Latest / Eye Opener Society / Conversations, Community, and Change

Transcript

Conversations, Community, and Change · Eye Opener Society

0:02
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Eye Opener Society.
0:06
It's so great to be here with everybody, and we just want to thank everybody
0:11
for tuning in and listening.
0:14
This month, August, it's going to be a little bit different because we are so limited on time.
0:21
So Hannah and I are going to be doing some shorter episodes to cram them in,
0:27
and we are actually recording this near the end of July on the 23rd.
0:32
So basically anything that we speak about is going to be in reference to that.
0:36
But at the end of August, Hannah goes on vacation and we always had logistic
0:42
problems when it comes to babysitting.
0:44
So that's why we're going to be doing shorter episodes and we're going to change
0:49
the format just a little bit just to reflect shorter conversation style episodes
0:55
So it's with no real topic in mind,
0:58
not to say that we're not going to be talking about important things or,
1:01
you know, things of substance,
1:04
but we're just changing it up just to get these episodes out to you.
1:07
So we got a full schedule for the month of August. So Hannah,
1:10
you're trying out the new microphones too.
1:13
Yes. Hello, everybody. It is good to be back in the studio, but yeah,
1:19
August, it's going to be a busy month. We got my birthday.
1:23
It's Leo season, baby. maybe. And, um, then I have vacation at the end of the month.
1:28
It's been over, I think, Oh my God, five years since I've been on like a long
1:31
vacation. So I'm very excited.
1:34
That's great. Yeah. I can't even remember the last vacation I had,
1:37
but that's quite all right. I'll hold down the fort.
1:39
Um, we are going to try and bring Brittany in here too, as well.
1:45
Um, for a couple of episodes, if she's available as well.
1:51
So we'll be looking out for that, But we're going to try, like I said,
1:54
just cramming these episodes in.
1:56
So we're just going to do, Hannah and I are just going to sit here and talk
2:01
just basically like we normally do when she and I are alone and we just philosophize about things.
2:07
And that's basically what we're going to bring to you here. year.
2:09
Um, I know you listened to our last episode,
2:13
the Aubrey Wyatt episode, and I hope everybody took something away from that
2:18
and really, you know, kind of let that see, you know, sink in a little bit.
2:23
And that's why we had said during that episode that we're going to change things
2:27
up for, you know, more positivity, uh, self-help and things of that nature, because we just feel.
2:34
We owe that to people, I think, and people owe it to themselves.
2:37
I think we need to look at ourselves and think, hey, we're beautiful people.
2:41
We need to do better. We need to do good.
2:43
And Hannah and I are going to try and get that out on some more of our episodes. So it's, yeah.
2:49
And shout out to Heather Wyatt. She got her social media back reinstated.
2:55
So I am so happy for her and I hope that she can continue to grieve the way
2:59
that she wants and, you know, use Aubrey's name to spread awareness.
3:05
So I think that's so important. And I'm so glad that her mother has the capability of doing that again.
3:10
Yeah. So do I. Like I said, we didn't want to get too deep into that.
3:14
And we may, especially if we do our collaboration episode with Chris Tell from Twisted Tales.
3:21
But for right now, like I said, we don't want to sit here. We don't want to
3:25
speculate or anything like that.
3:27
But it's just good news. I'm glad that she's able to get her daughter's name
3:32
out there again, get on social media.
3:34
Regardless of what anybody thinks about it, I just think it's good for her.
3:39
Yeah. I mean, when you're talking about a grieving mother. I mean,
3:42
if this is what's going to kind of get your mind off of it or,
3:46
you know, help you to deal with the situation, hey, I don't see why not.
3:50
I think that's good for her.
3:53
And so that's why we want to promote more positivity on this. Yeah.
3:57
Because, listen, if we look at things right now, the world is collapsing.
