I have lagged somewhat in my determination to write two weblog essays per week, for the last week or so, because of my fascination with the news of what is happening in the Islamic world and even in our own nation as people are exercising the power of their voice. Also capturing my attention has been what is happening in the world of Nature with earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, and a severe winter. Mankind has always had challenges of every kind and we are now witnessing them with seemingly increased frequency and intensity: protracted economic disequilibrium; seismic upheavals; and major political unrest.
I don’t know what we can do about the challenges of Nature except be as prepared as possible for emergencies. It isn’t that most of us don’t know how to prepare, it’s just that we too often don’t prepare—I guess we just don’t think it will come to our doorstep. I am convinced that it will—that we are witnessing just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. My old Boy Scout training comes to the fore: BE PREPARED! To twist a cinematographic metaphor, ‘It is building; it will come.’
We are also witnessing a geopolitical tipping point that could lead to major changes in the world order—or more disorder, depending upon the leadership that arises. Great changes could occur, or even more frustration, disenchantment, and human misery.
History teaches us that political government seems to oscillate between various degrees of tyranny and anarchy. Tyranny, the way of the despot or strongman, will eventually and inevitably be challenged by those who will sacrifice all for freedom and the hope for a better way of life. The process of the challenge often takes the form of revolt, mob uprisings and protests, that either depose the current regime or fail and have even more misery imposed upon them from the top. Even if the revolution is successful, the chance of a new tyrant is very possible. With either tyranny or anarchy, the individual loses control over the direction of his own life; at least the brave and noble have put up the good fight. But it doesn’t end with the fight. A rebuilding must occur—and it better be built upon a sound foundation.
What freedom fighters need to know is that individual freedom and social order and prosperity do not automatically go hand-in-hand. Every young adult is brought up short with that reality. The wise will look to the past—what has worked, what made a successful government good, what eroded it if it fell, what were the moral and philosophical underpinnings, what was its organization and structure, what was required of the people themselves.
The discontented need more than a hope or even a voice—they need a vision.
We all do.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Presidents' Day
I cannot think of any job more difficult or demanding than that of being President of the United States of America.
To honor our presidents we have established President’s Day. Specifically the holiday was to honor our first president, George Washington, but it then included Abraham Lincoln who was also born in February. Now it seems, in the minds of some, to include all 43 men who have served in that capacity.
In recent years I have read full biographies of a number of our former presidents, and partial biographies of several others, but no president has impressed me or influenced me more than our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln (no surprise to any regular reader of Omnium –Gatherum).
To pay our respect to this great man or to learn why I think Mr. Lincoln is so deserving of our honor I would direct the reader go to Abraham Lincoln Online.org for his speeches and writings. Certainly George Washington is also worthy of our highest respect as are a number of others who rose to the occasion when circumstances demanded it.
None of our greatest leaders, however, claimed to perform their great work on the strength of their own ability.
Abraham Lincoln:
“Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
Farewell Address on February 11, 1861 (CWAL IV:190)
To honor our presidents we have established President’s Day. Specifically the holiday was to honor our first president, George Washington, but it then included Abraham Lincoln who was also born in February. Now it seems, in the minds of some, to include all 43 men who have served in that capacity.
In recent years I have read full biographies of a number of our former presidents, and partial biographies of several others, but no president has impressed me or influenced me more than our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln (no surprise to any regular reader of Omnium –Gatherum).
To pay our respect to this great man or to learn why I think Mr. Lincoln is so deserving of our honor I would direct the reader go to Abraham Lincoln Online.org for his speeches and writings. Certainly George Washington is also worthy of our highest respect as are a number of others who rose to the occasion when circumstances demanded it.
None of our greatest leaders, however, claimed to perform their great work on the strength of their own ability.
Abraham Lincoln:
“Trusting in Him, who can go with me, and remain with you and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
Farewell Address on February 11, 1861 (CWAL IV:190)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Mexican Border Drug Wars
Every time I turn on the news and hear of the continuing atrocities occurring at the border of the United States and Mexico, and of shootings committed for similar reasons in a city near where I live, I become incensed. The legal system and law enforcement officials in both countries simply must find some way to curtail the callused devaluing of life by the shooters and their captains. I have no sympathy for the participants of the contesting gangs—they do not deserve to live—but I have gained all sympathy for the innocent victims and their families and the law enforcement personnel who find themselves in harm’s way. We must find some way to help and protect these people.
But I recognize, as well, the culpability of American citizens or people on our side of the border. I am ashamed of the people in our country who are the market for the drug traffic that these wars are being fought over. To satisfy their addictions or habits or pleasures they continue to buy illegal drugs that come across our borders. In a slightly detached way they are therefore as guilty as the shooters for if there was no market there would be no wars for distribution ‘rights.’ Although we rarely talk about it anymore, drug use is just as big a blight on our culture as it ever was. And the penalties for those who are pushers or users should be as great or greater than ever.
If every druggie or user in our land would think before they made their purchase that their indulgence may have just caused the death or agony or permanent handicap or disfigurement of an innocent boy or girl or father or mother, and ask themselves, Is this ‘hit’ worth it?, perhaps this barbarity would end.
