In my last post I mentioned being the anvil for my daughter. You may wonder what I meant by that. Here is the "Parable of the Blacksmith."
A blacksmith looks at a messy, unformed, lump of metal and sees great potential.
So into the fire it goes. He allows it to get very hot but does not allow it to melt nor be destroyed.
But instead he handles it carefully, lays it on an anvil, and pounds it with a heavy hammer.
The iron is pounded, and turned, and struck some more. Then into the cooling water it goes. And it rests. Then back into the fire again!
And so the process goes... over and over again... a cycle of heat and pain and stress followed by a time to be cooled and rest.
Until finally the Blacksmith says the work is done, and "It is good."
The messy lump of metal has become a work of art. Something of great use and beauty.
We are the iron. God (as you understand him, or the "universe" or "life") is the Blacksmith. There is a plan for us. We can choose to allow the Blacksmith to make something beautiful from our trials. We can become people of great use and beauty.
Even if we are not - or don't think we are - very attractive physically according to the current societal standards of beauty, we still can and do become beautiful.
We each are iron being shaped.
But at the same time....
Sometimes....
We are the anvil.
And sometimes....
We are the hammer.
And sometimes...
We start the fire ourselves.
I am an anvil for my daughter in her trials.
Sometimes she is an anvil for mine.
Same with my husband.
And sometimes we are called upon by the Blacksmith to be the hammer. Firm, but never wielded with malice or anger or hate. But simply there to help the Blacksmith drive home a point. To help each other "pull our heads out." (Or as some of my dearest friends call it, a "Cranial-anal-ectomy.")
As I home school my dear child, I have to remember that these are HER trials. I am only the anvil.
I must be there, and I must be strong for her. I must be unfaltering and never failing. I must be steady, especially when "steady" is all I've got. Keeping in mind, though, that Anvils are never cold. They are warmed by the heat of the iron being shaped. Warm, and ever ready to be of service to the iron. An invaluable tool in the Blacksmith's shop. Without an anvil, the iron could not be shaped. (Oh, I suppose the iron could be pounded into the dirt, but how then would it turn out?)
Yes, being the anvil is painful at times, but it's worth it.
To see who she is becoming is the best reward an anvil could ever have.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Refocusing the DMZ Life
Over the past months we've changed a lot of things around here, and a lot of things around here have simply changed.
The main thing we're doing is regaining focus.
Therefore, this blog will be getting back to being about homeschooling an autistic-spectrum kid who happens to have autistic-spectrum parents.
I'll have separate blogs for the homesteading and herbal healing adventure and a separate family blog for general updates and photos. You should be able to see them listed very soon.
And yes, I'll actually post to my blog. Really.
We've been re-prioritizing and refocusing our lives. Cutting back. Simplifying some things, and making life more complex in others.
On the home schooling front, momma is now being home schooled along with the chibi.
It's taken a while for me to reach where I need to be in order to go back to school and figure out what direction I need to be heading in. (That's a WHOLE 'nother blog!)
Through a friend I've found the School of Natural Healing (www.snh.cc). Chibi and I are both taking classes there.
It's been a blessing to find something she is exceedingly interested in - applied knowledge that holds her attention: a course of study around which everything else can revolve.
She is so smart and has so much potential, but has so little ability to handle multiple inputs. Having multiple classes in a wide variety of subjects is very difficult for her. She does not do well with the traditional 6 or 7 subjects taken simultaneously in traditional school settings. Even the typical home school curriculum out there overwhelms her.
It can be frustrating to be constantly re-evaluating and re-planning and re-organizing her education. Very often I'll spend weeks organizing something that works... but works only for a short while.
Maybe all that work is for me and my growth and not for her? The work I put into her classes - maybe I will post the course plans here and someone else can use them. Or maybe I can turn them into a class for the home school co-op? I'm not sure. I think I just want all that hard work to go to use somewhere... somehow...
I worry a lot that Chibi's not getting all she's "supposed" to get educationally. What about English? Grammar? Spelling? Typing? Music? History? Math? Science? Foreign Language? How do I teach it all if she can't take it all? What do I do when the only pattern I truly have to follow is "traditional" schooling? AAARRRGGHH!!
Slooooowww down.... Deeeeep breath...... Breathe in.... Breathe out... Ah, yes.... that feels MUCH better...
I suppose what it comes down to is this:
If I have been praying and following the Lord in how she pursues and education, why do I worry? Because I am weak. Because I have given in to the idea that an education has to fit into a particular mold. Because I have to somehow validate my decision to home school a special needs child and show the world that really, I have done what is right by my child.
