I read an article this morning on pop music. The author began with a quote from Plato about the power of music. “Music is the most decisive factor in one’s upbringing. It is above all rhythm and attunment that sink deep into the soul and take strongest hold upon it.” (Plato, Republic 380 BC) Some people will be shocked music existed before Justin Bieber, but indeed, music has been around about as long as people. In fact, if you believe the Bible, music actually predates people. The author reported on his study of music from the 50s to the present and described how lyrics have become much more explicit and exploitive. You can read the whole article here; http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/18/highway-to-hell-the-changing-face-of-pop-music/?page=1
Anybody who has reared teenagers in the last twenty years needs no researcher to tell him or her anything about raunchy music. I remember with horror getting into my daughter’s vehicle, turning on the ignition and being blasted by Nelly singing? “It gittin hot in here, so take off all yo clothes.” I started singing it for my girls on the premise that anything that I sang was decidedly un-cool and therefore less appealing to them. I don’t know if that is true, but it made me feel better.
The author doesn’t do so, but I’ll bet a correlation exists between this debasement of music and the debasement of culture. How much music has shaped our attitudes about relationships, sexuality, society, work, race and religion is anybody’s guess, but I’d guess a lot!
I had a college friend who was studying computer programming way back when computers programs ran on punch cards. After writing a program to punch the cards, he’d run the cards to see if the program worked. If it didn’t, he’d have to re-write it and try again. He’d say, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
That old adage about computer programming can be applied to our minds and our spirits. Our “computers” will respond to what we put in them. Garbage in. Garbage out.
Now that, in a stream of consciousness kind of way, reminded me of this story that, via the internet, has circled the globe about a bazillion times by now. The speaker has been Cherokee, Sioux, non-specific Native American and half a dozen other tribes in these tellings, but the point is valid nonetheless.
The Two Wolves
A Cherokee elder was teaching his grandchildren about life.He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight between two wolves.One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, hatefulness, and lies.The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, humbleness, kindness, friendship, generosity, faith, and truth.This same fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too.”The children thought about it for a minute. Then one child asked his grandfather,“Which wolf will win?”The Cherokee elder replied…“The one you feed.”It is ever so. Which wolf are you feeding?
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Fear Less
Happy Friday the 13th! I’ve said that a few times today and it has generated some laughs and some discussion about superstitions. There are people who are genuinely afraid of the number 13. Triskaidekaphobia is the name for this irrational fear. How the number 13 became so fearful, I’m not entirely sure. But I have noticed that most tall buildings have a 12th floor and a 14th floor, but not a 13th. Hoteliers are afraid guests would refuse to stay on that floor, so rather than waste the space, they call it 14.
It is amazing how easily fear can take over our thoughts. Fear is a powerful emotion and, as newspapers, movies, themeparks, and TV have discovered, it sells!
Max Lucado in his book Fearless, cites a study by reporter Bob Garfield on the increasing focus on fear in broadcast and print media reporting. His findings were enlightening. Major publications over the brief period of his inquiry reporting on health issues said;
· 59 million Americans have heart disease,
· 53 million Americans have migraines,
· 25 million Americans have osteoporosis,
· 3 million have cancer,
· 2 million have severe brain disorders,
“Reportedly, in total, 543 million Americans consider themselves to be seriously sick, a troubling figure since there are 266 million people in the country. As Garfield noted, ‘Either as a society we are doomed, or someone is seriously double-dipping.” Fearless, p. 159.
In healthcare today, the environment has become so anxious that a reorganization of one health system can cause ripple effects of fear throughout an entire region. The anxiety bubbles up and our stomachs start to churn. We are not alone. The feeling is pervasive, it seems. Fear. It is a highly contagious bug. To defeat it, we need a strong immune system. What follows is and extra shot of B12 and a high dose bolus of vitamin C.
“There’s a stampede of fear out there. Let’s not get caught in it. Let’s be among those who stay calm. Let’s recognize danger but not be overwhelmed. Acknowledge threats but refuse to be defined by them. Let others breathe the polluted air of anxiety, not us. Let’s be numbered among those who hear a different voice, God’s. Enough of these shouts of despair, wails of doom. Why pay heed to the doomsdayer on Wall Street or the purveyor of gloom in the newspaper? We will incline our ears elsewhere; upward. We will turn to our Maker, and because we do, we will fear less.” Fearless, p. 159.
I’m taking my dose now. Want to join me?
Blessings to you all!
Jerald
It is amazing how easily fear can take over our thoughts. Fear is a powerful emotion and, as newspapers, movies, themeparks, and TV have discovered, it sells!
Max Lucado in his book Fearless, cites a study by reporter Bob Garfield on the increasing focus on fear in broadcast and print media reporting. His findings were enlightening. Major publications over the brief period of his inquiry reporting on health issues said;
· 59 million Americans have heart disease,
· 53 million Americans have migraines,
· 25 million Americans have osteoporosis,
· 3 million have cancer,
· 2 million have severe brain disorders,
“Reportedly, in total, 543 million Americans consider themselves to be seriously sick, a troubling figure since there are 266 million people in the country. As Garfield noted, ‘Either as a society we are doomed, or someone is seriously double-dipping.” Fearless, p. 159.
