Interesting Interactions

My Mother always admonished us that Religion and Politics were not appropriate subjects at the dinner table, especially when entertaining guests.  NOW we have Facebook where our friends and family entertain us with “likes” and comments, and where we can embarrass ourselves with the click of a mouse / enter key.   It is amazing how many uplifting “Good Morning” or “Good Night” photos arrive, recipes that my diet would love, cute yard ornaments and recycling projects and I do enjoy them all.  But comments on my postings of a political nature have yielded some thoughtful moments.

The Primary Elections this Spring seem to divide more than unite us.  There are only two “civil” candidates who refrain from personal attacks and they get so much less coverage I am afraid that come January of 2017 we will get “what we deserve” and not God’s best for our nation as those “civil” candidates are not attracting the money for a winning campaign, nor has the press or media been kind to them.  It seems that flaming rhetoric “sells papers” and “gets ratings.”  The majority feels that they have no power in our society; which is frustrating! So many “squeaky wheels” get their way, like spoiled children, with not a thought for the good of the “majority” or even the safety of the “majority!”

One of my nephews mentioned on one of my posts that he isn’t on either side of the fence – he broke it down.  My comment was that I had several “orthodox Christian” friends who were also “social liberals” and I still consider them both friends and Christians.  I have several siblings and in-laws who cannot discuss politics with their spouse / MOST of their children because they have the “don’t disturb me with facts, I have my mind made up” attitudes.  Civility and discussion should continue in our society or we become anarchists.

I saw a ruler – a devise for measuring - once that went from 100% government to 0% government, from Fascism, the New Deal, the Great Society, to Vigilantes, PETA and the Mafia, from Tyranny to Anarchy with the Constitution as the center.  The way society engages with those with whom they differ determines how quickly “the Pendulum” swings from one extreme to the other!  And the PENDULUM will always swing; the only “good thing” is that for each extreme we get two middles! 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all humans are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  Declaration of Independence - 1776   HAPPINESS is not guaranteed, just your pursuit thereof!!

To this end the Constitution was hammered out a short eleven years later: “ to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”… a separation of powers, so tyranny could NOT intrude on this experiment of nation-building.  They had had a KING, they wanted to make sure that we were NOT burdened with another!

I saw a forwarded post about a man in FL who “adopted a High School” with an abysmal graduation rate and promised a college scholarship to EVERY graduate of that school.  The graduation rate spiked because having SOMEONE who had faith in each student’s ability to succeed made all the difference.  Meanwhile, someone else had posted a story about Ivy League Colleges giving scholarships to “disadvantaged students” which reminded me of the Guidance Counselors at MY High School in an under-privileged area of DENVER CO.  They too tried to encourage mediocre students and get them to try for scholarships.

Those scholarships were made available by people, people with a heart for education, out of their own pockets, or an inheritance,  – even the Ivy League Colleges get the money from somewhere – just like the man in FL.  Most of the scholarships, then and now, were not even applied for.  The Federal Government stepped in with Pell Grants, and Financial Aid – which must be repaid!  So I am sure that most of the scholarships available are still sitting there as the “requirements” don’t meet the appetites of the students who still need the money but prefer to get it from the “deep pockets” of the government.  NEWS FLASH – the government is all of US, or at least those of us who PAY taxes, including businesses and corporations.

There was also a post this morning, supposedly the parting words of Steve Jobs, wishing that he had not made MONEY his goal, but LOVE.  Love your family, love your wife, love LIFE because while money pays for the hospital bed and the ventilator, when LIFE is gone it doesn’t matter how much money you have made in your career.  Makes you wonder if he left some of his money for scholarships for students wishing to invent the NEXT electronic “toy” or the cure for the disease that he succumbed to despite his money.

We all make choices in life whether Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, or the man in FL who adopted a WHOLE High School.  So think before you vote, do some research and don’t believe everything you see on TV or read in the newspaper.  Good advice for ALL of US, myself included!  And send some money to the most “civil” of the candidates and let’s restore respect to the election process.