A Frightening Reality

 

 It was the most intriguing albeit disturbing hour and an half  I've spent in quite a while.

And a lot of things disturb me lately.

Now I know why.

It's finally happened.

 Big Brother is not only watching us, but running the whole damn show! 

And by '"whole damn show" I mean all of us.

The poor, the rich, the middle class, the successful and the unsuccessful. The red and yellow, black and white (old school term) and absolutely any other color or blend of ethnicities thereof... which include  every religion and belief you can name or think of. Terrorists and hater mongers. Atheists' and Bible thumpers. Toss in democrats, republicans, independents, non voters and voters. Add the lovers and the haters, the skeptics and the sheep blindly following anyone who knows how to copy and paste.

This also includes people who are pretty stinking smart (not my category) and people who aren't too smart (my category) and complete morons. The rest is just a huge gray area of people who simply click 'Like' on something and believe it to be the gospel (no matter what religion or belief they have).

It's one big ole sad sack of Do-Do, and totally not reality, or even close to factual.

How did we become so complacent and easily swayed?

Why do we hate so many things and think our way of thinking is the only way of thinking?

 

I was blogging the other night on my computer in our living room. Tim was behind me watching the Braves on our smart TV.

During a commercial we (Tim and I) talked about when we bought our first new house in Georgia. I told him I had seen a commercial about house warranties which cover all major appliances, windows, roofs and such. We had one when we bought  our Newnan house but never used it. It was ten years down the road before anything broke and kinda forgot about it by that point. 

Fast forward to another night.

Tim 's first day back at work after being on (stay)cation for a week. He got home late, after seven. I was already blogging on the computer. He heated up dinner in the kitchen and sat behind me once again with a TV tray in front of him, watching the Bravos... again.

We talked about this and that (during commercials) as I pecked away at my keyboard.

Once I told what I was blogging about, he mentioned the strangest thing.

He said today while he was at work, he got a couple of emails about extended home warranties, out of the blue.

He commented he may have thought it was strange at first, but seemed to make a lot more sense now.

My God.

They are listening  to us...literally and figuratively.

I told my daughter tonight after she got home from work...I can (and do) track her from her parking lot at work until she pulls into our driveway most every night

Granted that is one aspect of technology a mother loves.

I told her I wanted to get off the Net. I want to get off social media and strictly use my cell for phone calls only.

If I'm going to put my story and feelings out here, I want it to do some good...not be a part of the problem, but the way to a solution.

I don't need (or want) algorithms dictating and/or shoving things in the direction of only their success.

I want success for everyone.

Shouldn't we all?

We were broke for ten years. We almost lost everything...including our house.

I never knew "touch and go" could last a decade but it did.

Yet here we are, ten years down the road from when  this picture was taken. I still don't know how we both smiled.

We're in a new state, with a new house (after almost three years) and new jobs. 

I'm the rebel on a corner which many, many people pass each and every day.

Ziggy's barking seems to draw attention to us on a daily basis.

That's my boy!

I don't care who is or isn't looking at me or trying to feed me their hype.

I'm not a felon, not a pedophile, not a hater, not a bad person (in general) or someone who will blindly follow a link or post...and pass it on as the truth.

When did we stop thinking for ourselves...and let computers do it for us?

The more we log on, the more ammo they get, and use against us, for their own good.

 It's no wonder this country is a shit show, we all log into it on an hourly basis.

I'm checking my own self out a bit. I am weaning from the cyber teat.

It is not our friend...it is our problem.

I think that is why I enjoy writing so much, whether it be here on my blog  or on paper with a pen. I send off about five letters every single week via snail mail. The response I get back is an absolute positive one, and tends to make people genuinely happy to just receive them.  It's a nice feeling to think you've put a smile on someone's face with the simplest of gestures. I'm on a first name basis with our mail carrier, Louie (awesome guy)and keep him plenty busy. Besides letter writing, I've found another way to do (a small) something for someone , to brighten their day just a bit. Whenever scrolling 

the dastardly cyber highway and come across a really cool picture someone posts, whether it be of them or some place special to them...I save it to my own files. At least my stalking has good intentions. I use the app for the Walgreens  nearest me and order hard copies of the photos after I edit them to what I want to send. They cost about fifteen cents and are ready in about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, on my occasional stops by Goodwill to browse, I pick up old 4x6 pictures frames, they are usually less than a dollar. I bring them home and take them apart, clean the glass and polish the frame itself. Then I frame my edited/stolen pics and mail them off in small boxes to the different recipients. Usually I don't even include a note or card at all.

No need to.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

My daughter ordered me a small scale so I could weigh each box after packing pictures up to mail. I can pay for postage and print the labels off on my printer, apply them to the box and hand them all off to Louie when he comes by my house to drop off our own mail. Massey calls me a creeper, but adds I'm a good creeper.

With all the craziness, sadness  and outright horrible things going on in this world on a daily basis... why not take a minute out of your own day to try and make someone else smile if you can?

My husband refuses to discuss politics...with anyone, including me... and I admire him for that. My father and mother were the same way. I never once  heard politics talked about at home when I was growing up. Tim will listen to me go on for a minute (or two) but always stops me and says he's not going to talk about it with me.

I think that's the way we all should be.

Don't talk about it, do something about it.

As I was blogging away  the next night while he watched the Braves on TV behind me (notice our pattern) during a commercial he actually said something to me that made my own day. He said as selfish as this world can be, he's never met or known a more giving person than me. Number one: that means he hasn't met a whole bunch of folks.  Number two: he may be (borderline) approaching delusionality.

Number three: it warmed my heart just to hear him say it, whether it's true or not.

We all have our backs up. We all point fingers but very few of us take the time to look in the mirror.

With all his own problems and demons, my favorite song by Michael Jackson sums it up very precisely, and I will leave you with his (and my)thoughts on it.

Don't make a change, be the change!

Till next time, COTTON