Well, today's post deals with some interesting ideas that come from a friend of my daughter, S. She knows this young man via the world of NCFCA debating.
While I'll just point you to his blog so you can read the entire post, the ideas that intrigued me were the ones about income taxes, in particular this statment "An income tax penalizes persons for achievement."
I also liked his thoughts on welfare, "It is wrong to steal from me to donate to charity. If I forced you at gunpoint to give five bucks to a homeless man, I would be acting in an immoral and dishonorable manner. Welfare is not justified." Of course, what I'd like to see him do is talk about the reality of how to serve those in need, not those milking the system.
And lastly, his thoughts on selfishness, "It's impossible to stop being selfish, for every action, by definition, revolves around the actor. The trick is to get the actor to revolve around God."
Anyway, these thoughts were intriguing to me and amused me today. I don't remember being so intellectual as an 18-year old. I probably did share my opinions more than was needed, but I don't remember thinking about them very much. It took me a few years post-high school to develop deeper thoughts than were on the surface.
That's one of the things I've enjoyed about the NCFCA ~ teaching and learning about the skills of debate such as research, point-of-view, why it matters, what's the impact, etc.
July 20, 2007
July 10, 2007
Old Cars
We were doing errands yesterday and happened upon a 50's Ford station wagon pulling out of a parking lot. I pointed it out to R and K who were with me. R wasn't too sure it was so old since it was still running. I told her it was older than me. That made her eyes go wide with surprise. I told her those kinds of cars were classics and obviously someone had taken much care with it because it was so old and still running.
She told me that she thought old cars were from the 90's.
I guess what constitutes an old car is a matter of perspective.
She told me that she thought old cars were from the 90's.
I guess what constitutes an old car is a matter of perspective.
Young Eyes
I was looking over my daytimer the other day and found something I wrote down in April. When I read it, I recalled exactly where we were and what was going on when it was said.
We were traveling from from the other side of town and it was almost twilight. We were traveling west, so we could see the gorgeous sun setting behind the majestic Rocky Mountains.
I was having a hard time seeing because of the sunlight and how it was positioned to be glaring out at us at exactly where the stoplight was. As I commented on this, R, said, "It's green, Mommy, you can go." To which I said, thanks. Then she said, "I'm a better see-er than parents."
She probably is... that kiddo observes much and speaks the truth!
We were traveling from from the other side of town and it was almost twilight. We were traveling west, so we could see the gorgeous sun setting behind the majestic Rocky Mountains.
I was having a hard time seeing because of the sunlight and how it was positioned to be glaring out at us at exactly where the stoplight was. As I commented on this, R, said, "It's green, Mommy, you can go." To which I said, thanks. Then she said, "I'm a better see-er than parents."
She probably is... that kiddo observes much and speaks the truth!
Fragile, frail and frayed
It is thought provoking to me so see how fragile sometimes our hold on normal is. Constant stress can make one feel so frail. And so, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back comes to mind because you can withstand the many assaults on your normalcy, and then one rather insignificant thing happens and your world seems to crash down upon you!
It is also curious to me how shell-shocked you can be for quite some time after surviving major stresses. Normal isn’t normal. I guess in today’s world they might call it “post-traumatic stress syndrome” where you aren’t quite back to your old self and you’re rather sensitive (as in a heightened awareness) to particular stimuli. I call this being frayed – the ends are coming apart but the main thing is still together. You’re ok ‘til you get to the ends and then you don’t have much to hold onto and when you pull it, it unravels and frays.
I think what it comes down to is that the stresses you survived changed you, and you need time to incorporate those into your being, so that what used to be normal is updated with the new things you’ve learned. I liken that to a mourning period, because what was old and familiar is gone and you need to adjust to the new way things are.
Praying for some normalcy, some solid ground to stand on, and for insignificant things to quit bothering me so much. I’d appreciate you joining me in that prayer if you feel led to.
Fragile, frail and frayed.
It is also curious to me how shell-shocked you can be for quite some time after surviving major stresses. Normal isn’t normal. I guess in today’s world they might call it “post-traumatic stress syndrome” where you aren’t quite back to your old self and you’re rather sensitive (as in a heightened awareness) to particular stimuli. I call this being frayed – the ends are coming apart but the main thing is still together. You’re ok ‘til you get to the ends and then you don’t have much to hold onto and when you pull it, it unravels and frays.
I think what it comes down to is that the stresses you survived changed you, and you need time to incorporate those into your being, so that what used to be normal is updated with the new things you’ve learned. I liken that to a mourning period, because what was old and familiar is gone and you need to adjust to the new way things are.
Praying for some normalcy, some solid ground to stand on, and for insignificant things to quit bothering me so much. I’d appreciate you joining me in that prayer if you feel led to.
Fragile, frail and frayed.
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