Familiar Face/Messy Liberty

I joined a focus group that was just by Zoom call this week and it was fantastic. We were asked questions about legal cases so I found it interesting and I got paid and I could do it from home. That was a pretty sweet arrangement!

One of the women in the call was asked by the initial facilitator if they might know each other because "she looked so familiar" to her. She laughed and said that about 35% of the people she meets think they know her from somewhere and that she looks familiar. A lawyer got on later to start asking us questions about a particular case and he told her he thinks he might know her from someplace and we all laughed because we had heard how often she gets that. She did look familiar to me, too. What are the features and characteristics that make a person look and/or feel familiar? I would love to dive deeper into this subject as some point.

The other thing recently going on is that I've spent hundreds of hours this year on various research that has left me with an overwhelming desire to seek out freedom, liberty, and protection for our Constitution. I do belong to a few fringe groups that send e-mails from time to time, although I joined these different groups for alternative reasons. One group keeps inviting me to meet-ups in another city at a library and they have hosted several speakers that are people I know of and try to follow in some way or other. I can't make it to these meetings because of a continual conflict in my schedule. This week they were stepping outside the box and having a breakfast and freedom seminar on Saturday in a park. Tickets were reasonable so I talked to my husband about it and he said we should go but also bring our boys. We let them know the plan and I purchased tickets and looked forward to the event.

Saturday rolled around and we woke our boys up and drove to another county for the event. I have attended fringe interest conferences before, particularly in education and some health topics conferences & documentary screenings as well. There's usually a place to check in and then somebody tells you where to go or what to expect next. This was nothing like that. A bunch of eccentric-looking people were standing around in a park pavilion, some already deep in what seemed like very strange conversations. There was no welcome and no check-in spot. It didn't seem like a welcoming crowd, mostly because it was people that already knew each other & didn't seem interested in really expanding.

It started out strange. We ended up a few minutes late and then struggled to find parking (which are details I hate to admit to-I'm very rarely late) but still nothing had started. Everybody just kept saying, "Jake is coming" and checking their phones and saying, "Jake's on his way." Jake was not who my e-mails come from so for a newcomer, this seemed SO weird-I had no idea who this Jake guy was. Nobody really wanted to start without Jake but eventually they decided it would be okay to at least have a prayer, which I don't really mind. The guy who said the prayer made it clear rather quickly that he felt knowledgeable about "the cause" and would have liked to have been a speaker but hadn't been chosen so he used his prayer to give a talk. The prayer was long, full of too many details, more of a showboat piece than an attempt to connect to diety, and very boring. I had told my kids that my little brother used to give REALLY long prayers, hoping it would get him out of getting asked to say the prayer next time. They asked if this prayer was like that and I said NO WAY-my brothers prayers were long but at least they were funny. This guy was definitely not funny. Finally Jake showed up about 45 minutes late (for a 2-hour event) and said he needed lots of help carrying things in from his car. The prayer-sayer used this opportunity to make a really sexist comment. Jake, once his cargo was hauled over, had all the things for breakfast, which his mom finished cooking, and some audio equipment and what-not. He acted really stressed, kept saying how much work all of this is, and telling us that he was well-prepared but he only has 2 hands...Since I believe he knew he only had 2 hands all along and things were not ready on time, I wouldn't announce being well-prepared. This was evidently the guy in charge. Oh boy!

They got to the first speaker and this is about an hour into the event. We were all running late now and she was supposed to be somewhere else at this point so I thought maybe she'd shorten her 4-page talk but that's silly. She didn't. Her intro was interesting and I liked her demeanor overall. She runs a school. Things took a turn though and it became a big lecture with information overload. She lost the approach of trying to engage the audience and just bombarded information out to us, never summarizing or making the ideas come to life. She did say some good things but those good things could have been expressed in a summary. Next we had a speaker who had not even been listed in the information about the event. He was a confident guy that had a good stage presence. He promoted his new job soon into his speech, which I found more than a little tacky but then he got talking and seemed well-informed. After he'd really gotten going, Jake let him know it was time to wrap things up. I felt happy that somebody was taking control of the timing. I'm time-obsessed and had worried this guy might just talk forever. He had the passion about the subject to do it. Even after he was told to wrap up, he said he'd shorten things a bit but he still wanted to hit all of his points. I was annoyed by that.

