann's Fabric and Craft store, this is Glennleigh speaking. How may I inspire you?"

The answer call of a true Joannian. We aren't actually required to answer the phone like that, but the happy employees do. Of course, there is the fair share of employees who work there simply to have a job, but many of them work there because they enjoy the atmosphere. My story is half and half. I needed a job to help pay for college, so when I was job searching, the crafter in me led me to Hobby Lobby and Joann's as my first options. 

Joann's hired me, then a little over a month later, Hobby Lobby hired me... But that's another story for another time. Once I got the hang of things at Joann's, I enjoyed working there. I like my employee discount, being surrounded by fabric, customers who asked for my opinion, coworkers who liked me. But the true reason I like Joann's was not because of what I could do for people there, it was because of what they did for me. 

Honestly, I've never had very much of a servant's heart. I've prayed for one, and yeah, for a couple of weeks, it stuck, but it was kind of an Elmer's-Glue kind of stick, not a hardcore-hot-glue kind of stick. But at Joann's when I walk through those sliding glass doors, my life no longer was about me; it was about my customers. I was put in a situation where I was forced to help people. Except instead of faking a smile, I had a real one on my face; these people appreciated my help. 

Now, I realize that I do make money- a whopping quarter aboveminimum wage- holla! But seriously, I also realized that going above and beyond just being nice to people made me feel wonderful! And it made them feel good too. 

I am supposed to be there to "inspire" people, but more than my customers know, they've inspired me. I'll admit that I'm not always "servant-minded," but I am a whole lot better than I used to be.

"The Big Idea"

I have a theory (kind of like how Channing Tatum has theories about moments... I could spend a moment letting him explain that one to me.) It's about "The Big Idea." When author J. K. Rowling was asked about her inspiration for Harry Potter, her response was: "It just came to me." It just came to her. A story of gargantuan proportions, worldwide fame, and the undying love of millions of fans JUST came to her?! The jealousy building up in my stomach makes me want to punch her in the face right before I shake her hand and tell her how much I adore her books.

As a writer, the thought of an idea just coming to you is not that uncommon. I see stories everywhere I look. In a history class, I read about how American families were forced to house British soldiers in their homes before the War for Independence; I see a story of forbidden love between the baker's daughter and the soldier who was pressured into the armed forces by his family. I see an old building on the side of the interstate; I think of a safe house during a zombie apocalypse.

However, these are hardly as impressive as the story of the Chosen One. I also understand that Harry Potter went through editor after editor to get where it is today. I understand that Rowling was a few years my senior when she wrote the story. But. From the moment that the story of Harry Potter took its first breath, it had potential to grow and be the story to beat. And six years after the Dealthy Hallow release, it still is the one to beat.

So here I sit, Summer of Twenty-Thirteen, waiting on my Big Idea. I realize it's a lot to ask for at eighteen. So I'd settle for a small flame of a story to keep my occupied. Or a spark. Or, good heavens, just a warm spot in this cold abyss! Woe. Is. Me.