"It is not our abilities that define us, it is our choices."
One of the good things about having a journal is being able to recognize trends. I have noticed that my posts in July have been more negative than in any other month so far, especially in the past ten days. I have decided to allow the end of July to be the end of that trend as well. I think there are some reasons for darker shade of July including:
Tragedies.
The drunk kid beating up his mom, the situation in Norway, the events surrounding My Happy's Halloween and the emphasis on the national debt problem (which is not only tragic, it is unsolvable) all worked together to get me down a little this month. I know better than to focus too much on such things. I know I'm prone to absorb the distaste of it all.
There have been other things to focus on, and I vow to do a better job next month of keeping my eyes on the good things life provides, and the Good God from whom every perfect gift comes.
My destiny is not dependent on how others respond to my performance or on the strength or weakness of the dollar or the political system that manipulates its value. Drunk people do stupid and hurtful things every day, and that's not my laundry. The senseless loss of life in Norway, eerily reminiscent of the senseless loss of life in Oklahoma City in April, 1995, speaks to the challenge of helping people think and come together. We don't have the time or luxury of being all depressed by it. We need to address people like this before they blow up buildings and shoot people. There's too much work to do to be bitter.
Friday Night Fizzle.
What started out as Friday Night Focus, an effort to reach out and find some quality people to spend Friday evenings with has pretty much fizzled out. I have managed to meet one new really good friend so far.
They say a dog can live just fine on cat food, but a cat will starve to death if all it has to eat is dog food. There's not not enough protein in dog food to sustain a cat. I've thought several times over the years about just finding a good whore, and forgetting about the gay world apart from that guy. I had the opportunity to have just exactly that in July, and could have had an ongoing relationship in that context.
But, alas, it's not enough for me. I need to love someone, and need him to love me. Woe is me, because I still don't have the first clue where to find what I really need. On the 'expanding my social life' front, I would go back to the drawing board, but I can't even find one of those.
and it's just hot.
The heat here is getting to everybody. It's just too damn hot. It's hard to think or be motivated. Most all of my flowers are dead and everything is burned up. A few days of this are one thing - we have it every year. But today was our 38th day this summer with the high temperature at 100 degrees or hotter. and it's not even August yet. The forecast for next week is even worse with highs projected to be 106-108 for much of the week.
I heard that the devil called the governor and said he wants his weather back. I'd be OK with that.
In spite of my bitchiness in July, evidently more people read my blog than any other month so far by a long shot. Thanks. Leave more comments!
And, not for your sake but for mine, I promise to be more positive and enthusiastic in August.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Bookstore Blues
"If you are in a bookstore, and just can't find what you're looking for, you're obviously in the... "
(I identify with this in sooooo many ways. Thank God for my NOOK.)
(I identify with this in sooooo many ways. Thank God for my NOOK.)
Friday, July 29, 2011
By Executive Order, The Democracy Is Now A Dictatorship
"At least the President knows he can't do that."
The BS is Washington is flying fast and furious. Yesterday there was a group of congressmen saying that Obama should sign an executive order to increase the debt limit and do an end run around congress altogether.
May I please object? Government by executive order is called a dictatorship, and generally speaking in this country those are considered to be bad things. Are we really ready to give up on our Constitution and our way of life because a few boneheads (duly elected by the people, of course) can't come to consensus?
Besides, if we're going to use executive orders, why not do something really dramatic that actually solves the problem?
Why not nationalize the banking system by executive order? A whole bunch of debt that's pushing the discussions in Washington was used to bail them out a couple of years ago. God knows they're making money now.
How about the energy sector? Oil companies are bad guys anyway according to the Obama rhetoric. Let's seize their assets and apply all of the profit from the energy sector to the national debt.
What about the transportation system? We subsidize most of it anyway.
That's how they did it in China. A stroke of the pen and we could be just like them.
And, by executive order of course, we could ask the CIA to assassinate anyone who thinks these executive orders are bad ideas. We'll tell everyone else that it's in their best interests and for their own good.
A few well written executive orders and we could forget about the national debt, never again have to endure the mindless, senseless bickering among the various branches and institutions of government, and lose the expense, drama, wasted resources and hassle of all these damn elections once and for all.
Bill Clinton said he would do it without hesitation and "let the courts figure it out." Clearly Bill has some latent contempt for the US Constitution and our system of government.
I'm glad Obama has sense enough to know that he can't do things this way. It's unAmerican and unthinkable.
The BS is Washington is flying fast and furious. Yesterday there was a group of congressmen saying that Obama should sign an executive order to increase the debt limit and do an end run around congress altogether.
May I please object? Government by executive order is called a dictatorship, and generally speaking in this country those are considered to be bad things. Are we really ready to give up on our Constitution and our way of life because a few boneheads (duly elected by the people, of course) can't come to consensus?
Besides, if we're going to use executive orders, why not do something really dramatic that actually solves the problem?
Why not nationalize the banking system by executive order? A whole bunch of debt that's pushing the discussions in Washington was used to bail them out a couple of years ago. God knows they're making money now.
How about the energy sector? Oil companies are bad guys anyway according to the Obama rhetoric. Let's seize their assets and apply all of the profit from the energy sector to the national debt.
What about the transportation system? We subsidize most of it anyway.
That's how they did it in China. A stroke of the pen and we could be just like them.
And, by executive order of course, we could ask the CIA to assassinate anyone who thinks these executive orders are bad ideas. We'll tell everyone else that it's in their best interests and for their own good.
A few well written executive orders and we could forget about the national debt, never again have to endure the mindless, senseless bickering among the various branches and institutions of government, and lose the expense, drama, wasted resources and hassle of all these damn elections once and for all.
Bill Clinton said he would do it without hesitation and "let the courts figure it out." Clearly Bill has some latent contempt for the US Constitution and our system of government.
I'm glad Obama has sense enough to know that he can't do things this way. It's unAmerican and unthinkable.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
And The Consolation Prize Is: $28,551,320.00
"Maybe I can get that cute drummer from Michael Murphy's to give us a drum roll, please."
Well, yesterday was my day to be a sour puss. It was the seventh anniversary of my untimely and unceremonious departure from a company that I had invested 13 years of effort into. July 27, 2004 was also the end of a business relationship that had lasted 19 years. And I saw the other face of a guy that I considered a friend and a protege, and loved dearly.
It was the day that my faith failed completely as the substance of things hoped for turned to ashes and the evidence of things unseen turned to dust. To this very minute, I know that I ran that company with the wisdom, sincerity, godliness and passion of Christ, to the very best of my ability and understanding - which is neither trivial nor incompetent. If history must record my experience and investment as a failure, it was a genuine, pure hearted, legitimate one. My actions, motivated from and generated from my worldview utterly failed, and came to nothing.
Therefore, if I am ever allowed to feel sorry for myself, or be bitter at people and God, or hate the people involved in my sudden demise, yesterday was the day for it. On any other day when these emotions surface, I can bury them in anticipation of the next anniversary where such thinking is allowed for exactly one day.
Hence the nickname, "Mr Happy's Halloween". This one day, the goblins can come out to play. This one day, I can be pissed off at the people I worked with, the God who led me into that event and life.
And I couldn't get there. I simply have no bitterness to flaunt, no hate to express, no regrets to feed self pity and no accusations to invoke justice. I had lunch with a friend of 25+ years, dinner with a new friend and great guy, we were busy at work and overall, I had a really good day. As time has unfolded, I now look at the events of 2004 differently. First, as God's providence in pulling me out of something I would never have forsaken voluntarily. Second, those who attacked me missed completely, and mortally wounded themselves.
Within the past year, I have had contact with each of the two main perpetrators of the scandal. One is hunkered down in his compound, afraid of the future, convinced that the world as we know it is about to collapse. The other is just a drunk, bitter, self centered prick, and (best I can tell) has no future - by his own admission and design. I wouldn't trade places with either of these people whom I once loved, and have nothing in common, no connection whatsoever, with either of them.
But I do have the consolation prize. During the seven year period starting 7/28/2004 and ending 7/27/2011, my new investment, on which I have had just as much impact as I had on my own company, total revenues are $28,551,320.00 - roughly ten times the revenue of the old company.
It's not my company, and it's not my money, and I don't care about money very much anyway. But it is a helluva consolation prize nonetheless. Overall, my life is better than it was seven years and a day ago. I'm making about twice as much money, and I am happier, and life is good.
This is not the outcome I worked so hard for so long to achieve, and does not meet the expectations I had for my own company back in the day. The events that destroyed that company are not OK, and the outcome is not what I wanted. But it is what it is, and albeit the consolation prize and not the grand prize, I am content.
(Please note the period at the end of the preceding sentence.)
Well, yesterday was my day to be a sour puss. It was the seventh anniversary of my untimely and unceremonious departure from a company that I had invested 13 years of effort into. July 27, 2004 was also the end of a business relationship that had lasted 19 years. And I saw the other face of a guy that I considered a friend and a protege, and loved dearly.
It was the day that my faith failed completely as the substance of things hoped for turned to ashes and the evidence of things unseen turned to dust. To this very minute, I know that I ran that company with the wisdom, sincerity, godliness and passion of Christ, to the very best of my ability and understanding - which is neither trivial nor incompetent. If history must record my experience and investment as a failure, it was a genuine, pure hearted, legitimate one. My actions, motivated from and generated from my worldview utterly failed, and came to nothing.
Therefore, if I am ever allowed to feel sorry for myself, or be bitter at people and God, or hate the people involved in my sudden demise, yesterday was the day for it. On any other day when these emotions surface, I can bury them in anticipation of the next anniversary where such thinking is allowed for exactly one day.
Hence the nickname, "Mr Happy's Halloween". This one day, the goblins can come out to play. This one day, I can be pissed off at the people I worked with, the God who led me into that event and life.
And I couldn't get there. I simply have no bitterness to flaunt, no hate to express, no regrets to feed self pity and no accusations to invoke justice. I had lunch with a friend of 25+ years, dinner with a new friend and great guy, we were busy at work and overall, I had a really good day. As time has unfolded, I now look at the events of 2004 differently. First, as God's providence in pulling me out of something I would never have forsaken voluntarily. Second, those who attacked me missed completely, and mortally wounded themselves.
Within the past year, I have had contact with each of the two main perpetrators of the scandal. One is hunkered down in his compound, afraid of the future, convinced that the world as we know it is about to collapse. The other is just a drunk, bitter, self centered prick, and (best I can tell) has no future - by his own admission and design. I wouldn't trade places with either of these people whom I once loved, and have nothing in common, no connection whatsoever, with either of them.
But I do have the consolation prize. During the seven year period starting 7/28/2004 and ending 7/27/2011, my new investment, on which I have had just as much impact as I had on my own company, total revenues are $28,551,320.00 - roughly ten times the revenue of the old company.
It's not my company, and it's not my money, and I don't care about money very much anyway. But it is a helluva consolation prize nonetheless. Overall, my life is better than it was seven years and a day ago. I'm making about twice as much money, and I am happier, and life is good.
This is not the outcome I worked so hard for so long to achieve, and does not meet the expectations I had for my own company back in the day. The events that destroyed that company are not OK, and the outcome is not what I wanted. But it is what it is, and albeit the consolation prize and not the grand prize, I am content.
(Please note the period at the end of the preceding sentence.)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
That Luvin' Feelin' on Mr Happy's Halloween
"Rather than bore you with My own personal Halloween, I thought I'd instead let you enjoy a moment of the festivities at Michael Murphy's last Saturday as we celebrated our company's ten year anniversary."
