"IGNORANCE IS NOT A VIRTUE"

Read President Obama’s speech to Rutgers University. Mr. Obama quoted by CBS news: “Let me be as clear as I can be; in politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real or telling it like it is.  That’s not challenging political correctness. That’s just not knowing what you’re talking about. And yet we’ve become confused about this.” He continued to declare his opinion on most conservative issues. Is this wisdom? His liberal speeches reduce conservative values to IGNORANCE. He’s referring to the generation who gave him life, paid taxes to make life good for him, and many of them supported the views that placed him in the oval office.

 I don’t say much about such things, but this makes me angry.  I’m NOT IGNORANT because I disagree with some of his views. I disagree with views of many other politicians, both liberal and conservative. I may not be as well-educated as he is, but degrees from a university do not make one wise; experiencing life and making use of factual knowledge brings wisdom.  Thank God for the freedom to speak my ignorant views. I know the President will never hear or care what I believe, but I pray for the heroes who will stand up and be heard.  Where are they?

For what it’s worth – this is my ignorant view, Mr. President.

Why are we so amazed at the increase of crime in our midst? Why do we wrestle with disrespect for authority?  There are answers. The antidote for the disease infecting our nation is readily available.  In a world where chaos exists and no one desires to administer the cure for such depravity, the disease will continue to destroy.

Why do smart, well-educated people fail to comprehend the fact that the home is undermined, the community is depraved with greed, corrupt leaders,  disrespect for authority, and unbridled immorality. The children of such behavior will certainly mature into undisciplined adults? We despair about crime and the loss of law enforcement control. Politicians argue about band aids to place on the serious wounds of our nation. Demonstrations interrupt organized events and merely bring attention to an issue; they do not provide solutions.

How many voices must be heard and soldiers must die before we recognize the source of the infection that plagues our lives, not just in our country, but all over the world? Why are we called ignorant and unreasonable when we search history for answer and rely on Godly guidance? Children of an earlier time respected adults, were sensitive to the needs of others, willing to submit to authority of teachers, the law, and their parents. Could it be the liberal doctrine infiltrating our homes is hawking a complete lack of discipline and moral principles?

Many insist that the PROBLEM is gangs in the streets, availability of guns, drug misuse, poverty, and other social ills.  The PROBLEM, the reason these social ills rose up in the first place, is how to motivate a generation of leaders who should remember a better day, but refuse to stand for the action that could bring a new day? Could it be their quest for greater power? Our leaders should encourage parents to take charge of the home nourishing the children, caring for them, knowing where they go, who are their friends, how they spend their time, showing them the love they crave, and preparing them for inclusion in the adult world. Government interference in our spiritual lives and the sovereignty of the home will continue to lead the nation to deteriorate and fall into chaos. Social decay did not occur overnight and reforms appear to be elusive.  Government can not legislate morality; neither should it encourage immorality in the name of freedom. 

Twenty cities with increased crime rates! Could these be the same cities declared sanctuary cities with the ultra-liberal agenda bent on protecting every form of evil that exists in the world?  We cannot blame all our ills on those who migrate to our country, illegally or lawfully. Again, leaders, for various reasons, are unwilling to take action because it undermines their power. Anyone who isn’t aware that money and power talk is burying his head in the sand.  Take away the power and the assets, and reason will return.

The powerful have managed to remove Godliness from our schools, governing institutions, educational system, and our homes. They have intimidated us by suggesting prejudices, hate, and religion are the sources of America’s ills. I submit the source of our ills is the rhetoric embedded by the powerful, who are the prime initiators of prejudice. The liberal unspoken mission is to promote prejudice and facilitate poverty to infect the population and keep it subjugated to the powerful. Thus we have the movement toward socialism.

We certainly have dark hours in our history, but none compares to the loss of integrity, discipline, and confidence found in our population today.  With Godly contentment and motivation in our lives instead of rationalism, prayer instead of meditation and yoga, Christian principles instead of the humanism spewed into our education institutions, and kindness and compassion for our fellow man, we could rise again as a nation of freedom’s example to the world, instead of a splintered, wicked, weak has-been. Certainly, it may be necessary to carry a big stick, while we speak softly.

