Unfortunately people who believe in morality (especially those who live in the civilized/"first" world) are often very naive. We find it difficult to comprehend real evil. Oh sure, bad things happen, but we live in a very "comfy" world largely sheltered from evil that is unabashedly vicious and would make us wretch. Instead we purchase violent video games and watch Hollywood depictions -both of which we call "entertainment". I surmise that populations that really know evil (because they live amidst it every day) would not be entertained by our quasi-violence. They would give all they had to spend one leisurely day in a city park or other place our youth label as "boring".
Our contemporary conception of evil is often quaint and provincial. In fact, there is a large population of the "western world" that believes in an idea called moral relativism. Among other things, adherants to this concept believe that the notions of good and evil are subjective. In other words there is no real evil. Judging things, people and countries as "evil" is a relic and evidence of a non-enlightened people. In a post-modern world of "progressive" thought, to label something evil is as unsophisticated as faith in diety, belief that marriage should only be allowed between two people of the opposite sex and denial of global warming. To this crowd I am a virtual neandrathal.
Evil exists and I only need one recent world event to prove it. You may have heard of the terrorist (suicide) bombing during a medical school graduation ceremony in Somolia last week... Oh, you didn't hear about it? Shocking that our news media was obsessed with story of Tiger Woods! Well, here is a summary and a story link:
Somolia is a hell-hole of a country. Services, infrastructure, medical care, commerce among other elements of civilized society are entirely non-existent. Consider the presence of doctors (let alone hospitals and systems of basic medical support): there are almost no doctors in the country. "Before last year's (2008) graduation, almost two decades had passed since anyone earned a medical degree in Somalia." Think about it, that is a stunning indictment. Not one medical degree granted in almost 20 years!
Enter Benadir Univerity and a group of very courageous doctors: "Benadir University was established in 2002 by a group of Somali doctors who wanted to promote higher education in a country where physicians have become victims of the seemingly endless violence. Medical degrees are obtained there after six years of study." Last week the second graduating class comprised of 43 medical, computer science and engineering students were gathered for their graduation ceremony when some dispicable organization sent a suicide bomber into the middle of the graduation and murdered at least 22 people (people who had spent 6 years in training and preparation to spend their lives in service of their countrymen and to committed to try and build something of their pathetic country).
Want to see what a glorious existence and blessed life we have in America? Want to see the evil that would squelch the light of progress, freedom and goodness? Then take five minutes and read.
Who and What is the Happy Warrior
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I was right, I was right, I was right!
I hate to say it, but I was right! OK, I don't hate to say it... I love to be right. Several weeks ago I made a prediction and it is right here on my blog for everyone to see. In summary, I predicted that President Obama would finally announce his military plans for Afghanistan within 1 to 2 weeks after his health care effort passed.
No, the so called "Obama-care" has not completely been passed into law (thank goodness), it is still several steps away and will hopefully never get to that point BUT it matured enough for President Obama to claim victory and to show his left-leaning/"progressive" supporters that he is taking up their cause. This provided sufficient placation protection for him to move forward on the war in Afghanistan in a way that would draw the ire of the same left-leaning/"progressive" crowd. Rather than restating his dilemna, I refer you back to my original predictive blog and simply say, "I told you so."
No, the so called "Obama-care" has not completely been passed into law (thank goodness), it is still several steps away and will hopefully never get to that point BUT it matured enough for President Obama to claim victory and to show his left-leaning/"progressive" supporters that he is taking up their cause. This provided sufficient placation protection for him to move forward on the war in Afghanistan in a way that would draw the ire of the same left-leaning/"progressive" crowd. Rather than restating his dilemna, I refer you back to my original predictive blog and simply say, "I told you so."
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Gratitude in a poem
I have a curious relationship with poetry. I have been profoundly affected by a handful of poems. I love the wisdom they convey as well as the beauty inherent in their composition. The title of my blog is the title of a poem for crying out loud. On the other hand I find the vast majority of poetry to be sappy and uninteresting (is "uninteresting" a word). I guess I approach poetry as I do chile rellenos. I love a good chile relleno but the world is so full of mediocre chile rellenos that I am extremely hesitant to order them.... but when you find a good one, there is nothing better.
That being said, here is a poem that I was force to learn and to love. My mother did it. It is all her fault. She placed this poem over the kitchen sink when I was a child (before electric dishwashers were a common household appliance). So I spent many evenings washing dishes and staring at the only thing on the kitchen counter: this poem. It was probably the first thing I ever memorized and is buried deep in the recesses of my cerebral cortex. Here it is by memory (even though I have not recited it in probably two years):
Thank God for dirty dishes,
they have a tale to tell
while other folks go hungry,
we are eating very well.
