This I Believe

This I Believe

As I was watching the news recently, shaking my head over the way things are nowadays and stifling an urge to scream at the television, I was strongly reminded of the character Howard Beale in the motion picture “Network” and how he so succinctly stated as he stood before the TV camera, soaking wet and with madness in his eyes, and shouted, “I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!” Howard Beale was suffering from depression and insanity, but his message was delivered loud and clear.

Remembering that great performance, I think it would benefit us, during this time in our nation's history, to again revisit those famous words:

Please repeat after me...

“I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!”

And what exactly am I mad as hell about?

I'm angry about the yawning division between the two major political parties in America. I'm angry and mad as hell about the impossibility of the left to see the viewpoint of the right and of the right to see any aspects of goodness from the viewpoint of the left.

I'm angry about the rants, the rabble rousing and the petty viciousness of some of the so-called media when they accuse the “other” side of everything from criminal behavior clear through to satanically-inspired acts. And I absolutely hate the brain-dead followers of these bile-spouters who parrot those words and further the hate.

And I'm DAMN mad about those folks who say I'm not a good American, or even just inferring it, because of the particular viewpoint I endorse at a certain point in time. Just because I'm a proponent of viewpoint “A” doesn't mean I'm not a good American or that I can't see the possible good portions of viewpoint “B”. Or just because you are opposed to that viewpoint vehemently also doesn't make you a bad citizen. Could you possibly see, at least a little bit, where I'm coming from? If so, I'd be happy to listen to your viewpoint and to examine its positive aspects.

It's called compromise, folks, and it's been the backbone of this country for over two centuries. Believe it or not.

I earned my stripes as a good American years ago when I gave up four years of my life and served my country in the military. Along with thousands of other men and women over the years. Other people proved their membership in the “good American” club by volunteering at the local level – coaching little league, knocking on doors to collect donations for a charity, serving in poorly paid positions in local government, donating their time and money to worthwhile causes. Others volunteered their time serving positions in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, officiating in Special Olympics, working as school crossing guards, delivering meals to shut-ins, driving people to the polls on election day.

And let's not forget performing their civic duty by voting their consciences on election day.

All these activities demonstrate a person's affirmation of the American ethic. All these pursuits help make us Americans.

Good Americans.

But adhering to inflexible positions by our politicians, even when examining the opponent's viewpoint would likely illuminate more positive aspects for solutions, is ludicrous and dangerous. I find it extremely hard to believe that the adage “it's my way or the highway” is beneficial in any regard. In my eyes that's not American behavior.

I believe that almost all people who go into politics originally do so wanting to do good. They want to make things better. They want to “right the wrongs” and make their community, state or nation the best that it can possibly be. Unfortunately, I feel some who started with this commitment are corrupted by the temptations that seem to surround our elected officials. But the majority, perhaps the vast majority of the ones that still serve, are still trying to do their best. Still trying to steer the ship of state into beneficial waters. Some of them under terrible pressures to do otherwise.

I applaud their courage and their convictions whether I agree with their particular solution to a problem or not.

Perhaps I'm more of an optimist than I ought to be. Perhaps I'm also a very naïve man.

I recall a piece of writing I read a long time ago by one of my favorite authors, Robert Heinlein. It was entitled “This I Believe” and was delivered to a radio audience in 1952 during an interview by Edward R. Murrow. I'd like to believe that the precepts stated in it are still alive and well in this year 2010, well over a half-century later. I'd surely like to believe that.

I'd like for you to also read those words that I fervently believe are still true.

“This I Believe” by Robert A. Heinlein

"I am not going to talk about religious beliefs, but about matters so obvious that it has gone out of style to mention them."

"I believe in my neighbors."

"I know their faults and I know that their virtues far outweigh their faults. Take Father Michael down our road a piece --I'm not of his creed, but I know the goodness and charity and lovingkindness that shine in his daily actions. I believe in Father Mike; if I'm in trouble, I'll go to him. My next-door neighbor is a veterinary doctor. Doc will get out of bed after a hard day to help a stray cat. No fee -- no prospect of a fee. I believe in Doc."

"I believe in my townspeople. You can knock on any door in our town say, 'I'm hungry,' and you will be fed. Our town is no exception; I've found the same ready charity everywhere. For the one who says, 'To heck with you -- I got mine,' there are a hundred, a thousand, who will say, 'Sure, pal, sit down.'

"I know that, despite all warnings against hitchhikers, I can step to the highway, thumb for a ride and in a few minutes a car or a truck will stop and someone will say, 'Climb in, Mac. How how far you going?'

"I believe in my fellow citizens. Our headlines are splashed with crime, yet for every criminal there are 10,000 honest decent kindly men. If it were not so, no child would live to grow up, business could not go on from day to day. Decency is not news; it is buried in the obituaries --but it is a force stronger than crime."

"I believe in the patient gallantry of nurses...in the tedious sacrifices of teachers. I believe in the unseen and unending fight against desperate odds that goes on quietly in almost every home in the land."

"I believe in the honest craft of workmen. Take a look around you. There never were enough bosses to check up on all that work. From Independence Hall to the Grand Coulee Dam, these things were built level and square by craftsmen who were honest in their bones."

"I believe that almost all politicians are honest. For every bribed alderman there are hundreds of politicians, low paid or not paid at all, doing their level best without thanks or glory to make our system work. If this were not true, we would never have gotten past the thirteen colonies."

"I believe in Rodger Young. You and I are free today because of endless unnamed heroes from Valley Forge to the Yalu River."

"I believe in -- I am proud to belong to -- the United States. Despite shortcomings, from lynchings to bad faith in high places, our nation has had the most decent and kindly internal practices and foreign policies to be found anywhere in history."

"And finally, I believe in my whole race. Yellow, white, black, red, brown --in the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability....and goodness.....of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being. I believe that we have come this far by the skin of our teeth, that we always make it just by the skin of our teeth --but that we will always make it....survive....endure. I believe that this hairless embryo with the aching, oversize brain case and the opposable thumb, this animal barely up from the apes, will endure --will endure longer than his home planet, will spread out to the other planets, to the stars, and beyond, carrying with him his honesty, his insatiable curiosity, his unlimited courage --and his noble essential decency."

"This I believe with all my heart."

I think Heinlein expressed, with words vastly better than anything I could conjure, exactly what I'm thinking.

In any event, just keep in mind the fact that a pendulum swings both ways. When it reaches the apex of its swing to the left (or to the right), it always returns to the center.

And the center is where most of us live.

Inspiration

Inspiration

I'm not a big admirer of spontaneity. I'd consider it foreign to my way of thinking to jump in a car and head somewhere without knowing, at least somewhat, where I was heading, why I was going there, how long I would be there and what I would do when I arrived. I'm not a fan of surprises and I hate not having a plan. I don't know if this is a failing of mine or whether I'm in the majority in this view. I only know that I get the shudders when I contemplate setting forth on a task or journey with no planning beforehand.

I know people who are proponents of the alternative viewpoint. A young lady where I work is of that persuasion. She actually likes unpreparedness, going off half-cocked, heading out with no clear destination. And she seems to thrive on that mind set.

I applaud her choices and am quick to acknowledge that her way of doing things might be acceptable under some circumstances – maybe even, dare I say it, fun? But I surely would not want to do it her way very often, if at all.

Another friend once told me that I was, perhaps, the most unspontaneous person they had ever known. When I thought about it, I had to agree. I wasn't ashamed of it. I wasn't even put off by their judgment on my way of doing things. It was like saying a ball was round. Or the sea is salty. Of course it is and of course I am.

Which leads me, after meandering around a bit, to the topic of this blog.

