I learned that Ronald Reagan, who should be on Mt. Rushmore and the $10 bill, is the greatest President of the 20th century. I learned that there will never be another Ronald Reagan, but George W. Bush might turn out to be even better. And I learned that, if we are not careful, low-down good-for-nothing adulterers can beat decent men and get elected to the Oval Office (Bill Clinton taught me that).
I've learned that all societies eventually degenerate.
Pity.
My wife passed in 2000 from an aneurysm.
Your entire life can change in a minute.
If you have someone you love, make damn sure you tell them every single day.
If you find someone who loves you, not because of the sex, or the money, or the looks, but simply because they really like you and couldn't imagine living life away from you, then hold on to it. Protect it with everything you got.
It's the only thing in life that cannot be replaced.
Let's see . . I'm 33, and went back to college for the umpteenth time.
So far, I've learned that everything I learned about history since OH about age 8. . is apparently fictional or something along those lines.
*boggles*
I've learned a lot, especially from time spent on Free Republic Forum. I have been pleasantly surprised that almost all posters on FR agree on most subjects and there is rarely any controversy. Some of my findings are:
1. Almost all posters agree that Starbucks has the best coffee.
2. FR posters love Apple MacIntosh computers and don't consider Mac owners to be gay.
3. All posters love to shop Walmart for those really good prices and great service.
4. All posters show good form in commenting and never resort to name calling (like those dopey liberals do).
5. All Freepers appreciate the ease and convenience of driving a Segway to work.
On a more serious note no matter how much I try I will never appreciate how much I will miss those I love until they are gone.
Thank you and God bless.
1.Never gamble with a man named "Doc".
2. Never eat at a restaurant called "MOM'S".
3. Never hustle a hustler!
I have learned that the heart of man is desperately evil (and woman too)! Embrace, take responsibility for, and own it... or it will own you.
AND
I have learned that I know NOTHING!
I've learned that no one fights for their rights like a criminal.
That after all these years I can still say I married the right person. What a joy that has turned out to be.
Well, it's never too late to become a vegetarian...
I've learned that I don't have enough money, or enough years, to learn from mistakes made by myself. I should have learned more from other people's mistakes, taking advantage of their wasted time and money.
Wow! Interesting question. I don't have one single answer, and if I started to think about it, I'd write a book. But I'll be thinking about this all day . . .
So...what HAVE you learned in the last 25 years?
Northwest Kansas is a really crappy place to live.
That's funny. I've learned how to balance my checkbook, write software and I am a poor judge of woman-flesh.
Maybe a bit long, and heavy on the ego, but here it is:
It doesn’t do much good to set back and bitch about your situation. The only person who can really help you is you. Others can point you in the right direction. They can offer advice – but any help is short term and in the long run worthless. I found out that fun is where you find it, and that “the good old days” weren’t necessarily all that good all the time. Even the fun days of the Old Army had some bad times. We just tend to remember the good and forget the bad things that happen, and that is a very good thing.
There was a phrase that was used in the Army by a lot of Viet Nam vets, “It don’t mean nothin”. It was seldom used in a really serious context, but for all the petty situations we found ourselves in. It doesn’t pay to get tied up in knots over every little thing.
I learned from my late wife that there really is this thing called love, and that it is indeed a wonderful thing. I learned that two people can be so completely in love and so compatible that they become as one person.
I also learned from Sheryl's death:
The material things in life are really meaningless. If we lose our home or our car or any of our possessions, it is only temporary and they can eventually be replaced.
It is important if we have loved and been loved.
There are some things that are beyond our control. While it does make things easier to be completely in control of life, it is often better to accept that which is beyond our control. I have not regretted any of the choices I’ve made in life. I could have made other choices that would have resulted in my being wealthier and healthier now than I am. I could have saved my money while in the Army and invested it wisely. I would also have ended up a very boring person with little life experience. In hindsight, every choice was for the best. Not many people can say that.
