So the New Year approaches. I hope you have all your plans in line for a great New Year’s party. 2016. Seems like just yesterday that we were all freaking out about Y2K. Boy, what simple times those were. Now things have gotten really complicated.
I’ve been asked to write about my thoughts for the New Year. Full confession, because of deadline issues, I’m writing this on November 30, so it’s just a few days past Thanksgiving. I also honestly have no idea what website I’m writing this for and what the gist of the post should be. So I’m just going to write from the heart about the things I truly hope to see in 2016. I may end up pissing people off, and that’s fine. I don’t intentionally go out of my way to offend, but I’m also not going to keep silent on things that bug me. So here, for your consideration, are my hopes and dreams for the coming year:
I hope we end up with a reasonable person elected to the office of President, and not a self-aggrandizing, racist, hyperbolic and lying out both sides of his mouth game show host.
I hope Christians will get over the idea they are being persecuted simply because they don’t get their way on everything anymore. I also hope they quit trying to influence politics. Or, if they wish to do so, they should accept their churches being taxed.
I hope straight white men will quit their tantrums over the fact the playground is no longer exclusively theirs. Instead of shunning others, embrace them. You might learn a thing or two, and realize different doesn’t immediately equal bad or wrong.
I hope religions will somehow learn to accept each other and realize that, details aside, they all believe in the same overwhelming benevolent power. And the main tenet of all religions is live and let live.
I hope people will start to get offended and outraged by things that matter, and quit stressing over red coffee cups and Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays.
I hope empathy and compassion will return to our country and we can help those in need and welcome them to our shores in hopes of them having a better life. We can be vigilant without being fearful.
I hope we gain some common sense in finding a way to stop the daily killing of people with guns. I’m not anti-gun, but I am anti-stupidity, and so far the idiots are winning this fight. I hope to see that change.
I hope we find a way to deal with the Middle East. I know this is a vain hope. They’ve been fighting for over 2000 years. But maybe we need to let them deal with their own issues, without our interference. Or with only the right interference. It’s a difficult issue, and I’m not going to solve it with a blog post. But I’d like to think it can somehow be solved.
I hope police forces learn to weed out the racist psychos that seem to have infested their ranks and want nothing more than to kill an unarmed black person. Most police are good people, but they need to realize the blood splashed by their bad apples lands on them too.
I hope college students will come to their senses and realize the world doesn’t owe them coddling or safe spaces or freedom from being hurt or offended by opinions that differ from theirs. You went to college to learn and expand your horizons and spend some time in the real world. If you want safe and coddled, stay at home.
I hope the term “microaggression” disappears from the face of the planet. Its speech policing and at its worst.
I hope that George Orwell wasn’t right but off by thirty years. The way things are going, 1984 is coming true. I’d like to see that trend reversed.
I hope nerd fans will remember that we were all outcasts once. The explosion of nerd culture does not give us the right to be dicks to each other. Just because I don’t care about Doctor Who doesn’t make me inferior, any more than your love of it makes you superior. We have different forms of entertainment so different people can enjoy them. Embrace your love; don’t denigrate someone for theirs.
I hope people can learn again to engage in respectful debate and compromise. Things have devolved into an us vs. them mentality, and it shouldn’t be that way. If we’re going to survive, we have to work together to do it.
I hope that you weren’t expecting some cute fluff piece about my next book or my resolution to lose weight or not playing video games as much. I hope this blog makes you think, provokes you to action, or at least offers you something to ponder for a few minutes. I don’t usually get this deep, and it won’t happen again for some time. I hope you found it interesting.
And last, I hope you have a safe and prosperous 2016.
I’ve been asked to write about my thoughts for the New Year. Full confession, because of deadline issues, I’m writing this on November 30, so it’s just a few days past Thanksgiving. I also honestly have no idea what website I’m writing this for and what the gist of the post should be. So I’m just going to write from the heart about the things I truly hope to see in 2016. I may end up pissing people off, and that’s fine. I don’t intentionally go out of my way to offend, but I’m also not going to keep silent on things that bug me. So here, for your consideration, are my hopes and dreams for the coming year:
I hope we end up with a reasonable person elected to the office of President, and not a self-aggrandizing, racist, hyperbolic and lying out both sides of his mouth game show host.
