Today is the last day of 2009- actually, it's already 2010 in several countries around the world. I have a dream. A dream for everyone: that tomorrow would dawn with a new awakening of truth.
Last night, Sean Hannity held a forum on Fox News with several survivors of the victims of 9-11-01. One of them stated that he was angry with the President because he felt that he had aided and abetted the enemy by schmoozing with countries that obviously hated us. When Sean asked the other if they agreed, every one of them with only one exception raised their hands. It was a scenario that sent shivers up my spine.
The Civil War in America was fought, not just over slavery - did you know that? It was fought also because of some disparities of economics between the North and the South. A vicious division had taken place in the country. Slavery was one central issue, but economics was another. The division and polarization was fed by politicians and others until it became impossible to reconcile-- and it ended in war. A costly war that destroyed familes, cities, and left a nation reeling for years.
The polarization I see in America today is frightening.One side wants socialism, marxism, communism to "fix" the problems in America-- I've been to those countries during the cold war, and saw the same disparity between economic classes that led to the civil war. I also saw no environmental cleanliness, no "redistribution of wealth", no utopia of any sort. In fact, the fat cats kept their power and their money and "redistributed" it into their own pockets. The air was foul, the country was filthy, and the people had no hope. But our leadership doesn't seem to have any knowledge of those failures.
The other side has become hard and as entrenched as the left. The anger is deep and immovable in right side politicians. Please, my friends, remember that there are real people involved in the issues. It's not a generic ideology -- it's about the real people of America.
And the American people are becoming angry as well! They are not being heard, they are being targeted for their beliefs and opinions, and their elected officials by and large ignore them. This is a recipe for a drastic division -- and it could lead to a catastrophe. From Tea Parties to higher taxes, America is in trouble, and not just from terrorists. It has turned on itself.
If I have a hope for 2010, it's that by some Divine Intervention, people will start to work towards a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. A government that acknowledges that its Judeo-Christian roots are what gave us the absolute best nation in the world to live in. That we will stop pointing fingers at one another and start fighting the right enemy. That we will stop beating on people who have fallen, and help them back up. We aren't cannibals, but we act like cannibals. Whether or not the climate is changing in irrelevant- our stewardship of the environment must be balanced, not headlong stupid into actions which have destructive consequences.
May 2010 be a year of truth- and may our response to truth be productive, filled with compassion for others, and rife with wisdom.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The World We Create
Have you noticed that the world is largley less fun than it used to be? Not just because money is tight, either. People have lost their sense of humor. You can't laugh with anyone anymore, let alone laugh at yourself without being labelled as some hate-monger. What kind of world do you want to live in? It's largely up to you!
When I was a kid, my mother specifically told me to laugh when I fell down, even if I had to do it through the pain. It took some practice, but eventually I grew to see humor in just about anything regarding a mess up.
Example: Once I was riding with my horse 4-H instructor. As we cantered around a section of the field, my saddle slipped sideways and I landed on my butt on the ground. Now I had friends who were seriously injured in scenarios like that. But me? I sat on the hay field and howled with laughter in spite of the bruises I knew would show later. My instructor, as horrified as she was, started laughing too. She helped me back up on "Old Red" and we galloped back to the barn. The laughter kept both of us from freaking out.
Example: Once during some renovations in our office, one of the painters decided to climb on a rickety ladder to paint the ceiling. Probably not a good choice on his part, as the minute he got to the top rung of the ladder, he slipped and fell to the concrete floor. And the paint sprayed everywhere. I thought it was a nice abstract art touch to the room, and laughed myself silly while checking to see if he was ok. He stared incredulously at me for a moment, but cracked a smile...then a full belly laugh came out. Suddenly everyone in the whole room was laughing. He was bruised and probably re-adjusted his spine some, but came out ok. Laughter does that, you know, it's like a medicine.
Our nation today is so tense that people are afraid to laugh. We can't laugh at Muslims because they'll throw a fit and try to kill us. We can't laugh at Christians because if we do we're just like the Muslims. If we laugh at our leaders, we are home-grown militia or something worse. We can't take a joke on ourselves, we're simply too tense. So we've allowed serial killers, terrorists, gang-bangers, and other assorted losers the way to our hearts-- through fear.
Worry will kill us in America. Fear will destroy us far quicker than nuclear holocaust or economic collapse. Everyone's so worried about the polar bears and whales, we've forgotten that we're the most endangered species of all. Our very personalities are being altered by those who speak fearful things to us and try to drown our joy in horrors. We have created a world of worry and anxiety.
So listen up, America! Stop being intimidated by people with no sense of humor! Find your joy and hang on to it with all your might. Grab some faith, people and stop falling into the hopeless darkness around you. Personally, I'm glad that the One True Living God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) will take care of the polar bears and the rest of us with faith. The rest of you, I'm thinking it's time to dump the negative routine and find the joy of the Lord.
When I was a kid, my mother specifically told me to laugh when I fell down, even if I had to do it through the pain. It took some practice, but eventually I grew to see humor in just about anything regarding a mess up.
Example: Once I was riding with my horse 4-H instructor. As we cantered around a section of the field, my saddle slipped sideways and I landed on my butt on the ground. Now I had friends who were seriously injured in scenarios like that. But me? I sat on the hay field and howled with laughter in spite of the bruises I knew would show later. My instructor, as horrified as she was, started laughing too. She helped me back up on "Old Red" and we galloped back to the barn. The laughter kept both of us from freaking out.
