Beware of Men in Full Beards

The truth has always been very elusive. Today, I decided to tackle the subject from a different direction. I say that because everyone is always on a search for the truth. From the beginning of man's study of philosophy, the truth has been a favorite topic for discussion.

What puzzles me is how seldom we debate the definition of a lie. It would seem there are just as many lies told everyday as there are truths. I base that statement on the need for our society to remain stable. With one lie for every truth, we maintain our right to an opinion. Scary, but can't you see the truth in it?

Where we consider the truth to be black and white, lies seem to come in all shades and sizes such as little white lies and big fat lies. Some lurk around in the grey area. Apparently some lies are even transparent. You can see right through them.

Some lies are benevolent. They defend those lies by saying it would be better for him or her if they didn't tell them the truth. Some lies are juicy. They call those gossip. When they get angry they mix the juice with a little dirt and call it mudslinging. 

Sometimes, if they are running for political office, they take a little bit of truth and add it to a little white lie, twirl it around as fast as they can, and then serve it up on a polished silver platter. We all know it is something they just cooked up. Then, they ask us to swallow it whole. They call it putting their spin on the truth. Even this lie is partially transparent so it doesn't hold a candle to what we call the bald-faced lie.

The bald-faced lie first got it's name centuries ago when men grew full beards so they could tell lies without letting their facial expressions give them away. Now we don't trust most men who wear a full beard for this very reason. Eventually, the better they got at telling lies, the less dependent they were on the whiskers.

Now we have trouble picking them out of the crowd. They are the ones who have shaved their beards off? You know who I'm talking about, the bald-faced ones. We can't tell when they are lying to us, or are telling us the truth. They are that good at telling a lie.

Now I can leave it up to your imagination why bald-face lies are so dangerous. Especially, if what they say appears to be spinning around in a circle. It makes it appear to be black and white, kinda like perception and deception, which are topics for another day.

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The Sky Is Falling!!

The sky is falling!! 
                                 The sky is falling!!

This morning, sipping on my first cup of java for the day, I cruised through the headlines looking for an interesting topic to start the day with. When I got to the bottom of the list, it seemed that everyone in the whole world was at each others throats. Slowly, I went back over the list to see if any part of the planet had been spared.

Looking for a glimmer of hope amongst the violence and despair, I tried to focus on the few articles that seemed to promise some peace. Among the few positive stories I found, I looked for some indication that doom was not approaching, scorching everything in its path. To my dismay I could not shed the awful foreboding that still hung over me.

Rising from the chair in my writers den, I glanced out the window. The sun was just rising and the daffodils perked up at the promise of a new day. A few brave bees, hungry from the winter fast, began to work their way from flower to flower in a feast that must have tasted like that first raspberry I get from the patch every spring. The dark cloud of war that hung over me began to fade. Life is good!

It dawns on me that most of the strife in the world is of the making of those who live in that part of the world. Me, I am living a relatively peaceful existence in a world of my own making. I am not being attacked by my enemies because I am careful not to do those things that make enemies. I have many friends because being a friend to those in need is a priority in my life. The clear blue sky above me signifies a life filled with such friends.

The list goes on as I recall all the choices I have made in the past that have created this life that I live. But, it is not enough to brag about our success when we know full well that people out there are living in fear for their lives, living in war torn zones that are not of their own making, crying out in their despair for a little peace. Where are all their friends?

Usually, those people are living in a world created for them by their parents, and grandparents, and a society that spreads this hate and violence from one generation to the next. When I see a child suffering in the midst of all this, I begin to feel the dark cloud form over my head once more. We will not have World Peace until all parents demand it for their children's sake.

For them, the sky is indeed falling. As I settle in once more to read the morning news, now it looks more like a weather report from around the world. This day will pass, a storm filled with hate that cannot sustain itself forever.  Unless they pass it on to their children.

Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow for them.

Personal Values are important if we wish for World Peace

Turning The Page

Every time you turn the page and start a new chapter in your life, you always pause for a moment or two to reflect on how your past has prepared you to take the next step. You look back with mixed emotions, and then decide what to take with you and what to leave behind.

A simple example would be those occasions when you are making a move from one home to the next: You feel this strange mix of emotions. You feel joy and sorrow as you look back, and excitement and a little fear as you look toward the future. Even as a child we experience this as we move with our parents, change schools, and are forced to leave friends and familiar places behind.

The most traumatic part is always the severing of the bonds we have formed with the people we have grown to love. We give one another parting gifts in the hopes that we will not be completely forgotten, and we promise each other to stay in touch. And, then we turn the page.

All of this emotional turmoil prepares us for the next major chapter in our quest. At some point in our lives, sooner or later the time comes when we sever our parent-child bond and declare our independence. Again, we look back with mixed emotions and decide what to take with us and what to leave behind. It is a traumatic time for both parent and child. 

Most of us decide to take our parents with us into the future, and we discover we must start a new love relationship with them as adults to replace the parent-child we are leaving behind. We form new bonds with them so our love for one another can continue to grow. With their love and support we look forward with excitement to what the future has to offer us. Having them there helps us to control our fear of the unknown.

The key to making this decision is the reflection on the many moments of joy and sorrow we have experienced with them during our childhood. We take some of these moments with us, and leave some of them behind. And, then we turn the page.