Tonight I skipped about the internet and read some really horrible things.

I swore I wouldn’t do it but I did. It really made me sad when I saw some of the things that were being said. Yes, some of these comments on these so called news sites were just trolls trying to stir people up, and unfortunately, a lot of people were too ignorant not to see through it and they of course had to fire back with their own nasty remarks. Sometimes I honestly think the internet was a really bad idea. Then, I have to remind myself of all of the good things the internet has brought us…like the ALS ice bucket challenge. 🙂

From there, I sat here and wrote up this list. This list is about US as a Nation of people. It’s about ALL of us. Granted, these are my personal views but none the less, with everything that is going on all over the world, I think we need to get it together and concern ourselves with the health and well-being of the United States because here at home, we are bleeding to death from self-inflicted wounds.

Where did we lose our way?

Were we all too consumed with pushing our own agendas that we forgot there are millions of other people pushing theirs and in the course of these actions we alienated ourselves from the population as a whole?

You don’t have to agree with me and if you read this list and twist it and interpret it in any way other than what it is meant to be, I have no control over that. I believe that most of you who know me, will know this comes from hope and the desire to have my grandchildren grow up in a better world.

Personal accountability and tolerance are two words we don’t hear much anymore and yet they mean everything when it comes to the ability of a society of vastly different people getting along and living together. We’ll never be one big happy family but we don’t have to be the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s either.

Here is what came out of my head:

1. This is our country. It doesn’t matter how we got here, who put us here or why. If you live within the borders of the USA, it is your responsibility to uphold your end of the freedom bargain.
2. There are these things called rules. Without rules, the whole system will collapse.
3. Obey the rules. If you feel a rule is unjust, educate yourself and get to work fixing it.
4. People who are caught breaking the rules get punished. What that punishment is and where you end up has almost everything to do with you. You made the choice to break the rules, not the person in power who has to deal with you.
5. Laws and rules are necessary to protect the innocent. Without them, we will all perish.
6. Someone has to enforce those rules and those enforcers are human beings, not robots. Sometimes they make a bad call. Obey the rules and you most likely won’t have to worry about this.
7. Human beings are flawed and we shouldn’t expect them not to be. Are you perfect?
8. Be the change you want to see in the world, starting in your own communities.
9. Talk to the problem not about the problem.
10. Don’t wait until all hell breaks loose to do something.
11. Stop blaming everyone else for your problems. Take a look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
12. If you can’t work, and the tax paying citizens of your country are taking care of you, volunteer.
13. You are not a product of your environment. You are a product of your choices.
14. Just because you believe something is true, doesn’t make it a fact. Facts are tangible proof. They are not ideas and opinions.
15. Most people just want to live their lives peacefully without anyone messing it up for them. Right?
16. You’d be surprised at how little anyone really cares about what color, religion, sexual orientation or nationality you are. Most of us just want to get through our lives day to day and enjoy our freedom.
17. No one is required to agree with you. The upside of this is that you are entitled to the same privilege.
18. No one is required to like you either. However, being likable won’t hurt.
19. Just because someone doesn’t agree with your lifestyle, sexual preference or even hair color, it doesn’t make you or them a bad person, as long as they aren’t interfering with your personal freedom.
20. Forcing your personal beliefs down people’s throats is a waste of time. If and when they choose to think like you, it will be their decision, not yours. You’re not the only person who can get angry—other people get angry too.
21. What adult people do in the privacy of their own homes is none of your business.
22. Most conspiracy theories are just that—theories.
23. Stop being a victim. You are who you think you are. Believe you are a victor over your own circumstances and you will be but you have to work at it.
24. Stay in school. Education is the only way to rise. Even if you only graduate from high school—this is America, the first twelve years are still free.
25. Respect is a two way street.
26. Everyone wants freedom but not the responsibilities that come with it.
27. If you like living in a free country, get used to the fact that we are all free, not just you.
28. If you believe the system is broken, vote those in power out by choosing different leaders.
29. Don’t vote for promises, vote for someone who appreciates and values you enough to expect you to step up and help.
30. Stop turning a blind eye to corruption and crime in your own back yard. You are only perpetuating the cycle.
31. Just because you don’t want to hear something or don’t agree with it, doesn’t make it false.
32. Try to be a good example for your children and not just expect or tell them to do better. YOU do better and they will follow.
33. Try to believe the good news as easily as you do the bad.
34. Stop looking up to people who look down on you. If someone points at you and tells you that you are a victim, a target and oppressed, instead of cheering for them, PROVE THEM WRONG.
35. It’s hard out here for all of us. The only way it will ever get any easier is if we work together.
36. Live in the now. You can’t go back and change things in the past.
37. Things won’t make you happy.
38. Some things make your life easier but not happier.
39. Admit when you’re wrong. Others will respect your honesty.
40. Show off your talents, your smarts and your humanity, not your car and your house.
41. Saying, “That’s just how I am,” or “That’s just how it is,” is a cop out.
42. Stop buying your children’s silence and then wondering why they have no respect for you or anyone else for that matter.
43. Acknowledge greatness and encourage it.
44. Mind your own business unless your inner voice tells you to ask what you can do to help
45. Everyone just wants to be heard. Try listening instead of talking sometimes.
46. Give the benefit of a doubt, especially to those you love.
47. Give credit where credit is due and say please and thank you.
48. Not everyone gets to do the job they love and get paid for it. Do what you love on your own time. The rewards are worth more than money.
49. Stop expecting something for nothing. There’s always a price to pay in the end.
50. Freedom is not free. It is a responsibility to maintain the freedoms our ancestors fought and died for. It is a responsibility to your country and fellow countrymen and women. You are not above it.

The reason this country is bleeding is not because of war, it’s because of people who want to sit on the sidelines and only stand up when it suits them. Our government is flawed. Our finances are mess. Our educational system is sub-standard and yet we want to point our fingers at each other and lay blame?

We can’t even fix ourselves and yet we expect others to fix it for us. Change comes from within. Change comes from being accountable for your actions and doing something to make life better for all of us, not just you. Stop waiting for your government to kiss your booboos and make it all better. We need to start fixing things ourselves in our own homes, schools and communities.

Thank you for reading my ramblings. I’m just one woman who believes this country can still be saved but we have to trust each other to do the right things and make good choices.

United we stand. Divided, we are already falling.