4:02
Oh, my God, for real. You know, and it's good to sit here as a group,
4:07
as a society, and just kind of say, hey, maybe things are not so bad,
4:12
or maybe we can do something about it to change things.
4:16
Just look at this here nonsense in the political arena with the assassination attempt.
4:21
Yeah. You know, we don't talk about politics, but this is really where it's
4:26
going. Yeah, like it's real life and people just are out there with like no
4:31
remorse or care for other people's lives.
4:33
And it's sad. It is. And it's only because you don't like a political opponent,
4:41
basically, from something that you're, whether you're a Republican or Democrat,
4:46
that the identity politics is getting so bad to the point now we're looking
4:50
to wish death upon each other and wish death upon somebody just for a political affiliation. Right.
4:59
When it boils down to it, they're just politicians. Do we really need to get this crazy over this?
5:06
Do we really need to get down to this dirty, filthy identity politics where
5:12
we hate each other because of who we wish to vote for or who we want for president?
5:17
I think that's disgusting.
5:19
It's gotten to the point now we need to take a step back. Remember,
5:24
they're just politicians.
5:26
No matter what party is up there, they're never going to be 100% perfect.
5:32
And on the conspiracy side of things, I really think there's so much wrong with the big picture.
5:39
I don't want to get too much into it. Like I said, these are going to be shorter
5:42
episodes. So it's, there's a lot of absolute insanity that's going on.
5:47
I don't, I can't swallow anything that the mainstream media is giving us.
5:52
But at the same time, it's projecting
5:55
us again, you know, the way I see people acting from both sides.
5:59
That's why I've made it a point just to stay away from it all.
6:03
Yeah. I just think with like the whole thing with politics, like it's a really
6:07
big thing for for me is that like, we can disagree and still be friends.
6:13
You know what I mean? It's one of those things where it's like,
6:15
you can like a different party and I can like a different party and that's the end of it.
6:18
You know, I'm not about debating with you because no matter what you're firm
6:23
on your opinion and I'm firm on mine and my beliefs and your beliefs and that's
6:27
okay. We can still be friends.
6:28
And that's the end of it. I don't entertain.
6:31
I should say I don't entertain that BS.
6:34
You know, it's just one of those things for me. I just don't do it.
6:37
Yeah, I'm the same way, but I just feel, though, regardless of what people think,
6:44
I really think that the way people are acting now, it's not even so much being friends.
6:54
This is just like, really, if you go outside and if you just mention something
6:57
about a politician, right away, it's so bad that somebody's going to want to
7:03
attack you or wish death on you or wish harm on you just because you don't agree
7:07
to decide that they're on.
7:09
And this is for both sides now. I really think so.
7:11
So we need to stay away. We need to be more positive. Stay away from the stupid
7:15
politics and move on and think of bigger and better things.
7:18
And, you know, with everything, like, you know, to also bring up a point I've
7:22
been seeing a lot lately. And I mean, it's nothing new, but,
7:25
you know, it's just sad to me that these mainstream news, everything they don't talk about.
7:34
You know, yeah, politics are important, whatever, but they don't talk about
7:38
the important things that matter.
7:40
You know what I mean? It's not until it blows up on some type of social media
7:45
that it's talked about on the news.
7:47
Mm you know, people opening up nonprofits and stuff like that.
7:55
Like that's the type of stuff that I want to see.
7:57
We don't need to show the world constant, like the constant ugly that's going
8:01
on right now. That's why I don't bother to watch the news anymore.
8:04
Cause it's just, I don't want to hear about it. I want to hear about the small
8:08
things that small towns that we've never even heard of do.
8:14
Yeah. Like more local based news, stuff like that, because yeah, you're right.
8:20
We focus too much on the negative in the news.
8:22
And I can't myself recall the very last time that I actually sat and listened
8:27
to a news broadcast or something for that one reason, because there is nothing positive with it.
8:33
So I think that's about all I really want to give to policy.
8:38
It's out of hand and it's just wrong.
