I'm back with another question for those Bible-believing Christians who threw their full support (and votes) to Donald Trump.
How's that bean dish tasting right now?
Does it still taste good to you? Of course, if you happen to think that people who are in less fortunate situations are nothing more than godless moochers who deserve to be poor, then the bean dish probably tastes pretty good. You also probably ignore the numerous Bible verses on how we should treat the poor.
Just saying.
If, however, you still have your conscience, I'm betting that you're starting to dread the taste and would just wish it was all over.
After all, when betting between a "crusading politician" and "The Swamp", it's a safe bet that the so-called crusader doesn't really care if he drains the swamp or not, and your vote for him merely served his purposes.
Just saying.
I'll ask you again later on, so that the dish has a bit of time to "ripen" even more.
Peace be unto you.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
The Values, Part One
This is the first in a series of posts on some of my values - tenets that I use (or try to, at least) to guide me as I go through my life. Some are biblical, while others come from personal experience and have been sharpened into my very existence by the pain that caused the lesson in the first place.
Value One: Nothing is worth massive stress. Nothing.
It's no secret within my family that I hated working at Pizza Hut. A few uninformed among them believe that it is because I'm supposedly lazy. I say "uninformed", because it is much nicer than calling them "ignorant morons" or "idiots". I worked for Pizza Hut for almost ten years, six of them as a store assistant manager. You cannot be lazy and work in that position. I would never have lasted that long in that position, had that accusation actually been true.
Now, I have nothing against Pizza Hut personally, but it was a placeholding job that kept the bills paid and protected my family with much-needed insurance. So, until I finished my schooling and went out into the workforce, I was stuck in a job that filled me with a lot of stress and pretty much ruined my days off.
One day, when I was going straight from a history class to work, I tossed my bookbag in the car trunk, along with my car keys, and shut the hatch.
I cannot describe the next ten to fifteen seconds. What I do know is that it involved a mixture of panic, anxiety, and fury. After all, my car doors were still locked, and my spare set was at my apartment with my wife (nearly a mile away).
Then my rational self took over. First, I put more coins in the parking meter. Ball State University's parking ticketers were a diligent lot (they still are, as of 2017), because, despite the university's claims that it was a non-profit institution, it actively searches for any way they can legally extract more money from their students, faculty, staff, and just about anyone who comes onto their property and surrounding areas. It's as if a swarm of mosquitos has found a nudist camp. That's how actively they go after others and their money.
That's another subject, however.
Next, I called the Pizza Hut store where I worked (during this time, Muncie, Indiana had five Pizza Huts to choose from) and reported that I was going to be late.
Then, seeing as there were no nearby shuttle buses, I walked towards my apartment. As I said before, I had nearly a mile of walking to undertake.
As I walked, I learned a truth that many people have already known. Walking clears your mind. Their is a reason that so many Old Testament prophets went on a journey with nothing more than the clothing on their backs. Walking leaves you alone with the Lord, and "baggage" only gets in the way.
By the time I got home, I was in a near-Zen state. I retrieved the spare set of keys and made it to a shuttle bus, then back to my car. I was in such a relaxed and calm state that I came up with that value on the spot.
I even tried my hand at translating it into ancient Greek, though I'm not too sure I did it right.
That value has helped me keep things in perspective quite a few times over the years.
After all, in ten years, locked keys in a car trunk is simply going to be a nothing event that happened some time back. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't even matter at all.
That value has recently been a real help in dealing with people who try to manipulate my emotions and feelings.
I've mentioned in a previous post that I don't listen to talk radio because of how they are able to manipulate one's feelings. They actively try to put stress into one's life for their own benefit.
That's why, on hearing about former Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes's recent death, all I can say is "Rest in peace," and that's it. Ailes, more than any one person recently, worked hard to terrify people about the Clintons, President and Michelle Obama, poor people, minorities, Democrats, immigrants, foreigners - any group of people who was - in his network's view - trying to destroy a conservative's way of life.
Based on the success of Fox News Channel and the election of Donald Trump into the presidency, he succeeded. And, as a result, a lot of people are scared, stressed out, and angry for no real legitimate reason whatsoever. Why would they do this to their viewers/listeners?
It's simple, actually. Fear sells. If you can be scared silly into believing that Barack Obama will order that your guns or wealth be confiscated, then you can be "convinced" into buying what their commercials are selling.
