Category: The Human Condition

Facts! You Call Them Facts?

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Don’t Bother Me with Facts!

I get a bit frustrated with my friends when I try to argue a point that differs from their position.  This could be political, religious, or common sense matters that occur every day.  There have been times when “facts” are on my side, but it matter not, to them!  They seem to be telling me not to bother them with facts if those facts run contrary to their ideas. At times a stray thought enters my mind that my “facts” may simply be my ideas! I quickly dismiss that nonsense! Continue reading

Mun-Hee

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His name, we learned, was Mun-Hee, but we called him “Money”. He was 13 or 14, and his mother did laundry, by hand, along the Pukan River, for the guys in my unit, on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Korea. He was a happy goffer, ran errands, did small jobs and was generally helpful, and, in turn, we were generous.

What we didn’t know, was that he was a “slicky-slicky-boy”, part of a group of thieves, the scourge of companies throughout our Division, who would enter our tents, in the middle of the night, silent as a mouse, looking for anything of value; clothing, weapons, military exchange coupons, etc. The story was that many soldiers had their foot-lockers picked clean by these thieves, while the guys slept on. Continue reading

Mayfield, Kentucky, and the New Year

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The tornado struck Mayfield Kentucky late afternoon, December 10, 2021. At the time of this writing, we did not know what the final death toll would be, but the devastation was stunning. They called it an EF 4, and there have only been five that severe since they started keeping records. I’m not sure what EF stands for but it’s easy to see what it means.

Since then, Christian and non-Christian organizations, neighboring towns, governments, individuals, responded, digging deeply into their hearts and into their purses to help with the devastation.  We can find multiple scripture passages that reflect what we should be doing. We hear Jesus telling us in no uncertain terms that we need to respond. That we need to go and do likewise.  Since our youth we have been hearing “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and now we are called upon to do just that. Continue reading

The Foot-Locker

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It was the middle of December, 1952, when my remarkable year of discovery came crashing to an end. So many things had happened since my high school graduation and my years in college. High school had been unhappy time for me and as I thought about going to college, my Youth Pastor, took me aside and shared some sage advice: “College is a new start, Stanley. What you may have thought of yourself up to this point, is behind you. What is through that new door is anything you want to make it. You can be who you want to be. Don’t take with you anything dark that you imagine you used to be. Be the one you want to be.” Continue reading

Abortion, Gay Marriage, and Guns… Oh, My!

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Yikes.  Why would I even think about tackling those topics?  At my age and stage, I ain’t afraid of nuttin’!  But I have no answers, just partially formed ideas, not big and not especially small. Ideas that are natural extensions of my faith, and maybe my dated thinking.

God set before us certain standards of living, you know the “Love your neighbor as yourself” or as Jesus instructed us:  “Love your neighbor as I have loved you” — a much higher standard.  Directly or indirectly, He set before us free choice.  We can decide. Which destination do we want to move toward?  So how do the “Big Three”, you know abortion, gay marriage and guns, fit into that thinking?  Let’s see. Continue reading

Perfection Not Required

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Recently, I had a casual conversation while on an elevator at a nearby hospital.  The person I was talking to told me she had visited her mother who just had surgery.  I explained that I had visited a friend of a friend, someone I didn’t know very well. Her comment was: “I could never do that!” I asked her why? She said she would be too nervous and she “could not do it right”!

“Could not do it right!”  I knew exactly what she meant.  I had similar thoughts over the years, whether standing in a reception line at a funeral, visiting an unfamiliar person in the hospital, or just trying to carry on a conversation with someone I did not know in an uncomfortable setting.  What to say at that particular time.  I guess I was worried about saying the right thing. Continue reading

Not by Accident

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I am fascinated by theories that postulate cause and effect. One example is the “butterfly effect” which theorizes that the flutter of butterfly wings in one part of the world will have an impact elsewhere. Sounds a bit mystical, doesn’t it?  Is this theory implying that small causes can have large effects?

Or, how about this: past experiences can determine future responses. Then there is “Chaos theory” which states, in part, that the present determines the future.

I have my own cause and effect theory which I call “Not by Accident” and it suggests that what we have experienced or learned in our earlier days, we now pass on to others, intentionally or not, as we live our lives. These influences could be both good or bad. Continue reading

I Need a Brain Overhaul!

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Have you ever felt like you needed a major overhaul of your brain?  Maybe your memory cells have bitten the dust!  I’ve come to believe that my brain has gaping holes of nothingness, and I can prove it but I don’t know how to fix it!  Here’s my evidence:

Exhibit 1: I make an appointment.  Enter it into my iPhone calendar, along with an alert 15 minutes before the appointment and at that time of the appointment.  The alerts go off.  I ignore them!  Then I get a call saying “are you coming?  We are all waiting for you!”  All? Who is all?

Exhibit 2: I live, maybe 3 miles from my grocery store and other shopping areas. I decide to go to town to pick up something important that I need, and while I am there run two errands.   I go to town, run the two errands, then have a conversation with a friend for a few minutes.   I drive home. As I pull into my drive it occurs to me that the one item, the important item, the one I needed, the reason I was driving into town, was still in town! Continue reading

Barabbas, in His Own Words

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It was late when they finally arrested me.  At my trial I was charged with treason against Rome and a murder that was committed during the insurrection.  I was found guilty on both charges and was sentenced to death by crucifixion, a sentence that would be carried out in just a few days!

Now it is Friday.  My Execution Day. Here I sit in prison.  My wrists and ankles are chaffed by these chains.  I’m scared!   I always boasted that I feared nothing! But now, my mouth is dry, my heart is beating wildly and there are times when I can hardly breath.  Over the years I thought many times about this day, the day of my death, and I just dismissed it.  But this is different, and I’m not ready for any of this. Continue reading

Batteries Not Included

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Christmas morning.  Your children are all excited.  The presents, clustered around the Christmas tree, are so inviting.  But they will wait.  The time comes and the melee begins with squeals of laughter.  Your oldest daughter has just discovered the gift that was always at the top of her wish list, and now she is holding it!  Her happiness palpable.  You help here overcome plastic shrink-wrap and then your eyes see that terrible phrase: Batteries Not Included.  Oh, no.  You hadn’t expected that and now you are faced with your daughter’s impatient disappointment.  A quick trip to the store and peace is restored. Continue reading

I’m Simply Grand!

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I know that the following will seem like a silly bit of prose, but beneath that silliness is something to considered.  When do we fail to take responsibility?  When does our arrogance and self-righteousness color and detract from our qualities?  When does “not my responsibility” blind us to the needs of others?  Just thinkin’.

I’m Simply Grand!

Don’t look at me I’m not to blame I didn’t rain out your silly game.  I didn’t bring the clouds so grey, and cause the thunder to pound away and dampen down your Saturday! Continue reading

Deception

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I can hardly wait for the polls to come out!  Are we gaining on “them”?  Are they gaining on “us”?  Last time we gained a whole point, now we are only 17 points behind.  Is that a trend?  I can hardly wait for the polls to be announced!  Silly?

Have you read Ann Herbert’s short essay about “The Snake”?  She spins a tale about God creating not one man and one woman, but God creating a whole bunch of humans and putting them in the Garden of Eden.  He instructed them to play and have fun.  And they did.  They ran and frolicked.  Climbed trees and rolled down hills.  They waded in the streams and played hide and seek in the forests.  They had fun until they were exhausted and went to sleep.  In the morning the fun started all over again and the humans were happy and carefree. This was Paradise. Continue reading