Jonathots Daily Blog
(4483)
Jonathots Daily Blog
(4287)
My friend, would you please define
Why you think we are all just fine?
What happens when good doesn’t make us better? Isn’t that bad?
And what is the purpose of touting good things when they don’t internalize into human beings and transform them into dynamic individuals?
Is it possible that it’s bad when things are good?
Are we better when things are worse?
Is there a part of us that knows we’re not worthy and wants to find our own feet instead of being lifted?
I’m not sure, but I know this:
It seems to me to be bad when good doesn’t make us better.
Likewise, when joy brings no smile, is it really happiness?
If the “joy of the Lord is strength,” why does the believer frown?
If music truly brings joy, why are drugs necessary to make us high?
If being in love is actually a joyful thing, why do we spend our time lamenting our choice?
When a Christmas season comes and goes and we’re so engrossed in politics, impeachment, misconceptions and distractions that the carols play at the same decibel as years before—with identical emotion—yet fail to beckon our childlike spirit.
It makes me mad when the common gains no sense.
Why is it that we are trying to be the first generation to come to different conclusions than our ancestors did? Is it just so we can proclaim our uniqueness?
The Earth has been around for a long time and certainly has its ways.
Nature speaks to us.
Science teaches us.
And our human brothers and sisters join us.
It is common—but it gives no sense.
It is obvious—yet ignored.
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
But wait! Wait. Ours can.
He who hates his brother hates God.
No, no. We have a much different interpretation.
Lying is evil.
Oh, my goodness—you are so behind the times. We have discovered a way to lie and make it charming.
For there to be common sense, there must be sense we acknowledge as common among us all.
I wonder if we’re prepared to avoid the pain by letting what is sane produce our gain.
This is the way to be glad.
Gladness is not sprinkled on us like fairy dust.
It isn’t an accidental stumbling into the hilarious.
Isn’t it bad when good doesn’t make us better?
I find it sad when joy produces no smile.
Are you mad when the common gains no sense?
Or are you like me?
(4221)
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation for this inspirational opportunity
Jonathots Daily Blog
(4215)
Remember when that was a positive statement?
Fear, anxiety or nervous energy might grip your soul, and someone would come along and reassure you that what you were about to do wasn’t terribly complex, and had certainly been done many, many times before.
I don’t know exactly what it was—you can sit around with your friends and develop all sorts of conjectures on what caused us to devolve from creatures who were grateful for simplicity to a more pompous, edgy and cranky configuration that seems to prefer difficulty and struggle.
Matter of fact, play a game.
Sit down and watch some television—the news, dramas and comedies—and count how many times you hear:
“Life is complicated.”
“It’s not gonna be easy.”
“Somebody just needs to grow up and realize there’s lots of twists and turns.”
“We need to be ready to take on the battle.”
Maybe I’m stupid, but I don’t want to learn things I don’t have to learn.
And maybe I’m immature, but I believe life was bestowed upon us to find happiness, not to fester despair.
So if you’re in the mood to escape an overly tangled web, let me simplify things:
There aren’t thousands of different cultures, millions of different personalities and billions of unique individuals.
And when you meet people, you can tell immediately which of the two philosophies they favor.
Nervous energy, a tinge of anger, wringing hands over the problems in the world? This is a person who believes the world has a responsibility to adjust to him or her.
On the other hand, people who are easy-going and relaxed are travelers who realize that all the adjusting has to come from them—because the world was in business before they were born.
You can feel free to find another explanation. You can assume there is a possibility for eight billion pathways on this planet that has 27,000-mile waistline.
I would not criticize you or stand in your way. After all, it is your journey, not mine.
But for those “Simple Simons” like myself, who would like to find a more concise explanation, I offer the two-category primer.
So what will it be?
It is not an issue of good and bad. It is not an issue of righteous and evil, but rather, a simple determination on how many smiles you get to sprout in a given day.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this inspirational opportunity
Jonathots Daily Blog
(3807)
art by smarrttie panntts
Click the elephant to see what he’s reading!
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Jonathots Daily Blog
(3493)
It certainly seemed to be a concerted effort.
At the close of the twentieth century, the social malaise gelled into a common theme. Whether it was the educational system, the government, the corporate world, the entertainment industry or the religious community, for one prolonged season they converged on a universal axiom: “Everybody’s different.”
Matter of fact, you could pretty well guarantee applause in front of any audience by saying, “I’m different, you’re different, we’re all different–but it’s okay.”
G-Pop calls it “the snowflake philosophy.” You know what he means. “There are no two snowflakes exactly alike–and that’s the way people are, too.”
And it seems that nobody had the temerity to come along and say, “How do you know that no two snowflakes are alike?”
