On Saturday September 22, 2018 from 2-6pm, a mural painting block party, We Are Seeds, powered by BriteHeart and sponsored by other local activist groups such as Southern Women for Civil Rights and The Deane Foundation was hosted at Center615.

BriteHeart is a local civic organization dedicated to connecting community through public activism, citizen participation, and voting. Their moto is #getcivic. Center615 is an open space for local entrepreneurs, shared office space, music production and venue hosting. The event was emceed by Lightning 100’s Annie Klaver.

We Are Seeds was a great event with local music, food, beer, coffee and mural painting all generously donated by sponsors such as Bearded Iris, Martin’s BBQ, Hip Hueys, Jerrys Artorama and Barista Parlor. It was a beautiful afternoon of community and good vibes.

Local mural artists Omari Booker, Woke 3, Caitlin Mello amd Elisheba Mrozik contributed to a large mural near the entrance of the event. BriteHeart invited attendees to add their own personal touch to the mural, including handprints, signatures, and other unique images.

Upon entry into the event, volunteers made sure no attendee past their threshold without offering the opportunity to register to vote, stressing the importance of participation in the upcoming midterm elections. Also upon entry, a ticket for a plate of BBQ and a beverage were provided. Local food trucks and other vendors were on site for alternative food and drink options.

Inside of Center615, performers provided entertainment for block party attendees. The event opened with a local EDM artist, Quiet Entertainer, followed by other local musicians, Milly Roze, Young Qual and the Pearl Cohn High School Drumline. Poets from Southern Word also delivered spoken word.

Southern Word is a poetry group. Two female poets took the stage sharing stories of their fight for survival. The first poet shared tearful memories of many crossing Mexico’s border into the promise land of America, escaping poverty and struggle. The second poet told of the unpublicized violence plaguing Nashville’s poorest communities.

Also inside Center615, other activist groups offered information and support. Among these groups were Planned Parenthood, Nashville LGBT and the Nashville Food Project. Another booth sold art created by Nashville’s homeless population.

BriteHeart works with many non-profits locally and nationally. If you are interested in getting involved and contribute your talents to other events like We Are Seeds, please visit http://briteheart.org. #getcivic and get involved in your community.

I have called Tennessee home since the July after my 7th birthday, 1994. My family, one of many, deposited in Spring Hill, Tennessee from the Midwest motor cities of General Motors. Like many, I have never really left. Every departure has always circled me back to my rocky top home. The last adventure landing in 2013, I took up residency in the 37206.

With every passing year, the city’s growth is undeniable, with entire neighborhoods holding a shadow of memory. Since 2016, Nashville has grown at an average of 100 people a day, adding 36,337 in 2016 alone. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/03/28/new-data-nashville-region-still-growing-100-people-day/99733098/. More people equals more vehicles on the roadway.

With existing growth not expected to waver, over 3 million people are anticipated to call Nashville home by 2040 Let’s Move Nashville ranking with current populations of Los Angeles and Chicago. In 2017 the local population was hovering around a million people https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/03/28/new-data-nashville-region-still-growing-100-people-day/99733098/.  The city is also a tourist destination, not just nationally, but worldwide. At present with a population of a million and tourist influx, Nashville already suffers from congestion and gridlock. The current infrastructure struggles to support the current population, let alone over 3 million people.

Another point of growth in Nashville, is the cost of living is also on the rise, taking nearly $80,000 to live comfortably in Nashville, and median income ranging from $30,000 to $50,000. Most of the population cannot afford to live in the Metropolitan area. Determining affordable transit is going to be necessary not only due to increased traffic, but also to keep people working and living in Nashville Metro https://www.newschannel5.com/news/on-the-rise/cost-of-living-greatly-outpaces-wage-growth-in-nashville.

In May 2018, referendum was held over the 9 Billion Dollar Lets Move Nashville transit plan proposed by former Mayor Barry. 5.4 Billion of the plan dedicated to a Light Rail System and 1.1 Billion to enhance the current bus system. The proposal was voted down with a resounding “No” – leaving no clear resolution as to the future of Public Transportation for Nashville.

Generally, the voting public of Nashville, big picture Tennessee, does not want to pay more taxes. This is evidenced by the fact that Tennessee is one of 7 states without a state income tax https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/T055-S001-9-states-with-no-income-tax/index.html. Aside from Washington, states with cities that have city populations reflective of Nashville, have a state income tax. Property taxes are also much more forgiving in Tennessee as compared to national counterparts. USA today ranked it 4 out of 11 states with the lowest property taxes. https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/482944002. Let’s Move proposed tax increases on sales, hotels, businesses and rental cars to pay for the transit plan. With such a heavy price tag and an already resistant public to increasing taxation, it is no wonder why it was not accepted.

