Before We Die

For Many Of Us...

One Of Our Last Rational Thoughts That We Have...

Before We Die

And Cross Over

[Victorious?]

The Finish Line From This Life Into The Next...

Is To Dare To Look Back Over The Course Of Our LIFE...

The "RACE" That We Had Just Run...

Complete With Whatever Kind Of

Discipline We Employed,

Strength We Exercised

And Heart That We Exerted...

And We Look Deep, Deep Inside

And Ask Ourselves...

[In A Voice With Quiet Intensity]

"Could WE Have Done Qualitatively Better?"

"Could WE Have Given More?"

"Did WE Give It ALL away?"

AS WE RAN WITH THOSE WHO RAN WITH US...

[That We Said We Loved]

"Did My Great Commitments In Life

Spur My COMPANIONS

To GREATNESS In Their Life?"

Perhaps... We Are Secretly TERRIFIED

[That Maybe, Just Maybe]

That During The Course Of OUR Life

Our MOST Faithful and Closest COMPANION Was

The Specter Named: "MEDIOCRITY"

Who Was Mantled Around Us The Entire Time...

rsg 1/26/2010

(1 Cor. 3:12-15)

The Great Swiss Psychologist
Paul Tournier Said:

Most People Spend Their Entire Lives
Indefinitely Preparing To Live...

Why Neither Hyper-Capitalism and Socialism Will Work

Fundamentally...

When It Comes To

Hyper-Capitalism and Economic Social Progressivism [Socialism]EACH fails to work for the same sort of reason…

Hyper-Capitalism fails because the individual,
as a matter of personal principle

works hard only for themselves; and
Socialism fails because individuals,

as a matter of personal principle,
will not work hard for the other.

Selfishness and Pride
will not be easily filtered

by ANY economic and/or political theory.

The Sensus Plenior [this was that] of Genesis 3:15 and Phillipians 2:5-8

 

Even with GOLDEN JOY

As the dominate emotional backdrop,

when thinking of the Birth of Christ,

I can't help but see some DARK THREADS

Of sobering reality in that tapestry,

When I consider that Christ's suffering for us

BEGAN in His birth –

CULMINATING in the Crucifixion Event.

Genesis 3:15 is the Sensus Plenior of Philippians. 2:5-8

 

 

An Advent Reminder

This Advent Season

I Have Become Increasingly Aware

Of How Much I Practice My Faith

More As An Ideological Worldview

Rather Than A Relationship

With The Living God Of The Universe


God Incarnate Was Born 2,000 Years Ago

Not A Philosophical Idea

A Response To Mark Madden’s Regarding His Tiger Wood’s Commentary

The Madden Apologetic For Choosing Golf Over Marriage and Family

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details/article/1424/2009/december/14/monday-madden-maybe-tiger-should-pitch-the-wife.html

In a sense Madden's article [Beaver County Times – Monday Madden 12/14/09] is more about what we should value in life vs. what Tiger did or should do... IT IS AFTER ALL ONLY GOLF - A game that culturally we have elevated way beyond its intrinsic and extrinsic value to the life and the world that we live in.

Regardless of what Neanderthal's like Madden write and say; and the blood rushing "man crush" they appear to be intoxicated with, you can never get around the fact that we live in a world where relationships matter and integrity, trust and loving relationships matter even more. For all the wackiness and inconsistency with which we practice these as humans... THEY STILL DO MAKE THE WORLD GO AROUND...
Infidelity of all sorts damages and destroys all of these aforementioned virtues. The commentators, who supported Madden's position can't know what Tiger's wife felt, experienced and believed... they can project from their own experiences, but THEY CANNOT KNOW. They don't know if for example what Tiger promised her in heart to heart conversations and private moments; if he gave her some life altering disease because of the unprotected sex with the 15 or so women that he was unfaithful with, or even how this will clearly affect the Wood's defenseless children etc. The sharp hard-bitten pontificating on what commentators perceive to be the reality of Tiger and his wife is only that pontificating... and it is implacably sad... There is nothing lasting and redemptive and helpful to the world-at-large, with the export of Madden's (and minions) values regarding marriage and families.

In addition, the shrill, biting and cynical responses of these Pro-Madden Commentators, who would use the absurd argument of "moral equivalency" [aimed at Tiger's wife/alleged golf club], in further support of Madden, leaves most of us thankful that we have been spared and/or at least that maybe we have found a way to transcend the kind of practical nihilism they seem to embrace. This kind of attitude (found predominately in single cell organisms) is after all inevitable when we live vicariously through others. The irony of course is that they have given themselves permission to objectify, subsume and accommodate people like Tiger emotionally, but people like Tiger did not give this permission to them – it is a false and pathetic reality, as well as an inwardly miserable kind of existence.

The black hole within which the last visages of Madden's humanity and emotions seemed to have been sucked in to, makes his position on Tiger and his wife just as tragic, for all - albeit in a smaller venue - and for that at least we can all be thankful!

Rich Grassel