It is another beautiful day in the neighborhood as Mister Rogers daily reminded us for years. Some folks brought their children or grandchildren out to Giant City Park to play on the playground equipment…although I am certain that the slides were cold. I stopped by the University to capture some photos of the spring buds but they had already been bitten by the unusually cold snap that we experienced the past few days. As I pondered the frost-bitten buds I thought that we are a bit like them in that cold human actions beget similar responses. Being an old guy I remember when the conversation was civil and especially public discourse. When speaking with someone older than your self you did not use their first name unless they invited you to do so and you addressed them as mam or sir or Mr. or Mrs…and later Ms. Certainly profanity in the open arena was verboten. Many blue words were off-limit completely… though you could hear them in the pool hall.

Several years ago I was surprised when walking among a lot of students at SIUC I heard the F— word in every other sentence among many speakers in casual conversation. At the last State Of The Union address, President Biden was shouted at on numerous occasions by members of the opposition. Differences of opinion are what makes this country great…but there is a time and a place for such rhetoric.

Facebook dialogue reveals too much personal information. Now Facebook is not doing this without the willing participation of its membership. I know much more than I need to by reading the posts of those who are probably upset and want to tell their friends about why they are. Remember…not everyone who reads your passionate posts is your friend.

Christian has taken on a false definition. Bellicose strident speech under the moniker of Christian is a false narrative. To take the grand vision of Christ’s teachings and say that your little sub-group of people who hate anyone who is not like you…is a lie!

To be human is an unparalleled miracle! Being a temporary inhabitant of our planet with the possibility of not seeing tomorrow is a gift. The ability to do as much good as you can for as many people as you can is an awesome responsibility. When I look inward I wonder how I could ever criticize anyone.

Kind words and actions beget kind words and actions. We knew this truth at one time. We were not so much concerned with posturing and preening for political or personal aggrandizement. In politics we understood that compromise and finding the middle road was the key to accomplishing something good for our constituents. Christians were taught that Jesus loves the little children…all the little children of the world…