I wanted to say, "Hey guys, technically this event is supposed to end in 20 minutes & the people I came to listen to haven't STARTED speaking yet. Can we be a little more aware of the time?" The guy wrapped up and Jake got up. He said he'd been taking notes and had some comments he wanted to make. He was NOT listed on the speakers list and we were now almost 2 hours behind. There were 5 more speakers listed, 2 of which I really wanted to hear. Jake just did a little impromptu presentation on the Constitution, asking rhetorical questions and then awkwardly answering them and going into great detail that was unnecessary. He got carried away with time and I wished that somebody would tell him to wrap things up but I knew from how everybody immortalized this guy before we even got there that nobody would dare cut him off from his unscheduled speech. He spoke for more than 20 minutes. It was past the noon cut-off we had planned for. A lady was the next up to speak that I actually wanted to hear but we had other things going on in our day and had to leave. She's the one I get the e-mails from and she's doing really interesting political things I'd love to hear more about but inefficiency made us miss everything she had to say, along with other speakers I wanted to hear. This was my first attempt to reach out to a group seeking more freedom and liberty and what did I learn? Uh, this group might have good intentions but I don't think I found my people this time around. I believe in some less-popular ideas, such as resisting a public education, which has led me to some eccentric people. I've had to do some self-reflection and recognize I might be one of those eccentric people as well. I can handle a good dose of eccentric but I can't handle being unorganized, not taking responsibility, not being very open to newcomers, even though they were invited, and not being mindful of the time. I can't handle a group strongly claiming to think for themselves and then nearly worshipping their leader. Respecting a leader is fine but hinging so much on a person seems strange and cult-like to me. I will have to seek for liberty elsewhere.

I do need to give my family credit-they were real troopers to endure this & the ride home was hilarious! They fit saying how hard things were into conversations & other little signature phrases they'd picked up throughout the morning. It made a disappointing situation much better. 😀

Beverage Evolution

Growing up, my worst-habit beverage of choice was Diet Coke. It's what my mom drank when I was little so when I was allowed to drink soda, that's what I went for. I never thought about it. I was never steered in any other direction. We sometimes just embrace what's familiar. I felt very grown up drinking Diet Coke. It's what all the moms were drinking.

When I was 17 years old, I started to consider what I was personally interested in and started breaking free from the influences around me. For instance, I had always assumed I was a Republican because that's what most of the people around me were. The summer of my junior year, I attended Girls State (a week away at a college with girls from all over the state that run a mock government starting from cities to counties to state representatives).

As we really dived into the particulars of politics, I knew for certain I'm not a Republican. My favorite candidate for governor was a Democrat but I didn't really feel like that fit me 100% either.

I began my journey as a political independent. During this time, I branched out on drinks and started trying some new things. The drink I tried and loved the most was Pepsi.

It checked all my boxes. It was cola. It was incredibly sweet. I started to taste a huge difference between fake sugar and the fully loaded high fructose corn syrup and strongly preferred the latter. Plus they sold it over crushed ice at our school store so I could combine a delicious drink with the dreadful duty of attending school and it made the school day seem a little less daunting. They also had it at Hogi Yogi and Sconecutter, the places my best friend and I frequented on a regular basis. From the time I was 17 years old until the time I was 40 or 41, my hard beverage of choice was Pepsi. When you pick the same drink for over 20 years, people tend to accept it as part of your identity. However, a few years back, it stopped being my beverage of choice. It was tasting too sweet for me, got flat too easily, was harder to get at restaurants than its competitor and just didn't float my boat any longer. That relationship needed to end. I strongly and unhesitatingly crossed over into the Coca-Cola space. If I have the choice, I actually prefer cherry vanilla Coke but regular Coke and vanilla Coke are great as well.

The people that have known me for ages are having a tough time realizing I've changed and I can't blame them. My sis-in-law finally told me that I'm right-Pepsi is the best drink. I had to laugh and apologize because now that she's come around to Pepsi, I've jumped to the Coke ship. My brother buys me a few Pepsis throughout the year and mentions it being my favorite from time to time. I've told him a couple times that I switched but it hasn't registered with him and I'm still impressed with his thoughtfulness and kind gestures. This has just made me think about how linked our long-term thoughts and habits are with our identity. I guess now would be the time to admit that my political stance has changed as well. I'm a Constitutionalist.

