"Just John"

Think this is better than my preferred title of "Citizen John"

I’m starting to get really nervous. But not for the reason you are…

A few months ago, I finally changed my Facebook bio… it’s been simply blank since then, and that’s OK, not a single person noticed the change, perhaps no one cares at all?

It used to say something like “Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Former CEO, Former enlisted then Army Officer, former Elected Official” and I don’t know… that’s probably it. Thought it would give a friend a reminder or potential friend an idea on who I am.

You know what? that “bio” sucks. It didn’t and doesn’t give you any idea who I am.

Didn’t particularly like it then, and haven’t missed it since.

A few days ago, I was stuck in a weird place along Broadway, no idea why, as there wasn’t a light, and traffic looked clear up ahead. A few seconds later, a saw a middle aged suburban (probably liberal) woman running up the middle of the road while taking off her dress jacket, and then leaning over and wrapping it around a goose that had clearly just been hit. A redneck guy in a truck in the other lane, seeing her do this, got out to either help her or the goose and the rest of us moved by to get on with our day.

Thought it was nice. No animal should be left in the road in pain, with their lifelong spouse and a bunch of other geese on the sidewalk looking on in (pain?).

Also thought it odd, that just a few miles North Denver “politicians” or “bureaucrats” likely paid a ton of money to kill all the geese in the parks, then process them and then feed ‘em to the homeless. I probably don’t have all that right, just read the headlines and moved on.

Only been goose hunting a couple of times, don’t really like it, sitting in a blind with a buddy freezing our asses off by a side of a lake. Don’t much like hunting ducks for the same reason. Kinda liked pheasant hunting as you get to walk around in a farmers field, watching a dog(‘s) enjoy life, while scaring up the birds for us to take a good shot at.

So who is right? The woman caring for an injured animal, Denver who pays to kill them, or the the hunter out in the field?

Truth is, we all seem to just label people as “liberal”, “suburban”, “woman”, “Denver” “politicians”, “bureaucrats”, “conservative”, “men”, “hunter” and on and on and on with the labels…

I kinda like “citizen” but it is likely now code for “patriot” which I still consider myself as, but yes, is likely tarnished.

My Profile pic on Facebook is my wife and I with an artist’s rendition of the American Flag behind us, which I just liked. You know, I love my wife and my country and so far both have wildly exceeded my expectations, despite all my flaws.

Guess I have to change it now, as I’m disgusted to say how many “liberals” have threatening me because they think they simply can label me as a “Trump supporter” because I have an American flag in my profile pic.

I can also count on more than two hands the number of strangers on the internet that have threatened me because I have “CEO” as one of my titles, only a half dozen threats, because I served in the Army.

I generally don’t respond to weirdo’s and crazy people on the internet, I just block them as I don’t want any of them to be crazy with me or my friends in real life.

Search my tens of thousands of posts, and I think you’ll rarely see me complain about real people as I want to encourage more civic engagement not less. I know that if I complain, it may scare off more normal people from engaging in civic life.

We need more regular, average people to make a difference in our communities not less.

But I think we’re doing this thing called America wrong. Me included. We label someone or something and then they are either OK, good, great, bad, evil, Marxist, or Fascist. (or your preferred labels here).

I’m really worried that dear friends are so mad at what they are seeing that they are willing to tolerate political violence from their “side” because the other side is so very evil.

I know that all my friends will agree with me if they are thinking they are the good guys and gals and they are thinking about “the other”.

I’m thinking that this is becoming pervasive and we all got to start rolling it back. We got to start thinking of everyone as an American or a Citizen or perhaps as just their first name without any other labels attached to them at all.

Too judge the quality and meaning of their words and actions, not to guess at their motives or their character.

Sure I’m still a son (even though both of my folks are now deceased), and a brother (although we are all over the map politically), and a husband, (although anyone that knows us know we agree on a lot politically but disagree about a ton as well), a father (although our daughters are different in so many ways.) But…

I’m tired of being labeled and labeling. I don’t want any labels, as none of the are really true, in fact they are likely misleading.

Gonna try to be “Just John” for a year or more. Likely not good for business. Who want’s to hire “Just John”.

That’s OK. Probably better for friendship and decency and just trying hard to make a positive difference for people and our society.

So if you see me around, especially if I’m hurt or otherwise need help, I’m “Just John”, please try to help, without worrying about my label or yours.

I’ll do my best for you. It’s really not good to label 1/2 of America as the other and we all gotta work consciously and subconsciously to do better.

We do this well when we have “no idea” of their philosophy or background or ideas.

Now we gotta do better when we know.

Please also try to help a Dreamer and those that love them. But don’t think of them as “illegal” or “immigrant” or “criminal”. Try to think of them as “Just Jose or Josefa”, “Just Juan or Juanita”, “Just Jesus or Jesusa” and let’s treat them as such.

We gotta do better. I gotta do better. Please help me and us…

America (and the World) needs us.