Why should all that matter? She is growing. She is learning. She is developing into the person that God would have her be. If He is happy with what and how she is learning, shouldn't His grace be sufficient for me?
Yes. Yes it should.
So I learn. I learn by being her "anvil." I learn by fulfilling my role in her education as a facilitator. I learn by allowing her to face her own challenges and by not adopting them as my own challenges. I learn by practicing trust in a Heavenly Father who loves us both. His desire is for us to succeed. With His help we will, and it's going to be an amazing adventure along the way.
In the meantime, through this course of study towards becoming a Master Herbalist (22 courses and about two years) she is:
She is involved in re-enactments through the local national historical park. She loves historic fiction. She is reading/listening (reading along with the audio book or just listening) to Being George Washington by Glenn Beck and The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. History course accomplished.
Math? That's the big mystery right now. She hates it. Her appreciation of it is slowly growing, but it's very frustrating. The smarts are definitely there, but the desire is not. And yes, she still has to do it. She watches videos via the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) and then does some worksheets. It's slow going, but that's OK. I just need to remind myself that if she doesn't learn it right now, she'll be able to learn it later. The opportunity will not be lost.
Also, as she goes on through her courses, math will become more and more important so she'll have more incentive to learn it.
So until then, I wait. It's OK for that to be difficult. I'll get over it. Because this journey is not about me, anyway. It's her journey.
I'm just here to help her on her way.
The main thing we're doing is regaining focus.
Therefore, this blog will be getting back to being about homeschooling an autistic-spectrum kid who happens to have autistic-spectrum parents.
I'll have separate blogs for the homesteading and herbal healing adventure and a separate family blog for general updates and photos. You should be able to see them listed very soon.
And yes, I'll actually post to my blog. Really.
We've been re-prioritizing and refocusing our lives. Cutting back. Simplifying some things, and making life more complex in others.
On the home schooling front, momma is now being home schooled along with the chibi.
It's taken a while for me to reach where I need to be in order to go back to school and figure out what direction I need to be heading in. (That's a WHOLE 'nother blog!)
Through a friend I've found the School of Natural Healing (www.snh.cc). Chibi and I are both taking classes there.
It's been a blessing to find something she is exceedingly interested in - applied knowledge that holds her attention: a course of study around which everything else can revolve.
She is so smart and has so much potential, but has so little ability to handle multiple inputs. Having multiple classes in a wide variety of subjects is very difficult for her. She does not do well with the traditional 6 or 7 subjects taken simultaneously in traditional school settings. Even the typical home school curriculum out there overwhelms her.
It can be frustrating to be constantly re-evaluating and re-planning and re-organizing her education. Very often I'll spend weeks organizing something that works... but works only for a short while.
Maybe all that work is for me and my growth and not for her? The work I put into her classes - maybe I will post the course plans here and someone else can use them. Or maybe I can turn them into a class for the home school co-op? I'm not sure. I think I just want all that hard work to go to use somewhere... somehow...
I worry a lot that Chibi's not getting all she's "supposed" to get educationally. What about English? Grammar? Spelling? Typing? Music? History? Math? Science? Foreign Language? How do I teach it all if she can't take it all? What do I do when the only pattern I truly have to follow is "traditional" schooling? AAARRRGGHH!!
Slooooowww down.... Deeeeep breath...... Breathe in.... Breathe out... Ah, yes.... that feels MUCH better...
I suppose what it comes down to is this:
- She is God's child before she is my child.
- She is her own self before she is my daughter.
- She is eternal and timeless, just as are we all.
- What she doesn't learn now, she can learn later.
- God's way of teaching her is the best way of teaching her.
- God's way of teaching is to guide, invite, and instruct.
If I have been praying and following the Lord in how she pursues and education, why do I worry? Because I am weak. Because I have given in to the idea that an education has to fit into a particular mold. Because I have to somehow validate my decision to home school a special needs child and show the world that really, I have done what is right by my child.
Why should all that matter? She is growing. She is learning. She is developing into the person that God would have her be. If He is happy with what and how she is learning, shouldn't His grace be sufficient for me?
Yes. Yes it should.
So I learn. I learn by being her "anvil." I learn by fulfilling my role in her education as a facilitator. I learn by allowing her to face her own challenges and by not adopting them as my own challenges. I learn by practicing trust in a Heavenly Father who loves us both. His desire is for us to succeed. With His help we will, and it's going to be an amazing adventure along the way.
In the meantime, through this course of study towards becoming a Master Herbalist (22 courses and about two years) she is:
- Typing in her answers. Typing course accomplished.
