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The French Connection

Posted in Opinions, Social / Political on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

            People and nations are often perceived by how they respond in times of crisis.  Many times such a crisis is viewed as a “defining moment”; a time when one’s true character is revealed.  In the Western world, arguably no country is more synonymous with a lack of loyalty and fortitude in times of crisis than France.  On numerous occasions in the last century the French have failed to stand with or for their neighbors or allies in a time of crisis.  This perception has become so prevalent that it has extended beyond the nation of France, to the French people.  In many cases, dubious characteristics such as cowardice, self indulgence, infidelity and narcissism, have come to be closely identified with the French.  This was not always the case: during the mid to late 1700’s there seemed to be somewhat of a kindred spirit amongst the colonists in America and the people of France; as they both struggled to redefine their national destinies.  While their pre-revolutionary struggles were very similar, their post-revolutionary paths would become very different.

            Both the American and French Revolutions occurred late in the 1700’s and in both cases the people were revolting against what they felt was the oppressive rule of their King.  While the American Colonists didn’t necessarily seek to remove the King from the throne, they did seek to break away from his rule.  Both revolutions were bitter and costly; and in both cases the power of the oppressive monarchy was usurped.  Given these similarities it wouldn’t seem unreasonable to expect that the history that followed would share some marked parallels, but in fact these countries seemed to take almost completely divergent paths.  To understand the reasons for this, one must look into the ideologies that fueled the people who fought these revolutions.

            Many of the Colonists, who risked everything to settle in America, came because they wanted to be free from the religious persecution that they had faced in their homelands.  While there were diverse groups, who settled in various different regions of the country, they were largely unified by their decidedly “Christian” worldview.  Though these groups may not have agreed on the meaning of every biblical doctrine, few would have argued that “The Bible” was their authoritative guide.  Most of these colonists were willing to remain loyal to the king, so it cannot truly be said that it was religious persecution that fueled the revolution, but this commonality in the view of the colonists played a significant role in the republic that would later be formed.  Persecution in other forms, such as unfair taxation, proved to be the spark needed to ignite the revolution and to spur the birth of a new nation.

            The French also faced persecution from their monarchy, but their worldview was vastly different from that of the American Colonists.  Noted philosophers of the day, such as Voltaire and Rousseau were having a profound effect upon the thinking of the French people, with a philosophy that came to be known as “Enlightenment”.  This philosophy identified true freedom as being free of all constraint, including the constraint of religion, family and government.  It presumed that there was no “absolute truth” and that each person or group could define truth for themselves.  Because of the popularity of this form of thinking, the French Revolution was more of a cultural revolution, which sought not only to overthrow their oppressive government, but to redefine the mores of society.  Like the American Revolution, the ideologies of the people had a profound impact on the course of the post-war nation.

            It is not unusual during times of war that diverse groups can become united against a common enemy.  While the bond between such groups can remain strong during the battle, it rarely results in a lasting unity after that enemy is eliminated.  Such was the struggle of the French after they’d successfully over thrown the King.  Since “Enlightenment” said that every man could define truth for themselves, there was no unifying vision for the future.  Even after the King and his regime had been eliminated, the revolutionists continued to battle with each other for control, in what would come to be known as the “Reign of Terror”.  While that reign eventually ended, France has struggled since then to find an equitable and stable government.  While there was also some disagreement about the best course for the new republic amongst the American revolutionists, these disputes were handled in a much less violent manner and as the leaders of this new nation hammered out the framework of the constitution, their commonly held “Christian” beliefs became the foundation on which they all could agree.  Benjamin Franklin quoted the scripture, “Lest the Lord build the house, they labor in vain” to implore the leaders to set aside their personal agenda’s, to humble themselves in prayer and to seek God’s divine intervention as they developed the constitution.  History records that our founding fathers did just that and they went on to produce a constitution that is unprecedented throughout all of human history.  James Madison, said of these sessions, “Without the intervention of God there never would have been a constitution”.  John Quincy Adams observed that, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one dissoluble bond the principles of civil government, with the principles of Christianity.  From the day of the Declaration, they were bound by the laws of God, which they all and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct”.  This makes the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident” some of the most significant words in history, because as this nation was birthed there was an agreement as to the basis of truth and law and ultimately life itself.  That commonly held belief is what created the unity and that unity is what ultimately led this fledgling republic to become the most powerful country on earth.

            Interestingly, the dramatic difference in the post-revolution history of these two countries has resulted in the fact that some of Democracies greatest admirers would appear to be French.  The very symbol of liberty and freedom (i.e. the Statue of Liberty) was actually a gift from the French and was fashioned by the French artist, Frederic Bartholdi, with Gustave Effiel (the Engineer of the Effiel Tower) erecting the steel framework.  Years before this gift, French Sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville came to America to study what made democracy work.  He recorded his findings in a book called, “Democracy in America”.  After years of studying the various aspects of life in America he concluded, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power”.  He went on to conclude that, “America is great because America is good.  And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”.  French historian Francois Guizot once asked James Russell Lowell, “How long will the American republic endure?”, to which Lowell replied, “As long as the ideas of the men who founded it continue to dominate”.

            While America has a storied history on the world stage, it has also gone through its share of internal turmoil.  After the struggles of war and depression that marked the first half of the twentieth century, the national consciousness seemed poised for a change.  Quietly at first, the post-war culture began to change in the early 1950’s and by the 1960’s a full scale cultural revolution was underway.  Like the French Revolution, this movement hasn’t been so much about reforming our way of government, as it has been about redefining the standards within our culture.  It has seemingly challenged every thread in the fabric of our society, including the most basic blocks of human relationship.  Another common trait that this revolution shares with its French counterpart is the secular humanist philosophy behind it.  Though this philosophy goes by many titles (e.g. enlightenment, secular humanism, post modernism…), they all hinge on the precept that the truth is relative (i.e. there is no such thing as absolute truth); which means that each individual has the ability to define truth for themselves.  While this way of thinking would seem to be very liberating on an individual basis, it is highly destructive to the concept of national unity.  John Adams observed that, “We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion”.  If we were to attempt to incorporate this philosophy into our constitution, we’d need to say something like, “we don’t hold any truth to be self-evident”.  While that may seem to be extreme, I believe that within this philosophical framework, it would be accurate.  This philosophy has subtly invaded our way of thinking to the point that polls (taken over the last twenty years) indicate that between two thirds and three quarters of Americans now believe that the truth is relative (e.g. what’s truth to you, may not necessarily be truth to me).  If these numbers are accurate, it is clear that many Americans have failed to understand the implications of this ideology. 

