I took a little time away today from politics and social commentary and, instead, concentrated on some uplifting, amusing, or entertaining videos.
I felt perfectly fine today, but I was mentally limp. I couldn’t seem to fire up the writing corner of my brain. I did respond to emails, pay bills, clean up my computer, etc., but I never got the inspiration I need to write meaty blog posts.
It occurred to me just now, though, that part of my lack of mental energy today may be because I tend to focus on the negative: the scandal here, the political problem there. I think those things need to be addressed, and they certainly fascinate me, but perhaps they’re wearing me down a bit. So today, I have something different: videos that will make you smile or make you cry in an uplifting way. Because we truly are blessed to live in America, a country with energy, innovation, imagination, humor, and some of the most decent people on the planet.
1. When the following video first came out, I shied away from it, because I was afraid it would be kind of splurgy — by which I mean artificial emotion deliberately intended manipulate people’s emotions. It’s not. It’s one of the most genuinely moving things I’ve ever seen. If you’re not familiar with the story behind the video, police officer Amber Guyger came home drunk, went into the wrong apartment, and shot the apartment’s resident Botham Jean, killing him. She was sentenced to ten years. This is the statement that Botham’s brother, Brandt, gave after his victim impact statement: