This is one of the most apropos posts of all time, as well as one of the greatest. If ten per cent of the posters (myself included) take 10% of what knowledge and wisdom is available in this article, posting on IE will be more fun.
If 75 per cent of the posters, take most of what knowledge and wisdom is contained in this article to heart, and live it, we will have a revolutionary movement on our hands.
I will share with you the most emotional event of my week. My eighth-grade daughter brought home a school paper this week, with a note written by the teacher in the margin. It said, "How does a 14-year-old have such wisdom?" Ma Belle Amie, is yet only 13, but the rest of what he said was accurate.
What did she write? When asked what happiness was she made three points, which I have to paraphrase from memory here :
- Happiness is when you can look in the mirror and be accepting of what you see, imperfections and all.
- Happiness is waking up in the morning refreshed, because you realize you went to bed with no regrets.
- Happiness is doing the best you can and what you want, but never putting yourself or your goals ahead of loving another person, their health, or well being. Instead, bringing them along, inviting them, and including them in achieving your goals, together.
It was if I had the wind knocked out of me.
The last couple of weeks have been rough here in Bog-town. Not as bad as what the Bryant family has been through, but some trauma cased by man's inhumanity toward man, is the common theme and subject of the day.
And with all that there was this one bright ray of light that penetrated the darkness.
As far as creating a user name that claims Kmoose is a racist, why? And how would this get approved by moderators? I don't think any of us have the right to make that judgement, do we? I mean isn't that the point of the anti-PC crowd that rails against well-intentioned but stupid excess?
If someone can make the assumption that kmoose is racist, then those that keep pounding the 'good kid trying to escape from a bad environment' cliché must be just as much racist, right? Both are making assumptions about what happened with absolutely no evidence, whatsoever, only their own prejudices and assumptions, based upon the stereotypes they maintain.
Let me explain the difference between anecdote and evidence. I used both of these words specifically. I am trying to make the point that there can be elements of the truth in any story. In fact, a story can be mostly true, but if certain things are twisted, context is not maintained, or any personal agenda is brought in, or factuality is not established, the story is worthless, until it is finally backed up with evidence. I will use a personal example.
I recently had someone steal property, and cash from me in excess of low five-figures. I knew this when it happened. I even knew who did it. But it didn't matter. Until I got a call from someone this person, 'pissed-off.'
The second individual gave me a name and a location of where the thief sold a few of the stolen goods. I was able to go in to that place of business and have them print out a copy of my original bill of sale, and provide date times and information about second transaction, where the thief sold back my goods.
When I called the police out, they took the information in a theft report, and a warrant will be sworn out on felony theft charges, and this person will be arrested. But until I got that call and was able to conclusively link possession of those items by serial number to the person to committed the act, it was anecdotal, hearsay, basically non-factual. The second the call came in with that one piece of information, the exact same details became fact. 'The whole truth.'
When I hear people whine and moan about the criminal justice system, I suspect this single process is what the gas bags are complaining about. And taking that a step further, what they are really mad at is when they are not capable of providing this final piece. So they are really mad at themselves, and angry with the world.
This week I will send someone business to business and find out where most of the items were sold off. And I will swear out an affidavit or two, implicating the involvement of several confederates of this person. I will force them to reveal all the information I need about what this person did with the cash component of the theft. To borrow a quote from one of my mentors, "I am not the kind of businessman that gets ulcers, I am the kind that gives them!"
How does this relate? The only thing I can think of that can be stated in this thread is that Greg Bryant has been murdered, and how that affects each of us, by expressing our feelings. This bickering back and forth about entirely ancillary, and trivial points is more unpalatable to me, than the theft that occurred against me.
