Who isn’t LOVING 2017?!? Am I right or am I right… Every where you turn you get to hear about the Trump and about his hair, and about his rallies, and about his ill-fitting suits, and about who supports him and why they do so. AND about who doesn’t support him, and why they, don’t-so? And everyone’s opinions, and spliced video clips from one side or another edited to perfectly illustrate their points. Okay, I will try to steer clear of the word AND as much as I can now because I have overused it AND I could go on for HOURS.

Here’s the reality. We hop onto the ole Facebook to look at mind numbing shit about puppies, or uplifting stories about overcoming hardships (that, incidentally make us cry in our office and we quickly close the door to conceal our tears as well as the fact that we are on Facebook in our office) and all is good. UNTIL… You see Mr. so and so feeling compelled to write a post about, A) How bad President Trump sucks or B) How freaking fantastic this glorious leader is. Followed swiftly by comments from their “friends” on both sides of the aisle spewing insignificant facts and insults while (I’m just guessing here) sitting on their toilets avoiding their families and real lives like the Bubonic Plague. Seems harmless enough, yes?

NO! This is madness. We have descended into absolute and complete madness! We are constantly and ferociously slapped in the face with such divisiveness, that every time we log on to numb our minds, we end up in a pissing contest with some overbearing, out of touch 2nd uncle once removed who has to give his borderline psychotic opinion on everything.

I’m no psychologist here (just a clinical psych grad who didn’t do great on the GREs and needs to retake them before I can get that PHD) but in my “un-professional opinion” THIS. IS. RIDICULOUS.

A quick bit of background, because, well, you’re in it now so might as well. I am not a Republican. I am also not a democrat. I am a college educated, white millennial female from Iowa who has lived elsewhere in the US and has seen the successes and struggles of others. I have family and friends who believe vehemently one way or the other.

Do I support what’s happening in office right now, namely DJ T? No. No I do not.  Why you ask? Because he is a fake. I firmly believe that a lot of people voted for him simply because they didn’t like the alternative. I am okay with these people, these people are cool, let’s leave these people alone.

What I am NOT okay with, are the people that are firmly standing by, watching this reality TV show disaster, JUSTIFYING action and inaction. As well as, the people who are SO staunchly against it, that they can’t pull their self-righteous heads out of their asses long enough to try to listen and really HEAR why others have an opposing opinion. I totally understand pride. (I believe it’s one of the 7 deadly sins) but, ya know, semantics.

The last Facebook post I commented on about a political view, became an exchange of news clips and jeering from others, and I tried to head it off by saying nicely, “hey, everyone on here seems to be trying to out “news” the other. Obviously we have a lot of problems… Why don’t we start presenting solutions.” In my opinion, if someone is making an argument without also proposing a solution, it isn’t worth hearing or reading. It is simply junk. A complete waste of time from someone who has nothing better to do than sit in a dark room on their phone, hating on someone just to hate. Or feel superior. or both. And by golly gosh, you guessed it. People overlooked it. They didn’t want a civil conversation, they wanted an all out battle royale!

My point is. No one listens anymore. Every one is so staunchly pro or anti, that they don’t take the time to really HEAR what their friend or family member is truly living, or dealing with. Everyone seems so caught up in the “I won, I won, or Impeach, Impeach” that they are failing to concentrate on the ACTUAL LIVING people that are existing and dealing day to day with the decisions that are being made.

My request is simple. Start listening. Start engaging. Really put yourself in other people’s positions.  Actively work towards the reality that, in the end, we all want the same thing. We want to be happy, and safe, and free to exist and enjoy our very short time on this little floating rock

Thank you for making it to the end. I can only hope it slightly opens ONE closed mind.

C