My Life

 This post is to serve as an expository on my feelings about the virtue of integrity. I personally value integrity very highly. It is something that I strive for in my daily life. It is something that I value and respect in other people. When I see a person who clearly does not have integrity, my respect for that person invariably plummets a noticeable amount to the point that it is virtually impossible for me to look positively at someone who lacks integrity. What does integrity mean to me? First and foremost, I would say that integrity means being consistent with your words, thoughts, and actions. To state something which is contrary to what you believe is to be intentionally deceptive and is therefore a symptom of a lack of integrity. A person with integrity will be honest. They will disclose information the way they understand it to be. They will act in accord with the words that they speak. If they tell you that you should behave a certain way, they will also themselves behave...

 My single biggest criticism of the works of Tolkien is just that it is so obvious all throughout the story which entities are good and which are evil (I suppose with the single exception of Saruman, whose treachery is unknown toward the beginning). But everything is black and white. In Peter Jackson's portrayal, all the good guys are handsome or beautiful and all the bad guys are ugly and disfigured. This is a common problem in many TV shows and movies, particularly older ones or ones targeted to children. Real life is not that way. In real life we have people who seem good from one angle or another and might actually be doing something bad in secret, or perhaps the same actions seen as good by one party may be seen as evil by another.  I was arguing with a stranger on Facebook yesterday and during that argument he stated "If you enter this country illegally, your freedom is irrelevant to us." Honestly, I was shocked by this declaration. Rights which apply to some people...

 Anyone who knows me surely is aware of the fact that I bear no good feelings towards Donald Trump. The purpose of this post is to enumerate many (definitely not all) of the reasons why the emotions I harbor toward him are so negative. I want to make it clear that while I disagree with conservatives on points of policy, I am angry that they have three times chosen that man in particular to represent their party. Yes, I'll always be happier seeing a liberal in the White House than a conservative. But most conservatives I could just live with, tolerate, roll my eyes at. This one is different. It's not because he's conservative (which I don't even believe that he is, to be honest--I think he has no scruples or morals or values). It's because he's a wretched excuse for a human being. I am aware that it is common for Trump supporters to believe that some, many, or all media outlets lie and cannot be trusted. In this post, I share links to many differing media outlets...

 As with most of my positions, my view on controlled substances is that we should allow for the broadest application of liberty that is reasonable. My opinion on the legalization of recreational drugs is informed by the outcome of the Prohibition era in the US. During the 13 years wherein alcohol was banned via Constitutional amendment, we saw an increase in organized crime and the sale of alcohol on the black market. It didn't stop the consumption of alcohol, it merely increased the danger in doing so. And we can see now how the use of illegal recreational drugs has added danger due to the illegality. For the purpose of simplicity, I will  use the term "drugs" in this post to refer to recreational substances (which are typically illegal or restricted). The United States has 3500 people per 100k which use drugs--far more than any other country. By comparison, Canada has 1920 and Mexico has 496. One reason I quote these statistics is to show just how very racist it is to ...

 I'm not educated in psychological matters, or matters relating to mental health or human relationships. All I know, and all I mean to convey here in this post, is from my own personal experiences and the little bit of googling on the matter that I have done. It's baffled me how such a large portion of the electorate in the USA has not only voted for Trump in three consecutive elections but they also seem to be supportive of his messaging and his actions while in office. I'm struggling, trying to comprehend the phenomenon, to little avail. I found this particular web page discussing narcissistic manipulative inconsistency . I recommend reading it and getting an idea for how narcissists behave toward their victims. That article is specifically talking about parents abusing their children, but I believe it can be applied to any number of relationships. So what caused me to eventually find that article, and consider this topic of manipulative inconsistency, is the way Trump ha...

 I think by now the term "gaslighting" is ubiquitous enough most people know it. It's a tactic that abusers use to manipulate their victims. And I see it often employed in the political sphere. At Trump's inauguration, Elon gave the Nazi salute. It's obvious. It's clear. There's no mistaking it. His arm, straight out, at the most commonly used angle for that salute. That's what it was. And he and his fans are denying it. They're even trying to compare it with actual Nazis doing the salute to prove the difference. It's gaslighting. We know what we saw. That's the gesture he did. There's no doubt. There's no confusion. There's no point trying to deny it, and people who recognize it for what it is are not crazy. He did the Nazi salute and he is a Nazi by his beliefs and the agenda he's pushing. The current administration is pushing to end diversity, equity, and inclusion. They are terrified of diversity and people who are diffe...