I haven't been in the past. I didn't know or study the Constitution or its evolution of execution in our country. The more I've studied it, the more I can't imagine being anything else. The one thing about politics though is when I didn't go to either side, Republican or Democrat, people didn't tend to link me to my political affiliation. Just like if my favorite drink had been apple beer, people probably wouldn't really link me to that or try to buy it for me. Sometimes we like what we like and then one day we are in a new place.

More Jacob 5

It's been a while since I read Jacob chapter 5 in the Book of Mormon and was hit so strongly with a whole new meaning to some of those verses. I read it today for my first time since the end of 2020 and I can't believe how strongly all the emotions came back.

Once I pulled through those verses, I saw new meanings, too. Overall, the chapter is a story about the scattering and gathering of Israel and even though I don't remember each phase or understand the whole allegory perfectly, it did seem kind of beautiful to me in its entirety.

I also saw some parenting guidance there today as well. I love my kids and are so proud of them but in certain ways, I find myself really feeling like I have failed them. I should have done this differently or I should have found a way to do that better. Starting with verse 40, it says: 40. And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died. 41. And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard? 42 Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted. And now these which have once brought forth good fruit have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire...This is me just wondering if my shortcomings have corrupted certain successes for my children. The scriptures start talking about hope and at the end of 49 just asks again: "What could I have done more for my vineyard?" This is like asking "Where did I go wrong?", "Why didn't I do this differently?", etc.

and the verses say: 50. But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer. 51. And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard...and the Lord of the vineyard gets to work and labors diligently, which I think is like a parent who maybe worries but still keeps trying more ways to help their kids. To read on, we see: 73. And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly...74 ...and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning...so if we just keep on working hard and trying our best, it will all be okay in the end.

I probably over-worry, especially when it comes to my kids. I just don't know any other way. Sometimes I just worry myself into not the best place. I need to remember these verses to remember all is not said and done. I'm going to make mistakes but those are just parts of caring for living things. Nurturing people and plants is not a perfect science but the results are incredibly fulfilling. It will probably be a year or more before I read this chapter again but so much is there. I love seeing something new each time!

Motivation

This week we watched the movie King Williams with Will Smith in it. I got very emotional but probably not at the part that was intended for that. Will Smith's character, Richard Williams, gets literally and figuaratively beat down again and again and again.

There's a point where this motivates him just to push harder and be stronger. I felt so angry. Why do people have to be motivated this way, by long-term and overbearing adversity?

When is it enough and people get a little help pulling the monkeys off their backs? Why are some people in a situation where everyone and everything seems to be pulling them down but somehow they hang on through it all? There are others that seem to be in a similar situation but they have all the support in the world and sometimes that gets them through and sometimes even with all that support, they still give up while the person over there has no support but keeps on going-I don't understand any of this!

Is it all worth it? If it is, at what point do you know it's worth it? I'm not ready to throw in the towel or anything like that. I'm just tired of seeing how much adversity some must face without ever catching a break. Sometimes I'm tired of not knowing how to catch my own break. For the record, that show was incredible. I loved it!

Musical Time Machine

There's a song that plays on the radio now that affects me so much!!! I don't want to say what the song is, just what it does. It takes me right back to a very specific time in my life. When I hear the song, I immediately feel young and free and like I can remember all my thoughts and views from that time.

It's back when I thought a lot about the relationships I'd have and I thought I knew how they'd go and what love would feel like. I was incredibly hopeful for my future. I couldn't imagine anything standing in my way of going and getting what I want out of life.

It's the most incredible feeling bursting with possibilities and optimism and hope. When the song ends, uh, things get weird for me. I feel really lucky. It's easy to name people I love and be grateful for a home and job and friends but I know that world I once believed in isn't really there any more. It feels like I'm not living in that world anymore. Some things went how I thought and how I wanted but a lot of things didn't. Now I've experienced enough sadness and pain and hurt and judgment and loss that I don't think anything is possible. I think there are possibilities but they aren't endless. I've experienced enough joy and accomplishment and forgiveness that I still hold onto little nuggets of hope. I just at times miss that other world.

Substituting

I've mentioned I'm a substitute teacher before. I've been doing it for 6 1/2 years. Many interesting things are going on around the country for substitutes at the moment.

