Fear is planned. Did you know that? Not so much by people, but by forces unseen. When major disasters like the one in Japan occur, fear spreads through the atmosphere like radioactive fallout. Only it travels farther than any man-made danger. And it is hoped by those unseen forces that we will all react badly and panic.
Example: When scientists and the media started the panic over H1N1 virus, people over-reacted in droves. Normally sane folks began to freak out about ordinary tasks like going to the grocery store. And eventually the scientific community had to acknowledge that thte threat wasn't as over powering as they had thought initially.
Here's the basic fact: if you are having anxiety over what "might happen" you are wasting your blood pressure. Living in preparedness for anything requires plain old faith in God, not worry and fear. Fear breeds freak outs. Fear breeds bad decisions. Fear breeds a heart attack waiting to happen and a toxin dump straight to your blood cells. Fear messes with the ability to think straight. It causes people to freeze up in an emergency and do all the wrong things. Best to avoid fear, don't you think?
With the scientist claiming a major quake Cascadia this coming weekend, the threat of nuclear meltdown in Japan, the advice I give today is to pull back from fear and grow some faith muscles.It's a much healthier plan!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Middle East
Since I haven't weighed in on any of the latest political junk, I decided it was time to pontificate.
Middle East uprisings:
While I know many people in Egypt are happy that Mubarek is gone,I have noted that some news reports still show that the army is pursuing Christians to imprison,kill, or harrass them. There is still repression in Egypt, even with the earthly strongman bound.
Even if Gadhafi gets his come-uppance (and I really hope he does), Libya's history will still come back to haunt its people. Why? Because years of repression and evil do not go away in a day. The longer a nation lives steeped in hatred and other problems, the longer it takes to bring freedom.
Russia is a case in point. Technically they became a "free" nation when Mr. Gorbachev and Mr Yeltsin changed everything. But centuries of repressive government have remained unchanged in many areas. And Mr. Putin's KGB background didn't help matters. Their brand of "democracy" is significantly skewed from our own. Mr Medvedev inherited quite a lot of "stuff" that he was not likely to change.
It will be like that in the Middle East, no matter how these uprisings shake out in the end. The MB's and other jihadists of the region will not let go of their power easily- and therein lies the problem. When chaos rules, evil steps in. The rule of law that we enjoy in America is not what they are used to- and it could flip quickly back to severe and unyielding Sharia.
I once had an argument with a lady who said she wished that we would have laws like the Middle East- so that drunks and child molesters would have their hands cut off or beheaded for their crimes. I asked her what if her own son were arrested and had his hands cut off, would she be so legalistic then? Our legal system may let some bad guys go, but it is set up from a perspective of mercy -- something few other nations have a grasp of.
My heart yearns for the best in the Middle East. It is the birthplace of civilization as we know it. But it took the life of Christ to switch off the inherent barbaric practices for the generations behind Him. Without His Presence and influence today, the Middle East will not have true hope for the future.
Middle East uprisings:
While I know many people in Egypt are happy that Mubarek is gone,I have noted that some news reports still show that the army is pursuing Christians to imprison,kill, or harrass them. There is still repression in Egypt, even with the earthly strongman bound.
Even if Gadhafi gets his come-uppance (and I really hope he does), Libya's history will still come back to haunt its people. Why? Because years of repression and evil do not go away in a day. The longer a nation lives steeped in hatred and other problems, the longer it takes to bring freedom.
Russia is a case in point. Technically they became a "free" nation when Mr. Gorbachev and Mr Yeltsin changed everything. But centuries of repressive government have remained unchanged in many areas. And Mr. Putin's KGB background didn't help matters. Their brand of "democracy" is significantly skewed from our own. Mr Medvedev inherited quite a lot of "stuff" that he was not likely to change.
It will be like that in the Middle East, no matter how these uprisings shake out in the end. The MB's and other jihadists of the region will not let go of their power easily- and therein lies the problem. When chaos rules, evil steps in. The rule of law that we enjoy in America is not what they are used to- and it could flip quickly back to severe and unyielding Sharia.
I once had an argument with a lady who said she wished that we would have laws like the Middle East- so that drunks and child molesters would have their hands cut off or beheaded for their crimes. I asked her what if her own son were arrested and had his hands cut off, would she be so legalistic then? Our legal system may let some bad guys go, but it is set up from a perspective of mercy -- something few other nations have a grasp of.
My heart yearns for the best in the Middle East. It is the birthplace of civilization as we know it. But it took the life of Christ to switch off the inherent barbaric practices for the generations behind Him. Without His Presence and influence today, the Middle East will not have true hope for the future.
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