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Health & Fitness

Are You a Blow-Hard or a Whiner?

Social media has changed how people react to elections and the result isn't pretty.

Ah, the day after a national election. It’s either a good day or a bad one.

As a die-hard democrat, I campaigned (in college) for Bill Clinton at a decidedly small, Christian, conservative school in 1992. I made signs and posters. My roommate and friends went to political rallies in D.C. The night Clinton won I was so excited—my roommates and I watching the results on our tiny television.

I remember calling my mom in excitement! “Isn’t this great? Isn’t this amazing?”

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She was like, “Errr…well, I’m not really happy about this.”

“WHAT?” I couldn’t believe it yet…of course I did. I mean, I knew she was more conservative in thinking than I was but THIS MOMENT! IT WAS SO HUGE!

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For me.

Not for everyone.

Back in 1992 it was a long-distance call from my apartment in North Carolina to Georgia. There was no email, no texting or twitter. Certainly no FaceBook. I couldn’t get online and harass the world with my thoughts and views on the election. I got off the phone with my mom and celebrated with my roommates, realizing we didn’t view this election the same way, and that was okay.

I woke up this morning and had a message from a friend, one I know voted for Gary Johnson. She said, “Please write a blog about our two-party system. The whiners and the blowhards.”

I’m choosing not to identify which group is which, because it doesn’t matter. No one likes either and almost everyone seems to fall into one category or the other. Social media is their outlet and everyone is held hostage to their rants and ramblings if you choose to open your account.

This election ate at our souls more than any other. People had to pick a side. Some chose healthcare. Others the economy. Some decided to stand firmly behind individual rights. In an ideal world, it would be like a buffet where we could pick and choose a little from each and make a super candidate but then it would be a robot and turn against us before over taking the world with its secret robot army.

Those choices aren’t what ate away at us, though. What consumed our souls and well-being is our insistent need to talk about EVERYTHING, constantly on social media. To push our agendas (blow-hards) and complain constantly (whiners). To pour salt in the wound of our neighbors. To dance on the grave of another’s personal beliefs. To throw temper-tantrums, stomping our feet, fighting against information we don’t want to hear.

It's no better than a child crying after losing a soccer game or a child gloating after winning. As a coach, neither are acceptable on my field.

None of those are winning.

All of those are losing.

About 50% of our country is struggling today. Your neighbors, your family, many, many friends. They want to vent and rage. I hope they find a place to do that. Find a friend, go to lunch, take a run.

And on the other side, after a long hard race, people want to celebrate. Find people to celebrate with. FaceBook and Twitter are not actually the appropriate forum. Seriously. It’s not. Find a friend, go to lunch, have a drink. Hooray!

Whatever you do, don’t become a whiner or a blow-hard. Don’t do it. Walk away.

Everyone will thank you for it.

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