Well I have a lot to write about and not sure where to start.
I want to let you know that I lost a dear friend on Sunday, Tonya Ross.
She and her husband, Doug, have been friends of mine going on 20 years.
They opened there home to me when I was down and out in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
I had nowhere to go and they brought me in and helped me the best they could.
She was a kind, sweet loving woman and is absolutely missed.
Obviously there is a lot of turmoil in the world right now and mostly made of
political rhetoric and fear based bullshit.
I am not a serious political person in public, mostly because I do not trust people.
I do have a strong opinion of what is right and what is wrong but I also remain open minded
and understanding, the latter of which I do not believe some people offer in return.
Facebook is a place for building fear and hatred and certainly not for spreading love.
But it is also a place to sell yourself, your music, your concerts, keep people informed of
your tour and stay in contact with your fans, your people.
In a way, Facebook is my business. How else can I reach people so easily and share my new music with them? I want people to buy my new album, to come to my shows, and to support my cause.
This is my livelihood, my business. I am thankful for the opportunity to stay connected with so many folks all over the world. But I found out early on, if I share my political beliefs or spiritual beliefs with folks on Facebook, I am excluding at least half of my people.
Not all people feel the way I do.
I do believe that everyone of my people are filled with Love, Compassion and Honesty,
but not everyone shares the same beliefs that I do. I am fine with this. Sure it makes me a little crazy once in a while, I am certain they feel the same way about me, but I can live with it.
Some people get in there and really let me have it if I post something Political or Spiritual that they do not agree with. They begin sparring with me, and I don't like that at all.
I don't mind a good debate, but it usually gets ugly pretty quick.
Mostly, truth be told......it's bad for business.
So I have for a long time, stopped sharing my beliefs on Climate change, the President, Health Insurance, Foreign Policy and so on, because I don't want to rock the apple cart.
It's best to just stay out of it and keep quiet.
I did this for about 6 months or more and I prayed about it too. I began to feel I was part of the problem. I don't want to express my true feelings for fear of losing customers? that is the problem.
I will say, for the most part my friends that don't agree with me are very respectful. They usually just don't say anything about my post, they don't argue with me and they leave me alone. That is respect.
I try to offer the same respect in return. When I read things that I absolutely disagree with, I just let it slide, especially if it is someone I love and care about. We just don't see eye to eye on everything and that is ok.
So I decided that I am in the wrong here. It's me, not you.
My ideals are not so far left that they're completely misunderstood.
I want peace and compassion for all. That is the America I believe in and love.
Keeping that inside for fearing of not selling enough cd's is absolutely wrong, and I admit my mistake.
So I have decided to share with the world how I feel on key issues that I think about daily.
I read the news, I know right from wrong and I know when something is bullshit or real.
I do not get my news from right or left wing think tank sites, or bogus news sites that spout
fake stories to scare everyone. Fear is all over Facebook and Social Media and it's there for a reason, to take the control away from you and me and give it those who want the power.
So, I will share my feelings politically and spiritually with my world.
Selling cd's and tours is the not the most important thing in the world and making money
isn't everything. Standing up for what we believe is more important.
I also think that I discredit most of the people I know when I think I better not share my feelings
because some of them won't agree with me and stop coming to see me play.......untrue.
Most people are smart enough to know the difference between belief and love.
They know I am coming from a place of love, not hate or fear.
They also love me enough to "let it slide" when they don't agree. The few that don't will get over it.
Maybe just maybe........something good will come of all this.
That is my hope.
Peace, Love, Zito.