After all, the use of fear has driven up the sales of guns and weaponry to the private sector, not to mention the sales of hidden survival shelters (what used to be called "Fallout Shelters" or "Bomb Shelters". It also is used to push up the sales of survival foods and the investment in gold.
Not that I'm putting down investment firms, gun dealers, or those who supply the so-called "Survivalist" market. Not at all. After all, I invest money, I am pro-gun, and I find the survival market interesting to read about, but if you can be convinced that by eating a particular candy bar (or washing with a particular brand of soap), you'll be protected from the "looney lefties", then sales to panicked conservatives can, and almost certainly will, be increased.
Don't think that liberals are immune to this. Those who are in a panic over President Trump are just as likely to be manipulated as the conservatives are.
Most name brands have the desire to increase their sales no matter what! But, in doing so, they do not want to be labeled with anything that shuts out another market.
That is also another subject.
My point is that I have too much of my life to live to waste it hating (or fearing) people a particular news channel tells me to hate.
My life is too important to waste it blaming a class of people that others tell me I should blame for my problems. That's the kind of nonsense that Nazi Germany used to stir up hatred against the Jews, by the way.
I don't have the time to waste my life on fear. If you're willing to let a news channel use tools on you that the Third Reich used on its citizens, then I pity you.
I don't have the time to waste my life on unnecessary stress, nor do I have the time to let others introduce unnecessary stress on my life.
Now, what about a death in the family or news of a catastrophic illness? After all, such events can throw the most ordered life into a turmoil and cause a lot of emotional havoc.
This might sound facetious, but even those events are not worth massive stress.
I am being serious here. Stress and worry, while normal reactions, do not help the situation. We have little to no control over such things, so we should work on what we can control. That includes lifestyle changes that improves one's physical and mental health, plus praying for others as well as ourselves.
It may not seem like much, but it's such an important step.
After all, we shouldn't stress ourselves out, you know.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Value One: Nothing is worth massive stress. Nothing.
It's no secret within my family that I hated working at Pizza Hut. A few uninformed among them believe that it is because I'm supposedly lazy. I say "uninformed", because it is much nicer than calling them "ignorant morons" or "idiots". I worked for Pizza Hut for almost ten years, six of them as a store assistant manager. You cannot be lazy and work in that position. I would never have lasted that long in that position, had that accusation actually been true.
Now, I have nothing against Pizza Hut personally, but it was a placeholding job that kept the bills paid and protected my family with much-needed insurance. So, until I finished my schooling and went out into the workforce, I was stuck in a job that filled me with a lot of stress and pretty much ruined my days off.
One day, when I was going straight from a history class to work, I tossed my bookbag in the car trunk, along with my car keys, and shut the hatch.
I cannot describe the next ten to fifteen seconds. What I do know is that it involved a mixture of panic, anxiety, and fury. After all, my car doors were still locked, and my spare set was at my apartment with my wife (nearly a mile away).
Then my rational self took over. First, I put more coins in the parking meter. Ball State University's parking ticketers were a diligent lot (they still are, as of 2017), because, despite the university's claims that it was a non-profit institution, it actively searches for any way they can legally extract more money from their students, faculty, staff, and just about anyone who comes onto their property and surrounding areas. It's as if a swarm of mosquitos has found a nudist camp. That's how actively they go after others and their money.
That's another subject, however.
Next, I called the Pizza Hut store where I worked (during this time, Muncie, Indiana had five Pizza Huts to choose from) and reported that I was going to be late.
Then, seeing as there were no nearby shuttle buses, I walked towards my apartment. As I said before, I had nearly a mile of walking to undertake.
As I walked, I learned a truth that many people have already known. Walking clears your mind. Their is a reason that so many Old Testament prophets went on a journey with nothing more than the clothing on their backs. Walking leaves you alone with the Lord, and "baggage" only gets in the way.
By the time I got home, I was in a near-Zen state. I retrieved the spare set of keys and made it to a shuttle bus, then back to my car. I was in such a relaxed and calm state that I came up with that value on the spot.
I even tried my hand at translating it into ancient Greek, though I'm not too sure I did it right.
That value has helped me keep things in perspective quite a few times over the years.
After all, in ten years, locked keys in a car trunk is simply going to be a nothing event that happened some time back. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't even matter at all.
That value has recently been a real help in dealing with people who try to manipulate my emotions and feelings.
I've mentioned in a previous post that I don't listen to talk radio because of how they are able to manipulate one's feelings. They actively try to put stress into one's life for their own benefit.
