Travel is Life
We humans are great mimics.
Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com
My mother said to me, on numerous occasions, ‘monkey see…monkey do.’
Being social, and by default, tribal creatures…we often identify with our small group.
We tend to reflect the ideas and biases of our neighbors and friends and fellow parishioners. We identify with our geographic location and the customs associated with it.
Simply put, our reality can be a small as a snow globe…or it can be ‘Global.’
We were in Venice, Italy. We were staying in a lovely, flat, with our dear friends, Margo and Jeff, and the flat adjoined a busy courtyard.
Venice is magical! It is over 120 islands that are connected by pedestrian bridges. You may climb twenty steps, ascending the bridge and subsequently descend fifteen steps to the other side. This is due to the varying levels of the two islands that are being joined by the bridge.
Each Venetian shop has tall rubber boots to facilitate the continued operation of the business when it is flooded. Yes, the shops and courtyards flood on a regular basis…as apparently did the flat where we were staying, by evidence of the four pairs of rubber boots that were in the closet. Water was in the foyer of our building, many mornings of our stay.
One day, in Venice, I was sitting outside our flat, without my friend, Jeff, who was ill. I was smoking an Italian cigar and enjoying the, ever, passing throng of tourists and natives.
I became interested in a group of young people who were filming various people that they encountered. They, posed a young man and his girlfriend, and took several shots of them.
Then they came to me. A gentleman asked if I would allow them to film me…as I was, ‘very beautiful.’ At that point I was 57 years old…and had never been referred to as beautiful…and so I let them film!
It turns out that the Italian students were filming for the Venice Film Festival…and my moment in the sun consisted of a one second clip of me taking a puff of my Italian cigar and uttering the word, ‘yeah.’ Oh, I was also wearing my hat from Nice, France.
Outside our flat was a beggar, with the face and demeanor of an angel, who sat, on the steps, near our door each day. Jeff, gave him food and he was humbly grateful.
Venice has wonderful and and intricate, hand made, masks. They are customarily worn during the Carnival of Venice, ‘forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedi Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks.’ Wikipedia
We took a Ghost Tour, one evening, during our stay. The chilly rain magnified a mysterious atmosphere as it landed on the ancient cobblestones. We visited Marco Polos home as well as the location of a murder…a decapitation! Our tour guide told us that some people see the floating head of the murder victim in the water that was just off of the dock that we were standing on…I looked!
Probably, one of the most enjoyable Venice experiences was Mary Jane and I riding in a gondola. There are so many gondolas that the narrow canals can become quite crowded and it was enlightening to observe our gondola driver expertly maneuver between the other boats and buildings.
If you have seen Venice on television or the internet, you may have wondered if the buildings, along the canals, are sitting in the water…they are.
We visited a bookstore that had books stacked from floor to ceiling and steps made out of books that led up to a wall made out of books…that you could stand on.
We boated to the Venetian island of Murano to observe the world famous Murano glass being made. Murano led Europe in glassmaking for hundreds of years. It is mesmerizing to see the glassblowers working with the molten glass to fashion items of delicate and multi-faceted beauty and wonder.
On our last evening in Venice, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant and were served by our favorite waiter, a Mr. Bean lookalike, and I reflected on what it would be like to live in this beautiful place?
I also could not help but think about Jeff and I watching, the real, Mr. Bean, on his iPad and laughing at his escapades.
October is Knocking at Our Door
Having been born in October, a week before Halloween, may, partially, explain my love for the autumn season.
I recall anticipating the end of September, when I was in grade school, because I knew that my birthday signaled the beginning of the holiday season!
I have already received my 61st birthday present from Aaron and Jonathon. It is a stereo record player!
The sound quality is amazing!
I now am the proud owner of two record players, one upstairs and one downstairs…and around 60 or 61 vinyl LPs to listen to.
My, former, stereo record player, that I received for my eighth grade graduation…got lost in the diaspora, I had a large collection of vinyl records and had made a hobby out of obtaining one each month, from the Columbia Record Company, and listening to them on a regular basis.
When I moved from my parents home, the day after my high school graduation, and at the age of 17…they were lost…along with my comic book collection…in the family burning barrel.
Jonathon loaned me his Comic Con pass today in order for me to be able to peruse the wonderful collection of, vintage, comics and action figures and so much more.
