Sit Down Comedy … April 26th, 2019

Jonathots Daily Blog

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It is completely unlikely that anyone over the age of seventy in the United States of America has not heard, spoken or nervously laughed at a joke containing the “N word.” As painful as this may be, we were a country that was comfortable with bigotry.

Likewise, is there any chance that there’s a human being over the age of fifty who hasn’t stated, repeated or stood silent when the word “fag” was offered in an adult conversation? For years, this was the way we described anyone we deemed incapable of the tenacity, strength and energy to succeed.

And dare I say, there is probably no one over the age of twenty-five who has not referred or heard a reference to the female of our species as “bitch.”

It’s just the nature of our journey. We are born without the ability to walk, talk or use a spoon. We graduate from high school and enter grown-up land unable to solve problems, and therefore often opt for selfishness, in order to protect the little we have. As the old song says:

I wish I knew then what I know now.

But do you?

Do you really want to be the first white person in Montgomery, Alabama, who comes to the conclusion that Jim Crow laws are evil and must be overturned?

Do you desire to be the straight person, who during the AIDS pandemic of the mid-1980’s, decides to defend the gay community instead of insisting they brought a plague down on mankind?

And even more recently, do you want to believe the stories of women who were subjugated by domineering men, when it seems more popular, or at least politically acceptable, to come to the side of the accused, dominant, masculine figure?

There are no rewards for those who think ahead of their time.

Society has a history of putting to death those who finally clarify their message, especially when that proclamation is contrary to cultural standards and mores.

You can be popular—or you can be right.

You can’t be both.

It wasn’t even popular in 1863 to free the slaves, even though supposedly we were fighting a war to do so.

It wasn’t popular to take those same slaves—after the war was already over—and give them human and states’ rights.

It took us until 1919 to allow women a chance to vote—and even after that “lightbulb decision” was enacted, there were many places in our country where females were not allowed to serve on juries.

Being spiritually insightful, emotionally empathetic, mentally progressive and physically fit never places you in the forefront of anything.

BEING A LEADER MEANS…

If you decide to be a leader instead of a follower, you will lead alone—since the followers have already pledged their allegiance. Yet we, as a people, count on certain souls to walk a lonely path, pursue through resistance and overcome public opinion to bring us the solutions which lead us into a spirited life instead of rendering us dispirited.

As we judge candidates, senators, congressmen, President and judges, let us keep in mind that they gain their positions by either being voted in or approved. In order to get a vote or be approved, you have to get the blessing of those who walk in the present—not those who have the presence of mind to know where history is walking.

If I knew then what I know now, I would either have to forget it so I could still be fairly popular, or else decide to take the path untraveled—alone.

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Ask Jonathots… October 27th, 2016

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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Is there any such thing as a good war, a necessary war or a productive war?

I am always frightened of pat answers.

I’m talking about those responses given which attempt to be clever or cover a multitude of opinions in order to please everybody. We know that life doesn’t work that way. Actually, truth is a poison ivy that leaves everyone scratching.

So when you talk about war, it’s easy to take familiar stances.

For instance, “war is fine as long as we’re protecting the innocent.” The problem, of course is, who is really innocent?

And most people who decide to go to war tout that they’re doing it to “shelter the needy,” but have ulterior motives.

There are those who say war is necessary to promote our way of life. In other words, “these people are going to do what’s right or we’ll kill them.”

And there are people who contend that war is acceptable when we, ourselves, are attacked. Then the question comes, at what level? Are we talking about a bombing of our whole country, or an aggressive move toward one of our ships?

The truth of the matter is, war is so wrong that it must be won by people who know it’s evil.

If we begin to believe that there’s a righteous war, or our cause is anointed by the heavens and we’re allowed to enact violence, then we become the latest plague on the planet.

• War is wrong because it kills people.
• Killing people is against life.
• God is a promoter of life.

So what should we feel about war?

I think many wars are avoided by choosing our skirmish.

In other words, if we step in early enough and rip the bad seed out of the ground, the ugly cactus of conflict doesn’t have to pop up in the desert.

If we use diplomacy, a show of force and a line in the sand that we really do follow through on, we have a much better chance of avoiding a death toll and devastation.

Should the United States have become involved in World War II earlier? Yes–the U. S. should have stepped in when Hitler decided to annex part of Austria–long before he took over Poland, all of Europe and bombed the hell out of England.

We should have noticed the political upheaval in Viet Nam and addressed it with the tools available–a show of force and diplomacy–instead of sending human bodies to shoot at human bodies.

War is not inevitable. More often than not, it’s a refusal and a denial of existing problems, hoping they will go away, only to discover that they multiply.

For instance, in a marriage, long before there’s a divorce, there are a thousand junctures where communication and conversation could have changed the outcome.

War is caused by delay.

Delay is triggered by politics.

And politics is the notion that by pretending everything is good, we will get elected.

Choose the skirmish.

Avoid the war.

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I’m Looking For… A Christian Christian February 3, 2013

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Here’s a strange idea that continues to plague my mind:  for some reason, I think being a Christian should have something to do with Jesus.

There are those who would disagree with me–maybe not in principle, but certainly in application. For after all, if we really did have three or four billion people on this earth who “loved their neighbor as themselves” and “did unto others as they would have them do to themselves,” I think the ripple effect would be much more noticeable, don’t you?

So someone has slipped in, in the middle of a dispensation, and replaced the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the life of Jesus with an idol of religious rhetoric. Now, I will not speculate on guilty parties, nor will I point fingers at any particular group.

But beginning with my own mirror, I am on a quest to find a Christian Christian. They should have a desire to pursue the lifestyle of Jesus. First I’m going to tell you three things that Jesus didn’t do. When you find out what people refuse to participate in, you have a pretty good idea of the backbone of their conviction.

1. Jesus didn’t judge. Not only did he say not to judge, but he insisted that he could judge if he wanted to, and he would work on his judgment being fair and true–but still selected not to do so. Do you follow that? That would be like me saying, “Don’t jump off a cliff. Now, if I jumped off a cliff, facts are, I would bounce, but you know what? I’m still not gonna jump off a cliff.”

2. He didn’t act religious. If he had acted religious, the religious people would not have been upset with him. Matter of fact, he not only didn’t act religious himself, but generally speaking, had a habit of attacking all religious concepts that didn’t have a practical application to human life.

3. And finally, he didn’t preach. The strongest he got with an audience was to teach them, but most of the time when he was in their presence, he told them stories to draw parallels about life and how to live it better.

He didn’t judge, he didn’t act religious and he didn’t preach. Let me see: what would happen if we simply removed judging, self-righteousness and preaching from the Christian church? (Manna for thought…)

So what did he do? Jesus was a human who found a WAY to pursue the TRUTH, while living an abundant LIFE. There’s nothing wrong with having a WAY you live. There’s nothing wrong with believing that to be the TRUTH–as long as it culminates with you living out an abundant LIFE. After all, there’s nothing more obnoxious than someone who appears to be fairly miserable who invites you to come Sunday morning at 10:30 A.M. to discover his or her secret.

I’m looking for a Christian Christian. I have not given up; I am not pessimistic. When I find this individual, he or she will be a non-judgmental, non-religious, non-preaching human being who has found a way to pursue the truth, while living an abundant life.

Anything else would not be Christian because it wouldn’t resemble the life and times of Jesus.

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