There is a prayer –
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
1. Life AINT FAIR!
2. Those who whine about life not being fair should be put to sleep. There is NO SUCH THING as a level playing field, a "just wage", or a free lunch folks!
3. While the Right has its share of head up their a-s morons, the Left is ENTIRELY COMPOSED of such folks, making the Right far more preferable to the left.
4. That attacks on REASON from the Left and the Right should be fought tooth and nail, even if it means pissing off friends.
5. That your family are all you have when the going gets tough. Even close friends can't be trusted.
6. That women LOVE for you to listen to their problems, but don't want to hear about yours.
7. That money may not buy happiness, but at least stability and comfort.
8. That free minds and free markets lead to a productive and competative citizenry. Protectionism and provincialism may be charming in the abstract, but lead to disasters whenever applied to policy.
9. That the USA is the GREATEST LAND OF ALL, and that anyone who admires "Western European Civilization" or Africa equally to the U.S. is a TRAITOR!
10. That there is such thing as an AMERICAN CIVILIZATION apart from those referenced above.
11. That illegal immigration is a drain on resources, although legal immigrants (and many illegals) are often far preferable to the schlubs in the bottom 10% of our population.
12. That the right to keep and bear arms should NEVER be infringed and is the RIGHT THAT PROTECTS ALL OF OUR OTHER RIGHTS!
13. That some pointy-headed intellectuals based in Rome do not have a monopoly on the Truth, but that man's understanding of the holy goes beyond any scripture.
14. That Pinot Noir goes great with Salmon, although every other fish deserves a Sav Blanc or a Chardonnay.
15. That REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES!
16. That there is NO LOYALTY to the employee, therefore you have NO LOYALTY to your boss.
17. That "authority figures" do not automatically deserve respect. They need to earn it like the rest of us.
18. That God is a Republican and Santa Claus is a Democrat (thank you PJ O'Rourke!).
19. That DeNiro is an overrated actor, while Harvey Keiter is underrated.
20. That I had creative differences with Sister Sophie during my performance of Georg Von Trapp in PJP II High School's performance of the Sound of Music.
21. That one degree at the University of Chicago is worth more than three degrees at Harvard from an intellectual standpoint, although not enough employers recognize this.
22. That Public Schools are nothing more than socialism for the middle class.
23. That Populists and those who glorify the "common man" are a greater threat to our freedom than all of the Kings and Aristocrats that ever walked the earth.
24. That Brazilians make great lovers, but Mexicans make better mothers.
25. That those who fear those who live in the ghetto/barrio need to grow a pair and get a life.
26. That those who live in the ghetto/barrio need to get off their a-s and improve their lives so we don't need to import illegal labor.
27. That folks will always associate and choose to live among those they share common traits with, be they religious or ethnic. Nothing will change this, except for more intermarriage.
28. That assimilation takes three generations.
29. That reality shows are the opiate of the brain dead.
30. That HL Mencken was ahead of his time, while Edward R. Murrow appears to be as dated as a horse and buggy.
31. That your worst enemies will always approach you in friendship when they REALLY want to screw you.
32. That China is no longer Communist.
33. That Australian wine and Brazilian firearms should never be purchased by anyone who cares about quality.
34. That GM and Ford deserve to die due to the stupidity of management that put market share and labor peace above quality.
35. That Boeing is the best run company in the U.S. as we speak.
36. That the Virgin Mary, while a wonderful woman, is NOT a "co-redeemer."
37. That the Ramones are the greatest Rock and Roll band ever.
38. That it is better to be feared than to be loved. Although it is DIVINE to be adored.
39. That those who look to the state to provide internal security will always get it in the neck, often by the state that they had hoped would protect them.
