Knee Jerk

I almost titled this Response Time but then I thought, no......right now we are hearing much too much about response. Response to danger, to criminality, to rhetoric....these days there are whole groups driven or paid to respond.

I am quickly learning at my advanced age that much of our response is being whipped up to suit others’ agendas. Everyone, today, has a “cause.” And, they naturally seek out other like minded people to try to help them push that “cause” on others. Or, they give us a sucker punch in our solar plexus by appealing to our sense of right, fair and civil. This punch is pretty effective since we are constantly reminded that “facts don’t matter, just feelings.” Therefore, finding people whose feelings you can manipulate isn’t hard, because at our core, most of us are kind, generous and fair minded people.

We all see things, hear things, know things that tend to elicit a “knee jerk” reaction in us. We immediately hate it, love it, are sorry for it, or mad as hell at it. Once we hit the feelings and emotions button on things it is hard to walk them back. Our body chemicals start to do their thing and suddenly our knee jerk reaction makes us become a part of a potentially damaging issue.

I am trying these days to avoid my own “knee jerk” reactions to issues and people by hitting my own internal “pause” button. I am trying to do my own research about things before I decide to fall into “hate it, love it, sorry for it, or mad as hell at it.” The information is out there on everything, you just have to care enough to look and look in several places and then use that large melon on your neck to do some thinking........for yourself.

Issues today are NEVER what they appear to be on the surface. There is a whole multi-layered story running like a raging river beneath the surface of what we are seeing. Sometimes that story beneath is more positive than the negative one you are hearing. Sometimes not. But, I have confidence in us as a thinking people that we can think while continuing to feel. But please, think first and feel after. Doing the opposite is what is driving much of what is wrong in our country today. We have whole groups of people who can’t get a hold of their feelings and those feelings can lead to random acts of violence, civil disobedience, and much worse.

You seldom see large groups of people who are thinking decide to create problems for other people, but every day we are seeing groups of people driven by their feelings and feeding off of the feelings of others, creating a chaotic world for all of us. The danger in this “knee jerking” is that eventually the pendulum will have to swing the other direction, and that, my friends.....is a big problem.

....come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord....-Isaiah 1:18 (KJV)

Lesson Slate at 68

As I turn the same number as the year I graduated from high school in a little town in the dusty Texas panhandle,  I am extremely grateful for my upbringing...it wasn't privileged but it was protected and in many ways very easy.  There wasn't a lot of enchantment - family struggles were at the forefront of my awareness, but I also knew that I could run a small distance in any direction and find a friend.  At this age, I have come to realize that I actually am fairly smart, I have an honest and open heart, I'm pretty sensible about everything but money but not having an abundance of that helps in that area as well.  I am deeply flawed, have made horrible mistakes that I regret.  Mistakes I would fix if I could but that is a story for another day...and I've made my confessions to and peace with the BIG GUY upstairs...so I have to be good with that.  But, I've also done some really good things as well and am blessed with some friends who like me so there's that.  I have a good man who loves me, great kids I am proud of, grandkids that I love more than life and now I'm starting to accumulate those great grandkids.  I reached a marriage milestone and have shared my journey for 25 years with someone I am grateful to grow old with, I worked some interesting jobs and lived a pretty danged interesting life.  I've hurt some people along the way...I'm sorry.  I've been hurt along the way....I forgive.  But, in honor of God giving me 68 years to work on me, I wanted to put down on paper the things I feel are a pretty good road map for a life.  Some of these are things I have been pretty successful at, but a great many are things I need reminding of every day.  Don't panic there aren't 68 of them...my attention span isn't that long.   Sooooo...here is my:

