Salient … May 14th, 2018

 Jonathots Daily Blog

(3673)

There are matters that are too important to ignore or leave to chance. These are salient moments.

“With great regard.”

It is a phrase that was often used to describe the honor given to truth. “With great regard for the truth.”

Gradually, painfully, and almost silently, we have taken the truth and set it aside, believing it to be impractical. Lying seems to be a “second nature” condition of human beings. Folks feel more comfortable viewing it that way. Assuming people are lying takes away the responsibility to hear the truth.

Yet no lie survives history. In other words:

• Alexander wasn’t so great.
• The Third Reich did not last for a thousand years.
• And the Crusades achieved nothing except the deaths of innocents.

All lies are eventually exposed.

So what is truth? Is the Bible truth? Unfortunately, the Good Book has been used for a lot of bad. There are doctrines which were promoted years ago, which have proven to be too stringent.

After all, there were no witches in Salem, there is no way to prohibit human couples from divorcing, and gay people can’t live their entire lives closeted.

So truth is not about laws or regulations from government or religion. Truth, very simply, is: “Based upon what we know, this is the way things appear to be.”

But we need a way to get there. Yes–we need a way to speak the truth that will give us life. Truth can never be achieved unless it’s greased by the motivation of love.

Truth told without love is vengeance.

Truth told without love reeks of lies.

And truth told without love takes life instead of giving it.

If we use love to humbly speak the best of our knowledge, we will gain life.

And what do we mean by life? Permission to continue our freedom as long as we grant it to others.

When we disregard truth and we begin to use pride, vengeance and selfishness to generate the lies that hurt others, we eventually will have our own lives snatched from us.

There is a way that leads to truth, which brings us life. If we use love to speak the truth we presently know, then we’ll be given a life we can live freely.

So here is your salient moment: Just because the inclination is lying, it does not mean that lying can ever settle in and find peace.

After all, it is the truth that makes us free.

 

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G-Poppers … September 4th, 2015

 Jonathots Daily Blog

(2682)

G-Pop sat quietly in his chair, checking his emails on his I-Pad, as two of his grandkids were perched nearby, surfing the channels for something to watch on the television.

For some reason, the girl, the older of the two, paused on the History Channel, which was showing a special on Hitler and the Third Reich.

The younger boy asked the girl, “Who’s that?”

“Hitler,” she replied.

“Who’s he?” he asked.

“A monster.” She then turned the channel and they were on to more entertaining possibilities.

G-Pop wondered if he should say something. Yet it really wasn’t what they refer to as a “teaching moment.” The kids were obviously seeking diversion, not instruction.

But he realized that most people do think of Hitler as a monster. After all, it’s too frightening to consider that he was just a human being who got trapped in a “monster idea.” Unfortunately, the monster idea is still trouncing around while Hitler is long in his grave. What is the “monster idea?”

It’s a 2-part conclusion which always ends up in some form of treachery: “I am better. We are the best.”

When the notion that “I am better than other people” links up with followers or advocates to form a mob mentality of dominance, somebody is going to get hurt.

Maybe it won’t be six million Jews. Maybe it’ll just be six people disincluded from our party because of their color, nationality or preferences.

But the monster still roams the hillsides, seeking to kill off the innocent.

Until this is addressed, we will insist that our form of nationalism is nothing like what was promoted by the Nazis. We will allow politicians to openly condemn entire races of people in the name of protecting our national security.

We will even extol the piety of a woman refusing to do her job because she feels that she is better than those who have come to receive their rightful privilege.

• Right and wrong is ultimately determined in the heavens.
• Humility or arrogance is our choice.
• And those who choose arrogance in the name of right are always wrong.
• And those who choose humility in the presence of wrong will historically be judged right.

It’s as simple as that.

There are no monster people…just people who are following a monster idea.

 

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