The concept of a law is that a society agrees to set a limit, boundary or constraint on what is acceptable within that society.  The agreement on where that limit should be set hinges on some common standard by which to measure acceptable behavior.  For our founding fathers, the Bible was used as that standard.  While not everyone in this country was Christian at that time, the principles of the Bible were accepted as the basis for law.  With that established standard, the U.S. Constitution was forged and has proven to be the model document for enduring freedom.  As our national philosophy has shifted, we have begun to challenge our constitution; often upon the basis that it limits an individuals personal liberty (i.e. constrains my personal ability to define what is truth for myself).  When such a challenge comes, one must go back to the foundational truth that formed the basis for the law in order to make a judgment; but in the absence of an “absolute truth” there is no way to refute the claim.  It is the nature of a law to limit a persons individual freedom and without an agreement on what is the basis of truth, every law is susceptible to be struck down in the same manner.  Little by little our constitution is being dismantled because it is viewed as being too limiting of individual freedom and quietly the unified vision of our country is disappearing.  If our goal is to elevate individual freedom to the point that every man can define truth for themselves, than there is no standard that could ever be enforced, which by definition would create a state of lawlessness.  If the goal is simply to eliminate the Bible as the standard for behavior, than what standard is to be used in its place.  As in the French revolution, this cultural philosophy always seems to find agreement in what it doesn’t want, but is unable to fuel any unified vision for the future.  Dismantling our constitution in this manner is similar to dismantling the house you live in before you begin construction on a new one.

            The sad irony of America’s ongoing Cultural Revolution is that we already have the model for what this ideology (i.e. secular humanism…)  will reap in our society.  It is doubtful that any American would be willing to trade France for their post-revolution history or for their current national identity; yet isn’t that what we’re doing with our future as we intentionally abandon the principles which made this country great, in favor of the philosophy that made France what it is today?

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Election 2008 (What Does It All Mean?)

Posted in Opinions, Social / Political on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

A good friend asked me what I thought the election results (i.e. 2008 Presidential) meant – I attached my response below.

I think your question is the same one that most of us have and there are probably a thousand answers I could give. Obviously the long term impact won’t be understood for a great while. I will say that I don’t think that we’ve gotten a very clear picture of who Barrack Obama really is and so it is difficult to project what his administration may look like. Though he promised all types of “change”, the president doesn’t really have the power to affect significant changes without the support of the congress, and though the Democrat’s have the clear majority, I don’t think that it is a given that they will necessarily support everything that Mr. Obama proposes. While the party didn’t want to break ranks during the election season, the primary’s (between Obama & Clinton) seemed to indicate that not everyone in the party was in agreement about the necessary direction, so it may not be as drastic as many fear. I do think that it is safe to assume that we will see advances in both the homosexual and pro-abortion agendas.

I do think that the two positive things that I can point to from this election are that we elected a man of color as our president and that a lot more people participated in the process. I do believe that breaking the color barrier is worthy of celebration; I think that many of us wanted to believe that we’d progressed in the area of racism, but until a barrier actually comes down, it’s hard to be sure. While I don’t have any illusions about the fact that racism still exists, I feel like this is a clear step of progress. I’ve also been appalled in the past by how many people didn’t vote, so I believe that seeing a good turnout is encouraging.

For me, the most troubling aspect of this election is the hearts of the American people and most especially those who count themselves as “Christians”. In a broad sense I’m discouraged by how little integrity there seems to be in our political process and how little people really seem to be after the truth. For example, the economy was cast as the primary issue in this election and both candidates vowed to fix the economy if they were elected; yet these men, the media and economists everywhere know fully well that the government (including the president) does not have direct control over the economy. To me it is fundamentally dishonest to pretend that it is otherwise. I think that the media has become particularly biased in their reporting of events, to the point of deception at times. I think that this is a very dangerous trend and could eventually become a significant threat to the freedom of the American people. I feel like the level of hostility and negativity associated with this election was outrageous and unnecessary. For a society that touts it’s “tolerance” of diversity, there seemed to be very little tolerance for diverse viewpoints. It seems that the last three elections have had this polarizing effect on the country as a whole. While I can chalk a lot of that up to human nature, I’m absolutely baffled by the group of people who call themselves “Christians” (a.k.a. Evangelicals, Catholics, Born-Again…). Increasingly, the word “Christian” is becoming absolutely meaningless in terms of understanding the worldview of the people who use it as a way of describing themselves. I can’t help but think that the rampant moral decay of our society can be directly linked to the double-mindedness of those who are presumably meant to be salt and light to the world. I have long doubted the concept of the “moral majority” (i.e. that there is some silent group of highly ethical people who comprise the majority of the population) and I believe that the results of this election present the clearest evidence that even if such a group ever did exist, that it is no longer the case.

The good news is that we’re exactly where God always knew that we would be and He stands ready to guide us through the coming days if we’ll “follow” Him. I believe that the overall lack of resistance has made the church in America weak and that though it won’t necessarily be pleasant; the increased resistance will make us stronger (& smaller). There is nothing in the scripture that pushes us toward fixing the government or trying to convince the society to think differently; in fact the biblical recipe is that we’d simply turn from our sin and cry out to God. I do think that it is important to recognize that we are living in a culture that is becoming openly hostile toward Biblical Christianity and that seems to want to take a proactive role in the indoctrination of our children. If we’re not living this stuff out in our homes, our marriages, in our relationships and friendships, our children will have no reason to believe it. Ultimately, we are not Christians by virtue of the fact that we were born in America, or that we were raised in Christian homes, or because we’re moral people or because we go to church or even by the fact that we believe the story of what Jesus did. We are Christians by virtue of the fact that we’ve taken up our cross and are following Him. If He is for us, who can be against us? God bless.