I'm up there somewhere toward the left wearing a light colored cap, helping someone celebrate her anniversary or something. This was just one of the goofy stunts the performers pulled on people all night long.
If you get bored with the video, just stare at the drummer. That's what I did when things slowed down a bit. Gawd, he's cute! If anyone out there wants to get me something for Christmas, well...
I'll be back tomorrow with the revised number that I use to make Halloween all right.
I'm up there somewhere toward the left wearing a light colored cap, helping someone celebrate her anniversary or something. This was just one of the goofy stunts the performers pulled on people all night long.
If you get bored with the video, just stare at the drummer. That's what I did when things slowed down a bit. Gawd, he's cute! If anyone out there wants to get me something for Christmas, well...
I'll be back tomorrow with the revised number that I use to make Halloween all right.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Dude In Norway and the Cute Guy Syndrome
"How can cute guys be so mad at the world?"
I know I'm supposed to be talking about money, and I'll get back to it. The subject isn't going away anytime soon. But my thoughts today, as I've been bombarded with the picture of the Dude from Norway online, are about how someone so cute could be so mad at the world.
I can see it a little in the Islamic terrorists. Hell, if I were as ugly as Osama Bin Sharkbait, I'd be mad at the world too. I'm almost as ugly as him, and I deal with it. But others aren't as well adjusted as I am and I can see how they might twist off and think that they should hate the rest of us.
But this guy is damn near beautiful. It's hard to imagine how someone that pretty could be such a slime. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. His eyes are peaceful, passionate and happy. He looks like the kind of guy that should be at home with a couple of young daughters that he loves more than anything, and a wife who adores him, and a successful career and a good life. He says he's protecting the future of Europe, so he shoots dozens of kids that ARE the future of Europe at point blank range. This makes no sense at all.
Cute guys receive, and are entitled to, special, privileged treatment in this world - especially if they're just a little bit nice. The rest of us have to work to earn the acceptance and respect of others that pretty people enjoy automatically. It's their advantage, and life gave it to them. It's a gift that opens doors for them, and creates opportunities that the rest of us have to strive for.
One would think that, given these opportunities and assets, they'd be a step ahead of everyone else, leading the way to a better world and a more harmonious culture. I don't understand what happens to them to make them so bitter, full of hate and destructive.
Perhaps it is conceit. Maybe they actually believe deep down that they are better than anyone else. Like athletes in High School whose Division 2 scholarship doesn't exactly pave the way to the effortless, successful life they think they're entitled to, maybe these cute guys get burned when they find out that cute only opens doors and doesn't replace character. Perhaps they are blinded by their own light, and never really learn to respect anyone else, only to manipulate them and be a tease.
Whatever their issues are, I don't get it. I have a real weakness for intelligent, passionate, pretty guys. I've met quite a few of them in my life, and a couple of them are just wonderful people. But I've met the other kind too.
In fact, tomorrow, Mr Happy's Halloween, is my opportunity to lick my wounds and lament over my unfortunate and totally innocent association with just such a pretty guy - a guy whose brightness blinded me, who I thought was a friend and an asset and who turned out to be total skank.
I sort of wish I had been given the opportunity to talk to the Norway Dude for a couple of months. Maybe together we could have avoided his doom, saved the lives of a lot of people and prevented a real tragedy in an overall pretty nice part of the world.
I know I'm supposed to be talking about money, and I'll get back to it. The subject isn't going away anytime soon. But my thoughts today, as I've been bombarded with the picture of the Dude from Norway online, are about how someone so cute could be so mad at the world.
I can see it a little in the Islamic terrorists. Hell, if I were as ugly as Osama Bin Sharkbait, I'd be mad at the world too. I'm almost as ugly as him, and I deal with it. But others aren't as well adjusted as I am and I can see how they might twist off and think that they should hate the rest of us.
Cute guys receive, and are entitled to, special, privileged treatment in this world - especially if they're just a little bit nice. The rest of us have to work to earn the acceptance and respect of others that pretty people enjoy automatically. It's their advantage, and life gave it to them. It's a gift that opens doors for them, and creates opportunities that the rest of us have to strive for.
One would think that, given these opportunities and assets, they'd be a step ahead of everyone else, leading the way to a better world and a more harmonious culture. I don't understand what happens to them to make them so bitter, full of hate and destructive.
Perhaps it is conceit. Maybe they actually believe deep down that they are better than anyone else. Like athletes in High School whose Division 2 scholarship doesn't exactly pave the way to the effortless, successful life they think they're entitled to, maybe these cute guys get burned when they find out that cute only opens doors and doesn't replace character. Perhaps they are blinded by their own light, and never really learn to respect anyone else, only to manipulate them and be a tease.
Whatever their issues are, I don't get it. I have a real weakness for intelligent, passionate, pretty guys. I've met quite a few of them in my life, and a couple of them are just wonderful people. But I've met the other kind too.
In fact, tomorrow, Mr Happy's Halloween, is my opportunity to lick my wounds and lament over my unfortunate and totally innocent association with just such a pretty guy - a guy whose brightness blinded me, who I thought was a friend and an asset and who turned out to be total skank.
I sort of wish I had been given the opportunity to talk to the Norway Dude for a couple of months. Maybe together we could have avoided his doom, saved the lives of a lot of people and prevented a real tragedy in an overall pretty nice part of the world.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Businesses Don't Pay Taxes! Customers Pay Taxes!
"Tax those big oil companies, they got all the money anyhow!"
First, I'm a cynic when it comes to politics, not a conservative or a liberal and I drink coffee. I don't think anyone in Washington DC has my best interests at heart and I don't think any of the people involved in the discussions about national debt have very much sense (if they do, they are not telling the truth about the economy, debt, taxes and the budget.)
But I'm tired of hearing people say that we should just tax big business because they can afford to pay the national debt. They're not paying their fair share, so sock it to them and make them pay.
Let's put this in the simplest terms. Let's suppose that the national debt could be paid in full by forcing Apple to pay a $50 tax on each IPod, IPad or IPhone they sell from now on. Let's make Apple pay. They've got lots of money. That's their fair share.
What happens next? Do you think it would take Steve Jobs more than 4 minutes to raise the price of the IPad, IPhone and IPod by $63? Who ends up paying the $50 tax? The consumer (that's you and me) who buys these products.
For those of us who work and get a paycheck, taxes are taken out before the check is written, and we settle up every April by paying a little more or getting a little back. This is not how it works with business. For a business, taxes are an expense that can be anticipated, calculated and added into the profit/loss equation just like utility bills, payroll expenses or insurance. The higher the taxes, the higher the prices.
The higher the taxes, the higher the prices.
We all pay income taxes. But we also pay businesses' taxes all the time. When you buy a gallon of milk, part of the price you pay for that milk is the taxes that will be owed by the dairy, the grocer, the truck driver that delivered it to the store, the company that manufactured the plastic bottle, the insurance company who insures the cows, and a hundred other businesses. Businesses don't pay taxes! Customers pay taxes!
Businesses don't pay taxes! Customers pay taxes!
All business taxes work this way. Fees too. And even fines imposed by the government for doing things wrong.
Congratulations! Not only are you paying a zillion businesses' income taxes, you're also paying their property taxes, workers comp insurance premiums, unemployment premiums and a shitload of other fees, fines, assessments, contributions and taxes. And you're paying it through higher prices - every single time you buy something.
So, how much should we tax those money grabbing oil companies?
It's an easy question. The answer is,
How much more do you want to pay for a gallon of gas?
First, I'm a cynic when it comes to politics, not a conservative or a liberal and I drink coffee. I don't think anyone in Washington DC has my best interests at heart and I don't think any of the people involved in the discussions about national debt have very much sense (if they do, they are not telling the truth about the economy, debt, taxes and the budget.)
But I'm tired of hearing people say that we should just tax big business because they can afford to pay the national debt. They're not paying their fair share, so sock it to them and make them pay.
Let's put this in the simplest terms. Let's suppose that the national debt could be paid in full by forcing Apple to pay a $50 tax on each IPod, IPad or IPhone they sell from now on. Let's make Apple pay. They've got lots of money. That's their fair share.
What happens next? Do you think it would take Steve Jobs more than 4 minutes to raise the price of the IPad, IPhone and IPod by $63? Who ends up paying the $50 tax? The consumer (that's you and me) who buys these products.
For those of us who work and get a paycheck, taxes are taken out before the check is written, and we settle up every April by paying a little more or getting a little back. This is not how it works with business. For a business, taxes are an expense that can be anticipated, calculated and added into the profit/loss equation just like utility bills, payroll expenses or insurance. The higher the taxes, the higher the prices.
The higher the taxes, the higher the prices.
We all pay income taxes. But we also pay businesses' taxes all the time. When you buy a gallon of milk, part of the price you pay for that milk is the taxes that will be owed by the dairy, the grocer, the truck driver that delivered it to the store, the company that manufactured the plastic bottle, the insurance company who insures the cows, and a hundred other businesses. Businesses don't pay taxes! Customers pay taxes!
Businesses don't pay taxes! Customers pay taxes!
All business taxes work this way. Fees too. And even fines imposed by the government for doing things wrong.
Congratulations! Not only are you paying a zillion businesses' income taxes, you're also paying their property taxes, workers comp insurance premiums, unemployment premiums and a shitload of other fees, fines, assessments, contributions and taxes. And you're paying it through higher prices - every single time you buy something.
So, how much should we tax those money grabbing oil companies?
It's an easy question. The answer is,
How much more do you want to pay for a gallon of gas?
Sunday, July 24, 2011
2 Cents On The Dollar
"What makes a dollar worth more than two cents anyway?"
Well, Crap. There are a zillion and three things I want to blog about besides money, which I don't care too much about anyway. But it is important to our society, and to me personally whether I want to admit it or not. And there's so much bullshit going on as congress and President Obama try to come to grips with the debt issue. I feel like I need to add my 2 cents to the discussion even if nobody reads it. (At least I can say, "I told you so" later?)
The first problem is that nobody in Washington is really trying to fix anything. Everyone up there is just trying to position themselves for the 2012 Presidential and General elections. We have a potentially fatal problem with our government at present. The quality of government is unrelated to the process of government. Elections matter, not performance.
As a result, Truth has been replaced by Spin. Issues are secondary to sensationalism. Image over Substance is the nature of U.S. politics and government. For a while this was OK, even fun. But if we're not careful, the economy is going to prove to all of us that substance is more important than image, and truth overrides spin.
In addition, too many people believe too many fallacies about money. We need to think through these things better. And I can help, and intend to make some meager effort to do so over the next few days.
To set everyone at ease, I'm not doing the Chicken Little thing here. I don't think the sky is falling just yet. But I do think there are some fundamental things we need to understand better.
So here we go. The first one involves the intrinsic, actual value of a dollar.
We need to understand that our dollar based economy is totally based on faith. The dollar has no intrinsic value at all. The only value it carries is the credibility of the US Government. If we default on our loans, the credibility value of the dollar will be significantly eroded. I'm not using Obama's scare tactics. But I am saying that the US government and population cannot afford for our dollar to lose that global credibility. It's the only value the dollar has. Without it, dollars are worthless.
(I wonder if the faith-based nature of the dollar and consequently the entire US economy irritates atheists and other people who think living life by faith in something is ludicrous? Well, that's a different train.)
My point today is that all of the rhetoric about holding the debt ceiling in place and allowing the US to default on it's debt payments is bullshit. There is no way those guys can let that happen, and even if they don't know it, the real power people in Washington know it. There's nothing to worry about concerning the current talks going on. They'll raise the debt limit just in time to maintain the dollar's tenuous value.
