We all live within the parentheses of our expectations that we define for our lives.
A life lived to the fullest sometimes steps out of these self-imposed parameters, outside the black and white, a style not so easily defined by a Strunk and White grammar guide.
Our lives lead to our every moment. Often, these moments are not what we anticipated or even vaguely considered for ourselves. Whether or not we like it, life is often about dealing with the element of surprise.
Surprise can trip us up as a well-placed comma in our path or exclamation point us in the direction of a life otherwise not considered.
The proverbial fork in the road. Life has played out to this point because it was meant to be.
To make the choice to travel the road of continued surprise, is the choice to thrive "in spirit", to be inspired, to live our lives outside the parentheses of our previous expectations...to propel ourselves forward, armed with wisdom gained, to live a better life.
Our American society, as a whole, does not self-actualize so well.
We walk the walk and talk the talk, professing respect for those who pick themselves up by the bootstraps and trudge on towards a life of new inspiration.
But we are very quick to categorize and punitively restrain those who have fallen from societal expectations, to effectively cut out any chance that wisdom gained during times of surprise derailment be used to better society as a whole.
Those disenfranchised from participation in the voting process keeps our society kodachromed as a Mayberry moment.
People-families-communities-individuals are not black and white snapshots of perfection.
Life is just not that simple.
The picture America presents to the world is not of America Land of the Free, but a slide show of just who is in charge...those who have legislated morality as a way to airbrush out the disenfranchised.
The disenfranchised do not have a voice. Period.
And without such input of lessons learned translated into votes, the face-the thinking- of those elected officials we choose to represent us politically, will remain rigid and highly moralized.
My life has led me to this moment.
To this consideration.
As November 7th approaches, the general midterm elections promise to fork many incumbents toward their own personal path of the Unexpected Surprise.
As Americans, we stand at the crossroads of political philosophical change,armed with the wisdom of we-as a people-want changed.
Include all Americans in the work towards positive regrowth of our country.
Work to restore the voting and civil rights of the disenfranchised.
Support those whose lives have led them down the Road of Second Chance.
http://www.aclufl.org/...