40. That Yankees fans prefer Astroglide to Astroturf, and are more likely than others to see Brokeback Mountain.
41. The the golden age of Hollywood was in the 1970s.
42. That the REAL "Greatest Generation" were the Founding Fathers.
43. That the best years for America are yet to come.
44. That someone with Subpoena power can do more damage to our well-being than all of the greedy capitalists combined.
45. That poverty is cultural and that there is NO NOBILITY IN POVERTY.
46. That just because you have wealth, doesn't prevent you from being a lowlife.
47. That those who are bigoted or envious of anyone else, including "the elite" are doomed to failure in life.
48. That great men can't be ruled but they can be bought off.
49. That nobody can really define American culture, other than the fact that, like a Cyborg, it will assimilate you.
50. That the Interstate Highway System and the Armed Forces are the ONLY two things that the government does well.
51. That women know they have the power over us.
52. That women can never truly dominate the world, due to a lack of testicular fortitude and an inclination to risk taking.
53. That Rudy Giuliani is the most overrated politician in America, and can't be trusted.
54. That Mike Pence and Tom Coburn are the most underrated politicians in America.
55. That Jeb Bush would have been a great President.
56. That the Neocons are great at theory, but do not understand practical politics, but that the Realists don't acknowedge the reality of American values. Moreover, both are preferable to anything that comes out of the state department.
57. That to err is human, to forgive is a Mets fan.
60. That Hamilton had a much better grasp of post-Colonial realities than Jefferson.
61. That the English often manipulate us, and the Indians are underappreciated.
62. That Israel is, at the moment, the only bulwark against savagery in the Middle East.
63. That, in my lifetime, the U.S., China, and the Islamic World will emerge as the main power blocks, as Europe sinks into irrelevency.
64. That the Europhilia of white liberals reveals them to be the racists they truly are.
65. That the judiciary can be both the savior of our Republic, or its destroyer, but that they are ultimatly resposible to an armed and informed citizenry.
66. That the ballot initiative process represents that tyranny of the majority and is a threat to our Republic.
67. That most Californicators are too dense to realize that the reason their state is so f-cked up is because of the Anglo socialists who voted in a generous welfare state since the 1920s.
68. That Florida is the repose for the elderly, the idiotic, and the shallow.
69. That Washington State is actually Canada's southernmost province.
70. That Forest is pronounced FAR-est and Orange pronounced ARE-ange.
71. That a real man will put his life on the line for his family and will take full responsability for his actions.
72. That maturity has nothing to do with age, and that 18 is a rather arbitrary age to assign to adulthood.
73. That a 40 year old woman who knows what she is doing is far preferable to a clumsy 21 year old.
74. That nostaligia for "smokestack America" and "high payin' factory jobs" is the equivalent of those who bemoaned the end of sharecropping.
75. That Reagan was pro-free trade and pro-immigrant, no matter what the revisionists say.
76. That Pat Buchanan is an a-shole.
77. That Jim Robinson is underappreciated.
78. That the only difference between paid sex and free sex is that the latter is more expensive.
79. That while the culture always moves "left" in terms of mores, those of future generations may still be to the Right on everything else.
80. That voting for Republicans will not bring in a reduction in the size of government.
81. That Reagan was wrong: there IS no eleventh commandment.
82. That New York City is where dey has it all, except for low taxes, sensible gun laws, and white Baptists.
83. That the facts of life are all about you.
84. That Political Correctness can only thrive and be the death knell of our society if we allow it to dominate our private life. Nobody will censor you for your thoughts...yet!
85. That Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are the other Holy Trinity.
86. That second hand smoke has not killed enough of the right people.
87. That the biggest excuse for taking away our freedoms these days is "public health."
88. That Anglo California has not strong cultural identity, unlike New Yorkers or Texans.
89. That unions are un-American, especially when they lead to a closed shop.
90. That teachers ARE NOT underpaid and overworked!
91. That blue collar labor is not more noble than white collar labor.
92. That every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
93. That wild seafood is far preferable to farm raised.
94. That a man must walk at least 12 roads before you can call him a man.
95. That nonscientists should keep their noses out of the hard sciences.
96. That every man needs a woman, even if they are gay.
97. That liberals really hate sex.
98. That Fellini really was a better director than Pasolini.
99. That all looters should be shot on site.
100. That the American people are the most innovative, creative, and productive people on the planet, and that we must continually fight to preserve the society that allows us to thrive.