The sentiment sounded sweet, kind and cuddly, so it was embraced as a truth. Matter of fact, if anyone had come along to suggest that the human race is pretty much the same group of people, just in different locales, it would have been considered out of step, and even, to a certain degree, bigoted–in the sense that if for some reason you could not accept eight billion different cultures colliding with each other on the same landscape, then you were downright intolerant.
After about fifty years of this propaganda, the common patter has begun to bear the fruit of its contention. In other words, “since we’re all so different, how is it possible to procure common ground?” And therefore, we only feel comfortable around those who share our genetic markers, are part of our own household–and we’re mistrustful of anyone sporting “different genes.”
Where has this philosophy gotten us? Where is it going to take us?
G-Pop wants his children to understand that establishing uniqueness is not based upon genetics or proclamations, but rather, the use of our consecration and talent.
The first step is understanding that human beings are at least 95% the same–similar bodies, similar faces, and even similar attitudes.
God had the wisdom to explain our interwoven relationship with the simple statement, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
G-Pop says that perhaps we may view our sin as “special” or not nearly as nasty as the ones around us, but the ultimate Judge has clumped them all together.
It is time for sane people with quality minds to set out on a new vision.
We have much in common, we’re more alike than different, and what we refer to as culture is merely personal preference.
There are things that work with everyone in every land:
In every culture, these are exchanged as gold.
G-Pop believes it is time for his children, once and for all, to tear down the myth of uniqueness.
It is time to enjoy the idea of being common.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
 | Jonathan on 1 Thing You Can Do When Your F… |
| Anonymous on 1 Thing You Can Do When Your F… |
| Anonymous on 1 Thing You Can Do When Your F… |
| Anonymous on 1 Thing You Can Do When Your F… |
 | Nolan on 1 Memory About Jonathan Richar… |
 | Maxine Mantooth on Drawing Attention … Dece… |
| Steve on From the Stacks … Octobe… |
| Maxine Mantooth on Scrambles … October 20th… |
| Maxine Mantooth on From the Stacks … Octobe… |
| Maxine Mantooth on Scrambles … October 13th… |
A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 
G-Poppers … January 12th, 2018
Jonathots Daily Blog
(3550)
As a boy, G-Pop recalls how beautiful and powerful six inches of snow was in Ohio. It usually meant that school was canceled for the day and the winter wonderland was available for walking and playing.
Yet with all the potential, it was G-Pop’s profile to go outside for a few minutes, but then to come back in, pull out the Monopoly game and play, by himself, using three different pieces, so he was only competing against himself.
It was so much fun. No yelling, no arguing, no fussing and lots of surprises.
Outside it was cold, crowded and competitive. The air was frigid and the surroundings were full of children looking for a way to create mischief with the snow–and the hillsides for sliding were soon lined up with people waiting their turn to get the best “slick trip.”
G-Pop just didn’t like to take most of his glorious day and spend it waiting, freezing and sometimes arguing
G-Pop wants his children to understand that we now have the same situation in our country. People have defined the thrills and chills of our era–so everyone bundles up and goes out into the cold, where it’s crowded and competitive. Of course, it can become so cutthroat that people start getting hurt.
G-Pop recommends to his children that they slip back into the house and play a better game. It’s named “Kindness”–and it is so unusual, so ignored and so set to the side that they will find themselves succeeding by surprising everyone with the choice.
It has three parts to it:
1. Return to “courtly.”
Reinstitute phrases like, “if you don’t mind.” Or, “if you would be so kind.” And of course, “it was so nice of you to do that.”
It doesn’t matter if other people are saying the same words. It gives a sense of well-being, purpose and gentleness.
2. Lead with a smile.
The usual grimace just doesn’t cut it anymore. If everybody’s frowning at one another, the possibility for negotiation or business is nearly eliminated.
Is there a danger in leading with a smile? G-Pop supposes so–there are always con men and women who will try to play off weakness, but if you can see them coming, you can keep a nice grin, welcoming people in.
3. Set aside a blessing.
Yes, every week, put a little extra money to the rear. A little extra time. A few things no longer used, to give to somebody who would benefit from them.
We are so interested in giving to charity, but often we don’t know where that money goes. If you set aside some of your charitable funds, and place them strategically where you desire, it is so much more fulfilling.
The world is cold, crowded and competitive.
Come inside the love of God and discover your warmth.
Share this:
Like this:
- G-Poppers
- G-Poppers--social commentary offered in a grandfatherly way.
on January 12, 2018 at 2:12 pm Comments (1)Tags: blessing, charity, cold, competitive, courtly, crowded, frigid, G-Pop, gentleness, grimace, grin, kindness, love of God, Monopoly, Ohio, school canceled, smile, snow in Ohio, winter wonderland, yelling