In New Mexico, bus drivers have been getting pulled into the schools and asked to substitute in between driving. In Texas, the National Guard has been recruited. Many states (such as Wisconsin) have had or are considering having law enforcement step in. In Utah, the governor said state employees can take 30 hours PTO to go help in schools. It's an interesting time for sure. I read the comments to some of these articles and felt myself getting a little worked up. Teachers are on there complaining about substitutes and how unqualified and uncompetent they are. Some of them say their job as a teacher is so much harder. Parents are complaining about both substitutes (and saying they're just a warm body/babysitter) and having state employees help. "They aren't qualified to help my kids." People are complaining about teacher pay being too low or many complain teachers get paid too much. People are just overall complaining.

These are some of my thoughts and experiences. First of all, in the case of the national guard or law enforcement coming in, I'm all for it!!! The biggest issue in school right now is student behavior at all age levels. If a police officer has his gun dangling as he tells students to put their phones away or stop talking, I have a feeling behavior would change pretty quickly. If law enforcement just stopped into each class during the last 5 minutes and had us report kids who couldn't get their behavior on track and the kids had to have a chat with an armed officer, I think we would see change. Of course I hesitate to just intimidate and cause fear with guns. What's lost is respect. I've seen enough students have no incentive to use respect in their lives that at times I think something like having armed officers around might be enough to bring a little respect back to school. There are many liaison officers that are a friendly face in schools but the fact still remains that they are armed.

Next, why are so many people hell-bent on proving a teacher's job is harder and they don't get paid enough or a substitute's job is harder and they don't get paid enough? (As a sidenote, I see this thing going on that "life has been so hard on teachers since the pandemic" and then responses of "That's nothing. You should be glad you're not a nurse during the pandemic" and "I'd rather be a nurse than work for the state health department during the pandemic" and so on and so forth. It's not a competition. Every job, every human has felt the struggle in some way. We don't have to have had the most acknowledged struggles to just admit we have all struggled in different ways. We don't have to prove to anybody that our job was harder. It doesn't matter. There's not gold star to display for your troubles. Let's connect more along the lines of humanity.) Couldn't we just respect that both professions are difficult and don't pay that well? For teachers they have to grade assignments, communicate with parents, and attend extra training. For substitutes, they are disrespected right out of the gate, they come into an unknown environment and just have to lead somewhat on the fly constantly, and they are publically told they are nothing more than a warm body or babysitter for students. People assume we don't have the skills or qualifications to be there.

Once in a while I sub for a teacher that respects and helps a substitute. I know this when they've done things such as: *told the class ahead of time there will be a substitute and they expect best behavior (which they can't always do if they're absent unexpectedly). *told the class there will be some kind of incentive if they get a good report from the sub *made rules about the bathroom or hall pass. My district says we can never tell a student they can't use the bathroom because we don't know if the student has a medical condition. However, if a teacher tells me no students are allowed to use the bathroom, then I know there are no medical conditions and I'm allowed to say no to the excessive use of "bathroom time" when there's a sub. In one school, the rule is they can't go. If the student says it's an emergency, we call the office to get the student an escort for the bathroom and they can use it then. With this rule, it turned out that not one student had an actual bathroom emergency. *allowed me to run a class discussion-I automatically get better behavior when a teacher trusts me enough to allow me to engage with students. My best subbing experiences are the few classes where the lesson plans allowed for a good discussion. One teacher suggested I tell the students that they have to participate in a meaningful discussion but if they run out of comments, it's okay. The teacher left worksheets as a back up. Wow-those kids had lots of ideas under those circumstances and I enjoyed the experience, too. *allowed me some wiggle room in the schedule. I appreciate when a teacher leaves plenty of work to do. However, I appreciate when there is time that I'm allowed to use to adapt. I always bring trivia which makes class fun if we have time to do it. Sometimes extra time allows for discussions or other ways to engage the students. Sometimes assignments take longer than the teacher thinks they might. When a teacher leaves some wiggle room with the planning, I find I can run a much more successful class.

