January People

I know I am stretching the meaning of the word slightly, but it was the only image I could think of for today's thoughts. The month of January was named after the Roman god Janus. He was a two-faced god that looked into the past and into the future without turning his head. He is a fitting representation of the New Year.

But today, I want to share some thoughts about real two-faced people. There are many people today who wear whatever face gets their needs met at the present time. They are fake, phony, and are capable of stabbing you in the back while smiling a sweet smile in your face. I don't care to be around those kinds of people. After a while I can spot them a mile away. Granted, there are several pros in the world, but I am pretty good at weeding them out.

My question is this...

Why can't people just be themselves and be honest in everything they do? Why do they have to hide behind a mask or flip-flop like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? There are several at work that I have to deal with on a daily basis. Sugary sweet one minute; telling something that you know isn't quite right the next. And even some outright stories are made up when convenient. All so the person-of-the-moment will look favorably upon them and give praise to the story maker.

I avoid most kinds of contact with these people. I only interact with them in the bare minimal essential tasks. No deep conversations; light humor; all superficial. I don't want to get entangled in their webs of deceit. I am sure there are moments behind my back where that icky smile turns upside down at the mention of my name because of my honesty, but I'd rather be known for brutal honesty than for sweet lies. Perhaps there would be fewer wars, bickerings, and malcontent between peoples and nations if everyone tried the tactfully honest approach instead of the deceitfully smiling approach when dealing with their neighbors.

English vs Spanish

For the life of me, I can't understand the uproar over all the bilingual actions across the US these days. Why in the world does anyone want English as the official language of the United States of America? Have we forgotten our history? Do we not remember that Spain controlled a vast area of what is now the USA from the beginning of European exploration?

With the cessation of Florida to the US in 1819, the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, and the completion of the Gadsen Purchase is 1853, the entire states of Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas along with most of Colorado and some of Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma became a territory of the United States. All of these territories would eventually become states. The people living there spoke Spanish as their native tongue! And Spanish is still very prevalent there today.

So why all the fuss? The Spanish language has played just as an important role in American history as the English language. Granted, the US government didn't have Spanish speakers at first, but when we as a country rode the wave of Manifest Destiny all the way to the Pacific, we opened the doors for Spanish to become an integral part of this great country.

I believe that we shouldn't have an official language. This country was founded by several groups of people all speaking different languages. Let's keep America a country of many tongues.

Culture Wars

Throughout history, different cultures have come in contact with each other. Sometimes the encounters have been peaceful and mutually beneficial. Other times have seen one group dominate the other one and, at times, annihilate them totally from existence. It becomes a war of cultures. I believe that God is displeased with these meetings where one group takes advantage of and attempts to destroy the other group. America's own history is filled with just such meetings.

Native Americans in the US, First Nations in Canada, and Indigenous Cultures in Latin America were some of the most diverse and prosperous peoples in the world at the time of Columbus' voyage. Once the New World was discovered by Europeans at that time, they saw it as a new land to explore, conquer, and rake up treasures for themselves. Their mindset was one of absolute greed.

After the initial meeting of Columbus with the Tainos, the English, the French, the Dutch, the Swedes, the Spanish, the Russians, and the Portuguese all rushed to take what they could from this "new" land. After some bickering and cajoling, the English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese gained control of the whole Western Hemisphere. Gradually, each European power gained control of more and more land by outright lies, stealing, and forcing the people into indebtedness. Anything they wanted, they went after like King Ahab did in I & II Kings in the Bible.

When I look at our history, I sometimes become saddened by what we as a nation did. Yes, I believe God ordained this country and I am a proud American, but I believe that we could have handled the conflict a whole lot differently. The natives that first met the English befriended them and helped them to survive their first few years in this new world that they knew nothing about. In less than a generation after that initial contact, the English and other European powers were viewing the natives as savage, backwards, and not worthy of being considered equal with them.

