Super Heroes

I was thinking yesterday about the word hero. Seems like the word has expanded so far as to lose it's original meaning. Anyone who has endured some horrific event or has been a victim, can be labeled as a hero. If you simply live through something, does that make you a hero? Does that require bravery?
We also think that anyone who shares an unpopular opinion is brave. I don't think that works either. I think it's more noble to be right than to be bold. We honor people too much just for speaking their minds. We honor movie makers who show us the ugly side of things, in the name of bravery. We honor rappers for showing us how bad life is on the streets they grew up on, but the story is old. The music is now perpetuating the story.
It's become so easy to show the ugly and repugnant, that it can hardly be regarded as bravery. Heroes save lives and do things that are virtuous. That should be the standard.

High School Reunions

I've never been to any of my High School Reunions. I was always afraid that it was only attended by the people I didn't like in the first place, and I would just feel awkward.

The other fear is that everyone else is there to show off how wildly successful they've been. All I have to show off is my collection of rare chopstick wrappers that I've collected in Japan.

It's like I haven't done anything since high school.

Redheads

For some reason, my mother wanted me to marry a redhead so she could have little red-haired grandchildren. It didn't work out. However, my children don't mind if I dye their hair red when we go to visit her. Sure, they have to endure some teasing at school, but it's for grandma. That makes it okay.

Dating

It's important to get as much information as possible when selecting a potential suitor. Ask questions, but don't come off as a snob. Remember, even dung beetles have feelings.

Hovering

If you are fortunate, you usually feel pretty grounded in your life. Everything goes as expected and you handle challenges as they come. When too many of these challenges hit at once, it can leave you feeling less grounded, or as I describe, as a hovering sensation. It's the feeling that everything is in flux and you can't seem to get traction anywhere. It can be an overwhelming feeling.

The most important first step to take while hovering, is to take stock of your life. List all the things that are good and constant in your life. Next, list a few things from the first list that provide the best leverage in returning your life to homeostatic normalcy. That 's just a fancy phrase that means your back on your feet and in control. Of course, complete control is an illusion, but we need some.

Lastly, select the one facet of your life, currently out of control, that would have the most impact in returning you to normalcy. Rather than trying to fight on multiple fronts, focus on this first. Use it as part of your leverage to get control back in your life.

Good luck.

Integrity in the Media

It's becoming more difficult to trust information coming from TV, magazines, etc. Ideology seems to have more influence than journalistic integrity. I'm beginning to believe that everything I hear, even music and TV shows, has an ideological bent. Recently, I watched a clip from the View, where Rosie O'Donnell wrecklessly threw aspersions at Rudy Guliani for moving the post-9/11 wreckage to quickly to China. The suggestion was that he was trying to cover something up. She was challenged, thank goodness, but it still shocked me that she would say something like that without anything to back it up.

On another clip of the show, she suggested that it was our soldiers in Iraq that were doing all the killing. Somehow she had forgotten that most of the deaths were from rivalling groups and insurgants.

Also, Dr. Dobson of "Focus on Families" was interviewed by a leading reporter who pressed him for his endorsement of a presidential candidate, and specifically if Thompson could be endorsed by Christians in America. The reporter completely spun his answer around to suggest that Dr. Dobson felt he wasn't "Christian enough". Dr. Dobson only suggested that Thompson needed to make a statement one way or another about his faith. It's no wonder that many of us are finding these sources to be less credible and relevant as time goes on.