Nation on Fire.

Journal, I haven’t dared to write to you. Sometimes I forget that you don’t already know my mind. I forget that my fingers and the keyboard stand between us, maybe that is a detriment to our relationship, or maybe those filters preserve it. Either way, Ive gone into radio silence because I am afraid. I want you to accept me. I don’t want the people who may read this to cut me off and shut me out. I feel that may likely happen, because we reside in a very hypocritical culture. It would seem that a considerable amount of people in our country believe the best path forward is to freely ‘accept’ all people and the values which they hold. However, this group of people fails to embrace their own ideology. Should they cross paths with a fellow citizen who does not care to embrace them with open arms, a tantrum ensues.

Today, Americans are verbally or physically beaten down in hopes that they might fall in line with what is deemed to be correct, safe, pleasing, and non-offensive. As I write this, a band of idiots are crusading for a cause that is unattainable- the domestication of the human spirit. This cause masquerades by many names, all claiming to be freedom... or a state for humanity that is better than what we’ve enjoyed for 244 years. I think the reason so many people fall for this trick is simple. We enjoy so many freedoms in this country that we take them for granted and forget they are even there, and it took quite a while for all the rights we enjoy to come to every citizen.

We have so many rights as citizens of the United States of America that we have largely lost count. The younger generations haven’t even been taught about most of our freedoms and rights because the education system has been corrupted. We have entrusted our future to a ‘system’ who doesn’t value the past. Our history is under attack by today’s generation. This generation won’t be able to improve tomorrow because yesterday is being erased.

I saw something tonight that I’ve never seen before. I’m writing this, not from my coffee shop, not from my bedroom, or my car, my closet, garage, or any other place I hide to shed words from my fingertips. I am sitting in a lovely AirBnB. It’s located about 5 miles or so from where I used to live in Northern California. I’m here for a family Fourth of July celebration. And I forgot just how much of my heart I left here in the Sierra Foothills.

Ironically, this place seems to be one of the few places in California that isn’t on fire- in a rhetorical sense, of course. Coming back up the 80 freeway tonight, everything fell into place. There’s a point between the city of Rocklin and Newcastle that is really special. The road is perfectly straight for about ten miles. A 16-mile stretch of curves and elevation changes comes next. As you get onto the freeway and ahead of the traffic, there’s a sweet spot at about 85 to 87 miles per hour which makes the vehicle disappear. It’s just me looking at the road ahead. Some part of me handles the driving while I enjoy a lucid mental space where some of my best a-ha moments have manifested. I know this freeway as well as my blood knows my veins. When I merged onto the 80 tonight and got up to speed, I saw something. I saw other drivers going well over the posted speed limit of 70 miles per hour. We all were technically speeding. So why wasn’t anyone pulled over? Well, I realized though there was a law declaring a specific speed limit, everyone on the road had a mutual unspoken understanding. There were a few idiots who darted through at 100 MPH, give or take. But for the most part, everybody traveled at an average of 15 over the posted speed limit. We all tolerated each other. Even the people who wanted to travel at exactly 70 miles per hour. the trucks went 60 (though they were supposed to go 55.) If someone didn’t like the speed of the person in front of them, a simple solution was put into play- Pass. If someone wasn’t pleased by the driver riding their bumper, another easy solution- get over to the right. When the driver found their pace and got comfy, they’d put on cruise control and enjoy the ride. Three tactics, when taken off the road and put into every aspect of society, could solve many of our country’s problems. Pass, Let Pass, and Stay in your lane when you are traveling at the right speed for you. I decided it’s time to break my silence. I’ve been too scared to comment on anything out of fear of possibly losing half of my audience. Maybe I offend someone, or I accidentally say too much- and people put me in a particular political camp. Maybe I won’t get as much readership if I reveal that I stay in a particular political camp. But then, maybe there are enough people in the world that I can make it in my chosen field without the help of the people whom I disagree with. I’ve come to the conclusion that though I am not a political writer, I am letting go of my right to free speech if I don’t acknowledge our current situation as a country.

Journal, the world is on fire. But tonight is different.

Tonight, Americans who truly value our country come out into the darkness. We remind ourselves of something sacred by lighting a firework (Over-achievers light the illegal ones too). By igniting a beacon that is bright, audible at a long distance, startling enough to catch our attention, it makes us think, “Whoa, is this dangerous? Where are the people telling us we are not allowed to do this?”

Only to realize that we are Americans. We have a preset list of rules to live by in our constitution. A document written by people not very different from us. We have already declared independence for ALL. Even in 2020, and without a powdered wig. We are all free citizens of this amazing land. The title is all-inclusive to anyone who becomes an American citizen. Our heritage is our land and our history, every last shade.

We figured out how to tame the element of fire. Fireworks remind us of us. Go ahead and TRY to tame an American… put us in a box, and we get explosive.