The Ascendant Project

Here it is 5 years later, and I have decided to start this project anew. Trump has been elected for the second time and has already issued a flurry of executive orders and brought in Elon Musk to shake up government and apparently strip it down to it’s core.

While this is a stressful experience for this liberal, it should be known that my personal experience over the last few years has taught me that when stressful things happen, you can make a decision over how it is going to affect you. Will you let your circumstances dictate your outcomes? Will you be a victim of forces beyond your control?

There are many reasons why this can happen. The dissolution of USAID has a family member of mine stressed out, because they work in a non-profit mental health agency. Their employer depends on grant money, and they fear for her job and the welfare of their patients. Multiple family members and friends I have, did, or do work in government either directly or as a contractor. The upcoming government shutdown looks to be a long one as Democrats will be standing up defending the power of the institution of Congress against the over reach of the Executive. Once again, they will potentially not get paid, they are worried about their contracts being cut and their positions potentially being terminated. We are all taking it one day at a time uncertain of what tomorrow will bring.

On a personal level, I have been dealing with an important issue of my own. About two years ago, I was playing tennis and the lines on the court started disappearing. It was initially diagnosed as an ocular migraine, however the phenomena was confined to my left eye. About 2 weeks after that, I was watching TV on the couch and all the sudden my left eye spontaneously filled with floaters.

I have had 3 surgeries since, one to reattach the retina and fill the eye with oil. Second, to remove the oil secure the retina, and fill my eye with gas. Third one was yesterday, to remove the cataract that formed in the left eye. The final surgery was a complicated one, as the cataract had spread to the capsule around the lens as well, and could not be fully removed. This surgery lasted an hour which is abnormally long for cataract surgery which usually only takes 15-20 minutes. As I write this, I really don’t know if I will see out my left eye ever again.

This has been going on for about 2 years. At the beginning of this process, I realized I had a choice in front of me. Am I going to let this rule me or am I going to approach this situation with positivity, humor and gratefulness? I chose the later.

My doctors have opened offices on off days to see me. My family has supported me. I also strived not to let this handicap me. I still play hard and beat my friends at tennis, depth perception be damned. I am grateful for all the support I have had and even have become grateful for this happening to me. It allowed me to find what strength I had that I did not know. It also taught me that I am capable of by overcoming significant obstacles in my life.

People have told me that I am an inspiration to them in how I have dealt with this. What they do not realize is that their love, support, friendship, and time have empowered me to have this attitude. In short, they have inspired me.

So in these turbulent times that are before us, we need to strengthen our bonds in our families and our friendships. Our relationships must become stronger whether they be colleagues or coworkers. We must build a community of support. If we can reform our nation from the ground up with an empathy first view of our neighbor, we can rise.

Midnight is when the day begins. So long as we work for the dawn, the dawn will arrive and the day begin anew.

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Brian Smyers

The post Rising through Turmoil appeared first on The Ascendant Project.

I’m starting this blog because I am 46 years old and we are divided more than we ever have been. I write this on June 4, 2020 and there are protests in the streets across this nation. We are exiting the first wave of the Corona virus pandemic, and many people still feel raw from Decision 2016.

I have left Facebook behind. I shut it down a couple weeks ago, just before the alleged murder of George Floyd. I knew a storm was coming. President Trump thrives on division and chaos. Through organizations like Black Lives Matter and athletes on TV, the African-American community had been asking for help in tearing down Qualified Immunity as an institution of protection for police officers. Many of my conservative friends were considering not watching the NFL because they felt players kneeling during the national anthem were dishonoring the flag and this nation.

Over the past couple of months, I have found myself getting very angry, yelling at the TV, the computer, or even myself in the shower when I run through possible conversations with my friends regarding politics. As the pandemic droned on, I found myself becoming more and more sedentary; my daily step would drop from 9,000, to 2,000. Then George Floyd unrest occurred.

At first I was following the news as much as possible, but I felt overwhelmed and my anger continued to grow. So I tried to tune out by playing through Skyrim for the umpteenth time. This only lessened my activity and I found myself swinging between rage and depression. In my head I had yelling matches over politics with my friends who l am not just happy are in my life, but I need my life. My thoughts would become so loud they became verbal and my wife and daughter would hear my mutterings.

I know this isn’t healthy. I know I haven’t been healthy for a while. I don’t think most of us are. Not with each other, and not with ourselves. Through all of this, I yearned for a place where I could host political opinions and let them be valued. Also I was determined that today was the day I would take care of myself. At 7:00AM I went for a walk. So it begins.

Before the pandemic started, I had read “Love Your Enemies” by Arthur C Brooks. It is about how to have constructive political conversations and when to demonstrate “righteous anger”. I also joined a group called Better Angels who are now known as Braver Angels. They administer workshops to train people in how to have a political conversation without getting them or yourself angry. My takeaways from “Love Your Enemies” and Better Angels are the following:

Using these principles, I have found the best political discussions are rooted in stories. I have an African-American friend who will not travel to North Carolina because in the 1980s he was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The traffic stop lasted 90 minutes because they were running background check after background check. It is his impression that they presumed he was guilty because he is black and was from out of state. The fact that his family was in the vehicle didn’t matter.

I am certain his experience gives passion to his thoughts on George Floyd, Freddie Gray, and others. His experience personally connects him to the news. It is our stories that drive us and our politic.

Our biases have long been used to divide us. Easily so, as it is their primary nature to preserve or enhance one’s position in society and interests. Perhaps by learning each other’s stories, we can turn bias on its head, and use bias to unite us.

Ascendant

Political power needs to come from the grass roots. When the electorate is informed and understands each other’s stories then our leaders can make good policy. When we view each other as the enemy, then only the interests of the few are cultivated, grown, and governed. Despite what they say, those few are not really Democrats, Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives. They are parasites that use us and our conflicts as pawns for their own gain. To put another way, our division breeds corruption.

It is my intention with this blog to get to know and share the stories behind the political positions of everyday people. In time I will be looking for contributors. Eventually, I want those contributors to write a political essay, and then be interviewed. The interview will be more about the personal stories of how the contributor came to those conclusions as opposed to fact-checking the essay. Any necessary fact-checking should fall to me.

The more we understand each other’s stories, the better we can work together and learn to forgive each other one heart at a time. As we build a better society, you – the reader– can rise and become The Ascendant.

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