- Learning anatomy, physiology, botany, chemistry, and some pharmacology. Science courses accomplished.
- Reading a wide variety of non-fiction books. Reading course accomplished.
- Teaching herself spelling because people outside of the family will be seeing her work. Spelling course accomplished.
- Writing essays answers for some of her homework. Writing/Grammar course accomplished (for now at least).
She is involved in re-enactments through the local national historical park. She loves historic fiction. She is reading/listening (reading along with the audio book or just listening) to Being George Washington by Glenn Beck and The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. History course accomplished.
Math? That's the big mystery right now. She hates it. Her appreciation of it is slowly growing, but it's very frustrating. The smarts are definitely there, but the desire is not. And yes, she still has to do it. She watches videos via the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) and then does some worksheets. It's slow going, but that's OK. I just need to remind myself that if she doesn't learn it right now, she'll be able to learn it later. The opportunity will not be lost.
Also, as she goes on through her courses, math will become more and more important so she'll have more incentive to learn it.
So until then, I wait. It's OK for that to be difficult. I'll get over it. Because this journey is not about me, anyway. It's her journey.
I'm just here to help her on her way.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Whole lotta living going on...
BOY it's been a long time since I've written anything! It's amazing how much living one can fit into a year.
My first inclination was to write an apology for not writing in so long. But who am I really apologizing to? Why feel guilty? It's been an amazingly long and full year or so.
We moved from SC to TN and then again within TN.
We've tried urban homesteading and now we're on a farm.
We made a 6-week cross-country trip with friends, and we're still friends.
Daughter-face broke her leg while on that trip.
Been learning lots about myself and God and my relationship with him. Been working through lots of stuff, too.
We decided to stay married.
We are learning to let go of stuff and hold on to what is really important.
We are learning how to plant, take care of, harvest from, and "put up" a garden.
We are learning the process of raising rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, miniature donkeys, and even a horse. We're also learning what it's really like to lose them to old age (some animals age faster than others), escape, and predators. We're also learning to identify with our forebears more... to understand that to "lose a ____ to a fox" (or whatever) translates into, "we just lost a week's worth of meat to a ______."
We live on 8 acres, in 1300 sq feet of 80 years of history, drink spring water, actually have indoor plumbing, swim in a lake, and are sung to sleep by crickets rather than cars whizzing by.
We've moved away from old friends and moved to new friends. We've had friends move away, and friends move in. We've even had "friends" decide they don't love us any more, simply because they couldn't get anything else from us, or because we wouldn't leave our religion.
Sometimes the point isn't to get forgiveness from another person; the point is to forgive ourselves, especially when we haven't done anything wrong.
Yes, there's been a whole lot of living going on... and hopefully I'll be letting you in on a bit more of it as we keep living through this next year.
My first inclination was to write an apology for not writing in so long. But who am I really apologizing to? Why feel guilty? It's been an amazingly long and full year or so.
We moved from SC to TN and then again within TN.
We've tried urban homesteading and now we're on a farm.
We made a 6-week cross-country trip with friends, and we're still friends.
Daughter-face broke her leg while on that trip.
Been learning lots about myself and God and my relationship with him. Been working through lots of stuff, too.
We decided to stay married.
We are learning to let go of stuff and hold on to what is really important.
We are learning how to plant, take care of, harvest from, and "put up" a garden.
We are learning the process of raising rabbits, chickens, ducks, goats, miniature donkeys, and even a horse. We're also learning what it's really like to lose them to old age (some animals age faster than others), escape, and predators. We're also learning to identify with our forebears more... to understand that to "lose a ____ to a fox" (or whatever) translates into, "we just lost a week's worth of meat to a ______."
We live on 8 acres, in 1300 sq feet of 80 years of history, drink spring water, actually have indoor plumbing, swim in a lake, and are sung to sleep by crickets rather than cars whizzing by.
We've moved away from old friends and moved to new friends. We've had friends move away, and friends move in. We've even had "friends" decide they don't love us any more, simply because they couldn't get anything else from us, or because we wouldn't leave our religion.
Sometimes the point isn't to get forgiveness from another person; the point is to forgive ourselves, especially when we haven't done anything wrong.
Yes, there's been a whole lot of living going on... and hopefully I'll be letting you in on a bit more of it as we keep living through this next year.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Home Rules
“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” ~ Ezra Taft Benson
We share our home with another family who are also Christians, but of another faith. We recently all went on a month-long vacation together to Seattle and back to Tennessee. While there we went to the Houston Temple. We sat in the waiting room together and talked about what the temple is, what it's used for, and its significance. Everyone felt the unique peace available there.