But I recognize, as well, the culpability of American citizens or people on our side of the border. I am ashamed of the people in our country who are the market for the drug traffic that these wars are being fought over. To satisfy their addictions or habits or pleasures they continue to buy illegal drugs that come across our borders. In a slightly detached way they are therefore as guilty as the shooters for if there was no market there would be no wars for distribution ‘rights.’ Although we rarely talk about it anymore, drug use is just as big a blight on our culture as it ever was. And the penalties for those who are pushers or users should be as great or greater than ever.
If every druggie or user in our land would think before they made their purchase that their indulgence may have just caused the death or agony or permanent handicap or disfigurement of an innocent boy or girl or father or mother, and ask themselves, Is this ‘hit’ worth it?, perhaps this barbarity would end.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Voice
“…Giving a voice to the forest, giving a voice to the dawn, giving a voice to the wilderness in the land that he lived on.” John Denver from song ‘Wild Montana Skies.’
I don’t know how it will turn out, for it could turn out badly, but I am glad to see the people protesting and demanding to have a voice in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. I wish the phenomenon that we observe it nature whereby ‘the cream or tide always rises’ would hold true in the tide of human affairs; that the opportunity for a life-and-freedom-affirming leader would arise from the ashes of a downtrodden people. The vacuum has been created by the misfeasance of previous ‘leaders’ and the need is great, but who will step up? Whoever it is, it must be a person of vision and one who respects the sanctity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Stephen R. covey in 2004 published his ‘The 8th Habit,’ building on his hugely successful ‘The 7 habits of Highly Effective People.’ It explains and develops this concept of ‘voice.’ ‘Voice,’ he says, is the nexus of need, passion, talent, and conscience. When it comes together to make a significant contribution to serve the good, hope and opportunity enters the life of a people. Or, a person.
Each of us, as well as the society in which we find ourselves, needs to have a world-view or paradigm that is life-affirming that can be a guide to our future. Then, if we have such a paradigm, we need to give voice to our own thoughts and beliefs so that we can let that voice be heard and be effective.
And so I applaud the courage and voice of the protestors and pray that they can encourage and choose a person of vision to lead them in the days ahead.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish….” (Proverbs 29:18)
As I think about it, a prophet could do that for a person, or a people, or the world, but who would give credence to such a thought? Revolutionary!
I don’t know how it will turn out, for it could turn out badly, but I am glad to see the people protesting and demanding to have a voice in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. I wish the phenomenon that we observe it nature whereby ‘the cream or tide always rises’ would hold true in the tide of human affairs; that the opportunity for a life-and-freedom-affirming leader would arise from the ashes of a downtrodden people. The vacuum has been created by the misfeasance of previous ‘leaders’ and the need is great, but who will step up? Whoever it is, it must be a person of vision and one who respects the sanctity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Stephen R. covey in 2004 published his ‘The 8th Habit,’ building on his hugely successful ‘The 7 habits of Highly Effective People.’ It explains and develops this concept of ‘voice.’ ‘Voice,’ he says, is the nexus of need, passion, talent, and conscience. When it comes together to make a significant contribution to serve the good, hope and opportunity enters the life of a people. Or, a person.
Each of us, as well as the society in which we find ourselves, needs to have a world-view or paradigm that is life-affirming that can be a guide to our future. Then, if we have such a paradigm, we need to give voice to our own thoughts and beliefs so that we can let that voice be heard and be effective.
And so I applaud the courage and voice of the protestors and pray that they can encourage and choose a person of vision to lead them in the days ahead.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish….” (Proverbs 29:18)
As I think about it, a prophet could do that for a person, or a people, or the world, but who would give credence to such a thought? Revolutionary!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Direction for the Day
I think there are essentially two ways to start our day. We can just get up and let the day happen to us, or we can get up and see if we can get some direction as to what would help us have a good day. For me, a good day is a productive day—one that at the end of which I can retire tired and at peace.
Regarding the first approach, my mind goes back to an attitude I heard expressed often in my young adulthood; it has a number of variations: ‘hang loose;’ ‘go with the flow;’ ‘take it easy,’ etc. A song from the ‘70’s sung by Otis Redding expresses it well: “Sittin' on the dock of the bay—wasting time.” You get the drift. The problem with this approach is captured in a rather visual symbol that has stuck with me: ‘Only a dead fish goes with the flow (or faces down stream).’
The religious expression of this first approach is stated thus: “There shall be many which shall say: ‘Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us…God…will justify [us] in committing a little sin…there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.” It appears that many hope this will be the case. Well, I am convinced that they will so hope in vain.
Conversely, I am persuaded by the other basic approach for a successful start to one’s day: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Other one-liners from my faith give some always-to-be-remembered advice:
--Things that matter most must not be at the expense of the things that matter least.
--Don’t get caught up in the thick of thin things.
--Men are free…knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.
--Wo unto him that…wasteth the days of his probation.
I end with this related thought from C. S. Lewis: “The real problem…comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back, in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in—and so on, all day.”
Have a good day.
