Next week my oldest starts High School. Not sure how I feel about that. I don't feel like I'm old enough to have a son in High School. He's still so young, yet sometimes he surprises me.
Not long ago he wanted to spend the night at a friends house. And he wanted to skip church the next morning. So I made him a deal that if he led a 30 minute Bible Study with his friends on Sunday he could stay over.
The next morning he's talking about the Bible Study and one of his friends pipes up, "oh, your Dad was just kidding."
"My Dad does not kid about the Bible" he states as a matter of fact. Thus begins the discussion of what to study. Mrs J, who is hosting the party suggest just reading a chapter of Scripture and then talking about it.
My son picks a Proverb that is heavy on the topic of adultery. These young teens end up in a very serious discussion on fidelity in marriage, sex outside of marriage and so on and so forth. Mrs J was very impressed, as was I later when she told me about it.
Mrs J told me later that the boys taught her something, an important something. Every sexual relationship you have before you are married is an infidelity towards the person you marry. It's a lesson that many never learn.
She asked my son later why he picked that chapter. His reply? "I thinks it's important and I wanted my friends to know it."
As much as I complain about him, sometimes he demonstrates that we are doing something right. God has blessed me with a wonderful family, a God fearing family. And every now and then he shows me how His Grace in my life, and my obedience is being payed forward to my family. My children are being given a much better start to life than I was given.
And they are going to need it, because life is getting hairy if I do say so myself. Lord willing I am preparing them for it.
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
"What are you Prepared to Do?"
“How do you handle a worker who refuses to follow the simple
rules? Repeatedly? What if there was
nothing in the contract that allowed you to discipline them?”
This was the question that had me stumped today. Hmmmm
There are really only two ways to get someone to choose to
do the right thing. Positive
reinforcement or negative reinforcement.
So in thinking about this, now I relate it to how I raise my
children. I instruct them, guide them
correct them, correct them again. At
some point I have to acknowledge that their disobedience is rebellion deserving
of negative reinforcement.
But the negative reinforcement can’t be reactionary. It’s only truly effective if it is not
reactionary, but rather a calculated discipline. You have to explain to them why it is they
are being disciplined. And dealing with employees is often like dealing with children.
So if I take the principles of “Resolve conflict at the
lowest possible level” and “Positive reinforcement before negative
reinforcement”, then apply it to this question, what do I come up with?
First the activity has to be identified as wrong. The individual must receive instructions
clarifying that his actions are wrong and why.
Should this be a repeat offense the individuals actions should be
brought to his direct supervisor to once again correct with positive reinforcement
and continue to monitor. There is no
black and white answer as to what point is correct to shift from positive
reinforcement to negative reinforcement.
But at some point discipline must become the method of behavior
adjustment.
Now in this particular scenario, there was no option for
discipline to be used as a method of behavior adjustment. Thus you end up in the less than idea
situation of repeating the positive reinforcement over and over again, until
the subject succumbs just to get you to leave him alone. Your positive reinforcement becomes negative
reinforcement by its obnoxiously repetitive nature.
One thing I’ve learned is the old adage, “where there is a
will, there is a way” is almost always true.
The value of the challenge must be more than the resistance to the
challenge. Or in this case, the value of
correction must be more than the resistance to correction in order for the
leader to be motivated enough to find a solution to the conundrum.
So truth be told, I still don’t have an answer to the
question. Only the knowledge that there
is always a way if the will is strong enough.
In the words of Sean Connery, “What are you prepared to do?”
Saturday, March 09, 2013
Back To School
Dr. Gary North told me I should blog about my college experience. I'm thinking I just need to get back into blogging. I like dumping my thoughts out through my fingers onto a screen. It's therapeutic.
To those who visit my blog (all one of you), I apologize for my absence. Not that I'm going to become a frequent blogger like I used to, but I would like to become a more frequent blogger.
So I am a student again. I must say after being out of the academic world for over a decade, it's quite the culture shock to be a student. Suddenly format and context matter again. They have this thing called "APA" formatting. It basically means you have to jump on one leg, while sacrificing you firstborn to ensure you are not plagiarizing anyone, including yourself. Still unsure of how I can plagiarize myself, but they say it can happen.
Apparently I'm not very good at it, because after completing 2 classes and a handful of papers, my professors still are telling me I'm doing it wrong. I asked my latest prof to help me understand what I'm doing wrong. He said, and I quote "When doing any scholarly paper, you must cite any data which is not common knowledge. Common knowledge is defined as any data which would not be known by the common man,"
Any data not known by the common man?!?! WTF? First off, how do you define the 'common knowledge'? Even more perplexing, how do you define 'common man'? Spend 10 minutes on facebook and you can quickly figure out that 'knowledge' is in short order in our country. Is that where I should go to learn the knowledge level of the 'common man'? So anything the average high school graduate, that says 'like' every other word, can't write, can barely read, and can't do basic addition without a calculator I have to cite? Or am I being too negative? I'm in college, I would expect the 'common' level of 'knowledge' to be above that of say your average high schooler. What a bunch of SUBJECTIVE hogwash.
Yes, I am my usual wise ass self, even in college. I think part of my problem is I've spent many years studying various topics, get this, FOR FUN. And so my personal knowledge level is above that of what a professor would define as 'common knowledge'. So when I am writing my college papers, quite often I'm not referencing anyone. Do I cite myself? How does one go about citing himself? "In the paper I am currently writing, pulled from the chaotic annals of my mind, I thought bla...." (OBrien, 2013).
Probably wouldn't go over well. The two Prof's I've had so far didn't seem real big on sense of humors. But some of the students and I are having a blast. I even stumped my first professor. Really, I did. We were having an exchange on a discussion board and I was just fielding what to me were logical questions to her statements. The conversation ended with her stating simply, "I'm not qualified to continue this discussion."
I must say that floored me. Not qualified? Aren't you the person with a Doctorate? I don't even have an AA. Not qualified? Really? Who's teaching who here?
The good news is, that while I suck at formatting to a standard that I will never use outside of college (I'm okay with that), I'm still getting A's (two of them so far). Let us hope the trend lasts.
And I'm engaging the students, who aren't as stiff as the Prof's. With any luck I can open some eyes to a way of thinking not taught by the liberals who run my school. They are sharper than the Prof's anyway (at least some of them). It's an online school so some of the students are on the other side of the planet. Talk about gaining perspective.
So, 5 more credits and I have my Associates Degree in Technical studies (with a focus on Nuclear Power). Then it's on to a BS in Electro-Mechanical Technology. The college administrators keep trying to convince me to get a BS in Nuclear Power. My training in the Navy apparently qualifies for many credits in the field. Why would I pursue a degree in a field I'm never ever ever.. did I say NEVER going back into? I'm not going to school to get a piece of paper, I want to actually learn something. What a novel thought that is. So, after much debate they gave up and I'm pursing the degree I want.
