We're different and the same.

Some of what's going on is about how we're different and it's not being tolerated by some people.

We're all the same in a lot of ways; we're all humans, we have similar bodies: a torso, 2 arms, 2 legs, a head, etc., but we're different in the details.  Some of that is not acceptable to some people.

We're also the same in a lot of ways in our behaviors, in our emotions, in how our minds work, but we're different in those details as well.

These differences can sometimes be seen in children:  there are shy kids, there are aggressive kids, there are happy kids, there are hesitant kids, there are loud kids, there are quiet kids, there are kids who prefer to be around a lot of other kids, there are kids who prefer to be by themselves, there are kids who are curious about things, there are kids who are nervous about a lot of things.

Some of these tendencies we're born with, some we learn from our families as we grow up.

Some kids share.  Some kids don't.  Some families share.  Some families don't.

Some kids grow up being very much like their immediate family members.  Some kids grow up different than their family.  Some people stay close to their families.  Some people move away to make their life.

Some people stay the same most of their lives.  Some people change a lot for various reasons.

People who live in other countries and who have grown up in different cultures and practice different religions and speak different languages are also the same and different.

Most people in the world are busy just trying to live their lives the best they can and have the best life they can and get along with other people.  

These are all natural, normal aspects of how people are.

Some people have, since childhood, spent most of their lives trying to cheat their way through life, for whatever reason, lying and stealing and hurting and even killing other people so they can get what they want.  They are everywhere on the planet, even, possibly, next door.  I don't think this is natural or normal; I think there's something very wrong with those people.  Some come from families that are all like that.

There are also many people who for various reasons: physical, emotional or psychological, are unable to manage life normally.  I once met a young woman while apartment hunting who was one of those people.  She seemed perfectly normal but lived on disability and it became clear fairly quickly that life was, for her, more than she could handle.  I suspect that with the proper counseling and education, she could learn to tolerate life better.

Some families take care of family members who have these difficulties, some families don't, some people with these difficulties don't have families.

These people are not cheaters or liars or criminals.

People who have difficulty managing their lives are unacceptable to some people.

This is the world we live in.  It wasn't created specifically for anyone of us; it is what it is.  We can live our lives the best that we can and keep in mind that there are people who have difficulties and there are people who are dangerous and do our best to be helpful when we can and avoid danger as much as we can and enjoy our lives as much as possible or we can be difficult for others; it's a choice.

The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were written knowing these things about people with the idea that living in a particular way may make life more enjoyable for more people while living in other ways may make life less enjoyable for more people.  The idea was to make life in this country as free and enjoyable for most people, not just for some, as it had been.

For me, to be a patriot means to want everyone to have the possibility to have the best life they can manage; certainly a life no worse than mine, as long as we remain aware that we ALL get to have that, not at someone else's expense.  It doesn't mean I think all the time if everyone is happy or not.  It doesn't mean that I donate to everything.  It just means that I wish everyone well, except, of course, those people who lie and steal and hurt other people.

I was born here.  I grew up here.  These were ideas I grew up with.  I could have been born elsewhere.  I could have been born somewhere that's much worse.  I could have been born somewhere that's similar.

In any case, I'm OK with all of what I've written here.  We're different and the same.  You can be very sure that there are things about me that some people find unacceptable; I DON'T CARE.

I'm NOT OK with those of you who think any of this is not acceptable to you.  WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?