8:40
So I want us to focus on people.
8:44
And like you said, you know, individual achievements, you know,
8:49
that should be in the news more frequently, maybe local news.
8:54
And that's why maybe you got to focus more on local things, your local neighborhoods,
8:59
and, you know, wanting your neighborhood to be better.
9:02
I was, you know, our neighborhood to it's under, I don't want to say total improvement, but they're actually.
9:11
Taking older abandoned buildings and making them into livable usable housing as well as.
9:19
For businesses too as well and this
9:22
is a change that takes place over time where things get better from a neighborhood
9:28
that's probably not that great and slowly becoming something better it's pride
9:33
it's pride in where you live regardless if you like it but if you sit there
9:37
and follow all the stereotypes. Oh, this is a horrible neighborhood.
9:40
You're only going to make it worse. You need to make it better.
9:43
That's what we need to do.
9:44
And by doing things like this, by businesses stepping up and we need local governments
9:50
to support that more instead of these local governments that constantly taxing
9:55
businesses and putting them through all the red tape and just,
9:58
and the fines and all, we need to show a little bit of leniency in order for
10:03
things to thrive in order for our neighborhood to get better.
10:07
And I think we're seeing that lately in our neighborhood too.
10:11
And I kind of like that. It makes it. Yeah.
10:13
I'm really excited. You know, it's like so exciting.
10:16
And every time I pass it, it's like, I get like giddy. We have this,
10:19
um, it was like, I think it might have been an, I don't know if it was an old
10:22
furnished company or what that building was at that time.
10:25
Um, but they took it and they turned them into these like apartments,
10:28
studio type apartments.
10:29
I think they have some other ones, but whatever.
10:32
And then also, you know, the one is coming up with like a social room where
10:38
there's going to have like different vendors and different foods and everything
10:41
like that. And it's just so exciting to see.
10:44
Like, it gets me so happy to see, you know.
10:48
Not, you know, trees just getting cut down for it to come up.
10:52
It's just, you know, reuse, recycle.
10:54
Yeah. And that's what I like. I never liked the idea of having so many abandoned buildings.
11:01
And then every time somebody wants to start another business to sell,
11:04
they're starting from scratch, you know, or they're building more warehouses.
11:10
Why can't we just take the abandoned stuff, make it easier to transfer that
11:15
over to a new owner, give them some sort of tax breaks to get them back up to
11:19
code and then reuse them?
11:21
Why leave them abandoned and then keep building up around them? Yeah.
11:25
We're always backwards in our thoughts. It makes me like really sad seeing something
11:30
that had like so much potential at one point just to like sit.
11:33
And then you see these like new things all around and you're just like,
11:35
well, what was wrong with that?
11:36
You know like I am that type of person who has
11:39
like a really strong vision so if I see like a house that's run down or like
11:44
a business like today for example I passed this like one building that I think
11:47
a contractor um just rents out for like just a quick office so you know they're
11:52
not there um and I'm like dang you know I would like so open up this cute like vintage candy candy,
11:59
ice cream store, like parlor.
12:02
Like I just see so much vision in so many different places.
12:06
And it's like sad that, you know, I don't have the capability of doing what
12:11
I would want to those buildings, but it's just something that I'm always like,
12:15
I just opened my eye and I just go, you know?
12:18
And you're right. It is. It's nice to have that vision and it's great when it
12:23
actually It actually gets put on paper and actually gets done.
12:26
Um, whether it's your vision or somebody else's vision, it's just nice to see
12:30
things taking shape for a change instead of, uh,
12:34
the bill going the opposite way where the buildings become abandoned because
12:39
nobody's, you know, buying them. And I think too.
12:43
Especially when it comes to businesses, it's getting so difficult with the way
12:46
the world is right now with inflation and everything costs so much.
12:50
Businesses need to charge more.
12:53
And it's sad because they don't want to do that. I mean, big businesses, sure. Sure.