This should take me.. oh about 3 years. Hey, I'm only taking one class at a time. I thought about taking more, but I have quickly discovered that working full time as a Project Manager, while taking care of my wife and three kids doesn't leave much time for school. In fact, just the one class took enough of my time for Patty to tell me she feels like a stranger. "I know I had a husband" she likes to say. So, I'll follow the turtles example, Slow and Steady.
What else is new? We are debt free, completely debt free. I can't begin to express how good that feels. Maybe how I got out of debt should be my next blog post.
To celebrate we are spending our new found wealth on a family vacation. 26 day road trip around the western half of America. In fact we are going to make a complete loop around Utah, only touching it briefly at the Four Corner.
Remember I mentioned the juggling act of my life. Well, my boss was reluctant to allow me so much time off at once. I had to lay out in grave detail how my job was going to be accomplished while I was gone. I split up the critical logistical tasks of my day-to-day work among 4 people. Put all my strategic projects on hold and had my presentation. Lucky for me he said yes. There are still things I know are going to be missed, but I'm confident the plant will survive the month.
It feels good to be blogging again. "Poets, Priests and Politicians... have words to thank for their position... Words that scream for your submission... and no one's jamming their transmission..."
My mind is already racing to the next topic so before I start another chaotic tangent of non-sense, I bid you adieu.
To those who visit my blog (all one of you), I apologize for my absence. Not that I'm going to become a frequent blogger like I used to, but I would like to become a more frequent blogger.
So I am a student again. I must say after being out of the academic world for over a decade, it's quite the culture shock to be a student. Suddenly format and context matter again. They have this thing called "APA" formatting. It basically means you have to jump on one leg, while sacrificing you firstborn to ensure you are not plagiarizing anyone, including yourself. Still unsure of how I can plagiarize myself, but they say it can happen.
Apparently I'm not very good at it, because after completing 2 classes and a handful of papers, my professors still are telling me I'm doing it wrong. I asked my latest prof to help me understand what I'm doing wrong. He said, and I quote "When doing any scholarly paper, you must cite any data which is not common knowledge. Common knowledge is defined as any data which would not be known by the common man,"
Any data not known by the common man?!?! WTF? First off, how do you define the 'common knowledge'? Even more perplexing, how do you define 'common man'? Spend 10 minutes on facebook and you can quickly figure out that 'knowledge' is in short order in our country. Is that where I should go to learn the knowledge level of the 'common man'? So anything the average high school graduate, that says 'like' every other word, can't write, can barely read, and can't do basic addition without a calculator I have to cite? Or am I being too negative? I'm in college, I would expect the 'common' level of 'knowledge' to be above that of say your average high schooler. What a bunch of SUBJECTIVE hogwash.
Yes, I am my usual wise ass self, even in college. I think part of my problem is I've spent many years studying various topics, get this, FOR FUN. And so my personal knowledge level is above that of what a professor would define as 'common knowledge'. So when I am writing my college papers, quite often I'm not referencing anyone. Do I cite myself? How does one go about citing himself? "In the paper I am currently writing, pulled from the chaotic annals of my mind, I thought bla...." (OBrien, 2013).
Probably wouldn't go over well. The two Prof's I've had so far didn't seem real big on sense of humors. But some of the students and I are having a blast. I even stumped my first professor. Really, I did. We were having an exchange on a discussion board and I was just fielding what to me were logical questions to her statements. The conversation ended with her stating simply, "I'm not qualified to continue this discussion."
I must say that floored me. Not qualified? Aren't you the person with a Doctorate? I don't even have an AA. Not qualified? Really? Who's teaching who here?
The good news is, that while I suck at formatting to a standard that I will never use outside of college (I'm okay with that), I'm still getting A's (two of them so far). Let us hope the trend lasts.
And I'm engaging the students, who aren't as stiff as the Prof's. With any luck I can open some eyes to a way of thinking not taught by the liberals who run my school. They are sharper than the Prof's anyway (at least some of them). It's an online school so some of the students are on the other side of the planet. Talk about gaining perspective.
So, 5 more credits and I have my Associates Degree in Technical studies (with a focus on Nuclear Power). Then it's on to a BS in Electro-Mechanical Technology. The college administrators keep trying to convince me to get a BS in Nuclear Power. My training in the Navy apparently qualifies for many credits in the field. Why would I pursue a degree in a field I'm never ever ever.. did I say NEVER going back into? I'm not going to school to get a piece of paper, I want to actually learn something. What a novel thought that is. So, after much debate they gave up and I'm pursing the degree I want.
This should take me.. oh about 3 years. Hey, I'm only taking one class at a time. I thought about taking more, but I have quickly discovered that working full time as a Project Manager, while taking care of my wife and three kids doesn't leave much time for school. In fact, just the one class took enough of my time for Patty to tell me she feels like a stranger. "I know I had a husband" she likes to say. So, I'll follow the turtles example, Slow and Steady.
What else is new? We are debt free, completely debt free. I can't begin to express how good that feels. Maybe how I got out of debt should be my next blog post.
To celebrate we are spending our new found wealth on a family vacation. 26 day road trip around the western half of America. In fact we are going to make a complete loop around Utah, only touching it briefly at the Four Corner.
Remember I mentioned the juggling act of my life. Well, my boss was reluctant to allow me so much time off at once. I had to lay out in grave detail how my job was going to be accomplished while I was gone. I split up the critical logistical tasks of my day-to-day work among 4 people. Put all my strategic projects on hold and had my presentation. Lucky for me he said yes. There are still things I know are going to be missed, but I'm confident the plant will survive the month.
It feels good to be blogging again. "Poets, Priests and Politicians... have words to thank for their position... Words that scream for your submission... and no one's jamming their transmission..."
My mind is already racing to the next topic so before I start another chaotic tangent of non-sense, I bid you adieu.
The Godfather ( a post I forgot to post years ago... and my Godson is not so little anymore)
My friends at work have been caling me "Sean Corleone" all week. I can say the last thing I ever thought I would be in my lifetime is a godfather. When Nova asked me I was quite shocked and not sure what to say. My first thought was, "I'm not Catholic". But I said yes because I've been friends with her family for a very long time and I know she picked me cuz she trusts me more than any guy on the planet. "Ok, cool, btw Sean, you have to attend a class first". I have to what? Oh, good grief. It was an hour class that could have easily been summed up in five minutes. And I was tempted to speak out, but I promised Patty I'd hold my tongue.
So all last week Patty is asking me,"what are you going to wear to the baptism?" It's a baptism, not a marriage, cloths, jeans, t-shirt the usual. "You can't wear that. Call Nova and ask her what she wants you to wear. It's Catholic. Their pompous." I think I was told to call Nova at least a dozen times. Well, Nova called me Friday night,"What are you wearing tomorrow?" I don't know yet. "Well, a suit would be nice, but business casual will do". Later Nova told me, "I knew if I didn't call you, you would show up in shorts and t-shirt or something."
