Jonathots Daily Blog
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The Interloper
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art by smarrttie pants
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Jonathots … January 22nd, 2019
Jonathots Daily Blog
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Thinking that something which is not real is going to happen is called crazy.
Believing that something that is not real is going to happen is called faith.
Faith and crazy have a lot in common.
This is why, over the centuries, many who thought they were moving in faith ended up looking crazy—and there were those deemed crazy who historically are proclaimed people of faith.
The difference between faith and crazy is what energizes them.
Crazy is energized by fear—fear of rejection, fear of the future, fear of other human beings, or fear of responsibility.
Faith works by love—an appreciation for opportunity, a deep respect for other humans, and a desire to take what is given and work with it.
So how do I know I have the hands of faith instead of the mitts of crazy?
It’s the energy that comes off me, which will tell you whether I’m being controlled by fear or motivated by love.
There’s a story in the Good Book which says a woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed because “virtue came forth from him.” There was so much energy of love, hope and faith that it literally radiated from him into her body.
Sounds a little weird, doesn’t it? But we actually refer to it all the time:
- “I pick up a good vibe from you.”
- “You have a great aura.”
- “When you’re in the room, I feel like everything is possible.”
- “You make things pleasant.”
- “You make things work.”
- “You help me believe.”
The power of touch includes the ability to generate the energy of love, which is able to be transferred from one person to another.
Yes—we can infuse our authority and power into another human being.
Yes—faith and love can be passed along, just as we know that craziness and fear can ricochet through mob, turning them into killers.
I’m on a journey to make sure that my faith is not crazy by confirming every day that it is fed by love instead of fear.
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1 Thing You Can Do This Week (To Overcome Bigotry)
DON’T LOOK FOR DIFFERENCES
We’re still living in a comical society which believes that human beings are tinted black, red, yellow and white.
It’s totally ridiculous.
The extent of the color of human skin lands somewhere between brown and cream. There may be a few people that are actually black, and scientifically it is proven that there are albinos, who are completely white. But most of us have skin color which is somewhere between brown and cream.
Based upon this philosophy of hue we have developed cultures which supposedly separate us—either by evolution or the natural design of a Creator.
This contention is not only errant, it is not only evil, it is not only appalling, but it is flat-out a crock of shit.
HUMAN HARMONY
The greatest thing you can do to create human harmony is to spend your life finding the similarities you have with all your Earthly cousins who live North, South, East and West. Stop buying into the idea that little differences in taste, clothing and mannerisms have any lasting effect on who we really are.
There is one race and always will be—the human race.
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Iz and Pal (Bedouin Buddies)
Jonathots Daily Blog
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Sitting Three
It was nearly sunset before Jubal and Amir’s fathers became concerned that there was anything extraordinary about the absence of their sons. It was not unusual for the boys to be busy at chores and play, but night is the time to be home. Except now, minus two young men. Some inquiring was done, but frantic energy came with the morning.
Meanwhile, two friends sat at the crest of a hill in the sand, talking, fiddling, playing and laughing.
“I don’t like my name,” said Jubal.
“I like yours better than mine,” Amir inserted.
“Jubal is just so old and religious.”
“Amir sucks.”
Jubal objected. “I like Amir better than Jubal.”
“That’s because it’s not your name,” Amir said, lightly punching him in the arm.
“We need new names,” decided Jubal.
Amir nodded his head. “We’re starting new lives—might as well have new names.”
Jubal giggled. “Maybe I could be Frank and you could be Bob.”
Amir clapped his hands. “Where did you get Frank and Bob?” he asked.
Jubal peered around as if wondering if someone were listening in. “My uncle has cable television,” he explained. “It’s illegal. And sometimes I watch the American shows.”
Amir sat straight up. “What are they like? I mean, our television is so…you know. Boring. Everything in Farsi.”
Jubal leaned forward, whispering. “I have seen women without coverings.”
Amir’s eyes widened. “You mean…?”
Jubal interrupted. “Yes. I mean their tops.”
Amir was impressed to the point of speechless. On and on they talked—about American television, dreams, women, parents and even hot sand.
“I have a new name for you,” Jubal said with a flair of inspiration.
“Oh. What is it?” inquired Amir.
“I think I will call you Pal.”
“Pal?” asked Amir with a squint.
“Yes, it’s short for Palestinian,” said Jubal.
Amir leaped to his feet, and with one arm extended in the air, proclaimed, “Then I shall call you Iz.”
Jubal jumped to his feet, too, asking, “What’s Iz?”
Amir danced around in a little circle and replied, “It is very short—for Israeli.”
This exchange welcomed great laughter. They giggled and danced and wiggled, which deteriorated into a fake boxing match.
Finally, Amir took a breath and spoke. “So is our new little country called Paliz? Or Izpal?”
Jubal firmly shook his head. “Let’s not get started with that. That’s how our people ended up killing each other.”