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The Most Trusted Man in America

Posted in Entertainment/Music/Sports, Opinions, Social / Political on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Last week saw the passing of yet another cultural icon in America, former news anchorman Walter Cronkite.  While that may not register as high on the pop culture Richter scale as some other recent deaths, I can’t help but feel that, at least in a symbolic way, it may have been even more significant.  There was a time, in the now distant past, when most of America looked to Walter Cronkite for their daily news; earning him the title of “The Most Trusted Man in America”.  That almost sounds funny to our post-millennial sensibilities; after all, why should we need to trust the guy who’s reading the teleprompter (or in Walter’s heyday, the news copy).  But the world was a very different place in the era that Cronkite established his legacy; America was not the undisputed world power that it is today; and the general public was far more aware of the subversive ideologies (e.g. communism) that were competing for world domination.  In that day, one need only look to what was then the “Soviet Union” to see a news media that only reported the things that supported their political agenda and that was used as a tool to control the people.  Thus it was important for American’s to know that they were receiving a clear and unbiased reporting of the details surrounding any particular event.  To succeed in such an era it was essential that a journalist convey some sense of neutrality in their reporting and this was a key to Cronkite’s appeal.  It wasn’t so much who he was as a human being, after all we didn’t really know the man; it was more what he represented to a troubled American psyche.  It’s not so much that he told us the truth; it’s more that we believed he was telling us the truth.  He may not have really been as wise and unflappable as he seemed, but we were convinced that he was and collectively we found that reassuring.

Of course, history has moved on; the cold-war ended, America rose to the top of the world food chain and we’ve changed the way we think these days.  People of my generation grew up with the perception that we are the most powerful country in the world and that there is very little that poses a legitimate threat to our way of life.  We’ve become far less concerned about the possibility of a subversive ideology infiltrating our culture and much more concerned about our right to have a subversive ideology if we want one.  Our news media has definitely changed with the times as well.  Gone is the need to appear to be neutral or even unbiased.  We now have whole networks devoted to reporting the news with their own particular slant and we like to watch the one’s that slant in the same direction that we do.  It may not be the truth, but somehow we find it reassuring to hear things that support our particular point of view.  As I ponder these changes, I wonder at whether Walter Cronkite would have had much of a career in today’s media and I find myself even more sorry to see him go.

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Educator of the Year

Posted in Social / Political, Stories on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Ladies and Gentleman, it is my profound pleasure to introduce to you the man that you’ve named the National Educator of the Year for 2004, Mr. Lester Sherman”. I stood back from the podium, as a thunderous ovation rose from the crowded ballroom floor and I watched in amazement as my old friend made his way to the platform. This was one of those moments in life that you never see coming; a moment too surreal to be imagined. After all, who would think that a powerful group like the National Education Association (NEA) would be acknowledging the work of a man who spent his entire career in education toiling at a secondary school in the ghetto’s of Baltimore. He looked so out of place in this room and with these people, but I knew that if anyone deserved this award it was Mr. Sherman and I also knew that whatever he’d have to say would be memorable. When he reached the platform, he gave me a long and very sincere hug before he turned to address the audience, who were still on their feet and clapping enthusiastically. He seemed a little embarrassed by all the fuss, but not at all nervous, as he began to speak.

“Thank you very much for your kind welcome and thank you professor for your generous introduction. I can tell that you must have taken some “Creative Writing” classes somewhere along the way, as that synopsis of my career in education sounded far more grand than I remember it actually being. I am certainly honored to be here tonight and humbled to have been chosen for this prestigious award. I must admit to you that I am somewhat baffled as to what exactly qualifies me for such an honor; but I’ve learned that if I question an unexpected blessing, it steals the joy of it; so I will set aside my confusion and simply be grateful for this special recognition. One thing that I am pretty sure of is that this award is not the result of any one thing that I’ve done, but the culmination of over forty years in education. As I’ve thought back on those years and recalled the many amazing people that I’ve encountered along the way, there were three very special people who stood above the rest and who I wish to acknowledge tonight. Their influence on me has been most profound; and since this gathering is a celebration of “Educators”, it seems fitting to recognize those whose lives have taught me so much. The first of those special people is my beautiful wife Jeanette. We have been married for over thirty-five years, we’ve raised two beautiful children together and we spent over twenty-five years working together in the school system. She’s taught me just about everything that I know about giving and sharing and patience and love. She has been my fiercest advocate and at times my toughest critic. She is everything that I am not and I’ve come to rely on her strength and wisdom just to make it through the day. I am forever grateful to God for blessing me with this amazing woman to share my life with and I can’t imagine who I would have become without her.”

The attendee’s once again rose up, giving Mrs Sherman an enthusiastic ovation, as the people at her table pushed her to her feet. This clearly pleased Mr. Sherman, who smiled broadly. As the applause subsided, he continued on.

“The second person whose life so profoundly impacted mine was that of my mother [Mrs. Mary (Wilson) Sherman]. Though she went on to be with the Lord a couple of years ago, there is not a day that goes by that I am not touched by her influence. Though she was born into a difficult circumstance and endured many painful things, she refused to feel sorry for herself or to use that as an excuse; and as my sister and I grew up, she refused to allow us to do that either. My mother understood that the cost of blaming someone else for the condition of your life was the power for you to change it. As a young person I didn’t appreciate her view of this; I felt like I had a right to feel sorry for myself; but with the benefit of forty years experience at an inner city school, I can now see that it is a trap that few kids from the ghetto avoid and that even fewer emerge from. Though my father abandoned us before I was old enough to know him, my mother was unwilling to accept what people assumed was her fate. She often worked more than one job, while attending nursing school and raising two kids by herself. If she ever complained, she never let me hear it; and though it took some years, she eventually did become a nurse. When she got a job at the hospital, we were able to move out of the projects and into a little apartment near where she worked. It wasn’t a whole lot bigger or nicer than the place we’d moved out of, but it was the beginning of a new and better life for us. A few years later she married the associate Pastor from our church and we were finally able to move into a house of our own. As I look back I realize that my mother’s life taught me that no one can respect you, if you don’t respect yourself; that your circumstances won’t change until you are willing to be changed within your circumstances and that anything of lasting value can only be attained through perseverance. Her unwavering faith in the goodness of God and her confidence in His destiny for me, have been beacons of hope throughout my journey; and her legacy is one that I pray will be passed down through my children’s children.”

 The attendee’s once again broke into a loud, sustained applause, as Mr. Sherman seemed overwhelmed with emotion at the memory of his late mother. He pulled a handkerchief from inside his jacket pocket, dabbing his face and clearing his throat before continuing.

