What’s in the Pot?

Coffee… every one knows what it is, that piping hot beverage that evokes a happy dance of the soul. For some coffee is a morning ritual or a decadent treat after dinner, for others a quiet refuge to gather thoughts. The smell is distinct, bold and connotative, and the taste is not for everyone. Still, the hot beverage has become staple in many cultures, including here in the U.S.

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

Welcome to the first edition of, What’s in The Pot, one’s only destination for all things coffee.

This week we are drinking Private Selection Breakfast Blend Dark Roast. Although, this sounds like a top shelf coffee it does not taste like one. The Private Selection brand is tricky marketing by the mega-retailer Kroger Co., or commonly known as Kroger. According to a list distributed by Forbes Magazine, Kroger is the third-largest retailer in the world and the #17 largest corporation in the U.S. by revenue.

Kroger carries at least three different store brands on their shelves in East Tennessee. The coffee selection includes three Kroger brands: Spotlight, Kroger and Private Selection. The three are supposed tiers of the same products and have varying associated costs. According to the packaging, all three are distributed out of Cincinnati, Ohio, but have little other similarities.

The Breakfast Blend in the pot this week, list 100 percent Arabica Coffee Beans as the ingredients. The Kroger labeled breakfast blend is milder and does not sport the same claim. Check in next week for what the Spotlight label list as the ingredients.

First impressions of the ground coffee are very bold and in-your-face. The smell of the coffee consumes the senses. Opening the bag fills the air with a memory-inducing aroma that thrust one into thought. It is a coffee that reminds you that you are drinking coffee.

The color before brewing is dark, but not as black as expected. It is a black/brown darker than black walnut. The particular color of these ground beans is typical of dark roasted Arabica coffee. A pleasant surprise is that the grounds were not dry but they did dry-out quickly. This is important because proper packaging and storage reduces diminished flavor when brewing.

Brewing fills ones home with the scent of the bold drink. The bag in review here was ground before purchase. It is more convenient but does diminish the flavor. One also loses the control of the grind. This blend has a fine grind like an espresso.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The grind affects the flavor of the coffee greatly. An espresso will always have a fine grind, and bold flavor. The more course the grind the lighter color and flavor after brewing.

This particular brew has a strong flavor as advertised with a bit burnt nut on the back of the palate. There does not seem to be a bitterness that can come with other bold coffees. There is a little acidity but not as much as a bottom shelf or stale coffee. With some dark roast one can become bloated and gassy. This blend does not have that issue unless one over indulges.

The stale-coffee after taste does come with this particular brew. One must minutely over-indulge to get the taste, but it is powerful. Be warned that too much of this coffee will repel others. Carry a mint, gum or toothpaste and brush while traveling away from home after drinking.

Overall, this is a good coffee and decent for the price. One should not pay more than necessary for this particular brand. Luckily this coffee is on sale a lot, but only available at Kroger. The caffeine content is typical of a dark roast. If one is looking for the higher levels of caffeine go with a medium or light roast breakfast blend.

Next week’s topics will be history of coffee and how the drink has spread across the globe. There will be a new brand and blend to review so check it out.

Five Reasons to Visit Johnson City

Johnson City, Tennessee, is a diverse little city that is growing fast. The city was once a transportation hub, where coal, timber and goods from the east would cascade off the western slope of the Appalachian Mountains to develop an expanding frontier.

Long gone are the frontier days. Gone are the boom days of coal. Gone are a lot of the factories, and gone is the need for rail travel. Finally, gone is most of the agriculture that once dominated the region. The little city has struggled to redefine itself.

The never-say-die spirit of the Appalachian American is kicking in though. They are picking themselves up and finding new ways to make a living. This time in one sustainable for future generations.

Outdoor-Assets are to play a major role in the future of the region. Mountain Bike parks are popping up where local organizations have struggle with land-use for two decades. More emphasis is being placed on long standing assets like the Appalachian Trail, in near by counties.

