“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect -and I don’t live to be – but before you start pointing fingers. . . make sure your hands are clean!” Bob Marley. I love his music and I wish I could have seen him live. But I need to stay in the groove here, so was he also a what I refer to as a “reality thinker?” When I think of people like him and Mark Twain and Will Rogers and so many more folks who speak their version of truth regardless of who might be offended by reality or common sense. I believe we are living in very sensitive times where so many people feel or even believe they have the right to tell us how to be, what to say, what to believe etc. My policy is not to talk about politics in this brief newsletter, but I have to admit that I think the definition of politics is expanding into many life areas that I don’t believe are necessary or even appropriate. I don’t have to give you examples as I am sure you are familiar with circumstances during the past several years that illustrate my point. But the real issue is – do we have the right to be us? Do we have the right to fight back against so many words or personality types that people are being accused of – whatever? You can call me what you want but that doesn’t make it true. You can criticize my beliefs or values but that doesn’t mean I am wrong or am required to change them. We both can just walk away from the situation. We both can defend our beliefs or values. We both can speak up. Mark Twain once said, “If there is no malice in your heart, then there can’t be malice in your words.” Or one of my all-time favorite scripture passages is, “Those of you without – sin, guilt, wrongdoing – cast the first stone.” (My interpretation) John 8.7. I believe if enough of us, who are grounded in common sense, reality and morality don’t start to stand up and speak out in the coming years we could find ourselves in a very bad place.