But someday the issue really will be unavoidable. We have to balance the books either by spending less (like about half) or raise revenue (meaning taxes). We need to pay attention to how that is accomplished over the next few months and we need to correct some erroneous thinking about it.
I know it's not the most fun subject. But the economic climate is making it more important all the time. So, track with me and let's explore some of the fallacies and see if we can't separate the bull from the bullshit a little.
Well, Crap. There are a zillion and three things I want to blog about besides money, which I don't care too much about anyway. But it is important to our society, and to me personally whether I want to admit it or not. And there's so much bullshit going on as congress and President Obama try to come to grips with the debt issue. I feel like I need to add my 2 cents to the discussion even if nobody reads it. (At least I can say, "I told you so" later?)
The first problem is that nobody in Washington is really trying to fix anything. Everyone up there is just trying to position themselves for the 2012 Presidential and General elections. We have a potentially fatal problem with our government at present. The quality of government is unrelated to the process of government. Elections matter, not performance.
As a result, Truth has been replaced by Spin. Issues are secondary to sensationalism. Image over Substance is the nature of U.S. politics and government. For a while this was OK, even fun. But if we're not careful, the economy is going to prove to all of us that substance is more important than image, and truth overrides spin.
In addition, too many people believe too many fallacies about money. We need to think through these things better. And I can help, and intend to make some meager effort to do so over the next few days.
To set everyone at ease, I'm not doing the Chicken Little thing here. I don't think the sky is falling just yet. But I do think there are some fundamental things we need to understand better.
So here we go. The first one involves the intrinsic, actual value of a dollar.
We need to understand that our dollar based economy is totally based on faith. The dollar has no intrinsic value at all. The only value it carries is the credibility of the US Government. If we default on our loans, the credibility value of the dollar will be significantly eroded. I'm not using Obama's scare tactics. But I am saying that the US government and population cannot afford for our dollar to lose that global credibility. It's the only value the dollar has. Without it, dollars are worthless.
(I wonder if the faith-based nature of the dollar and consequently the entire US economy irritates atheists and other people who think living life by faith in something is ludicrous? Well, that's a different train.)
My point today is that all of the rhetoric about holding the debt ceiling in place and allowing the US to default on it's debt payments is bullshit. There is no way those guys can let that happen, and even if they don't know it, the real power people in Washington know it. There's nothing to worry about concerning the current talks going on. They'll raise the debt limit just in time to maintain the dollar's tenuous value.
But someday the issue really will be unavoidable. We have to balance the books either by spending less (like about half) or raise revenue (meaning taxes). We need to pay attention to how that is accomplished over the next few months and we need to correct some erroneous thinking about it.
I know it's not the most fun subject. But the economic climate is making it more important all the time. So, track with me and let's explore some of the fallacies and see if we can't separate the bull from the bullshit a little.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Ten Years And Counting
"Our plan is not to have a plan."
Our company is celebrating our tenth anniversary of being in business tonight. The actual anniversary was back in March, but this is the first chance we've had to get everyone together and recognize the 10 year milestone properly. I'm proud of our little company. We've accomplished in a few short years what I was never able to accomplish in the software business. And things look good for the future too.
I have long held the opinion that we spend far too much of our lives working to work at something we hate. Everyone in our company has a story to tell. I'm not comfortable enough with the whole blogging thing to be very specific about names and stories, but the outcome is that each of us has seen a major change for the better by working here.
So how can I characterize the impact of the Company? I can talk about a conversation that my brother and I had recently about money.
Back in the day, we could spend $20 without thinking much about it. We could spend $200, but that required justification and thought. $2,000 was doable, but with major effort. $20,000 was out of our reach.
Now, $2,000 doesn't make the radar, $20,000 happens a lot. $200,000 requires discussion and justification and a lot of thought (but we just bought another airplane for $220,000). $2 Million is out of our reach, and I'm good with that.
That characterization says something of the scope, but not the depth.
The banana farm in Zambia, Africa that I have discussed before, the orphanage in Mexico that we support, the college ministries we're involved in, the families each year that we adopt at Christmas who wouldn't otherwise have one, the instant 'yes' we have been blessed to be able to say when people need us or some of the resources we have developed over the past ten years...these things reflect the depth of the company and the people who are involved in it.
Our yearly contributions to people and organizations helping others each year and doing good in the world adds up to more than my and my business partner's combined annual salaries at my old business.
It's one thing to have a job I like, that meets my needs and gives me an outlet to be of some value. But to be connected with an organization that stands for what our company stands for, and backs it up with the checkbook is a genuine honor and privilege.
So, if you happen to think of it, please join us around 7 or 8 o'clock tonight, and raise a glass and give a "Cheers" to the Company for ten wonderful years. And here's to ten more.
Our company is celebrating our tenth anniversary of being in business tonight. The actual anniversary was back in March, but this is the first chance we've had to get everyone together and recognize the 10 year milestone properly. I'm proud of our little company. We've accomplished in a few short years what I was never able to accomplish in the software business. And things look good for the future too.
I have long held the opinion that we spend far too much of our lives working to work at something we hate. Everyone in our company has a story to tell. I'm not comfortable enough with the whole blogging thing to be very specific about names and stories, but the outcome is that each of us has seen a major change for the better by working here.
So how can I characterize the impact of the Company? I can talk about a conversation that my brother and I had recently about money.
Back in the day, we could spend $20 without thinking much about it. We could spend $200, but that required justification and thought. $2,000 was doable, but with major effort. $20,000 was out of our reach.
Now, $2,000 doesn't make the radar, $20,000 happens a lot. $200,000 requires discussion and justification and a lot of thought (but we just bought another airplane for $220,000). $2 Million is out of our reach, and I'm good with that.
That characterization says something of the scope, but not the depth.
The banana farm in Zambia, Africa that I have discussed before, the orphanage in Mexico that we support, the college ministries we're involved in, the families each year that we adopt at Christmas who wouldn't otherwise have one, the instant 'yes' we have been blessed to be able to say when people need us or some of the resources we have developed over the past ten years...these things reflect the depth of the company and the people who are involved in it.
Our yearly contributions to people and organizations helping others each year and doing good in the world adds up to more than my and my business partner's combined annual salaries at my old business.
It's one thing to have a job I like, that meets my needs and gives me an outlet to be of some value. But to be connected with an organization that stands for what our company stands for, and backs it up with the checkbook is a genuine honor and privilege.
So, if you happen to think of it, please join us around 7 or 8 o'clock tonight, and raise a glass and give a "Cheers" to the Company for ten wonderful years. And here's to ten more.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Fare Thee Well, Old Friend
"The Boldest Flight In History."
On April 12, 1981, I was looking forward to my eighteenth birthday, working on getting my drivers' license, about to graduate from high school and enjoying my last few weeks as a Sr. And I was absolutely fascinated with the Space Shuttle.
Nobody at that time really grasped the importance, longevity or impact that the shuttle program would have. Some may have imagined it, but I don't think anyone really appreciated how fantastic or how productive the program would be. I remember thinking that the space shuttle was about to take off and start something new and exciting - a reusable spacecraft that could be launched and land over and over again. At that time, I was starting a whole bunch of new things. After the initial mission, I remember hoping that all of the stuff I was involved in would be as successful.
I was one of many who was mad at NASA for not naming the first space shuttle Enterprise after Capt. Kirk's magnificent starship. I had been a Star Trek fan for as long as I could remember. (There was an Enterprise space shuttle, but it never saw space flight or had engines attached. I wanted he first real space shuttle to be known as the Enterprise.)
As the program matured, I followed it every chance I got. I was watching live TV when Challenger exploded, and I will remember that tragic incident just like I will forever remember 9/11 or the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. Same for the breakup of Columbia a few years later.
So, as the program draws to an extremely successful close, and all of us who long to know more about that which is currently out of reach wait patiently for the next step, I want to express how much the space shuttle program has meant to me, how much I have enjoyed following it over the years and how much respect I have for NASA, congress, the scientific community and the American people for keeping the program going as long as it did.
It's really been a cool ride, and I am very glad to have witnessed some of it.
On April 12, 1981, I was looking forward to my eighteenth birthday, working on getting my drivers' license, about to graduate from high school and enjoying my last few weeks as a Sr. And I was absolutely fascinated with the Space Shuttle.
 |
| STS-1 Launch, April 12, 1981 |
I was one of many who was mad at NASA for not naming the first space shuttle Enterprise after Capt. Kirk's magnificent starship. I had been a Star Trek fan for as long as I could remember. (There was an Enterprise space shuttle, but it never saw space flight or had engines attached. I wanted he first real space shuttle to be known as the Enterprise.)
As the program matured, I followed it every chance I got. I was watching live TV when Challenger exploded, and I will remember that tragic incident just like I will forever remember 9/11 or the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. Same for the breakup of Columbia a few years later.
So, as the program draws to an extremely successful close, and all of us who long to know more about that which is currently out of reach wait patiently for the next step, I want to express how much the space shuttle program has meant to me, how much I have enjoyed following it over the years and how much respect I have for NASA, congress, the scientific community and the American people for keeping the program going as long as it did.
It's really been a cool ride, and I am very glad to have witnessed some of it.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Coming Up For Air
"...and a healthy dose of 'Mind My Own Business'."
Well, the irony of the past few days, my thoughts and corresponding posts about mercy, the incident with the drunk kid beating up his mother and my reaction to it, all taken together makes me want to throw up my hands and cover up my head.
The deal is that I do believe in mercy, not just as a philosophical, 'feel good', hope for the world way, but very literally. I believe that changed lives and hearts, instigated by compassion, motivated by mercy is a very real and tangible thing.
And my disdain for the drunks of the world isn't so much represented by anger as by the sick feeling I get down inside when I think of the needless harm and damage they inflict on those who care about them the most. More specifically, the sick feeling I get when I think of my best friend in high school who spent one semester at college and hasn't been sober since. Other stories, some too close to home and some that unfold every single night in almost every city in America.
If I let my mind dwell on these things and wander into them too far, my sick feeling turns to depression and hopelessness. Without the mercy I've been talking about and the hope for a better world that it singularly represents, the world is an incredibly dark and depressing place. Sometimes I think it's a place I'd just as soon not live in.
So, obviously, the answer for me is not to dwell or think too much about such things. Other people think what they think, and do what they do. But my mission is to think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and worthy of praise. The rest is nothing more than distracting noise in a world filled with music.
Mercy, compassion, forgiveness and transformation are available to any human being that will embrace them and walk in them. Without exception, without qualification and without prejudice. Period.
As to the kid who beat up his mother, or the mom who facilitates such events, these things are really none of my business. This is not my laundry, and this dirt is not my dirt. I see no reason at all to allow it to ruin my day. I have no interest in judging either of them, or anybody else for their decisions, actions or lifestyles. I'm not going to live inside of that paradigm, or permit it within my arm's length. And there's a period at the end of that sentence too.
So I'm ready to come up from the deep water for a bit, grab some fresh air and think about something fun and happy. There's a lot going on toward the end of this month, and it's all good, positive stuff. I'm ready to turn my attention in that direction.
Well, the irony of the past few days, my thoughts and corresponding posts about mercy, the incident with the drunk kid beating up his mother and my reaction to it, all taken together makes me want to throw up my hands and cover up my head.
The deal is that I do believe in mercy, not just as a philosophical, 'feel good', hope for the world way, but very literally. I believe that changed lives and hearts, instigated by compassion, motivated by mercy is a very real and tangible thing.