One trail head at Winged Deer Mountain Bike Park.

Every visit to Johnson City provides another opportunity to learn or try something new. There is always a festival for music, food, cultural diversity or outdoor recreation happening. Besides all of the reasons one has already, what follows is a list of five reasons to visit the city, with your bike.

1. Accommodations: One can choose from a variety of accommodations in the Johnson City area. Whether you want a 5 Star hotel complete with room service, or a private country cabin; the region will oblige your needs. There are a variety of offerings ranging in price to accommodate most people’s budget. Easily search online for any offerings if looking to book a trip.If one is traveling with a bike do not worry. There are a variety of bike shops in Johnson City to take care of your best friend if repairs or a tune is needed. One can find a shop that is brand specific to their bike but most of the shops can work on any bike. The city is very bike friendly and has multiple repair points in the parks downtown too.
2. Biking: Tannery Knobs Bike Park will be opening soon. This park is located within an easy 2 miles of downtown Johnson City. TK features beginner to advanced skill-level mountain bike trails, built by IMBA Trail Solutions. Also, being built at this time is a paved pump track by Velosolutions out of Knoxville, Tennessee.Winged Deer Mountain Bike Park is within city limits and features miles of single-track. The local Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association is in the process of expanding the trail system for 2019. This trail system is mostly hand built by volunteers, residents and from donations.SORBA Tri-Cities will be adding an advanced skill-level trail to Winged Deer. The trail will feature natural rock gardens with 4 to 5 feet drops. This line was discovered, when club members began to clear undergrowth looking for opportunities to dig new trail.

   

   Members of SORBA Tri-Cities gather for Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day at the Mountain Bike Park at Winged Deer. Photo by Kenneth Medley

   The cities convenient location also makes it possible to drive to Pisgah National Forest for a day trip. There is also Paint Creek and a few other popular mountain bike destinations available for day trips. That is why it is best to plan an extended stay, around a week, to the region.

   There are also great road biking opportunities, if one is more into that. There are a myriad of routes to choose from with loops of 50 to 100 miles or more. Local clubs and businesses have nightly rides Monday through Saturday during peak season for road and mountain bikes.

 

3. Beer: Okay, if you do not drink then this may not be a reason. Let me entice you though. Beer has been a part of American Culture since the countries founding. Some of the founding fathers were even rumored to be brewers themselves.Johnson City has found success in the popularity of craft breweries. The city features five craft breweries and six tap rooms within a one-mile radius of downtown. At any time of the day one can catch a whiff of malt in the air and this floods the mind with images of 18^th Century America for the history buff.

 

4. History: Johnson City has a storied history. One such story is how the city received its nickname, “Little Chicago,” from notorious American gangster Al Capone. Although not spoken about by the locals, the Bible Belt-town had quite the reputation during prohibition.Also, nearby is Jonesborough, Tennessee, the state’s oldest town. This historical town is home to the International Storytelling Center, the first abolitionist newspaper in the south, and a preserved Main Street where the likes of Daniel Boone, President Andrew Jackson, David Crockett and John Sevier, once went for an evening stroll.

   One can experience this living history in Johnson City and much more. The trails nearby provide more history. The Overmountain Shelter is a rejuvenated shelter on the Appalachian Trail once used by the Overmountain Men during the Revolutionary War. You can hike up, stay overnight here and imagine what it would have been like; to be a part of a militia about to battle the most powerful army in the world, at the time.

 

5. Convenience: One thing that one should have noticed is that not everything on this list is in Johnson City. That is on purpose. Johnson City is conveniently located in the Tri-Cities and Northeast Tennessee region.Johnson City provides the best all around location to get the most out of what the region offers. One can travel to Bristol Motor Speedway, Roan Highlands or Erwin to white-water raft all in under an hour. These activities can be accomplished on a day trip.