Freedom of expression has digressed into self-willed, uncontrolled behavior.   Religion has lost influence and integrity.  Humanism has gained the respect and worship of our youth. No boundaries, no ideals, no respect for authority, no patriotism, no America.  Our country is missing, buried in the slime of wickedness. God will bring our country to its knees.

We are ruled (nationally and internationally)by those who profess to be challenging the injustice, while in truth they are seeking to undermine our ideals so they can achieve the ultimate power.  To do this they must subjugate the masses by taking away the freedom to think independently, keep poverty alive and well, control the health care system, infiltrate the educational system with ultra-liberal rhetoric, feed immorality with laws hawking equality, keep the borders open and insecure, decrease the military, remove guns from the population, continue to allow infrastructure to deteriorate, and place puppet leaders in power who will be obedient to the ultra-powerful. Shall we say, welcome to the United NANNY States of America where we are beholden to the global leaders who wait like vultures to reduce our lives to a form of slavery.

Actually, I agree with you, Mr. President. Ignorance is not a virtue. So, to my fellow citizens, I say, “Arm yourselves with the knowledge of history and current events, use your common sense, ask God for guidance, and stand up to be heard. Vote your well-educated, carefully examined views!

LIFE IS A STAGE!

Many years ago when I was a child and radio and the backyard were the only means of entertainment, I loved Saturday morning radio shows.  On most all Saturdays, I rushed to complete my weekly chores so I could snuggle up on the floor by the radio at 10:30 when the fun began. 

Several thirty minute shows streamed together beginning with, Let’s Pretend, an enactment of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Inner Sanctum, a really gruesome, scary story, Lassie, a brave dog story, and the series ended at noon with my favorite, Grand Central Station. As is common in my December of life existence, sleep alludes me on many occasions. And memories from the past flow through those quiet sleepless hours. 

This morning the strains of music that introduced Grand Central Station tumbled through my mind with the voice of the host setting the scene.  “Grand Central Station in the heart of New York, a stage on which a thousand dramas a day are played out as people live them.”  And of course, the thirty minute story always had some connection with passing through the huge train station that still serves New York City today.

As I thought about the old radio show, other scenarios slipped into my mind as well.  How many dramas touch our lives every day? I thought of an incident I heard of at church services. A young woman and her 24-year- old son left on a cruise to celebrate his graduation from college. With no warning, she suffered a massive heart attack turning a wonderful trip into a nightmare for the young man.  He watched as they air-lifted her back to port and he could not go with her.  Later, the cruise ship returned to port. The son arrived at the hospital a few hours before his mother passed into eternity.  A sad story!

As a writer, I hear others stress about writer’s block, and I think, with the world as a stage filled with incidents and events to be recorded, time and energy are the only restrictions to block the pen. Hospitals, the stage where hundreds of dramas play out every day.  Some are sad, others are joyful.  Airports, where people of all nations interact in hundreds of incidents. The magical world of a child – sit with a group in day care center and listen to the stories, sweet stories, as told from the mind of a child. Rest in the common area of a city mall and watch the people, listen to their comments, drama on every bench.

 The doctor’s waiting room is filled with drama, patients anxious to discuss with anyone who will listen, the pain or miraculous events being staged in their lives.  The soccer field, the football stadium, the teacher’s classroom, the dinner table with your family, the fellowship dinner at church, the news room of your favorite television channel. Who doesn’t love the stories of returning military personnel surprising their families in situations that bring tears to your eyes?  All stories have merit and appeal for readers; stories of people, places, and events being performed on that world stage stretching before us.  So many exciting, joyful, sad, awesome accounts of human behavior begging to be shared with others. Who can forget the bus stop with Forrest Gump, a movie a few years ago?

Writer’s block – someone said the definition is “when the writer’s imaginary friends stop talking to him.” Cute, but don’t let it happen, writer. Stay alert, observe everything, nature, life around you, children, the elderly, the wonders of youth and young love, current events, the beauty of the sunrise just outside your window today, or on occasion, the sadness that also needs to be remembered and recorded. 