So, I pulled my suit out of the closet. My wife thanked Nova later. It's the first time she's seen me all dressed up since we got married.
The priest was nice. He liked to joke alot. Surprisingly I found myself in agreement with alot of what he had to say about baptism. At least the Catholic church still gets something right. Never mind the prayer to Mother Mary I read that makes her sound Holier than Jesus himself. I think they forgetten that she was human too. He also talked about raising your children with Christian values and how it takes more than sending them to church on sunday and Catholic School, but Christlike examples at home. He did a good job of expediting the process (there were seven baptisms).
The ceremony itself was a bit much. Too many robotic responses expected from the croud for me. "Would one of the godparents please come forward to light the candle, prefferable the taller one." That was me by BTW. This candle they had was just ridiculously tall. I'm pretty tall and I have monkey arms, but I could barely reach the top of this thing to light the candle. Where is big Billy Austin when I need him? I had to light the candle over and over again cuz everyone else was too short to reach. I wonder what they would have done if I wasn't there. "hey man, can I get on your shoulders?" LMAO. That would have been a beautiful addition to the ceremony.
Then off course there was picture taking. Evidence of me dressed up once again. Horrible!
The party afterwords was nice. We met at the godmother's, father's home in Tujunga. All I can say is, wow. I'd like to live there. From then on it was food champagne and corona's and lots of friendly chatter. We were so stuffed from the appetizers we didn't even bother to cook the lasagna.
All in all, it was a good day.
So all last week Patty is asking me,"what are you going to wear to the baptism?" It's a baptism, not a marriage, cloths, jeans, t-shirt the usual. "You can't wear that. Call Nova and ask her what she wants you to wear. It's Catholic. Their pompous." I think I was told to call Nova at least a dozen times. Well, Nova called me Friday night,"What are you wearing tomorrow?" I don't know yet. "Well, a suit would be nice, but business casual will do". Later Nova told me, "I knew if I didn't call you, you would show up in shorts and t-shirt or something."
So, I pulled my suit out of the closet. My wife thanked Nova later. It's the first time she's seen me all dressed up since we got married.
The priest was nice. He liked to joke alot. Surprisingly I found myself in agreement with alot of what he had to say about baptism. At least the Catholic church still gets something right. Never mind the prayer to Mother Mary I read that makes her sound Holier than Jesus himself. I think they forgetten that she was human too. He also talked about raising your children with Christian values and how it takes more than sending them to church on sunday and Catholic School, but Christlike examples at home. He did a good job of expediting the process (there were seven baptisms).
The ceremony itself was a bit much. Too many robotic responses expected from the croud for me. "Would one of the godparents please come forward to light the candle, prefferable the taller one." That was me by BTW. This candle they had was just ridiculously tall. I'm pretty tall and I have monkey arms, but I could barely reach the top of this thing to light the candle. Where is big Billy Austin when I need him? I had to light the candle over and over again cuz everyone else was too short to reach. I wonder what they would have done if I wasn't there. "hey man, can I get on your shoulders?" LMAO. That would have been a beautiful addition to the ceremony.
Then off course there was picture taking. Evidence of me dressed up once again. Horrible!
The party afterwords was nice. We met at the godmother's, father's home in Tujunga. All I can say is, wow. I'd like to live there. From then on it was food champagne and corona's and lots of friendly chatter. We were so stuffed from the appetizers we didn't even bother to cook the lasagna.
All in all, it was a good day.
Monday, October 15, 2012
How have I offended you lately?
It’s become apparent to me that the only way to keep from offending someone is not to have an opinion. And I have many opinions so it seems I’m destined to offend everyone sometime. I’ve been called racist, hateful, sexist, hypocrite, homophobe, unpatriotic, communist, ect. These words are thrown around like catch-all shields against opinion people don’t like. The true meaning of these words is lost as those who use them, paint their meaning with a seemingly endlessly wide brush. My wife lives in fear of who she might have to apologize to every time I speak or write something. I think she worries too much, but I love her all the same.
But who I offend is my problem. If I was really worried about offending I would just not speak, or write. I live in a world of opinions and I’m entitled to disagree with them. I am perfectly happy to have others disagree with me. If everyone agreed with me, what would we talk about? Everyone is welcome to disagree with.
So a few examples of how I’ve rubbed people the wrong way.
Racist ~ it seems anyone who sees the negative impact the civil rights movement and welfare (social programs) has had on the poor (and blacks in particular) is a racist.
Sexist ~ apparently believing what God says about women and wives is sexist
Hateful ~ it is hateful to challenge someone’s religion apparently, even though mine is challenged constantly
Homophobe ~ to call sin a sin and oppose sinful behavior is offensive, even though I have many relatives and friends who are gay. We are all sinners. I can love you without agreeing that your sinful behavior is right.
Selfish ~ Apparently all conservatives are selfish and uncaring for believing in personal accountability, and self-reliance. Selfish for thinking a person has a right to his or her property.
Unpatriotic ~ apparently because I think it wrong to send our boys to die for unjust wars, I’m unpatriotic. Even though I served 6 years in the Navy and fully support those I know who are still serving. How dare I want them to be safe from harm unless actually defending our country?
There are probably countless way I don’t know that I’ve offended people. Life is too short to worry about the little stuff. If you know me you know I have opinions. I’m happy to debate anyone about just about anything. Offense is rarely intentional. Knowledge and truth are typically the goals. If the truth and or my opinion is offensive to you, so be it. I think the truth is worth defending.
So to those whom I’ve offended, my apologies. To those who enjoy sharpening their wits and knowledge in healthy debate and discussion, I welcome your engagement.
To everyone else, you are welcome to enjoy the show and laugh, cry or scream at me along the way. I will soon be the proud owner once again of a desktop computer. Hopefully that means I can re-ignite my blogging, though the reason I'm buying it is for school, which will be eating up my time. We'll see what the future holds for me and my "proverbial pen".
But who I offend is my problem. If I was really worried about offending I would just not speak, or write. I live in a world of opinions and I’m entitled to disagree with them. I am perfectly happy to have others disagree with me. If everyone agreed with me, what would we talk about? Everyone is welcome to disagree with.
So a few examples of how I’ve rubbed people the wrong way.
Racist ~ it seems anyone who sees the negative impact the civil rights movement and welfare (social programs) has had on the poor (and blacks in particular) is a racist.
Sexist ~ apparently believing what God says about women and wives is sexist
Hateful ~ it is hateful to challenge someone’s religion apparently, even though mine is challenged constantly
Homophobe ~ to call sin a sin and oppose sinful behavior is offensive, even though I have many relatives and friends who are gay. We are all sinners. I can love you without agreeing that your sinful behavior is right.
Selfish ~ Apparently all conservatives are selfish and uncaring for believing in personal accountability, and self-reliance. Selfish for thinking a person has a right to his or her property.
