Life is not fair.

A lesson we all will learn in one way or another at some point during our lifetime. The pandemic has given me a lot of time to think about life and what is really important. In my reflection, I keep coming back to human nature is what we are really fighting. There is a desire for money and power which seems to end up bringing all good things to an end. In my opinion, every part of our human existence, there are those who are socially-minded and those who are selfishly-minded. There are good and bad people in every walk of life. The extreme division within human beings, especially within American Politics, is mentally exhausting. The last 5 years have specifically highlighted the divisional problems we still have within our nation and around the world. Constant bombardment of propaganda and lack of accountability for actions. So much at risk, you may not want to cut it off, but trying to balance that with keeping your sanity.

I believe our technology devices and social platforms which can bring us so much joy has changed our culture. I believe it is a large part of what divides us. The technology allows us to jump in and out of conversations with our opinions or quick judgement. Also, can lack accountability for our actions. Would you really say this in person or publish on the front page of a newspaper? Big Data, Surveillance Capitalism, “datafication” has become Big Business and Big Money to Big Tech. Data gathered from social media is the key element in machine learning and algorithms knowing more about you than you might know about yourself. The “machine” tends to paint the picture you want to see and can build strong resistance to what you do not want to see. Mindfulness, fact checking, and recapturing our human ability to have reasonable, respectable conversations with each other are crucial to moving us forward.

I do believe there is good in humanity. We are capable of letting love conquer all and being more socially-minded drive the future. I believe human nature just wants to feel safe, care for those we love, and live the time we have on this Earth to the best of our abilities. I believe this will only work if we communicate, collaborate, and agree to bridge the gap and participate in Deliberative Democracy or Deliberative Polling .

I have watched the quick-to-cancel culture. I’ve witnessed long lasting foundational friendships come to a bitter ends with a simple click to unfriend. I’ve watched people who I know to be “good people” say and support terrible things across their social media. I’ve seen families torn apart by a demagogue who could really give two shits about their cult-like followers. I respect personal beliefs, but when some may not be based in reality it is time to check yourself. Is it reality, is it coming, or is it just overblown Fear?

In my 43 year journey through this life, the last 4 years has been the most stressful, emotional, and the most personal growth I have experienced so far. Bittersweet. Time to move on…

THIS ISN’T US. This picture resonated with me when I first saw it. Yes! Then I thought… Well, it is not all of us, but some of us. Some of us is good balance, but when you don’t care about the rest or all of us we have problems. I have learned so much more about the deep-rooted issues in this country and I need to have hope we will elect better leaders who care about all of us instead of just of some of us.

We can and must do better by coming together and forging a path forward.

I personally needed to put this 2020 view of the world created around Donald J. Trump, if for nothing else, to help me remember this moment in history.

The photos included in this gallery mention most of their original content credits right on the screenshots. Else, they are my original photos. They are meant to be shown in the order as I captured them starting in early 2020. If I didn’t credit an original photo or content and you own the rights, please let me know and I will remove them. Some of the images could trigger strong emotions. Review at your own discretion.