Brings Me Great Joy

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The day after my paternal grandfather passed away, I paid my paternal grandmother a visit. Despite being over 400 miles from her, since I was headed up at the time anyway, I had planned on a visit before hearing of my grandfather's passing. We talked of many things, well, mostly she did the talking, and during the course of our conversation, she came up with a phrase I really liked.

For many years, I have been thinking about the concept of 'righteous pride' and wrestling with the notion. Years ago, I read this treatise on pride and decided that I wasn't comfortable with the concept that pride could be a virtue. Certain of my friends and relatives have their own opinions, which I grant them because I know they differ on how we define words. For my own part, I took to the word 'pleased' instead as a substitute.

My grandmother gave me an upgrade. In the wake of a new realization for what really matters, she turned to me then, as she has on every subsequent visit, and told me that my life, my choices, and my presence brought her great joy. I liked how she said that. It had an interesting energy about it.

I saw a post from a friend on her blog today and thought about how to respond. As I did, I thought about the commandment that exhorts us to honor our father and our mother. Over the past few evenings, I have been rereading Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics about honor and virtue, and I see how we can, by our choices, bring honor to the name of our forbearers. Aristotle's focus seems to be on doing what we ought rather than what we'd like.

There is a difference between bringing honor and being completely obedient. I know that my grandmother wishes that my father or I had made some choices differently in our lives. However, with the benefit of her experience weighed against our life thus far, she sees things in our choices that brought us to high ground that bring her joy.

Perhaps the greatest irony of my grandfather's passing is that I have somehow managed to, of my own free will and choice, lived his dream. It was only a few years before his death, as he returned to college, determined to graduate with a college degree, that he decided that if he had it to do again he would be a teacher. When I heard that, I had to laugh a bit, as one of my favorite movie exchanges is where Thomas More tells Richard Rich to become a teacher in "A Man For All Seasons". When I was in graduate school, I never thought I'd be a teacher, but I love it, and I think my paternal grandparents respect my choice the most because it's something they value. No matter how much they teased me, I know that they know what makes a good teacher and what strengths I have, and to see me in that capacity, especially if I could have been their teacher, was something that would bring them great joy.

I think the best way to bring joy is to do what you ought. Even if other people are unjust and irresponsible, the nice thing about people who are honest, earnest, and sincere, is that I know exactly how to handle them. With other people who misrepresent themselves, I react to the fake image they give, which means anything I do will be ineffective in general. It means I waste my time, my means, and my effort in catch-22 after catch-22. This way, everyone ends up doing what ought to be done given the truth, and even if things don't turn out happily after happily, at least I can rest easy knowing I did the best I could.

In the end, the best we can do is to repent. Every one of us will make mistakes; the trick is to not let our mistakes make us. As we learn and grow and become better, it will bring honor to our progenitors and bring them great joy.

PS: Bless the Food

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As part of our Christmas libations, we of course sat down to pray several times. In customary fashion, we ended the evening with a refreshment, and my sister took pains to mention it specifically in her prayer with the phrase “P.S. Bless the Food”. I found this interesting as I thought about prayers I have heard all my life. Too many people get caught up in fancy words, covering all the bases, that they sometimes forget the literal reason for which we pray- to talk to God.

Many people go through the motions of prayer. They talk at or to God without talking with Him. In too many cases, it becomes something akin to a visit to Santa where the petitioner presents his wish list to God and promises to obey if he gets what he demands. That’s not how it works, and it will not reap the benefits for which they hope. A burglar might well pray before breaking into a series of homes that “we’ll be protected and travel home in safety” with the kind of lowbrow hypocrisy that establishes in them a sense of entitlement to things they have not learned.

While our times for prayer have an ultimate and immediate goal, the reason for prayer is really to put us in touch with the truth. The fact of the matter is that God is greater than we are, and we petition Him in times of need and thank Him in times of plenty. It shows who serves whom. Perhaps that’s why so many people don’t really pray or don’t even pretend to pray. They don’t really want to talk to their Heavenly Father; that would require them to bring Him up to date honestly about the status of their affairs.

Did you think to pray? Do you think about what you say when you pray? Do you consider the real audience of your prayer? When you pray, you are talking with a God, who is willing to give you audience despite how puny you really are. That illuminates the entire experience. He delights to bless you. I don’t know why; I just know that’s true. If it’s important to you, it’s important to Him because YOU are important to Him. Pray to Him often. Tell Him how you feel, what you think what worries you, what you’ve done, where you’re stuck, about your troubles, your joys, your adventures, and your triumphs, and then thank Him for the role He played. He loves to hear from you. Our joy increases His.