And my disdain for the drunks of the world isn't so much represented by anger as by the sick feeling I get down inside when I think of the needless harm and damage they inflict on those who care about them the most. More specifically, the sick feeling I get when I think of my best friend in high school who spent one semester at college and hasn't been sober since. Other stories, some too close to home and some that unfold every single night in almost every city in America.
If I let my mind dwell on these things and wander into them too far, my sick feeling turns to depression and hopelessness. Without the mercy I've been talking about and the hope for a better world that it singularly represents, the world is an incredibly dark and depressing place. Sometimes I think it's a place I'd just as soon not live in.
So, obviously, the answer for me is not to dwell or think too much about such things. Other people think what they think, and do what they do. But my mission is to think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and worthy of praise. The rest is nothing more than distracting noise in a world filled with music.
Mercy, compassion, forgiveness and transformation are available to any human being that will embrace them and walk in them. Without exception, without qualification and without prejudice. Period.
As to the kid who beat up his mother, or the mom who facilitates such events, these things are really none of my business. This is not my laundry, and this dirt is not my dirt. I see no reason at all to allow it to ruin my day. I have no interest in judging either of them, or anybody else for their decisions, actions or lifestyles. I'm not going to live inside of that paradigm, or permit it within my arm's length. And there's a period at the end of that sentence too.
So I'm ready to come up from the deep water for a bit, grab some fresh air and think about something fun and happy. There's a lot going on toward the end of this month, and it's all good, positive stuff. I'm ready to turn my attention in that direction.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Other Side Of The Coin - What Mercy Is Not
"Now To Refute Everything I've Said For A Week "
OK, so for a week now, I've been talking about the importance and benefits of mercy over justice, and how mercy drives compassion through forgiveness to create peace. And just in time to make a total fool out of me, the following situation came along yesterday. Here's the deal:
A friend of a coworker called, who happens to be a single, disabled mom. Her 22 year old son came home, drunk, and just beat the shit out of her.
I volunteered to join the posse and participate in the lynching.
I have a real problem with drunks anyway. I've been too close to more than my fair share of them in my life. I've seen their lives ruined, their families hurt, their potential dilluted to nothing, their personalities change, their value to this world totally evaporate. I know one that blew his own head off - just because he was drunk and not thinking straight - and left a hell of a mess in the middle of his living room floor for his family to clean up.
A drink or two is fine, even good. I'm not being a religious do-gooder here. But a drunk is less than a dog in my world, and I have no respect for any of them.
I fully support the most aggressive treatment of drunk drivers. They recklessly and unnecessarily endanger themselves (which is their prerogative), and they endanger and indeed kill many other innocent people every year.
And I firmly believe that violent drunks should be institutionalized indefinitely, unless and until there is a way to guarantee that they can rejoin society and never drink alcohol again. For these people, alcohol is poison - not to them, but to all of the people who love them.
Sure enough, this kid that beat up his own mom is really sorry now, and feels terrible about what he did. Of course he does, the fucker is sober now. I have no mercy for him. I think that somehow I'm probably supposed to, but I have absolutely none - unless a fast, painless death vs. the one he deserves would be considered merciful.
And what tops this? The situation was so bad that the neighbors got involved and called the police. When they got there and saw how badly mom had been beaten, they were ready to take the kid to jail, and mom wouldn't tell them where he was! Mom, after getting the shit beat out of her by her own worthless piece of shit son, defended him and hid him from the police who quite possibly saved her life.
That's not mercy. That's stupidity. That's the kind of stupid that actually mocks mercy.
There are a lot of moms out there that enable, and even pay for, their children to be total fuck ups. And they say that they love their kid and that's why they do it. They don't love their kids. If they did, they'd get the kid some help, not help the worthless creature continue to destroy himself and everything around him.
OK. Before you call me a hypocrite for writing this post on the heels of the past few posts about mercy, I admit the conundrum. And I admit that I don't understand it. And I commit myself to thinking more about it and trying to figure it out.
But in the mean time, if I come into contact with this particular kid while in arm's reach of anything that resembles a two by four, the police will be taking me to the nearest jail, and this no good kid who beat up his mother to the nearest hospital.
OK, so for a week now, I've been talking about the importance and benefits of mercy over justice, and how mercy drives compassion through forgiveness to create peace. And just in time to make a total fool out of me, the following situation came along yesterday. Here's the deal:
A friend of a coworker called, who happens to be a single, disabled mom. Her 22 year old son came home, drunk, and just beat the shit out of her.
I volunteered to join the posse and participate in the lynching.
I have a real problem with drunks anyway. I've been too close to more than my fair share of them in my life. I've seen their lives ruined, their families hurt, their potential dilluted to nothing, their personalities change, their value to this world totally evaporate. I know one that blew his own head off - just because he was drunk and not thinking straight - and left a hell of a mess in the middle of his living room floor for his family to clean up.
A drink or two is fine, even good. I'm not being a religious do-gooder here. But a drunk is less than a dog in my world, and I have no respect for any of them.
I fully support the most aggressive treatment of drunk drivers. They recklessly and unnecessarily endanger themselves (which is their prerogative), and they endanger and indeed kill many other innocent people every year.
And I firmly believe that violent drunks should be institutionalized indefinitely, unless and until there is a way to guarantee that they can rejoin society and never drink alcohol again. For these people, alcohol is poison - not to them, but to all of the people who love them.
Sure enough, this kid that beat up his own mom is really sorry now, and feels terrible about what he did. Of course he does, the fucker is sober now. I have no mercy for him. I think that somehow I'm probably supposed to, but I have absolutely none - unless a fast, painless death vs. the one he deserves would be considered merciful.
And what tops this? The situation was so bad that the neighbors got involved and called the police. When they got there and saw how badly mom had been beaten, they were ready to take the kid to jail, and mom wouldn't tell them where he was! Mom, after getting the shit beat out of her by her own worthless piece of shit son, defended him and hid him from the police who quite possibly saved her life.
That's not mercy. That's stupidity. That's the kind of stupid that actually mocks mercy.
There are a lot of moms out there that enable, and even pay for, their children to be total fuck ups. And they say that they love their kid and that's why they do it. They don't love their kids. If they did, they'd get the kid some help, not help the worthless creature continue to destroy himself and everything around him.
OK. Before you call me a hypocrite for writing this post on the heels of the past few posts about mercy, I admit the conundrum. And I admit that I don't understand it. And I commit myself to thinking more about it and trying to figure it out.
But in the mean time, if I come into contact with this particular kid while in arm's reach of anything that resembles a two by four, the police will be taking me to the nearest jail, and this no good kid who beat up his mother to the nearest hospital.
Monday, July 18, 2011
...And Be Thankful
"What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?"
What a week, huh? We started by bitching about the justice system that handed down two high profile decisions lately which taken together make no sense at all. We covered a lot of ground, asserting that justice isn't really the issue anyway.
Mercy is the catalyst for good in the world. Mercy presumes forgiveness, a deferment of justice that is justified by the impact of compassion which mercy manifests in us to a world that deserves justice.
And the intended impact of this mercy driven compassion is transformed thinking, belief systems, and lives. Transformed into the image of perfection, into people capable and competent to love.
And the result of this love is Shalom, or Perfect Peace, which is a state of being in which a person, an organization, an entire community, a nation and the whole human race carries on the activities of life in complete harmony with themselves, each other and God who instigated mercy in the first place.
Living in this state is as simple as Col 3:12-14, and is so difficult that the vast majority of humans will never touch it or know that it is possible. Those who are able to embrace it are called 'God's Elect'.
And now we have just one thing to add, which at first glance seems to be unrelated to anything else in the discussion so far. It is the last three words of Col 3:14. "...and be thankful."
In fact, this happens many times in the bible. Paul or someone else is discussing some concept, be it mercy, prayer, overcoming persecution, dealing with tragedy or loss, or some other concept, and out of the blue there's a tag in the discussion about thankfulness. "...and be thankful", "...with thanksgiving", etc.
Thankfulness is good medicine. Our minds tend to dwell on the ugly things of life, our own shortcomings, what we lack, the bad things we have to endure, the state of society, political scandal, monetary and economic crisis, etc. These things are important, and shouldn't be easily dismissed.
But all of the negative things in life happen in the context of good things. We just don't notice or respect the good things. A bias toward thankfulness helps counteract that in powerful ways.
In the short time I've been writing my journal online, I have noticed a bias toward looking for good things to write about. I don't want my blog to be just another whine and cheese party. I want to talk about good things, encouraging things, things that make life better, and build people up.
If we approach life looking for things to be thankful for, our days are better. It's just a fact. This mindset makes every complicated, deep subject easier to internalize and apply. It's good food for the soul, and good advice in Col 3:14, Phil 4:4-8 and a hundred other places.
So,
In that context, Thank You for reading my blog. It keeps me engaged and motivated to know that someone else in the world is taking time to at least entertain my point of view, even if you laugh at me later.
Today is only the 18th of the month, and for some reason the number of page hits on my blog has already exceeded the previous high for any other month. Honestly, it's still not very many. And I don't need very many. I just need you, and appreciate your taking the time to digest my musings. Again, Thank You.
What a week, huh? We started by bitching about the justice system that handed down two high profile decisions lately which taken together make no sense at all. We covered a lot of ground, asserting that justice isn't really the issue anyway.
Mercy is the catalyst for good in the world. Mercy presumes forgiveness, a deferment of justice that is justified by the impact of compassion which mercy manifests in us to a world that deserves justice.
And the intended impact of this mercy driven compassion is transformed thinking, belief systems, and lives. Transformed into the image of perfection, into people capable and competent to love.
And the result of this love is Shalom, or Perfect Peace, which is a state of being in which a person, an organization, an entire community, a nation and the whole human race carries on the activities of life in complete harmony with themselves, each other and God who instigated mercy in the first place.
Living in this state is as simple as Col 3:12-14, and is so difficult that the vast majority of humans will never touch it or know that it is possible. Those who are able to embrace it are called 'God's Elect'.
And now we have just one thing to add, which at first glance seems to be unrelated to anything else in the discussion so far. It is the last three words of Col 3:14. "...and be thankful."
In fact, this happens many times in the bible. Paul or someone else is discussing some concept, be it mercy, prayer, overcoming persecution, dealing with tragedy or loss, or some other concept, and out of the blue there's a tag in the discussion about thankfulness. "...and be thankful", "...with thanksgiving", etc.
Thankfulness is good medicine. Our minds tend to dwell on the ugly things of life, our own shortcomings, what we lack, the bad things we have to endure, the state of society, political scandal, monetary and economic crisis, etc. These things are important, and shouldn't be easily dismissed.
But all of the negative things in life happen in the context of good things. We just don't notice or respect the good things. A bias toward thankfulness helps counteract that in powerful ways.
In the short time I've been writing my journal online, I have noticed a bias toward looking for good things to write about. I don't want my blog to be just another whine and cheese party. I want to talk about good things, encouraging things, things that make life better, and build people up.
If we approach life looking for things to be thankful for, our days are better. It's just a fact. This mindset makes every complicated, deep subject easier to internalize and apply. It's good food for the soul, and good advice in Col 3:14, Phil 4:4-8 and a hundred other places.
So,
In that context, Thank You for reading my blog. It keeps me engaged and motivated to know that someone else in the world is taking time to at least entertain my point of view, even if you laugh at me later.
Today is only the 18th of the month, and for some reason the number of page hits on my blog has already exceeded the previous high for any other month. Honestly, it's still not very many. And I don't need very many. I just need you, and appreciate your taking the time to digest my musings. Again, Thank You.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Seeking Shalom
"A strong justice system can create an absence of war, but only mercy can create peace."
