Would Orwell approve of how he is used today -- Before Conservatives quote Orwell again

 From Carson Tucker to Glen Beck to Ben Shapiro, many Conservative talk show hosts like to quote George Orwell, especially to back their points of view when attacking the dangers and downfalls of socialism.  Think of the many memes on Facebook with clever Orwell quotes.  In these Orwellian times like we find ourselves in, you can certainly justify this use of Orwell, or not? 

I've personally been a fan of Orwell for decades, I've read much of his fiction.  Have you read any of his nonfiction?  

Was he wise, was he insightful, was he correct in much of his cultural analysis in his fiction and nonfiction?  Mostly yes.  So why should conservatives be cautious in utilizing Orwell to support their stances?  

I recently delved into his short book "Why I write" and if you've read it, then you'll know why conservatives might not want to cite Orwell to defend their stances.  I didn't learn of Orwell's socialism from a meme, I read his own words and his passionate plea for socialism in his book "Why I write."

I'm not saying Orwell is not worth reading, or worth quoting, I am saying that full disclosure is more consistent, and we should strive for more consistency -- and Orwell probably wouldn't approve of how his quotes are being used today.  It's childish/foolish to cite Orwell to argue against liberal socialism, since Orwell was a blatant Democratic Socialist to the core.   Read his words for yourself, before you use his words to make your own points.  

Day One > one day/One day < Day one

Here’s my hope & prayer for you all, may your “One day...” soon become your “Day one!” Think about it in imagery like this, using the mathematical symbol for greater than: One day < Day one.

In other words, we say to ourselves, “One day, I will ______.” meaning we either plan to start a new endeavor, or we want to cease some behavior, and it’s always “one day I will...” But nothing feels better though than when we stop saying “one day” and we get to that “day one,” that first day when we actually move from dreaming about it to doing that which we know is better/greater.

There are a lot of people, and churches as well, who spend a lot of time in Never-never land, imagining, daydreaming, pretending that the future will somehow magically bring about an improvement for them without any effort, simply just because given enough time “it” will come about. They might not be stuck in the past wishing for a return of the golden days, but they aren’t grounded in reality either.

The future is always more promising than the dull reality of today’s dirty dishes that need washing or an empty fridge that needs filling. Why do you think “endtimes” ministries remain ever so trendy? It’s popular to obsess over the supposed rapture and tribulation, and perennially ask what conflict will eventually usher in Armageddon -- i.e., beware of China and Russia’s alignment as allies or watch out for a One World Government.... Less popular is, “take up your cross and die to yourself -- daily.”

Day one is better than “one day.” We say, “One day, I will pray more, reconnect with God, find a good church family, start tithing, read my Bible, invite so and so to church, etc. etc.” And it seems no matter our good intentions, we never come around to initiate a start. I’ve joked for years that the keyword to dieting is “Tomorrow,” so yes, the same principle is at work here for health and dietary practices. It could be called goal setting, lifestyle, improved habits, but we all know it’s really just called change, and change is hard.

Change will always be hard. Anyone who tells you differently is selling snake-oil. Remember though, hard is not synonymous with impossible.

There is probably no greater blessing, nor is there any better feeling than when our “one day” actually happens and we experience our day one, that first day on the path of healing, righteousness, holiness and goodness. That day when we finally treat our spouses and children right, when we become a good neighbor, a better employee/employer, when we break bad habits that harm us and others, and we choose to live life as God intended. How on earth do we ever get there?

I know for years I personally hesitated to become a Christian, because I thought I could never live up to the perfection I assumed was required. And guess what, I was right, I haven’t. If we wait for perfection, if that’s our standard, we probably will always live with the “one day” attitude. Perfection isn’t the goal we ought to set, we simply need to take the first step on that journey of a thousand miles and many other steps will fall into place.

Instead of allowing all of our obstacles, reasons why it can’t work, deadlines/timelines, and other imagined problems to overshadow our vision of a better day, look past those hindrances and focus on what is possible now-today, and not by your own strength alone or by trying it alone, but what steps are within your grasp today? You might not be able to pay off your credit card today, but you can shred it right now.

You don’t need anyone’s permission, you don’t need a sign from the heavens, you don’t need a crisis or a boon, you have everything you need already to start and God has everything you need to complete whatever good work He has in mind for you. Again, may your one day soon become your day one -- maybe even starting today.