We all agreed it would be wonderful to have that peace at home. In order to achieve that, we came up with the rules below. Over this past week our home HAS been peaceful! The peace isn't just having "quiet". It's a core-deep kind of peace. It's a peace that brings on contentment with an undercurrent of joy.
Everyone has had to make changes, but the rewards have been so much greater than the "sacrifices".
I'm sure we'll have glitches here and there, and we've already had to remind each other occasionally - "Mom, remember that today is library day." But overall, it's going very well.
The below is our rules (including the scripture). Everyone in the household signed it as a contract. (The consequences for breaking the contract were also agreed on.)
D&C 88:118-121
… Seek ye diligently and teach one another
words of wisdom;
yea, seek ye out of the best books
words of wisdom;
seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
Organize yourselves;
prepare every needful thing;
and establish a house,
even a house of prayer,
a house of fasting,
a house of faith,
a house of learning,
a house of glory,
a house of order,
a house of God;
That your incomings may be
in the name of the Lord;
that your outgoings may be
in the name of the Lord;
that all your salutations may be
in the name of the Lord,
with uplifted hands unto the
Most High.
Therefore,
cease from all your light speeches,
from all [crude] laughter,
from all your lustful desires,
from all your pride
and light-mindedness,
and from all your wicked doings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In order to achieve the above, each person living in this household agrees to:
* Have a “game night” every Sunday afternoon.
* Bake treats together once a week.
* Have a “family movie night” every Friday.
* Go to the library together every Tuesday.
* Speak in low tones.
* Grant kindness and mercy to others.
* Forgive quickly.
* Keep their word.
* Pray together every day.
* Be a friend to every member of the household.
* Read only that which they would be comfortable reading in the presence of Jesus Christ.
* Listen to only that which they would be comfortable listening to in the presence of Jesus Christ.
* Watch only that which they would be comfortable watching in the presence of Jesus Christ.
6
* Keep an orderly home by:
* Eating food only in the kitchen
* Being responsible for their chores
* Picking up after themselves
* Making sure that Socks is the only dog allowed in the kitchen or Greg's office. (There's a bit of a story behind that one.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We share our home with another family who are also Christians, but of another faith. We recently all went on a month-long vacation together to Seattle and back to Tennessee. While there we went to the Houston Temple. We sat in the waiting room together and talked about what the temple is, what it's used for, and its significance. Everyone felt the unique peace available there.
We all agreed it would be wonderful to have that peace at home. In order to achieve that, we came up with the rules below. Over this past week our home HAS been peaceful! The peace isn't just having "quiet". It's a core-deep kind of peace. It's a peace that brings on contentment with an undercurrent of joy.
Everyone has had to make changes, but the rewards have been so much greater than the "sacrifices".
I'm sure we'll have glitches here and there, and we've already had to remind each other occasionally - "Mom, remember that today is library day." But overall, it's going very well.
The below is our rules (including the scripture). Everyone in the household signed it as a contract. (The consequences for breaking the contract were also agreed on.)
D&C 88:118-121
… Seek ye diligently and teach one another
words of wisdom;
yea, seek ye out of the best books
words of wisdom;
seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
Organize yourselves;
prepare every needful thing;
and establish a house,
even a house of prayer,
a house of fasting,
a house of faith,
a house of learning,
a house of glory,
a house of order,
a house of God;
That your incomings may be
in the name of the Lord;
that your outgoings may be
in the name of the Lord;
that all your salutations may be
in the name of the Lord,
with uplifted hands unto the
Most High.
Therefore,
cease from all your light speeches,
from all [crude] laughter,
from all your lustful desires,
from all your pride
and light-mindedness,
and from all your wicked doings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In order to achieve the above, each person living in this household agrees to:
* Have a “game night” every Sunday afternoon.
* Bake treats together once a week.
* Have a “family movie night” every Friday.
* Go to the library together every Tuesday.
* Speak in low tones.
* Grant kindness and mercy to others.
* Forgive quickly.
* Keep their word.
* Pray together every day.
* Be a friend to every member of the household.
* Read only that which they would be comfortable reading in the presence of Jesus Christ.
* Listen to only that which they would be comfortable listening to in the presence of Jesus Christ.
* Watch only that which they would be comfortable watching in the presence of Jesus Christ.
6
* Keep an orderly home by:
* Eating food only in the kitchen
* Being responsible for their chores
* Picking up after themselves
* Making sure that Socks is the only dog allowed in the kitchen or Greg's office. (There's a bit of a story behind that one.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A quick update
I've had an interesting last couple of weeks. Interesting in that I have been very busy but it doesn't feel like a whole lot has happened.
