With the upcoming election, you hear a chipotle burrito sized amount of talk regarding fact checking, policy creation, past records, future promises, character, aisle crossing, experience, and even this time around lipstick.  You could fill in the blank with the host of other terms tossed about.  It is these terms and ideas that shape the stories we hear about over and over and that we read about on every article google has to offer.  And yet as this process of arguing, critiquing, commenting and “reporting” occurs, the same thing happens over and over.  People are reactionary and repetitive.  They hear a soundbite and just start writing and talking.  They pick a piece of the story and just go as nuts as Michael Phelps in a swimming pool when the gun goes off.  Each side goes crazy and presents some extreme take on the story, term, policy proposal, or whatever.  And most of the time, it is an extreme.  It is reactionary.  The information presented does not stay near the truth.  It does not stay near the facts.  It does not care about the facts, it cares about making a statement.  Suddenly people with little experience have no experience at all or from the other side have more experience than John Wooden coaching basketball.  Either the person is Einstein or did not even graduate.  They hate the environment or they are a pantheist.  Can we stop?  Please… Cause here is what happens next.  Everyone reacts and then everyone just repeats the stories and the various overreactions to the stories.

Can someone please have an original thought?  One that is not forced down our throats from a perspective that wants to get someone elected.  Can someone please think about reality and the facts and the details and quit going from New York to Moscow by rocket in his or her reactions.  Not just with politics…I would love this to happen with our evaluation of athletes, with what is fair to the oppressed, with our approach to Jesus and suburbia, with our parenting, with our evaluation of film.  Enough with the reactions (the sky is not falling talk or there is no sky talk) and enough regurgitating those same reactions.  Original thought that creates helpful discourse that moves us forward is sweet.  I love when people think.  Have an opinion and let it be your opinion that you thought through and be sure it is not some over the top reaction.  I crave original ideas based on fact, research and dare I say actual thinking.  Let’s quit being lazy and predictable.