Love thy roots

Well this thread is about social issues and also it is personal. It is not meant to offend anyone and I see no reason why it would. If my opinions do not meet your standards then lower your standards, and if so who the hell do you think you are?

The synopsis of this thread is basically my coming to acceptance of what is real and meaningful in this world. That all people from all cultures and backgrounds are to be respected, be proud of who you are and where you are from, and most importantly, recognizing what is important in this world and what is not. In everyone’s life they undergo personal mental changes, what they formerly believed was right they have grown out of, some look back in dismay or disgust while others see it as a learning lesson. I am fortunate to be the latter. What I have learned and gladly accept is that the most important things in this world are love, respect, and tradition.




Let me begin by explaining to you how I have changed mentally, mind you I am still changing mentally as you read this. For most of my life since I can remember I hated where I lived and how I lived. I hated my community, state, and social level. Pretty much anyone who expressed any Southern connection I deemed as below me and just a stupid redneck. I was outright ashamed of my clothes, parents, car, and home. I did not want anyone to catch me around anything that was actually mine because I was embarrassed of it all. My dream was to go to college, move to the north to get away from the rednecks, and reject every bit of tradition that was ever instilled in me.

I rejected god, religion, holidays, and anything traditional. I was going to be different than how I was raised, I was going to live upper middle class, and have the ability to tout my education above everyone else. Poor no more basically, because I was better than that, working class was below me. I was raised with very little, more than some others, but still raised in poverty. Pretty much I was one of this kids you just want to smack, but I tried my best to hide that because I knew it would infuriate my mother.

Well that same outlook affected my entire worldview. As silly as it sounds I believed all Conservative people who were working class were brainwashed into being Conservative because it was against their self-interests. I thought anyone who called for smaller government just meant they want their taxes reduced because they are greedy. And I believed all those who believed in religion were just ignorant uneducated hicks, in my opinion religion should have been abolished.

Well this is probably the point where you want to smack me or you are thinking I am right. If you are part of the latter just stop reading now and leave. If you are part of the wanting to smack me crowd then please keep reading.

So this all changed however, beginning a few months ago. I do not know exactly what began to change, why it did, or how it changed, but it did. I began to say “hey religion is not so bad, if that is what works for people then so be it.” It continued on changing and changing. Gradually I began to notice my beliefs were transforming. It was subtle and not abrupt. Well beginning about a month ago I wanted to learn why the South went from Democrat to GOP, I always assumed it was because Southerners were racists.

What I learned was that the ‘60s counterculture took over the party, the college educated liberals, the hippies. What I learned from there was that the Democrats began to fight a culture war against everything traditional, everything Southern. Separation of Church and state became more of a Secular war on the religious than anything, minority interests came first above working class interests, the culture had to be dramatically changed according to them. All the things of past had to be made anew. The culture of this country from its beginning was deemed wrong and backwards according to the Liberal view. Well that had to be fought at all levels, this meant abandoning the parties long held values of defending the working class.

This is where I began to realize why things started to change, because the Liberal worldview was being forced on a traditional worldview that is held by the majority of Americans. They do not like Nancy Pelosi and Obama not only because their policies are too pro-nanny state but because they simply cannot identify with them. How can a Southerner identify with a San Francisco liberal or a Chicago liberal? It is impossible.

Well you are probably hoping I am leaving the political area, well I am. I just wanted to help you get a better understanding of how I came to my realization.

Okay so after I learned all of that it made me think about myself and my views. I always thought so negatively about anything traditional, especially anything Southern. Remember this was already gradually changing, this just really speeded it up. Well I began to contemplate all of these new ideas I just learned and my take on them.

I came to the conclusion after weeks of thinking that I had it all wrong in life. A nice car, house, having money, living in an ‘educated’ area, those things are not one bit important. What is important are the values that my parents instilled in me; responsibility, respect, hard work, and benevolence. Having material things does not bring someone happiness, sure having enough money to be secure makes people happy, but excess does not truly make you happy.

