Shade Tree Wisdom 9/10/08

Hurricane Ike is moving into the Gulf where it will find deeper, warmer water to strengthen again. The projected course seems uncertain, and we wait and see what happens. But if and when it strengthens and hits the coast, it will strike and maul and destroy without favoring one over another. Its brute force will bully everything in its path.

It reminds me somewhat of behavior today. It seems to be more rude, ill-tempered, discourteous. From loud cell phones to indifferent store clerks to unpleasant waiters to aggressive drivers. Our society seems to be getting ruder by the minute.

And there may be reasons for this. We are stressed at work, harried by extra errands, over-burdened by worry. And, we are becoming increasingly anonymous. When the children were growing up, they interacted with children in the neighborhood. We knew everyone on the block because our children played baseball together in our side yard. No longer, recently a neighbor moved out. I met the lady of the house one time, at the mailbox where she was chewing out the mailperson for something or other, then took her mail, and stormed away.

We wouldn’t dream of going to a bank and forcing ourselves to the front of the line, but we do it on the highway. An example is a construction area where the cars need to take the left lane. There is usually a sign half a mile before urging drivers to merge left. You've had the experience, dutifully got in line, and watched several cars pass and force their way into the front, making you stop and go. Once, in all our travels, have I seen troopers at the first merge sign forcing cars to merge, and the result was an even flow of traffic, no stop and go. But States don’t have the manpower to do that, so we all suffer.

And politics. It seems to be more personal in attacks, more unpleasant in speech, more shrill in manner. Where is the reasoned discussion of issues? Where the calm debates over ideas, where the courteous exchange and debate of thoughts? Instead, we have lines like this, “It’s like putting lipstick on a pig.” What it means is left to imagination, but it is meant to sting nastily.

Is there a solution? Indeed there is. Remember what St, James wrote, “The tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison”. James 3,8.

The Psalm said it best, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile” Psalm 34,13. St. Peter said this, (The Message) 10 Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; 1 Peter 3,10.

In short, always stay calm, practice good manners. A simple rule of using good manners over time teaches also that actions have consequences, and we should care about that. This is one basic of ethical behavior. So, “laying aside all malice, and all guile and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil speakings” 1 Peter 2,1. So, in this world of storm and unrest, you be the calm one, the one who really does “live as unto Him”. May God bless your day.

GPD 9/10/08