Jesus had it easy...(American politics)...a bit rambly

Did the title grab you?  Good.  Because I want you to think about it as you read this...a little comparison.

JESUS:
*His birth is considered miraculous--essentially, he rises from dirt poor/born in a manger to temporal/spiritual pre-eminence.
*He worked a regular job...normally considered a carpenter, if you translate the Greek a different way, it comes out as "day laborer".
*Traveled around to do his work.  Used the phrase 'son of Man' a ton--with apparent colloquial meaning at the time that "Hey, I'm just an everyday schmoe"
*Of his works, many are skeptical, some accept them without doubt.
*He lives, is crucified--lives again.
*The Gospels are testaments to faith, not biographies.
*If you believe history--he was a product of his times.
*opposed the religious establishment and the wealthy
*deals with the merchants/moneychangers through intimidation and violence.

Okay--if you know your Christian history, you get all this.  If you accept historical research, you'll accept most of this.

And you know what--he had it easier than our last several presidents?

BWAH????  That's sacrilege.  Is it?
Think about what is expected of a President.

*solve national debt of a country of 300,000,000 people
*Health care for those same people
*find jobs for the 21,000,000 out of work
*protect the nation from attack
*be morally pure
*Don't respond to attacks from opposing sides/partisans

Want me to go on?  Think of all the things Obama or Bush--or Clinton, Bush, Reagan have been blamed for.  Nixon, too.  This is not a new phenomenon.  Americans expect a president to work miracles--but the moment the president metaphorically barges in and knocks over the moneylenders' tables--he's attacked for it.

Fight a war?  He's a murderer.  Don't fight the war--he's a coward or traitor.  Presidents are asked to perform more miracles than Jesus...even though they have to work within a system of three government branches, and a federal system to boot mirroring those three branches at a lower, diffused level. 

The worst?  Americans don't understand Jesus.  They don't understand the Constitution. Actually--that's not the worst.  The worst is that Americans who have not read any of those books and documents insist they are right, insist they know exactly what Jesus believed, what George Washington believed, etc...but they've never opened those books.  Instead they accept someone else's word for it.

That's the worst.  That far, far, far too many people are willing sheep.
Read the Bible.  Read the Constitution.  Read books like "God's Messengers" or the Federalist Papers.  But for God's sake, if you are going to comment on things--take the time to think.

Donald Sterling, racist NBA owner--a heretical view

So--the owner of the LA Clippers was recorded this weekend making racist comments, and now there's a lot of outrage, demands that Sterling be stripped of his team.  And that's all wrong.

Don't get me wrong.  Racism is sad.  It's bad, and as a society, we should strive to educate our kids to eliminate it wherever practical.  Sterling's paid money in fines for discrimination before--so I have no doubt he said these vile things.

However:

1 - Should someone--whether Sterling, you, or me--have the right to say what he wants in his own home?  I've threatened to kill people in talks with my wife--including running them over with a  car and backing up to make sure I got them.  I didn't do it.  But in my house, shouldn't I be able to speak freely--even if my views are horrid?

Sterling's comments were recorded in his own home.  Have we sunk to the point as a society when it is acceptable to tape someone without their knowledge to achieve this sort of end (removal from the league)??  That's a sad comment.

2 - People are demanding the NBA Commissioner boot Sterling.  Of course, they should realize that power doesn't belong to the NBA commissioner.   He can't boot Sterling, not without all the other owners agreeing to change the rules, but that sets a precedent.  What will the line in the future be for removing an owner?

3 - There's a ton of outrage now at what Sterling said.  Why?  Where have people been for the past 20+ years.  He's spouted this crap longer than that.  He's KNOWN to be racist across the league, so why now?  What's different this time--because his comments are more than similar to his past comments.

4 - Sterling was supposed to receive his SECOND lifetime achievement award from the NAACP.  Seriously.  A known racist.  What does this tell us about an organization like the NAACP?  Sadly--it says "His money is as green as anybody else's."  Either the NAACP believed Sterling was a good man doing good deeds, or they determined that history-be-damned, we're taking his money and giving him a plaque for his efforts.

No one's looking good in this.
Looks like we've got more work to do for equality.

Back where we started...here we go 'round again.

Welcome to the blog.   Again.

This week, I had some great words passed along to me:
"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of having selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;... Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do it anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway." --Mother Theresa

They came to me from Tom Melchert up in Davenport.
I was having a pretty stressful week.  It's in the past now and was resolved properly, but I'm still reflecting on it.

The part of the quite that strikes me is "What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway."

Coaching is like that.  Sometimes you build a program, move on, and your replacement(s) botch the job, ruining the edifice and foundation you left behind.   Yup, lived that one.

I've lived the one where you have an assistant who acts like the serpent from Genesis, whispering seductive evil into the ears of players, turning them against me as the head coach (to be clear--this happened at Satan's School for Boys and Girls, not LLCC).

I've had parents bad-mouth me, players bad-mouth me, as a h.s. coach, club coach, and college coach.  I've had a parent call the president on me out at Allen and at Lincoln Land, upset about playing time, that I was being unfair (yup--at Allen, the starter made all-conference and all-region, ditto at LLCC).

I don't understand the anger behind those things, the selfishness, the basic malfunction of the situation.  Nah--that's not true.  The reason is there in that quote.  It takes years to build, a day to destroy.  People are lazy and don't want to put the years in.  A day is easier.

I thought about quitting--there's only so many times you can fight those fights before you say "Hey, there are better things I can be doing."

Except:  "Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway." 

I have a responsibility to do my best and to do it because I can, even though I know it is not enough.  The Almighty does not really care about the end result--he cares about the attempt, your effort.  The Almighty does not rejoice in the suffering I've been feeling--but does take joy in my fight, that I haven't given up.

And that's true for the other points, too.

I will forgive those who are cruel and lash out irrationally, even those who try and ruin me.
I will pursue success, even though some people will suck up to me, others be jealous.  My friends are true--I can succeed with them, because of them, for them.
I will remain honest.  That honesty-and the honesty of others--helped me through the week.  If there's any lesson worth sharing, it is that ultimately that the truth WILL win the day.
I'm going to continue to pursue enlightenment...even if others don't understand it or why I do it.
The good I do--whether remembered or not, leads to others doing acts of goodness, a chain reaction that WILL change the world someday--for the better.


So as spring practice ends...I've got freshmen looking forward to next season, and every sophomore who wants to continue playing, playing on at schools they like, excited for next season. 

We all need to remember--stick to the good, focus on it....eyes on the prize.