In good ol' American English, we use the word 'peace' to mean the absence of war or conflict. But if we think about peace a little, we have the opportunity to do better than that. There is another peace that Christ talked about when he said, "Peace I give you. My Peace I leave with you. Not as the world gives..."
The peace of Christ, the higher peace that we can reach for is often called Shalom. It is the active, living presence of everything that God calls good, not just the absence of conflict. It's true enough that conflict and war cannot exist in the presence of Shalom, but Shalom is much more. Shalom is an atmosphere or context of well being, blessing, cooperation, unity and mutual (even universal) benefit, respect and prosperity. Perhaps the best single word in English to describe Shalom is 'Teamwork'.
Culturally and socially, we need a justice system to decide guilt and innocence, set and enforce punishment, and through the very real threat of punishment 'keep the peace'. But this is not the concept of Shalom.
Shalom can only be realized through mercy, forgiveness and compassion. Only by viewing the world from each others' eyes with a bias to help, encourage and build up each other can Shalom take root and grow in our culture and day to day activities of society. Only mercy can create Shalom. And only in the context of Shalom can society, culture and each of us individually be all that God created and called us to be.
This, BTW, is Church's single biggest failure. In its passion to stand for some great good or stand against some terrible evil, the church has totally abandoned Shalom. The average Christian thinks Shalom is a Jewish greeting, or Muslim terrorist word. We haven't just forgotten the word, we've abandoned the concept. And in so doing, we cause the rest of the world to think we have nothing to offer except hate. But I digress.
The rest of Jesus' quote from the first paragraph is, "...in the world you will have tribulation (constant, turbulent conflict). But fear not, for I have overcome the world."
In good ol' American English, we use the word 'peace' to mean the absence of war or conflict. But if we think about peace a little, we have the opportunity to do better than that. There is another peace that Christ talked about when he said, "Peace I give you. My Peace I leave with you. Not as the world gives..."
The peace of Christ, the higher peace that we can reach for is often called Shalom. It is the active, living presence of everything that God calls good, not just the absence of conflict. It's true enough that conflict and war cannot exist in the presence of Shalom, but Shalom is much more. Shalom is an atmosphere or context of well being, blessing, cooperation, unity and mutual (even universal) benefit, respect and prosperity. Perhaps the best single word in English to describe Shalom is 'Teamwork'.
Culturally and socially, we need a justice system to decide guilt and innocence, set and enforce punishment, and through the very real threat of punishment 'keep the peace'. But this is not the concept of Shalom.
Shalom can only be realized through mercy, forgiveness and compassion. Only by viewing the world from each others' eyes with a bias to help, encourage and build up each other can Shalom take root and grow in our culture and day to day activities of society. Only mercy can create Shalom. And only in the context of Shalom can society, culture and each of us individually be all that God created and called us to be.
This, BTW, is Church's single biggest failure. In its passion to stand for some great good or stand against some terrible evil, the church has totally abandoned Shalom. The average Christian thinks Shalom is a Jewish greeting, or Muslim terrorist word. We haven't just forgotten the word, we've abandoned the concept. And in so doing, we cause the rest of the world to think we have nothing to offer except hate. But I digress.
The rest of Jesus' quote from the first paragraph is, "...in the world you will have tribulation (constant, turbulent conflict). But fear not, for I have overcome the world."
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col 3:12-14)"Lord, teach your people once again what Shalom is, how to walk in it and how to infect those around us with it. "
Friday, July 15, 2011
Merciful Forgiveness
"Sometimes justice deferred is absolutely justified."
Again, the heart of mercy sees through the actions and circumstances that surround a person and sees the person as a being created by a loving God in a spirit of joyful anticipation of a magnificent, eternal, meaningful destiny.
In this context, what do we do with the offenses a person commits in our lives or within our field of vision? Mercy understands that 'hurt people hurt people'. In other words, the injury and damage caused by someone is nothing more than an indication of how they have been hurt by someone else. Mercy drives compassion to reach through those things and help to heal the subject's wounds, knowing that a whole, healed person does not injure or damage others.
But what if the offense is really bad, the injury is great and the damage is extensive and quantifiable? Shouldn't the offender be punished or make restitution? Is there no justice? Am I not entitled to receive compensation and recovery for the injuries I sustained by another? Am I not entitled to hate people for what they've done to me?
These questions are out of bounds for a merciful heart. The questions make no sense whatsoever.
When we can learn to see situations the way Mercy sees them, we will begin to understand what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is a deference of what I am entitled to, or what justice demands, for the sake of something greater, something more meaningful and more important than my compensation. Forgiveness is a setting aside of clearly wrong things in order to attain or create really right, pure, redeemed, perfect things.
So what is the the greater, more meaningful, more important, really right, pure and perfect thing that forgiveness defers to?
A transformed person. Someone who is transformed by compassion, whose wounds are healed, whose mind is renewed, whose conscience is cleansed, who has been born again and is now a new creature. Someone in whom old things are dead and all things have become new. This is the outcome that Christ made possible when he shed his blood. And this is the outcome that mercy sees from the beginning, even before the offenses and injuries take place.
And there is no down side to mercy. If someone rejects mercy and the compassion it delivers to them, their judgement is already clear. God is not mocked, and justice is not lost. If justice deferred creates something good, the deferment that mercy instigates is justified. If the good thing will not be created or redeemed, justice is still justice.
Thus unforgiveness is an issue that makes no sense in the context of mercy. This has nothing to do with the reason we should forgive. Forgiveness is in our best interest. Unforgiveness is harmful to us, and causes damage of its own, separate and apart from whatever offence was committed against us.
Nonetheless, it is good to understand how forgiveness (the deference of justice) fits into the mechanics of mercy and compassion and the transformation of people into all that they were created to be from the beginning. And it is good to be able to participate in that process intentionally by choosing mercy over justice, and forgiveness over bitterness.
Again, the heart of mercy sees through the actions and circumstances that surround a person and sees the person as a being created by a loving God in a spirit of joyful anticipation of a magnificent, eternal, meaningful destiny.
In this context, what do we do with the offenses a person commits in our lives or within our field of vision? Mercy understands that 'hurt people hurt people'. In other words, the injury and damage caused by someone is nothing more than an indication of how they have been hurt by someone else. Mercy drives compassion to reach through those things and help to heal the subject's wounds, knowing that a whole, healed person does not injure or damage others.
But what if the offense is really bad, the injury is great and the damage is extensive and quantifiable? Shouldn't the offender be punished or make restitution? Is there no justice? Am I not entitled to receive compensation and recovery for the injuries I sustained by another? Am I not entitled to hate people for what they've done to me?
These questions are out of bounds for a merciful heart. The questions make no sense whatsoever.
When we can learn to see situations the way Mercy sees them, we will begin to understand what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is a deference of what I am entitled to, or what justice demands, for the sake of something greater, something more meaningful and more important than my compensation. Forgiveness is a setting aside of clearly wrong things in order to attain or create really right, pure, redeemed, perfect things.
So what is the the greater, more meaningful, more important, really right, pure and perfect thing that forgiveness defers to?
A transformed person. Someone who is transformed by compassion, whose wounds are healed, whose mind is renewed, whose conscience is cleansed, who has been born again and is now a new creature. Someone in whom old things are dead and all things have become new. This is the outcome that Christ made possible when he shed his blood. And this is the outcome that mercy sees from the beginning, even before the offenses and injuries take place.
And there is no down side to mercy. If someone rejects mercy and the compassion it delivers to them, their judgement is already clear. God is not mocked, and justice is not lost. If justice deferred creates something good, the deferment that mercy instigates is justified. If the good thing will not be created or redeemed, justice is still justice.
Thus unforgiveness is an issue that makes no sense in the context of mercy. This has nothing to do with the reason we should forgive. Forgiveness is in our best interest. Unforgiveness is harmful to us, and causes damage of its own, separate and apart from whatever offence was committed against us.
Nonetheless, it is good to understand how forgiveness (the deference of justice) fits into the mechanics of mercy and compassion and the transformation of people into all that they were created to be from the beginning. And it is good to be able to participate in that process intentionally by choosing mercy over justice, and forgiveness over bitterness.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Mercy, Compassion and Peace
"Don't you know it's a slippery slope."
Thinking in terms of the Mercy we all want from God and each other, as opposed to the Justice we expect for everyone else can be a little dangerous. Before we know it, we're also talking about compassion, forgiveness and peace. Mercy breeds and attracts these things like watermelon attracts flies.
From Mercy's point of view, life is about three things: People, People and People. Life is specifically not about conquest, accumulation of stuff, pleasure (or pain), winning, building empires, being important or any other thing. It's about people.
The heart of mercy sees through the actions and circumstances that surround a person and sees the person as a being created by a loving God in a spirit of joyful anticipation of a magnificent, eternal, meaningful destiny. When the outcome in someone's life is inconsistent with that vision, mercy always believes that the disparity between someone's actions or circumstances and the actual person is caused and propagated by some fundamental error or tragedy.
But oddly, mercy has no effect at all on the people it longs to reach. Mercy works its magic only on those who are sensitive to its call. Mercy drives us to reach through the disparity, into the darkness and fire, and address the people impacted by such negative outcomes and do something. even something miraculous, to make people's lives better in some meaningful way. Mercy motivates us to acts of compassion. Mercy breaks our hearts and pushes us to find a way to make a positive difference in our world.
So mercy takes root inside of us, and before you know it we're busy carrying out acts of compassion toward people in need or who are hurting. We're giving to orphanages in Africa, food banks in Oklahoma, donating time, clothing, money or something anyplace we can think of that is actively trying to help others.
And then someone comes across my path that really needs me - my time, energy, perspective, wisdom or just my presence to get through an event or season in their life. Now this mercy driven compassion becomes personal and invasive, and in my experience, even life changing.
On second thought, maybe it's not that dangerous after all. It's a slippery slope I think I'm ready to slide down again. It sure beats thinking about the injustice of our justice system.
Thinking in terms of the Mercy we all want from God and each other, as opposed to the Justice we expect for everyone else can be a little dangerous. Before we know it, we're also talking about compassion, forgiveness and peace. Mercy breeds and attracts these things like watermelon attracts flies.
From Mercy's point of view, life is about three things: People, People and People. Life is specifically not about conquest, accumulation of stuff, pleasure (or pain), winning, building empires, being important or any other thing. It's about people.
The heart of mercy sees through the actions and circumstances that surround a person and sees the person as a being created by a loving God in a spirit of joyful anticipation of a magnificent, eternal, meaningful destiny. When the outcome in someone's life is inconsistent with that vision, mercy always believes that the disparity between someone's actions or circumstances and the actual person is caused and propagated by some fundamental error or tragedy.
But oddly, mercy has no effect at all on the people it longs to reach. Mercy works its magic only on those who are sensitive to its call. Mercy drives us to reach through the disparity, into the darkness and fire, and address the people impacted by such negative outcomes and do something. even something miraculous, to make people's lives better in some meaningful way. Mercy motivates us to acts of compassion. Mercy breaks our hearts and pushes us to find a way to make a positive difference in our world.
So mercy takes root inside of us, and before you know it we're busy carrying out acts of compassion toward people in need or who are hurting. We're giving to orphanages in Africa, food banks in Oklahoma, donating time, clothing, money or something anyplace we can think of that is actively trying to help others.
And then someone comes across my path that really needs me - my time, energy, perspective, wisdom or just my presence to get through an event or season in their life. Now this mercy driven compassion becomes personal and invasive, and in my experience, even life changing.
On second thought, maybe it's not that dangerous after all. It's a slippery slope I think I'm ready to slide down again. It sure beats thinking about the injustice of our justice system.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Everybody Wants Mercy, Not Justice
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."
