This is why we can’t have nice things.

Over the course of last year, I’ve been thinking deeply about what I consider to be very important topics. Like whether I should add cheese, sour cream and guacamole all in the same burrito bowl despite their similarities in texture and flavor profile–not to mention added fat. Or if I should run a new water vessel through the dishwasher before I ever use it even though it looks perfectly clean to me.

I’ve also been thinking about more pointless things as well. Things that don’t matter, like whether democracy should be defended, and to what lengths we should go to defend it. Or what opponents of Critical Race Theory are opposing since they don’t usually know what it is.

Naturally, I’m avoiding topics too. You know, like whether it is productive to try to convince a flat-earth-er their arguments don’t hold water or whether I should exercise. At all.

The thing is, if we want to have a better world, and stronger communities, we need to talk about all these things except for me exercising. We need to get into tough conversations with people who oppose our view. And we need to listen. The lack of listening is causing problems. Problems like these:

• Democracy is dying
• Our climate is climbing
• Warfare is worshiped
• Critical thinking is in critical condition
• Bodily rights are being debated
• The cost of healthcare is high
• The wealth gap is wider
• Crime is up and it's killing us
• Inflation and national debt is too.

But we can’t even have a serious talk about it without canceling someone. This is why we can’t have nice things. Because it requires us to work together, and we can't afford not to.

Let’s do that. Right here.

For 2022, I’ll be diving into important topics and engaging with your feedback. If you want to be a part of the solution instead of a political party, join me on The Lorem Ipsum. This site is about my opinions and my jokes, but I’ll be incorporating yours in this year's content as well.

I look forward to it.