I like to have goals in front of me. Something to look forward to – something to aspire toward. Whether those goals are as simple as a dental appointment next month or as complicated as the day I plan to retire. I like to see that goal sitting on my horizon and I like to see my path leading toward that prize. One of the goals I've always enjoyed placing in my path, planning for and then moving toward is our yearly quest for a vacation destination. My wife and I like to start throwing out possibilities to each other late in the previous year. The beach? The mountains? Canada? Dixie? The big city? Visit with distant relatives or friends? To go back to a place we're familiar with or to seek out a new place? There are generally lots of ideas floating back and forth between us during that time period. After discussing this and that we usually select a destination early in the year in which we plan to take the vacation and start drawing a bead on it. Well, at least I do. I don't think my wife is as fanatical about planning as I am. In fact I'm sure she isn't.

But this year we were a bit at loose ends. All the possibilities we were discussing were leaving me cold. No I didn't want to do this. No I was not particularly sold on that. And I definitely didn't want to do that other thing. And it was getting late. At least late to my viewpoint. Some destinations require making plans many months in advance and it was already mid-February.

What to do? What to do?

About that time several things began to coalesce around us that eventually lead to our final decision as to our vacation this year. I heard a friend from work talking about the vacation she'd taken last year. Another friend at my workplace had just returned from his winter vacation, the type of trip very similar to the first friend's. And my brother-in-law mentioned about his going on a trip very similar to the two friends at work.

The vacation they had all taken was a cruise.

And they had ALL had GREAT times.

When I floated the idea to my wife that maybe we might want to consider taking a short cruise – just to “test the water”, I could see her eyes light up. We'd talked about doing just that thing a number of years ago. We'd even talked to a travel agent who specialized in cruises. But we'd chickened out for a number of reasons then and hadn't revisited the idea since. I don't even remember our reasons for not going then.

But now?

I dove onto the Internet and began making queries. Where do cruises go? How long should we go for? Which cruise line? How much will it cost? How do we get to whatever port of departure we need to get to? How much will that cost? What do you do on a cruise? And what do you do at your destination?

And so on and so forth.

I talked to my brother-in-law about cruising, as he'd been on eleven of them and was, therefore, as much an expert as I'd need. He gave me many excellent tips. I talked to the people I worked with and asked innumerable questions concerning their trips. I talked to my wife as to what her thoughts were. I went back to the computer and began narrowing down choices. Finally, after considering a number of factors, we decided on our cruise.

We're heading out of Tampa early in July. We're sailing on the Carnival Inspiration on a four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and back.

The length was about right for first-time cruisers, I thought. Enough time to get immersed in shipboard life and enough time at the destination to see and feel a bit of a foreign country. To have some fun in the sun and to enjoy ourselves in a new venture. But not too long in case we hated it. Or if we got seasick. Or a coronovirus.

We've decided to fly down a day early to ensure we don't “miss the boat”. I've already booked the motel we'll stay at that evening before.

We've applied for our passports and are patiently awaiting their arrival.

And I'm busily and happily making plans and plans and more plans. I've read dozens and dozens of reviews written by cruisers who've taken that exact cruise recently in the same boat and soaked up their thoughts on the good stuff and the bad stuff. (It's all mostly good.) I've read blogs by cruise directors. I've eyeballed Google Earth for our ship's course, what Tampa looks like and how far our motel is from the airport and the ship's departure dock. I've read many reviews of Cozumel – where to buy souvenirs and what kind, where to dine, where to enjoy a beach, where to have a drink, what to expect for weather and many other things. I've watched videos shot by vacationers on the same boat we're booked on and in the same kind of cabin we've reserved. And of their excursions at Cozumel. I even told my wife I could probably find my way around the cabin and ship blind-folded as I'd seen so many videos about it.

It ought to be fun. No. It WILL be fun! I'm very, very confident.

Why?

'Cause I've made my plans! I've checked everything out I possibly can and am relaxed that we're prepared and we'll be fine.

Cruising the Caribbean! Visiting Mexico! New friends! Fabulous food! Fun in the sun!

120 days and counting.

I CAN'T WAIT!