Many of my fellow shoppers at Comic Con were dressed in the most interesting of costumes including; zombies and vampires and Freddy Kruger and Star Trek characters.
Jonathon bought me a Captain Kirk, vintage, action figure…and…now…I have ordered a Mr. Spock…on eBay!
I saw, vintage, comics of the original Star Trek that originally sold for 15 cents, being sold for $75 and $125…and I owned both of them as a child in the 1960s.
I was inspired by the Southern Illinois University Chancellor, Dr. Carlo Montemagno, as he spoke to our Presbyterian Mens Group last Tuesday evening. This is a man that has taken on a Herculean task in endeavoring to stop the enrollment decline at our beloved university and increase it to over 18,000 students.
On top of this challenge…the chancellor was stricken with cancer and has been weathering that, tremendously, difficult health challenge.
He spoke to our little group the other night…and I wanted to tell him that he should be resting and recuperating. Such dedication and courage and strength in the face of adversity…is inspiring!
My friend, Sarah, is almost done with her chemo. I have been friends with the Sheffer’s for many years and Sarah worked in my office, at one time. Her courage and strength is an example to us all!
The Sheffer family is the first family that I knew that went all out for Halloween. They, actually, inspired me to have a renewed appreciation for the holiday.
Sarah’s chemo ends around the time of Halloween…and I know that there will be a celebration!
And, so, Thanksgiving and Christmas are in our sights…and it really is not so important who is a Republican and who is a Democrat.
It really is not so important as to…who is in and who is out.
It really is not so important as to who drives the new car and lives in a new house and who drives a used car…and rents.
It is important that everyone has enough to eat.
It is important the everyone has a roof over their head.
It is important that everyone has someone who cares about them.
It is important that our children are shown examples of love and care and inclusivity and not hate and disregard and prejudice.
The Blessing of Normalcy
As we travel on this little blue dot…racing through the cosmos…and as far as we, currently understand, being the the only intelligent life in the universe…we tend to discount the good days.
I said, many years ago, that success is incremental.
Failure is also incremental.
However, we often get lost in the woods when it comes to our daily, seemingly, normal lives.
The routine of helping your children with their homework and watching them play basketball or baseball or engage in tumbling class…and seem to be routine…when in reality is it stunning in its specialness and rarity!
Working, day in and day out, and having a job that you are good at and being respected by your peers and supervisors….can feel mundane and pedestrian…when in reality it is an angel looking over your shoulder…causing you to succeed!
Having your loved ones with you…and easily accessible at a moments notice…seems as if it has always been so…when in truth…it is a gift that may not always be at your fingertips…and as precious as a rare diamond.
Feeling the warm sun on your face, as you are luxuriating in the ocean and looking at the white sugar sand of the beach….is special and could be singular in your life experience.
To have a government that cares about you…and all of its citizens…and to have elected representatives that will stand up for you and your rights…and will stand against the popular political and expedient rhetoric…is not regular normalcy…but as rare as the ‘gold of Ophir.’
Family vacations and the laughter and the fun and the sheer joy of each others company and mutual companionship….is more beautiful that a Picasso painting or a Rembrandt…or a Peter Max work of art!
I walked on our beloved university’s campus this morning. It is family weekend. I saw the mothers and the fathers and their precious children…as they explored our campus.
I sat and watched a talent show put on by our sororities and fraternities and marveled in their youthful exuberance and zest for life and their ability to simply find the fun and joy in everyday living!
When I witnessed the smiles on their faces and the inquisitiveness of their desire to know more about Southern Illinois University…I was encouraged and energized and revitalized by their passion for learning and their dedication to making our world…better.
Take nothing for granted!
Never…believe that happiness or good times or peace…is your birthright.
Work to make life for your fellow human beings…better.
Labor to assist the downtrodden…and those who have no voice.
When the abused…or the children or the elderly…say they have been abused or mistreated….believe them!
Money and possessions…are nice…but they do not last.
Position and power is satisfying…but it will evaporate…much as our glaciers are currently evaporating.
How we treat the members of our human family…is the only measure and the only yardstick and the only ruler and the only standard…that we will carry into the next life.
Money and power and fame and authority…is similar to the static that we received on our televisions in the 1960’s. All it accomplishes is the obscuring of the clear picture of a wonderful life!
