Underpaid Athlete

Note to Self:

Yesterday at the baseball game, you referred to a high-performing player earning the league minimum as an "underpaid athlete."  He earns more in one season of "league minimum" salary than you earn in a decade of teaching (even with your master's degree and extra duty work).  Perhaps in Baseball Land he's a bargain.  But in your world, he's wealthy.  You can continue to cheer for the team and, on some level, live out your childhood dreams vicariously through multi-millionaire athletes.  But when it's over and you arrive home to three kids clinging onto your leg and begging to play a game of catch, you'll realize the true meaning of "the love of the game."  

believe in evolution

Note to Self:

The other day you said that you "believe in evolution and in creation." The truth is that you believe in creation, but you accept evolution. You toss around phrases like "how we are designed" or "that's how I was made," believing as you do that there is an oft-invisible creator who formed you and had you in mind before matter existed.

And yet . . . you accept evolution. You've studied the theories. You've paid attention to the science and it's pretty clear. If some people can choose not to "believe" in evolution, can I choose not to believe in germs? (Sure makes camping easier) You've observed how animals have adapted to the environment and so, unequivocally you accept descent with modification and yet you believe in decent with modification and perhaps even better than decent with modification when you really pay attention to what God has done in your life. Some say you can't believe in God and science. And that's fine. Believe in one. Know about the other. They're not incompatible.

Sincerely,
John

Brutally Honest

Note to Self,

You don't need to be militant.  You don't need to be brutal.  Ever.  You can't be brutally courageous, brutally loving or brutally empathetic.  You never hear someone say, "I'm just going to be brutally humble with you right now and say that I really suck.  Like, I'm a really crappy person."  The point is that virtue doesn't belong with brutality.  So, when you start a sentence with "brutally honest," what you're really saying is, "I'm going to be honest in a way that is angry and full of loaded language rather than in a way that respects nuance and paradox and uses a great sense of empathy."  See, honesty requires multiple viewpoints.  It requires truth and truth requires paradox.  Even "strong words" must be spoken with a sense of reticence and a recognition that semantics matter.  So, don't be brutally honest.  Be lovingly honest.  Be humbly honest.  Be vulnerable in your honest.  But don't, under any circumstance use honesty as a means of brutality.

Love,
John

Tough As Nails

Note to Self:

Micah is right.  Nails aren't that tough.  They're always being hammered away, put into places to stay forever.  But the minute they're not useless, they're pulled out again by the hammer.  Maybe we should be tough as a hammer.  Or maybe we should follow Micah's advice and say "tough as ants."

Sincerely,
John

Compulsory Education

Note to Self:

Quit calling it "compulsory education."  If parents want to un-school, home-school, alt. school or private school their kids, they are allowed to in your state.  That's like complaining about compulsory libraries or compulsory parks.  Public education is an institution that we share as a local politic and participation is truly voluntary.  Some people might claim that it's still compulsory, since parental tax money goes to pay for it even when they don't use the service.  They say it's wrong to fund things that are morally reprehensible and deadly to children.  You know better.  Schools aren't deadly to kids.  Now war, on the other hand, is morally reprehensible and deadly to children.  So if you run into a neo-con who complains about compulsory education, just ask about our compulsory war policy and see how they answer it.

Sincerely,
John