Slight Detour: Saturday Slight

I saw the above comment this morning, and thought, "How true."

It fits me.

I have a simple philosophy on life, which involves being kind, friendly and supportive, appreciating nature and doing my very best to just be a good person.

We often fail at all the above, but we still keep trying.

I would also like to be able to avoid the ugly noise of the world, but I can't and I won't.

It is vitally important for us to not bury our heads in the sand and ignore the ugliness that seems to pervade this world, mainly in the negative and nasty ways that people treat each other.

Really, it's that basic when we think of the external woes that drag us and the rest of the world down.

What is so wrong with showing respect, courtesy and empathy to others?

Those in one of our political parties like to label such traits "wokeness."

I call it humanity, and it seems to me that "humanity" has been in the dictionary and clearly understood and accepted by many for much longer than the recently coined "wokeness."

Humanity is not a bad thing, in my simple mind.

I, like millions around the nation and the world, watched the White House meeting yesterday between the president of Ukraine and the president and vice president of the United States.

I was horrified, and my horror was not focused on President Zelensky.

Because of the recent history of our President spreading the blatant lie that Ukraine had invaded Russia three years ago and his recent public demeaning of President Zelensky, I was curious to see how the White House meeting between the leaders of the two countries would play out.

Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate that this meeting would turn out so disastrous.

Never in my lifetime of 77 years have I seen an American President and his lieutenants gang up on and treat a visiting leader with such rancor, disrespect, rudeness and even cheap shots about his dress.

Just curious: why is nothing said to Elon Musk about his dress in the Oval Office?

And, to insinuate that President Zelensky was being disrespectful simply because he tried to explain the past history of agreements with Russia and how they had gone sour seemed a desperate stretch at best.

I listened and watched the meeting several times yesterday and, with each time, felt more dismayed with what is happening to our nation before our very eyes, not only domestically but also in the eyes of the world.

My opinions and my observations are my own. Don't send me your cut-and-pastes with your brand of infinite knowledge to show me how stupid I am.

I've maintained a self-imposed "stupid meter" throughout my life.

My thoughts are derived from staying in tune with actual long-established news organizations and always with a personal emphasis on reviewing each aspect in as much depth as is possible----not through cut-and-paste "journalism," which was never mentioned in any of the journalism textbooks that I studied.

Seems that those who employ the cut-and-paste journalism are emboldened with infinite knowledge of all the events of the world.

I wish we, as a people, could do better, and I fervantly wish that the dirt roads, quiet skies and soft light could be an option for everyone to enjoy on this earth.

Most importantly, I wish our kindness toward others could have the patience of trees.

It would be nice, and the world could and can be a better place.