In rereading my last couple of posts, it seems obvious that I need to think about something else. Justice is an ideal that everybody wants for the other guy, but for ourselves, well, we really don't want it anyway.
I'm no different. I don't want to face the ideal of Justice head on. Especially if Truth is anywhere close by. It is strange how our minds work.
If I'm talking about me, I would encourage everyone to take the bad with the good; to remember my assets as well as my shortcomings. After all, I'm not perfect (and never said I was). I'm a work in progress, and I'm not finished yet. I'm doing the best I know how, and would do better if I knew what better is. I'm entitled to my idiosyncrasies, my likes and dislikes, my weirdness and my quirks. These things makes me unique, special, individual and distinguishable.
But 'that guy' needs to conform to my (read: society's, culture's) image of what he should be. Of course I'm allowed to stereotype that guy, and criticize everything from his clothes to his character that doesn't meet my expectations. Lifestyle is always a choice, and he should choose one I agree with or face the consequences.
I know I'm not perfect. I'm allowed to make mistakes as I grow and learn. Sometimes my mistakes hurt someone else, and I'm sorry about that. But I don't screw up on purpose, and holding me accountable for every error or misjudgement doesn't serve any purpose. Thank God, I live life in a context where mistakes can be made now and then, and mercy covers them and I learn from the experience.
But 'that guy' should be held accountable for his actions, especially if those actions hurt me or someone else. Justice must be served. "An eye for an eye." If that guy does things that cause damage, pain or loss to others, he should pay. Debt is not just a financial term. That guy needs to pay his bills, and redeem his negative and hurtful actions with suffering, compensation or his own blood. This is the way of things.
In short, "God have mercy on me and let your justice take care of everyone else."
Can't we give 'that guy' the same benefit of the doubt we want for ourselves, and extend to him the mercy and grace we want to be extended to us?
In rereading my last couple of posts, it seems obvious that I need to think about something else. Justice is an ideal that everybody wants for the other guy, but for ourselves, well, we really don't want it anyway.
I'm no different. I don't want to face the ideal of Justice head on. Especially if Truth is anywhere close by. It is strange how our minds work.
If I'm talking about me, I would encourage everyone to take the bad with the good; to remember my assets as well as my shortcomings. After all, I'm not perfect (and never said I was). I'm a work in progress, and I'm not finished yet. I'm doing the best I know how, and would do better if I knew what better is. I'm entitled to my idiosyncrasies, my likes and dislikes, my weirdness and my quirks. These things makes me unique, special, individual and distinguishable.
But 'that guy' needs to conform to my (read: society's, culture's) image of what he should be. Of course I'm allowed to stereotype that guy, and criticize everything from his clothes to his character that doesn't meet my expectations. Lifestyle is always a choice, and he should choose one I agree with or face the consequences.
I know I'm not perfect. I'm allowed to make mistakes as I grow and learn. Sometimes my mistakes hurt someone else, and I'm sorry about that. But I don't screw up on purpose, and holding me accountable for every error or misjudgement doesn't serve any purpose. Thank God, I live life in a context where mistakes can be made now and then, and mercy covers them and I learn from the experience.
But 'that guy' should be held accountable for his actions, especially if those actions hurt me or someone else. Justice must be served. "An eye for an eye." If that guy does things that cause damage, pain or loss to others, he should pay. Debt is not just a financial term. That guy needs to pay his bills, and redeem his negative and hurtful actions with suffering, compensation or his own blood. This is the way of things.
In short, "God have mercy on me and let your justice take care of everyone else."
Can't we give 'that guy' the same benefit of the doubt we want for ourselves, and extend to him the mercy and grace we want to be extended to us?
Monday, July 11, 2011
I Guess It's OK To Kill Your Kid, But Not An Armed Robber?
"Kind of makes you scratch your head."
Casey Anthony was found "Not Guilty" (which 'doesn't mean innocent') and Jerome Earsland gets life. Just using common sense, Casey Anthony probably killed her own kid and Jerome Earsland killed a would-be armed robber.
I can see the jury's point of view in the Anthony case. The prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused actually committed the crime.
I can see the jury's point of view in the Earsland case. The defendant went beyond the bounds of the Make My Day law by unloading his gun into the unconscious, unarmed kid that came into the pharmacy to rob him.
But the dead kid bought and paid for those bullets when he entered the store with two others to commit armed robbery, right? And the mom did everything exactly wrong if she really didn't kill her daughter.
Maybe it's not fair to make a comparison between these two unrelated cases. But I can't figure out a reason not to compare them. There is something fundamentally wrong with the system that sentenced one person to life while the other walks away free. Yet each was afforded due process under our law, and was judged by a jury of their peers. The system seems to have worked exactly as it was designed to work, and produced two wrong answers that when compared and contrasted to each other seem really, really wrong - to the point of bizarre.
I'm not sure that there were any right answers concerning either of these cases. In the Anthony case, the prosecution didn't meet prima facia requirements. In the Earsland case, he didn't do the right thing either. Maybe juries need more flexibility than the Yes/No, "Guilty" or "Not Guilty" choices they are given.
But in the context of these two cases, the 'system' we all believe in and live under seems to have blatantly failed.
Casey Anthony was found "Not Guilty" (which 'doesn't mean innocent') and Jerome Earsland gets life. Just using common sense, Casey Anthony probably killed her own kid and Jerome Earsland killed a would-be armed robber.
I can see the jury's point of view in the Anthony case. The prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused actually committed the crime.
I can see the jury's point of view in the Earsland case. The defendant went beyond the bounds of the Make My Day law by unloading his gun into the unconscious, unarmed kid that came into the pharmacy to rob him.
But the dead kid bought and paid for those bullets when he entered the store with two others to commit armed robbery, right? And the mom did everything exactly wrong if she really didn't kill her daughter.
Maybe it's not fair to make a comparison between these two unrelated cases. But I can't figure out a reason not to compare them. There is something fundamentally wrong with the system that sentenced one person to life while the other walks away free. Yet each was afforded due process under our law, and was judged by a jury of their peers. The system seems to have worked exactly as it was designed to work, and produced two wrong answers that when compared and contrasted to each other seem really, really wrong - to the point of bizarre.
I'm not sure that there were any right answers concerning either of these cases. In the Anthony case, the prosecution didn't meet prima facia requirements. In the Earsland case, he didn't do the right thing either. Maybe juries need more flexibility than the Yes/No, "Guilty" or "Not Guilty" choices they are given.
But in the context of these two cases, the 'system' we all believe in and live under seems to have blatantly failed.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
The Casey Anthony Mess
" 'Not Guilty' doesn't mean innocent."
What a mess this Casey Anthony deal is. Obviously a very screwed up family, a messy prosecution, a biased media, an emotional train wreck. Who knows the truth? I sure don't. But I do know that there is an important concept in the American legal system that should be discussed.
In many other countries, the legal or justice system - whatever the process is called that decides guilt and punishment - is little more than a tool used by the government to manipulate and control people into behaving a certain way. In America, and many other countries, the process is designed to arrive at truth and fairly implement justice.
The means to that end is our judicial system. It includes attorneys, judges, jurors, etc. There is a whole legal paradigm that is specifically and intentionally designed to serve a higher concept called Justice. If he judicial system (the means) loses sight of Justice (the end), the system becomes and end in and of itself. In other words, it becomes irrelevant. (The interview I heard with one of the jurors sounded just like this paragraph. She openly said they didn't do what is right, they did what is legal.)
Without the end (Justice) there is no point to the means (the legal system). It's no more important conceptually than a game of chess played by bored college students, even though a broken and corrupt legal system can negatively impact the lives of thousands.
I'm wondering, as trials like the Casey Anthony trial and the infamous O.J. trial and a zillion others seem to indicate, whether our evolving legal system has forgotten its purpose, and therefore serves none. Attorneys seem more and more to be out to win their case, prevail in the competition at any and all cost and make a name for themselves. Justice is relegated to philosophical idealism, and has no role to play in the day to day goings on of our system.
I'm pretty convinced that our political system is already destroyed by a similar scenario. Good government is unrelated to the process of winning elections to the point that nobody - neither the candidates or the voters - think in terms of quality of government when Election Day comes.
In a way, this is all sad. In another way, it just represents the aging process of a democracy. Historically, the life expectancy of a democracy is less than 250 years. The US is approaching that age now. America seems to be following the life cycle pretty closely. At first an oppressed people become a free people. Free people become successful people. Successful people become complacent people. Complacent people become oppressed people. And the cycle starts all over.
We need to demand quality government from our politicians. We need to expect justice from our legal system. We need and deserve competence from our economic system - and the people who regulate and manipulate it. This is what government 'for the people, by the people' is all about and hinges on.
Sometimes there just seems to be overwhelming evidence that we are failing. We really need to remember how to do this government thing right. Our future, our childrens' future depends on it. Or we can just get lost watching American Idol on TV and let the thing self destruct.
What a mess this Casey Anthony deal is. Obviously a very screwed up family, a messy prosecution, a biased media, an emotional train wreck. Who knows the truth? I sure don't. But I do know that there is an important concept in the American legal system that should be discussed.
In many other countries, the legal or justice system - whatever the process is called that decides guilt and punishment - is little more than a tool used by the government to manipulate and control people into behaving a certain way. In America, and many other countries, the process is designed to arrive at truth and fairly implement justice.
The means to that end is our judicial system. It includes attorneys, judges, jurors, etc. There is a whole legal paradigm that is specifically and intentionally designed to serve a higher concept called Justice. If he judicial system (the means) loses sight of Justice (the end), the system becomes and end in and of itself. In other words, it becomes irrelevant. (The interview I heard with one of the jurors sounded just like this paragraph. She openly said they didn't do what is right, they did what is legal.)
Without the end (Justice) there is no point to the means (the legal system). It's no more important conceptually than a game of chess played by bored college students, even though a broken and corrupt legal system can negatively impact the lives of thousands.
I'm wondering, as trials like the Casey Anthony trial and the infamous O.J. trial and a zillion others seem to indicate, whether our evolving legal system has forgotten its purpose, and therefore serves none. Attorneys seem more and more to be out to win their case, prevail in the competition at any and all cost and make a name for themselves. Justice is relegated to philosophical idealism, and has no role to play in the day to day goings on of our system.
I'm pretty convinced that our political system is already destroyed by a similar scenario. Good government is unrelated to the process of winning elections to the point that nobody - neither the candidates or the voters - think in terms of quality of government when Election Day comes.
In a way, this is all sad. In another way, it just represents the aging process of a democracy. Historically, the life expectancy of a democracy is less than 250 years. The US is approaching that age now. America seems to be following the life cycle pretty closely. At first an oppressed people become a free people. Free people become successful people. Successful people become complacent people. Complacent people become oppressed people. And the cycle starts all over.
We need to demand quality government from our politicians. We need to expect justice from our legal system. We need and deserve competence from our economic system - and the people who regulate and manipulate it. This is what government 'for the people, by the people' is all about and hinges on.
Sometimes there just seems to be overwhelming evidence that we are failing. We really need to remember how to do this government thing right. Our future, our childrens' future depends on it. Or we can just get lost watching American Idol on TV and let the thing self destruct.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Happy Birthday, Bro
"Awesome on several levels."
Today's my brother's birthday. Not too many years ago, my bro was easy to buy for cause he needed about everything. But now that the business is doing so well, he's got all the money and doesn't need a damn thing. If he does, he's like me and he goes and gets three.