Unpatriotic ~ apparently because I think it wrong to send our boys to die for unjust wars, I’m unpatriotic. Even though I served 6 years in the Navy and fully support those I know who are still serving. How dare I want them to be safe from harm unless actually defending our country?
There are probably countless way I don’t know that I’ve offended people. Life is too short to worry about the little stuff. If you know me you know I have opinions. I’m happy to debate anyone about just about anything. Offense is rarely intentional. Knowledge and truth are typically the goals. If the truth and or my opinion is offensive to you, so be it. I think the truth is worth defending.
So to those whom I’ve offended, my apologies. To those who enjoy sharpening their wits and knowledge in healthy debate and discussion, I welcome your engagement.
To everyone else, you are welcome to enjoy the show and laugh, cry or scream at me along the way. I will soon be the proud owner once again of a desktop computer. Hopefully that means I can re-ignite my blogging, though the reason I'm buying it is for school, which will be eating up my time. We'll see what the future holds for me and my "proverbial pen".
Gun Control
I was recently on a political debate show. The topic was changed at the last minute to ‘Gun Control’. Now I’ll start by saying I’m not the best candidate for a good defense of Gun Control. I own no guns. I’ve not fired a gun since I was married over 7 years ago. I’m not in the NRA, nor do I spend countless hours delving into the innuendos of gun control laws. But alas the discussion continued.
Having been expecting to discuss a different topic I had to shift gears. At one point the moderator asked a question, that quite frankly I didn’t have a good answer for. The questions roughly equates to this: If the purpose of gun ownership as defined by our Founding Fathers is to be able to defend against ourselves against any invader including tyrannical gov’t, bringing that line of thinking forward, in today’s world of nuclear weapons, where do you draw the line? At what point is it fair to say, he shouldn’t own THAT?
Having spent some time since the debate thinking about it, I have a few more thoughts on the topic, though I wouldn’t say a clear answer yet.
If we ever reach the point where our gov’t is threatening its own citizens with nuclear destruction, we have much bigger problems than who owns what weapons.
That being said, I feel we should be able to equip ourselves with the ability to defend ourselves with extreme prejudice. Certainly we all hope we never have to actually defend ourselves with a gun ever, but we should be allowed to arm ourselves to the teeth if we so choose in preparation for a “S!@# Hits the Fan” (SHTF) scenario. Whether it’s the starving looter (pick any riot in the last century) or the gov’t (er go WACO Texas / Ruby Ridge), or simply a robber breaking into your home, you should be able to defend yourself be any and all means necessary to survive with weapons adequate to the task.
We live in a world with little protection. It’s a far cry from the days when cities had moats and walls and forts and garrisons: When ordinary citizens formed militias to defend themselves when needed. I think it a great mistake to dismiss the notion of local militias. An unarmed America is a vulnerable America.
Weapon ownership is not inherently dangerous. There are millions of American’s who own weapons and rarely do you hear of anyone getting hurt. I believe it safe to say the great majority of weapons owners have never injured another human being with them (unless deliberately, such as in time of war). In fact when you do hear of someone being shot it is usually at the hands of a criminal or a Police Officer. The criminal most likely did not obtain said weapon legally, and the cop hopefully is only shooting in self-defense (as we all have the right to do).
Of course there is the notion of “I was cleaning my gun and it just went off”. It is a physical impossibility to discharge a gun you are cleaning. To clean a gun you must disassemble the weapon. At which point it is just a funny looking blunt object. If you “accidently” shoot someone (please note the sarcasm) you have either deliberately fired your weapon, or you have violated the first and most sacred rule of gun ownership, “Treat ALL WEAPONS AS IF THEY ARE LOADED”, followed closely by “NEVER POINT A WEAPON AT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE YOU DON’T INTEND TO SHOOT”. And of course both of these are followed by, “DO NOT place your finger over the trigger until you are ready to pull it”.
I guess my answer is this: I should be able to arm myself with whatever weapons I’m inclined to purchase. And in self-defense I should be able to discharge said weapons at those who threaten my life or the lives of my family. And since our gov’t other gov’ts of the world see fit to build massive OFFENSIVE WEAPONS, we may all need some pretty hefty arsenals.
As for nuclear weapons, the sad truth is the only winner of a war that uses nuclear weapons are those that don’t play. Lord willing we will never see a nuclear war. If we do, I’m not sure I’d want to see the world that remained. It is a weapon that not only kills immediately, but continues to kill for years to come.
Having been expecting to discuss a different topic I had to shift gears. At one point the moderator asked a question, that quite frankly I didn’t have a good answer for. The questions roughly equates to this: If the purpose of gun ownership as defined by our Founding Fathers is to be able to defend against ourselves against any invader including tyrannical gov’t, bringing that line of thinking forward, in today’s world of nuclear weapons, where do you draw the line? At what point is it fair to say, he shouldn’t own THAT?
Having spent some time since the debate thinking about it, I have a few more thoughts on the topic, though I wouldn’t say a clear answer yet.
If we ever reach the point where our gov’t is threatening its own citizens with nuclear destruction, we have much bigger problems than who owns what weapons.
That being said, I feel we should be able to equip ourselves with the ability to defend ourselves with extreme prejudice. Certainly we all hope we never have to actually defend ourselves with a gun ever, but we should be allowed to arm ourselves to the teeth if we so choose in preparation for a “S!@# Hits the Fan” (SHTF) scenario. Whether it’s the starving looter (pick any riot in the last century) or the gov’t (er go WACO Texas / Ruby Ridge), or simply a robber breaking into your home, you should be able to defend yourself be any and all means necessary to survive with weapons adequate to the task.
We live in a world with little protection. It’s a far cry from the days when cities had moats and walls and forts and garrisons: When ordinary citizens formed militias to defend themselves when needed. I think it a great mistake to dismiss the notion of local militias. An unarmed America is a vulnerable America.
Weapon ownership is not inherently dangerous. There are millions of American’s who own weapons and rarely do you hear of anyone getting hurt. I believe it safe to say the great majority of weapons owners have never injured another human being with them (unless deliberately, such as in time of war). In fact when you do hear of someone being shot it is usually at the hands of a criminal or a Police Officer. The criminal most likely did not obtain said weapon legally, and the cop hopefully is only shooting in self-defense (as we all have the right to do).
Of course there is the notion of “I was cleaning my gun and it just went off”. It is a physical impossibility to discharge a gun you are cleaning. To clean a gun you must disassemble the weapon. At which point it is just a funny looking blunt object. If you “accidently” shoot someone (please note the sarcasm) you have either deliberately fired your weapon, or you have violated the first and most sacred rule of gun ownership, “Treat ALL WEAPONS AS IF THEY ARE LOADED”, followed closely by “NEVER POINT A WEAPON AT SOMETHING OR SOMEONE YOU DON’T INTEND TO SHOOT”. And of course both of these are followed by, “DO NOT place your finger over the trigger until you are ready to pull it”.
