Dealing with the Chaos

 We are in a state of disparity, so many things falling at once. So much confusion, anger, hate, the list goes on and on. I’m one to stray away from choice subjects because sometimes it’s just better that way, it’s better to not put yourself in a position to become chaotic. That’s who I am. We see these opportunities every day to make a difference, to put a smile on someone’s face, however it’s never that way is it? It’s always easier to put someone down, to create an issue for someone. It’s as simple as this, how often do you go to a restaurant and leave a good review because you enjoyed yourself? Now how often do you leave a negative review because you had an awful experience? Now even I am guilty of this, even though it’s so easy to just say thank you, to just say wow I really loved that, we somehow forget to do these things.
 

There is honestly so much hate in the world it’s unimaginable, but it’s starts at the core of all of us. We as people, as everyday people need to be more kind, we need to appreciate the little things in life. I feel these last few months have been a burden on so many of us, and it’s so easy to be miserable, it’s so easy to forget what makes us happy. With unhappiness breeds uncertainty and creates opportunity for people to spread even more hate. It’s up to us to find the things that matter, to make those moments stick out and protect us from the potential hate. 

I felt that from the moment the pandemic hit it was important to do whatever I felt was needed to stay happy, I pushed hard for myself to find an outlet to stay connected, to not leave a game that I loved behind. Transformers Trading Card Game has become a part of me that I never knew was going to be there. And for nearly 10 weeks I put myself out there 3-4 times a week to entertain 15 - 20 people in that chat with me, and who ever viewed after that. It was so very important to keep what I loved going and for anyone else who loved the game as I did the outlet to be a part of it.
 

Sanity is so very important, I believe the effort that We as a team put in was invaluable to my sanity, all of us wanted to play, all of us wanted to commentate, we enjoyed every moment of it. For a period that was my escape from the world and what was going on around me. I needed that escape more than I could ever actually admit. I’ve learned so much about myself in these months. I’ve tried to take away the moments that really mattered. The days with my kids and my wife, the streams with my friends whether I was playing with you or just conversing with in chat. I want to thank you for all of it, you were so important to me in these past months.

 

This past week my city turned to chaos, the places I shop at destroyed, the places I’ve eaten at my entire life were destroyed, yes they will rebuild (hopefully), but the pictures I had seen, the view I had witnessed, the helicopters flying over my house all night. It got the best of me. I let the chaos ruin my spirit, I let the chaos bring me down. That can’t happen, I need to be stronger. Things you don’t ever realize how much you care about fall apart and instead of falling with them you need to help restore them. Take a moment, put a smile on someone’s face, have a laugh with a friend, and instead of trying to make a bad situation worse maybe just for one moment think before you do it. We never know what’s on the other side of our words, we can never fully predict the reaction.

Vince spoke on this weeks Tech-Talk about people with a medium need to speak up, and I believe he is absolutely correct, you watch the news they have their narrative, you’ve seen countless comments form brands all over the nation, Walmart, Amazon, Wizards, the list goes on. We need to be better; we need to become educated; we need to learn how to understand. I’m far from an expert on the subject but what I can say is, I’ve never felt so much emotion just from watching the news, reading about the protests, seeing images that quite frankly are sometimes quite hard to look at. That emotion consumed me for a period, I didn’t know how to react, I didn’t know how I could help. But what I had learned is I can do more, and I want to do more. 

Chaos is a ladder and in times like these I want no part of the people that enjoy the chaos, you’re not someone I want company with. In our everyday lives we have so much other burden that entertaining a negative person will never be acceptable to me. I want to enjoy the moments that are important, I want so very much to have conversations that leave everyone walking away as happy as they can be. And the last thing I want for anyone is someone bringing them down. We need each other more than ever now. Let’s all create the memories that will get us through these trying times together. I Love this game; it has brought me great joy. In these times I can’t think of any better way to spend free time playing games with the people I call friend.

 

Black Lives Matter
Till all are one’
Dan Arnold