   

   Once back in Johnson City you can enjoy a refreshing drink at a local award-winning brewery, grab a bite to eat at a fine restaurant and return to your accommodations, all without spending an arm-and-leg. The city provides the convenience of backcountry outdoor recreation without the negatives.

Five Hours of Sun, Few Minutes of Trump

Listen to my newest podcast interview. In this podcast I interview Miss Megan Boyanton of Johnson City, Tennessee, about her experience about the recent Presidential Visit.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandreamoverlandx/episodes/2018-10-05T15_13_19-07_00

Specialized 2FO Flats Product Review

 

Welcome to American Dream Overland Expedition, I’m your host Kenneth Medley. This is a product review about the Specialized 2FO-flats. This is the first pair of shoes I’ve bought with a manual, albeit useless, because it was for a different pair of shoes. This is great marketing by Specialized. There is warranty information so do not throw it out.

What does Specialized say about these shoes?

“Pushing the limits requires confidence in your equipment. 2FO brings control, comfort, and protection to platform pedal footwear without any weight and fit penalties. Developed and tested by gravity and all mountain athletes worldwide, 2FO uses our SlipNot rubber tread compound for ultimate platform pedal hook-up. Foot out, flat out.”

Well there it is folks, straight from the company’s website. There is a bulleted list that describes more specific details, found here, Specialized website.

Does the shoe perform? The short answer is yes. Now I will explain why.

First is confidence:

These shoes won’t keep your feet on the pedals as if you were wearing clip-ins, but will give you the confidence as if you were. There is the obvious inability to pedal on the upstroke, however, moment can compensate. If you are used to riding flats, you’ll have no problem.

The difference of riding with a shoe designed for mountain biking is night and day. Be safe and confident in your equipment and your session times will improve. The Specialized described, “shark-skin forefoot tread pattern,” grips the pedals well. This translates into confidence on the trail. Confidence translates into speed.

Second, Comfort:

These shoes are comfortable for all day Stage-Enduro races, social rides or Dirt Church. I placed 12^th in the Fire Mountain Inferno race wearing them. They are great for hike-a-bike sections. A little slippery on wet rocks, but they are not made for that. The tread will pick up a little mud when hiking but is easily stomped clean.

They are perfect for grabbing a beer after the trail. Since a lot of my rides end at the pub instead of the podium, I wear these all the time. They are my go to for social rides and when I know I will be on my feet a lot.

That being said, I recommend buying a pair of insoles with the shoes. The factory insoles are garbage and not worth wearing out. Throw them out and get new ones.

Third point I want to talk about is style.

I love the red and black. I am partial to the color combination though. I have a lot of gear in the combo because it is available, goes well with a lot of other colors and I like the two together. I get compliments on these things all the time and if you care about that, cool. Specialize has many different offerings.

Next, protection:

I absolutely love Speacialize’s, “Injection-molded toe kick, anti-tear toe, and high-side cuff.” These features really do provide lightweight armor-like protection. You do not have to worry about trail hazards puncturing your foot when riding.

They are not bulletproof, but do provide a higher level of protection. I have hit plenty of sticks, roots and rocks jutting onto the trail with these and never missed a pedal stroke. Also, they don’t scuff on pavement and protect from road rash during urban assaults.

Last two things I will hit on are price and durability. I think these go hand-in-hand. I know I want a product that is going to stretch my dollar. I purchased my 2FOs through The Bike Shop Johnson City and got a closeout deal, because of color. I am amazed at how they have held up.

I have pedaled hundreds of miles wearing these. Landed my first doubles, ridden in three different states and been down more times than I can count. The only items I have replaced are the insoles. They come with two pair of laces, which is nice. Use the trademarked Lacelock and you don’t have to worry about replacing the laces.

Cleaning is easy. Garden hose them off, remove the insoles to dry and place in the sun. I recommend some deodorizer to kill any leftover scent.

Yes they do what Specialized designed them to do. Yes they are worth the money but look for a deal. Yes they are flats so everybody knows you’re gnarly on the trail. Yes they provide some protection.