So birthdays and other occasions are difficult now. But for his birthday this year I found a really great gift. He's always burning candles (mainly because he can't remember where his cigarette lighter is). And the candles he burns, having been initially purchased by his wife, always smell like a French whore house.
No More. I found Man-Cans, candles for real men, with scents like "New Mitt" and "Fresh Cut Grass". I got my brother a starter set of these things, and it's something he'll never expect, and it's cool.
And to top that story, the whole business is the creation of a kid with a vision and evidently the resources to get it started. What an inspiration, and a really good story. And the materials are recycled, and the passion behind the concept was to support local food charities in his area. The whole picture is cool.
OK, all you gay guys that like candles, be real men and check out the web site, http://www.man-cans.com/ and video below.
And, Happy Birthday, Bro.
Today's my brother's birthday. Not too many years ago, my bro was easy to buy for cause he needed about everything. But now that the business is doing so well, he's got all the money and doesn't need a damn thing. If he does, he's like me and he goes and gets three.
So birthdays and other occasions are difficult now. But for his birthday this year I found a really great gift. He's always burning candles (mainly because he can't remember where his cigarette lighter is). And the candles he burns, having been initially purchased by his wife, always smell like a French whore house.
No More. I found Man-Cans, candles for real men, with scents like "New Mitt" and "Fresh Cut Grass". I got my brother a starter set of these things, and it's something he'll never expect, and it's cool.
And to top that story, the whole business is the creation of a kid with a vision and evidently the resources to get it started. What an inspiration, and a really good story. And the materials are recycled, and the passion behind the concept was to support local food charities in his area. The whole picture is cool.
OK, all you gay guys that like candles, be real men and check out the web site, http://www.man-cans.com/ and video below.
And, Happy Birthday, Bro.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
After Daddy's Money in Jesus' Name, Amen
"Send in your love offering today and Expect Your Miracle!"
Yesterday's post was about the confusion between my 23 year old nephew and his dad over money. Dad is not confused in the least, and Nephew will be better off when he gets unconfused. That situation will play out over time, as it always does from one generation to the next.
There is also a Christian version of the same confusion, which comes from taking single bible verses and half-sentences out of context and building a theology around them. The poster child for this confusion is Philippians 4:19, where the bible really does say, "My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."
But Philippians as a whole is a congratulatory and complementary letter (the only one of it's kind in the bible) written to a group of people who, at least from Paul's perspective, were living life right. They were devoted to Christ and to Paul with sacrificial commitment, courage and faith. All Paul is really saying in the quote is, "Thank you for your gifts on my behalf, and I know that our God will bless both the gift and giver because that is His nature and bias." If the context of the whole letter, Paul is really just saying, "I'm very proud of you."
This, and a hundred other scriptures misused similarly, are not a license to go through life with the same mindset my nephew has about his dad's money. God is not a candy machine, and anyone who prays a prayer, gives a couple of bucks and expects God to pay off is headed for disappointment.
On the contrary, the concept of "forget not all his benefits" (Ps 103:2) is about knowing that our God has already done great things in and around our lives, and those great things are just the beginning of a great process in which we participate by his invitation and our choice. It doesn't really matter whether I have a lot of money, because He is the source of every good thing. And my connection to 'every good thing' is my very relationship with Him regardless of my checking account balance or how old my car is.
And in the context of my relationship with Him, my respect for His way of thinking, living, giving and being, His love, grace and providence for all men (and me) and His character, wisdom and sovereign power, "My God will richly fill every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."
I hope that makes sense.
Yesterday's post was about the confusion between my 23 year old nephew and his dad over money. Dad is not confused in the least, and Nephew will be better off when he gets unconfused. That situation will play out over time, as it always does from one generation to the next.
There is also a Christian version of the same confusion, which comes from taking single bible verses and half-sentences out of context and building a theology around them. The poster child for this confusion is Philippians 4:19, where the bible really does say, "My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."
But Philippians as a whole is a congratulatory and complementary letter (the only one of it's kind in the bible) written to a group of people who, at least from Paul's perspective, were living life right. They were devoted to Christ and to Paul with sacrificial commitment, courage and faith. All Paul is really saying in the quote is, "Thank you for your gifts on my behalf, and I know that our God will bless both the gift and giver because that is His nature and bias." If the context of the whole letter, Paul is really just saying, "I'm very proud of you."
This, and a hundred other scriptures misused similarly, are not a license to go through life with the same mindset my nephew has about his dad's money. God is not a candy machine, and anyone who prays a prayer, gives a couple of bucks and expects God to pay off is headed for disappointment.
On the contrary, the concept of "forget not all his benefits" (Ps 103:2) is about knowing that our God has already done great things in and around our lives, and those great things are just the beginning of a great process in which we participate by his invitation and our choice. It doesn't really matter whether I have a lot of money, because He is the source of every good thing. And my connection to 'every good thing' is my very relationship with Him regardless of my checking account balance or how old my car is.
And in the context of my relationship with Him, my respect for His way of thinking, living, giving and being, His love, grace and providence for all men (and me) and His character, wisdom and sovereign power, "My God will richly fill every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."
I hope that makes sense.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
After Daddy's Money
"Dad has money. I need money. Dad should give me money. If he doesn't, he's a dick."
Well, what belongs in my journal today is the ongoing tension between Nephew One of Six and his dad. Nephew One works for the company business, but doesn't want to. He just wants money. The equation above is his logic, a logic that is shared by many in his generation and especially by a couple of his siblings, Number Two and Number Three of Six.
The logic is flawed. But he can't see that. The math doesn't work, but he's belligerently trying to make it happen. And everything he does to emphatically teach his math to his dad backfires (of course), and the tension increases. Yesterday it boiled over.
Missing entirely in Number One's math is any respect for his dad, the business, the path to creating the business or making it successful, the life lived up to this point or the value of what dad is doing. Such lack of respect (read contempt) for dad is typical of 23 year olds throughout history. As a matter of fact, back in the day when dad was son, he ran his dad through about the same paces where respect/contempt is concerned. But my bro never thought our dad owed him anything.
So here's my Number One Nephew's basic position:
But dad, and all dads the world over, has to actually engage the situation and try to get Nephew One of Six to see how wrong he is, how counter productive his attitude is, what a fantasy world he lives in, what the inevitable consequences of his mindset will be, and that One of Six is the only person in the world who will suffer from this bad math.
I don't have a dog in this fight, but my general advice to my bro in this situation is:
Well, what belongs in my journal today is the ongoing tension between Nephew One of Six and his dad. Nephew One works for the company business, but doesn't want to. He just wants money. The equation above is his logic, a logic that is shared by many in his generation and especially by a couple of his siblings, Number Two and Number Three of Six.
The logic is flawed. But he can't see that. The math doesn't work, but he's belligerently trying to make it happen. And everything he does to emphatically teach his math to his dad backfires (of course), and the tension increases. Yesterday it boiled over.
Missing entirely in Number One's math is any respect for his dad, the business, the path to creating the business or making it successful, the life lived up to this point or the value of what dad is doing. Such lack of respect (read contempt) for dad is typical of 23 year olds throughout history. As a matter of fact, back in the day when dad was son, he ran his dad through about the same paces where respect/contempt is concerned. But my bro never thought our dad owed him anything.
So here's my Number One Nephew's basic position:
"Dad, I don't want to live in your house any more, or follow your rules, or do chores, or keep my mouth shut when I think you're an asshole.
"I want to move out on my own and make my own decisions, do my own thing and live my own life without your advice, criticism, wisdom or oversight.
"But I don't want, nor will I tolerate, a lower standard of living than I had at home. In fact I want more. And you have lots of money, so you need to give me whatever I need. Obviously I can't get a job that pays well enough to live the life I want on my own. Duh.
"Dad, it's your turn to keep your mouth shut, to provide for my standard of living and the things I want, and let me live my life my way.
"Dad, why can't you see that? Anyone can see that. Are you that stupid? Are you that blind? How am I ever going to have any respect for you if you are this big of an idiot."Of course, Uncle Me says, "Good Luck With That Crap. Call me someday when your head pops out of your ass. We'll get some coffee and talk."
But dad, and all dads the world over, has to actually engage the situation and try to get Nephew One of Six to see how wrong he is, how counter productive his attitude is, what a fantasy world he lives in, what the inevitable consequences of his mindset will be, and that One of Six is the only person in the world who will suffer from this bad math.
I don't have a dog in this fight, but my general advice to my bro in this situation is:
"Never try to teach a pig to swim. Not only does it waste your time, it annoys the pig."and secondly,
"When conflict is unavoidable, escalate it."This is what belongs in my journal today, but I'm really not into it.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Fireworks and the Summer Finale
"We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun."
Well the Fourth of July weekend was wonderful. Time with family at the lake, on the boat, in the sun, campfires at night and lots and lots of fireworks. It was a good way to end what has been a very active and enjoyable summer. But from this point on, it's too hot for this boy. I've already had my fill of 100+ degree days, and it's time to move back inside.
It's also time to resume my reading list and do some things in my house (the air conditioner still isn't working). I love being outside when it's not so hot, so I'm putting in a couple of Solatube skylights next week to bring in the daylight. I need to spend some quality time with my washer and dryer, and prepare for cooler days ahead someday in the not too distant future.
And besides, I've spent a considerable amount of time over the last couple of months reaching out socially and trying to expand my world a little. It's good to get out of one's comfort zone, but not for too long. I find myself wanting the comfort foods of life - a good book, my piano and guitar, my hot tub, etc. I'm not sure I put as much energy as is necessary into meeting new people, but I've done what I can for now. We'll see if I made enough progress for momentum to kick in and take over. I hope so.
I'm excited for a change of seasons, and a change of thinking. I'm looking forward to exploring a little more intellectually, and anticipating that I will continue to learn and grow, even as the heat bakes everything to a crisp outside.
I do, however, feel that the summer was unusually short this year. It was cold up until the first of May, then it got hot and stayed hot. It seems like usually I get to enjoy summer from about the middle of March (on a limited basis, at least) up until July 4th. Them I'm pretty much done until after Labor Day.
I doubt I will get as much introspective, inside my house, enjoy my comfort zone time as I want. Things are still busy at work, and I do have about three new friends I want to do stuff with. My brother's birthday is next week, and then the whole office except me and one other will be out for a week to fetch another airplane someplace in Alabama.
And "Mr. Happy's Halloween" is coming July 27. This will be the seventh anniversary of ... blah. Anyway, it's not my favorite day.
Well the Fourth of July weekend was wonderful. Time with family at the lake, on the boat, in the sun, campfires at night and lots and lots of fireworks. It was a good way to end what has been a very active and enjoyable summer. But from this point on, it's too hot for this boy. I've already had my fill of 100+ degree days, and it's time to move back inside.
It's also time to resume my reading list and do some things in my house (the air conditioner still isn't working). I love being outside when it's not so hot, so I'm putting in a couple of Solatube skylights next week to bring in the daylight. I need to spend some quality time with my washer and dryer, and prepare for cooler days ahead someday in the not too distant future.
And besides, I've spent a considerable amount of time over the last couple of months reaching out socially and trying to expand my world a little. It's good to get out of one's comfort zone, but not for too long. I find myself wanting the comfort foods of life - a good book, my piano and guitar, my hot tub, etc. I'm not sure I put as much energy as is necessary into meeting new people, but I've done what I can for now. We'll see if I made enough progress for momentum to kick in and take over. I hope so.
I'm excited for a change of seasons, and a change of thinking. I'm looking forward to exploring a little more intellectually, and anticipating that I will continue to learn and grow, even as the heat bakes everything to a crisp outside.
