2020 was a tough year for everyone between the highly contentious pandemic, murder hornets, riot’s, and the pièce de résistance – big tech shutting down anyone that they deemed too controversial for public viewing out of fear that public opinion was being tainted by all dreaded “Mis-information”. The first thing that comes to mind for summing this year up is ‘Bread and Butter’. No really, and not just because many of us started learning how to bake our own bread due to boredom or lack of supply or both.

Anyone that has had the pleasure of entertaining little ones with the delights of Dr. Suess may have come across, “The Butter Battle Book.” Oddly enough published in 1984 and one of several Dr. Suess books that have been outright banned, it recounts the tragic tale of how the Yooks and Zooks ended up in a long dangerous battle trying to destroy each other in order to be named supreme buttering being. They severely disagree on just how to properly butter bread, the Yooks buttering their bread butter-side-up and the Zooks choosing to butter their bread butter-side-down. Over time the disagreement escalates into an all out war with an arms race, the citizens of each side unable to come out of the underground bunkers they have taken to hiding in, and to top it off (Spoiler alert) the book which is narrated by a Yook child that has had the story of how they ended up in this position recounted to him by his grandfather, a Yook retired soldier, ends with no resolution but the child asking when they would all stop and the grandfather responding “Be patient. We’ll see. We will see.” Such is life.

“Life’s best lessons seem to be learnt at the worst of times…” – Abraham Lincoln

Whether you are a Fascist Yook or Marxist Zook collectively humans would be wise to evaluate our end goals and act accordingly. Perhaps our individual goals are indeed to remove the opposition in a fashion such as you would a suspicious looking mole on your back, just have it cut off quick and easy. Much like the classic idiom, “Don’t cut your nose off despite your face” cutting the bad away from perceived good can counter act your perception of what good is. It’s classic Yin and Yang, Dark and light, God and Satan would we truly know the light without the experience of the dark. Like it or not we must have the Hero’s and Villain’s in this delicious tragic comedy we refer to as “Life”.

We are all human and to obliterate the opposition you are actually obliterating your fellow man (like hu-man). Some may say, “Good they’re damage goods and therefore have no worth.” It can be difficult to see treasures in muddy water, your adversary’s worth is the weight it gives your belief.

Much like carrying buckets of water contrary to conventional wisdom it is actually easier to carry two 3/4 full buckets than it is to carry one full bucket. In everything you need balance, to love your brothers is not to agree with every word they utter but more to respect that which is life and to live and let live. Mind you this is not the same as “Unity” which implies singleness by it’s mere definition. Balance is when difference’s work together for a common goal while remaining different. Balance is creating equality through equal opposing forces, too much of one or the other can throw things out of balance neither can be given more force.

Every step we take in the opposite direction from those we can’t understand, the universe is forced to naturally maintain its equilibrium. The USA is leaning closer and closer to extinguishing freedom of speech which effects all of us. I don’t like or agree with everything I hear or read but I have the right to turn it off or close the book but having the right to turn it on or open a book is what makes our country unique and special. I hope we can all off turn the things that we don’t like and surround ourselves with beautiful ideas and people that make us better humans.