“Last, but certainly not least, is a lady who more than any other person shaped the way I think about education and maybe more rightly, about life itself. Her name was Thelma Watson and she was the first Principal that I taught under when I arrived at PS 236, some forty odd years ago. To my shame, I will admit that I didn’t really want to be there. I felt as though I had escaped life in the ghetto and I had no desire to go back. Though I liked to brag of my beginnings on the ‘mean streets’, I also wanted people to know that I was an educated black man, who had risen above his past. In truth, I perceived this assignment to my old neighborhood school as just another example of how the white school administration wanted to keep a young black teacher from ever really succeeding. And though I never spoke any of that out at the time, Thelma Watson had no trouble in reading me like a book. Anytime she sensed my bitterness or frustration rising up, she’d say, ‘Lets check our attitude Mr. Sherman’, which always managed to make me feel self-conscious. I remember thinking that she couldn’t possibly understand, because PS 236 was exactly where she wanted to be. In my cynical young mind, she was one of those idealists’s, who was trying to save the world; while I counted myself a realist, who understood that some things would never change. I saw this ghetto school as little more than a stepping stone to bigger and better things, while she viewed it as her destiny. I had hoped to just bide my time until I got a better offer, but about half way through my first year, Mrs Watson made it her mission to change my mind. I wish I had the time to share with you all of the wisdom that she imparted to me in those years and to tell you of the many unorthodox ways she used to make her points, but for the sake of time I will share just one story, which I hope will give you a sense of this amazing women.”

The audience seemed captivated by Mr. Sherman’s words, as they sat quietly while he took a sip of water and continued on.

“One day, late in my first year, Mrs Watson stopped me in the hall and told me to come to her office during my off period, which was always right after lunch. Though I was mildly annoyed by this intrusion on what I considered to be ‘my time’, I told her that I’d be there. When I arrived, I was surprised to find that she had a young student in her office and that she wanted me to come in anyway. I knew the boy’s name was Marcus, but he was too young to be in one of my classes, so I didn’t know anything else about him. Mrs Watson asked Marcus to find something in her office that made him think of when he was ‘little’. I remember chuckling at the absurdity of the inference that Marcus wasn’t ‘little’ any more, but Mrs Watson better understood the mind of a child and so Marcus immediately popped up and headed for the toy box in the corner. He quickly emerged with a plastic locomotive, which he set on the Principal’s desk. When she asked him why he’d picked that, he said that his momma always read him the story, ‘The Little Engine That Could’ when ‘he was a baby’. She then asked him to pick something from the office that made him think of where he lives now and to my surprise, he went over and picked up the vase of flowers from Mrs Watson’s windowsill. When she asked about it, he told her that he picked them because they smelled good and that they reminded him of his momma and sisters, who always smelled good too. Finally, Mrs Watson asked him to pick something that showed what he wanted to be when he grew up. Again Marcus rummaged through the toy box, eventually producing a medieval knight on a horse. When asked, he explained that he wanted to grow up to be the bravest knight in all the land. After sending Marcus back to class, another child, who looked about the same age, was brought in. I didn’t recognize him, but Mrs Watson introduced him as Cory. She then repeated the same process with him that she had with Marcus. Cory picked a toy mouse as the object that reminded him of being ‘little’ and he proceeded to tell us of the time his hand had accidentally gotten caught in a mouse trap. He picked a toy gun as the item that reminded him of where he lived, because he said he would often hear guns go off at night; and finally he picked a little Indian figure, shooting a bow and arrow, saying that it reminded him of his hero Robin Hood, who stole from the rich to give to the poor. After some pleasantries, she sent Cory back to class and then turned the conversation toward me by asking what I’d derived from all that. I tried to come up with something intelligible, but honestly I was completely stumped, so I simply shrugged. She went on to explain that these two boys were actually cousins, whose mothers were twin sisters and that they were both being raised in the same tenement building. She also said that these questions were meant to demonstrate how the children viewed their past, present and future; adding that she’d felt that they had done just that. I remember thinking that it was crazy to believe that you could derive all that from kids randomly pulling toys out of a toy box and as usual Mrs Watson didn’t seem to need for me to say it to know how I felt. She went on to argue, ‘If it is truly the environment that these kids are growing up in that is destroying their future, then why do these two boys, who are the same age and live on the same street and come from the same DNA, view their worlds so differently? Why does Marcus remember being encouraged and loved, while Cory remembers being hurt; why does Marcus think of the sweet smell of home, while Cory senses the danger all around him; why does Marcus still believe that he can be a Prince, while Cory believes that the best he can do is to steal from the Prince?’ The normally composed Mrs Watson had turned into a wild-eyed preacher on me and to be honest, I was having a hard time swallowing her message. Again, she read my reaction and added, ‘this is just like you and me Mr. Sherman, we both come to this same school everyday, we deal with many of the same people and we have many of the same challenges; but the way I choose to view it gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment, while the way you choose to view it causes you to be frustrated and bitter.’ I found her pointed assessment of me to be highly offensive, though even then I recognized the truth of what she was saying. It was all more than I could take in at that moment and she seemed to understand that too. Through gritted teeth, I managed to ask to go back to my classroom and as I walked down the hall, I promised myself that I was going to quit. Somehow, by the grace of God, I made it through the rest of that day and as I left the parking lot that evening, I once again vowed to myself not to come back; but Mrs Watson had succeeded in sowing the seeds of change within me and probably for the first time in my life, I was forced to take a good hard look at myself. All that night, I couldn’t shake the image of those two little boys and I had to admit that I had a lot more in common with Cory than I did with Marcus. I didn’t like that and I found myself wanting it to change. I still wasn’t sure that I could accept that her little test was even valid, but something about it was absolutely compelling to me. I dragged myself to the school that next day, not because I wanted to be there, but because for the first time, I felt like there was something for me to learn there. Mrs Watson wisely gave me a lot of time and space, allowing the wheels of my own mind to turn; and I began to listen, to watch, and ultimately to learn. And the more I did this, the more I grasped the wisdom of what she was teaching me.”

Mr. Sherman once again dabbed his face and sipped his water before continuing.

“I began to realize that I’d gotten into teaching for the wrong reasons; that I really just wanted people to recognize me as an educated black man and not to see me as some Negro from the ghetto. Unwittingly, I had passed judgment on my old neighborhood and on the people who lived there, including the very children I was supposed to be helping. To be quite honest, I didn’t believe that a kid like Marcus stood any real chance of becoming a Prince and there was a part of me that wanted to warn him against having such lofty aspirations. But Thelma Watson believed; she truly felt that there was nothing that these kids couldn’t accomplish and I realized that if I couldn’t come around to that way of thinking, I had no business staying at the school. The last thing that these kids needed was yet another voice telling them that they had no future or encouraging them to view themselves of helpless victims of a corrupt system. As I watched Thelma deal with these children, I could see that she had become a source of inspiration and hope for them and I found myself wanting to be like that too. She not only believed that these kids could do it, she expected that they would do it and she had no problem in letting them know when they were falling short of their potential. She wasn’t willing to make excuses for them and she wouldn’t accept excuses from them or anyone else. It took some time to sink in with me, but slowly my mind was changed. As the years went by, I began to see that what people said and believed about these kids wasn’t nearly as important as what they said and believed about themselves. As I reflected on my own life, I realized that it had been my mother’s faith that a better life was attainable for us and her willingness to pay the price, which had actually changed the course of our lives; and I began to yearn for that in the lives of these kids. I stopped being focused on the rampant racism that was especially prevalent in that day and I quit ranting about the blatant corruption of the system, because constantly pointing those things out made them seem insurmountable. I came to believe that hope was such a powerful thing that racism and corruption couldn’t withstand it; and I soon found that such a belief was contagious. Now don’t misunderstand, that didn’t mean that everyone suddenly grabbed a hold of this idea or that every kid magically succeeded. To be honest, for every one success story, there have probably been thirty who never made it; but because of the profound influence of Mrs Thelma Watson, I came to believe that it was worth whatever that one might cost.”

