Wokeness???

In short, I am trying to determine if I am WOKE. Having tackled many difficult issues over the years including abortion, religion and others, I feel as if I should make a stab at this very complex matter. It is hard to decide where to start, or how we got to where we are today in this divisive social issue. Before going too far, for those of you who do not know me, I am tackling this idea as a 73 year old forward thinking individual. I believe women should have the right to determine how their bodies are used. I believe everyone should have healthcare. Gender altering or gayness should fall under the constitutional law of “all people are created equal”. Guns are becoming a scourge on our society as more and more people of all ages die from gun related incidents. We need to control who is allowed to own a gun without endangering the 2nd amendment. That’s me in a nutshell.

Let me try to make my way into the WOKE arena. This is by far the most complex of all the issues we face. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of Woke is, “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” The misconstrued belief of WOKE is tearing at the fabric of our society in ways we never dreamed possible. I think we must begin at the place that is so dear to so many of us, our children. My personal belief is that we are throwing our children into a world that does not allow them to be children. We take away their play time. We expose them to ideas and concepts that they are unable to comprehend. The concept of family is being shredded in so many ways between organized events, crazy work schedules, market exploitation, new uncontrolled technologies and greedy corporations. I have often said I would not want to grow up at this time in our history. I am a firm believer that play is an essential part of growing up. Sure, a child should have responsibilities based on age and maturity, but play is the part of growing up that teaches our children numerous social skills. This is the time we learn to deal with the multitude of personalities.

The basic concept of WOKE is pretty sound, but the ability of some in our society, and many previous societies is to turn most anything into a virtual monster. We hear an idea and with a little help from the media, jump on any ship whether it is sinking, floating or already underwater. Remember when they decided fats were bad for you which may have been responsible for the rise in heart disease, or eggs are bad for you. How about lobotomies, now there was a great idea. The list is almost endless. We wore watches with radioactive radium dials because we liked the glow in the dark feature! On the scale of stupidity where 10 is excessive stupidity and 0ne is smart, overall, societies probably rank about 11!

Now the WOKE idea is sound in principal. We would like society to be sensitive to the many different ideologies that exist in our culture or any culture. What a person does with their life as long as it does not impede or affect the lives of other people is certainly their decision. I understand that there are monuments around the country that celebrated slavery. These monuments are being taken down. Aunt Jemima pancake mix has been renamed because it offended some people of color. Maybe we could go to another name like Aunt Freda or Aunt Sarah? My mint tea which was called Plantation Mint is now Perfect Mint. I do understand the idea of monuments representing a dark time in our history being looked on as undesirable, but it is our history. I suggest that these monuments be collected and placed in a private museum and retrofitted with informational plaques stating the true nature and history of these statues. This would act as a reminder of a dark time in our past. As far as renaming a food product, because words like plantation or Aunt Jemima are not acceptable words, is hard to understand!

If you are still here, I will get into the heart of this issue. What does it mean to be a woke human being and how must society adjust to this new medium of thought? Some of the problems we are having, have to do with sexual orientation or gender identification. I said it earlier, an adult who wants to live a different lifestyle or change gender is certainly an area that should be protected by the constitution. The area that concerns me is the children. Maybe you remember your crazy youth. It was all I could do to stay afloat with the traditional conflicts, internal and external, of growing up. I can remember looking in the bathroom mirror and asking who are you, or what are you? Look at that crazy nose, or why am I so skinny? Growing up is a bitch! In today’s world you get to add in the gender issue. I can imagine my dad saying, “Son, you got to decide if this is the gender you want for the rest of your life”. I cannot imagine that conversation in my adolescent chaotic confused half developed mind. Do you know that psychologists say that an adolescent’s brain is not fully developed? Boys are even less developed than girls! Children should be allowed to be themselves, with no pushing or suggestion leading them in another direction. When they are older, then you can begin discussing their feeling on WOKE issue. We should accept all children for who they are. Television and media references that suggest alternate life styles should be monitored closely by parents.

