I like to answer questions. Knowledge and seeking knowledge is kinda my thing. Advice is also my thing, so the idea of just answering people's questions is not foreign to me. With that in mind, I reached out to Facebook and Twitter for random questions. While I didn't get a ton of questions, I will answer the ones that I did get. So, without further ado, let's get into it!
Some easy ones:
Wes- Who is your favorite author? I would have to say Dan Brown, writer of the DaVinci Code, and Douglas Adams, writer of my favorite book, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Dan Brown definitely contributed to my love for thrillers and I learned a lot from his MasterClass. As for Adams, wow... reading that Hitchhiker's series changed my view on comedy and delivery. It exposed me to simple and subtle setups that I think can be seen in my own writing.
RG Westerman, author of Rising Ash- What motivates you? The idea of my legacy. I want to matter. I want to be important. From my writing to the kindness I show people to the lessons I teach my kids, I want to matter. I don't want to be a worthless unknown that was alive but never lived. Or someone who was born suddenly and died suddenly and was forgotten just as suddenly. I want to leave my mark. May the Earth always remember The Moon.
A more serious one:
David- What are your thoughts on medical professionals making up excuses to be exempt from the COVID vaccine? Okay, so I have an opinion, but it goes back to another medical issue.
Directly, I think it's, as the original phrasing of the question would suggest, bullshit. And that sentiment goes across the board when it comes to religious exemptions. Whether you're a nurse, a pharmacist, or an elected County Clerk, I believe you have a responsibility to put yourself aside and do your job. My sexual preference doesn't change because of who I'm around or who I help or who I serve. My religion doesn't change because of the beliefs of those around me. If you are a pharmacist, you have a job to do. It's not your place to determine if someone should have the medication their doctor said they should have. You can't just say, because of YOUR beliefs, that someone else shouldn't take XYZ. That's my issue will these laws being passed. I am not a woman, and most would say I, as a man, don't have a voice in this... but I have two daughters. I want them to have full control of their own bodies and their own lives.
But wouldn't this be the same thing?
God, I knew you were being too quiet! No, it's not. Because in the end, using the power of your professional position to force your personal beliefs onto other people is unfair. I'll use former County Clerk Kim Davis as an example.
On June 26th, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled Same Sex marriage to be legal in all 50 states. A County Clerk named Kim Davis used her religion as an excuse to not issue same sex couples a marriage license in Rowan County, the county that she was the elected Clerk of.
Now, first of all, HER beliefs should have nothing to do with same sex couples. She's not officiating the wedding. She's not being forced to participate in same sex acts. Just to do her job as the elected County Clerk of Rowan County and keep it moving. There is a responsibility that comes with your job and you should be expected to comply or don't have the job. If she had said that she was uncomfortable with the new changes and resigned, I'd backed her to this day. But she didn't. She infringed on the rights of others and that I cannot agree with.
Tying this back to the vaccine, the job as a medical professional is to provide the best possible medical care to those in need in the safest of environments. Part of that safe environment is to ensure the patient won't contract an illness from the professionals. Vaccinations are, in my opinion, a part of that. My mother is a medical professional and I would expect nothing less to be required of her with full acknowledgment that she or anyone else could just as easily choose to no longer be medical professionals. Just as Davis should have resigned, if nurses don't want to get a vaccine, they too can resign. They DO have a choice.
If exceptions are going to be made in a workplace, they should be so that you can do the assigned task more efficiently. Step ladders for short people. Ramps for those in wheelchairs. Things like that. But to say "my faith says I have to change the way I do the job you are paying me to do" is wrong on every level. It's like the meme says - Don't tell me I can't have a doughnut because YOU are on a diet - meaning don't restrict me because of your views and choices.
So, if your faith or personal worldview leads you to not want to get a vaccine, while I don't think it should be mandated if a workplace requires it, it's within their rights to require it and you can equally choose to no longer work there. That's just how that should work in my view. And this view isn't about COVID. It's just how I feel. If your job changed the education requirements, you can either match the expectation or work elsewhere. So, yeah, using religion as an excuse to not do your job is BS to me. To the job or don't. That's where your rights live. You get to choose one of those.
Some more light questions:
Brittany- Why is it called "lukewarm" ? Back in the day, the work "luke" meant "tepid" or "weak". So I guess it was like, "weakly warm" or "eh warm".
Rob- Can I have a pony? Sure dude! When I was growing up on Southern Pkwy, someone across the street had a miniature horse. If they could, why not you?
Johnny- What are your thoughts on Black Republicans? Generally speaking, I don't care. If a Black person feels that the views and values of the Republican Party best suit them, more power to them. Republicans tend to want less Government involvement and have a more conservative view on Government spending and typically call for fewer taxes. There's no reason why a Black person wouldn't agree with these views. I think there are other factors to consider when looking at the Parties but to each their own
Aaron asked me "If you were elected President, what policies would you put in place to aid in healing the racial divide in America?" Personally, I feel like that question is so good it deserves its own blog entry. This is to acknowledge that. I will answer this question, but not here today.
Jamie asked me three questions, so I figured I'd bunch the answers together!
Jamie- What was the first story you wrote & when? What did you want to be when you grew up? Favorite bourbon? Well, the first story I remember writing was for school in the 3rd grade. "Martin Luther King Jr in the Rainforest" - it was about King, as someone who lived in a rainforest and he moved to America during the Civil Rights Movement. Around the same time, I wrote "Australia Boy" - a superhero story about a boy who is chosen to have power and fights a bad guy. Pretty typical 9-year-old stuff.
Writing has always been a thing for me. When I was younger, I wanted to start a magazine. The closest thing to that I'll likely have is The Rush, which I see as a magazine-style blog format. The only other thing I can remember wanting to be is a Game Show host. I loved game shows SO much as a kid and I still do. Very much so, in fact.
As for bourbon, I'd have to say, a top 3, in no particular order, Four Roses Special Blend Select, Bulliet Rye 12 Year, and I.W. Harper 15 Year. I just love their flavors and how well they pair. None of those bottles are cheap, but I think they are worth it. For sipping whiskeys, they'll last you a bit!
Now see, that was a fucking blast! Thank you to those that helped with this entry. I'd love to do another one soon so ask away. Aaron, seriously, I'll figure out a good answer worthy of its own entry. Thank you everyone for reading this.
- The Moon