The audience once again rose to their feet in thunderous applause, which seemed to linger for even longer than before. I knew Mr Sherman well enough to know that he’d want to wrap things up quickly, so I wasn’t surprised that as soon as the ovation started to wane, he quickly resumed speaking.

“My dear colleagues, I will confess to you that I never once tried to duplicate Mrs Watson’s little demonstration with Marcus and Cory; and I’d be the first to admit that this methodology was something less than definitive; but I would also have to testify to the fact that there was something to all that. You see, I got to watch these two young men grow up and I got to see their lives bear out what Mrs Watson had said that day. As a matter of fact, it was Thelma that I stood with at Cory’s funeral; just weeks after his nineteenth birthday and within a few days of him being shot to death during a Liquor Store robbery. On Thursday afternoon we wept bitter tears at our inability to reach Cory, but on Friday morning we returned to work at PS 236, with an even greater sense of urgency to press on. I wish that I could tell you that Cory was the only one we lost, but I couldn’t begin to number the one’s who didn’t make it. I have cried many tears in the last forty years, but not all of them have been in sorrow. You see, every once in a while, a little one grabs a hold of hope and runs with it. It’s a beautiful thing to watch and it renews your spirit to keep up the fight. Marcus was one of those children. Despite all of the obstacles and all of his supposed disadvantages, he just kept getting stronger and stronger. Just a few short years removed from Cory’s funeral, I once again stood with Thelma, as Marcus received the first of his college degrees. On that day, our tears were filled with joy, as we marveled at the power of hope. It wasn’t long after that wonderful experience that my dear friend and mentor, Thelma Watson retired; handing the reins of PS 236 over to me. Though she’d had many opportunities to go elsewhere during her career, she chose to end it where it began; just as I will do at the end of this school year. Some might view that as tragic, but I’d submit that there is no better place to be than in the place you feel called to. Thelma knew that she was created with a purpose and with all that was within her she tried to fulfill that purpose. I will tell you that there is no more meaningful life than that. Thanks to her influence, and that of my wonderful family and friends, I will depart your ranks with that same fulfillment. I again want to thank you for this wonderful recognition and as a fellow educator, I want to challenge you to truly invest yourselves in the opportunities that you’re given. Never forget that educating means far more than simply passing on information and that without hope, there is no bright future for the emerging generations. Finally, I want to thank my dear friend and colleague, Professor Lindsey for coming all the way from Virginia, just to introduce me tonight.” With this, Mr Sherman motioned for me to come to him.

As I quickly made my way to his side, he put his arm around my shoulder and said, “If you read your program, you probably already know that Dr. Lindsey is a professor at Hampton University and the head of their History department; but in my heart he will always just be a little bright-eyed boy named Marcus.

” With loud cheers and whistles, the attendees again rose to their feet and the room seemed to shake with their applause. As Mr. Sherman and I stood together, looking out over this unlikely scene, I too found myself amazed by the power of hope.

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Beauty, Talent, Fame & Fortune

Posted in Entertainment/Music/Sports, Opinions, Social / Political on February 12, 2010| 3 Comments »

There are probably few people in the Western Hemisphere this morning who haven’t heard of yesterday’s passing of Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett; and while neither one had been at the forefront of the cultural consciousness for awhile, both left an indelible mark on pop culture history. 

At the peak of her popularity, Farah Fawcett was largely viewed as the standard by which physical beauty was judged.  Though her resume of achievements was relatively minor, her image was world renown and in many ways her popularity was similar to that of Marilyn Monroe’s.  Throughout her career Farah seemed to struggle to be viewed as more than just a pretty face and to some degree she achieved that with a couple of TV movies that revealed a greater depth to her acting ability; but in the end, it was her iconic beauty that created a lasting legacy.

By contrast, Michael Jackson’s resume of achievements was extensive and his talent was undeniable.  At his peak, he was arguably the best known human being on the planet and the devotion of his fans bordered on religious.  A tremendously gifted entertainer and a famously generous ambassador of goodwill, it seemed that everything he touched turned to gold.  That was until he allegedly touched a little boy inappropriately.  Even those allegations didn’t seem to dampen his popularity initially, but looking back, it was the beginning of the end for Michael’s unprecedented string of success.  As his personal life came under greater scrutiny, he began to seem less magical and more bizarre.

As a man who grew up in the midst of their popularity, I will confess that at times I envied them and wished that my own life was more like theirs.  I had always wanted to be one of the beautiful people, to be talented and popular and rich!  I once believed that would be the ultimate life and that people like them had it made.  They were the epitome of beauty, talent, fame & fortune; and what could be better than that?  But today, it’s hard for me to view them that way.  Despite all that they had and experienced, both of them appeared to be tormented souls, who seemed to be searching for something that they never quite grasped.  Neither one ever seemed to reach the place of being comfortable in their own skin.  At this point in my life I wouldn’t dream of trading the life that I’ve known for the life that they lived.  Yesterday, as these to cultural icon’s passed away; I doubt that their enduring legacy was particularly meaningful to them.  I wonder if either of them wrestled with the notion of whether anyone had truly loved them for who they were, apart from their accomplishments and image.  Though I am not immune to the sense of sadness that accompanies the passing of every human being, I wonder if the greater tragedy isn’t the life they never got a chance to live.  I pray that they can now rest in peace.

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5 Popular Parenting Ideas that Can Hurt Our Kids

Posted in Lists, Opinions, Parenting / Family, Social / Political, tagged , , , , on February 12, 2010| 3 Comments »

While an important part of parenting is caring and providing for our children, another equally vital element is preparing them for life in the adult world. Many times our efforts toward the former can unwittingly undermine our efforts toward the latter.  As I watch an unprecedented number of my contemporaries raising their grandchildren, most often because their own children can’t be bothered with it, I can’t help but think that some of these ideas may have contributed to the problem.  As you read through these it’s easy to see how interrelated they are.