In healthcare today, the environment has become so anxious that a reorganization of one health system can cause ripple effects of fear throughout an entire region. The anxiety bubbles up and our stomachs start to churn. We are not alone. The feeling is pervasive, it seems. Fear. It is a highly contagious bug. To defeat it, we need a strong immune system. What follows is and extra shot of B12 and a high dose bolus of vitamin C.
“There’s a stampede of fear out there. Let’s not get caught in it. Let’s be among those who stay calm. Let’s recognize danger but not be overwhelmed. Acknowledge threats but refuse to be defined by them. Let others breathe the polluted air of anxiety, not us. Let’s be numbered among those who hear a different voice, God’s. Enough of these shouts of despair, wails of doom. Why pay heed to the doomsdayer on Wall Street or the purveyor of gloom in the newspaper? We will incline our ears elsewhere; upward. We will turn to our Maker, and because we do, we will fear less.” Fearless, p. 159.
I’m taking my dose now. Want to join me?
Blessings to you all!
Jerald
Friday, April 6, 2012
Nothing is Wasted
There was no time to think or to plan. It was all reaction. A non-thinking, muscle memory, instinctive reaction and it probably saved our lives. We were traveling I-295 West on the South side of Jacksonville, headed for I-10. We were, or I should say I was, driving a bit faster than the speed limit as I kept pace with the traffic. We were in the left lane of the three-lane interstate. There was a black car in front of us three to four car-lengths ahead. I noticed the white car about a ¼ mile ahead parked on the shoulder between the concrete retaining wall and our traffic lane and as we got closer, I realized it was a sheriff’s car. Shortly after that, another sheriff’s cruiser sped by in the center lane, cut to the left lane in front of the car ahead of me and hit the brakes hard.
In that instant, the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. I slammed on my brakes. I glanced at the rear-view mirror to see the green Camry behind me had slammed on his brakes and swerved violently to the middle lane. Relieved that I would not have to fear being sandwiched in the collision, I turned my attention again to the car ahead. The sheriff’s officer, still riding the brakes, slid into the median in front of the parked cruiser. The black car let off the brakes and the few feet of distance between us began to widen.
After it was over, I was talking in excited tones to my wife…ok, I was really yelling about how stupid the officer was to pull such a stunt. He came very close to causing at least a three-car pile up at 70 miles per hour on the interstate and I was angry. Angry that someone sworn to protect public safety had so foolishly put our safety at risk. But that was after.
During the event, I could only react. Forty-plus years since driver’s ed. Forty-plus years of driving experience. Forty-plus years of long days on the interstate. Forty-plus years of dirt, gravel, concrete and asphalt. Forty-plus years of sunshine, rain, snow and black ice. Forty-plus years of watching several cars ahead as I drive. Forty plus years of moving the foot from the accelerator to the brake and back again. Forty-plus years of checking the rear-view mirror frequently as I drove. In an instant, all those mundane activities and experiences became vitally important. In that moment, all those years of repetitive motion and routine actions paid off as I instantly reacted to avoid slamming into the car in front of me.
Life is a lot like that. A lot of mundane, routine things happen. A lot of difficult and painful experiences happen. And not only do they sometimes make no sense, oft times they seem so meaningless that we don’t even make an effort to make sense of them. And then, in an instant you become aware that all those things have prepared you for this moment.
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
In that instant, the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. I slammed on my brakes. I glanced at the rear-view mirror to see the green Camry behind me had slammed on his brakes and swerved violently to the middle lane. Relieved that I would not have to fear being sandwiched in the collision, I turned my attention again to the car ahead. The sheriff’s officer, still riding the brakes, slid into the median in front of the parked cruiser. The black car let off the brakes and the few feet of distance between us began to widen.
After it was over, I was talking in excited tones to my wife…ok, I was really yelling about how stupid the officer was to pull such a stunt. He came very close to causing at least a three-car pile up at 70 miles per hour on the interstate and I was angry. Angry that someone sworn to protect public safety had so foolishly put our safety at risk. But that was after.
During the event, I could only react. Forty-plus years since driver’s ed. Forty-plus years of driving experience. Forty-plus years of long days on the interstate. Forty-plus years of dirt, gravel, concrete and asphalt. Forty-plus years of sunshine, rain, snow and black ice. Forty-plus years of watching several cars ahead as I drive. Forty plus years of moving the foot from the accelerator to the brake and back again. Forty-plus years of checking the rear-view mirror frequently as I drove. In an instant, all those mundane activities and experiences became vitally important. In that moment, all those years of repetitive motion and routine actions paid off as I instantly reacted to avoid slamming into the car in front of me.
Life is a lot like that. A lot of mundane, routine things happen. A lot of difficult and painful experiences happen. And not only do they sometimes make no sense, oft times they seem so meaningless that we don’t even make an effort to make sense of them. And then, in an instant you become aware that all those things have prepared you for this moment.
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
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