13:00
Sure. They definitely want to do it. But these small businesses,
13:03
it's just like they have no choice.
13:04
And as a community, it's really – I'm not going to lie.
13:08
Sometimes it is really hard to understand. You want to order from your local
13:11
mom and pop shop pizza and your bill is like $40 when a couple of years ago
13:17
it was like $20 something. It is a hard adjustment.
13:21
But I think as me, as a consumer and a member of a community,
13:25
whenever I can, I'm going to be sure to do that because you've got to think
13:29
of them as people, not as business owners.
13:31
Yeah, right. They're not doing it to harm you. It's just the fact that they
13:37
have to. At times, they got to pay bills.
13:39
They got to keep that business open.
13:41
And again, we need to blame the politicians where it's really coming from and
13:46
the way this economy fails. We spend so much more on war efforts and building
13:51
weapons and we weaponize everything.
13:54
This is where the problems come into play. We will throw so much money at that
13:59
for useless negativity instead of just putting it into more local things where
14:05
we can build better businesses,
14:07
smaller businesses instead of these mainstream big box stores all the time.
14:13
It's nice to go back to that old way of doing things and dealing with a smaller
14:17
business with much more um customer focus but it's getting harder and harder
14:23
for them to stay in business so we see them less and less and that's why i like
14:27
walking around a neighborhood that's showing.
14:30
Revitalization yes and again seeing that in our own neighborhood it's great small step and we hope
14:37
that they thrive and that's
14:40
the other thing too you hope that there is enough um need
14:44
for these here businesses and people don't just you know go you know in the
14:50
first six months and then just start saying okay we did it and nobody else goes
14:53
um so we as people we need to actually go out there and look and actually participate
15:00
in these you know neighborhood events neighborhood communities,
15:05
and see what's going on and see where you can help too. And I think even you
15:10
and I are lazy in that way.
15:11
We should maybe be doing more with our own neighborhood to, you know,
15:15
get a little bit more involved in it.
15:17
Um, you know, we got a podcast, we got a voice, we could get people on a podcast,
15:21
uh, and help, you know, whether it be a business or, you know,
15:25
even the local community,
15:26
just try and make things a little bit better because that's what we're really
15:32
focusing on is getting better, getting better as humans.
15:35
And we need to start really small and with the very simple things.
15:40
Definitely, for sure. I know another thing I was like that popped in my head
15:44
is like, I love little towns like ours, where they have like these like just
15:49
cute pop up events all the time.
15:51
Like, you know, coming up, we have our street fair where they actually like
15:54
shut down a lot of our main roads.
15:56
And, you know, you see the community come together. And of course,
15:59
you have outside people from our communities, like from our community coming in to enjoy it as well.
16:04
But it's so nice to see, you know, just the different businesses just booming from all the support.
16:10
And, you know, small businesses that we don't even know about that people have in our neighborhood.
16:16
Like, you know, there's like this lady who I forget it on what it's called,
16:19
but she makes her own candles. And so she'll have a tent.
16:22
And, you know, you have people who make their own jewelry and just so many cool
16:25
things that, you know, it makes me appreciate, you know, what the community does.
16:34
And it's, I don't know, it just makes me feel some type of personal way because,
16:39
you know, you go up to these stands of these people and if you're like someone new like us,
16:45
you know, you read their energy and you can just feel how passionate they are
16:48
about their work and how it's not necessarily about like, you know,
16:52
the money or selling their products for them.
16:54
It's actually just like you feel that excited energy when someone is admiring
16:58
what took them so long to create.
17:02
Yep. And hopefully we'll get out more and do more of that, whether it be local
17:08
or whether it be outside at different events.
17:11
I still, especially come fall, I would like even for us as a podcast to get
17:15
out there again and start hitting these vendor events or these fairs or something,
17:20
someplace where we go, at least hand out our business cards,
17:23
find other businesses and, you know, have them on the podcast like we've done in the past and all.