A Caring Leader
This evening I was privileged to hear Southern Illinois University, Chancellor, Carlo Montemagno, speak to a group from the First Presbyterian church in Carbondale.
I have heard Dr. Montemagno speak on several occasions and have always found him to be an inspirational orator.
The Chancellor began by recalling a, dismal plan, to cut departments and services that fell below a certain statistical floor. It was called a sustainability plan and contained, the elimination, of many academic programs that were located in departments that were not appropriate for them and programs with low enrollment and significant faculty dedicated to a few students.
His academic restructuring plan is designed to best utilize the resources that are available at SIUC.
Carlo said that he endeavored to speak with every faculty member on campus, regarding their ideas on academic restructuring.
He mentioned, that prior to the closing of the Housing Towers, Food Service was serving 300 breakfast each morning and that now they are serving 900 breakfast each morning…because the students that are housed on campus are now all together and going to breakfast together.
Dr. Montemagno, noted, that one of the first realizations that the had, when he came to Carbondale, is that the university and the region were inextricably linked. He knew that if the university failed…the entire region would suffer.
As Carlo spoke this evening…I was struck with his humanity and his sincerity and his courage.
I have known many SIUC leaders…and this fine man is the genuine article!
I saw, tonight, that Chancellor Montemagno cares about people…and it caused me to care about his vision and his efforts and to seek some, small manner, in which to help.
Ask The People Who Know…And Who Have the Most to Lose
It dawned on me, again, yesterday that our enrollment and recruitment conundrum could be readily solved if administration would ask the people who know and who have the most to loose.
Faculty are afraid…and administrative professional staff are afraid…and civil service staff are afraid…of a continuing loss of students.
We have built our life around Southern Illinois University…we have purchased homes and our children are in the local schools and we are members of the local churches and volunteer in the local civic organizations.
We have buy-in!
We are practicing total immersion in the academic and creative world of SIU!
The students speak with us. They tell us of their fears and hopes and dreams and they, clearly, delineate the strengths and weaknesses of our university.
If university leaders seek, only, the advice of their well paid staff…they have missed the big picture!
If you really want to know what is going on…don’t go to the executive staff…go to the janitor…who sees the human interaction of the organization…at the bedrock level.
I watched the new Michael Moore film, ‘Fahrenheit 11/9′, yesterday. It was a revealing portrait of our countries’ current state of dysfunction.
At one point, in the film, a Democratic candidate was admonished by Congressman Steny Hoyer that he should drop out of the congressional race as it had been determined that he could not win. When the candidate told the Congressman that he thought that the decision should be left up to the voters…Hoyer responded that he had been at, what he was doing, for a long time.
And, so, it is, often, with university leadership…that it is determined that some, elite, individuals…have the answers and solutions to the universities’, knotty and inextricable problems, or that it is, specialized wisdom, to perform the same actions…that have been performed to a failed result…that have been performed, numerous times before, and to expect a different outcome….?
I advised an SIU president…over eight years ago…to conduct a ‘Hail Mary Pass’…and he chose not to. Our beloved university has lost thousands of students since then…and he is no longer the president.
Believe Survivors
‘Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.’
‘On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.’ RAINN
‘1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).’
‘Sexual Violence Can Have Long-Term Effects on Victims’
‘94% of women who are raped experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the two weeks following the rape.’
‘30% of women report symptoms of PTSD 9 months after the rape.’
‘33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide.’
‘13% of women who are raped attempt suicide.’
‘Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault experience moderate to severe distress, al larger percentage than for any other violent crime.’ RAINN
‘Out of Every 1000 Rapes, 994 Perpetrators Will Walk Free’ RAINN
And, so, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is being accused by a second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, of exposing himself to her at a Yale University party…or placing his genitalia in her face.
Now some say that the timing is suspect for the accusations of Dr. Ford and Ms. Ramirez. Is it really a case of the timing being in question, as he is about to be confirmed to the highest court in the land for a lifetime appointment…or is it women who have been sexually assaulted and have suffered in silence for over 30 years?
Yes a person can be falsely accused of sexually assault.
There is a 7.1% of false sexual assault reports.’ nsvrc.org
The myths surrounding sexual assault are just that…myths!
Sexual assault is not about sexual gratification…it is about power.