The house gets "done up" every day, the groceries get bought, food gets prepared. I nag about homework and help transport friends.
I'm managing to keep my garden alive and get to expand it this week. (Got a few more containers!)
I have been active with the 9/12 group. (If you're not familiar with that, you can go to The 912 Project and read about it.) I go to at least one meeting a week, and I got to go to the Tea Party here in Columbia. That was pretty neat.
I started a new website called We Surround Them WATCH. It's a legislative watch page that anyone can join and contribute to. There is so much going on right now it can make a person's head spin!
And the packing... we've started the packing. We're not sure when we'll get back to TN, but it will be sometime this summer. Luckily we have a storage unit we can put things in so we're not living with the boxes. Hmmm... which reminds me.... that needs cleaning out, too...
On the "Urban Homesteading" front... WE HAVE CHICKENS! I'm so excited! We got some pullets and some Bantams. Pictures coming soon. Really! I promise! Right now they're being "fostered" by some friends who also got some chicks the same day we did. (We're not allowed to have chickens on base.) We'll take them home with us to TN when the time comes.
I have a big ol' list of blog topics I want to write about, and some musings, and homesteading....
You know, I didn't realize until just now how much I've missed putting up my blogs and showing my pictures to the world. Hopefully, now that I'm done with a church project, I'll have more time this week to put something together.
However, today is my "stop neglecting your family and bake something for heaven's sake" day. So on with the radio and into the kitchen for a fun day of baking - and while the bread is rising I can go out to the garden "front porch" and start up a couple more containers and get some boogobs of seeds planted!
I can tell already that this is going to be a lovely day!
The house gets "done up" every day, the groceries get bought, food gets prepared. I nag about homework and help transport friends.
I'm managing to keep my garden alive and get to expand it this week. (Got a few more containers!)
I have been active with the 9/12 group. (If you're not familiar with that, you can go to The 912 Project and read about it.) I go to at least one meeting a week, and I got to go to the Tea Party here in Columbia. That was pretty neat.
I started a new website called We Surround Them WATCH. It's a legislative watch page that anyone can join and contribute to. There is so much going on right now it can make a person's head spin!
And the packing... we've started the packing. We're not sure when we'll get back to TN, but it will be sometime this summer. Luckily we have a storage unit we can put things in so we're not living with the boxes. Hmmm... which reminds me.... that needs cleaning out, too...
On the "Urban Homesteading" front... WE HAVE CHICKENS! I'm so excited! We got some pullets and some Bantams. Pictures coming soon. Really! I promise! Right now they're being "fostered" by some friends who also got some chicks the same day we did. (We're not allowed to have chickens on base.) We'll take them home with us to TN when the time comes.
I have a big ol' list of blog topics I want to write about, and some musings, and homesteading....
You know, I didn't realize until just now how much I've missed putting up my blogs and showing my pictures to the world. Hopefully, now that I'm done with a church project, I'll have more time this week to put something together.
However, today is my "stop neglecting your family and bake something for heaven's sake" day. So on with the radio and into the kitchen for a fun day of baking - and while the bread is rising I can go out to the garden "front porch" and start up a couple more containers and get some boogobs of seeds planted!
I can tell already that this is going to be a lovely day!
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Few Happy Ramblings
It's raining outside and all the world seems quiet and sleepy.
School is out today so my chibi is home, and all is right with the world.
The house is done up and clean.
An occasional car drives by kicking up the water on the street.
The cats tease the dog and they bicker for a moment.
Then... all is peaceful with the three of them, laying on the same bed, an uneasy truce in place for the sake of a nap.
The dish washer is humming me a happy tune, reminding me that the kitchen chores are done.
Some "jigsaw" pieces of my life have been coming together this week. I am starting to see how something "irrational" God told me years ago is coming to fruition. The fruits of my obedience are coming "quite in handy".
I have been watching the world and what is happening to our country. Part of me is in mourning, part of me is angry, and a much greater part of me is at peace. My contingency plans are almost in place.
It's interesting to see how all the "jigsaw" pieces tie into the "contingency plans" and how my "contingency plans" bring together the little "jigsaw" pieces.
Perhaps that would be a good title for my next blog: "Jigsaw Puzzles and Contingency Plans". Hmmm... I kinda like the sound of that.
But enough for now. My chibi and I are going to meet friends for a play date and enjoy the day the Lord has made.
The "world" will wait, and the latest legislation will still be there waiting for me to read. But I only have this day once and it belongs to my daughter.
School is out today so my chibi is home, and all is right with the world.
The house is done up and clean.
