Resolutions 2014

As we are start the countdown to the end of 2013 and begin to welcome in 2014, I sit here tonight and reflect on a few things. 

It has been a year of personal ups and downs as it has been for the nation. We can all reflect on our own lives and look at each other and it would be like looking in to a mirror. We can reflect on the state of affairs in our nation and see the strife that has gone on all across the country but just the same see the goodness that has come from people in everyday events.

It is wise of us to look at the past and learn from both the good times and the bad. But it is just as important to look at what the New Year has to offer. 

Unlike a lot of other people I am looking to 2014 with cautious optimism and with a bit of sense of dread. 

A short time back I wrote in a blog about Treasuring Those While You Still Can and I did so because we had received some bad news as a family. To date all is going well but realistically 2014 will be a time of personal loss. As a family we face a great unknown in that economic uncertainty seems to be getting worse by the day. All one needs to do is go grocery shopping and everyone can see it for themselves. 

With that all being said, 2013 and going in to 2014 has brought a great deal of promise. Personally, I have been introduced to many outstanding people and been allowed the privilege to be able to write for some outstanding organizations. If you are reading this you are likely to have gotten here by either Cream City Wisconsin or The Frontiersmen websites. Each of which are sites that promote the values of personal responsibility, preparedness, American Core Values, God, family, and many other great virtues that have made this the greatest nation on Earth. 

There has been something of a Great Awakening with the American populace where more and more people are becoming aware of what is going on around them, not just at home but also around the nation. People are being more involved in their communities trying to make their homes a better place. And still many more are trying to become involved in events that have both a direct and indirect effect on themselves and their families.

So as we enter in to 2014 it is tradition to come up with New Years Resolutions. Here I am compiling a few and welcome you to share yours:

1. I will continue to work to be a Better Man. As the Nexus of my family it is my duty to improve myself each and everyday.

2. I will work to be a better Husband. To be nurturing and loving to the woman that is my Queen because we cannot function as a family if we are not solidified in our Union.

3. I will continue to work at being a better Father. Children are owed to learn all that we know. It is a sacred obligation that we have to teach them these things in order for them to become decent and productive people.

4. I will continue to be more aware of the community around me. All politics is local and I will work harder to make my voice heard in a rational manner to bring some semblance of intelligent conversation.

5. I will work even harder to be my Brothers Keeper. To those that depend on me, those that I have given an oath to, I do not have much but what I have I will do my part to be there for you.

6. To my readers, followers on Twitter & Facebook, I will work even harder to entertain you on my take on the news of the day and welcome your input.

7. To those of opposing views, I will continue to welcome the discord of debate. With a degree of common sense we will find that we have more in common then what we do not. For those that would spit venom and vitriol, that would see harm come to friends, family, and my Nation. I say unto you: Game On. Challenge Accepted. 

With that all being said, I want to wish you all a wonderful and Happy New Year. May you all be safe with your families and the New Year bring about the change and the confidence to accept the challenges that the new year is sure to bring.  

You Are Not Alone

Have you ever felt that you were all alone in a crowded room?

All sorts of people around you, voices and conversations being had from all angles, and some even willing to engage with you. And yet you still feel alone. You feel alone despite all of the people around you many who do not think as you do, believe what you believe, see what it is that you see. At the end of each day you might even feel like you are shouting that same crowded room yet no body can hear you.

This is the feeling that I, and many others have felt over the years in a variety of aspects from being a prepper, have a belief that something bad is on the horizon for our great nation, a belief in God, or having what has now seemingly become taboo... Traditional American Values and pride in being an American. We tend to be quiet about these things because others have a tendency to say these things are "old fashion", are insulted, or we actually bought in to the old bull-poopie axiom "two things to never discuss politics and religion".

Now this begs the question what does one do to resolve this... issue. And I call this an issue because it would seem in recent days that these aspects I noted earlier are being encouraged to be "kept in the closet". The natural human reaction is to seek out other people like ourselves. As a people we have a tendency to gravitate to those that are like us. People that vote as we do, church groups, et. al. The problem I see with this question is that anyone one of us can find others that are like us after a little bit of searching but that is all it is: Finding someone like us and that's it. To that end I think the question flawed and it needs to be restated.

The real question is two fold: (1) What does one need to do to network with others to effect change? and (2) What are you willing to do to take control of your life?

Let's start with taking control of your life. Think about how you feel, what you think, your opinions. All of these things we have to take ownership over. To say that I feel insulted because someone insulted me is to be intellectually dishonest because I have the power to decide how I feel about what was said. No one can make me feel a certain way. I choose to react a certain way. Once we acknowledge this and know how to own our feels and reactions we are free to take control of our lives.

To the former question, it does seem sterile and business like but continue to think about it in that sense. In the business world we look for people that can do something for us and vice-versa. An employer will pay you X if you can do Y and Z. It's a win-win situation. This ties to taking control of our lives in the sense that we choose to seek these win-win situation or we choose to complain the lack thereof. And much like the employer, we may have to go through a good number of candidates until we find people that we can network with. People that we can associate with and in best case scenarios call friends. The change that comes here is that not only is there strength in numbers but there is also commendatory in the bonding that comes with this.

Earlier on I said that with a little bit of searching we can find others like us but in the end that's all it is. I will contend that when we can answer the aforementioned questions the line "that's all it is" will be replaced with "this is just the beginning". This of course will require some work. Not just I put in a few days talking to people. But truly investing time and getting to know people. And sometimes it requires being a part of something larger than yourself. 

When I was a very young man I had the honor of joining the United States Marine Corps. During that time I learned what it meant to be a part of something larger than myself. I worked for the whole knowing that others had my back. This is a feeling I have not experience in the civilian world... at least not until recently.

In my quest to find people like myself, with similar beliefs, similar codes of life, similar goals I had the honor of being introduced to the Frontiersmen. It is with the Frontiersmen that I truly felt that I once again had a voice. No longer was a shouting in a crowded room only to be ignored. When I spoke, I was heard. Not only was I heard but I got to hear from people that I would get to know and see them comrades-in-arms or more so to the fact as Brothers and Sisters. I once again have the honor of not only being apart of something bigger than myself but I have the privilege of being a part of a movement that at some day in the near future will become an integral part of the fabric of this greatest nation on Earth. 

To that end, if you feel as I once had, I strong you encourage you to look in to the Frontiersmen. Go to the Frontiersmen Network Facebook Page and come to the Introductory Meetings. Get to know people, chime in, and know that you are not alone.