I was raised by my mother. I saw her sexually harassed on several occasions…and it enraged me!
Some of the most capable people and professionals, in my life, have been women.
From my mom, who took adult education classes to become a photographer, after she an my dad divorced.
To my dear wife, Mary Jane who home schooled our children and went back to university to obtain her masters degree at 40 years old.
Too my friend, Jo Ann, who battled the male dominated hierarchy of SIU and fought for…the little guys and gals…and loved and cared about the entire university community.
To my former supervisor, Marian, who was so kind to me at a difficult time in my career, and who was and is a brilliant person.
To my friend and, former colleague, Elizabeth, who is constantly striving to make SIU
a better place and achieve recognition for the universities civil service staff.
My friend, Joanna, gave me the inspiration for the title of this blog by a Facebook post that she posted that said, #BelieveSurvivors.
Prior to my retirement, five of the eight members of my leadership staff. were women…and they were consummate professionals…and they were wonderful!
So, the accusations against Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, should be examined by the FBI…who performs the background investigations for all Supreme Court nominees…what is the reluctance and trepidation…if he is innocent?
7.1% of sexual assault accusations are false…statistically…perhaps Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers…are lying?
Note: Some photos are courtesy of Google Search.
People Before Politics
Of late, we have witnessed the placing of politics before people.
Political considerations are almost always not only the path of least resistance, but also the expedient trail for politicians and leaders of all stripes…including administrator and managers and bureaucrats.
Currently our Senate is wrestling with accusations brought by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Although Dr. Ford has passed a lie detector test and has undergone psychological counseling for the alleged sexual assault, as well as reporting a witness to the assault, she has been informed by the Republican head of the Judiciary Committee that there will not be a re-opening of the background check, by the FBI, to examine the veracity of her claims.
Dr. Ford has also been told that the person who she reports as a witness will not be subpoenaed to testify before the committee.
‘We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination,’ Senator Heller said. ‘We’ll get through this and we’ll go off to the races.’
Senator Orin Hatch said of the Ford accusations, ‘that she may be mixed up.’
Senator Mitch McConnell, ‘voices confidence on Kavanaugh confirmation: We’re going to plow right through it.’ Fox News
Dr. Ford requested an FBI investigation of her accusations, as was done in 1991 during the Supreme Court nomination process for Clarence Thomas, but this request has been denied by the Kavanaugh Camp…why?
Certainly Dr. Ford is not afraid to be sworn under oath and speak to the FBI.
How is it that our Senate is afraid to afford due process to a woman who says that she was sexually assaulted by a candidate for the highest court in our land and will, if confirmed, sit on that court for life?
Dr. Ford reports that her life has been threatened and that she and her teenage children have had to leave their home and that she has been impersonated on-line.
There is no statute of limitations for attempted rape.
Often a leader is confronted with extremely serious issues…that they did not foresee…and that are not convenient. How that leader handles those issues are the defining moments of their tenure as senators and presidents and administrators and managers.
I experienced many issues, during my 25 years as a manager of a major housekeeping organization. Issues that not only were not easy or politically expedient…but issues that for me to do the right thing…caused me to fear for my continued viability in what I had observed was a shaky environment for university managers.
My favorite television character, Mr. Spock, would ask if a decision was logical?
I found that advice to be helpful when trying to extricate people from knotty problems that did not have simple and widely acclaimed solutions.
It is important to judge matters…not by ‘gut reactions’ but rather by evidence of fact.
On more than one occasion, people that I respected…endeavored to ‘play me’ much as you would move a pawn on a chessboard.
That is why it is vital to have a running history of what the facts are.
If I was aware of a member of my staff being hurt or abused or bullied…I took action and cared little of the direction of university politics.
Surprisingly, my stand for people over politics…gave me respect among my peers and many university leaders. At times the respect was grudging…but everyone knew what I stood for and who I was.
The Cruise
A Brooks Tale
‘Order another appetizer if you want one, they will bring you as many as you like,’ Jack said as he lustily consumed his second order of escargot.
When Jack had completed his appetizers and began his lobster, dipped in drawn butter, he periodically reached over to his wife, Jill’s, escargot plate and helped himself.
Mary Jane told Jack and Jill that we had visited the Vatican and had experienced a private tour.
