For those who like to share

[Bob Wells]

I didn't write this.

"Transactional relationships are built on the expectation for reciprocation. Both individuals are concerned with how they will benefit. ... Within a transactional relationship, bonds are broken the moment one party does not hold up their end. For this reason, these relationships tend to be fragile and do not last." I didn't write this but was looking for the definition when I found it.

 

[mputnal]

I don't know anything really about transactional relationships but I do know when someone is being disrespectful. I put a lot of effort in being respectful. I don't always get it right but the effort is important. When I don't understand the thought process of what causes people to vote a certain way I ask questions. I am very interested and want to understand. You can take a person's word or you can reject it. You can accept that humans are flawed or have unrealistic expectations. In other words it is a choice to be fragile and end a conversation or to take the risk to grow and benefit socially. You do not have to answer my questions but I promise you when you ask me a question I will try my very best to think about it and answer it truthfully and honestly.

 

[Bob Wells]

It is odd how some attitudes change about a topic when it hits close to home. I have met folks who were adamant about a topic or issue until it affected them or those close to them personally. It wasn't that they didn't see what was going on around them, it seems that like all of us, we take the attitude it will never affect me or if it does it won't be as bad as it has been for someone else. We can cast aspersions towards the perceived cause or the possible answer. It is almost biblical. People mocking those who are there to warn of the coming. Denying the opportunity that is set in front of them because "our belief system" isn't ready to buy in or accept it.

 

[mputnal]

Yes indeed it is. I have family members who refused to get the vaccine...until a close friend of the family in his 50's died of Covid just this week. They are now getting the vaccine even though I have been explaining the science, explaining the math and explaining what the greater good actually means. I failed in reaching them but death got their attention. I want to say to them that maybe just maybe their attitude contributed to this death but I won't. They are hurting and even though they have hurt themselves and others I will find a way to forgive their behavior in refusing to wear mask and refusing to get the vaccine. They have told me to my face that it is all a hoax and I am just a sheep for believing in fake news. Yet I love them all dearly and want them to be safe...

 

[Bob Wells]

Afghanistan
Seeing some of the images from Afghanistan and reading a variety of thoughts about what is occurring. I get that this is President Bidens withdrawal now and I also remember that President Trump was going to do it had he been reelected. I think about those my Country has lost and the money we spent to occupy and the money we spent to train the Afghani military. I see the images of people running down the runway, many appear to be young men. It bothers me that the Afghan military couldn't do their job. It bothers me that people would rather leave their country than fight for it. What I see there is the people of Afghanistan have come to believe in a mentality of entitlement, that my Country was somehow obligated to provide for their security and if that wasn't going to occur those folks would just leave. Do I feel we have an obligation to those in Afghanistan. There are some I think we should help, those who assisted my Country in various ways. But I will say this, if they were patriots, they would stay and fight for their lands. This seems about par for the course with our attempts at nation building. Seems we have done it multiple times with limited success. I understand why my country went there. But folks today want to have issue with the exit. Did anyone really think the results would be different as for what was going to happen no matter who the President was. I thought a civil war would happen, shocked that the taliban was able to do what it did in the time they did it. Those who seem to have issue with the exit, I wonder how long they thought we should have stayed? How much more we should have expended? How many more we should have been willing to sacrifice? I have no doubt at some point we may be engaged in that country again. What I hope though is that we do what needs to be done and get out. I wonder if we had taught the man to fish rather than gave him a fish if the outcome would have been different. I may be wrong in my assumption that we did most of the heavy lifting but with the speed the taliban took control you have to wonder what they learned.

 

[elgordoboy]

Nation building is a fools game. Bootstraps is the only sustainable way and that may not be possible in the modern era. America slid through the closing doors on that one a couple hundred years and change ago. The lives lost and $273,000,000 per day by one estimate calculated using 20 years and 2 trillion dollars. Ludicrous sums. Gotta have ludicrous sums to hide the graft and sticky fingers though.

 

[Leader of the Banned]

It doesn't bother me that people would rather leave their country than fight for it, I just think they could have started the process a lot sooner. The writing has been on the wall for more than a few years.

 

[mputnal]

The fact that there was no civil war means that our exit was correct. Biden's words sometimes are off the mark but I give him strong leadership ability credits because this was the right thing to do. The bottom line is that the Taliban is the dominant force and 20 years of American intervention could not fix that. Biden will suffer politically for those images because media is very poor at anything but sensationalism. I would even give Trump credit for getting us out of there. That said, I can not imagine what the Afghan women will suffer through. That culture is abusive to women. Culture is a powerful force. I have no answers for what it takes to correct cultural flaws like that. I wish I believed in miracles...

 

[PoppaJ]

The fact that there was no civil war means that our exit was correct. Biden's words sometimes are off the mark but I give him strong leadership ability credits because this was the right thing to do. The bottom line is that the Taliban is the dominant force and 20 years of American intervention could not fix that. Biden will suffer politically for those images because media is very poor at anything but sensationalism. I would even give Trump credit for getting us out of there. That said, I can not imagine what the Afghan women will suffer through. That culture is abusive to women. Culture is a powerful force. I have no answers for what it takes to correct cultural flaws like that. I wish I believed in miracles...

Reading various reactions it seems many religious right wing zealots are somewhat jealous and inspired by the Afghan situation.
Also, is the America first movement over?

 

[mputnal]

Reading various reactions it seems many religious right wing zealots are somewhat jealous and inspired by the Afghan situation.
Also, is the America first movement over?

People who are jealous and inspired by the Afghan situation may be zealots but are not right wing religious people in my observations. Probably more closely related to anarchist.