A passionate writer recognizes the endless presence of life events reaching out to be penned. He experiences the event as he pens the joy, sadness, intrigue, love, pain, anxiety, or adventure playing on that stage as in that radio series, Grand Central Station -  a thousand dramas a day on the stage of life.

HITCHED TO A WANDERING STAR

Memories flow through my mind as brief scenes observed while surfing the channels on the television, or as an incomplete and disconnected dream that starts in the middle and ends without resolution.  With concentrated effort, the memories flow into the story of a life hitched to a wandering star.

As the popular song from the musical, Paint Your Wagon, suggested some souls are born under a wandering star.  My earliest relationship with my future husband, an example of that star, did arouse questions of wander lust, but when one is young and blinded by the stars in her eyes, realistic thinking is elusive.  The son of a transient father (Journeyman Lead Burner, a rare trade with high demand), who traveled the country in worker caravans during the WWll era, he experienced a childhood that pictured permanence as boring and unattractive; a life style that promoted restlessness and impatience.  He attended five schools in one term.

Without dispute, WWll created abnormal situations in the culture of the era.  Perhaps confronted with different circumstances, his family may have chosen differently.  However, regardless of family influence, the wandering star personality is a character trait influencing an individual in the same way as an addiction.  The wanderer is powerless to control or renounce the mindset.  I reached this conclusion while being hitched to a wandering star.

The desire for permanence in the early 1950s in southern Texas seemed an elusive dream when all young men faced the military draft.  The Korean police action shaped the life of all males graduating from high school.  He could opt to enroll in college and receive deferment, however, most simply accepted the challenge.  My wandering star, a Naval Reserve recruit at graduation, accepted his fate and enjoyed world travel while serving on a ship. He treasured his Navy years as milestones in his life. We were married before he left, and I waited at home hitched to a wandering star.

All things end as did the Korean conflict, and the troops came home.  Still with a fleeting desire to remain in the military, he decided to enter the University of Houston instead. My hope for settling into some normal life soared. We purchased a home and our first daughter arrived.  He settled into a normal job, and my joy rose as we moved toward my goal.  Then, just after we discovered a second child was expected, my wandering star broke the news that he wanted to migrate to Australia.  Armed with maps and documents, he excitedly made his case.  Leave the USA. Please, God, don’t make me do this. His greatest ambition was to fly.  He loved airplanes, and Australia offered a golden opportunity for flight school.

 

With urgency, I struggled to direct his flight school dreams to somewhere in the US.  He found his second option in Miami, Florida.  And so, with optimism, I began the march to Miami uprooting my family to respect his wishes.  We bought a 40 foot house trailer and a truck for towing, and I began ten years of moving from place to place in the State of Florida hitched to a wandering star.

Finding the cost of a family (the second child was born) and the cost of schooling incompatible, he accepted a job with Eastern Airlines.  Eventually, the airlines required relocating from Miami to Clearwater, later to St. Petersburg to Daytona Beach, and a few years later to Atlanta, Ga.  By this time, we had traded to a 10x50 trailer, given birth to a third daughter, and I worked for three different companies. He settled into his job with Eastern Airlines after the move to Atlanta - for  ten years.  Feeling comfortable and dropping my defenses with the purchase of a lovely home, I reeled in disbelief when he decided to return to Florida. How can I gather my wits for another venture?  I will because I’m hitched to a wandering star.

He always envisioned a golden opportunity on the other side of the mountain. So we sold our home, uprooted our family, and returned to Florida.  For twenty years we moved from place to place in central Florida.  His decaying vision determined that he must abandon his dream to fly commercially.  Age also began to invade his wandering lust demanding a more settled life style.  Overjoyed when we purchased a condo in Bradenton, FL, I rejoiced to have a permanent address to place on our Christmas cards. How could I be so foolish knowing that I’m hitched to a wandering star?

In only a few months, with the excuse we are growing older and need to be near family, he began a campaign to persuade me to return to Georgia. Protesting at first, I finally resolved to make the move.  Settling into a new home in Georgia, I relaxed knowing that at our age we should not move again.  As I watched his health fade, I silently observed the love of my life search the Milky Way for that star that haunted his life.

