Take a Breath

Lately I have been accused of focusing too much on the political agenda, but that was never my intention. My intentions are to help transform Hickory, the city of my origin, into something better and brighter. Many people seem lost to such a concept in an era of survival.

Funny things happen in life and last week's sermon in church dealt with the part of the Lord's Prayer where it says, "And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us." What the thesis of the sermon suggested was that we are not to position ourselves to be God or god-like. We have to come to grips with the things we can and cannot control. We cannot change things without the help of others. And sometimes we need to stop and take in the glory and the creation of God.

Yes, I know that I anger people sometimes with the things that I say. Here is the reason why I do what I do. Heat makes things more malleable. That is true of both animate and inanimate objects. It is easier to change someone when their blood is flowing, as opposed to when they are laid back and relaxed. Sometimes we have to work to gain others attention and we push their buttons until we have them leaning forward. The body language presented or the tenor of their response lets us know whether they are understanding what we are trying to communicate to them.

If someone is responding to me like "Duke the Dog" of "the Beverly Hillbillies" fame, then I am not getting my point across. I know that when you push buttons, you can't always predict the reaction. It is impossible to always guide the forces of red hot energy, and sometimes the equal and opposite reaction can seem to damage the cause. But, if the Force of the Cause is Big Enough and has a real Purpose, then it might be altered, but it won't be destroyed.

Their is a Bhuddist saying that pain and suffering are our best teachers. The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger." The mission that I am on has been altered many times. I have had to transform who I am on several occasions. I have had people say I am a Renaissance Man many times. Change is not comfortable, but it is not bad, and it ends up making one a better person.

I was bothered by something that happened in my life this week, that pertains to my writings. I thoroughly discussed it with my maternal grandmother and she stated that the things that I write are sometimes so complex that they can go way over the heads of some people. Many of these people basically skim over the words and really don't try to understand the context in which I am writing. Basically, it is too complex for them to understand or they are too intellectually lazy to try to comprehend it. But, she also told me to go ahead and do my thing, because I would never be able to reach those people anyway.

Sometimes I am guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me. I have felt abandoned many times in my life and a friend of mine told me that I need to realize that most human beings maneuver and calculate. Admittedly, I don't deal well with that. I was raised by a grandfather who taught me about "a word being your bond" and "handshake agreements." I honestly have put "What's in it for me" in the background of all of these processes. As I have stated before, I am not making money doing this blog. This is about changing the economic culture of our area.

I hope I don't offend the non-religious by sharing this message, sent to me by my friend, because I did find it to be relevant -- Think about this today: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be added to you." If we keep focused on Him and understand that we are in this world but not of this world we can keep centered on the big picture and weather the strife of this world. God never abandons us and the ultimate victory is ours. I really believe that I need to do what I'm doing vis a vis Hickory, but even if Hickory were to deteriorate, God will still reign and take care of me and you. Smile, relax, enjoy today for the life and hope we have for tomorrow is not promised.

Thank You and I do get it. The most important thing in life is not what someone thinks of or does to you. It is what you do with YOUR life. If you personally live by the principles of good, then in the end the rest will eventually take care of itself.