17:29
Create a safe space for people you know like that's all we want
17:32
to do when it comes to this podcast is you know just we're
17:35
regular people we always say that but you know
17:38
we are always a safe space here and it'd
17:41
be nice to like go out like you said to shows or
17:44
you know events and something sit and have conversation with people yeah and
17:49
the art of conversations pretty much going away because of social media and
17:54
the phones and people are constantly on them constantly texting and And we lost
18:00
so much in conversation because of that.
18:02
We don't know how to sit down as human beings and just talk.
18:05
That's why we're so angry all the time at each other because,
18:09
you know, whether it be from politics and, you know, well, I hate you because
18:13
of you like this person or I hate you.
18:16
That's what it's become. It hasn't become a conversation anymore where you're
18:19
saying, well, I feel this way because of this, this, and this.
18:23
And then how do you feel? And you get that feedback and helps you understand.
18:27
The stand and we don't have that anymore. I'm a really bad feedback receiver.
18:31
I will be a hundred percent honest. Um, nine times out of the 10, I'm crying.
18:35
Um, but I think it's just because I feel so personally.
18:38
So when like someone gives me feedback, um, I take it to heart because,
18:44
you know, I strive to be the best that I can be.
18:47
Um, but with that, I think like you said, like it's It's getting harder to kind of like face-to-face.
18:54
I've actually been working on, you know, expressing my feelings and like getting
19:00
things off of my chest in face-to-face versus like on the phone because I think
19:05
it's just so much easier. You know, it's convenient to twiddle your thumbs.
19:09
But I've actually, you know, for the past like month now just trying to say
19:13
the things that I want to say and like get off my chest in person.
19:19
And I've noticed that sometimes it's a lot easier to like really sit there like
19:24
on the text because you can just delete things and then add things.
19:28
But in person, it's so raw. And I think people forget that like it is so raw.
19:35
You show, you show the emotion on your face. It's not just like,
19:39
you know, you could read a text and it can come off angry or sad,
19:41
but in person you can literally, if you're a person, I guess,
19:46
like us, you know, you can feel or see inside that person's emotions and their
19:50
soul and just know what they're feeling.
19:52
So it's just something that I've been working on as a person, to be honest.
19:55
Well, that's good. And I'm proud of you for that because in all due honesty,
20:00
we are only looking at a screen and words on a screen.
20:06
And it completely eliminates the human factor to it.
20:11
So that's why, yes, get things off your chest or to express your feelings.
20:15
You need to do it in person and become personal because that's what makes us human again.
20:20
We're no longer human when we're on that phone and texting.
20:24
Again, it's just words on a screen and we know that they don't have have emotion.
20:28
And we know that those words on the screen don't feel anything because we're
20:32
not dealing with a human anymore.
20:34
And so, yeah, we need to sit down and have better conversations.
20:37
We need to have conversations one-on-one again, or even in group.
20:44
We've lost so much of that over the last 20, 30 years. It doesn't happen anymore.
20:48
It's always behind a screen.
20:49
It's always on a phone and even now with podcasting, you know,
20:54
we lose so much and it's time to take it back.
20:58
I really do think we need to take it back. Yeah. That's why I think this month
21:01
we were really like kind of just changing up and like, you know,
21:04
we're just sitting and having a conversation.
21:06
We're not looking at the camera. We're looking at each other when we're speaking.
21:08
And I think, you know, that's the direction we're kind of going right now because
21:12
we're trying to shoot off that message that, you know, yeah, sure.
21:16
Social media and, you know, your phone is okay, but just to getting back to
21:20
the roots and having general just.
21:24
Conversations it doesn't have to always be a serious conversation the other
21:28
night me and him sat out on the deck um for
21:31
a couple hours late at night and we were bonding and
21:34
laughing our asses off talking about all the
21:37
different cigarette brands um that were you know from the 1900s to now and it's
21:44
just something like it was such a pointless conversation but it's a conversation
21:48
that you and i will remember for the rest of our lives because it was like a
21:51
moment where we weren't thinking about politics. We weren't thinking about our phones.
