Witt's End

 Now I've been in a place where I've been doing a lot of reflecting and thinking. This page of digital text is the result of that. It's a stream of consciousness that began and was deleted four times before I decided to really let things rip.  I know that not everyone has the perfect family. Or feels comfortable addressing there's in any fashion. But it's all I could think about lately.  The complexity of parent-child relationships, of sibling relationships can never be understated. Families are complicated. They're tricky. They're almost universally flawed. Yet they're what ground us. They're home. But they change. They're eventually replaced on the scale of importance.  It's interesting how consuming our families are as children. A mother starts as a baby's entire world and it only grows from there. A toddler's world is filled with familiar faces. And at that age we don't realize it. It's strange that I never realized the mo...

 "Superman is boring."  “No one ever dreams about the problems, but every life has them — even the extraordinary ones.” Those two lines stand out from a series premiere last night. One I had trepidation about that I have since thrown away. A lot of people know that I love Superman. Clark Kent is my DC jam. Yes he can be OP. Yes he's typically good to a fault and for a lot of people that's boring. I get it. The solution is typically to try to make things grittier. We can insert the DCEU and the New 52 here. It doesn't usually work. Darkness plastered haphazardly over a source of light casts inconsistent shadows. It makes things different to the max. It changes the core of a character.  The alternative to that is usually considered formulaic, boring, and too nice for a lot of comic book fans. He's good to a fault. Predictably will do the right thing even if it costs him. Will give all to doing the right thing. I mean he's almost a trope. So what do you do? I...

 Why can I find my way     past the last gate? Why am I so tired? Where do I turn at this point in      life? Do they know I care? Have I told them? Have I shown them? Have I made it past the      point of no return? Have I done enough? Have I made a home? Have I left a legacy? Will I ever know? Why does the dark raise     these questions? 2/22/2021

I've been struggling with my thoughts since January 6th. I know for some that may seem trite or naive, especially given the volatility of the last four years especially this past summer. But I am truly worried about what the future will bring. The inaugural address yesterday does give me some hope. But it's gotta be accepted. That's why the  three most important words and action we could practice right now is, "I hear you." Confronting division and hate are the hardest things we can ever possibly do. The only way we can get through this current crisis in my opinion, is to listen, truly listen actively to people. Then we connect with people. This current climate was directly a product of something that Arthur Brooks spoke about at the 2020 prayer breakfast, contempt. Contempt and enmity for other people has broken into our discourse at an alarming rate. We as a nation truly believe that people who hold different policy positions, prioritize values differently are e...

  The prophet and apostles are not telling the public one thing while believing another privately.   I want that to be a statement. Because I believe and have faith in leadership with access to revelation bearing authority. They either say what they mean or anything they say is meaningless. God does not deliver his message through deception. He delivers it through truth. It’s clear. He does not double speak or use secret combinations. Your struggle with accepting doctrine does not mean the prophet or apostle has fallen. You will struggle with principles, doctrine, and dogma as a member of any faith.  Now that’s some pretty harsh language out of the gate for me but I had to be clear.  I say this because people I have looked up to in the church have of late told me that leaders are not backing the policies or statements of the church. That they are caving to political pressure, or that they (church leadership) have a public or private narrative. Worse they say the chur...

I'm struggling tonight. Really really struggling. I shouldn't be but I am. It's time to be honest about it.  I've got a couple disparate thoughts weighing heavily on my mind tonight. One, that no party truly represents all aspects of my faith, yet I still want to participate in discussions surrounding policy that effects us all. Finding a way to do that is both freeing and stressful. Two, we all have things that our faith, church, or doctrine cause us to struggle. That varies from person to person and we need to be acutely aware and empathetic of it. Policies and Votes Every election cycle, my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) releases a letter with similar language regarding the upcoming election. This year's letter contained this language: "We urge Latter-day Saints to be active citizens by registering, exercising their right to vote, and engaging in civic affairs. We also urge you to spend the time needed to become informed about the i...