I was 30 before I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I was 40 before I realized I was smart. I think one of the jobs of school should be to help you discover what you are good at, and what you want to be when you “grow up” or, if we are to live in the moment, what you want to be “now.” Yes, that’s right, worry about what you are, not only what you will be when you “grow up.” “later”, ok, a little thinking about later is good. But that point at which you are “grown up” should only be discussed in the context of a math discussion on infinity, for that is a day that always approaches and never do you get there.
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The Biggest Gaffe I Ever Knowed
I asked my father what to do
Told him I was quite confused
’bout what I’d be, could not decide
Just yesterday, said I had time.The biggest gaffe I ever knowed
Was waiting, waiting while youngThe biggest lie my father told
Not what, but when I should become
And now so older when just so and so ago
I was thinking I’d find out.While squandering the time I could have searched my soul
Defaulted, I, to an accountant.
Sheeple! Take these words to heart
And first to feel to find your fate
But if (when?) day should pass sans start
ring bell to tell, it’s not too late.
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A Christian Country (words from its founders).
"A man compounded of law and gospel is able to cheat a whole country with his religion and then destroy them under color of law" – Benjamin Franklin
I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." – Thomas Paine
"religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize." – James Madison
"What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry, and persecution." – again, James Madison
“As the Government of the United States...is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion… it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” – 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, article 11. Endorsed by the Secretary of State and President John Adams, passed unanimously by the Senate and printed in full in the Philadelphia Gazette and in two New York papers.
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." – Thomas Jefferson.
"Twenty times in the course of my late reading have I been upon the point of breaking out, 'This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it!'" – John Adams
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The List on the Left (so to speak)
A fitting follow up to my last blog, on this important holiday, is to present the thoughts of those who embody the list on the left (from that blog), who embody the cause of God, the teachings of Jesus, and of Good.
To that end, here are quotes worth (re)reading at least once a year.
I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love.
--Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957
Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the 'fight with fire' method … is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation. --Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957
I believe that it is impossible to end hatred with hatred.
-- Mahatma Gandhi 23rd November, 1924
The survival of democracy depends on the renunciation of violence and the development of nonviolent means to combat evil and advance the good.
--A.J. Muste
I do believe that when there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence... I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honor than that she should in a cowardly manner become or remain a helpless victim of her own dishonor. But I believe that non-violence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment... Let me not be misunderstood. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
--Mahatma Gandhi, 1920
I said to my children, 'I'm going to work and do everything that I can do to see that you get a good education. I don't ever want you to forget that there are millions of God's children who will not and cannot get a good education, and I don't want you feeling that you are better than they are. For you will never be what you ought to be until they are what they ought to be.'
-- Martin Luther King, Jr. , 7th January, 1968
We are not wrong in what we are doing. If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. If we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a utopian dreamer that never came down to earth. And we are determined here is Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.
--Martin Luther King, Jr., 5th December 1955
"the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."
Martin Luther King, April 4, 1967
Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.
Martin Luther King, April 4, 1967
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Do you believe in the anti-Christ? Jerry Falwell has pointed out that the anti-Christ is here now and would be Jewish, because he would want to masquerade as Christ and Christ was Jewish, a comment which prompted the comedian Al Franken to ask, “is it Marvin Hamlish?”
But all kidding aside, if you believe that there could be an anti-Christ, then it would be important to understand how, aside from anti-Semitism, to distinguish Christ from His masquerader.
You might think it’s easy to distinguish good from evil, but keep in mind that the devil, or the anti-Christ or any force of evil, would be crafty and deceptive, and if we believe in an anti-Christ, we want to be sure we aren’t fooled.
For a fool and his soul are soon parted.
So here us a list of ways we can distinguish Christ from anti-Christ.
Christ Anti-Christ
Tells the truth Tells lies
For Peace For War
Loves Hates
Turns the other cheek Gets revenge
Not Judgmental Is Judgmental
Fair Unfair
Not ruled by money Motivated by wealth
Modest Prideful
Open Hides things
Listens Doesn’t listen
Unifies Divides
Saves lives Kills peopleHmmm. That president of ours, who was put in the office by a religious voting block because they thought he was a man of God, sure seems to fit that list on the right.
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My Mother-in-Law (don’t worry, Mom, you can keep reading).
I criticize her religion a lot so I just thought it would be fair to talk about her a little.
My mother-in-law may be one of the most wonderful mother-in-laws a person can have. She is a genuinely nice person, and I have been blessed, I think my wife and I have both been blessed with, as in-laws go, pretty close to perfect ones, and we’ve all heard and laughed at in-law stories, so we know that’s not common. When we have good in-laws, it’s not to be taken for granted.
My mother-in-law, in particular, is a very loving and giving person. She’s great with her grandchildren, generous and patient. Last year she paid for my wife and I to go to Charleston while she kept the kids. The year before that she kept them for almost a week while we celebrated our 10th anniversary in San Francisco. This year she paid and went with them on a little trip to Asheville NC (I had to work so I didn’t go). I’m not kidding when I say that our youngest, the 3YO, won’t poop in the potty for anybody but her (I actually hope that changes soon).
She will give the kids a bath, if they ask, read them a story, let them stay up, cook three different things for them, take them where they want to eat, take them outside to play, buy them things that they want for the asking, listen to their stories and their accomplishments, treasure their gifts and their pictures, and them. She takes them to the church when it isn’t in session to practice their piano. She listens to them play, takes an interest in them and compliments them for all that they achieve.
They love her, and for good reason. She makes them feel loved.
And she has raised three children of her own, good hearted, nice, caring people of whom I am proud, and that’s why I don’t hesitate for a second to trust her to take care of mine.
And on top of all that, she makes a great fruit cake, and I don’t like fruit cake. I’m not just saying that, the way people say they don’t like Jim Carrey, but for whatever happens to be his latest movie, cause I have never liked a movie with Jim Carrey despite how many times people have told me that, but I like my mother-in-law's fruit cake.
And I ate it this year, even though I’m trying to avoid sugar. The next time she makes it (about once every 10 years) I’ll probably be diabetic, but it was good while it lasted.
She’s a great mom, and I’m glad she’s one of mine.
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Here’s something.
Y’know how to clear a room? Talk politics.
It was Christmas eve. A large crowd of maybe 15 southern Baptists had just finished exchanging gifts. We were all hanging out celebrating Santa, and Rudy (name changed) said something, I don’t remember what, I wish I did, but it sounded somewhat liberal. Maybe he agreed that we shouldn’t be in Iraq, that it was all about Oil, and that our troops are being mistreated and neglected. I think that was it.
So I said, “You believe that, Rudy?”
And he said, “yeah I can believe that.”
So I said, “who did you vote for?”
“Well,” he said, “not the guy you voted for,” and that began a very civil, if I do say so myself, conversation about politics between all 5 of us that were suddenly left in the room. The rest disappeared so fast you’d have thought the snail just got mugged.
(a snail got mugged by two turtles. When the cops asked the snail if he had gotten a good look at his assailants, the snail said, “no, it all happened so fast”)
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