PS, Bless the food.

They Made Haste

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While reading the Christmas story in Luke this year, I noticed a phrase I had not seen before. Although I have read this section many times, the phrase had not registered like other small snippets have from other sections of holy writ. Luke tells us that the Shepherds “came with haste” to see the sight proclaimed by the angel, and that got me to thinking.

When I receive commandments or inspiration from God, do I “go with haste”? All of us in the Christian world talk as if Christ is important to us, but sometimes, even the best among us drag their feet to come to the Master or to do or become what he requires of us. After all, it’s not a request or a suggesting or even an expectation; the Lord requires something of us, our hearts and a willing mind.

Several weeks before Christmas, my mother told me about some of the things that make the season special for her. She told me that for her Christmas begins with the Messiah. What she meant was the music of Handel’s Messiah, but I liked how the phrase had other meanings. In our festivities, we hasten for gifts, for food, and even to spend time with loved ones, but we sometimes brush by that page in Luke that talks about why this is special compared to any other day.

Jesus was more than a man. Some people, including many Christians sadly, consider him a great teacher, a lesser prophet, or a good moralist. That is not possible. Either he was a stark raving lunatic, or he was exactly what he said he was- the Son of the Living God. He did not leave that open to interpretation. He did not intend to.

I think that sometimes we don’t hasten to Christ because we’re afraid. We’re afraid of the Herods or the dangers along the road or what exactly Christ will do. Men do not desire true nakedness before God as much as they like us to think. When you stand naked before God, He sees all your flaws, all your deceptions, and all of your sins. The true miracle of Christmas is that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth would not perish but have everlasting life.” When we yield to temptation, which was inevitable, we find there is a way back.

People who are released from bondage run together and celebrate. Whether it be after our Revolution, outside the Bastille, once a man is paroled, it’s a time where we hasten together. Perhaps the shepherds understood it that way. When He read before the Sanhedrin, Jesus told them that the scripture from Isaiah had been fulfilled in their ears that day that He was come to proclaim liberty to the captive and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Let earth receive her king.

And They Caved Again

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Obama likes to talk about how he never gets his way and how the GOP always stops him. Well, today, they folded again. If this kind of attitude had persisted at Gettysburg, the United States might actually be two countries today, one a tyranny and the other an agrarian democracy.

I am a fascinated buff of Gettysburg. When I was 14, my father acquiesced to my request and took a detour during our family vacation to visit the battlefield. Although I don't remember much of the visit, I have learned and read about it since then.

Forty two days prior to Gettysburg, Colonel Strong Vincent took command of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps. When Major General Sickles, Division commander of the III Corps, moved down into the peach field to counter Hood's assault, he left the Union left flank exposed. Brigadier General Warren, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, pointed this out to Vincent, who of his own volition moved his brigade up to Little Round Top to protect the flank. The 16th Michigan, 44th New York, 83rd Pennsylvania, and 20th Maine regiments took positions.

The rebels came in force, moving against the left of the Union line. When the 16th Michigan began to buckle, Colonel Vincent went to rally them and took a fatal shot to his groin. Colonel Chamberlain of the 20th Maine stretched his troops out to twice their normal distance and sent the brigade's detachment of sharpshooters out into the woods on Big Round Top. When they ran out of ammunition, the regiment fixed bayonets, and charged down the hill. In Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels Chamberlain points out "We can't retreat. If we stay here we can't shoot. We'll have the advantage moving downhill, so fix bayonets."

As Chamberlain charged, General Weed, commander of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps, arrived to plug the hole where the 16th Michigan married up against the other Union regiments. His men were able to repel a Confederate breech in the line and restore order, but Weed was killed by a bullet to the chest, probably by a sharpshooter, while moving the 3/1/V's artillery into a better position.

If Vincent Strong had not acted of his own volition, the battle of Gettysburg might have ended as a stunning defeat for the Union army. Hood's division of Longstreet's Corps had cleared the rocks and come up the hill, twice almost severing the line as they tried to flank the Union army. If Strong hadn't been there, they would have swept over the hill unopposed and taken the Union army from behind.

Every time the GOP holds its ground, they are either flanked or cave. The irony is that they don't even take the opportunity to point out the obvious. If, as Obama claims, the Payroll Tax will help people who are $80 short every month for the next two months, MAKE THE RASSAFRASSIN CUT PERMANENT. If it works today, it will be helpful tomorrow. Yet, they miss that, and Obama runs roughshod over them again. I see very little point in occupying the high ground and digging in if you don't actually intend to hold your ground to the last. What did the GOP get? A promise to look into things. It will never materialize, and the GOP will get blamed for everything anyway.