For home, health and happiness
we should not want to fusss.
For by this stack of evidence
God is very good to us.
And so, as the week of Giving Thanks continues, I publically express my gratitude to God for the dirty dishes that daily stack up in our sink (and that have been a daily evidence of God's prosperous hand in my life from the time of my childhood til this very day).
That being said, here is a poem that I was force to learn and to love. My mother did it. It is all her fault. She placed this poem over the kitchen sink when I was a child (before electric dishwashers were a common household appliance). So I spent many evenings washing dishes and staring at the only thing on the kitchen counter: this poem. It was probably the first thing I ever memorized and is buried deep in the recesses of my cerebral cortex. Here it is by memory (even though I have not recited it in probably two years):
Thank God for dirty dishes,
they have a tale to tell
while other folks go hungry,
we are eating very well.
For home, health and happiness
we should not want to fusss.
For by this stack of evidence
God is very good to us.
And so, as the week of Giving Thanks continues, I publically express my gratitude to God for the dirty dishes that daily stack up in our sink (and that have been a daily evidence of God's prosperous hand in my life from the time of my childhood til this very day).
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wacky Wednesday 2009, Vol. 27
Ahhhh. The long awaited return of Wacky Wednesday. My deepest apologies for not paying attention to the need for some levity. Let's get back into the habit of Wacky Wednesday slowly (just one picture-thought for this week):
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Week of Giving Thanks continues...
Our precocious little Logan seems to have similar tendencies as her dad and Mrs. Wicke. Here is an exercise she completed at school:
Monday, November 30, 2009
Giving thanks for the abundance of my life
For the past decade I've engaged in an mental (as well as an emotional and spiritual) exercise on Thanksgiving. It is a simple thing that has enriched my life tremendously: one of those "small and simple things" that has large and profound effects.
I carry around a note pad from the moment I arise in the morning and set it beside my bed and I retire at night. In the interim, as my day unfolds in all the mundane and unique activities, I simply write down the things, people, circumstances and occurences that are blessings in my life. The things that make it onto my list are informative but so also is the larger process. For example, last year (2008) I made a goal to identify 1,000 blessings... Certainly I am the beneficiary of at least 1,000 blessings and could identify them. I live in the most blessed age of human existence, in one of the most prosperous countries on earth, and I enjoy health, friends, family, financial security, profound life experiences, etc., etc. Certainly I am aware and appreciative enough to identify 1,000 specific blessings I receive at the hand of God. Well, let me confess that somewhere around 500 I started to hit a wall.
Houston, we have a problem. Am I less blessed than I thought? Is the well of God's abundance running shallow in my life? ABSOLUTELY not! The fault lies within me. I simply do not recognize the bountiful favor I receive at his hand on a daily basis. I am infected to some degree with the plagues of our day: ingratitude, over-abundance, affluence and the cancer of unprecedented ease. As Abraham Lincoln said, "We have forgotten God". I would take it a step further: we have forgotten that we have forgotten God. How can I be thankful and express gratitude for blessings I do not even realize I possess?
That was the entire reason for my engaging in this process to begin with: to MAKE myself realize the abundance of blessings I have. This is a good first step, but I have learned that I have yet many more steps to take. I am thankful for this realization and thankful for the blessing of living another day so that I might more appropriately recognize my dependence on God for all that I have and all that I am (a situation which I am just now beginning to understand).
I carry around a note pad from the moment I arise in the morning and set it beside my bed and I retire at night. In the interim, as my day unfolds in all the mundane and unique activities, I simply write down the things, people, circumstances and occurences that are blessings in my life. The things that make it onto my list are informative but so also is the larger process. For example, last year (2008) I made a goal to identify 1,000 blessings... Certainly I am the beneficiary of at least 1,000 blessings and could identify them. I live in the most blessed age of human existence, in one of the most prosperous countries on earth, and I enjoy health, friends, family, financial security, profound life experiences, etc., etc. Certainly I am aware and appreciative enough to identify 1,000 specific blessings I receive at the hand of God. Well, let me confess that somewhere around 500 I started to hit a wall.
Houston, we have a problem. Am I less blessed than I thought? Is the well of God's abundance running shallow in my life? ABSOLUTELY not! The fault lies within me. I simply do not recognize the bountiful favor I receive at his hand on a daily basis. I am infected to some degree with the plagues of our day: ingratitude, over-abundance, affluence and the cancer of unprecedented ease. As Abraham Lincoln said, "We have forgotten God". I would take it a step further: we have forgotten that we have forgotten God. How can I be thankful and express gratitude for blessings I do not even realize I possess?