Jack responded that he had been in both St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel…when they were completely empty…right after the war.
‘I toured the Colosseum, alone,’ said Jack.
‘During my first marriage…we went out to eat every night, in Manhattan, and attended Broadway shows, weekly,’ Jack informed me.
‘Would you care for more wine,’ asked the dinner steward?
‘I would, indeed,’ I solemnly intoned.
‘Where are you from,’ asked the former Disney artist, wife?
‘We are from Carbondale, Illinois…in the Southern part of the state, nearer St. Louis than Chicago,’ Mary Jane answered.
The artist’s wife…enthusiastically spoke of her family and her children and that she had home schooled…as we had.
As we all enjoyed the complimentary wine…the artist looked our way often and smiled approvingly.
The artist had been the lead person at Disney, for many years, in drawing all of the background scenes for the animation…prior to digital.
His paintings were beautiful.
Two women from North Carolina sat with us. One was friendly…and the other was drunk.
They had been good friends for years, and could not have been more different. The friendly one was shy and retiring and quiet. The boisterous one was, loud and drunk and flirted with the art auctioneer.
At another dinner we were accompanied by two, seemingly, very religious people. The woman began the conversation by announcing what art that they had purchased and then commanded that each couple do the same.
The wife then proceeded to tell us that she and her, devout, husband had not attended two thirds or more of the art events but rather had chosen to take in the evening theatre performances and to pursue their own interests…although their cruise had been paid for by the art company.
Their piety…proceeded them.
‘I was with two protestant soldiers that were from rural areas…probably like where you are from…Jay,’ said Jack.
‘I think that they may have been Presbyterian…or one of the protestant sects,, Jack continued.
‘They had no experience with sex…while I, being from Manhattan, was well versed in the subject,’ Jack went on to say.
‘I arranged for a prostitute to initiate one them into the club, and my buddy was so taken with the experience…that he soon married her, laughed Jack!
The Russian artist came over and knelt down by Mary Jane and I and spoke to us for several minutes.
He told us of the deprivation and suffering and hunger that he had known in Russia as he was attempting to paint and become a successful artist.
‘More red wine, sir,’ asked the sommelier?
‘Yes, please…fill it up…fill it up,’ I implored much as the uncle who was flying to Paris, along with the parents and siblings of Macaulay Culkin’s character…who they left home alone, in the movie ‘Home Alone’.
The financial planner was taking computer courses during the cruise to obtain his college degree. He reflected that someone had remarked that they had a series of ‘old masters’ etchings in their home but that they drove a 1990 Chevy. He said, ‘I like driving my Jaguar.’
‘This if food to die for,’ my buddy said.
On the first evening of our journey the steward had offered us a wine package of three bottles of fine wine, for $150.00. These luscious and extravagant wines were to be distributed, one per evening to our dinner table.
My buddy was enjoying the ‘food to die for’ and the plush ambiance and the excitement of a journey…just beginning…and he said, I want to purchase one of those offers, as well!’
Now we knew…at this early point…that the cruise was going to be a success for our first time cruise mate!
Note: Some Sistine Chapel and Colosseum photos are courtesy of Google Search.
Already Seen
Danny and Paulie were great friends.
We loved to play cops and robbers or cowboys and indians…and we had the cowboy hats and toy guns and tomahawks to make it authentic.
Our street was tree lined and and sedate with neighbors going back and forth from house to house and we kids playing with abandon and no thought of danger or fear of strangers.
George and Ethel, a retired couple, lived next door to us, and we all sat out in our yards…between rounds of badminton, which mom loved, and beer drinking for George and Ethel and mom and dad.
During these lazy Sunday afternoons, George would call me Doc and request a back rub. He often said that I gave the best back rubs…although I was three years old and did little more than pat him on the shoulder.
Everyone smoked cigarettes. I thought that it must be a right of passage, when you officially became an adult, that you began smoking…at least a little?
Steve, had marionettes and he brought them over to my house, from time to time, for a puppet show. I thought that they were fascinating!
Susie was Steve’s sister and I had a crush on her. Susie was 10 years old. Every-time that she saw me…she gave me a hug.
Ivy was moms buddy. She lit the next cigarette off or the one that she was completing. She was tanned…too much…she had prune like features and a husky voice.
