Monday Musings...
Well, we're into Holy Week in the Judeo-Christian calendar, and I have to admit, even the heathen of our neighborhood saw fit to ONLY produce TWO boom cars for the entire day...simply astounding.
(that'll change today, rest assured)
Yesterday was Palm Sunday, which, WAY back in the day (a couple thousand years, give or take) signalled the entering of Jesus into Jerusalem. This was signified by placing palm fronds along the path leading into the city.
(and considering they really didn't have rose petals, this made good sense)
Now, to me, Palm Sunday always meant that EASTER was around the corner, and Mom always used to bring home some palms to place in full view, usually at the corner of the picture of the Last Supper (over our sofa) back in Philly.
Later on, that task was handed off to me. In fact, I was pretty much in charge of GETTING the palms from the local florist for our church.
We laid them out at the back of the sanctuary for anyone to take with them on that special Sunday.
It's odd how the whole "Holy Week" thing takes on a different significance as we get older...I mean become "more seasoned and wiser" individuals.
If you ever read the entire story behind this week, you get a really good understanding of the importance of this week, not only for those in the Protestant or Catholic faiths, but those in the Hebrew faith as well.
This is also the week (for them) when they were led from bondage out of Egypt, to follow Moses (and later Joshua) into the wilderness (for FORTY years), towards the promised land.
Now, I gave this brief religious "history lesson" as a preamble to today's post.
What I want to zero in on, pertains much to what we like to call "our faith", but also answers many questions as to WHY the "human condition" has been taking it on the chin of late.
The lack of a "typical" family (as a unit) has become, over the last several decades, a source of contention in our society.
We've actively permitted many men to abrogate their responsibilities as husbands and fathers, forcing single moms to fend for themselves and their children.
For some odd reason, young men have "gotten a pass" when it comes to being the central figure in many households.
We've allowed people to "shack up" instead of pursuing a commitment to a real relationship. We've tolerated debauchery within households that have led to violence or death, and we've forsaken the traditional "family" in lieu of informal gatherings of couples for the mere purpose of procreating, only to find out that this "arrangement" isn't quite working out.
And when these so-called "men" decide to move on to their next "conquest", the women and children are left in the dust. Somehow, this doesn't seem all that right to me..
These women can take of two basic routes left to them:
1) Move on in their lives, and raise the kids as best they can.
2) Do nothing but (and) leech off of the government.
I commend those who have chosen the FIRST option, and have little tolerance for those that choose number two.
It's not easy to live one's life with the sets of values and principles that imbue one with a real sense of purpose, and Lord knows it's even more difficult to raise children under similar auspices.
There are ALWAYS temptations abounding...
Many times, people will prefer to have things done for them, rather than do things themselves.
Well, in a PERFECT society, we COULD follow that lead, as life would be SO wonderful, we'd have all this time on our hands to do JUST THAT. But this is far from a perfect world, and I don't think I'd want to live in something THAT "perfect".
The challenges we face daily are much of what causes our "divine spark" to be set aflame with a passion to succeed, and with a sense of achievement. Without such noble pursuits...we stagnate as a society...or worse.
And if, during those challenges, we fall flat on our faces, we know we can always get back up and try something different, because we've learned that the last way we tried it didn't pan out all that well.
We are an adaptive people...we CAN learn, and should whenever possible, for it's through knowledge that we can aspire to things we could only have dreamt about.
We have one, important ally in all this...and that is our FAITH.
When all else fails, we have faith.
And it's through that faith that we can renew our HOPE.
Now, even if you're not "religious", you can STILL have faith. You can have faith in your abilities, your knowledge, and even your wisdom, but it has to be rooted in some truth, for if you have a sense of hope founded in falsehoods, that is a recipe for failure.
So...why all this "religious" stuff?
Good question.
We do about a million "things" each day (much without our conscious knowledge), whether it's processing information, performing tasks, working at jobs...whatever.
And while we're doing all this "stuff", if we're paying attention, we find that much of our conduct AS we perform these "million" things is based in some type of "universal truth", or something found in some scripture...like it or not.
Every day, each of us practices (unknowingly) at least ONE of our Ten Commandments...or we should be.
And we do it without a second glance or thought.
Even the most atheistic among us succumbs to these same truths, such as NOT killing...or NOT stealing.
So there has to be something behind them, right?
But it's these very things that are missing in many households across this nation.
People are given up such things (or at least denied them) to follow a different path.
And they've received the usual results.
Instead of working towards becoming better people, they've opted for kicking back and watching life go on by.
To them, "better" means acquisition of material items, instead of personal growth.
No person becomes "better" according to the type of car they drive, house they own, or amount of money in their pockets.
They become a better person by doing things that are difficult, attempting to live a good life, being an example and role model to others, and by people of integrity and morality.
And you don't even to be "religious" to make that happen.
But you DO have to WANT to do it.
This is the beginning of Holy Week...a part of the year that I've come to acknowledge as a time of "renewal"...a time of review, and a time of reflection.
Just as Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem all those years ago, perhaps each of us should take some time to welcome OURSELVES back into our lives...set a few goals, chart a course for the future, and pass on to our children that same sense of challenge many of us should have.
Maybe, we just need to take a look in the mirror and realize that we're not such a lost cause after all.
And like my parents and teachers used to tell me...if you repeat something long enough, you're bound to understand it and believe it. When something such as this becomes rote, well...that's how you learn things.
For learning begets knowledge, and with it...wisdom.
Take time to learn something today, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.