Last night the Penguins played the Coyotes and the outcome of this game was not a surprise.
What else is happening? Still trying to kick the Devil's weed, aka cigarettes (i.e tobacco) to the curb. Outside of the occasional bout of anger and frustration outside all proportion to the actual thing happening, it's been pretty good.
I haven't been to Flavor Country in three weeks and three days, and one of the benefits is that I recently shoveled my drive-way while experiencing zero cardioligy related events. (Note that if you're from Arizona and maybe came here to read about the Coyotes, that, just for the record, the drive-way was filled with snow, which is a cold white water-and-jet-fuel based substance that falls from the sky in northern climates).
Maybe it was the uh, Cypress Hill I was listening to last night, but I was feeling very relaxed about not smoking and the game I'm supposed to be writing about here didn't even really bug me at all.
Later, I ate some really good cookies. Then President Obama came on my TV and I got to thinking - who cares about the stupid election? If Trump is terrible, everyone will hate him and he'll go away. Hopefully without nuking anyone, but even that thought thought can be quelled by the soothing sounds of Adele.
But that's just thing thing, isn't it?: we've all been yelling into the void for so long all we hear is that stupid Cavendish Potato song. (I do anyways). So even though I always - for some reason that is no longer clear to me - took pride in giving my opinion and being opinionated, I'm going to stop doing that.
I mean, literally no one wants my opinion on anything. Or anyone's. We've taken this internet thing to a bizarre conclusion - no one f'n listens to anyone, we complain about political correctness, then cry when someone doesn't agree with us on every single thing.
I think being told you are wrong is a fundamentally important thing. We should maybe celebrate errors and wrongness instead of acting all weak and XXXX about it. Like, when did learning from your mistakes become bad?
Same with changing your mind - that should be celebrated. Because the internet has killed that too.
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that last night, probably sometime in the third period, around the time the Penguins scored their 90th goal of the game, I realized that we can't even discuss obvious problems because doing so requires a) telling someone what they believe is wrong and b) getting them to believe what you are saying is true and not just some fantasy/brainwashing you're suffering from because of your perceived political bias.
But criticism is only valid when you're criticizing something you are involved in. I get paid for my hockey opinion, so it's valid. (Not right, just valid). But who cares what I think about the Republican party who I obviously hate and have a complete bias against? Even if I'm right, it's not relevant to anyone what I think. The only one's who can really stop Trump (assuming he needs to be stopped, which I obviously think he does, but I have no authority on the subject) are the people who voted for him, when he betrays them. Which he arguably already has.
So we need to criticize ourselves more. We need to listen to other people. I think. I mean, do what you want. This is just my observation about what I consider the compete and total B.S I am subjected (willingly) to 24-7 on FB (which I quit the day after the election) Twitter (I'll try to never tweet again) at work, at leisure, on CNN, etc.
At the same time, I think another problem is that some ideas actually are stupid, and it's hard to dissuade people from that when they think you're the one who's brainwashed. But maybe if people won't listen to facts, maybe it isn't worth even talking to them or including them in the conversation.
Yes, I do want to hear criticism of my ideas and ways in which your ideas are also good. But that doesn't mean I feel like listening to a debate about something the Supreme Court decided on the 1970s.
Basically I have absolutely no answers on anything and am really a huge part of the problem because I am aggressively mean about what I consider to be stupid. Or maybe that makes me part of the solution. It's really hard to tell.
Another thing I know is that I want my son to grow up and be exactly like President Obama. Not the policies or the gov't accomplishments. Just the guy.
If the internet has made things terrible in several quite obvious ways, I think Obama is showing us the way to be better - he is starkly contrasted to everything that is cheap, vicious and phony about our society.
I don't care what you think about his politics or if you even agree with him, but I was watching him deal with this election and the threat to his legacy and he basically said: people get scared and ideas rise and fall in popularity, but anything good lasts and anything cheap goes away. Obviously you have to fight for what is right, but if it is right, enough people will get on board.
Even if you hate Obama the politician, that's got to inspire you a bit, no?
The guy is classy. He speaks slowly and thoughtfully and he's just the most decent and thoughtful public figure I've ever seen. Again, even if you don't like his politics, he's the kind of person you'd hopefully want your kids to grow up and be like. And just by example he makes all the people who don't act like him look partisan, petty and small.
He makes me want to be like him and less like a childish idiot in a way that, say, Sidney Crosby just can't inspire me to want. Plus he showed me you can still be cool and quit smoking.
In the end, it was the Coyotes 7, the Penguins 0. Way to go team!!