SLATE OF 68

• Let someone else be the smartest person in the room sometimes. 
• Help people grow.  At work, church, school, and at home.  Don't let people drown in "sameness" - allow them to see and do something different each day.
• Being right is not nearly as much fun as being loved and being right is cold comfort on a bitter night.
• Love.  Love God. Love your family.  Love your spouse.  Love your friends.  Love your fellow man....Love your country.  Love dogs....or cats...God put people and things in your path for a reason, try to find out what that reason is.
• Sometimes it is okay to just BE, just sit, just think....or nap.  Be bored, boredom brings your imagination into play...people and things don't necessarily do well in constant motion.
• Not everyone is going to like you - some people are just not very smart.
• You won't like everyone - see previous statement.
• Practice saying I'm sorry until you believe it and mean it....and....use it.
• If someone shoots an arrow and you run and step in front of it, don't blame the archer or the arrow...they weren't shooting at you.  You made yourself the target...because you think you are just that important.  Meanwhile you caused the arrow to miss its mark.  Again, aren't you important?
• The inability to recognize and admit your own shortcomings is a sign of a weak character.
• Make someone else the center of YOUR world, no one likes a narcissist.
• It's okay to say NO - with no excuses or disclaimers....just no.
• It's okay to cry.  Save it for the big stuff - not everyone or everything is worth your tears.
• Look for the funny, happy moments in bad things, you will live longer.  The longer you spend in anguish, the more likely it is to become your favorite shirt.
• It's okay to be skinny....it's okay to be heavy as long as you are happy being you.  Just give being as healthy as you can be your best effort.
• You cannot and will not improve on God's original blueprint of  you...be what God designed in every ounce of your perfection and imperfection...God does not make mistakes.
• Money can't buy happiness but it does alleviate quite a lot of stress.
• It's okay to be impulsive as long as you are willing to live with the consequences.
• Make sure you are mentally and emotionally old enough and equipped to make important life decisions....kids should never be in charge of important life changing decisions.  No one is that old a soul.
• If you are a grown up....be in charge...the scariest place for a kid is somewhere they feel like no one is watching or protecting them.  Oh, they love the freedom, they think.  But they secretly want boundaries....there is safety in boundaries.
• Work a job like it was your business.  No one will notice, but that's okay.
• If you spend all your time waiting to be offended someone will be happy to oblige.
• Looking for sin and deceit under every rock ensures you will eventually find them.  Don't look...God won't take you there.
• The sooner you realize you are a composite of your mistakes and triumphs you will realize how unique you are and the happier you will be.
• Try to build on your success....don't beat yourself up with your failures.
• No one had a "perfect" childhood...that is not an excuse for being a butthead.  Use that as a foundational road map to build something better.
• We are not guaranteed tomorrow....don't leave anything unsaid today.
• If you want understanding and respect...try giving it first.
• Try hard to be kind and civil to everyone but pay particular attention to the young, the sick, the afflicted, the elderly, the widowed, the orphaned, and the furry creatures.  I believe you will be judged by your treatment of those because they are the ones unable to fight for themselves.
• And finally, be proactive in life as opposed to reactive.  

Illegal Versus Unlawful

Many, many.........MANY years ago I used to watch the Art Linkletter Show on a very small (think maybe about the size of tablet) black and white television.

Mr. Linkletter had a segment called "Kids Say the Darndest Things" and they did and they never disappointed.  This cute little panel of kids under the age of 10 all decked out in the bowties, ruffly ankle socks, and patent leather shoes found themselves extremely comfortable in Art's presence and offered great wisdom...to much hilarity.

One such episode sticks in my memory quite vividly.  Upon learning that the little boy's father was an attorney....the question was asked "so, do you know the difference in unlawful and illegal?"

The little boy pondered but a moment and replied "yes, unlawful means something is against the law, and illegal.......is a sick bird."

I can't help but think about the depth of truth here when talking about our current situation of illegal immigration.  It is indeed a very sick bird.

While my heart soars with the words "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."  I finally realize those words are NOT a component of the thing that sets law for our country, they are not the building blocks of our constitution.

And, upon research I have found documentable video, or written transcripts from practically every single so called champion of illegal immigration where they spoke of the dangers of NOT protecting our country and its citizens from these people.

This is a great example...give it a read and a listen and tell me who it reminds you of.  Someone saying these exact same words today who is maligned for having these same opinions.

https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/flashback-video-shows-diane-feinstein-railing-against-illegal-immigration/

This was approximately 2 decades ago and how much worse has it gotten in those two decades.  What was true then, remains true today.  But what has changed is all those people who spoke out so eloquently for protecting America and its people and resources have quickly figured out that all those things handed to illegal immigrants for free translate into a lot of votes so THEY can maintain THEIR standard of living and THEIR quality of life.

Don't think for one minute they actually care about them...they are using them...actually, they are enslaving them and we are being sold a bill of goods. Any group of people who is willing to see their own system of government fail in order to protect the rights of people who are not legal citizens has only their own best interests at heart.

I praise the people who came here out of need and a desire to have a better life and assimilate into a country that would provide them the chance to be better. The ones who did the work.  What I have a huge problem with are the ones who want to leave their horrible places of origin, come here without the proper work to become a citizen and then begin to make of our country something resembling the one they fled from.  The proverbial S Hole if you will.

What has been created is an enormous ill-eagle....a very sick bird that is spreading contagion in its path and in many cases is also manifesting in quite a bit of UNLAWFUL as well.

I watch news reporters spend 1/2 an hour weeping with illegals because in 2 or 3 decades they have never attempted to become a legal citizen (because they didn't have to - rights of citizenship were just handed to them like a lollipop in a doctor's office.)  I have yet to see those same reporters weep with the mother or father of someone who has been victimized by an illegal immigrant.

We are broken....we are ill and some of us are trying to fix it.  And we get told every day that we are heartless, inhumane, unChristian, ignorant, deranged, selfish, deplorable and entitled.  They fail to mention we are also for the most part law abiding, hard working, good hearted and open handed people who can be counted on the do the right thing.

I reject those negative labels on myself. I choose to remain hopeful that our country can become a shining light of good stewards of the land and good protectors of our beautiful country and its citizens for other people, so that they want to come here, be part of us and labor with us for the good of all.

We will always have unlawful....but there is no reason for us to embrace illegal.