I guess my answer is this: I should be able to arm myself with whatever weapons I’m inclined to purchase. And in self-defense I should be able to discharge said weapons at those who threaten my life or the lives of my family. And since our gov’t other gov’ts of the world see fit to build massive OFFENSIVE WEAPONS, we may all need some pretty hefty arsenals.
As for nuclear weapons, the sad truth is the only winner of a war that uses nuclear weapons are those that don’t play. Lord willing we will never see a nuclear war. If we do, I’m not sure I’d want to see the world that remained. It is a weapon that not only kills immediately, but continues to kill for years to come.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
In loving memory of my favorite Kraut..... Gunther, you will be missed...
Yesterday my Father lost one of his oldest and best friends. My Dad is one for telling stories and almost all of them involve Gunther. In fact, if you know my Dad, you must know Gunther (even if you’ve never met him).
He seemed too young to die. Always lively. The quickest old Kraut I’ve ever known.
For a short period of my life Gunther lived with us. It was a rough time in my life. At a time when I often felt alone, he was there. His listened without judging. His advice never seemed condescending. He gave me confidence when it seemed the world was trying to take all confidence from me.
Yet he was a hard man. He seemed to always be smiling, but rarely feeling. His affection shown through in his “pain therapy”. It’s what he called wrestling. Only usually it was more like desperately trying to defend myself against a very skilled man. It’s strange to admit, but “pain therapy” is a fond memory of the time I spent with him.
I never saw him have an ill intention towards anyone. He was always trying to help, to lift you up. The man I knew was always trying to give what little he had.
He took a job not far from Dad’s house where he worked for many years. I made it a habit to swing by and visit him there. We would spend the time catching up and discussing life. In retrospect the conversations seemed to always lean towards my life or my parents. He never revealed anything about himself that wasn't directly related to Dad. Many afternoons were spent talking with Gunther.
I’m glad I was able to introduce him to my wife. He seemed to like her.
The last time I saw him was shortly before he moved out of California. I’d talk to him on rare occasions after that, but more often we would IM or talk on Facebook. I always planned on seeing him again, but it seems life had different plans.
Gunther will be missed by many. He never had much of a family of his own, but he lived through the families of his two best friends. He seemed to bless all those he touched. He was blessed himself to find his own family whom he got to spend a few short years with.
I’m thankful that many moons ago a little Kraut (Gunther) stood up to a bully (my Dad) and began a lifelong friendship.
I can’t begin to understand what Klaus and my Dad feel at the loss of their lifelong friend. But if how I’m feeling is any indication, there is a hole inside of them that may never be filled again.
Gunther will live on in our memories and in the ongoing stories of my Dad who can tell Gunther stories like no other.
I will miss you sir. I thank God for making you a part of my life and my family.
He seemed too young to die. Always lively. The quickest old Kraut I’ve ever known.
For a short period of my life Gunther lived with us. It was a rough time in my life. At a time when I often felt alone, he was there. His listened without judging. His advice never seemed condescending. He gave me confidence when it seemed the world was trying to take all confidence from me.
Yet he was a hard man. He seemed to always be smiling, but rarely feeling. His affection shown through in his “pain therapy”. It’s what he called wrestling. Only usually it was more like desperately trying to defend myself against a very skilled man. It’s strange to admit, but “pain therapy” is a fond memory of the time I spent with him.
I never saw him have an ill intention towards anyone. He was always trying to help, to lift you up. The man I knew was always trying to give what little he had.
He took a job not far from Dad’s house where he worked for many years. I made it a habit to swing by and visit him there. We would spend the time catching up and discussing life. In retrospect the conversations seemed to always lean towards my life or my parents. He never revealed anything about himself that wasn't directly related to Dad. Many afternoons were spent talking with Gunther.
I’m glad I was able to introduce him to my wife. He seemed to like her.
The last time I saw him was shortly before he moved out of California. I’d talk to him on rare occasions after that, but more often we would IM or talk on Facebook. I always planned on seeing him again, but it seems life had different plans.
Gunther will be missed by many. He never had much of a family of his own, but he lived through the families of his two best friends. He seemed to bless all those he touched. He was blessed himself to find his own family whom he got to spend a few short years with.
I’m thankful that many moons ago a little Kraut (Gunther) stood up to a bully (my Dad) and began a lifelong friendship.
I can’t begin to understand what Klaus and my Dad feel at the loss of their lifelong friend. But if how I’m feeling is any indication, there is a hole inside of them that may never be filled again.
Gunther will live on in our memories and in the ongoing stories of my Dad who can tell Gunther stories like no other.
I will miss you sir. I thank God for making you a part of my life and my family.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Survival Training... it's easier than most people think.
Survival. As a single guy I never much worried about survival. I rolled with the punches and lived the nomadic life never much caring where I ended up. I remember sleeping in my car on more than one occasion, waking up through the night to run the engine long enough to bring some heat back to my bones.
When I was young I was a boy scout. I had a great leader who taught me some really great skills. The problem is I grew up and never used any of them.
For the last 8 years I've been wrapped up in Urban Survival trying to keep my head above water, a roof over my families head and food on our table. In doing so I have further removed myself from the knowledge I once possessed.
Now I'm actively engaged in a "Survival" course hosted by the same great boy scout leader. It's a much different experience this time round as I am re-learning with the knowledge of how bad it can get. My wife is going through this journey with me as we both learn basic skills needed to survive when the benefits of modern day are gone.
Now this may come from the collapse of our fragile economy or some natural disaster, or simple our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. But, the goal is to "Be Prepared". You never know when the worst will come.
As we've gone through this course I've been vividly reminded of how unprepared we are. Good practices which I've known, I haven't followed in years.
I hope I never have to use anything I'm re-learning, but I'm glad I'm taking the time to do so.
Survival goals:
- Learn more about the plants of the wilderness
- Spend time camping with the family to practice and learn basic techniques: Starting Fires, building shelters, gathering food, fishing, ect
- Put together and keep at the ready a basic survival kit
- Practice wood widling and net making and trap making so they become second nature
- Ensure my family is trained to survive with or without me
- keep a ready supply of h2o.. you can never have too much water
- take up and practice the art of repelling.. to overcome my fears and to have the know how to use it when needed
- buy a gun (many guns actually) and retrain myself in their safe and effective use. I plan to waste as much ammo as I can afford.
I'm sure this list will grow and be more detailed. this is just the kick-off list. Some may call me paranoid, but just last year my friends brother went missing in Yosemite and was never heard from again. The SHTF scenario can happen at anytime to anyone just about anywhere. Best to be as prepared as you can. Not to mention, this stuff is fun. So if you can have fun while preparing for the worst, why not.
When I was young I was a boy scout. I had a great leader who taught me some really great skills. The problem is I grew up and never used any of them.
For the last 8 years I've been wrapped up in Urban Survival trying to keep my head above water, a roof over my families head and food on our table. In doing so I have further removed myself from the knowledge I once possessed.