So here we are coming into the 2024 election and it appears that gender is going to be one of the main discussion points. In our own county, our county Commission is discussing whether a school bathroom can be gender neutral! Some children do not feel comfortable going into a large, multi-booth bathroom. Personally, I feel that schools should have guidance counselors who are allowed to counsel, not attend to every administrative task that gets passed down to them. Students who are having difficulties with gender identification, or any emotional issue, should have access to a counselor all the time, not when the counselor has some free time. Our own legislature is trying to ban any type of help to be given in the area of gender identity. I do believe that physical or medical alterations in children under the age of 16, and maybe as high as 18 is not a good way to go. As to the introduction to the concept of homosexuality or gender selection, the jury is out. As a teacher I do know that small incidents or suggestions to younger children can cause a major shift in the development of a child. Some children may have an affinity to be gay or feel they need to change their sex. Most teachers are aware if a child is having difficulty blending in or has difficulty with gender. It is their job, the family’s job and society as a whole to ensure that all children are accepted for who they are, no strings attached! If they decide to change their official gender or come out as gay, at a certain age with professional counseling, they have the right to do that.

I am not totally pleased with this story because it is such a multi-faceted problem. There are so many ways to look at it. Many of the children who have gender or gay issues take their own lives! Many go through life thinking they are inferior in some way. I have some difficulties with this new way of thinking because of my age and my up bringing, but I strive to seek the truth and do the right thing.

I believe the upcoming election is going to be a battle ground for WOKE issues. Desantos, in Florida is already charging up his base. All these issues need to be discussed by both parties with an understanding of what Americans want. Almost all of us want basic common sense regulations on what our children see and read. Kids can’t get Playboy in the elementary libraries nor can they get sex changes anytime they choose. Younger kids are not capable of making difficult life changing decisions before they are 16. We all know these simple ideas and sometimes I wonder what the fighting is about? Extremism views of what is taught is always the problem when it comes to our children. History, science and social studies should be taught based on the current accepted guidelines of their respected branches of study. I am positive if we put a group of parents together, regardless of their political orientation, to make guidelines for these issues, they would be logical and thoughtful.

Some of the best snorkeling anywhere is near the Puerta Azul!

My lady friend and I just returned from our trip to Roatan, a small island off the coast of Honduras. Folks from around the world go to Roatan to scuba dive or snorkel. It is considered one of the best areas for these activities in the northern hemisphere. Scuba can be expensive but you can be a world class snorkeler for $30. We stay at a small resort called the Puerta Azul which stands for Blue Door.

Our cabin

We leave our little bungalow and walk out a 600 foot pier where we can swim to the reef where all the excitement is.

The Blue Door and dock

This was our 4th trip to the island and I have noticed some deterioration in the reef. The fish seem fine and abundant but the plant life seems to be struggling. We saw many dead or dying corals. It is great snorkeling but we felt as if we were missing something.

One of the other guests mentioned that Antonio, the boat tour guide, took them on a trip up the island where the coral was healthy and colorful. The next time I saw Antonio I asked him about this particular trip. The next day we left the dock about 9 am. and headed east, up the island to this special place. When we arrived I could see the water was exceptionally clear and that there were numerous varieties of coral alive and surviving on the bottom. In short order we were in the water and seeing the amazing selection of coral and fish. It was mind boggling to see the different colors and many different types of plants and coral on the bottom. After about an hour in the water we boarded our launch and journeyed towards another reef. The second reef was not as exciting as the first but still beautiful. After we finished there we began the short journey home. Here are some of the pictures Antonio took while we were in the water. The fish are amazing but notice the abundance of color in the plants!

All reefs are in danger of dying from man’s tendency to pollute and destroy any thing we touch. The island reefs are no exception. I found this description online and it seemed to answer any question that a person might have.

The top threats to coral reefs — global climate change, unsustainable fishing and land-based pollution — are all due to human activities. These threats, combined with others such as, tropical storms, disease outbreaks, vessel damage, marine debris and invasive species, exacerbate each other.