No the insoles are not comfortable so buy some. No they are not armor or bulletproof.

Most importantly, YES, I would definitely recommend these to another rider. I can’t wait to get another pair. I will try a different model in the line-up but it will be a flat.

I hope this review helps you make a decision on where to spend your hard earned cash. Whether you are racing, meditating or socializing you won’t be disappointed with these shoes.

Subscribe to American Dream: Overland Expedition for future product reviews. We have some Troy Lee Designs shorts, Ryder Glasses and a glove review coming up. Make sure to check back for those and more.

THIS COUNTRY DEMANDS MORE, EXPECTS MORE

Article originally published in the East Tennessean Monday, February 19, 2018, edition.

I feel like Bill Murray in the movie “Ground Hog’s Day.” Murray is a journalist reporting on small-town America and keeps waking up stuck in the same day. Except instead of a rodent looking for his shadow on a superstitious holiday in February, there is another mass shooting in America at a school for adolescence. There are reported dead, injured and a young shooter with mental health issues.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, now joins Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech and many others on a growing list of infamous schools.

Republicans are sending up thoughts and prayers; Democrats are calling for stricter gun control; and once again, social media feeds reflect the ignorant divide of the nation’s political parties.

President Donald J. Trump addresses the nation following the recent mass shooting in Florida.
(Photograph by Joyce N. Boghosian / the White House)

This shooting occurred weeks after a gunman terrorized a Kentucky school. Two students were killed in Kentucky and 14 injured. In Florida the tragedy is worse, 17 students and faculty have been slain and another 14 wounded.

Many across the nation are trying to figure out why. Why is this a continuing problem in the U.S.? Others are reeling in shock and debating on even attending school. Parents are confused about sending their young to receive an education or protect them by means of isolation.

A large social movement is gaining strength. Advocates want stricter access to firearms in order to prevent the next Parkland, Florida, which seems inevitable in the constant stream of news footage showcasing one school shooting after another. We as a culture are accepting this as a normalcy rather than setting differences aside to solve the real issues behind these events. It is clear through tone and statements from both sides that even media coverage seems to forget the victims and their families to raise a flag in support of or opposition to gun control.

Florida law permits someone of 18-years or older to purchase AR-15s, a rifle styled after military type assault weapons. They are used for hunting, sport and collecting by gun enthusiasts. Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old shooter, used one to murder his peers.

Is gun control the solution? Would stricter gun laws curb shootings like this?

In my opinion, the short answer is no. Stricter gun laws would do nothing to stop a person like this from harming others. The problem is multifaceted, and therefore the solution must be too. However, an update for sensible gun law reform needs to happen; either pass federal law or regulate state law.

The shooter in Florida bragged about planning this online, shown multiple warning signs of mental health issues and police were called to his home over a dozen times. How was he able to legally purchase this rifle at 18-years-old with these extenuating circumstances?

I cannot justify any reason this kid was able to purchase this firearm legally without training or screening. More strenuous background checks could have prevented this. Raising the age limit to purchase a firearm could have. Mandating mental health checks and supervised training before approving the purchase of the rifle could.

Many things could have prevented this, not just more gun control. Better education could have prevented this. Interpersonal communication could have prevented this. Recognizing the signs of mental illness and the reaching out of a deranged adolescence for attention could have prevented this. We as a nation need to recognize the multiple causes for mass shootings and treat the problems as a whole. A Band-Aid on a hemorrhaging artery will not stop the bleeding. In my opinion, that is what more gun control would be like.

We need to have more interpersonal communication, as in face-to-face speaking with one another. We need to teach our young that every life is precious and stop focusing on emphasizing oneself over all others. We need a boatload of better education.

