Morality and the Election

 

We sit a mere 22 days away from the next presidential election. Whether you are on the left or on the right, if you're honest, you have to admit that the two candidates on the current docket are lacking. Can we not unite on that? Both of our parties have let us down, but even less surprising, is some of the rationale people are tossing about to justify their decisions. 

Several have publically declared that they are voting for candidate A, not because of policy or economy, but because of morality. They are voting for candidate A because candidate B is morally bankrupt. On the surface, it sounds nice and presents a moral standard, but once we dig into this thinking, what we find is the opposite. 

If you want morality to serve as your standard then, from my position, neither candidate is an option for you. Both candidates have huge moral issues. A vote for one candidate over the other on moral grounds tells me a few things. 

First, to imply that one candidate is a morally superior candidate to the other is to repeat tired speculation thrown about carelessly by the network news (See my last post on whether you can trust the news or not.).   

Second, it implies that you are part of the base of one party and asserting that party's mantra. Suggesting one candidate is morally superior is a party line and an arrow both parties use to shoot at each other.  

Third, presenting either candidate as morally superior is, forgive me for this, delusional. Morality dissolved as a concern during the Clinton years. If morality is your standard then I guess I am wondering how you can vote for anyone.  

This last point is for those of us who claim Jesus Christ as Savior. Condemning anyone for their past is out of step with what the scriptures teach. First, your past has been wiped clean; God does not hold your past against you and He certainly does not give you the authority to hold another's past against them.

In Matthew 7, Jesus commands us to not judge; He goes further and tells us not to judge others or we will be judged in the same manner in which we judge others. He goes on to warn us that we tend to look at the speck in our brother's eye and miss the log in our own. The point is we love to judge ... why? I think it is so we can point out another's sin hoping people ignore our own. Jesus reminds us n Matthew 7 that there is only one judge and when He returns He will set all things right. That job is not yours or mine. Our job is to be found faithful and obedient to Jesus Christ, who is found in the word of God.  

Let's agree that both candidates have moral issues; both candidates will not save us from our fate, which is set. So, how should you vote? Well, this is not a spiritual issue, in my opinion, as much as I wish it were one. We are not voting for a savior, a pastor or anything moral; that shipped sailed a long time ago. We are voting for sinful horribly-flawed candidates who represent direction, policy and governance. To ignore all of those to vote for one candidate as a rejection of the other's past sins is flawed and upside down. 

As a Believer, if morality is your issue then neither candidate should be morally acceptable, but you and I are not morally acceptable either ... without Jesus Christ. What is the difference between who we are and who both candidates are? It is Jesus. There is nothing good in us other than Jesus. As Believers, we are called to a higher standard. We are called to live according to the standards laid out before us in scripture and then we are called to live them out before a watching world. How we do that matters, even when voting.  

   

The News

 

I was getting in my cardio workout on the stair master today and caught a few MSNBC pundits talking about how Trump's lies and misinformation is infringing on hurricane relief. Now, I am no Trump pundit but I am also no Harris pundit. My attitude is resigned to choosing the lesser of two evils in this election, but is it really that bad?

I am not sure it is, but I do know one thing for sure—the news will not be a help to us. These two pundits were trying to make the case that Trump was causing issues with current efforts for Hurricane Milton. The facts are these:

The hurricane, as I write this, has yet to make landfall. All evacuation efforts and preparations are completed. It is now time to hunker down and survive this storm. Trump has nothing to do with this storm nor will he be a help. The point is this: The news, which presents itself as neutral and as truth, is neither. And, they have also become very bad at their job.

A quick glance at the last debate and the moderators will provide some evidence in support of my thesis. Both moderators rushed to fact check JD Vance concerning his claim about illegal immigrants in a certain small city, and their fact check was a statement by the city administrator. The problem is who fact checks the city administrator or, better yet, who fact checks the moderators. Both came off as pompous and arrogant, not neutral and truthful.

Can we trust the news anymore? Well, with headlines like, "Experts have been screaming about storms like Milton, Republicans refuse to listen." Or this one, "Trump face-plants again while trying to insult Harris' intelligence." On this particular website there are twelve stories about Trump and they are all negative. Every mention of the Republicans is negative. Every mention of Harris is positive and every mention of the Democrats is positive. This organization presents itself as news and many people read it as news, but it is not news. It is pure propaganda. 

I am not Republican nor am I Democrat; I am independent and it is people like me actually elect politicians. Sadly, I no longer get my facts from the news. Each has a side and each slants to that side. Headlines are designed to pull you into the article which has nothing to do with the headline. I have found the news to be a waste of time when it comes to facts. However, as far as entertaining, if you can get your sense of humor in a good place, reading the news can be humorous if it does not make you cry first. 