You can go out and buy 3 Lamborghini’s, 2 mansions, and all the material things your heart desires. But how happy will you be when you have no one to share that with? Are the clothes, electronics, and such going to keep you company? Will they talk to you when you had a bad day? Will they cook you soup when you are sick? Will they help you when you are hurt? Will they love you back? No, they cannot do any of those things.

What can make you feel more full then knowing that with your two hands, your brain, and hard work you made something? What can make you feel more alive than just running through the rain? Everyone wants happiness, everyone wants to know someone is there for them, everyone wants to know that they belong.

I had none of that and all I yearned for was material things until I realized what truly is important in life. So long as you have clothes on your back, food in your mouth, and a roof over your head then you are successful. You hold your morals and ethics close to your heart and always determined to do the right thing whether it is popular or not.

It does not matter what car you drive, what clothes you wear, what home you live in, how much money you have, all of those things are completely irrelevant. When you die none of those things are going with you if you believe in an afterlife, when you die and your wife or husband is left they are not going to be crying about the loss of some material thing they are going to cry because they miss you. Your laughs, your smile, your personality, your good days, your bad days, and what was special to you.

These things cannot be bought, the joy of a Christmas tree bringing back childhood memories cannot be bought, when/if you have a child and you feel that happiness it cannot be bought. What can be bought does not matter, beside the necessities in life of course.

People are not ignorant rednecks because they believe in keeping their values handed down from generation to generation, strong. Sitting around a campfire with family and friends telling jokes, scary stories, and laughing with someone, not at them, while they are singing (which sounds terrible). Setting up that Christmas tree and decorating just as your mom did when you were a child, baking fresh cookies just as your grandmother did when you were a child, and having fun going camping like you and your father did when you were a child.

Not everyone had the leisure of having all of those things but it is what almost everyone either yearns for or feels comfort in remembering. Because those are the things that matter, those are the things which you hold so deer.

We have forgotten these things in this country while in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Believing that we are better than someone else for some ridiculous reason. Thinking that you can buy happiness or love. Nothing is more important than good friends, good family, good memories, and good health, oh and good food.

What I have learned while reflecting on my life and my thoughts is that the greatest things in life are the simplest things in life. To love your roots, love your heritage, love your family, love your friends, and love your life. So long as you have clothes on your back, food in your stomach, and a roof, and stable health you have a good life.

Please do not waste another minute of your life in believing that money can bring happiness. It is the non-material things which mean more than anything money could ever buy. I learned my lesson in life, I am just so grateful that I was able to learn it while I was still young.



I apologize if I sound like a preacher or something but I really have nothing more to say, take this thread however you want to.

reply to post by Misoir


S & F

I think for most people there comes the realization at some point in their lives that we have a finite amount of time with our loved ones here on Earth in the physical realm. I feel sorry for those who never realize it.

I heard once and I believe.
That when we go/pass on the only thing we take is LOVE.

reply to post by SLAYER69


If that were true then no one would fear death, if people knew that everything on the other side was perfect then what reason would they have to be alive? What, if anything, after death must always remain a mystery.

But if you are correct that only love exists after death, then I would have no fear of it.

I guess this was just to long for most people to read.

reply to post by Misoir


Why would they not fear death?
I believe there is an after life of sorts yet. I fear death. Not because I'm afraid of the unknown, I fear missing out on seeing my children and grand children in this life.

reply to post by Misoir

Please do not waste another minute of your life in believing that money can bring happiness. It is the non-material things which mean more than anything money could ever buy. I learned my lesson in life, I am just so grateful that I was able to learn it while I was still young.

Good to hear that you have learned what is important in life, it took me a lot longer then it did you, guess I was to busy living life.

Reading what you wrote is great reminder of what was when I was a child, sadly things are not that simple today, well they could be if people would get off the merry go round for just a minute and think about what's important.

Thanks for posting these very important points and hopefully people will listen up.

S&F

Nice post misoir, as they say Everything is borrowed.


I came to this world with nothing , and I'll leave with nothing but love...

reply to post by woodwardjnr


Your video made me cry, I know that the important thing is they have love and each other, with the economy so bad all over this is something we are sadly seeing everyday, after all we all have the right to shelter, in this case love isn't enough.