So this is the first of what I hope will be many journal entries for my new Blog. After all, my buddy Mark and I have wondered for years just how hard it really is to wax HSO's (Hot Sports Opinions) over the airwaves. Maybe this is a baby step for me or perhaps just another way to express my thoughts (blowhard, cough-cough). For sure, I expect this to be a learning experience and I encourage feedback. I expect that some ideas will not be fully developed and I hope this process will lend itself to augmenting both my feelings as well as my expression of such.
During a recent discussion with my friend Sher concerning, I’ll say, peculiar beliefs, I suggested that some folks want to believe in certain things so badly that they cherry pick anecdotal evidence to support their points of view. This certainly does not follow the scientific method we were all taught in school. However, it does explain why we have CNN, CNBC and Fox News for starters. This raises many questions, namely what are the facts? My increasing age and cynicism have cemented the view that everything we know about history and world news has been filtered by an agenda driven force as it was for ages by Catholic priests who accounted events through their eyes. Now that reliance on major network and printed news has waned and with the advent of the internet (thanks Al Gore), everyone can get the “facts” they want. I have apparently just joined the fray:).
So, although I repudiate moral relativism, I will try not to get too far down in the weeds debating facts, although I’m pretty sure that Wilt Chamberlain is still dead and that Troy Aikman was actually drafted by Jimmy Johnson (for Mike and Mark). And I also suggest that truth has much to do with ultimate values and beliefs and that certain feelings such as Love, Hope and Faith (I Corinthians 13:13) transcend so called objective evidence. (Note to self. Test the JRR Tolkien/ CS Lewis True Myth topic in the future).
Another point to consider regarding facts and justice, is one on which my dear wife Bobbi has counseled me for years. It is usually less important to be right (technically or factually correct) than it is to maintain and nurture positive relationships. Holy Cow! I think someone might have written this on one of my performance reviews. This is the part of the Christian model that is lost on radicals and fundamentalists. Even though I belong to a Presbyterian Church, which most closely coincides with my theological bent (the predestination thing not so much), the most impactful elements tend to surround community, hospitality and ecumenical ventures.
To be fair, like George Costanza, I struggle to suppress the need for getting “credit for the big salad” and like Dennis Miller, I want people to remember me as someone who doesn’t care what other people think. It makes me wonder about my true motives for writing a Blog. Am I trying to impress someone? Yes, I probably am. Or maybe I just want to share as I have done on many an occasion through my musical mixes. I have come to realize and am disappointed that few experience the spiritual essence of music in the same way I do. I do feel great about cultivating (brainwashing is what I’ve heard from some of my friends) my kids’ love of music, but have always wanted my parents and certain others to get it. It’s really okay. Sorry I forgot to insert the Music Snob Disclaimer at the top.
As I’ve alluded above, I do get a great deal of satisfaction when something that I believe, enjoy and/or find inspiring does the same for another. This comes naturally with some. We commonly refer to these friends as our soul mates. Bobbi is my wife as well as my soul mate. I possess more than one soul mate, however. In addition, there are new relationships to be forged and current ones with the promise and anticipation of becoming anam cara, the Gaelic term for soul friend. (Note to self: Potential book review on John O’Donahue’s Anam Cara; thanks Paul).
So in review this first post sounds a bit pseudo-theological with a nod to Luther’s protestation that one cannot earn his grace as it has already been given. And even though we profess unconditional love and charity, these are ideals few if any can attain. Someone I know recently said “But who does that?” Wink:).
I will end by eulogizing my beloved Rangers. I feel their pain and in some ways, the gut wrenching way we blew the series during game 6, was worse on fans. After all, we couldn’t get back out there and play. Bobbi started drinking (lol) and I had to talk her in from the ledge:). Then there was last night when, yours truly, Mr. hardcore baseball fan who took a long walk after we didn’t score in the 7th inning. To put it bluntly, for those of you who’ve never had the experience, this was like a swift kick in the crotch.
Happy 18th Birthday to my eldest son Mike! Can you believe it?.
Peace.
