{"id":2631,"date":"2020-08-28T04:09:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T10:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenenorth.com\/writings\/?p=2631"},"modified":"2024-04-22T02:46:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T02:46:08","slug":"i-could-be-angry-every-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irenenorth.com\/writings\/2020\/08\/28\/i-could-be-angry-every-day\/","title":{"rendered":"I could be angry every day"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In my continuing quest to lead a more peaceful life, I have found I could be far more angry than I am today. I’ve cut back on the number of news sites I read each and as well as the time spent reading because it really does just make me angry.<\/p>\n

Anyone who has followed me for a long time knows I could mix it up with the best of them when I had a column at the Star-Herald. I’ll always be grateful to Steve and Bart for allowing me to write columns and the occasional editorial. It allowed me to grow as a writer.<\/p>\n

We all know the world is not black and white, it’s gray. We used to be able to sit in the gray and have discussions, and I hope we can do that again one day, but that hasn’t been possible for at least three years. In 2017, I sought to get my own mental health under control, I started walking away from the this new black-and-white world we suddenly found ourselves in where anyone who thinks differently from you is supposed to be \u201cthe enemy.\u201d This new enemy needed to be talked over, yelled at, called fake news, and whatever other disparaging remark could be hurled in their general direction.<\/p>\n

I have written before of my hope to return to writing in the gray, but, over the past three years, I have found I no longer have it in me. I don’t want to be that kind of person. I applaud those who can stick with it even when they feel like they are beating their heads against a wall, but I’m on a different path now and I’m okay with where ever it’s going to lead me.<\/p>\n

I am still reading a lot of news. I’m trying to be more selective about what I put in my brain and how I want to nurture my own knowledge and sanity. This is a selection of the things I have read over the past week. You can see why I tire of it all. If you make it toward the end, you can see the cool things happening in the world and the kinds of stories I’d like to read more of as I shift my focus from the negative.<\/p>\n

Many of you know I’ve pirated stuff in the past. I’m sure many of you have, too. The piracy scene is intricate, intertwined, and complex. This past week, the \u201cscene\u201d has been radically shaken<\/a> as investigations spanning 18 countries have resulted in a half-dozen arrests. My stance on piracy today is the same as it was in 1997 \u2013 provide people with easy access to your games, movies, tv shows, etc., and you will eliminate most piracy.<\/p>\n

With high-profile groups currently targeted, the scene is, essentially, down. It will be back. My thoughts are on the wastefulness of this endeavor from law enforcement. Instead of spending millions of dollars trying to catch people who release films a couple of days early, which studies conclude<\/a> do not hamper sales, law enforcement around the world could be fighting human trafficking or terrorism.<\/p>\n

If you want to read good investigative journalism, read the story<\/a> from TorrentFreak.<\/p>\n

Nebraska is finally going to get medical marijuana on the ballot<\/a>. I would like to be positive about this, but, we won’t have a logical discussion on the matter because far too many people in this state believe if you smoke dope, you’re going to become a heroin addict. It’s a shame we can’t have a discussion <\/a>because marijuana is beneficial, especially among folks like me with PTSD. Why is pot illegal? Yeah, that’s right, because of irrational fears of Mexicans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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