With his passing in 2010, I smiled as I remembered lines in the song, “When he gets to heaven, God will chain him to a tree, or he will travel around just to see what he can see.” And without regret, memories of that wandering life brightens my days as I remember my husband of fifty nine years.  No roots, no permanence, a constantly changing address, but an exciting roller coaster life of adventure.  Yes, those memories flow through my mind as a precious record of events that enriched my life as I journeyed through the years hitched to a wandering star.

DO YOU NEED A PERSONAL CRITIQUE?

Do you stop to consider your value to the world around you? Do you take the time to review and determine if you need improvement? In any venture or project, I find the results are enhanced when one stops to take inventory to eliminate redundancy, faulty material, and paltry workmanship.  Then an honest evaluation of the remainder of the project may still find room for improvement.   Whether reviewing a business, a work station, a household, personal lifestyle, a relationship, or a hobby, an honest evaluation reveals the successes, failures, and weaknesses.  Self-evaluation or critique can reap huge benefits when we apply our assessment with an honest, frank mindset. Too often, we reject the truth and make excuses without searching for reasons. We view ourselves as experts at critiquing others, but when faced with self-examination, our honesty becomes elusive.

 Since writing is my passion, and occupies most of my time, it’s the part of my life that needs personal review occasionally.  Critical to the quality of product, my writing requires nourishing a healthy imagination, refreshing my general knowledge, and staying informed of current events and political issues. Fearful of negative feedback, I frequently search for source material and facts about a subject to the point of becoming fanatical.  I’m amazed how writers and pundits stretch, undermine, or change the truth with adding only a word or two.  More trickery is obvious when a few words of truth are left out to change the tone of a statement.  Anyone communicating information to others should adhere to facts. 

Bogus information continues when facts from one source are combined with facts from another source, often unrelated. The resulting statement is a half-truth. Politicians are genius at this switch and bate deceit. Scams and stings seek victims with attractive temptation for “too good to be true” enticements. If it appears to be “too good,” it probably is flawed.  No doubt, careful checking results in positive accuracy, however, research takes time and delays deadlines.  When researching, I easily become distracted to “chase a rabbit” which often results in wasted time.

The successful writer must organize with a plan, manage his time, and pace his work allowing for the unexpected. I’m guilty again. I’m often writing at three in the morning when I should be sleeping.  I’m working on this bad habit, but teaching an old dog new tricks is a daunting task.

An honest self-critique must observe and confess inferior editing and bad habits. In writing, this may include incorrect grammar, misspelling or misuse of words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings (there, their, here, hear), and habitually overused or misused verbs and adverbs (just, had, forms of to be, and “ly” words).  I’m guilty of all these bad habits and many more that could be listed here.

Thanks to the Microsoft Word program, bad habits are easily discovered using the “find” option.  I’m often amazed at the disturbing results of checking for “ly” words.    In many cases, the meaning remains unchanged when the “ly” word is removed. I admit I like adverbs.  However, learning to eliminate unnecessary words enhances the document and results in a more professional product.

Have I learned from this self-critique?  Yes, to stay informed, follow the plan and keep order, verify the facts, keep an open mind, make a point in fewest words possible, watch the tense, and stay in active voice.  Avoid adverbs, especially “ly” adverbs, and make an honest attempt to sleep eight hours each night.  Or maybe just ignore the whole thing remembering (as my friend, Peggy Renfroe, says) “Only God is perfect, the rest of us need editing.”

P.S.  By the way, this short document contains seven (7) “ly” adverbs, and I like all of them.

         Sorry grammar experts!   

LOOKING BACK

Mother’s Day raised a ground swell of memories in my mind.  I listened with interest to President Obama speak graciously about the efficiency of Michelle as a Mom to their two children. He included the grandmother as he should have.  I agree with his perception of their family.  A family that spends time together, a mother with quality time for her children, and a grandmother who nurtures and enjoys her grandchildren pictures a functioning family unit.  At one time, the majority of our nation boasted of family units such as he described. Does the average home function as defined by President Obama? The honest answer is no?

Who is responsible for the present state of the home in our nation?  This situation did not develop overnight.  Do we justly blame World War ll and the feminist movement for the foundation of the present life style?   These are legitimate questions.