Example: Once during some renovations in our office, one of the painters decided to climb on a rickety ladder to paint the ceiling. Probably not a good choice on his part, as the minute he got to the top rung of the ladder, he slipped and fell to the concrete floor. And the paint sprayed everywhere. I thought it was a nice abstract art touch to the room, and laughed myself silly while checking to see if he was ok. He stared incredulously at me for a moment, but cracked a smile...then a full belly laugh came out. Suddenly everyone in the whole room was laughing. He was bruised and probably re-adjusted his spine some, but came out ok. Laughter does that, you know, it's like a medicine.
Our nation today is so tense that people are afraid to laugh. We can't laugh at Muslims because they'll throw a fit and try to kill us. We can't laugh at Christians because if we do we're just like the Muslims. If we laugh at our leaders, we are home-grown militia or something worse. We can't take a joke on ourselves, we're simply too tense. So we've allowed serial killers, terrorists, gang-bangers, and other assorted losers the way to our hearts-- through fear.
Worry will kill us in America. Fear will destroy us far quicker than nuclear holocaust or economic collapse. Everyone's so worried about the polar bears and whales, we've forgotten that we're the most endangered species of all. Our very personalities are being altered by those who speak fearful things to us and try to drown our joy in horrors. We have created a world of worry and anxiety.
So listen up, America! Stop being intimidated by people with no sense of humor! Find your joy and hang on to it with all your might. Grab some faith, people and stop falling into the hopeless darkness around you. Personally, I'm glad that the One True Living God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) will take care of the polar bears and the rest of us with faith. The rest of you, I'm thinking it's time to dump the negative routine and find the joy of the Lord.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
True Leadership
Lately I've noticed that our President has been the victim of a lack of respect in his speeches. People don't just yell "Liar" at him, they murmer, grumble, and try to shout him down at times. When I was a kid, if I had backtalked a teacher or adult like that, I'd have gotten a slap across my mouth. (I dimly remember my brother once washing my mouth out with soap for one of those faux pas moments, too. Nasty stuff, that green soap).
We don't have to agree with where our President is taking the nation, nor do we have to kowtow to pressure to follow his leadership. But we should pay the office the respect it is due, regardless of how angry he may make us. Shouting him down, yelling words of cursing toward him does not fix the situation, it simply backs him into defense mode and makes things worse. So stop it, everyone. You're feeding the problem instead of fixing it.
As for our President's part, may he take heed to these words of advice: a true leader should command respect by his or her very nature. A true leader never has to resort to intimidation, pressure, lies, deception, corruption, or other nefarious means to obtain the respect he or she is due. Leadership is about the natural ability to create trust -- and that comes from a clean heart that truly contains compassion rather than ambition. Ambition, power lust, greed, and an arrogant spirit require force to bring about respect. But a true leader needs none of those things to show himself or herself a leader: their very presence creates an atmosphere of peace and hope.
I once had a dear friend, now deceased, who instantly commanded respect. He walked into a room and everyone felt safe. They all felt loved and protected and hopeful, just by his very presence. His name was Archbishop Unuigbo of Nigeria. He even made strangers feel like he was their best friend. He honored and respected everyone in his path. His anger was aroused only against those who would do others harm, and if the situation arose, get out of his way because those people were toast. No one would ever have thought of heckling him during a speech, or getting his face to speak ill of him. He wasn't very tall, but he was a true leader. One day, he and his family died in a tragic car crash. I will never forget his gift of leadership, his open heart, his compassion for others.
All of us have natural giftings- if we are true leaders we will cultivate those qualities which bring about the best for those for which we are responsible . The Bible teaches that to be great, you need to be a servant. One can only hope that one day Mr Obama will understand that bulldozing his programs through Congress, or apologizing his way through the nations is not the mark of a true leader. And then perhaps, the hecklers, the naysayers, the anger will die down enough to bring about healing in our nation.
We don't have to agree with where our President is taking the nation, nor do we have to kowtow to pressure to follow his leadership. But we should pay the office the respect it is due, regardless of how angry he may make us. Shouting him down, yelling words of cursing toward him does not fix the situation, it simply backs him into defense mode and makes things worse. So stop it, everyone. You're feeding the problem instead of fixing it.
As for our President's part, may he take heed to these words of advice: a true leader should command respect by his or her very nature. A true leader never has to resort to intimidation, pressure, lies, deception, corruption, or other nefarious means to obtain the respect he or she is due. Leadership is about the natural ability to create trust -- and that comes from a clean heart that truly contains compassion rather than ambition. Ambition, power lust, greed, and an arrogant spirit require force to bring about respect. But a true leader needs none of those things to show himself or herself a leader: their very presence creates an atmosphere of peace and hope.
I once had a dear friend, now deceased, who instantly commanded respect. He walked into a room and everyone felt safe. They all felt loved and protected and hopeful, just by his very presence. His name was Archbishop Unuigbo of Nigeria. He even made strangers feel like he was their best friend. He honored and respected everyone in his path. His anger was aroused only against those who would do others harm, and if the situation arose, get out of his way because those people were toast. No one would ever have thought of heckling him during a speech, or getting his face to speak ill of him. He wasn't very tall, but he was a true leader. One day, he and his family died in a tragic car crash. I will never forget his gift of leadership, his open heart, his compassion for others.
All of us have natural giftings- if we are true leaders we will cultivate those qualities which bring about the best for those for which we are responsible . The Bible teaches that to be great, you need to be a servant. One can only hope that one day Mr Obama will understand that bulldozing his programs through Congress, or apologizing his way through the nations is not the mark of a true leader. And then perhaps, the hecklers, the naysayers, the anger will die down enough to bring about healing in our nation.
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