On Breaking Bad .......

As a relaxing treat and gift to myself this past Christmas Day, I began watching the series "Breaking Bad" in order to see what all the hype was about. I know .... not the usual inspiring Christmas tale designed to instill a sense of peace during this 'season of miracles' but for me it was a release from the daily stress I can't seem to stop internalizing, and that has intrinsic value.

It's a little racy to watch with your parents in the room, but none-the-less I decided we are all adults and as such capable of handling it. In case you are unfamiliar, the premise is really quite interesting. The main character, a high school chemistry teacher, has just turned 50 when he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer. With a pregnant wife and a teenage son with special needs, he decides to use his expertise as a chemist to manufacture crystal meth in an effort to stockpile money to leave for his family in the event of his death, which is rather honorable when you think about it.

The series rubs a blotter between black and white to come up with an interesting shade of gray as you actually find yourself pulling for the supposed bad guy – the drug dealer – in an effort to support our most dear core beliefs as Americans inspired by the phrase 'family values' …… i.e. family first. But in so doing, he sheds his timid skin and confronts life’s challenges with a renewed sense of bravado usually reserved for superheroes. In the first episode he beats down a group of jocks who dared ridicule his son in a clothing store and boldly outsmarts would-be murderous hijackers to his new business venture, before going home to make love to his wife as a new man. How refreshing it must be to be able to shed fear as if it were a winter coat no longer needed once the sun has made a bold appearance, thus enabling one to confront each and every situation as it comes with a devil-may-care attitude and in return receive the gift of immediate gratification. I think this will be a brilliant series incumbent with many life’s lessons.

Now inspired, I am committed to releasing my own sense of fear in day-to-day situations wherein I am called upon to swallow my own sense of justice in order not to appear rude. No longer will I endure that person who breaks in line or has the nerve to steel my parking space, or the one who pretends he or she doesn't know cell phone etiquette because their call is uber important, or that person who erroneously feels as if he must voice an opinion on subjects like "Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson's comments to "GQ" as if he were speaking for the masses when really he's just spewing extreme right wing hatred of all that is not conservative based propaganda tied to beliefs in intolerance of anyone not perceived as like-minded, while laughing all the way to the bank. Yes, Rush Limbaugh, I've got my sights set for you!

I actually like the concept of instant gratification, if only experienced through this blog. How great could this world be if we as individuals all decided to release the fear of being heard long enough to raise the consciousness of the entire planet? We could all stop looking to Washington to solve all our ills and start doing something about it ourselves. It's often said, "Don't fix it if it ain't broken," but this wonderful place we live in - Planet Earth - is broken in ways that can still be fixed if we only decide to pool our resources and work together toward a common goal of unity, thus refusing to give in to fear until the deed is done.