My problem with the political thoughts of today is that we consent and support this flawed approach to a mother’s place in the family.  President Obama continued his speech with thoughts that immediately brought a depressed, dark vision to my mind. Not a life style of his making, but one that has evolved since WWll, and continues as the perfect pattern for normal family life.

After praising women, especially mothers, for the huge part they play in the fabric of American life, he moved into political space with typical rhetoric known to appeal to the feminist, liberal women of today.  A culture that has evolved removing women from their roles in the home and placing them in a competitive role with men.  The result of these changes leaves men weaker, less motivated, and often not a part of the parenting team. It forces women to engage in the work force with no credible option to return to the life style that advances the home instead of merely re-enforcing the rush to ego-building careers and wealth.

President Obama continued his speech referring to the slate of issues the liberal politicians wish to legislate in the future, many are well underway now. He emphasized that parents should be given the support they need.  Such as; paid maternity and paternity leave, sick leave, accommodations for workers who are pregnant, good health care, affordable child care, flexibility at work, equal pay, and decent minimum wage.  And the list continues for programs that will continue to expand the government into a nanny state.

I admit to being a conservative Christian who adheres to Bible concept of living, and I also recognize that my philosophy infuriates many of the younger generation. However, hear me out, please.  Before WWll, a small percentage of women worked outside the home. Men accepted the responsibility of providing for the family.  Families geared their life style within the income producing ability of the head of the household, usually a man.  Unmarried women, widows, and a rare divorcee entered the work force, but they accepted positions in a limited field, teachers, nurses, medical assistants, retail, office secretaries, and clerks. 

With the declaration of war, the scramble to build an army, and the logistics to equip that army became a national priority.  Along with this issue, all able-bodied males from 18 to 35 and many older were drafted to the military.  Women replaced the men in many capacities. 

The home began to deteriorate immediately.  Mothers who had provided full-time care and nurturing for the home and children worked long hours leaving the children alone or dropped in hastily prepared day care. Meals, laundry, quality time with children, became secondary to the war effort. The latch-key child became the normal rather than exception.

 

When the war ended mothers didn’t want to move back into their previous roles, thus the feminist movement arose.  The quest for material wealth infested the nation after the war years.  To finance this life style, both parents delved into careers.  Now we reap the results of the changed family environment.  Family values have evaporated into single parent homes, unattended children, and a hunger for material wealth. Women are expected to work outside the home and are encouraged to compete for jobs equal to the men. Children left to the educational system and care givers are easy targets for liberal indoctrination, falling into crime and gang behavior, experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and illicit sex.

My solution to our nation’s woes begins with better options for mothers to leave the work force and return to the control of daily home affairs.  Possibly we see a road forward with the trend of companies to allow women to work from home. No need for that slate of issues being considered in our legislature.  Adherence to Bible teachings, return to mid-century values, women accepting the God-given place as helpmeet for their husbands, and men rising to take responsibility for their families could restore homes, schools, and work places to the level of civility once valued in our nation.

When parents begin to discipline, lead, and prepare their children for maturity, assuring them an education within reason, insisting upon healthy, moral values, and instilling the golden rule, the nation will see a change in respect for civil authority, moral behavior, crime, and proper concern for others.

 The “What’s in for me” mentality begins in the cradle.  And when Mom is absent and distracted with career responsibility, it’s not a home; it’s just a place to eat and sleep. The home, the foundation of our nation, crumbles, and manipulation from the central government leads us to implosion.  For it is a fact, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” When mother and dad are substituted with “a nanny state,” who is rocking the cradle? Parents think on these things.

ASAP - ON THE SOAPBOX AGAIN

While surfing the internet, I discovered a new definition for the acronym, ASAP. Such discoveries are certainly commonplace and often fall into useless trivia. However, this one tickled my curiosity and set me to thinking.

We live in a hurried world filled with acronyms, texting and chat room slang, as well as condensed books, online newspapers, and radio news alerts.  We eat condensed and microwaved food, dress in wash and wear clothes, take weekend vacations, and survive with same day surgeries.  Our mentality has grown to expect education through seminars, childcare through television and computer games, nurturing relationships through chat rooms, and nutrition through the fast food line at McDonalds.