All over the world these reefs are dying! Many people are working hard to help them survive but are facing the expansion of our species. I am beginning to believe that anything we touch is destined to die. Some scientists believe we are in one of the largest mass-extinctions in earth’s history and it’s mainly due to us! I was lucky enough to see a reef close to pristine condition but as time rolls along fewer and fewer people will be fortunate enough to see what nature’s splendor can look like if unspoiled by man.

Photos courtesy of Antonio.

Investing in the future

The biggest problem Americans face is our need to spend. In 2021 it was calculated that the average American household was $167,000 in debt. This was primarily a result of mortgage , cars, loans and credit cards. The federal government has amassed a total debt of 31 trillion dollars. Trillion is a concept hard wrap your head around. Let me help. A million dollars would be a stack of $1000 bills reaching about 4 inches high whereas; a trillion dollars would be 68 miles high! Throw into this the effect of inflation; it is not as bad as it seems, but pretty bad. For example, during Covid 19 our government dished out around 5 trillion dollars. Just to be fair, both parties were involved in this. Since much of our money is borrowed from China, it is safe to say that China helped us through the pandemic; naturally with interest added. On a side note, the money we give to Ukraine to fund the war is mostly borrowed from China. China is considering giving financial support to Russia’s war effort, so if you think about it hard, China is financing both sides of the conflict! Regardless, we are spending too much money so there will be an end to this road! The US paid about $640,000,000,000 in interest for fiscal year 2023!!!! Yes, that is more money then the total GDP of many countries! Imagine if your credit card had that number on it for amount owed!

As far as taxes go, American citizens pay about 24% tax as a nation. That ranks around 33rd in the world. It strikes me as almost curious that we also rank around that same number in many other significant areas including education. Warren Buffet recently stated that he pays at a lower tax rate than his secretary, and he feels this is wrong. An important fact to remember is that 55 of the top corporations in the US paid no tax in 2022! Why is it such a difficult concept in this country that corporations, which rely on the common man to exist, share in a fairer way their outrageous profits with society. I am not asking them to give the money away but willingly pay their employees a living wage. If you have not noticed by now, the money is moving always towards the top as more and more people struggle to survive. The average CEO in the USA makes about $400/hr. Many make in excess of several thousands of dollars per hour. This is while they tell employees working for $10-$15 per hour that they cannot afford to pay them more! I agree with many of my republican friends that unions got out of hand but they were are only defense against the corporate world, and now they are fading by the day.

Number one on my list, the most important problem is education. Currently, many of our schools are failing to produce capable people to keep this ship afloat. A high number of employers consider many in the younger generation as lazy, uninformed and unmotivated. I cannot place the blame on any one institution. Blame goes to a society that has done almost nothing to ensure the well-being of its children; to an industrial complex that treats people like indentured servants; to an education system lost in its own bureaucracy and under-funded and finally to a country that has climbed to the top of the industrial ladder but now may begin the journey down.

My number two is infrastructure. Just like an old house you have lived in for 50 years, if you have spent as little money as possible to maintain that house, it is probably in need of major restoration, which is similar to our country. Our bridges, roads, power grid, communication and water and sewage, just to mention the most serious are in need of major improvements.

So, where will we get the money for this massive rebuilding of America? Corporation have gradually taken control of government and are actively resisting tax hikes and unions, as never before. There is no happy ending here unless the powers that are get together to solve our problems in real ways, not politically advantageous ways.

If you have not noticed yet, most political discussion is about abortion, wokeness, guns and gender equality. These are all issues that need to be eventually addressed. But to use the house analogy (which is not the best analogy), it does not matter if the interior of the house needs painting or the doors don’t close properly, if the foundation of the house is failing.

Everyone like to believe in the idea that Americans are special and can find their way out of any dilemma. Well, right now we have a doozy of a dilemma. The answer is simple: money in, money out; they must be the same! We all like to complain about taxes, but truth be told, we are paying on average 24% tax as a country. This puts us somewhere around 33rd in the developed world. Interesting fact, that is close to where we rank in almost every statistic on the standard of living in the USA, as compared to other developed countries, including education!

Here is my final take on this topic: A corporate industrial complex, which cares about its workforce, rather than that additional penny it can gouge out of the public, is what this country needs.