When every person hunted for food, we as a culture had a deeper understanding and respect for firearms. We knew they could take life. We knew what the consequence for taking life was. We knew that all life was precious and there was an urge to protect thy neighbor as thy brother. We did not glorify cultures of violence and were taught there were other ways to solve problems. Children did not sit for hours playing video games that give rewards for killing the most people. Our movies were not inundated with celebrations of “heroes” that indiscriminately kill mass amounts of people in third-world countries.

There are many things that need to be done in the U.S. to curb our mass shooting pandemic. Children across the nation are scared to go to school. A place that should be a vestige of security has turned into the adolescent terrorist playground.

We must stop pointing the finger at guns and each other. We need to take a deep introspective look at our culture and recognize the causes as a whole. Until we do, we will continue to wake up to the same tragedy playing again and again.

Opening Day of Deer Season!

I recently sat down with Eagle Scout and avid Deer Hunter Adam Wyatt to discuss the conditions on Opening Day of Deer Season. In East Tennessee, and most states, the first few weeks of hunting are reserved for Bow Hunters. Wyatt has been hunting approximately 6 years and mostly in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/americandreamoverlandx

Discipline: One Trait Needed for Success

I ended the last edition of this series beginning to discuss discipline. I said that I would get into this more in the next column.

What is discipline and why do you need it to succeed?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines discipline a few different ways. The first is: “Training that produces obedience or self-control, often in the form of rules and punishments if these are broken, or the obedience or self-control produced by this training: military discipline.” Second: “Discipline is also the ability to control a mental activity: Learning a foreign language requires discipline.” The last two definitions pertain to a specific field of study and simply, “to punish someone.”

Yes, discipline can be described as punishment and obedience. This is not the discipline of which I am speaking. I am also not talking about a particular area of study.

The discipline one needs to be successful is self-control. I do not particularly care for the attachment of military discipline. One does not need military training to have discipline. One also does not need to be punished to learn discipline.

Self-control discipline is a need for one to be successful, but this must come from within and be motivated by a will to succeed. Most people are faced with rules that they must adhere to or face punishment in a society of laws. Obeying the law will not necessarily lead to success.

Photograph by Jake Wright 

Yes, one must obey the law and failing to do so, most definitely, will not lead to success. However, there is something more needed than being obedient. If you are trying to start your own business or climb the corporate ladder being obedience will only get you so far.

If one wants to climb that ladder, one must WORK and consistently work harder than those around them. It is hard to do and many people fail at the seemingly insurmountable task at hand.

I recently saw a Facebook post pertaining to this issue, which inspired this blog. I will not link to the post. I feel it is unnecessary to share this person’s post to his friends and followers. I can provide the lesson in the story.

An early 20s male made a post pertaining to making time for the gym. Some of his peers could not understand how he had time to workout. Between his work, school and social life it seemed this man had no time to squeeze in fitness.

His reply, and I am summarizing:

“Discipline, I set an alarm for 5 a.m. and I get up when it goes off the first time. I don’t hit snooze. I get dressed and I go to the gym. This is the only time I have for it so I make sure I make it.”

This is what I mean by discipline. This young man was not in the military. He hasn’t been beat or punished to behave this way. Something inside him tells him this is what he must do to be successful. He is right!

 A couple enjoy exercise as part of a group ride called, “Bikin’ and Eggs,” hosted by Trek Bicycle Store Johnson City. The ride departs in the early morning from downtown Johnson City, Tennessee.

The first step to success is discipline. The kind that allows one to existentially recognize a personal fault that is holding them back. Then taking proper steps to remedy those holds.

A simple suggestion to get one started; set a bedtime and adhere to it. The same thing pertains to an alarm clock to wakeup. Turn the television off and put the cell phone on a charger in the other room. Buy an alarm clock. This is a big one; get up when the alarm goes off.

Start you day off right by doing something simple and end it in the same way. The routine that you set for yourself will give you the self-efficacy one needs to attain self-control. By adhering to these to simple steps one can develop that discipline.

Planning for the Future, What Do You Need?

