An Uneasy Mind

An Uneasy Mind

Here on the Cumberland Plateau the mind is uneasy. I see some hint of sunshine through the windows as the gray cumulus clouds gather and move along toward the northeast. I hear the wind and see the sway of the lifeless and leafless limbs of trees, and I sit yearning for so much still yet in this life that is left to me.

I think of all the science and technology of which I know little or nothing…of my relatively short ride on this spinning orb and all that I’ve read about in the passage of time – the wars, the ability to hate and to love, the remarkable inability of good minds to absorb the lessons of history.

I ask myself, “What do I know that could make our country, our world, a safe and secure place in which to live and survive our past follies?” There comes the answer, sure and swift: “You know only what you are capable of knowing, from those first womb-free moments of existence to this precarious perch in twilight.”

Yet I write my books of fiction, make my characters heroes and villains, and play with words the make believe games of my youth. And, because my observation dictates, I write about a government which appears to be adrift, moving away from the convictions and faith of the past, moving away from the fundamental beliefs that have held strong for a few hundred years and created a great generation of men and women who were willing to sacrifice their lives so that freedom, liberty, and individual rights might be sacrosanct.

Now I turn to non-fiction, rant and rave about what I perceive as wrong with our current government in my new book, Joe Public’s Political Perspective. It is of course my freedom of speech that allows me to make my simple pronouncements, and I know that I’m not alone in the assertions I make.

Then I think, how can my political voice matter to anyone? Each of us believe what it is we have been programmed to believe, through a delicately engineered wiring system that makes our mind-motors run, through our environmental experiences, through inscrutable mazes I cannot imagine.

Who is right? Who is wrong?

Of course, I believe those of conservative leanings are right. That does not mean to me conservatives are all rich and think little of the poor and handicapped… I’m not wealthy and I know about poverty – been there, done that! Conversely, I believe conservatives care more for the weak, weary, and down-trodden than the franchises that have made it so easy over the years for people of color, unwed mothers, illegal immigrants, drifting idlers who care not to work but to live off of others’ labors, to eat at the public trough. If truth could be dispensed without prejudice and political design, it would show that conservatives are far more connected to the pulse of all Americans. Conservatives are not uncaring. The government must help those who truly need assistance. There are programs in place now that help so many. If more is needed, simple legislation is in order, not a huge government bureaucracy.

Those of heavy liberal minds have a vision for the country far different from the conservative minds. Many liberals wish to make entitlement and welfare the arguments for their agendas. It does not seem to matter to them the billions of dollars in wasteful spending that go from the taxpayers of our country. It is my belief that many liberals would be happier and more at home in the conservative camp.

Okay, so I’m uneasy. Politics sometimes seems to me a ‘whore’s game’ where ideologues vie for seats of power, where greed lives, where anger and division lives, where pork-barrel spending is business as usual. I do not like politics so much but it is the tree from which everything branches.

Now the clouds have united into a solid gray sky. There is now snow flurries on the plateau. Perhaps my uneasiness is caused by the conflicting clouds, sun, and snow, making slow to abate this little mind skittering… But wait, as I write the snow is gone, the sky is clear, and there is sunshine again. So quickly, these changes in the weather are occurring. Glad I’m not a weatherman!

Oh, well, make no mistake about it! I believe 2014 is a pivotal year for the United States and the world, certainly for those of us who want to preserve democracy, make government less intrusive and all-knowing.

Now, for sure, I’m going to promote my little book entitled, Joe Public’s Political Perspective. The brain power may not be its strongest point, but the words are the simple thoughts of a simple man. Feel free to buy it and see what Joe Public has to say. It is not broad in scope and it does not come from the pen of a political analyst or pundit.

It’s just me, taking a little mind excursion.

BUY THE BOOK at amazon.com goo.gl/WPweKh and at amazon.co.uk goo.gl/CGp7bm

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