You Make Me a Believer

I try not to be political on my blog, mainly because I started this blog to document my travels but also because I didn't want to start controversy or alienate people, just maybe bring people together from different places who share a common passion.  But I’m starting to think that maybe I have backed off just a little too much from stating my opinion.  I just watched the documentary "Believer" on HBO about the lead singer of Imagine Dragons' efforts to organize the LoveLoud Festival concert in Utah to benefit gay rights organizations such as GLAAD and the Trevor Project.  Dan Reynolds is a member of the Mormon church whose strong message against the LGBTQ community a few years ago led to a spike in teen suicides.  The festival was organized in conjunction with his wife and with Tyler Glenn from Neon Trees in the hope that it would bring people in the Mormon community together with a message of love and he specifically states in the documentary that it had to be positive, that it could not read as "I am right and you are wrong...you are stupid, let me educate you".  And that's what I want to try to start talking about, not a specific issue, but this place we've come to in our country where people are afraid to speak, or where no one wants to listen.  Battle lines have been drawn and there seems to be no room for inclusion or compromise on any issue no matter how big or how small.

 I don’t want to live in a country where I'm half afraid to listen to the news, where news reporters literally now fear for their lives, where people of color distrust the police and their own government, where immigrants aren't welcome and where many are so angry that they feel hopeless and helpless.

Sunset at Harrington Beach

What we need is to re-learn, or learn in the first place, how to say what we want to say clearly and present facts instead of trying to instill fear, and then hope the other side can walk away with a little more information and perhaps a little more understanding of our position. We’ve lost our way in this country and even our politicians have forgotten how to negotiate and compromise to solve a problem. And that starts by listening to each other.

Goslings growing up fast in Twin Lakes

There is more than one way to be an American, there is more than one way to solve a problem.  Different regions have different ways of doing things, and as someone who travels a lot that is part of the rich tapestry of America that I love.

Probably Gypsy Moth caterpillars on the Ice Age Trail,
so says the ladies at Where the Wind Goes

We need to re-discover what we have in common. Our goals, our values, our idea of what we want America to be.  All of us want good jobs, our children to get a decent education, to not live in fear of persecution, to have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe, and to be able to pursue our dreams.

Macy's on State Street atrium in Chicago

We need to stop the name-calling, the finger-pointing, the blaming. We need to stop listening to those who only want to inflame our fears for their own personal gain, or to get re-elected.  We need to take the time to seek out the facts to help us see whether or not those fears are actually real.

We're kayaking again!

Fear not (ha ha) I won't turn into a political blog.  But I am going to start providing links to things I find interesting- sometimes political, but not always- from reputable sources and you can read them or not.  But like the lead singer of Imagine Dragons I'm a Believer - a believer that people can come together and that knowledge is that spark that makes change happen.