I've seen your Honor

     Honor cannot be measured by volume or intensity, nor in nationality or any measure of man, it is truly a wonder of God. I have lived a fairly understated life and it has been blessed with a few friendships along the way. For a man to have a good quality of friends is an unusual thing in our present time, maybe in all time. I’ve almost never forced myself on anyone and haven’t thought much of those that do. That makes my friends all the more remarkable and improbable. They are usually not popular by world standards. They have an insight into many of the doings of the world that sets them apart, usually not by choice, although it does serve them and their families well by keeping much of the negative world at bay. I was once told that I was a fairly strange human and my friends were also. I asked the speaker to consider the source of the statement and he nodded in acquiescence. These aren’t the people who spend their whole lives trying to be different, not those who try to be characters. These are people who are usually not forcing themselves to the front of the crowd or elbowing people out of the way. Instead they spend their lives going quietly about their business and are available to help at the most unlikely moments. I think highly of this sort of person because of their ability to silently and without thanks, honor those people who cannot see or care about such things. I have been most honored in my life by anyone simply doing for me what I could not do by myself. That is why those in the military regard honor so highly. They make their sacrifices for each other, and those others are us. We just need to realize it, that’s the start of honor. From there we must choose Honor.

We reflect whomever we believe our God to be.

             

Not that we define our God, just that we define our view. God has to be so much more than we can imagine, that all our imaginations fall short. But those who fall the shortest are those who limit God to a petty, cruel, and vicious being. If your actions toward others reflect this kind of attitude toward life as a whole, you can surely know that your god is not the One God. It is fitting that as I write this, I sit watching” hitler, the rise of evil”. I see many of his ilk in the world just in my short lifetime of 55 years.

       Few of those in the world seek after the maker of this world, even though He is the One to whom we owe all. Because we die we cannot think of him as cruel, because we are the authors of death. His is the hand that preserves life at every turn. If you don’t consider this, your memory is worse than mine, and I have survived some real stinkers of my own making. If I or you don’t recognize His sovereignty, you put Him away from you. He cannot draw close to those whom He has given the free will to reject Him. Still He persists. We really don’t have clue. Nothing of any lasting value in life is done without His guidance. I fear His gentle hand, but I fear far more His inability to let His hand come close to me. Let’s not nurture a puny god, but the One who has to be the best of everything for everyone. We must get outside ourselves to truly see Him even fleetingly.

     I see He does things without fuss, oh that I could.

He does things when asked with a pure child’s heart.

So many miracles explained away as just so many coincidences. It is his nature to let man discover Him through searching and diligence. If any don’t wish to make this wonderful journey, the choice is theirs to make.

Old women of Tonasket

      I want to thank you for the lessons you gave me that helped make me the man I have become.  In the 1950's, you showed me a resolve to always do the best for others even at a personal sacrifice to yourselves.  You almost never wavered from your conviction that has helped me form my basis for living and was instrumental in choosing my mate for life.  That one thing is putting others before yourself.  I see it in the military, in the sacrifice of others, and I saw it in your concern for all children, all the time.  You are the women who told your husbands at childbirth,” If it comes to a choice between the child and me, choose the child.” There was no thought of how many children would be motherless, no thought of a wifeless husband.  These are the real heros of mine and should be the examples of giving your life for others.

When asked these questions, their reply was,” choose me”.  That is really living for others, giving your lives for others.  The thousands of days of service they give for us all is in sharp contrast these days to the thoughtless second of a suicide bomber who calls himself a martyr.  I don’t believe these two acts can be spoken of in the same world.  Therefore one of them must be in “Bizarro World”.  I am indeed thankful for my view of the real martyrs of my world, as I see so many of my countrymen and women give their daily living and lives.  Those who truly know the difference between murder and the taking of life in defense of others.  If you question your neighbors view of this subject, you should first question your own.  I have and I think mine is the way we were made to be, not self focused and inward, but always wanting the best for others.  No matter their color, nationality, or belief.  Oh, old women, you have taught me well and right. And I married one who is just like you. 