Preparing for the future may be one of the hardest challenges one faces. It is the unknown that can cause the most anxiety or fear of failure. That fear and anxiety can be dilapidating. Prep work is probably the most important part of this. Preparing yourself mentally and physically for the struggles ahead is paramount.

If a person has never been taught how to do this it will be that much harder. One may question, at this point, how can one be taught HOW to prepare for the future? Who isn’t taught how to prepare? Isn’t this something that is inherent to human nature? The short answer is yes and no, in my opinion. Yes it is inherent and can be taught. No; not everybody is taught this.

A person who lives paycheck to paycheck, in my opinion, has NOT been taught this.

The anxiety that one may experience in thinking of the future is because they do not know how to plan for it. The future becomes an abyss of the unknown, of failure, or even, danger and death. It can stimulate fear and that fear can freeze a person and stop their forward progression.

Now, is this fear rational? YES, it most certainly is! Maybe not the fear of death, but the fear of failure is definitely rational. Most people, I imagine, experience some degree of anxiety when setting goals for the future. There is never a guarantee that one will achieve these goals. Even a person that plans and prepares the most can fail. This is why the future can be so scary.

I have heard a lot of graduating college students express these fears in different ways. Most of the students I have discussed this issue with have some degree of anxiety because of this. Some even sabotage their own graduation to stay in school just a few more years. They fail classes or change a minor, refuse to pay financial holds.

They worry about leaving school and securing employment, providing for themselves and their family, and the myriad of other things that American Culture has come to expect from them. They feel that without a promise of a job they will fail and have to move back in with their parents, or worse.

What can one do to mitigate this fear? One possibility is to talk about it with other students. As clichéd as it may sound talking about one’s problems with another person can help. Understanding another person’s perspective, and solutions, to a problem, may present ideas in solving the issue.

Talking about a personal problem, with another, may make one realize that a lot of people have the same issues. This can help lessen the fear and anxiety by making one feel that they are not an outcast or different.

The people that have expressed the least fear have been those that extensively plan. They have a detailed set of goals. Not a short list of hopes, but an actual list of achievable goals with descriptions of what it will take to achieve them.

This gets me to my final thought for the morning. Planning is great and having a well laid out plan with attainable goals is a must for success. Now, what is the second thing you need after a well thought out and analyzed plan? Probably more important than the plan is, D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E, and that will be the discussion of my column tomorrow.

 

 

Americans Aren’t Entitled to Happiness

My morning thoughts have wandered today. It has been a busy morning. Up early to get my son ready for school and then to Kingsport for an appointment with Kaye. My time has been spent reading different things and engaging in conversation on Social Media.

I am not going to get into my discussions that I was having. It was on a topic I do not wish to discuss here. The topic isn’t the purpose of this series. I will, however, share a take away from this conversation.

Reflections: I will define the term as, introspective thinking in an existential way to highlight faults and strengths in ones own character or behavior. Reflections like this usually come with age and are manifested as maturity or wisdom. They must be objective, honest assessments, in order to be effective.

Many of you probably have heard a form of this sentiment. One example is, “The only person you have to live with is the person in the mirror.” Statements like this and others allude to what I mean by reflections. It is and must be an honest assessment of ones own behavior in order to inspire change.

This gets me to my second point of this Morning Thoughts.

In the U.S. we have a sense of entitlement to happiness. This is a false belief. We in the U.S. have a right to pursue happiness, but nobody can guarantee it. There is a huge difference. A lot of people have been tricked into believing that happiness comes from material things.

This isn’t a surprise in a nation with such immense wealth as the U.S. Many people living in poverty, according to American standards, still have it better than the middle class in other countries. This is my opinion, but one that is based off of many different research findings, and witnessing this first hand.

I feel that a deep-rooted consumerism belief is one demon of this problem. A lot of people in today’s America would rather buy something new than repair something they have. Americans are inundated with advertisements that appeal to emotion or class status, rather than the quality of a product.