An occasional car drives by kicking up the water on the street.
The cats tease the dog and they bicker for a moment.
Then... all is peaceful with the three of them, laying on the same bed, an uneasy truce in place for the sake of a nap.
The dish washer is humming me a happy tune, reminding me that the kitchen chores are done.
Some "jigsaw" pieces of my life have been coming together this week. I am starting to see how something "irrational" God told me years ago is coming to fruition. The fruits of my obedience are coming "quite in handy".
I have been watching the world and what is happening to our country. Part of me is in mourning, part of me is angry, and a much greater part of me is at peace. My contingency plans are almost in place.
It's interesting to see how all the "jigsaw" pieces tie into the "contingency plans" and how my "contingency plans" bring together the little "jigsaw" pieces.
Perhaps that would be a good title for my next blog: "Jigsaw Puzzles and Contingency Plans". Hmmm... I kinda like the sound of that.
But enough for now. My chibi and I are going to meet friends for a play date and enjoy the day the Lord has made.
The "world" will wait, and the latest legislation will still be there waiting for me to read. But I only have this day once and it belongs to my daughter.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What If?
Yet another post based on a conversation with a friend.
The conversation started with me posting a link to a YouTube video about "Organization for America" (www.barackobama.com). The goal of the organization is to drum up support for Obama's policies. Part of the movement, however, is to get people to "pledge" that they will support Obama's policies and volunteer to help promote them.
Here's what was said about it:
Me:
Isn't this the first time a president has asked the citizenry to make a pledge to him or to his policies? We should be making pledges to God and to the upholding of the Constitution, not a president or his socialist policies.
Friend:
Well, it would be silly if he didn't want people to support him, wouldn't it?? Anyway, Americans are free not to believe in God. First amendment is at least as important as the second! And socialism is one of those words people throw around as if it were evil. But there are a lot fewer homeless and illiterate people in socialist countries than there are here. No guns and less crime too, by the way... I think you and I may be diametrically opposed in everything. Let's pledge not to take personal offense. Discussion is good, I think.
Me:
I am not offended at all by your comments! I enjoy discussing things with you. That's one of the great things about this country. We can discuss things and even "agree to disagree".
I agree that people are just as free to not believe in God as they ought to be to believe in God.
What bothers me is not that Obama is asking people to support him. What bothers me is that he is asking for a pledge - a pledge is a big deal - it's a sacred promise. Or at least it should be.
My problem with socialism is that it robs us of freedom - the freedom to succeed, the freedom to fail, the freedom to educate ourselves, the freedom to rely not on government but on ourselves, our hard work, and upon God if we so choose.
I suppose it's a fundamental difference in core values/ideology. Is it the government's job to "take care of the people" or is it the people's job to take care of themselves (govern themselves / use government as a tool)? We should take care of each other by choice, not government coercion.
Friend:
But the government is supposed to be "us" -- not "them." I volunteered during the election. It was remarkable how so many people were personally taking part. No one can accomplish anything alone. The power of a group is needed to do anything.
Some people aren't members of a powerful church, nor should they need to be to obtain basic human services.
Me:
I think it's wonderful that you and so many others were involved during the election. We should all be involved.
"Basic Human Services" should come from family and neighbors. That is how it used to be and ought to be again. And as far as being a member of a "powerful church", that is NOT required. I have a friend who was helped more by a small church group than by a large one.
The point is that we should not be looking to the government to take care of us. Of those who volunteered with the election, how many volunteer in other areas? How many give freely to charities?
We should be governing ourselves and taking responsibility for ourselves and for those around us. If everyone chose to do this, we wouldn't NEED the government to do it for us. When we shelve our personal responsibilities we give up our freedoms because if we don't take care of things the government will HAVE to.
For example, how many people view the school system as a day care center and don't take any responsibility for making sure their child(ren) are learning and doing their home work? How many people out there on welfare didn't take advantage of the education available to them in their youth and won't take advantage of opportunities to get their GED as an adult? (There are MANY programs out there to help people get their GED free of charge.)
I know many people personally who could have a much better life if they would only take responsibility for themselves. Unfortunately, they don't see a need to because they get a check from the government.
Not everyone is like that, I know. But if everyone chose to be honest, or to treat others with respect, or take care of their own families, how much better would the world be? Perhaps we are heading towards socialism because we as a nation have lost the ability to govern ourselves.
That's as far as the conversation got before I started writing this blog.
Going Beyond
What we've been discussing goes far beyond "politics" - The Democrat vs. Republican vs. "Third Party" mess. In fact, it even goes beyond religious ideologies in a way. It comes down to core beliefs - principles and values.
