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The following ramblings are my thoughts about life.. and it's pursuits.. Those writings that have an author noted, are not original, however, the sentiments are mine as well. The rest of the writings are original.
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Well, Just What Did We Expect?
Our society has changed immensely in the last thirty years. I am
a member of the "hippie" generation and although I was not one of
those demonstrating against the War in Vietnam, nor was I one
to preach of "free love" and "if it feels good... do it" ..... I am
guilty by association. These lessons have been bandied about so long
that they have become a de-facto standard in our way of life.
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Gary's Proverbs (some are original)
Life is lived in forward.... and learned in reverse. |
Food For Thought
What in the world is happening with our kids today? Let's see...I think it
started when Madalyn Murray O'Hair complained that she didn't want any
prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you had better not
read the Bible in school---the Bible that says thou shalt not murder, thou
shalt not steal, and love thy neighbor as thyself, and we said, OK.
Remember Dr. Benjamin Spock, who said we shouldn't spank our children when
they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we
might damage their self-esteem? and we said, OK, we won't spank them. Then
someone said that teachers and principals better not discipline our children
when they misbehave. And our administrators said whoa, no one in this school
better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad
publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. Then someone said, let's let
our daughters have abortions if they want, and we won't even have to tell
their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea. Then someone else said,
let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the
"fun" they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents. And we said,
that's another great idea. And then some of our top officials said that it
doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said,
as long as I have a job and the economy is good, it doesn't matter to me
what anyone does in private. So now we're asking ourselves why our children
have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't
bother them to kill. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough,
we can figure it out. Does it have anything to do with "we reap what we
sow"?
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On Religion
Want to get controversial? Just bring up.. religion. Want to start an argument?
Just bring up.. religion. Want to alienate friends? Just bring up.. religion. Want to start a war? Just bring up.. religion. One has to wonder, why this particular subject evokes such responses
in human beings. Certainly, religion holds deep-seeded beliefs and generally, when
emotions come into play, reason exits the building.
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More On Religion
I look at all of the religions of the world and at the same time, all of the interpretations of the Bible. I must ask myself a question at this point. If I were
to write a book for my "children", wouldn't I write it on their level, in such a manner as to leave only one interpretation; the one in which it was intended? I must also
ask, how can an all-knowing, merciful God write a book of rules that could be interpreted 13 different ways? I must also question the accuracy of the present document, in light of the knowledge as to how many times it has been translated down through the ages. What about women in religion? What religion allows, or much less, encourages women to hold prominent positions in the church? Religion is Man's creation, along with all of the little rules, not God's.
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Just a Thought
It matters not what God takes away from you. What matters is what you do with what is left.
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We are better than the Ancient Romans, Aren't we?
The ancient Romans were known to place slaves and others into the arena, pitting them against each other, against animals and against celebrated
warriors. This was great sport and thousands of people turned out to watch
the spectacle. I have seen the Collesuem, the thing is ENORMOUS, built for massively large numbers of spectators. The masses cheered at the carnage and violent death of the loser. This voyeuristic passion seems to be a deeply inbred characteristic
of human beings. Today, we would not think of such things.... Would we?...
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On Education
An educator imparts knowledge and opens new avenues of thinking without clouding those avenues with the debris from learning.
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A Most Important Question
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s,but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your
careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
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Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older Black woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her - generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and drove away. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on
the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
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Always Remember Those Who Serve
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - her tip.
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The Supreme Gift
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liz." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood.
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The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
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Our Quest
For the children, this is our reason.. our quest... |
Only In America.....
... can a homeless combat veteran live in a cardboard box and
a draft dodger live in the white house. |
To All Moms, From All of Us
When the skies darken and we know not where to turn, |
Life's Syndromes
Little Man's Syndrome |
A bargain.. At 39 cents
When I was about 20, I remember driving into a gas station one night, very late.
I was driving a convertible corvette and was very low on fuel. I pulled up to the
pump and a crusty old man slowly walked over to the car. This was in the days where
all filling stations were full serve. The old man seemed barely aware of his surroundings
and my first impression was that he was doing his human best, just to be here. He walked
up to the car and just stared. I told him that I wanted 39 cents worth of gas. He stared
for a moment, and then slowly moved over to the gas pump. He began fueling the car and
I sat there, feeling very uncomfortable at having asked this man to pump so little fuel
in my car, but, alas, that was all I had. We sat there silently for a few moments and
then I noticed that he had put more than 39 cents worth of fuel in the car. I yelled, "hey,
wait, you know I only have 39 cents, I can't pay for that". This scruffy old unshaven man
looked at me... looked at the car... and then back at me.. and muttered.. "39 cents won't
get you off my lot in this contraption son".
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Dealing with a Pacifist
What to do if you happen upon a peace rally by naive college students to teach them why force is sometimes needed: |