Here's why we won't see a cashless society

Everyone seems worried our government, and the rest of the world, is subversively guiding us, forcing us, driving us like cattle to a slaughterhouse, towards a cashless society.  I'm confident this won't happen, and here are the two reasons:

#1. Every government uses slush-funds for covert operations, and they don't want to leave a paper/electronic trail.  Presidents, the CIA, you name it, they need untraceable cash to carry out all of their actions that pay for secrete deals and actions -- far beyond what we dream up with our conspiracy theories.

#2. More importantly, a cashless society will spur people to a better, fairer economic system which would be nearly impossible to tax, that being the barter system.   You will see more and more people bartering and trading in a cashless society, and it's hard for the government to take their share when there is no currency being exchanged.  

Don't worry about the lack of change next time you go through the drive thru, now you have my two cents...  

When did "work" become a four letter word?

This article is in the Timesnews Religion section. 

Click here for article: When did "Work" become a four letter word

Dear Leftists, Quit pretending to care

For all the people who are in a perpetual uproar over the American injustices and inequalities they rage against, please, funnel your energies with a bit more consistency.   You voices are loud, but your actions...?

Studies that research generosity show by region and voting patterns that people who are the most generous people populate certain areas known for, you guessed it, being conservative.  There is no law against opening up your own wallet and addressing areas you are concerned about, that would speak a lot louder than the hate speech that floods the media these days.

You want to open to the borders of our nations and you want sanctuary cities to continue, how about leaving your car unlocked or your home?  Sounds insane, I know.  You do have borders you recognize and expect others to respect, so please stop pretending like your entire world is open and free.  You have lines drawn, they may not be the same as others, but you have them.  

You think contemporary protesters who loot, burn, and vandalize major cities are on the side of truth and justice and that the vast minority of bad police officers represent the majority of police forces, which justifies the behavior of the protesters.  All the while innocent business owners watch their hard work destroyed and demolished by people who apparently are unemployed, after all who has this much free time on their hands to "protest"?  Every economist will tell you, the driving force behind the American economy is small business.  The people who are suffering the brunt end of these "protests" are small businesses who have their storefronts smashed, and their merchandise stolen.  I'm not sure how cheering this on displays care and concern for society.  

If you really care about making a change, do the hard work of building something up, rather than tearing down the structure that enables you to even have the rights and privileges to complain.  Go serve in a soup kitchen instead of vandalizing restaurants or watching/approving of others who vandalize them.  Tutor minorities who need mentors and structure in their lives, instead of endorsing brutality against the police, who by the way have sacrificed a lot to keep rough neighborhoods as as safe as they can.  Help find ways to eliminate illiteracy instead of grinning while people willingly let the libraries burn.  

As it is now, all of your negativity, gratuitous rioting, empty rhetoric and petty diatribes merely show the rest of us how little you really care about improving the world.  Change our minds and show us you really do care.  

What's wrong with this world & how to fix it

Power and authority should not be confused with each other (The corollary to these ideas are submission and obedience).  Power, the ability or resource for action, and authority, having the right to enforce or exercise the power.  Our understanding, or better yet our misunderstanding of these ideas are at the root of much of what's wrong with this world.  This leaves us in perpetual tension.  Why?  Everyone wants to be the one in charge wielding their power while no one seems to appreciate the need to obey or be submissive.  

Families all across the land are divided and they are being ripped apart over arguing about who is to blame for our Nation’s problems and how do we as a people unite and move forward.  We don’t just segregate our communities by skin color, we separate by political affiliations, social status, occupations and economic diversities.  

With a culture that is obsessed with competition, from tee ball to professional Sports, campaigners trying to beat their Political opponents, to your kid’s dance or debate team -- is it any wonder we have such a division at every level in our country?  This isn’t new.  All the way back to Cain & Able we’ve had rivalries.  

The process of College entrance is competitive, applying for a job is competitive, getting your parent’s attention is competitive, keeping your attention here on this page or when you sit in a pew competes with technology and social media/the entertainment industry.  You know who doesn't compete?  God.

It’s clear to nearly everyone we need change.  Whatever it is we’ve been doing, it isn’t working.  Change is incredibly difficult, and we can see this playing out in our culture right now.  Think of how many churches fizzle out by fighting over change.  How can we call people to action?

Maybe we just need a “better pitch” to energize people?  Clever slogans like Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign (drug abuse has risen exponentially since her plea) or the “WWJD” bracelets we wore in the 1990’s seem ineffective to spark real change.  Slogans rarely mobilize people, instead they seemingly initiate fads that fade from memory quickly.  