Unlike Vincent, Chamberlain, Weed, and Hazlett, nobody will remember these GOP nobodies who folded on the left. They weren't willing to stand their ground and defend the high ground in favor of what they ought to do. The Democrats are always looking for leverage, always looking for a way around, and they are probably not going to be stupid enough to mount a Pickett's charge against the center. If they do, will the GOP cave like the Irish Brigade almost did at Gettysburg? Obama has the lowest rating of any president in modern time. He is inviting us to defeat him. We must oblige.

It is always the right time to do the right thing. Who cares about politics? Just do the right thing.

Tax Sleight of Hand

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Mostly I ignore the discussion about a payroll tax holiday. As a NV state employee, I am social security exempt. However, that's not the only tax of interest or the most important one. Allow me to illustrate.

While your Social Security withholding has dropped from 6.2% to 4.2%, my contribution to PERS (Nevada's version of SSA) has risen from 9.5% when I was hired to 12.1% this past summer. This means I never see one eighth of my pay because it goes to my 'retirement'. Actually, I only take home about 70% of my actual wage after taxes. Even if I were on SSA, the reduction over two months would be minimal, less than $19/week, or about $160 for the whole two months they extend it, far less than the $1000 Obama keeps using as a figure. This comes also at a time when they're worried about Social Security's solvency while they reduce the amount of money that goes into the fund. Brilliant.

Meanwhile, my FICA has gone up. This is that portion from which you hope to get extra money when you file taxes in April. My most recent paycheck, which came in last night, was taxed for FICA at a rate of 11.67% and Medicare at a rate of 1.45%. The state of Nevada conveniently stores all my pay stubs from forever online, so I looked back at previous rates. At the beginning of 2010, my FICA earnings were taxed at 8.76% and Medicare was still at 1.45%. My first paycheck after Obama was inaugurated was taxed FICA at 7.73% and 1.45%. So, from my personal example, my taxes have gone up under Obama. Not only does the state exact more for my 'retirement' but also my federal withholding has risen too despite the fact that I have taken a pay cut. That is a 51% tax HIKE under Obama, and that's just my paycheck, not including all the other fees for 911, car registration, my cell phone, utility compliance costs, etc., which have been passed on to me because he wants to tax companies.

I wondered why I had less take home pay than before. Now I know and so do you.

Do not let them own the information. They can bend the numbers as they like, but I wager if you look at your paychecks and bills and such you will find increases in what you owe in the sections associated with taxes. (Unlike you, I still have copies of bills dating back as far as 2003, for purposes of proving I am a paying customer, etc.) Meanwhile, Obama talks about how the rich haven't paid their fair share and about how he has cut taxes for 95% of Americans. The trouble with Obama is that, while it might be true that he cut A tax, there is a net tax increase. The Payroll Tax Cut will be paid for by people who take out mortgages. Green compliance is paid for by everyone who uses the service. Social security is paid for by those currently working. Obama's vacation is paid for by everyone except Obama.

Furthermore, most of Obama's tax 'cuts' are actually loans. I already started filing my 2011 tax return, and if you look at the form, if you claimed the Making Work Pay Credit, you now have a reduction in your refund or increase in your tax owed as appropriate by exactly the amount of the aforementioned credit. I was looking forward to a refund of about $400 but will only receive $47 because I have to pay that money back.

What they give you with their right hand they take away with their left. Then they fudge the numbers to assure you when you worry and stir up chaos when they want you to worry. It's amazing. It's magic. It's tyranny. Do your own homework. That's always good advice.

*In case you're wondering about how I end up with only 70% of my pay, here's the skinny: 12.1% PERS + 1.45% Medicare + 11.67% FICA = 25.22%. The other 4.78% reduction pays for things like health insurance, NV Health and Wellness programs, and my HSA, and is hence not money that I actually see on my check.

Good Hosts

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Over the weekend, I attended my first ever adults only Christmas party. The other thing about this party is that everyone was supposed to be single, not that you're not with anyone but that you're not married. It turned out to be mostly interesting as an example of good and bad hosts.

I arrived two minutes early and knocked on the door. It has never been my disposition to invite myself into homes where I do not belong. The fellow who invited me came down the stairs and greeted me, but it was at that point I learned that he didn't actually live in the house. Over the course of the evening, I never spoke with any of the three ladies who actually lived in the house despite the fact that they looked at me, interrupted conversations I was having with other attendees, and were people who had seen me before.