Now I'm actively engaged in a "Survival" course hosted by the same great boy scout leader. It's a much different experience this time round as I am re-learning with the knowledge of how bad it can get. My wife is going through this journey with me as we both learn basic skills needed to survive when the benefits of modern day are gone.
Now this may come from the collapse of our fragile economy or some natural disaster, or simple our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. But, the goal is to "Be Prepared". You never know when the worst will come.
As we've gone through this course I've been vividly reminded of how unprepared we are. Good practices which I've known, I haven't followed in years.
I hope I never have to use anything I'm re-learning, but I'm glad I'm taking the time to do so.
Survival goals:
- Learn more about the plants of the wilderness
- Spend time camping with the family to practice and learn basic techniques: Starting Fires, building shelters, gathering food, fishing, ect
- Put together and keep at the ready a basic survival kit
- Practice wood widling and net making and trap making so they become second nature
- Ensure my family is trained to survive with or without me
- keep a ready supply of h2o.. you can never have too much water
- take up and practice the art of repelling.. to overcome my fears and to have the know how to use it when needed
- buy a gun (many guns actually) and retrain myself in their safe and effective use. I plan to waste as much ammo as I can afford.
I'm sure this list will grow and be more detailed. this is just the kick-off list. Some may call me paranoid, but just last year my friends brother went missing in Yosemite and was never heard from again. The SHTF scenario can happen at anytime to anyone just about anywhere. Best to be as prepared as you can. Not to mention, this stuff is fun. So if you can have fun while preparing for the worst, why not.
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
God Providence... who would have thought I'd be happy to be stuck in LA for a while longer
Tonight I feel like writing and since I don’t know what I plan to write about, I’ll just wing it.
Life has been busy. My oldest turned 12 and is developing all the bad habits of a pre-teen. My middle child just turned 5 and my little lady will be 4 soon. Winy, overly sensitive and openly rebellious: Gotta love my brood.
For the last 2 years I’ve been actively seeking to “Escape From LA”. Every seemingly good door has been soundly closed. The path out seemed so clear when I started. But it wasn’t to be.
But God has used me for much in that time. I’ve been able to help friends and family in much need of various kinds of support. Everything from planning a funeral to marital counseling; How I fell into these rolls, I can’t say, but God knew I would be needed and ensured I would be here to help. He then placed me in positions I couldn’t have expected to be needed in.
A few more amazing paths God has placed in front of me.
I’ve been given every opportunity one could want from his job. For the next 2-3 years I will be heading up a major restructuring. The real world training this will give me you can’t get from any college. I have the backing and support of not only my Manager, our Plant Manager, and various corporate managers. I am being guided and mentored by some of the brightest and most experienced minds in my corporation.
Of course this means I’m stuck in LA for a few more years. But the opportunities and blessings that are literally falling into my lap are immeasurable.
This year the burden of debt will be lifted as we finally pay off the last of our debt. For the first time in our marriage we will be financially stable with a rapidly growing savings account and not debt looming over our heads. Total financial freedom.
My former Scout master is back in my life and leading me and my wife through basic survival training. At the same time we are leaning towards enrolling our oldest in the Scouts under the tutelage of the same Scout master.
My wife is developing good Godly friendships with the locals. And I continue to be drawn in to various responsibilities in church and among friends.
In short it seems that God wants me right here for a while. Wish I knew why, but I guess I just have to trust that God’s plan is perfect.
I’ll get out of LA eventually, but apparently not yet. At least the weather is nice here.
Life has been busy. My oldest turned 12 and is developing all the bad habits of a pre-teen. My middle child just turned 5 and my little lady will be 4 soon. Winy, overly sensitive and openly rebellious: Gotta love my brood.
For the last 2 years I’ve been actively seeking to “Escape From LA”. Every seemingly good door has been soundly closed. The path out seemed so clear when I started. But it wasn’t to be.
But God has used me for much in that time. I’ve been able to help friends and family in much need of various kinds of support. Everything from planning a funeral to marital counseling; How I fell into these rolls, I can’t say, but God knew I would be needed and ensured I would be here to help. He then placed me in positions I couldn’t have expected to be needed in.
A few more amazing paths God has placed in front of me.
I’ve been given every opportunity one could want from his job. For the next 2-3 years I will be heading up a major restructuring. The real world training this will give me you can’t get from any college. I have the backing and support of not only my Manager, our Plant Manager, and various corporate managers. I am being guided and mentored by some of the brightest and most experienced minds in my corporation.
Of course this means I’m stuck in LA for a few more years. But the opportunities and blessings that are literally falling into my lap are immeasurable.
This year the burden of debt will be lifted as we finally pay off the last of our debt. For the first time in our marriage we will be financially stable with a rapidly growing savings account and not debt looming over our heads. Total financial freedom.
My former Scout master is back in my life and leading me and my wife through basic survival training. At the same time we are leaning towards enrolling our oldest in the Scouts under the tutelage of the same Scout master.
My wife is developing good Godly friendships with the locals. And I continue to be drawn in to various responsibilities in church and among friends.
In short it seems that God wants me right here for a while. Wish I knew why, but I guess I just have to trust that God’s plan is perfect.
I’ll get out of LA eventually, but apparently not yet. At least the weather is nice here.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Richard Call Low one last time caused me to reflect on life and knowledge
This week the death of a mentor reminded me of how short life is. His name to me was always Mr Low. To his wife he was Richard. To his children he was Dad. His death had me thinking about knowledge. What we know, how we know it. Mr Low was committed to knowledge. As his daughter put it, “Mountain climbers when asked why they climb mountains, often say ‘because it is there ‘. My father’s mountain was knowledge”.
The Bible says “The beginning of all wisdom is the fear of God”. It also says “The wisdom of God is foolishness to men”. When I sit and look at my own life, my own search for knowledge and wisdom, the list of sources of my knowledge are vast. Everything from, personal experience to history. This is my personal summary of where my knowledge comes from.
For the first 16 years of life my knowledge was almost entirely personal experience. Public school never taught me much. Just provided me a place to be other than home. But being the second youngest in a family of 7 kids led to many life experiences before I may have been ready for them. Through watching my siblings, my parents (all four of them) and my grandparents I was able to learn much about life. I call my childhood the Soap Opera. It was. But all this knowledge was in a vacuum, because even though I was raised Mormon, and sometimes Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Pagan, I really only knew God and God’s wisdom through the eyes of other men. I had yet to truly learn directly from God.
I was 14 or 15 when my sister bought me a series called “The book of Swords, by Fred Saberhagen”. This was the beginning of my journey to self-education. Reading quickly became a passion of mine. And when I have time it still is.
I was 16 when I first started to study the Scriptures on my own. I was passionate in my studies of God for the next four years. I grew to believe wholeheartedly in the Mormon faith. Mr Low was my sounding board. He dedicated countless hours of his life to me and the wisdom he shared and guidance he gave me continue with me to this day. Not only did I learn to think Scripturally, I learned service as I watched him care for his wife, who had suffered a stroke and was completely dependent on him. I think only now at his death do I realize the impact he had on my life.
