Taking Back My Life from Social Media

First, you should listen to the TED Radio Hour Podcast (from NPR), specifically the episodes titled "Screen Time." It's in two parts, the first on January 27, 2017, and the second on February 3, 2017.

Links: http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2017-02-03

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2017-01-27

Next, you should read this talk by Elder David A. Bednar titled "Things as They Really Are"

Link: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/06/things-as-they-really-are?lang=eng

I've come to the realization that I spend a lot of time online, and that even though I'm home, I'm not spending time with my family. I've turned off notifications from social media apps on my phone, and have given myself a rule of not getting on my phone just because I'm bored. Instead, I need to a have purpose before I get on. And there is rarely anything on my phone that truly needs m immediate attention. The digital world isn't real, and I don't ever feel fulfilled from my interactions with it. I don't even remember most of them. I will instead spend my time writing the novel that I've been neglecting for the past while, and writing in my journal so that my kids might know more about me than what they'll learn from the public face I display via social media. Maybe I'll even contribute more meaningful, thought-out blogposts instead of 140 character fleeting thoughts.

My reply to Chancellor Blank's letter

Chancellor Blank,

I appreciated your message sent via various methods to members of the UW-Madison campus community on January 26, 2017 concerning the UW-Madison student desiring to form an "alt-right" organization on campus.  From what I understood, the main points of your message are that the University does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, threats, hate crimes, etc. and that the actions of this individual do not represent the University community as a whole.  However, I felt that your letter could have been crafted differently in order to communicate those points without resorting to the belittling of that student's viewpoint.

First of all, I felt that the inclusion of the student's 2005 arson convictions were irrelevant to the conversation.  As stated in your message, some students may have made mistakes in the past, but having paid their debt to society, they should not be discriminated against.  This information may have been appropriate to include if it was related to the organization the student is attempting to form.  However, the student's desired organization claims to be affiliated with the American Freedom Party, which was not founded until 2010.  As this student is not one of the founding members, the inclusion of this information only serves to unnecessarily vilify the student in question.

Secondly, the American Freedom Party, while holding relatively radical viewpoints, is an association of citizens of the United States of America, who have the right to express their viewpoints, no matter how unpopular they are.  I do not necessarily agree with their viewpoints, and suspect that most UW-Madison students don't agree either, but they are still viewpoints.  As a member of a religious faith whose history is riddled with aggression and discrimination from the government because of viewpoints we hold, I feel that you went too far in stating that you were "heartened to see many students state their strong disagreement with the views of this group."  As the Chancellor, you are a government official and have the responsibility to keep the Office of the Chancellor in a viewpoint-neutral position whenever possible.

Third, you say, presumably in reference to the student expressing his opinion and disseminating literature on campus supporting his opinion, that "the mere presence of this activity is concerning." As you state in the following sentence, "handing out political information and expression [sic] objectionable, even hateful, viewpoints is not illegal nor a violation of campus policy."  I would add that the free expression of viewpoints, without fear of government reprisal, is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and is the basis of a healthy democracy.  I would conclude that this activity should not be concerning, but encouraging.  It is a sign that our campus is a place that allows for the free exchange of ideas, even those that are unpopular.

Let me be clear in stating that I do not agree with the viewpoints expressed by this student on our campus.  I do not agree with white supremacist groups, or with violent action against others, especially when motivated by racist, sexist, or otherwise inappropriate ideologies.  However, I believe that, lacking any evidence of inciting people to violent action, this student has done nothing wrong.  And having done nothing wrong, it is unfair for him to be publicly disparaged in a message from the Office of the Chancellor.  I do feel that it would be appropriate to remind the student body that discrimination, hate crimes, threats, violence, etc. are unacceptable and illegal, and do make it clear that the actions of this student do not represent the viewpoints, policies, and mission of the University.  I would hope that in the future this information can be communicated to the student body without resorting to the denigration of a member of our campus community.

Respectfully,

Glen Thurston
Graduate Student

Introducing the Adventurers of America

Adventurers of America logo

After a while of feeling disappointed that there wasn't something similar to Scouting for adults (besides volunteering with Scouting units, which is also very rewarding), I decided to create my own program.

The purposes of the Adventurers of America are:

• the promotion of volunteering time, money, and other means to the cause and purpose of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA),
• the improvement and personal development of its membership, and
• creating an environment for the sharing of ideas, pastimes, and virtues among adults.

In order to achieve these purposes, I created a set of badges that can be earned.  Each badge has 5 levels of proficiency, each with their own set of requirements.  This gives everyone the opportunity to explore new skills, as well as improve in them.

