Conversation of Our Generation

Today, I'd like to talk to you about several recent events or news stories that have made the news, and what they say about our culture.

Pride month: A month dedicated to pride in having sexual attractions outside the norm is ridiculous. Celebrating tolerance for people after years of unjust punishments, sure. However, pride is the sin that birthed all other sins. And, having pride in one's sexual attractions is unhealthy for that person and society as a whole.

Trebek's Miracle: Alex Trebek has been fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and it is now nearly in remission. I've seen what this disease does first-hand and to see where he is now is amazing. He offered this miracle up to the prayers people have been saying, but some news coverage leaves that out. They want it to be a feat of science rather than a miracle.

Tiniest Baby Born: A baby was born at 23 weeks and weighs only 8.6 ounces. The fact the baby could survive is another miracle. But that's not all the story. In 23 states, the baby could have been killed because it's "not a baby." However, just like anytime a star is pregnant, the media is calling this baby a baby. They've given up on their previous lines of defense on abortion.

Today we'll be diving into the topic of abortion. Due to the new bills being put forward, it seems necessary to touch on this issue. We will walk through the main arguments on both sides and why I fall where I do. Then, I'll talk a little about the prudence of the bills being put forward.

Pro-Life: The position held here hangs on 2 assertions. One is that life begins for a new human being at the point of conception. The other is that all human beings are persons whose lives are infinitely valuable. The first assertion is one that can be discussed with science and a little philosophy, but the latter requires some religious or convoluted atheistic idea proving value of human life beyond utilitarian arguments.

Pro-Choice: There are two camps on this side of the debate. One states that what is inside the mother is not a human being or alive until a certain point, which allows the mother to kill what's inside her whenever until that point it becomes a life. The other states that it is a life, but the well-being of the mother should be held over the child's life.

Roe V Wade: This decision made abortion a national, rather than local, issue. It took the ability of states and localities to decide on law that should fall under the Tenth Amendment. By denying people's right to decide issues for themselves and have discussions about what's right and wrong, a few oligarchs on the Supreme Court handed down legislation despite that not being their job.

Political Climate: Today's climate is heating up on this issue and I'd like us to remain calm. Understand the other side's point of view so you can have rational discussion about it. Ask questions and make anyone you're debating define what they mean. Listen to them so you understand them, and state your case as best you can. But, these bills do have the potential to overturn Roe V Wade. I am not a scholar on the Constitution or constitutional law, but I do know that the reason the left is up in arms over these bills is they fear the decision will be overturned.

It seems to me that commonplace things like gender and sex have been upended. But, that was not where this relativistic use of terms began. Many terms have turned into "what they mean to me," rather than what they actually mean. This makes for a confusing dialogue. Today, I'd like to see how we can come to agreement on the meaning of words and what that would do for our society.

Liberal and Conservative: These words have become tied to parties that are rarely aligned with what these mean. Now, it is true that there are plenty of liberals in the Democrat Party and conservatives in the Republican Party. However, the words liberal and conservative have lost their meaning by being tied to a party that does not hold to what the words actually mean.

Capitalism and Socialism: The systems we think of as Capitalist and Socialist are rarely a truly pure system. Furthermore, they are often misunderstood entirely. Capitalism is not the banks running the government through a reserve system. Socialism isn't just sharing. They have definitions, and understanding these would drive down animus a lot.

Christian: What it means to be a Christian, like any other faith, is to believe certain things. Now, it seems that thinking Jesus was a cool dude, who maybe existed, qualifies one as Christian. There can be differences among Christians, but there are essential Truths that must be there to be a Christian faith.

There are many ways to take control of your life. One big thing we can do is to create self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and preparation into our lives.

Today, we'll talk about that... and some local politics too.

Individual: We can start a garden. Start eating out of your own back yard. Even if it's not most of your calories, but it's simply a couple salads a week or one per day. Then, you can begin to really save money, store food, and prepare to lose electricity.

I think the other steps have to come after the garden. You need to tend to a garden and have it in order.

Community: What could bring a community together better than creating a garden? The Israelites were commanded to leave a tenth of their fields untended so the widows and the poor could cultivate it. Why would we not help the homeless and the hungry by giving them the chance to grow and eat amazing, fresh food?

Politics: When people are reliant on themselves, they're no longer reliant on government. By improving resilience to disaster and the odds of finding success through responsibility, we create a less envious society.

I've talked a lot about not getting involved in the voting booth. My exception for that is local politics, and especially primaries. Listen to find out why.

Society: When the politics get better so will our society. I think we will lose the hatred for each other when we all feel safe. But, the government can't make you feel safe any more than your shrink can take on your fear for you. We each have to do that, which is why I think this is an important first step.

The Survival Podcast: http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/

I found water in my basement this morning, which had to be addressed, but didn't want to leave you hanging. So, I pulled this out of my archives. However, it seems to becoming more and more relevant to our culture and society.

Gender, sex, and the nature of masculinity and femininity are still being talked about in a protected, but muddled way. This conversation is a good first step to get a dialogue going on what our society needs to think about when addressing gender and sex.

We can't have rational discussions when disagreement is a personal affront. That's why the issue of "making the personal, political," is such a problem. It turns a simple difference of opinion into impugning of one's character.

Today, we'll talk about how to remedy that in our society.

Individual: Don't worry about other people's opinions. Focus on what you know, believe, and understand. Take chances to debate ideas, rather than feelings, and take the wins and losses as you would a game of basketball.

Community: We need to have a live and let live attitude. But, that starts with each of us taking that upon ourselves. And, it requires we help each other and reach out to each other when they are in need. Our community should be a personal thing, a connection not tainted with political opinions.

Society: We're heavily polarized. Every top issue is a point of divide in our society, and without clinging to community, we are unable to separate beliefs and ideas from feelings.

Politics: The problem with politics is the perverse incentive to be personal. Instead of talking about ideas that can drive passionate support for a candidate, they bring out Joe Shmo and tell his story at debates. We need to put our money and support behind people who take the high road and attack ideas.

Yesterday, the historic Cathedral of Notre Dame was all but destroyed in a huge fire. While lamenting the fact that I will now never see that work of art, and all those in it, in the way people have for centuries, I wondered how many people realize all that there is around us to appreciate.

Today, we'll talk about some of the lessons I've learned in my travels about history and the importance of learning it well. Seeing, touching, and hearing the monuments that stand for millennia is incredible and humbling. I'd like to talk about some of my experiences and hope you can share some of your own below.

Today we talk about the advantages and disadvantages of college, why I think it's a bad deal for almost everyone there, and other options that are far better.

This will be a little different than most podcast episodes, but I think it'll be a good one!

Advantages: Good for doctors, engineers, and lawyers. It's good for people who go in for specialized training to do complicated jobs that pay well.

Disadvantages: It costs a lot, so if you won't make a return on investment, it's not worth the investment. It messes up your credit and makes it nearly impossible to create wealth in your early adulthood.

Better options: Trade schools are great. You can learn how to make $60k in a few months in many of them. Then, you read on the side to get the education Michelle Obama was talking about in our quote of the week.