21:56
We were just thinking about each other and laughing.
21:59
And I love moments like that. And I said it too.
22:03
It's been a while since we were able to do that, sit on a weekend and sit out
22:08
there on our patio and just do something like that.
22:11
And like I said, I sometimes wish moments like that would last forever because
22:16
at least I know in my mind that memory will last forever.
22:20
It's small little things like that that I enjoy joy so much.
22:23
And all it involves is conversation, you know, just even pointless,
22:27
meaningless conversation meant so much to you and I.
22:31
Yeah. I'm still looking forward to the next time when we can do that.
22:35
You know, we get to sit here and have our conversations on the podcast.
22:40
But we need to have a little bit more focus.
22:42
We can't sit here and name all the cigarette brands in the 1900s.
22:45
I bet y'all like that though. It was hilarious.
22:46
I was reading off of the internet. And I'm not going to lie,
22:49
but oh gosh, it was just funny things, but it's just something that was so pointless, but so memorable.
22:57
Yeah, for sure. And, and I tell you that this is why I think we continue with
23:04
the podcast because really we're even feeling that energy now,
23:08
you know, like I said, it's, it's a little bit more structured,
23:11
but just the fact that we could sit here and talk. And censored.
23:15
Yeah, exactly. Well, not even because we don't have to censor ourselves, but it's just...
23:21
We need to get back to that. We do. If you start small, start with family,
23:26
start with friends, and invite a little bit more people to groups.
23:30
We hate everybody. I think that's what we hate everybody, but that's what the problem is.
23:36
And the reason for that hatred is because we're allowing the outside environment
23:40
to take, you know, to actually make decisions for us.
23:44
Well, this person likes that person. And so therefore, because the social environment
23:50
says right now that's not the
23:52
end thing, so you're not supposed to like them. And we need to stop that.
23:56
I am still in such old ways that it just doesn't even bother me anymore.
24:02
I am the way that I am. And there's nothing wrong listening.
24:08
If you want to keep your group small, that's great too because it's quality
24:12
over quantity when it comes to that. So yeah, if it's a smaller group,
24:16
like most times it is just Hannah and I, that's it.
24:19
You know, that's, that's the extent of our audience.
24:23
We're just bouncing off of each other. But if that makes us happy,
24:27
that's all that I'm going to thrive for every single time we sit down together
24:31
and just have those meaningful conversations and to be happy with each other.
24:37
So I'm going to want to leave it at that because we're trying to keep these
24:39
short because we've got to record, record, record continuously here.
24:43
So we want to bang out all these episodes.
24:46
I want everybody to go over to reaperapparel.com.
24:50
You know the clothing brands. We are ambassadors for them.
24:56
Reaper Apparel was started during the whole COVID crisis.
24:59
The owner, out of a bout of depression, decided, hey, I want to live.
25:05
And that's what the whole clothing line, Dying to Live, stands for.
25:09
And we love that whole back story.
25:13
This company. So if you don't mind, at least just go into reaperapparel.com,
25:18
at least just checking it out.
25:19
If you do see stuff you like and you purchase it, use the code IOPENERSOCIETY10
25:24
and the percent sign, and you'll get 10% off of your order.
25:30
So check them out, please, reaperapparel.com.
25:33
And my birthday's coming up. And Hannah's birthday is coming up.
25:37
I'm a size small. Size small.
25:39
So So there's a lot of stuff on there that she likes. So if you want to buy
25:41
it and then email us at theeyeopenersociety at gmail.com and we'll tell you
25:49
where to send it. Okay. Thank you so much.
25:52
Yes. Have a good night. Oh, day, whatever. Day, whatever.
25:54
So take care. We'll talk to you on the next episode.