That's why, on hearing about former Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes's recent death, all I can say is "Rest in peace," and that's it. Ailes, more than any one person recently, worked hard to terrify people about the Clintons, President and Michelle Obama, poor people, minorities, Democrats, immigrants, foreigners - any group of people who was - in his network's view - trying to destroy a conservative's way of life.
Based on the success of Fox News Channel and the election of Donald Trump into the presidency, he succeeded. And, as a result, a lot of people are scared, stressed out, and angry for no real legitimate reason whatsoever. Why would they do this to their viewers/listeners?
It's simple, actually. Fear sells. If you can be scared silly into believing that Barack Obama will order that your guns or wealth be confiscated, then you can be "convinced" into buying what their commercials are selling.
After all, the use of fear has driven up the sales of guns and weaponry to the private sector, not to mention the sales of hidden survival shelters (what used to be called "Fallout Shelters" or "Bomb Shelters". It also is used to push up the sales of survival foods and the investment in gold.
Not that I'm putting down investment firms, gun dealers, or those who supply the so-called "Survivalist" market. Not at all. After all, I invest money, I am pro-gun, and I find the survival market interesting to read about, but if you can be convinced that by eating a particular candy bar (or washing with a particular brand of soap), you'll be protected from the "looney lefties", then sales to panicked conservatives can, and almost certainly will, be increased.
Don't think that liberals are immune to this. Those who are in a panic over President Trump are just as likely to be manipulated as the conservatives are.
Most name brands have the desire to increase their sales no matter what! But, in doing so, they do not want to be labeled with anything that shuts out another market.
That is also another subject.
My point is that I have too much of my life to live to waste it hating (or fearing) people a particular news channel tells me to hate.
My life is too important to waste it blaming a class of people that others tell me I should blame for my problems. That's the kind of nonsense that Nazi Germany used to stir up hatred against the Jews, by the way.
I don't have the time to waste my life on fear. If you're willing to let a news channel use tools on you that the Third Reich used on its citizens, then I pity you.
I don't have the time to waste my life on unnecessary stress, nor do I have the time to let others introduce unnecessary stress on my life.
Now, what about a death in the family or news of a catastrophic illness? After all, such events can throw the most ordered life into a turmoil and cause a lot of emotional havoc.
This might sound facetious, but even those events are not worth massive stress.
I am being serious here. Stress and worry, while normal reactions, do not help the situation. We have little to no control over such things, so we should work on what we can control. That includes lifestyle changes that improves one's physical and mental health, plus praying for others as well as ourselves.
It may not seem like much, but it's such an important step.
After all, we shouldn't stress ourselves out, you know.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Revisiting the Subject of Hatred
"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
"But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."
I John 2:9-11
And now, for another post on hatred. Why do I keep writing about hatred here? Well, it's because hatred is so prevalent in the world today, and what's even worse, so many people who call themselves "Christian" are bound in its grip.
What's even worse than that is the fact that there are pastors and church leaders are also bound in hatred's grip. When one thinks of the influence a pastor or church leader holds over the members of a church, that presents the potential of a terrifying nightmare.
Why the fear over hatred? What can it do? It demeans people, it defiles them, it dismisses them as if they have no importance whatsoever, it breaks their spirit, it hurts their lives, it destroys their potential.
It can murder their spirit, their testimony, and especially their potential as a child of Christ.
Hatred doesn't just do all of that stuff to the people you hate, I should point out. It does all of that to you, as well.
Think about this - think hard about this. The people you meet and come across in life have something to offer you, even if it's just a simple object lesson. You could very well be the person who makes - or breaks - their connection with Jesus Christ.
But if you only view the person as someone to use, or even hate them on sight, you're missing something very important.
That people could've been sent your way to be a blessing, or to be someone who leads you to a blessing. You could be throwing away so much when you dismiss someone out of hand - or simply and selfishly try to use them for your personal benefit.
What could you lose? The tangible rewards themselves are not only unknown, they are uncertain. They're also unimportant. You shouldn't be acting good for a reward.
There are plenty of intangible rewards out there, though, and these should be a decent motivation. Serenity, peace of mind, the warm feeling you get when you do something nice for someone are all examples of intangible rewards. The sense of order - no matter how slight - being restored is a very powerful reward you can reap.
I should point out that if you dismiss the intangible rewards of life as stupid and meaningless, and you call yourself a Christian, then there is a dark spot on you that needs to be resolved.
