vim and vigor

I am known as a lot of things, to many people and for many reasons. This collection of writing has certainly created some new tags for me and I will wear them with a smile. Some of the labels thrown around make sense and some are as curious to me as my sex life is to all of you. Yes, there are just some things that just.... baffle.

I was called a communist yesterday. When I explain myself further, I am called, "a middle of the roader". Which, I guess is a bad thing. I know this because following, soon after is the statement, "the only thing you find in the middle of the road is a yellow streak." An insult to be sure, especially when you consider who is using it.

I am a middle of the roader. I do like to be in the middle of the action, because that's where you get the best sense of what is going on. When you sit on one side of road, you miss everything going on on the other side. It's a comfortable place to pass judgment and requires no real thought. Just sit on the safe side of the road and behave accordingly.

For those of us in the middle, we are trying to figure things out. One side of the road isn't much better than the other and it would seem that drifting to one side would strip us of the greatest gift that any animal on this planet has ever been blessed with. Reason.

Let's use an example. There are sooooo many, I just don't know which one to pick....

Gun control. Always popular.

Side of the road, "BLUE" states that guns aide in crime, increase death and are an outdated concept in regards to personal ownership. Side of the road, "RED" states that guns are a guaranteed right by the US constitution, aide in keeping the government from raiding our houses and taking away our civil liberties ( I know, I know, just bear with them ) and guns actually prevent crime from occurring.... in their house.

The middle of the roaders, see it this way.. Guns do kill people. Some people aren't great at decision making and are not really human, as we understand the definition. So guns are bad. BUT, it's true, guns to prevent certain things from happening and they are protected by the constitution. Seeing both sides of the argument, the Middle of the Roader can make a sensible decision BASED ON THE SITUATION. That's right, in the middle of the road, with things whizzing past so quickly, you don't have time to take right and wrong into consideration. You know what logic dictates and is really what all decisions SHOULD be based on.

But that isn't the way the system works and ONLY MIDDLE OF THE ROADERS know this.

I like my yellow stripe. I like the present danger and I like the ability to say I am in it. Side of the roaders, what do they know? Lots of ballyhoo, lots of yelling and screaming. Lots of self righteous indignation... no heart.

The only thing I know to be on the side of the road.... trash, roadkill and weeds. And slippery rocks that can make you lose control.