Last day of March. It went by way too fast.
And I end the month with a rant. I am so tired of the incompetence of many of my fellow colleagues. Three or four of my daughter's teachers are barely competent. At this point I've lowered my standards to the point that all I want is a base line of basic competence. Apparently that is too much to ask.
Went down to central Texas to pay my last respects to someone who was very dear to our family. Stopped at Buccees four different times on the trip down and back. Grabbed some brisket on the way back. Only seemed appropriate to wear the LBJ hat when going to the Hill Country.
No other philosopher or writer has had a more profound effect on my worldview than Albert Camus. This work is not a biography as such but four essays on four major formative moments in Camus's life. I enjoyed this book very much. It made the world feel somewhat larger. I can only hope to engage with the world with the type of clear, moral honesty of Camus...a man who actually earned his Nobel Prize.
Back in the saddle again. Another semester of equine therapy. This year I figured if I was spending so much time on the ranch I should get a hat appropriate for the occasion.
Talarico won the primary! Now on to November.
My rationale for voting for James Talarico is that he represents a new paradigm for engaging in politics. He engages with others, including his political rivals, with love and respect. As a man of faith he doesn't demonize those who traditionally vote for an opposing party. Instead he reaches out and engages with them. However, he isn't someone who is weak and caves in just for the sake of keeping the peace. He is firm on his convictions and willing to speak truth to power. He speaks with nuance and refrains from simplistic and performative rhetoric. He doesn't just throw meaningless red meat out into the void to excite a base.
He first came to my attention a year ago when he was the most eloquent defender of public schools in the Texas House of Representatives during the fight over private school vouchers. When I learned more about his platform and the bills he passed in the Texas House I became more and more impressed. Here was someone who believed in Direct Action. Actions over words. I was very glad when he announced he was running for U.S. Senate.
I grow weary of politicians on both sides of the aisle flinging sound bites and insults at the other side. That makes for good views on TikTok and Reels but doesn't accomplish anything but to widen the divide between us.
I have also noticed this new type of engagement in the primary race for U.S. Senate in Maine. Graham Platner, a former Marine and Army veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has also shown the ability to engage with those on the other side of the political spectrum. He stands by his convictions but refuses to allow his supporters to demonize the "other side." He says we all have the same fears, and people have been deliberately manipulated to play upon those fears. We should show compassion in our civil discourse, not animosity.
This is a type of politics I can support.
I watched this short video over Albert Camus's principles for how to be present in this world. Obviously it's a simplified presentation of a complex theory. But I found it useful.
