How To Gain Some Unique Perspective About What You See

Why is it time to put on your thinking caps? Is it really that hard to put it on and figure things out? If you spend any time paying attention to the world, and you pay any attention to the social media buzz, for many this is still hard to figure out. Most of them, probably aren't in school anymore, and are living life on autopilot. Maybe it's time to put your thinking caps back on, and examine the way the world looks from a broader perspective.

There are admittedly a lot of whys in the world, especially right now. There are many different reasons why things have devolved to the point that we see. But, to understand the "oddities" in front of us, is not that hard. A little thinking, and a little deductive reasoning goes a long way.

Where do we start as an example? Let's pick on the world's favorite mystery, the whys of Washington D.C. And, we'll start with the 400 million dollar question.

Trump's Ballroom

This was not a shocking revelation, that there was more to the story of the East Wing than we originally were told. And yet, for months now, people have been upset, even protesting at times, the changes made by the current president. And while there's no doubt that he wanted a fancy addition, or something to permanently leave his mark on history, the East Wing's construction was probably planned years ago.

People were upset when Barrack Obama made changes to the Whitehouse. Most changes at the Whitehouse are planned well in advance, and many come with a sense of modernazation and securing the residence of the "leader of the free world," as the president is often referred to by many.

Yes, for a time that is ugly, and an eye sore. But, is it really that shocking that there's something going underneath the ballroom, and that it's being built by the military? It wasn't when the news about the Ballroom first erupted in front of the public.

The hatred for Donald Trump, much the way a segment of America hated Barrack Obama, made people forget to put their thinking caps on before they made themselves sound like petty, non-thinking, and trivial, small minded, members of our society. Sure, Trump may have wanted the ballroom addition, but imagine the benefit of a ballroom at the Whitehouse. That's right, put your cap on.

Presidents being able to host balls keeps people in one place more often than the massive amount of security, background checks, and interuptions to local businesses, that accompany things like the inaugurations. Sure, those are most often paid for by supporters, but the supporters don't pay for the movements of our Secret Service agents, the additional officers needed by the Washington D.C. Police, the manpower hours that go into thoroughly vetting guests, and the additional staffing for such events at hotels.

Years ago, I was a security officer while in college. Former President Clinton was planning a trip to Galesburg Illinois, and that required time and money to be prepared for. An advanced team came to check out the hospitals, among other things, and as head of security I had questions I had to answer. This was weeks ahead of the visit, as the Secret Service vetted out the many people that might come in contact with a president.

The ballroom, will give the president, both this one and future ones, a place to host state events, without as much movement outside the confines of the Whitehouse. This will serve as a level of protection for the leader of our country, despite what people may or may not think of that leader.

THE NOT SHOCKING PART

The not shocked part of the story is about the military bunker that is going under the Ballroom. And again, if you have your thinking cap on, this wasn't planned in 2025, or likely, 2024. That part of the plans likely came during Trumps first term, if he had any involvement, but may well have been years before.

What's down there?

The Presedential Emergency Operations Center

Whether they're upgrading Nuclear resistance building something today, or these are additional upgrades long in the planning stages, the East Wing sits above the PEOC, and is accessible by a classified elevator. The PEOC, whether or not you want to accept it, is an important place and has served past administrations, like the Bush administration, during the 9/11 attacks. Key personnel in the Whitehouse were taken to the PEOC to keep them safe as the planes struck the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and one was believed on its way to the Whitehouse before passengers heroically fought back.

Okay, so you didn't know that was where it was. That's fair, but if people put their thinking caps on, everybody knows about the PEOC. Gerard Butler did three movies that included some version of the PEOC in two of them, and it's where the world could be run from in the case of an apocalyptic event such as a Nuclear Assault, or even the inevitable strike by an asteroid.

This wasn't shocking because past the name and likabilty of the man in the Whitehouse, it was easy to think through. But, some people keep their thinking caps on and others run around without them. And why are some not upset that there are changes at the Whitehouse?

Because, much like that asteroid possibility, it's happened before, and it will happen again. Every president changes something in the Whitehouse. Even if it's a change in decor, such as the appearance of the Oval Office, or something more symbolic like architectual designs, every president from the Truman-era forward has left their mark.

Takeaways

The Whitehouse renovations, including the Military complex being worked on beneath the East Wing remodeling and reconstruction, are not meaningless. They are a part of the regular routine over the past century. Going back through images of the Whitehouse, its changed every decade or so, in some way, and in others you'd have to have taken a tour or read about the changes to know they existed.

As we live in a time of instant news, where we are allowed to know everything, there are going to be things that affect us in different ways. From the people online who are overall upset to the news casters, and opposing politicians who push their favorite hate narratives, people will remain upset over things.

But, for those who you hear say, "I'm not shocked," or "I'm not suprised," they're living more peacefully than the forever on the streets protesting every ridiculous thing. And that's what the current era leaders want, us divided.

So, from the Divided States of America, bless you all and put those thinking caps on.