G-Poppers … November 6th, 2015

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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G-Pop is somewhat concerned that his children are falling under the spell of the presumptive conclusion of, “Well, of course…”

Society is always in a hurry to come to the conclusion which seems to be most comfortable for the majority of those who have gathered to deliberate possibilities.

We love to take votes.

We love to find out what the plurality of the electorate feel, and then declare that notion to be holy by the sheer brute force of numbers.

For instance, at one time in our nation, we felt:

• “Well, of course black people are not humans.”
• “Well, of course man can’t fly.”
• “Well, of course the Union can be split into two countries.”
• “Well, of course homosexuals are mentally ill.”
• “Well, of course we can spread democracy to the battling countries in the Middle East.”

All of these assertions had great popular appeal, and if you dared to stand against them, you were ridiculed, if not completely ostracized.

Matter of fact, G-Pop is very nervous when he hears people begin any speech with, “Well, of course…”

Three of these are particularly dubious and need another good inspection.

1. “Well, of course people should have freedom.”

Who says? Freedom is a fuel. It isn’t an engine. There has to be a good engine for the fuel of freedom to generate power.

A very wise man once said, “It is the truth that makes us free.”

So the fuel of freedom needs to stoke the engine of truth. Without truth, freedom becomes the abstract pursuit of those who avoid taking their proper place as human souls. And what is truth? Truth is always what includes the most people while giving respect to how the world works.

2. “Well, of course men and women are different.”

We’ve practically turned this concept into a religion. Half the comedians would lose their living wage if they didn’t pad their monologues with jokes about the gender wars.

But here’s the problem–men aren’t going away, nor are women. Men aren’t going to be dominant–likewise, neither are women.

The sexes have many similarities and a few differences–and the differences exist to teach us the responsibility of adjusting to one another. We are not going to be able to ignore the feelings of other people and come out righteous.

We have a responsibility to find common ground.

3. “Well, of course each one of us has a destiny.”

It’s part of the “snowflake theorem” which maintains that every snowflake is different. Likewise, every human being is carved with specific points of interest. But if a snowflake is different, by the time it gets to earth it gets the “drift,” loses its “flake” and becomes just snow.

We do not have a destiny.

We have free will.

We can use our free will to be obnoxious, waiting for the world to take care of us, or we can use those choices to step in and take care of our world.

These are the latest “Well, of courses…” that currently taunt us with false ideas. In a short time, they will be mocked as utter foolishness.

What will always remain, says G-Pop to his children, is the truth which teaches us the responsibility to use our free will wisely.

 

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Populie: Always Be Positive … April 2, 2014

Jonathots Daily Blog  

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To review: a POPULIE is an idea which is popular but is laced with a lie.

It is something we agree to when we’re around large groups of people, but privately either question or dismiss as irrelevant when applying it to our own lives.

One of these is the contention that it is important in all of our dealings to “always be positive.”

Politics loves it because promises get votes. Reality often scares people away.

Entertainment favors this particular populie of “always be positive” because it gives them an ending to a movie that the audience members can predict, making them feel smart and preferably, happy.

And religion touts this precept because we have this imbalanced notion that faith is about believing that good things will always happen because God is in control. (Of course, on the flip side, spiritually it makes us believe that when bad things happen, we’re being punished.)

I think the most important question we can ask is what kind of people does this create and what kind of society does it evolve?

If you’re going to live a life where you’re always trying to be positive, you will view trials, tribulations and hassles as deterrents to your cause instead of little friends–pesky as they are–who come along to warn you of fallacies in your plans.

So if you’ll allow me to offer an alternative to this populie:

THE CORE OF FOUR

Yes, let me introduce you to the Core of Four.

We need to determine what our outlook should be in any given situation. To get this information, simply ask four quick questions:

1. What do I see?

Faith is not about poking your eyes out until you become blind. Faith is about accepting what you see, but then also being able to see beyond it, to further possibilities. You will never be successful if you’re not able to deal with reality. Matter of fact, one of the signs of mental illness is the insistence that reality should “go away.”

2. What do I believe?

Sometimes the things you want to accomplish are not yet seen, but the need for them is still in existence. Belief is a wonderful combination of what we see, what we desire and what we’re willing to endure.

3. What will I do?

A positive attitude is quickly killed off by an unwillingness to participate. I won’t tell people I think a plan will work if I cannot commit to them how I will be involved. For after all, nice words and encouraging prayers are not very helpful in the heat of the struggle.

4. And finally, what are the prospects?

As I take a look at what I see, what I believe and what I’m willing to do, it pretty quickly becomes obvious what the logical prospects are for the adventure.

After this evaluation, I can choose my profile.

• Often I can be passionately positive, because my “see, believe, do and conclusions” are very encouraging.
• On other occasions, it’s important to be realistic. That which I see, believe, and am willing to do show my prospects to be within the realm of possibility–but maybe not quite as fruitful as I once thought.
• And finally, there are times when it is required for us to be needfully negative. What we see, believe, and are willing to do has brought forth prospects which show that this particular endeavor is doomed.

A fruitful process. It is the absence of the populie which tells us that we should walk around with a smirk on our face, saying that everything will be fine, when secretly we’re dying inside.

Don’t forget your Core of Four. This will help you to choose the right attitude to approach each and every opportunity.

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