The news is no longer the news, but there are those out there who swear by the news. Here is a challenge! Find a story ... any story that presents the facts without a slant one way or another. Bet you can't do it! If you find one, please leave a comment and tell me where it is and I will give you all the credit. So, where do you go for the facts? Today, you have to find them yourself, but you have the whole World Wide Web at your disposal. If you don't have the facts, it is no one's fault but your own. Happy Hunting!   

The Beginning of the End of Professional Sports

If you have not heard about what happening to the Houston Astros this past week, then, your are living on a remote island and probably have other things that are more important. If that is you, good for you!

If that is not, then let's talk. Both their manager and their general manager were suspended for a year, and then, fired by the owner. The team lost draft picks and was fined $5 million dollars, and all this was for what? Stealing signs!

Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? I mean, come on... stealing signs? Really? We have got real issues in sports like domestic violence, steroids, brain injuries, and MLB is throwing the book at the Astros for... stealing signs. Am I the only one who thinks this smells funny?

When I played baseball long ago, if you were good it didn't matter if you knew what pitch was coming or not. As a matter of fact, I played against pitchers who were so good they actually told you what was coming, and you still couldn't hit it. If stealing signs is so wrong and such an affront to baseball then every church softball team needs to be penalized. I mean, come on... you know that ark is coming. I believe this landmark case is the beginning of the end of professional sports for one simple reason... they have forgotten who they are.

Baseball is a sport... period. So is basketball, football and hockey. The game entertains and provides fans a means of supporting their favorite team, at least it used to do that. I used to enjoy going to MLB games, but no more. Now, I am reading about a professional league handing out fines as if it is a government, as if a sign on a baseball field is necessary for national security. I have read all the pundits, and they, too, have forgotten that these sports are... sports. There is a reason for this lapse in memory, and that reason is green. No, I am not taking about envy; instead, I am talking about money.

A professional athlete, on average, gets paid more in one season that most of us will see in our lifetimes, and I will throw actors into this lot as well. I stumbled onto an article the other day that documented the highest paid employee in each state. Most of the states had, as their highest paid employee, a college football coach. Are you serious? How can that be? Answer me this question: how come we vilify wealthy CEOs, but idolize wealthy athletes and actors?

There are actually people positing that the punishment is not harsh enough? This is like the the issue the New England Patriots dealt with several years ago regarding the proper inflation of footballs. I am from the north so I know that if you leave a properly inflated football out in the cold it looses air. Anyone who has played football knows this, and yet, all the "professionals" just knew that the Patriots cheated. This is just another example of how professional sports are losing their minds.

So, what are we to do? What are we, the lowly, who fork out our hard-earned money to see a sport that really cares very little for us anymore, to do? Well, if you want to follow my lead then stop paying for professional sports. I gave them up a long time ago. I have better things to do with my money than to throw it at a sport that has forgotten who it really is. So, while I still remember who I am, I am going to stop supporting those who think they are more important than they are. That makes sense to me; what about you?

Change

What is change? Lisa Ower has a great article in Forbes on change. If you want a different perspective on change then read Lisa Ower's article. Click HERE to read the article. There is a lot in that article that will make you think.

In the last ten years, I have seen so much change that I have changed because of the amount of change I have seen. I have seen change in computers, phones, television, movies, athletics and education, but the change I have seen in culture is most disturbing.

Culture has lost something in all that has changed in culture. There is something missing. What I see in culture is a hyper-intense focus on self, manifesting as individualism masquerading as happiness and contentment. If you doubt me just sit down and watch a few commercials. You will pick up on the theme of self pretty quickly. So, here is the problem as I see it... culture is about difference. Difference unites through a commonality, and yet, a culture that is only focused on individualism does not develop a commonality that unites difference.

This focus on individualism is a polarized focus on self, which has a very bleak future. We already see evidence of this in our current culture. If you doubt me, then, answer this question. Name one thing, anything, that unites different people. Name something everyone will agree on. I can't think of anything anymore. Ten years ago I would have said patriotism, but even that will no longer work. Commonality is the blood of culture, especially a culture like ours.

Cultures are melting pots of difference, but if nothing unites difference then, the difference wins. The problem is that there is a lot of difference so which difference wins. Just look at our political system. Yes, there are technically two parties, but are there? I would suggest that there are more than two parties inside the two parties. There are moderates, hyper-liberals, socialists, ultra-conservatives and many more. In the past, some of these would not be acceptable, but now we hear that all ideas are welcome. But, are they?

Whether you are talking culture or a road, each requires guidelines. Everything cannot be acceptable. Guard rails and speed limits are the commonalities for most roads. They keep all the differences safe and secure. Culture is, in some ways, the same as a road. So, what are the commonalities in current culture? What are those things that keep all the difference safe and secure? I am struggling to come up with anything... what about you? I would love to know your thoughts! Hit the comment section. Thanks!

