Welcome Dragons!
Today we get to talk with Tim Jackson. He is a drummer, a veteran, & an accomplished paramedic. We discuss his journey from growing up in small town USA to his current role in hospital administration. Along the way we get to hear stories of challenges he experienced & had to overcome to get to where he wanted to go.
When Tim & I met many years ago, I feel like it was an instant bond that formed between us. We shared a strong love of music, and happened to go to the same church. Later in life, Tim & I were roommates. So, it’s safe to say we have known each other well for a good long time. There was a period when we lost touch for a good 15 years or so. Eventually social media allowed us to reconnect.
When I decided to start this podcast I knew Tim’s perspective would be one I wanted to share. While we have gone very different directions in our lives and have diametrically opposed views on many topics, I feel the friendship we have, to this day, is based on love & mutual respect for each other. I firmly believe this is something badly MISSING from the national political discussion here in the USA. This is one reason why this is such an important interview. We NEED to break down the barriers of hate & intolerance – from all sides. And we can’t do that – we can’t begin to heal our homes, lives, and country until we are ready to lay down the disgust & hate for one another’s beliefs & embrace the human on the other side of the viewpoint (the story we tell ourselves) as valid & valuable. The more we draw lines in the sand – the more we say “You are not welcome in my house if you believe this way” – the more we try to assume our truth is “the truth” without acknowledging the real living breathing soul across from us – the more our society will break down & devolve into things like mass shootings, conversion therapy, hatred for our fellow humans, and ultimately war or even civil war.
My sincerest hope is this conversation can showcase how love for one another can overcome emotionally dug in dogma.