How about some famous examples of what it is I'm trying to say.
What do they have in common? They are moral men. All three of them have a central moral compass that leads them in deciding between right and wrong.
If each individual chose for themselves to live according to their principles and values, how much better would the world be? Would there be a need for government to get so large as to be able to step in and "save" us?
Are there basic principles we should all live by? I think so. However, I don't think it's my job or the government's job to force anyone to live by them either. (And no, just laws do not force anyone to live by basic principles - that's a whole 'nother post for another day.)
Here are Nine Principles and Twelve Values to consider. See if you agree with seven of the nine principles. (I'll tell you later where I got these if you don't already recognize them.)
Principles and Values
One more thing - please don't "nit pick" these apart and say "well, this isn't true because it hasn't been followed by everyone all the time." We could look at each of these principles and point out times they have been violated. The point is that these are ideals and we ought to question whether or not these are our ideals as well.
Nine Principles:
Twelve Values:
How many of us, regardless of race, religion, political party, socio-economic background, whatever agree with at least seven of the principles and agree with the above values? If we agree, then we are on the same side. We may have different views on how to achieve particular goals or how to help people, but we are on the same side.
What If?
The world would be a very different place. I doubt we would need a big government at that point.
What to Do?
I can only speak my mind and work on myself.
I do ask myself every night "did I do my best today? Was I my best self today?" Sometimes the answer is a very satisfying, "Yes!" Sometimes it is a regretful, "No." Then I resolve to do better the next day.
It is a simple thing, a simple way to live. However, "simple" does not necessarily mean "easy". Sure, there are times I am very tempted to just "throw in the towel" and become mediocre. (Mediocre for me - not compared to anyone else.) It would be much easier to not be involved, to be selfish with what I have, to fall into the world's definition of "normal". But I wouldn't be happier, nor would I be able to look at myself.
I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am not a Libertarian.
I love my country.
I love the constitution.
I love what it stands for at it's core.
I am an American.
(The Nine Principles and Twelve Values can be found at: www.The912Project.com)
The conversation started with me posting a link to a YouTube video about "Organization for America" (www.barackobama.com). The goal of the organization is to drum up support for Obama's policies. Part of the movement, however, is to get people to "pledge" that they will support Obama's policies and volunteer to help promote them.
Here's what was said about it:
Me:
Isn't this the first time a president has asked the citizenry to make a pledge to him or to his policies? We should be making pledges to God and to the upholding of the Constitution, not a president or his socialist policies.
Friend:
Well, it would be silly if he didn't want people to support him, wouldn't it?? Anyway, Americans are free not to believe in God. First amendment is at least as important as the second! And socialism is one of those words people throw around as if it were evil. But there are a lot fewer homeless and illiterate people in socialist countries than there are here. No guns and less crime too, by the way... I think you and I may be diametrically opposed in everything. Let's pledge not to take personal offense. Discussion is good, I think.
Me:
I am not offended at all by your comments! I enjoy discussing things with you. That's one of the great things about this country. We can discuss things and even "agree to disagree".
I agree that people are just as free to not believe in God as they ought to be to believe in God.
What bothers me is not that Obama is asking people to support him. What bothers me is that he is asking for a pledge - a pledge is a big deal - it's a sacred promise. Or at least it should be.
My problem with socialism is that it robs us of freedom - the freedom to succeed, the freedom to fail, the freedom to educate ourselves, the freedom to rely not on government but on ourselves, our hard work, and upon God if we so choose.
I suppose it's a fundamental difference in core values/ideology. Is it the government's job to "take care of the people" or is it the people's job to take care of themselves (govern themselves / use government as a tool)? We should take care of each other by choice, not government coercion.
Friend:
But the government is supposed to be "us" -- not "them." I volunteered during the election. It was remarkable how so many people were personally taking part. No one can accomplish anything alone. The power of a group is needed to do anything.
Some people aren't members of a powerful church, nor should they need to be to obtain basic human services.
Me:
I think it's wonderful that you and so many others were involved during the election. We should all be involved.
"Basic Human Services" should come from family and neighbors. That is how it used to be and ought to be again. And as far as being a member of a "powerful church", that is NOT required. I have a friend who was helped more by a small church group than by a large one.
The point is that we should not be looking to the government to take care of us. Of those who volunteered with the election, how many volunteer in other areas? How many give freely to charities?
We should be governing ourselves and taking responsibility for ourselves and for those around us. If everyone chose to do this, we wouldn't NEED the government to do it for us. When we shelve our personal responsibilities we give up our freedoms because if we don't take care of things the government will HAVE to.