The look of leadership-dudbutts

Do the people who use and abuse others really think they are in control of their destiny? I put it to you, the people who don’t have to have their way are the ones who are the further along the narrow path . These have seen enough of life to understand the difference between getting and receiving, giving and charity. All those who are known as “A type personalities” are much further down the list than A,(a letter obviously designated by one of their own as a sign of superiority). Those who think they are demonstrating leadership ability by elbowing their way to the top, aren’t. They are the object of ridicule and scorn by the people they most need for support. So the structure of business is most often top-heavy with any kind of bully who has gained their advancement on the attributes of those who are less of that and more of the other. They often mimic the abilities and attributes of those who are the real movers and shakers, those who really can make things happen. They then spend their career manipulating and deriding those who are the real team. The real team don’t beat their own drum. Once the A's have entrenched themselves in a company and gotten a power base they are virtually impossible to overthrow or oust, from up ladder or down. They use their contacts and energy to maintain their position. The company limps along at about 1/3 speed, still making money, but in dire straits. No one will say anything because those in the hierarchy are dependant on each other. Those who can and would be a blessing to the business are held to a position of inferior service by jealousy and envy, among other things. And these are the very things they are often accused of harboring, by those hiding from the real problems of unproductivity, no imagination, and the like. One of the first indicators is the delegating of most of ones work to subordinates. A real leader is a whittler of business. They will reduce the paperwork and free their people to invent new ways to gain revenue for the company. This is the real leader, one who is not threatened by others gifts, but rather helps them to develop. Those of you in control of a company, making the big bucks, this is your responsibility. Most of the deadwood of a company can be found at the upper level, not at the level of the average worker. The workers level can usually be relied upon to get rid of those who don’t pull their weight. Management propagates more of its own kind, if it is a poor kind or good kind. This is the very reason the average worker knows they are worth more and those in management are worth less.

   In conclusion, even these things that are written in support of all people are seen by those who could most use it as a manipulation or an opportunity to get the upper hand on someone, anyone.  Ours should always be,” Up with the people who make up the company or group”, and never up with only those in management. This is the primary attribute of a successful leader. It has to be heartfelt and true, if not it will be seen and ridiculed. A worse condition than before.  People are smart and even though they abide in the physical world they operate in a world that can see beyond the facade.

Do we have to know about everyone and everything?

I’m as curious as the next person but I don’t believe it’s our right or responsibility to look into everything that comes our way. Some things happen around us for a reason and some of those things should be investigated. Other things happen around us and although we deduce they are none of our business, we refuse to turn away. Are we curious or just busybodies? Is this something we can blame on someone else, maybe the news media? Perhaps we are just not in the habit of exercising self-control, that dirty word. We are learning that knowledge is power, power over things and others. But is it a good thing? I hold those people in high esteem who can say,” That’s none of my business”. And in higher esteem those who say,” excuse me for asking, but that’s none of my business.” We should not think that because we have the effrontery to speak out of ignorance that others should be required to answer any question put to them. Fellow earthies, just as God spoke the world into existence we should follow His good example and speak and ask only those things we can be proud of. Perhaps the world would be a quieter place.

"Why" put the ship in Sportsman.

        Why isn’t the outcome of the game enough to celebrate? Do we have to celebrate every  play, every strike, every goal. Why is winning everything? Why aren’t the losers included in the celebration?  Haven’t they played their best too? Not every game I’ve watched was decided by the best of everything. Lots of skill, lots of luck, lots of planning, lots of mistakes. These are the things that decide a game. We all learned these things as small children. As I get older I see lots more. I see the losers weeping, I see the covered heads, I see the turning away to the lockers. I don’t see the losers massing in front of the dugout or on the sidelines and applauding the winners. I don’t see any of the winners drawing the losers into the celebration or treating them with the sportsmanship I’m looking for.  If we’re who we say we are, do we want the rest of the world to see us as poor sports?  Are we poor sports? Is this the view we project and the idea that our house is divided? The great thing about freedom is the ability to give and take any honestly given comment on any subject and develop your own conclusions. Freedom's poorest thing is the ability to manipulate and bend anything honest and pure to suit whatever is on ones mind or in ones spirit. If we play the pure game and examine our motives, we will never need to be defended.

          That’s sportsmanship.