It hit me this morning, as I was giving a little brain time to the upcoming political season, that the corruption of the ruling class in this country is a reflection of those who put them in their positions. I hang around some pretty "good" folks at work, at church, etc. And yet I can tell you that many of them, as many in our society, have cheated on their taxes, defrauded insurance companies and have been unfaithful to their spouses all while showing no remorse or signs of guilt. Those insurance companies take advantage of us all the time so it's ok, right? The federal government is bloated and inefficient, so it's ok to cheat on our taxes. And our spouse, well, they aren't too bad, but it's obvious we are wired to have lots of sex so as long as I can keep it from public view it's pretty much expected. Why do we expect our politicians to be driven by principle, when we are driven by selfish ambition? Why do we want politicians who exhibit integrity, when we are following gravel trucks to their place of business so we can get a free windshield even though the crack has been there for several days? Ever keep your mouth shut about damage to a roof or car that was pre-existing when talking to the adjuster? Just wondering. And, by the way, insurance companies, like the company you work for, must make a profit, or go out of business, so when one person takes them for a ride, the fare is ultimately paid by other clients. A little like taxing those nasty corporations. The fact is, corporations don't pay taxes, they just collect them. When their expenses go up, (like their taxes), the price they charge for their product or service goes up to compensate. Either that or they start laying off people and reducing research and development which hurts everybody directly or indirectly. Please don't read this as a defense of "big business", it is, in fact, a condemnation of our culture at large that is so comfortable with lying, cheating, stealing etc. As long as the ultimate goal of self-gratification is reached, there are no hard and fast rules. I would like to encourage each of us to take a good long look in the mirror and make a commitment to become the kind of person we wish our representatives were. Then, when we've reached that goal, run for office.Tune in next week when I'll share my favorite guacamole recipe.
Just returned from a glorious 3 mile walk. Well the walk itself was the usual one foot in front of the other sort of thing, but I was visited by some thoughts that I will hopefully convey to you effectively. Due to the magic of modern electronics you will be completely unaware of the several hour gap of time between this blog's beginning and its ending. I wanted to get a bit down before I play some music with my daughter to help me remember the "gist" of the thoughts that accompanied my walk.
Firstly, my heel did not hurt much at all. According to medical experts, (my wife), I likely have Plantar Fasciitis. Don't know what that means other than it makes your heel hurt. It seems the pain can be adjusted to, only to have a lingering effect later on. This morning, little to no pain. Of course this resulted in the predictable gratefulness of my general good health throughout my life so far. And an admonition to others, (that would be all 4 of you), to get out and take some walks if you have the ability to do so. This was a wonderful, cool, puffy cumulus cloud sort of morning and a time to thank God for the incredible engineering feat that our bodies are.
I had the thought, again, of how fortunate I am to live here in Kansas. We don't get cheated out of any one of the 4 seasons. Those poor suckers over in Hawaii, as well as those who live in, let's say, Florida, or Southern California, don't have the advantage of experiencing all 4 seasons. Go ahead and voice your comments about how, if you want snow, you can drive to it, or whatever, but living through all the seasons allows you to truly experience all that creation has to offer. I mean, come on. Living in Florida is like celebrating only the resurrection over and over without coming to grips with the suffering and anguish of the cross. (I know this analogy is sounding a little sacreligious, but you're the one who stopped to read this thing). Like Easter Sunday, without Maundy Thursday. Stick with me here. How can playing in a soccer game here in Kansas come to announce to me that spring has really come, without living through a couple of months of cold and snow where outdoor activities are limited to "necessity only" items? (of course sledding notwithstanding) I actually like winter, and snow, but I'm always ready for the color green to reestablish itself here in Kansas, and that first soccer game in the spring gave me a chance to celebrate with the rest of the world that life is coming out of hibernation and bright colors will once again join us. Then, in late summer, after a couple of weeks of 100 degree days, that first significant cold front moves through to bring its energizing effects to my aging and tired body. Like a drink of cool water after spending the day on a roof nailing down shingles. I would argue that the refreshment is shallow if you haven't lived through the hot and humid summer days first. Sure, driving from a boring, continually warm climate to the mountains is refreshing, but offers only a shadow of the refreshment that a late August cool front brings to us Kansans. Today's walk was great partly because we have already hit 100 this year and I could absorb the coolness, knowing it will soon be swallowed by the advent of summer.
