The Baptist Rabbi - Shaking His Head

 I haven't logged into this blog since 2019. I often joke with people that this blog saved me from professional counseling when I was ending my time with Mom and Dad. Recently, I have felt certain emotions building inside of me, so it lead me back to this blog.

We are living in such uneasy times. Everywhere we turn, there is conflict, hatefulness, evil, and intolerance. Many would debate the reason why. Is it COVID? Social Media? Break down of the nuclear family? Progressives? Leaders? Far right? Far left? Decline in church? Guns? The list is endless.

Tolerance. Opinions. Debate. Compromise. It seems as if these words no longer exist. We have moved from a land of hard work and freedoms to entitlement and egocentrism. We can all debate the journey to this place and the causes, but the real problem is we have landed in this dark place. And we must deal with it.

When I find myself in troubled times, I always try to channel my "inner Sam" (aka Popman, Daddy, and Baptist Rabbi). Here is what I hear him whispering to me:

• We live in a broken world. It has always been broken and always will be. 

• Life is hard. You have to work hard. Love hard. Pray hard. 

• We don't get to choose the life in which we are born. Yet, this determines so much of our journey. Be kind. Not everyone was born into the same situation as me. We are all managing our own dysfunction and it manifests itself in a variety of ways - depending on current resources and situations.We don't have all the answers for our own journey, so why would we have it for others?

• It is much easier to look at others instead of internally - but that is not where the power lies.

• We can interact respectfully and genuinely with people in which we don't agree. 

• Tolerance of others can enhance your experiences and joy. Tolerance doesn't threaten your core.

• Throwing Bibles, damnation, opinions, and quotes in people's faces rarely changes someone. However, relationships, compassion, and sincerity often can.

• In the end, we are ultimately responsible for our own actions. Nobody else. (sidenote: that is enough to give me great heartburn as I have enough of myself to worry about)

• Seeing things from different opinions and having productive, respectful conflict leads to better outcomes and solutions. How egocentric of us to think that "we alone" have all the correct answers. We are human......all flawed........in the end, we will all see we got an awful lot wrong. 

• Love wins. 

I miss my Mom and Dad each and every day. However, I can't lie. There are often times that I am glad that they aren't here to have to witness all of this. I can assure you of one thing.....the Baptist Rabbi would be shaking his head. There has to be a better way. There MUST be a better way. If we continue at the current pace, we will certainly self-destruct.