That was the entire reason for my engaging in this process to begin with: to MAKE myself realize the abundance of blessings I have. This is a good first step, but I have learned that I have yet many more steps to take. I am thankful for this realization and thankful for the blessing of living another day so that I might more appropriately recognize my dependence on God for all that I have and all that I am (a situation which I am just now beginning to understand).
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Questions every US Senator should answer
In the United States there is no elite class of rulers. To the extent that there is (either by bloodline, education, economic class or any other criteria) we have abandoned one of the most fundamental tenents of our republic. The United States was colonized and founded on the principle of "we the people", that no one is inherantly more priveledged or deserving to be in a position of authority than another. We are all endowed with the same quality of moral freedom and we are all equally bound by the law.
Among other things, this principle means that my state senator is no more important than I. In fact, he is my employee. I hired him or her to serve me, my neighbors and the common interest in general. As such, he or she is obligated to answer to those who have entrusted him/her with our interests. Here, then are two questions I demand my senators to answer (I demand this of all the men or women holding the office of US Senator):
1. did you read the recently passed health care bill? Let me be specific since politicians are inclined, lately, to parse language to conceal the truth and quibble about the definition of words like "is" or "read": Did you read every page, every word and did you understand it?
If the answer is yes, I immediately want these to be subjected to a comprehension test to prove that they both read and understood it in its entirety. If the answer is "no" or if they fail the examination I want them recalled, impeached or otherwise disciplined on the basis of gross negligence and violation of the public trust. Why such a drastic punishment? Because, as they readily admit, this is one of the most significant and far reaching pieces of legislation that will have profound and personal effect on the citizens of this country... to treat it so lightly as to not even read it through once is unconscienable.
2. what are the potential negative consequences of this bill? This question begs their ponderous reflection -something that requires time and sober thought. If they cannot devulge at least five potential negative consequences they are being disingenuous at best, incompetent and deceptive at worst. There has never been a bill, law or amendment that does not bring with it some negative consequences. If a senator does suggest some potential negative consequences than several additional questions naturally follow: "why have these not been addressed", "should we not slow down and refine the bill to minimize these negative consequences?", etc.
There is a more important version of this second question that should also be explored if, in fact, the Senate is serious about the impact of the proposed bill on the American people. It is, "what are the potential unforseen or unanticipated negative consequences of this bill?" As a citizen, this is the most important question and the one I want thoroughly considered before any further proceedural vote is taken. I expect to be alive in 50 more years and the most devastating eventuality of the healthcare bill of 2010 would be its insolvency (a potentiality that is all to real considering the state of current government administered programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicade).
Among other things, this principle means that my state senator is no more important than I. In fact, he is my employee. I hired him or her to serve me, my neighbors and the common interest in general. As such, he or she is obligated to answer to those who have entrusted him/her with our interests. Here, then are two questions I demand my senators to answer (I demand this of all the men or women holding the office of US Senator):
1. did you read the recently passed health care bill? Let me be specific since politicians are inclined, lately, to parse language to conceal the truth and quibble about the definition of words like "is" or "read": Did you read every page, every word and did you understand it?
If the answer is yes, I immediately want these to be subjected to a comprehension test to prove that they both read and understood it in its entirety. If the answer is "no" or if they fail the examination I want them recalled, impeached or otherwise disciplined on the basis of gross negligence and violation of the public trust. Why such a drastic punishment? Because, as they readily admit, this is one of the most significant and far reaching pieces of legislation that will have profound and personal effect on the citizens of this country... to treat it so lightly as to not even read it through once is unconscienable.
2. what are the potential negative consequences of this bill? This question begs their ponderous reflection -something that requires time and sober thought. If they cannot devulge at least five potential negative consequences they are being disingenuous at best, incompetent and deceptive at worst. There has never been a bill, law or amendment that does not bring with it some negative consequences. If a senator does suggest some potential negative consequences than several additional questions naturally follow: "why have these not been addressed", "should we not slow down and refine the bill to minimize these negative consequences?", etc.
There is a more important version of this second question that should also be explored if, in fact, the Senate is serious about the impact of the proposed bill on the American people. It is, "what are the potential unforseen or unanticipated negative consequences of this bill?" As a citizen, this is the most important question and the one I want thoroughly considered before any further proceedural vote is taken. I expect to be alive in 50 more years and the most devastating eventuality of the healthcare bill of 2010 would be its insolvency (a potentiality that is all to real considering the state of current government administered programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicade).
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