beauty – Becoming American

I spent Saturday taking pictures at a wedding with my wife. Despite all the evils in the world, all the silly games and plundering, there was still joy to be found in the individual. We took photographs for a young couple about the same age as us. They had been together almost as long as we had, and were embarking on a journey together as husband and wife. It is a pleasant experience to capture the joy of a couple like that, and frame those moments for the rest of their lifetimes.

My articles are highly controversial and thought provoking. I am not afraid to rattle other people’s cages. I’ll shake your foundations and challenge your current thought process because what we’re told to think is not always the way things should be. I challenge you to think outside of the box with your own independent mindset. After all, freedom and independence starts with thoughts, with the individual, then the expression of those thoughts.

My father-in-law is a highly controversial figure in the greater Cincinnati area, some of his articles and statements dumbfound readers and listeners. He thinks outside of the box, and challenges the establishment. I agree with most of the things he says, if not all of them, but I love how he isn’t afraid to throw issues out there for what they are.

My sister-in-law’s fiance just started his own blog about Christianity. Though I’m not particularly religious, I like how he is pursuing a creative endeavor to help others.

My wife has a photography blog, she sees the world in a very positive and creative light. I have her to thank for the peace and happiness I feel inside.

I am surrounded by creative people who think outside of the box. My take on issues is different than all of them, but each of us respects the others thoughts, because your thoughts are your first declaration of independence. So put your flag in the ground and write/talk about what you believe in and why, and don’t be afraid to challenge others, or be challenged yourself. Often when we meet opposing views, we find that we need to look for more information to support our case. If your case gets strengthened by what you find; great. If your case gets weakened, perhaps it is you who need to change your position, or at least find out more before you continue down the same old road.

The beauty of thought is that each is your own, and thoughts spiral a web of interesting ideas and information. Declare independence from the establishment, from the norm and from the conformed, and make each thought your own.

In the front office where I work, we have a large framed poster of a construction site. On the poster it reads ‘the future is built today’ and under the caption it says ‘we believe great results come from careful planning. That ambitious goals are powered by initiative and productivity. And the foundation of achievement lies in the will to be the best.’

Beside that poster is a laminated sheet of paper, that has many copies that can be seen throughout the warehouse. It is a document to inspire everyone to work together, and it reads ‘words to live by’: Teamwork, communication, planning, flexibility, accountability, long range view, flow, training, discipline, think out of the box.

These words are aimed to help mold the company toward a common goal of success.

Both the poster and the laminated message, are true in everything we do. Whether it be our work, our family, or our government. If we set our sights on tomorrow and work toward it, we will achieve it. But only if we stick to certain rules along the way.

It is obvious that the government does not have ‘long range view’ in mind. It is not ‘flexible’ when it comes to cutting budgets and limiting spending, it completely lacks ‘discipline’, it certainly does not ‘think out of the box’. Government does not ‘plan’, ‘communicate’ or work well as a ‘team’, the ‘flow’ is often horrible, and every person in government could really do with some better ‘training’.

These words from Ronald Reagan are as true today as they were in 1964:

Personally, I want to reign in government, to restore the Constitution, and be free to pursue my life in the way that I see fit.

I want to grow old and wise, I want to grow wealthy and be generous. I want to achieve anything that I can set my mind to. I do not want machine men with their ‘agendas’ getting in my way. I will help as many others as I can along the way, but I will never carry capable people on my back. Any form of collectivism, from Stalin’s communism to Hitler’s fascism, and all the socialism and social engineering in-between, must be destroyed. All the silly ideas and government programs must be eliminated, or else our lives will be eliminated by the truncheon of totalitarian government, with its ever growing fingers in all our pies.

I want to create my own happy future, free of the ever increasing burden of government. When societies are free, the world around them becomes a beautiful place, since they are able to work and create whatever their dreams desire.

The future is built today because we create it in each moment that we breathe. Whether we have government currently breathing down our neck or not, we can at least lay down the foundation of freedom, to help lift us up out of the clouds of collectivism tomorrow.

The future is in each individuals hands, and your future starts by building it brick by brick today.