 

  1. “Education is the most important thing.” While I would never argue the importance of a good education, I’ve come to recognize that ultimately there is something of even greater value, and that is work ethic. After dealing with highly educated people, who possess little work ethic, and uneducated people, who are hard workers, I would choose the latter every time. I’ve found that you can teach someone with a good work ethic just about anything, but without that quality, a good education becomes of little worth. Like education, work ethic is something that has to be consciously cultivated throughout a child’s formative years.

 

  1. “Why stand in line when you can drive thru.” Western culture has taken the attribute of “convenience” to absurd new heights, and, more often than not, has sacrificed genuine quality along the way. Few would argue that fast and/or processed foods have much nutritional value, yet we as American’s tend to view them as a worthwhile trade-off for the convenience that comes with them. Unfortunately, we are raising generations of kids with that same “fast food / microwave” mentality to life and relationships.  They increasingly have the expectation that everything should be fast and easy; and they have little patience or perseverance for anything that isn’t.  Unconsciously they are coming to prefer the weightlessness of virtual reality (e.g. Facebook, You-tube, Twitter…) to the friction and gravity of the real world.  These patterns render them unprepared for the adversity that is an inherent part of human existence.

 

  1. “I don’t want my kids to have to struggle like I did.” Undoubtedly, no one likes to struggle and as parents, we hate to see our kids struggle even more. Unfortunately, it is in the midst of the struggle that we tend to develop the character and work ethic that it takes to overcome adversity. Like lifting a barbell with no weights on it, the lack of any real resistance prevents muscles from developing.  A truly successful person isn’t as much defined by their victories as they are by how they handled the adversity they encountered along the way.  As I raise my own children, I’ve come to realize that saving them from every struggle will likely handicap them for life.

 

  1. “You’re the exception to the rule.” As a parent, it is important to let each child know that they are truly unique and special; but often times, in our efforts to convey that, we make them believe that they are the exception to the rule. While that generally does make them feel special, I’ve found that it doesn’t take long for a child to believe that they ought to be the exception to every rule and that “if you really loved them”, you’d find a way to exempt them from all the rules they don’t want to follow. For such a child, life becomes an endless series of rationalizations, negotiations and manipulations with the people who have influence over them (e.g. parents, teachers, coaches…).  Ultimately this pattern tends to carry on into their adult relationships (e.g. with their spouse, with their employer, with their creditors…) as well.

 

  1. Everyone’s a winner. My kids have walls full of trophies (and medals) from all the sports they’ve participated in. One day they asked me where my trophies were and they were genuinely amazed when I explained that, when I was a kid, only the champion’s won a trophy. While as a parent I can appreciate the idea of building self-esteem by giving everyone a trophy at the end of the season, as someone living in the adult world, I can also see the folly of it. That same kid who always had an excuse to miss practice, who never came to games prepared to play, who never really contributed to the team, and who got the same trophy at the end, is generally the guy who does the same thing on the job and expects to get the same paycheck as everyone else.

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The Council

Posted in Social / Political, Stories, tagged , , on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Though it was still early, the day seemed to be off to a dreary start; especially for the 1st day in May. Low clouds clung to the mountain peaks and a steady drizzle came down, as it had for the last several days.  The chill in the air, and the dimly lit horizon seemed fitting for the somber gathering of spirits that made up the war council.  It was indeed rare that they would gather together, especially in an earthly location, but it was as the Overlord had commanded.

 

Each warlord eyed the others warily, wondering if one of them might know the reason for this sudden gathering. They were all keenly aware that the master wasn’t one to seek input from his subordinates, or to give them praise, so a weighty sense of dread draped their processional into the abandoned shaft opening.  It wasn’t a very hospitable setting, but as spirits they tended not to pay much attention to aesthetics, and thus it served its purpose.  They arranged themselves as they knew the master would expect, and they braced themselves for the inevitable unpleasantness to come.

 

The Overlord’s entourage arrived with surprisingly little fanfare, and he quickly moved to his station at the head of the council. As the warlords began their customary declarations of worship and submission, the master waved his hand to stop them.  “Enough!  I don’t need any of that right now!” he snarled.  He shot them a brief look of contempt, but he seemed more distracted than angry.  He sat, staring at his hands, as though he were deep in thought.  The warlords sat in complete silence, afraid to arouse his anger.

 

After what seemed to be several minutes, and without raising his eyes from his hands, the Overlord muttered, “It’s over”.

 

Again, the warlords sat in silence, too petrified to ask what he was referring to. Finally, Nardus, who was the oldest of the warlords, spoke.  “What is over, sire?” he asked timidly.

 

At that, the master’s furious eyes rose toward the council as he hissed, “this insidious little game of war you’ve been playing!”

 

Nardus was clearly confused by the statement, but measured his words carefully as he declared, “My lord I can assure you that we have not retreated on any front, and I feel certain that we are on the brink of yet another great advance in the west.”

 

With his words dripping with sarcasm, and a strange half smile on his face, the Overlord replied, “Ah yes, the west. You’ve certainly invested heavily there haven’t you?  Unfortunately Nardus, you’ve just lost your queen in the west, and you’re rapidly backing into checkmate.”

 

Confused, Nardus said, “I don’t understand sire?”

 

With his expression becoming more serious, the master said, “It’s your boy Adolph, he’s dead.”

 

A low hum of murmurs rose from the council at the news, and Nardus failed to conceal his shock. “How did it happen sire?” he asked.

 

“He did it himself. Not surprising really, I mean you can only contain so much insanity in a man before he destroys himself.”

 

Again the room was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before a young, aggressive warlord named Lymbach spoke up. “There is still the war in the east sire!” He said in an optimistic tone.

 

Again, the Overlord glared at the council, “It’s over you fools! ‘The Allies’ have developed a doomsday weapon and it’s just a matter of time before they use it. Your pawns will fall in the east even faster than they have in the west; and before you know it your ‘World War’ will give way to world peace.”

 

Every member of the council hung their head in shame, knowing better than to utter anything more that might appear to contradict the master’s conclusion.