Life is not just about what you can get for yourself, you know.
If helping someone - or even being nice to a stranger - feels like an effort, a struggle, or even a waste of time, then there is a real and profound sadness to you. You need to pray for yourself, and also pray for the person you felt this way towards.
Think about this. How often do you prejudge someone based on what they look like? How often do you prejudge someone based on negative stories you've heard from other people?
Take ALL negative stories you hear about others with a grain of salt. While there are many negative stories that are actually (and painfully) true, some of the stories are little more than sad gossip. That's childish nonsense and here's something the Apostle Paul said about this:
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
I Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)
As Christians, we are commanded to love one another. We are not to judge, nor are we to dismiss and hate.
If every person who called himself - or herself - a Christian were to love unconditionally, then this world would be in a lot better shape than it currently is.
It doesn't hurt to mention that just because we are to love one another unconditionally doesn't mean that we are to be a doormat. I'm well aware that some people see Christians (or any non-believer) who seeks to do good as easy touches who exist to be used.
The old saying, "Once burned, twice shy" fits in here.
Pay attention not only to your motives for giving help, but also to the results of it. If a person you help shows no improvement, or continues to exhibit destructive behavior, then you are no longer a helper. You're an enabler.
Now, if the person you help demands more and more from you, while maintaining a self-centered and self-important attitude, then you are being used, plain and simple.
You still have to love these people, but eventually you have to stop being a doormat. When is that? Well, you have to determine that for yourself, but remember that some users, if they could, would toss your naked and dessicated body in the ditch if by so doing they would get everything you have.
Reduce your contact with such a person - you may even have to cut off all contact. Continue to pray for them, however, with an attitude of love.
I keep re-emphasizing love. I have to do that, trust me. It is so easy to get ticked off at people when they're being jerks. It takes a concerted and continued effort to avoid giving in to the temptation to dismiss them, to dislike them, to think negatively about them.
To hate them.
Now, I shouldn't have to mention that if a person you know votes for the "wrong" person in an election, they are not necessarily being a jerk. If you truly have an attitude of love within you, then you will easily realize this.
A political difference is not a reason to hate.
Nor is a racial or national difference.
It's sad that I have to write that - or even say it to people.
If someone tells you that Mexicans are rapists, and that Muslims are killers, then you need to pray for that person, because they may not even realize - or care - that they're in the grip of hatred.
Yes, we all should know who I just referred to here. Just because the hard right news and radio sites (not to mention the TV and radio shows) make those claims does not make it true.
Take care that you don't make generalizations like that. You might not intend anything bad to happen, but remember what the road to hell is paved with. By spreading a vicious rumor, generalization - a lie - you can cause someone else to stumble into hatred - or worse, a hateful action.
Let me give you an example. In 2016, North Carolina native Edgar M. Welch believed online claims that a Washington, D.C. pizzeria was a front for trafficking child sex slaves and that the sex ring was led by Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta.
He went into the restaurant and shot up the place in an attempt to free and protect the children.
The only problem with that is that those claims were lies. Welch found no children, and was pretty quickly arrested for his actions.
In March 2017, conservative radio host and Inforwars website operator Alex Jones apologized fro promoting that conspiracy. Jones even went so far to encourage others who were spreading the lies and rumors to stop and apologize.
That's all well and good, but Welch faces time in prison because he acted on lies told by other people. He should've investigated the lie before acting on it, that's for certain. The fact that his friends wouldn't join in on his quest should have given him pause. I'd say that he knows all of this quite well now, but henceforth, he'll be infamous because of his actions. That's what's sad.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
"But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."
I John 2:9-11
And now, for another post on hatred. Why do I keep writing about hatred here? Well, it's because hatred is so prevalent in the world today, and what's even worse, so many people who call themselves "Christian" are bound in its grip.
What's even worse than that is the fact that there are pastors and church leaders are also bound in hatred's grip. When one thinks of the influence a pastor or church leader holds over the members of a church, that presents the potential of a terrifying nightmare.
Why the fear over hatred? What can it do? It demeans people, it defiles them, it dismisses them as if they have no importance whatsoever, it breaks their spirit, it hurts their lives, it destroys their potential.
It can murder their spirit, their testimony, and especially their potential as a child of Christ.
Hatred doesn't just do all of that stuff to the people you hate, I should point out. It does all of that to you, as well.
Think about this - think hard about this. The people you meet and come across in life have something to offer you, even if it's just a simple object lesson. You could very well be the person who makes - or breaks - their connection with Jesus Christ.