There are comments made all the time that sustitutes aren't even qualified for the task at hand. I understand there are a lot of bad substitutes. I hear about them often. However, I work incredibly hard to be and stay qualified. I do some district trainings every year and I do extra training on my own as well. I subscribe to a newsletter that's always giving me ideas of how to be a better sub. I have never NOT followed a teacher's lesson plans, no matter how much I dislike some of the plans. I don't yet have my bachelor's degree, which is sometimes why comments are made about not being qualified. I don't know how taking another English class, another science class, an art class and a few other random electives would make me any more qualified. Those are completely irrelevant to what goes on in public schools. I have 3 years of college and two associates degrees, one in pre-teacher education. However, even the classes I took for that didn't greatly enhance any of my teaching skills. I have 12 years experience teaching Jr. Achievement classes, which is a program that provides business, financial, and community lessons to elementary students. That is just coming into a class for an hour or so once a week for 6 weeks. I've taught the Great Artist Program, which goes on a similar schedule. I've been a room mom lots of times. Every one of those experiences better prepared me to substitute than any college class I took. Even then, it's what goes on in regular life and with my own kids that has best prepared me for being a sub. What do you do when a kid doesn't fit in the normal boxes? How do you handle disruptions? What are kind ways you can address problems? These are all things I've picked up more from mothering than anywhere else.

There is some training we're never given: What to do when you hear at least 30 times in a day, "oh no! we have a sub", how to handle a student that won't quit telling you about his mom's sex toys, or appropriate ways to respond to students that talk openly about their drug use. They've never instructed me on the ins and outs of when a fight breaks out unexpectedly during class or how to handle a student opening a condom instead of the book the class is reading or how to show a student you care about them when they struggle with a parent's incarceration. They don't tell us how to not feel dead inside after pouring all the love we can muster into students that won't recognize or respond to us caring and we come home with nothing left to give our family members that day. They don't give you pep talks to shake it off when garbage is thrown at you or students comment that it's sad you couldn't find a real job. These are all things I've dealt with that there is no stardard in which to follow to navigate the circumstances. Parents want to talk about who's qualified to be with their kids. Is that your kid that refuses to put their cell phone away because no other adult in their life teaches them technological boundaries? Is that your kid that thinks it's okay to make sexual comments repeatedly as long as others in the class laugh? Is that your kid that hits on me without any way for me to squash the behavior other than asking them to stop? Is that your kid that throws their garbage on the floor because "somebody else gets paid to pick it up?" Is that your kid that absolutely refuses to do any work in class? Is that your kid that turns on a game for the whole class and then complains they didn't have enough time to do the assignment? Is that your kid who won't work but also won't stop distracting other students? When was the last time you talked to your kid about their behavior at school? When was the last time you told them you expect certain things from them while they're at school? When did you last talk to them about how they treat other students? When was the last time you went through your students assignments with them to see if what they're being taught is meaningful? When was the last time you talked to them about all of their education options or even considered an alternative yourself if the traditional route is not working? When was the last time you thought about what it would be like to be in charge of 30-40 kids at a time for different subjects on a regular basis who were so distracted by technology and social media that they can't even commit a reasonable portion of their time or energy to learning new things?

When was the last time you considered these tech-addicted kids go home to tech-addicted parents and siblings who are so distracted they forget to connect with one another? I'm saying this because of what I see in the classroom and I'm saying this because of what I see in my own home. I'm not immune to these pitfalls. We struggle as a family to connect and balance our time using electronics, too. I forget at times to talk to my kids about their behavior at school. Sometimes when they struggle with classes and grades I forget to dive in deeper and see if there are things we could do differently to get them more engaged. Sometimes the answer isn't blaming the teachers or the substitutes for "not being qualified" as teachers. It usually takes a qualified parent to end up with a well-taught student. I write this, not because I think anybody will ever read it. C'mon-who even blogs still? I write this because of years of struggling in certain ways but not having anybody to talk to about it. There are not substitute conventions (that I know of) where you get to swap these stories with others. Substituting is actually a very isolating job. You don't have many opportunities to connect with other teachers and you endure many hardships without having a way to unload them. When you log in to an article on a Friday night, as a random example, and it's after a long, difficult day of substituting and you see how many people are saying subs are nothing more than overpaid babysitters, it doesn't feel good. Today was the day I wanted to put my experiences into words. I substitute for two reasons. The first is because of the flexible schedule-I really love the flexibility. The second is that I love the chance to try to help and teach students. I'm passionate about education and I'm passionate about every student holding untold potential. The passion dulls a little every time I'm hit with garbage or insulted or manipulated. When I see other jobs I could do that pay nearly the same but it wouldn't involve trying to keep 40 students on task or stopping fights or competing for attention against cell phones, it's very tempting to throw in the towel with this. When I know I could do a more simple job and come home with plenty of energy left to spoil my family with, I wonder how much longer I will keep this job.