The Nashville MTA bus system offers a fair amount of service, but the enhancements proposed in The Let’s Move Plan alone would vastly improve the public transportation dilemma. The plan proposed expanded service hours, more frequent stops for bus riders, and greater overall accessibility. The projected cost of 1.1 Billion for these enhancements in Let’s Move also might be a slightly easier sell to the current tax weary voter public. Optimizing current transportation technologies not addressed in Let’s Move are viable options as well.

Rideshare companies, such as Lyft and Uber, have a massive presence in Nashville. Utilizing these drivers and companies for public transit is an innovative and low cost alternative to traditional transportation methods. The city could partner with these Rideshare companies to offer carpooling services to commuters.

For instance, this partnership could offer a weekly or monthly cost for a seat in a carpool provided by the Rideshare company. The Rideshare company could offer specific time slots/days for customers to sign up for. The customer would have to participate so many days a week or out of that month to keep their seat in that carpool. Drivers that participate would also receive a flat fare from the ride, with the option to tip still being available. The fee could vary depending on the time slot selected and expected traffic based on current data these companies already use to calculate fairs. An incentive to utilizing this carpool service, would be free rides provided by the Rideshare company. These free rides could be subsidized with tax dollars.

There are inherent issues that could arise with intermingling Rideshare companies with Public Transportation.  Would the city regulate the safety of these vehicles? Would Rideshare drivers become government employees? In short, no. It would work much like when the government accepts a bid from a private vendor on a public project.  Rideshare companies would keep the same model and regulate themselves within current law surrounding those services with as little government interference as possible.

Working with Rideshare companies in developing smart phone apps along with the carpool service, would provide a seamless and easy to use way to access bus routes as well. Let’s Move proposed this kind of technology as part of improving existing transportation. This technology would assist consumers in accessing information about the system in one convenient place and would also help local law makers in determining and regulating the use of these systems.

Even with simply adopting the previously proposed bus enhancements and incorporating the use of Rideshare Companies into the mix, a broader solution will be needed to match the projected growth of Metro Nashville. The major task at hand is convincing taxpayers of this need.

 

The most recent developments in the Mueller investigation include an immunity deal made with two of Trump’s loyal long time business associates, Pecker & Weisselberg. Now, whatever these folks know is obviously unknown at this time, so I will forgo speculation.

For any other administration, even an insinuation of impropriety would be damaging enough to erode the public support and eventually the loyal party’s base trust.  Why is this time different?

Because America has a case of Trump Fatigue.  America is worn out. With every sound bite made into an hour long pundit bash of the president for his tweets and outrageous comments, attention span fades more and more.

The major networks do not seem to realize they are playing right into the media strategy the government has been employing for decades. Give the masses breadcrumbs of information so that when big explosive revelations are made, public outrage remains minimized.

Trump Fatigue is arguably a symptom of The Associated Press.  The same information, for the most part, is broadcast across all networks. If you happen to watch during peek times, such as in the morning or in the early evening, the information is usually highly sensational soundbites designed for maximum ratings. Unfortunately, these are peak times for a reason.  That is when the number of viewers is the highest.

Political polarization is also a contributing factor to Trump Fatigue, which is evident across most major news networks.  Politics is almost boiled down to a Super Bowl game, Us vs. Them type of mentality. “Avoid conversing with those crazy Libtards.” “You cannot reason with those zealot Cuckservatives.”  I am right you are wrong.

So how do we combat Trump Fatigue? Watch televised news aired during non-peak times. Typically during those off times, the networks are less concerned about ratings, the news is less sensationalized, and more in-depth investigative journalism is at it’s best.  Pay attention to the details. Stay well rounded in your news sources and read past the headline in political articles. If engaging in a political conversation, try to understand the reasons behind another’s beliefs and opinions that differ from yours. Welcome free discussion and understanding. Do not spread misinformation; stay informed yourself.

Finally, make sure to cast your vote in the midterm elections. If we want the game played differently, we need to usher in new players.

Would you rather be respected or liked?

When asked the question, 100% of the people I polled answered they would rather be respected. Not surprising. No one wants to admit to wanting to be liked, but truthfully we all want to be liked. Let’s just be real. For those rolling their eyes, muttering, “I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of me,” hear me out.

