Politics

Now, I make a general rule to not comment much on politics online. I have rarely seen it happen and not come back and bite the speaker in the butt. And nowadays with electronic monitoring, someone will be able to see 200 years from now that I make a snarky comment about an elected leader and it will haunt my descendents for generations. Just look at what happened to Paula Deen and a comment she made years ago-publicly loved, money making show cancelled, blacklisted, no longer talked about in "polite" society because when she was young, she commented . . .
However, as I watch my country slowly be torn apart by public opinion, media, unethical elected officials, and whatever you want to think is breaking down structure, I was reading fiction. Cause if you can't fix it you should go read a good book . . . I know, its lame, but there ya go.
Anyway, so I am reading a favorite series of mine, and there government (a monarchy) that is being torn apart by backfighting, wars over succession, and foreign foes all at the same time, the king makes a statement that struck me as so profound I wanted to share it. So forgive the long quote, but it is important to hear it all.

So the king states, "I look out my window each day. I look out my window at people who live and breathe. At people who have not been devoured by civil war. At people who have not been ravaged by disease. At people who have not starved to death, who have not been hacked apart by enemies of humanity, at people who are free to lie and steal and plot and complain and accuse and behave in all manner of repugnant ways because the Realm stands. Because law and order stands. Because something other than simple violence shapes the course of their lives. And I look . . . at a very few decent people who have had the luxury of living their lives without being called upon to make hideous decisions I would not wish upon my worst enemies, and who consequently find such matters morally appalling when they consider them-because they have not had to be the ones who dealt with them."



Now as I am an avid complainer about things I don't agree with, I think about having to be the one to make the hard calls. Do "do something truly Presidential" (or official in any capacity) and I realize that I did my job by being informed to the best of my ability and exercising my right to vote. I stay current and let my elected officials know my opinion on matters that I feel are important. I have no right to judge how they exercise their freedoms even if I elected them (or didn't). I am one of the few . . . the privileged . . . who has the luxury of living my life without being called upon to make hideous decisions because someone else is. I find I am more grateful today after reading a piece of "fluffy fiction" than I have been for most of my life. Thanks to all who make it possible for me to live the life I do. Thanks to the soldiers who live and die to let me live that life of luxury free from the hard choices. Thanks to my Father in Heaven who allowed this country to have the freedoms to choose, to vote, to complain, and to worship. Thanks to my husband who believes my place is in the home with our children so he works himself to death so I don't have to be "gainfully employed".
And last, but not least, just thanks.