Some people in the U.S. will pay $30 four-times-per year, for a product that breaks more often, than $150 for a like product, built in a local craft shop, that may break once in 10 years.

I feel that one reason for this is the inundation of advertising Americans face daily. Another is the desire to have what others have and living outside of ones means financially.

In my opinion, another issue is internal victimization in the U.S.

People in the U.S. scream oppression while they or their family earn tens-of-millions of dollars a year. They see themselves as victims because they have been indoctrinated by an education system that tells them, “no matter how hard you work, you’re still going to be oppressed.” I have witnessed this first hand in a university classroom.

I do not wish to challenge the oppression of those that feel they are oppressed. I only want to point out that there is a gap between what people earn and what people save in the U.S. There is also a gap between what people say they are going to do to solve their situation and what their actions are.

People individually must stop seeing themselves as victims. Unfortunately, the world can be a very unfriendly place. We as a people must stop telling others that it isn’t their fault. We must stop looking for fault all together and look for solutions. “The first step to solving a problem is recognizing the problem.” (Unknown) The second step is not assigning blame. If one cannot succeed because of an outside force, then how can one overcome that adversity?

We must encourage the next generation, and the generation of Americans who stand idly by waiting for a handout, in order to lift them out of their situation. Americans must stop telling other Americans that it isn’t their fault. The message needs to revert back to,

“Work as hard as you can for what you want in life and never stop working for it.”- My Dad

What Happened to Respect in the U.S.?

This morning’s thoughts turn to respect. People are raised differently throughout the U.S. This is something that is clear from one individual to the next. One can argue that individuals influence those around them and in turn are influenced by others. Researchers have done many studies on this subject.

The way one speaks, and speaks to those around them, is one way that we influence others. Today I ask, what happened to speaking with respect to and about one another?

When I was young my father made sure that I spoke to him with respect. It wasn’t hard for the lessons to set in. Most, if not all, youth at the time were taught to “respect their elders.” This wasn’t long ago. I am a Millennial, albeit, just barely. I make the cut by 5 years. It did not matter who the adult was: a teacher, preacher or otherwise. I was taught to respect my elders and speak to any human being with respect, if only for the reason of them being human.

What has happened to this philosophy in the U.S.?

I have seen, on Social Media, a university professor whose comments were humorously and condescendingly contextualized toward a student, attending the school he works at, over a claim of oppression. He condemned her story and said that she was “ignorant” for her claim.

She is a Caucasian Conservative Republican claiming that she had recently began to be attacked for her political beliefs and the color of her skin. The professor is a Caucasian, assumingly, of a different political party. I am not condemning this professor’s actions or his claim that the student’s story is erroneous. I will, however, argue that his point could have been made with more respect for the woman.

Why is the norm becoming to reply with shouts when one disagrees with another?

Our leadership is one place that change could be initiated. President Trump is one individual that we see on the new-media shouting rhetoric contextualized with anger. Why not change the tone? I am reminded of an environmental slogan, “Think global, Act local.” The same applies to behavior; societal behavior change begins with the individual’s behavior.

The solution I propose is a simple one. I propose a call to action to all my readers and followers. I challenge you to wake up with a congenial disposition daily. One must challenge internally their will to not let the world change that disposition.

It is easy to blame others for your decisions and the consequences of those decisions. The world encourages in doing so. It is also challenging to accept failure and blame for most people.

One must face adversity with a smile and welcome the challenge. One must realize that the day-to-day makes you stronger, every day, even when the world tries to tear you down.

We as a society, as a nation, must stop shouting and challenging one another. We must sit down and realize that we are all human. We are all different and that those differences make us stronger. That to move forward, together, we must discuss hard issues with empathy toward one another and acceptance of each other’s faults, but with respect.

Featured Image Sourced from YouTube: Actor Jeff Daniels during opening scenes of HBO’s series, Newsroom.