The desire to be liked is a fundamental part of being human, down to an existential and evolutionary level. In ancient cultures, to be disliked or an outcast literally could equate to death. Ancient society and culture depended on being liked included. An individual had to prove their value with a skill to be accepted and embraced by their tribe. You had your hunters, basket weavers, shaman and gatherers, etc. All of these roles had a purpose and furthered the community. If you lacked the ability to hunt, identify what plants would nourish you verse kill you, being kicked out or left by your tribe could mean your early demise. Today, we can just run down to the local store, and as long as you have money, you can buy and eat all you can afford. Evolution has not caught up with technology and humankind still operates as relational animals fighting for survival.

Dr. Roger Covan explores in his book, “The Need To Be Liked,” why the need to be liked is as crucial as clothing and food. Being accepted and being liked helps sustain emotional fulfillment. Being rejected causes pain. Our body reacts to the pain of rejection as it does physical pain. The body has a desire to live and thrive. The amygdala in our brain helps us to appreciate potential threats to protect ourselves from the threat of emotional and physical pain, to keep us alive. Protecting ourselves from the pain of rejection is part of the evolutionary fight for survival.

The desire to be liked can become problematic if the threat appraisal of rejection is too high. Dr. Covan explains that we all have individual core belief structures about ourselves and relating to others that help form our ability to apprehend pain, including the social pain stemming from rejection. If an individual has poor beliefs about themselves than the threat appraisal for rejection will often be incorrect.

Essentially, the more poorly you feel about yourself, the more likely you will assume others feel poorly about you too, leading to misjudging the threat of rejection as part of the body’s attempt to protect itself and thrive. The incorrect threat appraisal leads to behaviors to alleviate the perceived imminent threat of pain. Some people will cling to others, become aggressive, some will withdraw and some will directly push others away to avoid the perceived threat of this pain.

So let’s look at the classic love story of boy meets girl. Boy and girl get on well. Boy and girl begin dating. After a period of dating, boy has a really busy week at work and on top of that, comes down with a sudden illness. Boy spends his days working and quickly collapsing upon crossing the threshold of his living space due to exhaustion from aforementioned circumstances. Boy doesn’t call girl for a couple of days. Boy’s failure to contact girl or spend time with her has nothing to do with her. If girl has good core beliefs about herself she will understand and maybe even offer to bring boy some soup. She will not perceive this as rejection. If girl has poor core beliefs about herself, girl could interpret this behavior as a sign of rejection.

Girl could react to this perceived sign of rejection in several ways. She could show up at his home professing her undying love for boy and flooding him with attention and signs of adoration that totally overwhelm boy. Girl could become angry and demand explanations for his oversight and accuse him of unsavory behaviors. Girl could withdraw inside of herself feeling abandoned and forlorn that her beau has lost interest. This belief causes her to act aloof and disinterested in boy leading him to eventually give up on the relationship. Girl could go as far as to break up with boy to avoid the rejection she perceives. With it all leading to the same result of what being rejected would cause, the relationship ending.

Poor core beliefs about onself, lack of self love and poor self worth leads to being rejected in one form of another. Lack of self love and poor self worth also demonstrates a lack of self respect. Therefore, if one does not love themselves, they cannot respect themselves, he or she will lack love and respect from others around them oftentimes due to their own behavior.

Even further, poor core beliefs and lack of self love cause people to stay in unhappy relationships, accept poor treatment from others and foster an inability to draw healthy boundaries with others.

Nobody respects a doormat that allows people to walk all over them. Nobody respects that clingy person that constantly demands attention. Nobody respects the person who becomes angry and aggressive every time you do not respond to demands for attention. Nobody wants to continuously put effort into someone who appears aloof and disinterested in them, because the other person fears rejection so intensely, the other person puts zero effort into the relationship.

Respect comes with a level of sincerity and morality that seems starkly contrasted from the need to be liked, but really they are related. To act with respect, means you take no shit. You assert your needs. You stand up for whats right, irrespective if someone likes you for it. To be respected comes with a level of authenticity. The you when no one is looking. The you when you have no one to impress. This person has their own voice and point of view that is unwavering to others opinions and perceptions of them. This person knows they are worthy. They know they are loveable and okay if everyone does not accept them.

Someone who loves themselves and respects themselves knows their worth so does not need to cling, be aggressive, withdraw or push away. The person with a healthy amount of self love and solid core beliefs respects themselves and therefore gets respect from others.

So yes, even the most independent of independent individuals need to be liked, but taken too far leaves a person without being liked or even respected.