 

After several more minutes of silence, the Overlord rose to his feet and began to speak. “It is unfortunate that I have allowed you to be called ‘Warlords’, because it is so clear that you have little understanding of how to wage war.  You’re all so eager to make it a show of brute force and that is a war we cannot hope to win.  Don’t you see how attacking from outside one’s borders causes the citizenry to unite and galvanizes their resolve.  It stirs up all sorts of virtuous sensibilities and minimizes their more base instincts.  Instead of taking advantage of their natural depravity, you are cultivating what makes them our adversaries.  Instead of using them as puppets, you are making them into formidable foes.  Enough of this foolishness!  If you want to bring a house down you don’t throw rocks at the windows, you go after the structure that holds it up, and that sort of attack must come from within.”

 

The members of the council were now hanging on his every word, as he continued to pace and speak. “This idea of fighting toe to toe and face to face is much too civilized.  It makes the distinction between what is good and what is evil too apparent to them.  The way you win at war is to get them to the place that no one is really sure who the enemy is, or what the truth is.  That’s when you can get them to fight amongst themselves and where their natural sense of self-righteousness will guide them.  Never allow the battle lines to be clearly drawn.  Once you achieve that kind of ambiguity, you can sell them anything as long as it comes wrapped in a package that keeps them stirred up.”

 

The master paused to look into the faces of the council members, as if to see whether they were grasping his words. Nardus again spoke. “Sire, I can certainly see the wisdom of your words, but how do we move them from the place of their impending victory to this place that you have described?”

 

His question caused the Overlord to smile knowingly as he said, “It is much easier than you’d expect. If there is anything worth taking from history, it is that mankind cannot handle prosperity.  Just as the battle galvanized them, victory will surely make them proud and complacent.  It is fertile ground for their vain imaginations.  You need not dissuade them from their celebration, indeed you ought to encourage them to celebrate excessively.  Encourage them to feel good about themselves, to feel as though the days of sacrifice are over and the days of reward are at hand.  Help divert their dreams of freedom to dreams of prosperity; their covetous nature will make it easy.  Slowly redefine their most sacred tenants; reduce peace to nothing more than the absence of war and peace loving to nothing more than a lack of willingness to fight for what they believe.  Encourage them to view freedom as nothing more than the absence of constraint and to mistake winning for victory.  Inevitably their carnality will carry them along with very little effort on your part.  Give them catchy little phrases like, ‘Make love, not war!’  They will use such ideas to justify the exploration of their lusts and for their unwillingness to reach beyond themselves.  The generations born to such a people will have no concept of the truth or of sacrifice or of the eternal battle between good and evil.  Indeed, the very concept of good and evil will become abstract to them.  Believe me, if we are dutiful and patient, there will come a time when they doubt our very existence.  Without a shot being fired, this new empire will crumble from within, and ultimately be devoured by a people who truly understand what is good and what is evil.”

 

At these words, the entire council broke into cheers and exuberant praise. Moments later, as the Overlord’s entourage departed, every member of the council was awash with a fresh sense of hope for the future.

 

That is what I remember of my first council meeting, and I must admit that as a young demon I was somewhat skeptical about this plan. But in the relatively short period of time that has passed since that spring day in 1945 I have come to see the genius of the Overlord’s tact.  Indeed the young republic of that day did go on to become the most powerful nation on earth, with no foe on the horizon with the capabilities to bring it down.  Even so, the steady erosion of their own national character has weakened them from within, and they have now come to the point that they stand divided and on the brink of collapse.

 

I remember the master talking about attacking the foundation of a structure and it occurs to me that for a nation built upon Judeo-Christian ethics that is exactly what we’ve accomplished. Their Jesus claimed that He was “the way, the truth and the life” and yet in these few short years we’ve convinced them otherwise.  They’ve exchanged the belief that He is the only way for the belief that there are many ways (i.e. pluralism); they’ve exchanged the belief that He is the embodiment of truth for the idea that every man gets to define truth for himself (i.e. humanism) and they’ve come to a place of such low regard for life, that thousands of lives are destroyed each day in the name of personal freedom (i.e. abortion).  It’s not that they’ve stopped believing that there is a God; it’s just that He’s become irrelevant to them.

 

The generations born into this culture tend to have voracious appetites, under-developed consciences, and little sense of obligation toward their fellow man. They tend to believe only in what they can feel or explain, so just as the master prophesied, most cannot even fathom that we demons exist.  I’d love to take the credit for these rapid advances, and to be sure we’ve made our suggestions, but in truth they’ve really done most of it themselves.  Had they even resisted a little bit, we’d have had to take a step back; and I shudder to think of what might happen if they’d ever unleash the whole arsenal of weapons they’ve got at their disposal.  But for now they’re too busy battling each other to bother with us.  For us it’s a lot like watching a beautiful sunset.

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Public Enemy #1 or Freedom Fighter ? (A Candid Interview with Lucifer)

Posted in Commentaries, Satire, Social / Political, Stories on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Warning – the following story is satirical and not meant to be viewed literally.  The writer’s intention was simply to expose the absurd lengths to which ‘tolerance’ and ‘political correctness’ can be taken.”

            Back in the 1960’s, when I was studying Journalism at U of C, in Berkley; I learned that the success of a story isn’t so much about how well it is written, but about how much people want to read it.  To that end, I’ve made a career of picking intriguing and often controversial subjects to write about.  While many have disagreed with the things I’ve written, they’ve never ignored them and as a writer that is very gratifying.  When this assignment presented itself, even I had to think about it for a minute; but it was a short minute.  What journalist worth his salt wouldn’t want to sit down for a few minutes with arguably the most prominent figure in the earth’s history?  With assurances from both sides that everything would be handled with professionalism and respect, I embarked on this remarkable assignment.

Reporter:  Sir, I know we only have a few minutes, but I must say that I’m humbled to actually speak to you in person.

Lucifer:  Please call me Lucifer and the pleasure is all mine.  I’ve long admired your work.

R: I guess before we start I have to admit that I’ve been really surprised by this whole thing.  Did you ever think that you’d be doing an interview like this?

L:  Well, as recently as fifty years ago I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but things have really changed in that period; there is such an openness now that didn’t exist in this country before.  I think that is what made this possible.

R:  Absolutely, we’ve really come a long way.  I’m hoping that people who read this interview will just come with an open mind.

L:  That’s all I’m after too.  I’m not one of those my way or the highway kind of guys, I think that everyone has to draw their own conclusions.  I’m just about being open to new things, new ways of thinking, not just accepting everything that you’ve been taught.  Unless we open our minds, we’ll never find new truths and we’ll never progress.  That’s what these last fifty years have been about, “progress”.

R:  It has been an amazing time.  As someone who’s observed a lot of history, what do you think has really made the difference in this last half century?