Perhaps we need stricter criminal & civil laws, ones regulating speech, gatherings, and actions that make people fairer.  If the laws don’t work, let’s break those laws or similar ones and make sure our voices are heard.  Well.  It’s hard to legislate morality.  And fairness & equality are moral issues -- matters of the heart.  

Laws will not change the heart or the attitude of divisive people.  Neither protests nor riots will change the hearts or culture that they infiltrate either.  

We’re now seeing a different competition for the direction or the focus of our national conversation.  As long as we compete and see this as an “Us versus them” issue, we will lose ground.  We need to mutually support each other as much as possible.  Support has to be authentic and genuine.  Not everyone will feel the same as you or share your approach to bridging the gaps that exist in our nation, and instead of resisting or resenting, we need to learn to cooperate.  

How do we cooperate towards a common good?  We must see others as allies instead of demonizing them as enemies and we must obediently submit to the right authority, yes, we need to yield to God’s will -- especially in how we treat each other.

Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 13:8-10, “8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”  And ultimately, it’s time for us to take the words of Jesus seriously, especially what He says in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

 

Facts matter when history is inconvenient

(Hopefully we can...)

Upset over racism, riots, police brutality, and the current crisis America is facing?
Here are some facts that seemingly are being overlooked:

Before we became the United States, we were part of the British Colonies.  We inherited the evil practice of slavery from the Brits.  Yes slavery is in our horrible heritage, just like the way we decimated the American Indians.  We are also the same nation that ended our practice of slavery and then one day, we rebuilt Europe after defeating Hitler, so yes we are a mixed-bag of imperfections and amazing potential.

What no one is asking is, what perpetuated slavery and what are the implications for us today.  Before I get to that, lets rewind the tape even further. 

Can we hold the Mongolians responsible for Genghis Khan's savagery?  He had the largest empire territory-wise of anyone, and he amassed his land-mass by brutally murdering civilians in ever tribe and village he came across.  Of course we can't expect the Mongolians to repay anyone for this. 

Should we call for the destruction of the Egyptian Pyramids?  Boycott tourism there too?  The great pyramids were built on the backs of slaves, slaves that were treated as property, and discarded after they were worn out.  Doubtful anyone cares anywhere on the planet about the enslavement that allowed building the pyramids. 

You say -- Ancient history, probably no longer applies.  When will American slavery no longer apply?  I have no idea, but I do have an idea why slavery survived so long in America.  Greed, and greed is about more than money, it's about power. 

BTW: You can't go back in time, we can only, hopefully, move forward.  We can't erase our history by removing monuments, and if we ignore our history, we remain ignorant to its lessons. 

Do you know who has the highest rates of drug addiction, is the weakest, most illiterate, impoverished, oppressed group of people in America?  Appalachia is.   White, redneck, hillbilly folk are.  Where are their riots?  Do yourself a huge favor and research how bleak, desperate & depressing this region is and then go read Night comes to the Cumberlands

What we are facing currently isn't merely racism, oppression, or police brutality.  Most of us are asking the wrong questions and we are looking in the wrong places.   Ask yourself, who is leveraging this crisis for political gain, for monetary gain, and for a stronger hold over others.  And ask, why would anyone call for abolishing the police in America?  Talk about ushering in anarchy and inviting the biggest thugs to rule... 

The issue of racism is a smokescreen, distracting most people who think this is about racism.   Black looters have destroyed black business in these riots, does this mean they are racists?  If you haven't read or seen the story of the angry elderly black woman in NY, watch this!

Where were the riots for the white woman recently (2017) killed by police in Minnesota?  click here for the story most people have no clue about  "Say her name" never became a hashtag, you have to ask why not?  Or don't ask. 

Our problems aren't as black & white as they seem.  There are people who are stirring up division for their own gain and to ensure their own interests, and sadly the people being hurt the most are being re-victimized all over again. 

Ask better questions, look deeper into this, and don't simply settle for the answers that enrage you or agree with your political leanings.   Go beyond the emotions.  Our nation is possibly on the brink, and I can tell you, the people most dependent on technology, who've given up their guns, freedoms and most of their rights to the government already, they will have a harder time in any upcoming revolution, whatever form it takes. 

This all might pass over, or might get even uglier.  If we unite we stand, if whoever is behind this can continue to divide us, we fall.  All of us, we are all better than this.  See the good in everyone and be the Good Samaritans you are called to be, and reject any pointless strife that will not bring healing.