deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

I was born five years after the end of World War II. It was in the middle of the time when the USA began its obsession with determining who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Occasionally subtle, but mostly overtly, it was ‘hammered’ into me that I must fear Russia.

After Russia ‘we’ were on a roll to find new bad guys who represented a threat to something…I’m not sure what. Incredibly stupid mistakes were made and thousands of lives were lost all in service to whoever the bad guy de jour seemed to be.

We were just told who to fear. We were not encouraged to study the bad guys, let alone meet any real people. So we find ourselves in the situation where we have the new boogie man: China.

Denise and I have not only met Chinese people but have loved and been deeply loved by Chinese people.

We have visited Mainland China and continue to welcome our loved ones to America. Rather than listen to anyone, the news media, tell us who to love and fear, we went to the source and got to know, and love people, not governments.

To sit with a person and listen to them tell you, ‘here is what my home is like’; I work here; My family lives here; When I am lonely I do this; My friends are…; On holidays I like to travel here’. Then to,realize, they want to know the same about you. It is amazing and connects people.