Of course, I’m as guilty of enjoying the shorthand world as any time-challenged member of society.  However, I stopped to consider the new meaning of ASAP when it appeared on my email, yet another form of quick communication.  In the great scheme of things, the acronym is harmless, clever, and almost cute. The sender indicated that I should forward this delightful bit of trivia to at least twelve friends.  Because of the subject matter, wonderful things would happen to me in the form of favor with God.

This type of persuasion is as prevalent as the common cold and as annoying to me. I give of my time and talents to God regularly and really don’t expect special attention from Him. I understand how God works in my life, and I accept His gifts and promises which I believe to be life’s physical and spiritual needs and, eventually, eternal life. I really doubt He cares if I send twelve messages to my friends, especially since the message is limited in inspiration, and He hasn’t promised to reward me for such behavior.

 

He has left marching orders for me in His Word commanding that I spread His Gospel through evangelizing and teaching others (Mark 16:15).  Networking is certainly a method of teaching, but I don’t expect or believe there will be miraculous rewards following a mailing of a canned prayer.

Are you, as yet, tempted to hack into my computer and infect me with a virus? I do intend to share the acronym ASAP, Always Say A Prayer.   This bit of information was followed with the suggested prayer of only 32 words as my plea to God, and the advice to forward immediately. Probably some readers are impressed, but I prefer to choose my own words of 32 more or less when I talk to God. Oh well, I have always been cavalier about staying in step with the rest of the world.

So, dear reader, please do not be offended if you do NOT receive a note from me (as requested in the email), or that I will NOT add another ASAP as the cyberspace host urges. And I will NOT promise to send twelve prayer requests using the 32 or more words included.  I certainly encourage my friends to pray at every opportunity as I do, choosing my own words, and forgive me, but I never thought to count them.  Apostle Paul advocated to “pray without ceasing” in his letter to the Thessalonians in 1Th.5:17. So that’s all for the Soapbox today.

AND THEN SOME

Many years age, a famous song writing team, Kalmar and Ruby, wrote a popular music score entitled, Three Little Words. The song entertained us, and also became the title of a 1950 hit movie starring Red Skelton and Fred Astaire.   The words deemed to make the world turn, and most certainly they motivate mankind to do his best, and at times his worst, resounded in every phase of the life cycle.  The words, of course, are “I love you.”

 However, another set of words more impressive for motivation than “I love you” have been a challenge in my life.  A successful businessman, speaking with a group of professional workers, answered without hesitation when asked this question. “What factor most contributed to your success?” His response motivated each of them to greater efficiency.  He stated that when he had a task to complete or a problem to solve, he simply did his very best, and then some.  He believed these three little words, “and then some” made the difference in his life.

 After reading his philosophy, my approach to each challenge became more manageable.  Every  facet of life deserves full attention and the best one can do, whether it be gaining education, preserving a marriage, rearing children, living a Christian life, protecting our freedom, remaining loyal and committed to our employer, respecting our friends, contributing to our community, or growing old gracefully.  Imagine a world where every citizen embraced such a philosophy and joyfully traveled the extra mile or offered the extra boost so badly needed at times.

 Actually, I have met many people who live by this standard.  They bring joy and pleasure to all lives touched by their generosity and kindness.  You will not always find them where heroes stand, or in the battlefields of life.  You may find them waiting on the sidelines to dress and heal the wounds of the battle-scarred heroes and to encourage and inspire them to fight another day.  Our present world is in great need of strong men and women who can build sky scrapers and plant a flag on the moon, and they are there just waiting to be discovered.   However, just as important are those who hold up the hands of the mighty, encouraging and inspiring them to greater heights  as they do the very best they can, and then some.

As another year has passed, and I cope with the December side of life, I look back over the path my feet have traveled.   I hope I have helped lift a burden born by a friend,  journeyed that extra mile, listened carefully to that child tugging at my skirt, gave 110 percent to my employer, graciously loved and cared for my family, responded to community needs, and prayerfully respected and heeded the God to whom I truly entrust my soul.

If He chooses to allow me another year, I will continue to walk forward, one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, continuing to grow older gracefully with optimism, meeting the challenge each dawn brings always with the very best I can do, and then some.