Merry Christmas

I am going to take a risk today and wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Yes, you read that correctly... I said I was taking a risk, which is a bit bizarre.

I read recently of someone getting fired for saying Merry Christmas to a co-worker. So many of these stories are false, and this one may be false as well, but it still brings to light a very important issue. We live in a time when everything is offensive to someone.

My question is this: how can anyone be offended by something in which they do not believe? I think the issue is not whether someone is offended or not; instead, I think the issue is something deeper and much more sinister.

If one is really offended by a Merry Christmas greeting then one should be equally offended by another other greeting that falls outside their belief system. If everyone is extended this right then everyone should stop greeting each other. If I believe in Christmas and you do not, then, I should be given the equally right to greet you in my belief and be offended if you do not respond back to me according to my belief system, correct? I mean, if you do not acknowledge my Christmas greeting because I believe in it and you do not then, am I not allowed the same right to be offended because you did not acknowledge my belief in Christmas? This is the cyclical action of this if the playing field were fair and level. It could drive all of us crazy.

How is one offended by Merry Christmas? What is so offensive about this greeting? It can't be the intent. It can't be the presentation. So, what is it about the greeting that is so offensive? If we have to read the minds of those we encounter before we greet them then the future of greeting one another is in serious jeopardy, and I truly believe it is.

What this mindset will produce is less conversation and more isolated individualism. Why go out of your way to greet your neighbor in a friendly manner when the risks are so high. More and more of us will just stare at the ground and walk quickly to our next engagement. And, yet, we read, almost weekly, how terrible it is when someone does not stop to help someone in need. We live in a time where everyone judges everyone else with the hope that no one will judge them for doing some of the same things.

So, what is the answer? I do not know, but I do know one thing. When I say "Merry Christmas" it is not meant to offend, but instead, it is meant to sincerely wish you and yours a lovely time with family and friends. It is rooted in what I believe about the season. My belief does not mean I disrespect your belief. It simply means that I believe my belief to be true. It does not mean I do not respect you to believe what you feel is true. Do you see where I am going with this? The answer is to begin to have real discussions about this issue and allow everyone's opinion to matter. That is why the comment section is here. So, Merry Christmas! I look forward to your comments in the new year!

The Reason for the Name

So, I am sure you want to know the reason I named this blog, "Ideals and Rules."

Well, the answer begins with my perspective on life. What I see is a growing sense of pragmatism manifesting as entitlement. There is a growing sense of judgement; more of us are pointing our fingers at others forgetting that while we have one finger pointed at the other person there are still four pointing back at us.

What I am looking for is ideals and not more rules. Rules apply to situations but often have to be adjusted as situations change. Ideals are those ideas that drive us and motivate us. They are principles that we value and hold high. They are those ideas that have been tested and tried and deemed best.

Ideas are just ideas competing with every other idea, good or bad. Ideals are long-range goals. They are the goals we strive for when all goes extremely well. Rules are situation and burdensome. They are what we put into place when we begin to lose our ideals.

Ideals and rules are the crossroads of culture. Do you want a rule, which can be instituted quick and fast, or do you want an ideal which requires work, dedication and diligence. An ideal is the ultimate standard of excellence, the example of perfection. What does it say when a culture beings to move away from ideals and towards rules? I do not know; what do you think? Can't wait to here your answers!

Ideals and Rules Explained

Leo Tolstoy once said, "We do not want an ideal, but a rule -a guidance- suited to our strengths and to the average level of the moral forces of our society." What he was saying was that it would be much easier to live our lives according to rules than according to an ideal.

Over the course of time, I have found this to be true. It is hard and most days are difficult living according to an ideal, but to live one's life according to rules, well, that is much easier in application and on one's conscience.

This blog will examine life, with the understanding that everyone has a certain perspective about life and will present that perspective. All perspectives are welcome here, but there are some ground rules, which I humbly ask to be respected.

First, there will be no vulgar, callous, insulting attitudes allowed. This blog is home to mutual respect. All opinions are welcome as long as they are stated in a respectful manner.

Second, difference is valued here. This blog is not conservative, liberal or independent. It is a dialogue where difference is celebrated and respected.

Third, the sole purpose of this blog is to learn from each other in order to discover more about our world and about each other.

And, finally, the reason to dialogue is to understand that no one has all the answers. Please do not come to this blog with the attitude that you have all the answers because you do not. None of us have all the answers, but if we can respect each other, listen more than we talk and grow in our understanding of each other and our world, then, we might just have a chance to change it for the better.

So, welcome! I do not care who you are or what you believe... you will always be welcome here... as long as all of us follow the four ground rules. Do not miss that little word at the end of the sentence. There will be more on that subject in the future. Have a great day!