But if you only view the person as someone to use, or even hate them on sight, you're missing something very important.
That people could've been sent your way to be a blessing, or to be someone who leads you to a blessing. You could be throwing away so much when you dismiss someone out of hand - or simply and selfishly try to use them for your personal benefit.
What could you lose? The tangible rewards themselves are not only unknown, they are uncertain. They're also unimportant. You shouldn't be acting good for a reward.
There are plenty of intangible rewards out there, though, and these should be a decent motivation. Serenity, peace of mind, the warm feeling you get when you do something nice for someone are all examples of intangible rewards. The sense of order - no matter how slight - being restored is a very powerful reward you can reap.
I should point out that if you dismiss the intangible rewards of life as stupid and meaningless, and you call yourself a Christian, then there is a dark spot on you that needs to be resolved.
Life is not just about what you can get for yourself, you know.
If helping someone - or even being nice to a stranger - feels like an effort, a struggle, or even a waste of time, then there is a real and profound sadness to you. You need to pray for yourself, and also pray for the person you felt this way towards.
Think about this. How often do you prejudge someone based on what they look like? How often do you prejudge someone based on negative stories you've heard from other people?
Take ALL negative stories you hear about others with a grain of salt. While there are many negative stories that are actually (and painfully) true, some of the stories are little more than sad gossip. That's childish nonsense and here's something the Apostle Paul said about this:
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
I Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)
As Christians, we are commanded to love one another. We are not to judge, nor are we to dismiss and hate.
If every person who called himself - or herself - a Christian were to love unconditionally, then this world would be in a lot better shape than it currently is.
It doesn't hurt to mention that just because we are to love one another unconditionally doesn't mean that we are to be a doormat. I'm well aware that some people see Christians (or any non-believer) who seeks to do good as easy touches who exist to be used.
The old saying, "Once burned, twice shy" fits in here.
Pay attention not only to your motives for giving help, but also to the results of it. If a person you help shows no improvement, or continues to exhibit destructive behavior, then you are no longer a helper. You're an enabler.
Now, if the person you help demands more and more from you, while maintaining a self-centered and self-important attitude, then you are being used, plain and simple.
You still have to love these people, but eventually you have to stop being a doormat. When is that? Well, you have to determine that for yourself, but remember that some users, if they could, would toss your naked and dessicated body in the ditch if by so doing they would get everything you have.
Reduce your contact with such a person - you may even have to cut off all contact. Continue to pray for them, however, with an attitude of love.
I keep re-emphasizing love. I have to do that, trust me. It is so easy to get ticked off at people when they're being jerks. It takes a concerted and continued effort to avoid giving in to the temptation to dismiss them, to dislike them, to think negatively about them.
To hate them.
Now, I shouldn't have to mention that if a person you know votes for the "wrong" person in an election, they are not necessarily being a jerk. If you truly have an attitude of love within you, then you will easily realize this.
A political difference is not a reason to hate.
Nor is a racial or national difference.
It's sad that I have to write that - or even say it to people.
If someone tells you that Mexicans are rapists, and that Muslims are killers, then you need to pray for that person, because they may not even realize - or care - that they're in the grip of hatred.
Yes, we all should know who I just referred to here. Just because the hard right news and radio sites (not to mention the TV and radio shows) make those claims does not make it true.
Take care that you don't make generalizations like that. You might not intend anything bad to happen, but remember what the road to hell is paved with. By spreading a vicious rumor, generalization - a lie - you can cause someone else to stumble into hatred - or worse, a hateful action.
Let me give you an example. In 2016, North Carolina native Edgar M. Welch believed online claims that a Washington, D.C. pizzeria was a front for trafficking child sex slaves and that the sex ring was led by Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta.
He went into the restaurant and shot up the place in an attempt to free and protect the children.
The only problem with that is that those claims were lies. Welch found no children, and was pretty quickly arrested for his actions.
In March 2017, conservative radio host and Inforwars website operator Alex Jones apologized fro promoting that conspiracy. Jones even went so far to encourage others who were spreading the lies and rumors to stop and apologize.
That's all well and good, but Welch faces time in prison because he acted on lies told by other people. He should've investigated the lie before acting on it, that's for certain. The fact that his friends wouldn't join in on his quest should have given him pause. I'd say that he knows all of this quite well now, but henceforth, he'll be infamous because of his actions. That's what's sad.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
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