If nothing else I gained a healthy fear of God in this time. In Mormonism the expectation is that a young man will go on a 2 year mission at the age of 19 or 20. I was determined to be prepared for this. About the time I was ready to serve my mission I was struck with doubt of the truth of Mormonism. Even with the aid of Mr Low I was unable to resolve my doubt. I could not in good conscience serve a mission preaching a ‘truth’ that I myself was not convinced of.
On a whim I ended up in the Navy instead. I was to experience learning on a whole new level. As a Navy Nuc I was submitted to a grueling 2 year training program which tested my knowledge, patience, endurance and ability to absorb vast quantities of highly technical information in a very short period of time. As someone who always has suffered self-esteem issues, this was a truly character building time.
I also learned loneliness, suffered separation anxiety, learned to survive on my own because no one else was there to support me. I thought I had learned independence as a teen, but I really learned independence and self-reliance in the Navy. Not to say I was completely alone. You develop life-long relationships in the military as you are forced to rely on people you barely know. But in the end when it comes to success in the military you stand alone. I guess it would better be stated, I was forced to survive without those I had relied on for so long in the past and thus had to learn new ways to survive with new people.
It was at this time that my fear of God continued to grow as I continued to be engulfed in Scripture trying to remove the doubt that was in me.
I’ve found that nothing is more refining than God’s Word. The knowledge I have gained about me by reading the Bible is immeasurable. Its philosophy, psychology and history all wrapped up in one. It cuts to your heart and opens your mind to see things about you that you didn’t know exist. This for me has been and continues to be my greatest source of knowledge. Its wisdom wraps you up until your whole life is viewed through God’s Word.
Mr Low was one of my sounding boards as a teenager. Like any teen, my friends were my sounding boards as well. God’s Word has been my sounding board as an adult. It doesn’t matter what the subject matter is. Politics, religion, psychology, marriage, relationships, work ethic, and so on and so forth; all of it is subject to God. I’ve also been blessed with Godly friends.
It was in the military that I started to develop my political views as well. I saw military force with no war. I saw bureaucratic waste of our resources. I saw cronyism, rules for the sake of rules, unjust discipline, blind obedience. I saw our military attacked (The Cole) and our homeland attacked (9/11). I saw the decisions that were made by our leaders as a result. I know that people are dead because I did my job. It was a very confusing time in the military. You wanted to support what you were a part of and know that you were doing right, but I don’t think I was ever convinced of this.
My political views really began to change with the discovery of Lewrockwell.com. A libertarian news / article website. They say ignorance is bliss, and this was the end of my bliss. I learned about just war, and economics. I studied the founding fathers, federalist anti-federalist arguments, American History. I read books by the men we say our country was founded by. I learned as much as I could about their thinking and reasoning.
Christianity and God’s Word seemed to be in the center of it all. Contrary to the popular “Separation of Church and State” mantra, it is impossible to separate church from state without rejecting God and God’s Moral Law all together. Church was never meant to be removed from State decisions. State was removed from Church decisions.
Moving on with my tale of personal knowledge, 2-3 years of studying the Bible praying to have the doubt removed so I could return to Mormonism, instead I was lead to reject Mormonism as God’s True Church. Scripture just didn’t conform to what the LDS had taught me my whole life. There is a whole world of Mormons (Mr Low included) who disagree with me. But for me, I had to choose between what God’s Word said and the religion I was raised in and God won.
It was at this time that I was to learn about the many Christian denominations. I knew nothing of Christian History, or the many Christian Churches. I started trying to attend different churches. The bulk of my church experience being LDS it was quite the culture shock. The biggest shock of all was how much non-sense is preached from ‘Christian’ pulpits. I learned how gullible humans can be. The things I saw done in the name of God were appalling. I felt like I was watching sheep being led to the slaughter as I watched “Christians Engulfed with the Spirit” doing all sorts of truly strange things.
The power of belief, the power of the human mind to have a physical effect, the power of humans was being revealed to me.
When I finally joined a church a year later it was because the Pastor though young, always tried to preach from Scripture, even if it was in rather unconventional ways. I joined Bible Study groups, with Vince (the pastor), and spent the next three years studying with him and various other Christians. I found myself leading Bible Studies even though I was the youngest person in the room. I found people looking to me as wise. And I was truly wise in my own eyes.
I left the Navy feeling I had a good handle on Politics, Religion and Life. I was introduced to a Christianity I had never seen that taught me otherwise. Reformed Christianity I had never heard of. Calvin, Armenis, Luther, St Augustine, Edwards, Knox, theonomics, Eschatology, Epistemology, and whole bunch of other –ologies left me wondering what bus I had missed.
However, for the first time in my life I sat in a church and wasn’t challenging the Pastor’s “Biblical” stance. The dedication to Biblical truth and accuracy I found was a breath of fresh air to someone who had spent many moons looking for truth in Religion.
Since leaving the Navy I have continued my pursuit of knowledge in Scripture and in Politics. In Politics and Economics I’ve found mainstream information to be jaded and misleading. I’ve found the Republicans whom I had been raised to believe in to be no better than their Democratic counterparts. I’ve learned to questions the official histories and to seek alternate sources to find the truth in the stories of the past.
Even Scientific Theories must be questioned. Recently one of Einstein’s Theories was proven false. Our quest for truth and knowledge must be never ending. We must be willing to look beyond the mainstream paths of knowledge and learn to teach ourselves and seek truth in the unconventional places.
In Religion I have found Biblical Christianity, led by those with the same passion for truth as myself. I still question everything, but am pleased to find truth and gospel preached.
I think the most important lesson I learned from Mr Low and from life is that “the Beginning of ALL wisdom is the fear of God”. And all of our knowledge must be measured against the measuring stick of God’s Word.
And as the saying goes, “The More I learn, the Less I Know”.
Lord willing I can continue to apply that principle to my life and teach it to my children and my grandchildren. By God’s Grace I pray that when my life ends, my family and friends will look upon my life, in the same way the family of Richard Call Low looked upon his life. A man of God whose dedication to his faith and to the truth had a lasting impact on his children, and his children’s children. A man who touched the world with service and wisdom.
The Bible says “The beginning of all wisdom is the fear of God”. It also says “The wisdom of God is foolishness to men”. When I sit and look at my own life, my own search for knowledge and wisdom, the list of sources of my knowledge are vast. Everything from, personal experience to history. This is my personal summary of where my knowledge comes from.
For the first 16 years of life my knowledge was almost entirely personal experience. Public school never taught me much. Just provided me a place to be other than home. But being the second youngest in a family of 7 kids led to many life experiences before I may have been ready for them. Through watching my siblings, my parents (all four of them) and my grandparents I was able to learn much about life. I call my childhood the Soap Opera. It was. But all this knowledge was in a vacuum, because even though I was raised Mormon, and sometimes Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Pagan, I really only knew God and God’s wisdom through the eyes of other men. I had yet to truly learn directly from God.