L:  I guess I’d have to say “freedom”.  You know a lot of the things that I’ve said and done over time have been misrepresented; I’ve always been about personal freedom.  I think that the rise of democracy in America and its eventual spread around the world have really ushered in a time of unprecedented freedom.  In this current era, we’re progressing from a time of national freedom, to a time of personal freedom.  Despite what my opposition has portrayed, that is all I ever wanted.

R:  Would you consider yourself a patriot?

L:  Absolutely!

R:  As a person who shares your passion for personal freedom, I guess I find it hard to understand why everyone wouldn’t be for that?

L:  I’m sure you’d get a variety of answers to that question, but if we’re really honest with ourselves no one wants to live in a cage.  Those who’ve traditionally opposed me have always wanted to throw up boundaries and I’m just against that. 

R:  What do you think that they hope to gain by putting all these boundaries in place?

L:  Control.  I mean honestly, what else could it be?  It’s all about one group trying to inflict their will on another; it is so base and animal like.

R:  On a personal level I’m right there with you, but how would you answer your critics who claim that there are absolute truths and standards that must be adhered to?

L:  I’ve got no problem with them adhering to those truths and standards, I’m just saying don’t inflict them on me or on my kids.  They certainly have a right to set those standards for themselves, but freedom dictates that every man should be able to decide for themselves.

R:  Well, I promised myself that I was going to steer clear of the whole religion issue, so maybe we ought to move on to something else.

L:  Well that’s fine, but for the record I’m not opposed to religion, even though much of it is opposed to me.  I believe that’s part of the freedom that every man has; I’d even go so far as to say that I’d love to see a whole lot more religions come to pass.  I think that there ought to be religions for every different type of belief system that’s out there.  I’m for people being passionate about what they believe.

R:  That’s really great and so opposed to how you’ve been portrayed by your adversaries.

L:  Well, as I mentioned before, I’ve been greatly misrepresented.

R:  That seems like a good segue way into the next part of my interview.  In journalism we often like to ask some kind of random questions, to give the people a greater sense of the person; you know your interests, your likes, your dislikes…  I can already see that you’re much different from the way you’ve been portrayed and I want to try to convey that to the people.

L:  Sounds good, shoot.

R:  What would you consider to be one of your hobbies?

L:  Music.

R:  Really, I wrote for Rolling Stone magazine for many years.  What kind of music do you like?

L:  All kinds really, though I must admit that I’m very partial to the oldies.

R:  Really, listening to your critics I would have thought Heavy Metal of Rap would be your thing.

L:  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy those too, but there’s nothing like those old songs to take you back.  There’s just something about them that goes right to the soul.

R:  Would you consider yourself to be sentimental?

L:  Definitely.

R:  How about television shows?

L:  I tend to like sitcoms, reality shows and every once in a while the Shopping Channel.

R:  Really, I think the stereotype of you has been more toward the heavier forms of entertainment.

L:  Well, like with the music, I have an appreciation for all of it; but I think that it’s good to laugh at ourselves and maybe a little at each other too; so the sitcoms are good for that.  I think reality TV has helped everyone to see that we’re all just people, with our little character flaws and our struggles.  I believe it has helped people to feel less guilty about just being human; and what can you say about the Shopping Channel: I mean sometimes you just got to have it.

R:  Again I find myself agreeing with you, but how do you respond to the critics who say that the entertainment industry is immoral and isn’t upholding good family values?

L:  Well, I guess I’d have to ask, whose family, whose morals and whose values are we talking about.  To me, if these programs didn’t represent someone’s values, then no one would watch them and they’d go off the air.  The fact that people love these programs tells me that they are representative of their values.  I think what you have is a very small group of people who want to control what everyone else is watching.

R:  Well I can see that our prescribed time is about up, is there any thought that you’d like to leave with our readers?

L:  Well, I hope that this bit of time that we’ve shared helps open people up to some new truths.  There are a lot of myths that have followed me through time and I certainly don’t have the time to try to dispel every one of them.  I just hope that as time goes on, the people of this country will continue to teardown those last vestiges of intolerance remaining from our early history and that democracy will now do for personal freedom, what it did for national freedom.

R:  Thank so much for your time Sir.

L:  You’re welcome and please call me Lucifer.

            As a reporter, all I can do is report what I saw and heard; or maybe in this case what I didn’t see or hear.  What I didn’t see was horns, a tail or a pitchfork; what I did see was a very open minded, rational being.  What I didn’t hear was the vehement, intolerant rhetoric of his critics, but instead the pleas of someone who passionately believes in tolerance and personal freedom for all men.  While I only spent a few minutes with him, it is hard not to find the man and his arguments compelling.  I believe that if anyone will just come with an open mind, he’ll make a lot of sense to them.  I believe his philosophy could be the vision for this country’s future.

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10 Truths About Truth

Posted in Lists, Social / Political on February 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Statistics indicate that somewhere between two-thirds and three-fourths of adults in America believe that the truth is relative (i.e. that each person gets to define what truth is for themselves).  I don’t believe that most people recognize how vastly this differs from the ideologies which helped to form our nation or the repercussions of such a paradigm shift.  In light of that, I offer these thoughts on truth.

1.   A man who deceives himself is incapable of being truly honest with anyone else.

2.   A truth that can be altered based on perception is like a compass without a “magnetic north” – it is utterly useless.

3.   To the man who seeks to find meaning in life, the truth is a welcome friend; but for the man who seeks nothing beyond his own comfort, it is a relentless adversary.

4.   It is not the open mind that finds truth, but the heart that yearns for justice.

5.   Throughout history the Constitution of the United States has been one of the most successful documents of its kind.  Regardless of its’ many lofty principles, it is the relatively simple phrase, “we hold these truths to be self evident” that has been at the core of that success.  At the point that those words no longer ring true, the rest of the document and the republic for which it was written will cease to be relevant.

6.   A man who is unwilling to succumb to a truth that is higher than himself is destined to become a victim of his own vain imaginings.

7.    There is no such thing as “new truth”.  The truth has always been; it is only our perception of it that changes.

8.   In a society that embraces the idea that every man is allowed to define truth for themselves, every law becomes susceptible to the charge that it is an obstacle to personal liberty.  Such a society is destined to progress toward a state of lawlessness.

9.   It is not truth that is relative to us, but we who are relative to the truth.

10.  If every man is allowed to define truth for themselves, then God has no just standard by which to judge them; but if truth is absolute and unchanging, every man’s life speaks for itself.

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