Ivy, was one of those women that was tough and had seen the world and did not tolerate fools gladly. She was always nice to me.
Ivy’s husband was Jim. He was a mechanic. Ivy was short and thin and brown from the sun…and Jim was tall and thin and brown from the sun. Jim said little…Ivy did the talking for them both.
Dad enjoyed playing Jai alai. This is a game where the player takes a long slender scoop like device and hurls a ball, at a high rate of speed, at a wall.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Mom enjoyed dancing and especially the ‘Twist.’ She danced away many hours to Chubby Checkers crooning of his hit song.
Moms favorite drink was a slow gin fizz.
Dad enjoyed wearing his motorcycle jacket and his motorcycle hat and he often carried a gun. His pride and joy was his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The three of us rode on the Harley, with me in the middle. I recall being a bit afraid of falling off.
Photo by Frans Van Heerden on Pexels.com
My first memory of Sauk Village was my thinking that…this is where I was living now…and it was a nice house on a nice street and that mom and dad seemed pleasant…and I was comparing my residence and family and surroundings…and thinking very old thoughts…and I was between two and three years old.
So, I visited Oxford, England. We were with our good friends, Jeff and Margo, and stayed in a hotel where the shower would run out onto the floor of the restroom and there was no air conditioning.
I borrowed the last fan from the, friendly, hotel proprietor.
I had wanted to visit Oxford since our friends, Jo Ann and Peter, had told us about the university and their visits to it. They had brought back a watercolor of the campus, as a gift for us.
They had lectured at Oxford in their Discipline of History. Jo Ann told us that Peter had lectured from the High Table…while her lecture was from the Low Table.
We toured Oxford…and much of the tour was of the university. As we sat in the library…I had the overwhelming sensation…that I had been there before.
I not only felt comfortable…I felt like that I was at home…and that, at some time, I had studied there.
I am not a person that is given to ephemeral fancies, or ‘hair raising’ beliefs…but I can not deny these two unusual occurrences.
Life is, ‘a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.’
Following God…or Follow The Leader?
The other night I watched the movie ‘Novitiate’ and I found it mesmerizing.
‘Set in the early 1950s through the mid-60s and during the era of Vatican II, a young woman in training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, the changing church and sexuality.’ Rotten Tomatoes
The movie gave a fascinating portrayal of what women had to endure to become nuns, prior to Vatican II in the early 1960s.
Their restrictions included, not being able to speak for several hours per day, which was termed the the ‘Great Silence’ where they only communicated by sign language. Also the encouragement by the Reverend Mother to flagellate themselves with what was termed the ‘Discipline’ which was a a binding of several small, knotted ropes, that they beat their backs with as a penance for their sins.
Also, there was extreme psychological abuse and public castigation and shaming. One young woman starved herself, as penance, and the Reverend Mother told her how proud that she was of her.
Now, I do not think that the Catholic church has a monopoly on persecuting parishioners. On the contrary…often you find churches that follow the leader…rather than follow God.
If you are a member of a church where the pastor or priest tells you that they speak for God…and that he does not bother or have the time to speak to common people…like you…you are following the leader.
If you are a parishioner in a church that you are giving of your finances, until it hurts, and the minister is driving a luxury automobile and live in a McMansion…you are following the leader.
If you are in a church that insists that they review your finances in order to determine how much you should be contributing to the organization…you are following the leader.
If you are being told how to dress or how to wear you hair or you have to ask permission of the faith leader as to life decisions that you should be making on your own….you are following the leader.
If you are trusting in the piety and holiness of your minister or priest and their direct connection to God…you are setting yourself up for a miserable disappointment and you are following the leader…not following God.
If you faith leader tells who you can love and who you can not…you are following the leader…not following God.
For christians…a relationship with your creator…does not require an intermediary.
If you dread going to church or mass or any faith gathering, because of what you anticipate the leader is going to say to you or require of you…it is time for a change.
‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ II Timothy 1:7 KJV
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ Hebrews 11:1 KJV
‘Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
Faith is designed to bring you peace. Gods love opens your heart and makes you unafraid of what others think of you as well as you own fears regarding your perceived shortcomings.
A life of faith is not the conforming to the rigid restrictions that flawed men of the cloth have designed and that illustrate their own demons.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.’ Luke 4:18 KJV
The Happy Traveler 