I hope Christians will get over the idea they are being persecuted simply because they don’t get their way on everything anymore. I also hope they quit trying to influence politics. Or, if they wish to do so, they should accept their churches being taxed.
I hope straight white men will quit their tantrums over the fact the playground is no longer exclusively theirs. Instead of shunning others, embrace them. You might learn a thing or two, and realize different doesn’t immediately equal bad or wrong.
I hope religions will somehow learn to accept each other and realize that, details aside, they all believe in the same overwhelming benevolent power. And the main tenet of all religions is live and let live.
I hope people will start to get offended and outraged by things that matter, and quit stressing over red coffee cups and Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays.
I hope empathy and compassion will return to our country and we can help those in need and welcome them to our shores in hopes of them having a better life. We can be vigilant without being fearful.
I hope we gain some common sense in finding a way to stop the daily killing of people with guns. I’m not anti-gun, but I am anti-stupidity, and so far the idiots are winning this fight. I hope to see that change.
I hope we find a way to deal with the Middle East. I know this is a vain hope. They’ve been fighting for over 2000 years. But maybe we need to let them deal with their own issues, without our interference. Or with only the right interference. It’s a difficult issue, and I’m not going to solve it with a blog post. But I’d like to think it can somehow be solved.
I hope police forces learn to weed out the racist psychos that seem to have infested their ranks and want nothing more than to kill an unarmed black person. Most police are good people, but they need to realize the blood splashed by their bad apples lands on them too.
I hope college students will come to their senses and realize the world doesn’t owe them coddling or safe spaces or freedom from being hurt or offended by opinions that differ from theirs. You went to college to learn and expand your horizons and spend some time in the real world. If you want safe and coddled, stay at home.
I hope the term “microaggression” disappears from the face of the planet. Its speech policing and at its worst.
I hope that George Orwell wasn’t right but off by thirty years. The way things are going, 1984 is coming true. I’d like to see that trend reversed.
I hope nerd fans will remember that we were all outcasts once. The explosion of nerd culture does not give us the right to be dicks to each other. Just because I don’t care about Doctor Who doesn’t make me inferior, any more than your love of it makes you superior. We have different forms of entertainment so different people can enjoy them. Embrace your love; don’t denigrate someone for theirs.
I hope people can learn again to engage in respectful debate and compromise. Things have devolved into an us vs. them mentality, and it shouldn’t be that way. If we’re going to survive, we have to work together to do it.
I hope that you weren’t expecting some cute fluff piece about my next book or my resolution to lose weight or not playing video games as much. I hope this blog makes you think, provokes you to action, or at least offers you something to ponder for a few minutes. I don’t usually get this deep, and it won’t happen again for some time. I hope you found it interesting.
And last, I hope you have a safe and prosperous 2016.
A Whisper of Death
The Necromancer Series
Book 1
Paul Barrett
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: December 22, 2015
Cover Artist: Jess Small
Book Description:
Born with the power of ultimate evil, he is the world’s only chance at survival.
Erick Darvaul is a Necromancer, a descendant of the original sorcerers who turned against their dark masters and exiled them. Now these beings have returned, it falls upon Erick and a cadre of newfound allies to rally against these powerful entities and defeat them again.
Through fire, ambush, and betrayal, Erick and his companions claw their way to Broken Mountain to reunite with others who share his ability. There, Erick battles the mortal foe of his ancestors pushing the limits of his Necromantic magic, a force that seeks to corrupt him every time he summons it.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/-Bl3pr4javI
About the Author:
Paul has lived a varied life full of excitement and adventure. Not really, but it sounds good as an opening line.
Paul’s multiple careers have included: rock and roll roadie, children’s theater stage manager, television camera operator, mortgage banker, and support specialist for Microsoft Excel.
This eclectic mix prepared him to go into his true love: motion picture production. He has produced two motion pictures and two documentaries: His film Night Feeders released on DVD in 2007, and Cold Storage was released by Lionsgate in 2010
Amidst all this, Paul has worked on his writing, starting with his first short story, about Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, at age 8. Paul has written and produced numerous commercial and industrial video scripts in his tenure with his forcreative agency, Indievision. He has two published short stories (As You Sow and Double Cross) and one self-published novel (Godchild). He lives with his filmmaker/graphic artist partner and their three cats.
No comments:
Post a Comment