Get Out Those Boot Straps!

Over the past few days I have watched farmers in India toss tomatoes on the ground, read senseless bickering in posts that were supposed to be responses to a mild earthquake that hit Illinois this morning. What these events and so many more have in common is that the senseless bickering and the tomatoes on the ground were both inspired by reactions to governments. The farmers think that the government should do something because the price they get for the tomatoes they grow is lower than what they spend growing them. The silly bickering that followed a posting about and earthquake turned into a democrat-republican brawl. I am always baffled about how much people expect their government to do for them. At the end of the day, how much of what the government does really trickles down and affects us on a day-to-day basis?

I don't know about you but my days and evenings are completed without ever seeing a government official. Life is as good as I want it to be and the things that I cannot change, I do not worry about. You may think, “Well, now how is anything ever going to get better if we don't fit to change it?” My response to that is by taking care of myself, looking out for neighbors and maintaining a positive attitude does make things better. Exercising and eating a well balanced diet makes more of an impact on health care reform in this country than bickering about social health care or whatever it is they are battling it out about on Capital Hill. What I do is going to make more of an impact than whatever bills are passed.

Self-governing is what this country was built on. Individuals, cities, towns and states used to take care of themselves, which in turn, takes care of everyone else. If you see a neighbor struggling to get out of a snow bank, you help them. If you see a neighbor falling off their front porch in a drunken stupor, you might help them but help is not what you are giving them. When someone does not take care of himself or herself and you have to prop him or her up, you are giving them a crutch. Well, here is a newsflash. We've got bootstraps. Pull yourself up on your own accord and add to the community instead of leeching off of it. Get on the treadmill instead of going to McDonald's five times a week. If you work a low paying job and don't have enough money work it every single minute that they will allow you to. Don't throw some huge party and go out every night after you get your tax refund.

Like attracts like, trust me friends. My life is great but not because everything is perfect everyday because believe me it is not. I love my life because no matter what happens I know that the storm will blow over and no matter how tired I am I will keep going until I have what I want and need to survive. That coupled with the fact that I know for certain that anything I can't handle will be carefully considered and figured out by God keeps me in good spirits. I say all of this to make the point that what you do is so much more important than anything that goes on in the government. The decisions you make day to day are what will create the environment you live in. Not bills and laws. Put down the crutch. Let's pull out those good ole bootstraps and get back to where we need to be.

"There were others who had forced their way to the top from the lowest rung by the aid of their bootstraps." James Joyce