Now, the word “killing” doesn’t normally invoke laughter, but on a hot day, silly friends will find almost anything hilarious. They giggled, stopped and started again because stopping seemed so ridiculous. At length, Jubal ceased laughing and said, “I have something to show you.”
“All right.” Amir was a bit bewildered by the solemn transition. Jubal walked over to the small tent they had pitched and returned, gingerly cupping an object in his hands.
“What is it?” asked Amir.
Jubal paused. “It’s a hand grenade.”
Amir scooted away. “What do you have that for?”
Jubal rebuked him. “Don’t be foolish. Do you really think they won’t find us here? Do you think they’ll let us stay? Do you think they’re going to pat us on the back and say, ‘Great job, boys.’ They’re all crazy with hate, so they want us to be crazy, too. So I needed something to convince them we are serious—and we’ll never return to being just Arab and Jewish little boys again”
Amir was impressed. “Where did you get it?” he challenged.
“A patrol of Israeli troops came into our town, and it fell out of one of their bags,” Jubal explained. “Before I could think, I grabbed it and took it back to the soldier. He thanked me and gave me some chocolate. Then I thought about us—if we were going to be together—how we needed something. So I cautiously followed the troops, until they rested next to a well. When the young soldier went over to draw some water to drink, I stole the grenade from his pack.”
Amir was frightened. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I don’t know,” said Jubal, with a tear in his voice. “I didn’t think that through. I just don’t want to go back to any place where you cannot be my friend.”
Iz and Pal shook hands, very careful to set the grenade to the side. It was nearly midday.
They would soon be discovered.
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Cracked 5 … January 19th, 2019
Jonathots Daily Blog
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Best Ways to Get the Elephant Out of the Room
A. Claim to have a peanut allergy
B. Mock his small trunk
C. Ask if it’s alright if you call him “Dumbo”
D. Invite a tiger
E. Screen the movie, “Elephant Man”
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Sit Down Comedy … January 18th, 2019
Jonathots Daily Blog
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Sometime back, but still in my retainable memory, I was invited to speak at a youth convention.
It started out slow, as those kinds of gigs often do until the audience realizes you are acceptable and hearable. It ended beautifully, with enthusiasm, passion and even a few tears. I was feeling so inspired that I turned to the gathered and said, “God, you guys look great.”
Afterward, I was greeted by the sponsor of the event, who seemed to lack my joy. He shared that he was greatly uplifted by the message I imparted to the students, but found the use of the word “God” in my closing to be a classic case of using the Lord’s name in vain.
OMG.
Move ahead a little while and it is such a common phrase that we have an Internet abbreviation for it.
I ran across the same problem over the years when I appeared in front of pristine-thinking audiences, using the word “crap.” Once again, move ahead, and I’ve even heard “crap” used in prayers: “Lord, save us from all this crap.”
We get nowhere with language by thinking that certain words are perverse, others are acceptable and a chosen few are supreme.
Let me give you an example:
I have a bottom. I don’t call it a bottom very often, because the occasion to use that word doesn’t arise, and I don’t feel the need to ever be that formal. So instead, I may say, “I’m going to sit on my backside.”
That’s about as vanilla as I can get. I refuse to use the word “tush.” Sometimes when I’m trying to motivate myself, I will say, “I got off my butt and finished dinner.” (“Butt” in this case is required to express to the hearer that a process was necessary to change my stationary position to an active one.)
I would never say, “I got off my derriere and finished dinner.”
Moving along, if I were referring to a woman’s attractive backside today, I might call it a “booty,” only to be playful. But I don’t think I would get the same reaction from her or anyone else by saying, “She certainly has an attractive gluteus maximus.”
Words justify us—meaning they make us come across clearly—or they condemn us—causing us to sound foul or overly cautious.
I have to be honest with you—if I were discussing the government of the United States in its present stand-off, I would certainly put forth this sentence: “The government should get off its ass and fix some things.”
I wouldn’t use “bottom” and I wouldn’t use “butt.” In this case, the word “ass” has a double meaning. It refers both to their languishing position as well as their attitudes, which prevent them from being proactive.
Do you see what I mean?
We need to stop this foolish, politically correct mindset regarding the American language. If a word communicates, it communicates.
For instance, I never say, “I’m going to have a bowel movement,” but I might say, “The baby did a poop.”
If I run across something that’s plain bull, I will call it crap.
If someone is being mistreated and bigotry is being fostered, I might spout, “What the shit is going on?”
If you feel that I should say, “What the potty is going on?” I think you’re either being insincere or you should find a time machine and join us here in the twenty-first century.
Stop looking for whether words are perverse, righteous, foul or sacred. Start noticing how they fit into sentences or questions that communicate the depth of our passion.
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3 Things … January 17th, 2019
Jonathots Daily Blog
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That Make You Appear You Know What You’re Doing
1. Don’t be stubborn, pursuing things that aren’t working
2. Show up with an idea and be open to suggestions
3. Celebrate your progress before beginning the next project
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