I was 14 or 15 when my sister bought me a series called “The book of Swords, by Fred Saberhagen”. This was the beginning of my journey to self-education. Reading quickly became a passion of mine. And when I have time it still is.
I was 16 when I first started to study the Scriptures on my own. I was passionate in my studies of God for the next four years. I grew to believe wholeheartedly in the Mormon faith. Mr Low was my sounding board. He dedicated countless hours of his life to me and the wisdom he shared and guidance he gave me continue with me to this day. Not only did I learn to think Scripturally, I learned service as I watched him care for his wife, who had suffered a stroke and was completely dependent on him. I think only now at his death do I realize the impact he had on my life.
If nothing else I gained a healthy fear of God in this time. In Mormonism the expectation is that a young man will go on a 2 year mission at the age of 19 or 20. I was determined to be prepared for this. About the time I was ready to serve my mission I was struck with doubt of the truth of Mormonism. Even with the aid of Mr Low I was unable to resolve my doubt. I could not in good conscience serve a mission preaching a ‘truth’ that I myself was not convinced of.
On a whim I ended up in the Navy instead. I was to experience learning on a whole new level. As a Navy Nuc I was submitted to a grueling 2 year training program which tested my knowledge, patience, endurance and ability to absorb vast quantities of highly technical information in a very short period of time. As someone who always has suffered self-esteem issues, this was a truly character building time.
I also learned loneliness, suffered separation anxiety, learned to survive on my own because no one else was there to support me. I thought I had learned independence as a teen, but I really learned independence and self-reliance in the Navy. Not to say I was completely alone. You develop life-long relationships in the military as you are forced to rely on people you barely know. But in the end when it comes to success in the military you stand alone. I guess it would better be stated, I was forced to survive without those I had relied on for so long in the past and thus had to learn new ways to survive with new people.
It was at this time that my fear of God continued to grow as I continued to be engulfed in Scripture trying to remove the doubt that was in me.
I’ve found that nothing is more refining than God’s Word. The knowledge I have gained about me by reading the Bible is immeasurable. Its philosophy, psychology and history all wrapped up in one. It cuts to your heart and opens your mind to see things about you that you didn’t know exist. This for me has been and continues to be my greatest source of knowledge. Its wisdom wraps you up until your whole life is viewed through God’s Word.
Mr Low was one of my sounding boards as a teenager. Like any teen, my friends were my sounding boards as well. God’s Word has been my sounding board as an adult. It doesn’t matter what the subject matter is. Politics, religion, psychology, marriage, relationships, work ethic, and so on and so forth; all of it is subject to God. I’ve also been blessed with Godly friends.
It was in the military that I started to develop my political views as well. I saw military force with no war. I saw bureaucratic waste of our resources. I saw cronyism, rules for the sake of rules, unjust discipline, blind obedience. I saw our military attacked (The Cole) and our homeland attacked (9/11). I saw the decisions that were made by our leaders as a result. I know that people are dead because I did my job. It was a very confusing time in the military. You wanted to support what you were a part of and know that you were doing right, but I don’t think I was ever convinced of this.
My political views really began to change with the discovery of Lewrockwell.com. A libertarian news / article website. They say ignorance is bliss, and this was the end of my bliss. I learned about just war, and economics. I studied the founding fathers, federalist anti-federalist arguments, American History. I read books by the men we say our country was founded by. I learned as much as I could about their thinking and reasoning.
Christianity and God’s Word seemed to be in the center of it all. Contrary to the popular “Separation of Church and State” mantra, it is impossible to separate church from state without rejecting God and God’s Moral Law all together. Church was never meant to be removed from State decisions. State was removed from Church decisions.
Moving on with my tale of personal knowledge, 2-3 years of studying the Bible praying to have the doubt removed so I could return to Mormonism, instead I was lead to reject Mormonism as God’s True Church. Scripture just didn’t conform to what the LDS had taught me my whole life. There is a whole world of Mormons (Mr Low included) who disagree with me. But for me, I had to choose between what God’s Word said and the religion I was raised in and God won.
It was at this time that I was to learn about the many Christian denominations. I knew nothing of Christian History, or the many Christian Churches. I started trying to attend different churches. The bulk of my church experience being LDS it was quite the culture shock. The biggest shock of all was how much non-sense is preached from ‘Christian’ pulpits. I learned how gullible humans can be. The things I saw done in the name of God were appalling. I felt like I was watching sheep being led to the slaughter as I watched “Christians Engulfed with the Spirit” doing all sorts of truly strange things.
The power of belief, the power of the human mind to have a physical effect, the power of humans was being revealed to me.
When I finally joined a church a year later it was because the Pastor though young, always tried to preach from Scripture, even if it was in rather unconventional ways. I joined Bible Study groups, with Vince (the pastor), and spent the next three years studying with him and various other Christians. I found myself leading Bible Studies even though I was the youngest person in the room. I found people looking to me as wise. And I was truly wise in my own eyes.
I left the Navy feeling I had a good handle on Politics, Religion and Life. I was introduced to a Christianity I had never seen that taught me otherwise. Reformed Christianity I had never heard of. Calvin, Armenis, Luther, St Augustine, Edwards, Knox, theonomics, Eschatology, Epistemology, and whole bunch of other –ologies left me wondering what bus I had missed.
However, for the first time in my life I sat in a church and wasn’t challenging the Pastor’s “Biblical” stance. The dedication to Biblical truth and accuracy I found was a breath of fresh air to someone who had spent many moons looking for truth in Religion.
Since leaving the Navy I have continued my pursuit of knowledge in Scripture and in Politics. In Politics and Economics I’ve found mainstream information to be jaded and misleading. I’ve found the Republicans whom I had been raised to believe in to be no better than their Democratic counterparts. I’ve learned to questions the official histories and to seek alternate sources to find the truth in the stories of the past.
Even Scientific Theories must be questioned. Recently one of Einstein’s Theories was proven false. Our quest for truth and knowledge must be never ending. We must be willing to look beyond the mainstream paths of knowledge and learn to teach ourselves and seek truth in the unconventional places.
In Religion I have found Biblical Christianity, led by those with the same passion for truth as myself. I still question everything, but am pleased to find truth and gospel preached.
I think the most important lesson I learned from Mr Low and from life is that “the Beginning of ALL wisdom is the fear of God”. And all of our knowledge must be measured against the measuring stick of God’s Word.
And as the saying goes, “The More I learn, the Less I Know”.
Lord willing I can continue to apply that principle to my life and teach it to my children and my grandchildren. By God’s Grace I pray that when my life ends, my family and friends will look upon my life, in the same way the family of Richard Call Low looked upon his life. A man of God whose dedication to his faith and to the truth had a lasting impact on his children, and his children’s children. A man who touched the world with service and wisdom.
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