From the Editor

I think one of the hardest things about producing a magazine, at least for me, is doing a relevant and timely editorial for each issue. This is especially difficult for a quarterly publication, as the news of the day can change so fast that the piece that you worked hard on to make “up to speed” on current events, a few days later sounds like you’ve been living under a rock.

Lately, it seems like our news cycles have been changing by the hour. Each new day brings about drastic new revelations on topics that affect all of us in some way. Of course, the various news outlets strive to outdo themselves on the latest drama that they are peddling in order to garner our attention. It’s hard to not keep checking the news constantly, especially in a presidential election year. I think that all would agree that this latest election has simply dominated the news along with the COVID-19 epidemic. Drastic changes to our way of life have been necessary in order to adapt to the many serious issues that have become a new reality.

We’ve been told repeatedly that “life will never be the same” after whatever current news flash of the moment has descended on us. If one really thinks about it though, in some way, our life changes daily. Big changes are of course more notable, and mark history with their passing. But change, as has been repeatedly said by many philosophers, is really the only constant in life. I personally believe that we are in this life to learn, and learning by experiencing change, even drastic change, is the surest way to develop an enlightened and positive mindset.

We’ve also been told that our American way of life is gone forever. If one believes that lie, then it truly is. I strongly do not believe that our way of life is gone. My interests and hobbies have remained and my way of going about life is basically the same. I intend to pursue my interests to the best of my ability and, more importantly, live my life in a way that I take pride in. I surely am not going to cower in the corner, blanket over my head, hoping that “they” will just leave me alone and not disrupt my preferred lifestyle. And more importantly, I refuse to let my life be dominated and defined by some talking head making beaucoup bucks peddling outrage and despair. I am too much in control of my own faculties and reasoning to fall for that con.

Make no mistake; I intend to keep myself informed of recent relevant events so that I can make informed decisions. But I’m not going to “keep up with the Kardashians.” Much of what is billed as news is simply tripe, designed to catch the eye, or worse, form opinion in an already weak mind. Years ago, we used to laugh at the tabloid newspapers at the supermarket checkout because of their obviously ridiculous content; now, every “mainstream” media outlet peddles exactly the same sort of lies and nonsense, contrived to make us feel as if the sky were falling.

I think that even the most optimistic amongst us know that we are facing some dark days, and I am certainly not looking at the future through rose-colored glasses. However, Americans have faced dark days before and certainly will again, even after our current problems are resolved. I’m not going to let those things change who I am or how I live. I will go forward realizing that change is inevitable, taking the good for what it is and dealing intelligently with the bad.

A favorite quote of mine comes from The Art of War by Sun Tzu-

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

I believe it is an especially wise quote to keep in mind as we all move forward into these uncertain and changing times.

– Gut Ziel