Why that view so prevailed, I can't quite understand. Yes, they did things differently than the Europeans. Yes, they also initiated some terrible attacks against the settlers. But I believe that they were forced into those decisions by the way they were treated. The land they had always called home was being systematically taken from them and they were being forced onto inferior land where they could not live as they had always lived. Who wouldn't fight back? Are they any different than the rest of Europe when Hitler tried to expand his Third Reich? Adding insult to injury after the final tribe had been forced into a reservation, the natives were forbidden to speak their own language and were forced to learn English and act like a European. Even Christian missionaries, while preaching the gospel, left the impression that, in order to be truly saved, the converts must act and dress like a white man. When did Europeans have a corner on what God wants and expects?

I realize that it's all in the past now. Some cultures and languages can never be brought back. Some are trying to save what is left of their way of life including language revitalization. However, I think that we can now try to learn about our Native Neighbors at every opportunity and understand that, while they are Americans, they are not Europeans or Africans or Asians. They are truly Americans. Perhaps if we had tried to learn and truly befriend them for who they were then, we all would be in a better place now.

Butterflies

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the
changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
~Maya Angelou

The beauty of a butterfly (or flutterby as it was originally called in English) is unmistakable and breathtaking. All the colors of the rainbow and more are represented in these fragile, winged creatures. Their intensity of color brightens even the gloomiest of rain forests and deepest of valleys. Flitting hither and yon to find the next source of sweet nectar or a potential spot to lay their eggs, these graceful, fluttering rainbows delight us the world over and bring a smile to our faces and squeals to our lips while we watch them.

But they are not always so lovely. The first half of their life is spent as squishy, sometimes spiny, caterpillar that knows nothing but the gnawing in its stomach. They are destructive to plants and are a nuisance in the garden. People spend thousands of dollars to combat their activities. But once they reach that certain level, all eating and destruction stops and the transformation beings. Building a chrysalis, the satiated caterpillar enters inside and basically dies and becomes nothing but a mass of material that is then used to reform the creature into a beautiful insect. Once it is ready, it will break out of it's home with a mighty struggle. Without that struggle, it will not make it because the difficulty of leaving the chrysalis helps the fluid enter into the wing capillaries and helps the newly formed butterfly take its first flight.

This small part of creation is a lot like us. Before we are saved, we are a lot like a caterpillar--always hungry for more of the world, ugly, spiny, defensive. But once we accept Jesus as our Personal Savior, He molds us into a new creature and uses the difficulties and struggles of life to make us more like Him. Without those hard times, we would end up as useless as a new butterfly that was freed from its chrysalis by an outside source. God uses them to help us fly for His honor and glory.

The next time you see a butterfly, think of what it went through to become a beautiful flying insect.

And thank God that He is reforming you just like that butterfly. You will soon be one of His flying jewels.

Silly Laughs

Today is one of those days that I needed to laugh. Certain people that would rather pile work on someone's desk instead of doing it themselves, heat and humidity, and just the general weariness of the week caused me to feel drained today. Thankfully, a customer called to ask a question and left me laughing. So without further ado, I will share some laughs here. Enjoy!

One day, group of marine biologists were out tagging dolphins when they found themselves with a porpoise as well. Upon inspecting the animal, they noticed several tiny feet on the flippers. Concerned, they contacted the head biologist and suggested that they quickly remove them before returning the animal to the depths. The head biologist quickly replied, "No! If you did that, you would be de-feeting the porpoise!"

Did you hear about the midget wizard that escaped from prison? The BOLO stated that there was a small medium at large.

How do you keep a blond in suspense? Give her a mirror and tell her to wait for the other person to say "hello".

If a man and a woman both jumped off a 10-story building at the same time, which one would land first? The woman. The man would get lost.

What happens when frogs park illegally? They get toad.

Thanks for sharing the laughter with me today. Laughter makes me relax and takes the edge off the day. I hope this silliness helped you as well.