Lessons Learned In 2020

Taking stock of lessons learned in 2020 seems to be a new trend in the website world. After seeing Humblebee and Me and Serious Eats do it I figured I would continue the trend. Why? It's damned useful for helping people learn things the easy way, not the hard way, and I hope it catches on.

So without further ado, here's some of the crap I learned this year.

• I used to dumb down what I said out of fear of being misunderstood or hated by people who, while not actually stupid, were anti-intellectual, anti-change, or anti-learning. I also used to censor everything I said to avoid hypersensitive/intolerant people calling me out for some perceived slight; revising and re-revising my written word to avoid internet flame wars instigated by people who don't bother to think deeply about anything. Boy, do I ever not give a crap now.
• I have zero patience anymore for the following: conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, willful ignorance, Trump supporters, anyone without a single original thought or opinion, people who function as echo chambers or a hall of mirrors for puppet master/s, and people who don't think before they speak.
• I have a -9000/infinity level of patience for social justice warriors. Yes, because we've seen straight-up Fascism let's go a hundred percent the opposite way into cancel culture, obscene levels of entitlement and coddling full-grown adults. Oh, that's gonna work well.
• This country is a unique mixture of the best of the best and the worst of the worst.
• Being full of hatred is worse than losing in a struggle for democracy. One is a struggle for freedom and human rights. The other is a struggle for your soul's well-being. They're both pretty important but as General Mattis said, "Fight with a happy heart"
• Being hateful is not actually helpful. For anything. It is illogical, impractical, damaging, and messy.
• We really needed the Single Dad Laughing blog this year out of all the others and it was taken down, damn it!
• Good Christians generally don't talk about their religion to non-Christians. They're too busy helping with the pandemic efforts.
• It would be pretty nice to have some real competition in the corporate world instead of this monopoly-led, captive consumerism charade
• I am very tired of Black people dying. I am very tired of Native American people dying. I am tired of this racist, stupid system and the racist, silver-spoon-in-mouth people in it.
• I am going to be misunderstood no matter what I say. I've learned to accept that.
• Everyone needs to see a good therapist regularly. No exceptions.
• Automation for chores is a very good thing. Dishwasher? Roomba? Oh yeah. Now if I could afford them.... ha
• Parents of teens these days tend to not give a damn about their kids.
• Most of the crap I went through in life was due to people actually believing that their success and well-being could only be achieved by denying it to me. Wealth, happiness, success, enjoyment. The old competition for resources model that every living thing does to some extent. Hoard, hoard, hoard. They were stuck in a mindset of hoarding commodities, medals, achievements, recognition, and "stuff." Ironically, they were very rich in resources and opportunity but didn't use them correctly, instead preferring to be bullies and attain "more" while ruining what they did have. Miserable people, on an infinite treadmill, trying to bring me down with them out of a self-preservation instinct and jealousy. What a small and limited mindset. This year I made a sincere effort to not be like them.
• Education is indeed the golden door to freedom.
• Other countries actually care about what happens to the United States. They actually looked up to us I guess. We've got to regain their trust.
• We have a little, itty, bitty, smol climate problem. Ok jk it's a huge deal and if we don't fix it within the next ten years - not 20, not 30 - we are not gonna have a good time.
• There are two kinds of people. My kind of people, and not my kind of people. Chances are if you're reading this you're my kind of people.
• Russia and China's governments and sycophants are like the people who put me through crap. Miserable people trying to bring everyone else down with them. Miserable... and dumb. Perhaps they should clean their own house. Let me clarify: the governments and the authoritarian fascists in both countries are the problem, but I'm well aware that much of the population of each is super cool. I wish them luck.
• You can't make a clockwork orange, but you can put nonsweet oranges in prison

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