I do, however, feel that the summer was unusually short this year. It was cold up until the first of May, then it got hot and stayed hot. It seems like usually I get to enjoy summer from about the middle of March (on a limited basis, at least) up until July 4th. Them I'm pretty much done until after Labor Day.
I doubt I will get as much introspective, inside my house, enjoy my comfort zone time as I want. Things are still busy at work, and I do have about three new friends I want to do stuff with. My brother's birthday is next week, and then the whole office except me and one other will be out for a week to fetch another airplane someplace in Alabama.
And "Mr. Happy's Halloween" is coming July 27. This will be the seventh anniversary of ... blah. Anyway, it's not my favorite day.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Let Freedom Ring!
"Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching, Cha-Ching."
Today we Americans celebrate our freedom...
...our freedom to spend other people's money. After all, this is a democracy, Dammitt!
...our freedom to own property, provided we pay our tithe to the arrogant landlord at the County Assessor's Office each year. After all, it costs a lot of money to educate our children so poorly.
...our freedom to be victimized by an exploitative economy in which big companies with lots of money spend billions to convince or coerce us into buying products and services we don't need based on false promises or legislative requirements.
...our freedom to elect representatives that don't live by the laws and restrictions they impose on us. Who ever thought of that?
...our freedom to pay for all kinds of things we fundamentally disagree with from war to abortion.
..our freedom to drink and be drunk, so long as the taxes and fees are paid in full (and we don't smoke).
...our freedom to alienate our own hearts by working at that which we hate to get dollars that could never be attained through doing that which we love.
Freedom is, and always has been, about money. At first it was about the dollars we didn't want to pay to an arrogant, unresponsive government. I wonder whether Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and a thousand other patriots that started this thing, and the thousands of veterans who have given their lives in the name of Freedom since, would be proud of us today for what we've let that Freedom become.
People are passionate about values, but they fight over money. When most Americans are drowning in debt, and the government - despite invasive taxes on every level of our economy - only funds 60% of the money it spends, freedom is a distant, hollow concept.
Today we Americans celebrate our freedom...
...our freedom to spend other people's money. After all, this is a democracy, Dammitt!
...our freedom to own property, provided we pay our tithe to the arrogant landlord at the County Assessor's Office each year. After all, it costs a lot of money to educate our children so poorly.
...our freedom to be victimized by an exploitative economy in which big companies with lots of money spend billions to convince or coerce us into buying products and services we don't need based on false promises or legislative requirements.
...our freedom to elect representatives that don't live by the laws and restrictions they impose on us. Who ever thought of that?
...our freedom to pay for all kinds of things we fundamentally disagree with from war to abortion.
..our freedom to drink and be drunk, so long as the taxes and fees are paid in full (and we don't smoke).
...our freedom to alienate our own hearts by working at that which we hate to get dollars that could never be attained through doing that which we love.
Freedom is, and always has been, about money. At first it was about the dollars we didn't want to pay to an arrogant, unresponsive government. I wonder whether Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and a thousand other patriots that started this thing, and the thousands of veterans who have given their lives in the name of Freedom since, would be proud of us today for what we've let that Freedom become.
People are passionate about values, but they fight over money. When most Americans are drowning in debt, and the government - despite invasive taxes on every level of our economy - only funds 60% of the money it spends, freedom is a distant, hollow concept.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Lakes vs. Oceans
"Oceans don't like lakes or people."
Since I'm at the lake this weekend, I thought I'd take the opportunity to relate (document) another conversation with Lake Eufaula some time back.
As I have said, I have good conversations with the lake. Sometimes I think it because we both speak a language that a lot of other people don't relate to. Sometimes I just think I'm a well camouflaged lunatic in human being form. But for whatever reason, the lake and I connect. Once, right after a really fun trip to Hawaii, I was talking with the lake about the ocean.
Try as I might, I just couldn't establish any rapport with the ocean in Hawaii. It seemed arrogant and stand-offish, like I wasn't worth it's time to talk to. I sort of said to the ocean, "Fine. But if my worldview is right, and I am part of God's Plan to build a family, and the whole earth is the paradigm in which that Plan is coming to fruition, then you shouldn't be so arrogant. It seems like you would want to help with and promote that process, thereby fulfilling your own role in the Plan."
I enjoyed the ocean anyway, and did not pass up an opportunity to experience every beach, snorkel in it, ride boats and submarines, etc. If it won't be my friend, it can by my entertainment. I'm good with that. We just didn't talk much.
So I asked the lake what the deal was with the ocean. The lake explained it to me.
Before God separated the waters and made land, the whole world was ocean. This 'land' thing, and all of the crap that happens on land is at best an inconvenience and at worst an outright attack on the oceans' own identity. The ocean would rather not have land, and dreams of a time when a certain wave could circle the whole planet unimpeded by these pesky islands we call continents.
The ocean just doesn't get it. God could just as easily have raised His family and implemented His Plan in the context of the ocean. Land, other than pissing off the ocean, serves no real purpose. Therefore the ocean constantly bombards the land in an effort to remove it, and restore order to its world. The ocean certainly has no respect for land, humans who crawl on it or lakes for that matter.
And I thought of how many people are just like the ocean. Their own energy, their own plans, are all that matter in their worlds. Everything that restricts or interferes with their own image of what life should be is a negative thing, and the thought that anyone else would have a plan (or a Plan) that interferes with their own is repulsive. Maybe I'm even like that now and then.
The result, of course, is that the ocean and people who think this way by definition become unwilling servants to a destiny that is bigger than they are - no matter how big they are.
The next time I have the opportunity to talk to the ocean, I'm going to say "Thank-You" for its unwilling yet competent, beneficial and pleasant service to all of us (people and lakes) that are such an inconvenience.
Since I'm at the lake this weekend, I thought I'd take the opportunity to relate (document) another conversation with Lake Eufaula some time back.
As I have said, I have good conversations with the lake. Sometimes I think it because we both speak a language that a lot of other people don't relate to. Sometimes I just think I'm a well camouflaged lunatic in human being form. But for whatever reason, the lake and I connect. Once, right after a really fun trip to Hawaii, I was talking with the lake about the ocean.
Try as I might, I just couldn't establish any rapport with the ocean in Hawaii. It seemed arrogant and stand-offish, like I wasn't worth it's time to talk to. I sort of said to the ocean, "Fine. But if my worldview is right, and I am part of God's Plan to build a family, and the whole earth is the paradigm in which that Plan is coming to fruition, then you shouldn't be so arrogant. It seems like you would want to help with and promote that process, thereby fulfilling your own role in the Plan."
I enjoyed the ocean anyway, and did not pass up an opportunity to experience every beach, snorkel in it, ride boats and submarines, etc. If it won't be my friend, it can by my entertainment. I'm good with that. We just didn't talk much.
So I asked the lake what the deal was with the ocean. The lake explained it to me.
Before God separated the waters and made land, the whole world was ocean. This 'land' thing, and all of the crap that happens on land is at best an inconvenience and at worst an outright attack on the oceans' own identity. The ocean would rather not have land, and dreams of a time when a certain wave could circle the whole planet unimpeded by these pesky islands we call continents.
The ocean just doesn't get it. God could just as easily have raised His family and implemented His Plan in the context of the ocean. Land, other than pissing off the ocean, serves no real purpose. Therefore the ocean constantly bombards the land in an effort to remove it, and restore order to its world. The ocean certainly has no respect for land, humans who crawl on it or lakes for that matter.
And I thought of how many people are just like the ocean. Their own energy, their own plans, are all that matter in their worlds. Everything that restricts or interferes with their own image of what life should be is a negative thing, and the thought that anyone else would have a plan (or a Plan) that interferes with their own is repulsive. Maybe I'm even like that now and then.
The result, of course, is that the ocean and people who think this way by definition become unwilling servants to a destiny that is bigger than they are - no matter how big they are.
The next time I have the opportunity to talk to the ocean, I'm going to say "Thank-You" for its unwilling yet competent, beneficial and pleasant service to all of us (people and lakes) that are such an inconvenience.
Friday, July 1, 2011
What A Difference A Month Makes
"Thinking a little less, doing a little more."
Believe it or not, it's time to wrap up June and look into the crystal ball at July already. It seems like just a few days ago, I was writing about my find at the Paseo Arts Festival over Memorial Day weekend. Now another month makes the transition from 'is' to 'was'.
In terms of Momentum, my buzzword for the year, June has been a good month. I've been trying to do more, think a little less and engage on purpose the rising momentum in life without screwing it up. June has been an active month, and I'm been reaching out beyond myself. I can't say it's been a really fun month, but I can say I think it has been really necessary. I wish it had been more productive or fruitful, but then July is here. I'm not sure that Momentum has any respect or awareness of when months or years change, and I'm quite sure that Momentum has no respect for human deadlines or impatience. It just continues, and continues to increase. And I'm excited to ride it out and see where it goes.
The month at a glance goes something like this:
I took almost a week off as a work interlude, just to focus on work, get caught up on stuff and get ready for the things I know are coming throughout the rest of the summer.
I decided to try hard to change my circumstances revolving around Friday Nights. This, BTW, has been a great success. I'm having dinner and drinks with three and maybe four people tonight that I don't actually mind hanging out with. If we can get some traction and synergy, I think I just might have the initial stages of a group of gay friends - something I've wanted and needed for a long, long time.
The rest of the month has been oddly unprofound. I've been busy doing stuff that isn't hard or intimidating, but just a lot of normal, ordinary stuff. And although it's been busy, and I'm tired, it's also been strangely refreshing and even rewarding. I don't mind if this trend continues into July. It just seems like June was a really earthy, gritty, roll up my sleeves and do stuff month.
And it's been hot. And it looks like July is starting off that way too. Just Too Damn Hot. But that's OK. After tomorrow, my air conditioner is going to work better or else I may burn down my house for the insurance money. Grrr.
Believe it or not, it's time to wrap up June and look into the crystal ball at July already. It seems like just a few days ago, I was writing about my find at the Paseo Arts Festival over Memorial Day weekend. Now another month makes the transition from 'is' to 'was'.
In terms of Momentum, my buzzword for the year, June has been a good month. I've been trying to do more, think a little less and engage on purpose the rising momentum in life without screwing it up. June has been an active month, and I'm been reaching out beyond myself. I can't say it's been a really fun month, but I can say I think it has been really necessary. I wish it had been more productive or fruitful, but then July is here. I'm not sure that Momentum has any respect or awareness of when months or years change, and I'm quite sure that Momentum has no respect for human deadlines or impatience. It just continues, and continues to increase. And I'm excited to ride it out and see where it goes.
The month at a glance goes something like this:
I took almost a week off as a work interlude, just to focus on work, get caught up on stuff and get ready for the things I know are coming throughout the rest of the summer.
I decided to try hard to change my circumstances revolving around Friday Nights. This, BTW, has been a great success. I'm having dinner and drinks with three and maybe four people tonight that I don't actually mind hanging out with. If we can get some traction and synergy, I think I just might have the initial stages of a group of gay friends - something I've wanted and needed for a long, long time.
The rest of the month has been oddly unprofound. I've been busy doing stuff that isn't hard or intimidating, but just a lot of normal, ordinary stuff. And although it's been busy, and I'm tired, it's also been strangely refreshing and even rewarding. I don't mind if this trend continues into July. It just seems like June was a really earthy, gritty, roll up my sleeves and do stuff month.
And it's been hot. And it looks like July is starting off that way too. Just Too Damn Hot. But that's OK. After tomorrow, my air conditioner is going to work better or else I may burn down my house for the insurance money. Grrr.
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