Doing the wrong thing

I was at the dentist's office this week and the assistant started talking to me about her son. She said he's in kindergarten and he's so good at school. She's a little surprised because she sees a naughtier side of him at home but she's glad he's good at school. His best friend, a neighbor, gets in trouble at school quite often but her son always gets to pick prizes and gets teacher praise because he does what he's supposed to. She told me she's so glad her son is a rule-follower, not like the neighbor boy. I have thought about this quite a bit. First of all, why did she tell me all of this? "Hi. Remember how I haven't seen you for 6 months and don't really know anything about you? Well, let me tell you about my son and his rule following abilities. Also, let me tell you about the neighbor, who doesn't follow the rules." That's all weird. Secondly, why do they even talk at all? I can't respond. My mouth is open and they know that. Okay, my rant is over. Her son follows the rules & she's very happy about that.

I've been simultaneously reading the book Unwind for the second time. I read it 10-12 years ago but had forgotten a lot. Now there's two more books in the series so I re-read this so I can take in the whole series and be up to speed. I liked it the first time. I liked it even better the second time. My favorite sentence of the whole book is "He will only do the wrong thing when it's the right thing to do."

I've talked a lot to my kids about following the rules and my take on it. Just this week, my boys encountered some poorly behaved children and got upset about both the kids and the parents. They said they would never have gotten away with behaving that way. That's true. Did I have expectations for their behavior? Absolutely! I asked if they think I made them follow rules straight across the board. They said no. They knew that I expected certain things and that many rules were good to follow such as keep your hands to yourself and stay close to me. However, rules were expected to be followed if they were good rules. There was wiggle room for bad rules. One example that's come up over the years involves my brother-in-law. One time when he was in high school, we got a call that he was suspended and we went immediately to be with him and support him. Somebody at school was causing trouble for a disabled kid so my bro-in-law caused trouble for the bully and got suspended for it. I remember the day as being kind of a family party, people hugging him and praising him and us all just spending time together having fun. He still got in trouble from the school. He still had a consequence. Nobody tried to take the consequence away. However, he broke the rule of never getting in a fight because protecting the disabled to him trumped not fighting. We all felt he did the right thing. When my kids tell me of a rule they want to break, I listen to them and think about what they're saying. If I see their point, I often tell them they have to decide but if they do break that rule, this or that might be the consequence. They understand that breaking rules has consequences but if they are using their brain to make the decision of whether or not to follow the rule, I want to support them because they are doing what they were raised to do. I never wanted to raise exclusive rule-followers.

I don't have a problem with people that raise their kids to follow the rules. Honestly, those are probably the kids that are much easier for me to substitute. Those kids often do well in school and at jobs and even in their social lives. There are benefits to raising rule followers. Also, parents who raise rule followers have certain life experiences and priorities that lead them down that path. It just isn't the same path for me. I have often wondered, if I lived during a time of slavery, would I have opposed it? Would I have seen the worth of the blacks in spite of hearing garbage that many others believed? What if I lived during the Nazi regime? Would I have helped the Jews? Would I have put my life on the line to do the right thing? The government legalized slavery. The government narrative was that slavery was a good system. The German government and other European entities opposed Jews. They blamed them for everything that was going wrong. They made it illegal to help and/or hide them. These are two of many examples of when the government is wrong and doing the wrong thing. There is no way to know if I would have stood up for what was right if I lived in another time and place. I do know now that I'm in an unpopular position today, opposing what the government is saying and doing. This isn't a problem isolated to one country or even a few nations. This is a world-wide narrative. We have a constitution that aims to prevent censorship but try to post real facts on social media that oppose the government narrative and see how long they remain posted. The government is blaming one group of people (the unvaxxed) for something. They are persecuting them and breeding a nation where most vaccinated citizens believe unvaccinated people deserve any suffering they get. They are creating different rules and privileges, depending on which group you belong to. Heaven help me to hang on to my convictions. I would rather do what I think is the right thing and end up wrong than to do nothing...