The current badges we have requirements for are:

• Camper
• Chef
• Runner
• Chess Player
• Cyclist
• Geocacher
• Hiker
• Golfer
• Mini golfer
• Bookworm
• Movie Buff
• Sports Fanatic
• Marksman
• Citizen
• Sailor
• Audiophile
• Believer

We are always looking for suggestions for new badge and updates to requirements, and have a few additional badges in the works. 

If the Adventurers of America seems like something you would like to participate in, please sign up here.

Additionally, we encourage folks to meet together to work on these requirements, especially the ones that are not already in your field of expertise.  To that end, we also register groups, which we call expeditions.  If you would like to start an expedition, either with people in your neighborhood, people at work, or even with friends across the country, please fill out an application for a expedition here.  Everyone who is not part of an expedition will become a member of the Independent Expedition, designed for those who don't have enough interested folks in their area.

Please contact me with any additional questions you have about the Adventurers of America.

I have a confession to make (or why I'm okay with the recent election)

My fellow Americans,

I write to you in the wake of the federal elections we held on Tuesday.  It appears as though Mr. Donald Trump will be chosen by the Electoral College as the next President of the United States.  I have seen strong, negative reactions to this news from some of the people I am privileged to associate with as I go about my day.

There are a couple of things I need to get off my chest, things that I don't feel could be done justice in the course of a typical conversation.  I'm writing this post to stay true to myself, and allow others to understand how I see things.  I've bolded them for your convenience.

First of all, I am a registered Republican.  Hopefully this doesn't come as a surprise to those who have sincerely listened to my opinions on political issues.  While I don't agree with everything the national party does, I feel that as a voter who is registered in Utah County, Utah, my ideals, beliefs, and values most closely align with the Republican platform, and that the discrepancies between how I think and the party platform are trivial.

You should also know that I have had to opportunity to vote for electors during three presidential elections.  The second big confession is that I voted for Barack Obama in 2008, the first year I was eligible to vote.  My 18-year-old self was trying to figure out exactly what my beliefs were, and how important each of them were.  In fact, I'm still trying to figure that out today.  In any case, I thought President Obama would do a better job than Senator McCain.

I was out of the country, serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the first two years of Pres. Obama's service.  When I came home I began to think more about how I felt on certain issues.  By the time the 2012 election came around, I felt that Mr. Mitt Romney could do a better job than Pres. Obama.  However, as you all know, Mr. Romney did not win the presidency.

There was certainly a large helping of doom and gloom passed around a lot of Republican dinner tables that year.  The end of the world was near, and our country would soon fall apart.  Except that it didn't.  Yes, I was opposed to a lot of the policies Pres. Obama was in favor of.  But he was still the leader of our country, and over the next four years, I came to appreciate what that meant.

Now, in 2016, the candidate I thought would do the best job will again not be chosen as President.  It's probably because Mr. Evan McMullin ran as an independent candidate, among a large variety of factors.  Going into election night, all the polls suggested that Secretary Hillary Clinton would be chosen as our next president.  My next confession is that I felt relieved as I watched the likelihood of Sec. Clinton's election slowly diminish, and Mr. Trump's chances increase.  I disagree with Sec. Clinton on a majority of the issues.  This isn't to say that I think Mr. Trump is the candidate I think should be in office.  Remember, I think Mr. McMullin would do the best job.  But Mr. Trump has a lot of policies, at least the ones I could elucidate, that I agree with.

Now, for the lessons I hope people learn from reading this post.

1. When your candidate doesn't get elected it isn't the end of the world.  Pres. Obama received a second term in office, and America isn't that different from when he first was elected.  Our freedoms are still in place.
2. Americans support the president, because he is the president.  While I have disagree with some of the policy choices Pres. Obama has made, I still support our government.  In fact, when Pres. Obama has finished his term in January, he is welcome to my home for dinner.  I think we could find a lot of things to talk about that we agree on.  Because we're both Americans, and more importantly, we're both human beings.
3. Although Mr. Trump will be our next president, we need to support him in his office, just as we would support whoever we voted for.  You don't have to agree with everything he does in office, and you are allowed to express your opinions.  But in four years he'll have to account for the actions he's taken.  In the meantime, please be civil.  This election sure hasn't been and that's the change we need the most.

My fellow Americans, we are Americans.  We've endured a lot together, and we can endure the next four years.  In fact, we can endure them well.  

To my Californian friends, please don't leave us.  CalExit is not a solution to anything.  Americans don't give up and leave when their candidate doesn't win.  They stay involved in the political process, make their opinions known, and work together to make America a better place.

To my friends who would have been happier with Sec. Clinton as our next president, please don't leave us.  Americans stick together, through thick and thin.  We've survived as Civil War as a country, and we don't need to survive another.  Stay involved, keep voting, and contribute to the greatness of America.

Finally, to everyone, please continue to be the people in "We the people." America needs all of us.  Please don't let us down.

Patriotically yours,

Glen K Thurston

Citizen of the United States of America