For example, how many people view the school system as a day care center and don't take any responsibility for making sure their child(ren) are learning and doing their home work? How many people out there on welfare didn't take advantage of the education available to them in their youth and won't take advantage of opportunities to get their GED as an adult? (There are MANY programs out there to help people get their GED free of charge.)
I know many people personally who could have a much better life if they would only take responsibility for themselves. Unfortunately, they don't see a need to because they get a check from the government.
Not everyone is like that, I know. But if everyone chose to be honest, or to treat others with respect, or take care of their own families, how much better would the world be? Perhaps we are heading towards socialism because we as a nation have lost the ability to govern ourselves.
That's as far as the conversation got before I started writing this blog.
Going Beyond
What we've been discussing goes far beyond "politics" - The Democrat vs. Republican vs. "Third Party" mess. In fact, it even goes beyond religious ideologies in a way. It comes down to core beliefs - principles and values.
How about some famous examples of what it is I'm trying to say.
- Penn Jillette: Magician, comedian, atheist, libertarian.
- Ben Stein: Writer, actor, economist, commentator, director, Jewish, political party unknown to me (if you know for certain his political party please let me know).
- Glenn Beck: Writer, commentator, radio show host, actor, goofball, Christian (and a Mormon - and yes, a person can be both), unaffiliated conservative.
What do they have in common? They are moral men. All three of them have a central moral compass that leads them in deciding between right and wrong.
If each individual chose for themselves to live according to their principles and values, how much better would the world be? Would there be a need for government to get so large as to be able to step in and "save" us?
Are there basic principles we should all live by? I think so. However, I don't think it's my job or the government's job to force anyone to live by them either. (And no, just laws do not force anyone to live by basic principles - that's a whole 'nother post for another day.)
Here are Nine Principles and Twelve Values to consider. See if you agree with seven of the nine principles. (I'll tell you later where I got these if you don't already recognize them.)
Principles and Values
One more thing - please don't "nit pick" these apart and say "well, this isn't true because it hasn't been followed by everyone all the time." We could look at each of these principles and point out times they have been violated. The point is that these are ideals and we ought to question whether or not these are our ideals as well.
Nine Principles:
- America is good. Not flawless, and I'm not talking about the government. I'm talking about the people. In general, America is a good place to be and her people are generally good and generous. Look at the way we behaved on 9/12.
- I believe in God and He is the center of my life. (Define God as you will - even if your god is Reason and Intellect.)
- I must always try to be a more honest person today than I was yesterday.
- The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. (And no, I don't take this to the point of justifying abusing children so don't go there.) It is up to the parents what religion (if any) a child learns, and a parent has a say in what their child(ren) learn whether in public, private, or home school.
- If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
- I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
- I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to when I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
- It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or share my personal opinion.
- The government works for me. I do not answer to them; they answer to me.
Twelve Values:
- Honesty
- Reverence (Respect for important and/or sacred things.)
- Hope
- Thrift
- Humility
- Charity (including extending mercy and grace, not just financial help)
- Sincerity
- Moderation
- Hard Work
- Courage
- Personal Responsibility
- Friendship
How many of us, regardless of race, religion, political party, socio-economic background, whatever agree with at least seven of the principles and agree with the above values? If we agree, then we are on the same side. We may have different views on how to achieve particular goals or how to help people, but we are on the same side.
What If?
- What if everyone chose to do their best to live by the above principles and values?
- What if everyone chose, at the end of the day, to ask themselves "did I do my best today to be my best self?"
- What if everyone chose to resolve to do better if the answer to the above question was "no"?
- What if everyone chose to meet together with other like-minded people?
- What if everyone chose to compare what they did, what they watched, what they voted for, or what Congress was debating, against the above principles and values?
The world would be a very different place. I doubt we would need a big government at that point.
What to Do?
I can only speak my mind and work on myself.
I do ask myself every night "did I do my best today? Was I my best self today?" Sometimes the answer is a very satisfying, "Yes!" Sometimes it is a regretful, "No." Then I resolve to do better the next day.
It is a simple thing, a simple way to live. However, "simple" does not necessarily mean "easy". Sure, there are times I am very tempted to just "throw in the towel" and become mediocre. (Mediocre for me - not compared to anyone else.) It would be much easier to not be involved, to be selfish with what I have, to fall into the world's definition of "normal". But I wouldn't be happier, nor would I be able to look at myself.
I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am not a Libertarian.
I love my country.
I love the constitution.
I love what it stands for at it's core.
I am an American.
(The Nine Principles and Twelve Values can be found at: www.The912Project.com)
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