Whoever said ignorance is bliss has never been on the losing end of an idiotic situation that could have been avoided with a little more tact and a lot more education. Ignorance, as defined by Merriam-Webster is a “lack of knowledge, education or awareness.” I don’t know about you, but I have seen a lot of that lately, whether it’s on social media, the news or a conversation with someone who happens to stand on the other side of the fence from me on everything from politics and social issues to the correct doneness of steak – all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t be able to play hockey with it.

As I write this, the world has just welcomed in 2021 with an almost desperate sense of relief, as if flipping the calendar from 2020 to 2021 will magically make everything better. Who knows?

Somewhere in my teenagedom, I don’t know exactly what year, there came a rude awakening that I had done Christmas wrong.

Upton Sinclair and Temple Grandin are two names mentioned in agriculture classes throughout America. I remember first being introduced to HBO’s biographical film Temple Grandin early in my FFA career and Sinclair’s book The Jungle later on in college.

“Go to the ball. Don’t wait for it to come to you.” Hearing those words were a common occurrence in my high school basketball days, and my team’s lack of implementation (myself included) could very well be the reason those days never amounted to a state title.