Regarding the first approach, my mind goes back to an attitude I heard expressed often in my young adulthood; it has a number of variations: ‘hang loose;’ ‘go with the flow;’ ‘take it easy,’ etc. A song from the ‘70’s sung by Otis Redding expresses it well: “Sittin' on the dock of the bay—wasting time.” You get the drift. The problem with this approach is captured in a rather visual symbol that has stuck with me: ‘Only a dead fish goes with the flow (or faces down stream).’
The religious expression of this first approach is stated thus: “There shall be many which shall say: ‘Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us…God…will justify [us] in committing a little sin…there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.” It appears that many hope this will be the case. Well, I am convinced that they will so hope in vain.
Conversely, I am persuaded by the other basic approach for a successful start to one’s day: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Other one-liners from my faith give some always-to-be-remembered advice:
--Things that matter most must not be at the expense of the things that matter least.
--Don’t get caught up in the thick of thin things.
--Men are free…knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.
--Wo unto him that…wasteth the days of his probation.
I end with this related thought from C. S. Lewis: “The real problem…comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back, in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in—and so on, all day.”
Have a good day.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Words Fitly Spoken
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11)
“A word spoken in due season, how good it is.” (Proverbs 15:23)
One does not have to be a religious person to appreciate the truth of the above scriptures regarding the power and influence of the words we read, say and hear. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, categorized by the Jews as Wisdom literature, contains many such words—good, wise, timely, and yes, ‘proverbial.’ Written to the young, they are also instructional for the old. I read them often.
I remember from my playground days at Del Monte School in Monterey the chant, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But even a 4th grader knows that that is not true. What is true is, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can break my heart.” Many, unfortunately, know the truth of that. Fortunately, though, many also know that words can heal the heart, instruct the mind, and give direction to the feet.
Conversely, though some words should never be said or printed others should be frequently said. Recognizing this clear back in 1896 the New York Times started printing in its masthead logo its motto, “All the news that’s fit to print.” There is good news as well as unprintable or unspeakable words that can never be ‘fitly spoken.’ Sometimes the Times, like all of us, forget the kernel of truth that their mottos suggests.
One of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln, has been called “a literary artist.” In his early years he was brought up on the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, and some legal texts. “He studied how poets—his favorites were Burns, Byron, and Shakespeare—and orators expressed themselves, noting the way they turned a phrase and used a figure of speech admiring great truths greatly told.” Had he been born later he might have studied the words of Winston Churchill (Churchill probably studied him). Neal Maxwell, another great wordmaster, said that Sir Winston’s political strength wasn’t in his courage or bravery but in “his remarkable mastery of the language. As he used it, the English tongue was a weapon and a benediction.” (Bruce C. Hafen, A Disciple’s Life: The biography of Neal A. Maxwell, p. 527) Lincoln’s words were a moral compass for his own and subsequent generations.
My purpose in writing these weblog essays is to use the written word and to encourage familiarity with the living Word as did the ancient prophet Alma: for the “word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them.” (Alma 31:5)
Words fitly spoken or written can indeed heal and enlarge the soul of all who have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to understand.
“A word spoken in due season, how good it is.” (Proverbs 15:23)
One does not have to be a religious person to appreciate the truth of the above scriptures regarding the power and influence of the words we read, say and hear. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, categorized by the Jews as Wisdom literature, contains many such words—good, wise, timely, and yes, ‘proverbial.’ Written to the young, they are also instructional for the old. I read them often.
I remember from my playground days at Del Monte School in Monterey the chant, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But even a 4th grader knows that that is not true. What is true is, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can break my heart.” Many, unfortunately, know the truth of that. Fortunately, though, many also know that words can heal the heart, instruct the mind, and give direction to the feet.
Conversely, though some words should never be said or printed others should be frequently said. Recognizing this clear back in 1896 the New York Times started printing in its masthead logo its motto, “All the news that’s fit to print.” There is good news as well as unprintable or unspeakable words that can never be ‘fitly spoken.’ Sometimes the Times, like all of us, forget the kernel of truth that their mottos suggests.
One of my heroes, Abraham Lincoln, has been called “a literary artist.” In his early years he was brought up on the Bible, Aesop’s Fables, and some legal texts. “He studied how poets—his favorites were Burns, Byron, and Shakespeare—and orators expressed themselves, noting the way they turned a phrase and used a figure of speech admiring great truths greatly told.” Had he been born later he might have studied the words of Winston Churchill (Churchill probably studied him). Neal Maxwell, another great wordmaster, said that Sir Winston’s political strength wasn’t in his courage or bravery but in “his remarkable mastery of the language. As he used it, the English tongue was a weapon and a benediction.” (Bruce C. Hafen, A Disciple’s Life: The biography of Neal A. Maxwell, p. 527) Lincoln’s words were a moral compass for his own and subsequent generations.
My purpose in writing these weblog essays is to use the written word and to encourage familiarity with the living Word as did the ancient prophet Alma: for the “word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them.” (Alma 31:5)
Words fitly spoken or written can indeed heal and enlarge the soul of all who have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to understand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)