The first thing someone told me when I started this blog is don't say anything controversial - nothing political and keep the religious comments generic. Sorry, I don't think I can do that, I'd rather not blog at all.
I've been thinking and thinking about what I wanted to say about several things in the news including the Imus debacle and the horror that took place at Virginia Tech. Since I wasn't keeping up the blog, by the time I got back to it those things were pretty much old news.
I could say that my heart breaks for the families of those who died at Virginia Tech, and of course it does. I could say that I think Imus, although I abhor the "shock jock" genre, was a sacrificial lamb offered to appease the gods of political correctness. I could say that the real loser in the Imus controversy is us, the American public, because all that came out of it was a renewed racial divide and having to watch Black Panthers spout hate speech on national TV. I thought we were past that in the United States but if the media and the media hounds have their way, we'll stir up all the old racial tensions of the 60's and 70's. In a time in our country when we have a real common enemy, why should we turn against each other?
But none of this really touches on what is niggling in the back of my mind. I guess what bothers me is what is wrong with our country and is there anything we can do to make things better? Is it already way too late? I've said here before that I have seriously considered getting rid of TV in my home and maybe Internet, too. I could do my writing research at the library and they have little Palm PDA's to use for looking up Bible phrases, so in reality, I could do without the Internet. But that would only affect my little family and wouldn't really be doing anything to better the world in any way.
I could pray for our country and the world, and I do, but is there even a small "tangible" thing I can do to make a positive impact?
I don't know. The Bible teaches us that we are to be different than the rest of the world - set apart. People should be able to watch us and know we're different, and I don't mean little cutesy bumper stickers or just going to church on Sunday. I want to find a real way of showing the world that I'm a follower of The Way and that I'm not going to partake of the filth and hatred poisoning the world today.
We're all angry and frustrated. People are mean and rude on the phone, on the road, in the grocery store, in the workplace, Bad news is in our faces 24/7 and coming from every corner of the world. When something happens in a state half a continent away, it's flashed on our TV like it's happening across town. I don't know about ya'll but that stresses me out and causes anxiety. Maybe if I turn off the TV and spend quiet time with my daughter in the evening I wont be so wound up and frustrated during the day. Maybe I can be a little nicer on the road when someone is tail gaiting me or when someone
stands 2 inches behind me in line at the grocery store invading my personal space (my pet peeve).
This is just my little first step in de-stressing my life a bit and I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone. But I truly think if we all look for just one way to slow down and stop to smell the roses with our loved ones, it might make us nicer people and maybe we can pass it on.
I've been thinking and thinking about what I wanted to say about several things in the news including the Imus debacle and the horror that took place at Virginia Tech. Since I wasn't keeping up the blog, by the time I got back to it those things were pretty much old news.
I could say that my heart breaks for the families of those who died at Virginia Tech, and of course it does. I could say that I think Imus, although I abhor the "shock jock" genre, was a sacrificial lamb offered to appease the gods of political correctness. I could say that the real loser in the Imus controversy is us, the American public, because all that came out of it was a renewed racial divide and having to watch Black Panthers spout hate speech on national TV. I thought we were past that in the United States but if the media and the media hounds have their way, we'll stir up all the old racial tensions of the 60's and 70's. In a time in our country when we have a real common enemy, why should we turn against each other?
But none of this really touches on what is niggling in the back of my mind. I guess what bothers me is what is wrong with our country and is there anything we can do to make things better? Is it already way too late? I've said here before that I have seriously considered getting rid of TV in my home and maybe Internet, too. I could do my writing research at the library and they have little Palm PDA's to use for looking up Bible phrases, so in reality, I could do without the Internet. But that would only affect my little family and wouldn't really be doing anything to better the world in any way.
I could pray for our country and the world, and I do, but is there even a small "tangible" thing I can do to make a positive impact?
I don't know. The Bible teaches us that we are to be different than the rest of the world - set apart. People should be able to watch us and know we're different, and I don't mean little cutesy bumper stickers or just going to church on Sunday. I want to find a real way of showing the world that I'm a follower of The Way and that I'm not going to partake of the filth and hatred poisoning the world today.
We're all angry and frustrated. People are mean and rude on the phone, on the road, in the grocery store, in the workplace, Bad news is in our faces 24/7 and coming from every corner of the world. When something happens in a state half a continent away, it's flashed on our TV like it's happening across town. I don't know about ya'll but that stresses me out and causes anxiety. Maybe if I turn off the TV and spend quiet time with my daughter in the evening I wont be so wound up and frustrated during the day. Maybe I can be a little nicer on the road when someone is tail gaiting me or when someone
stands 2 inches behind me in line at the grocery store invading my personal space (my pet peeve).
This is just my little first step in de-stressing my life a bit and I'm sure it wouldn't work for everyone. But I truly think if we all look for just one way to slow down and stop to smell the roses with our loved ones, it might make us nicer people and maybe we can pass it on.
1 comment:
Amen! Smiling at people, even nasty ones helps too--you can pass along that bit of kindness.
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