By and large, this was a GOBNet party. With rare exception, everyone there knew everyone else. Many of those who knew me knew of me; some of them had previous dealings. It served to hammer home just how little I fit in as one of the boys.

Beyond that, this wasn't consistent with the principles by which the attendees allegedly live. I only recognized songs that were covers of Christmas music I knew, and some of the music by its tempo and beat was inconsistent with the dogma of the Faith the attendees profess.

Conversations were a mixed bag. Most of the guys I met were nice and actually conversed with me and acknowledged me afterwards at least with a nod. By contrast, most of the girls did not ask any questions or seem like they wanted to be in any kind of conversation whatsoever. As I said, although I had met two of the hostesses before through a religion class about a year ago, none of them ever greeted me, welcomed me, or engaged me in conversation although they did steal my conversation partner on several occassions for pictures or asinine exchanges.

Despite this, I am likely the only attendee who didn't enjoy himself. I took the opportunity after about two hours to slip out and drive home. Honestly, I would rather discuss Organic Chemistry or read about the Colonization of America than go to that kind of party. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, thought as a child and played as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things. Christ taught us to be child-like, not childish, and yet those in attendance who acted like people from whom 20 years might be subtracted from their ages are likely to be those considered fun, trendy, worth knowing, successful, etc., and mate, marry and multiply.

This was not my house. It was not my duty to introduce myself. It was not my duty to make myself feel welcome or to welcome other people. Many of the people there were people I had never met and probably won't see again, particularly since I probably won't attend any more of that type of soiree. This was their house, and these girls failed miserably as hosts.

I wonder what the people there may one day become. I wonder if there were any angels in attendance. Christ warned us during His carnation of those who see the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, and the friendless who ignore them. We like to tell ourselves that if He came to visit us we'd be excellent hosts. Then we treat strangers meanly and ignore them, which shows just how much Christ is a stranger to us.

I find it odd that at Christmas when we're supposedly looking out for the other guy that some folks go overlooked and overshadowed. I know I was not the only person there left out. Malachi, a young fellow in a wheelchair, looked like he envied me as I slipped out the door. I spent most of my time talking to him, and although others at least acknowledged him, mostly they were elsewhere. So much for putting Christ into Christmas. Too often we draw near to Him with our lips while our hearts are far from Him. I know if we visited Him, He would be a good host.

Mountaintops

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Today was one of my state-mandated days off without pay. Most of my coworkers lovingly refer to the furlough days as FU-Days. I took the opportunity to go hiking. Since my friend and I have been up most of the normal trails, we set off up a random and unmarked canyon to see what we could see.

Like most hikes in Nevada, this one was deceptive from the trailhead. The distant peak was a lot further as the crow flies than the canyon bottom lead us to believe. It was cold and wet, slippery and foggy, and tough enough that we found very little trash and even fewer signs of man's incursion on nature.

ALthough we have no idea how far a distance we went, in total, we climbed 1100 feet to the peak. From there, we had unobstructed views across Red Rock NCA into Las Vegas. I could almost see the neighborhood where I lived. For all we could tell, the only frequent visitors to this height were the bighorn sheep whose scent still lingered near the covered areas as the peak's top. The area was relatively lush and diverse for the desert, signs that nature doesn't need man's help to take care of itself. The position was easy to defend, as most people would give up far before they came close to our position and turn around for the picnic areas and easy trails and warmer areas created by the sun and rocks that block the wind.

As the mountaintop is reserved for those willing to pay the price, the moral high ground is reserved for those who do what they ought. It was the historical behavior of prophets throughout the Old Testament to go to the mountaintops to speak with God. To be where God is, you had to go higher; to see things the way God sees them, you need to go to a place that approximates His point of view. It takes a lot of work to get to the top of the mountain, and it takes a great deal of discipline to get to the moral high ground. Perhaps that is why Christ had so few disciples; too many people, if they even get out of their cars, settle for the picnic areas and well worn trails of mortality in the lower valleys or give up when the terrain turns upward. However, if you do today what others won't, tomorrow you'll be able to do what others can't.

I have paid the price, seen the vision, and stood in high places. It was a beautiful day. Wish you'd been there. Come with me next time.

Believe it When You See It

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Barack Obama likes to talk about how he has saved us from the most dire times this nation has ever faced. He talks about how he saved the auto industry, decimated Al Qaeda, prevented predatory banking, established a health care system that will prevent you from going bankrupt for medical bills, and brought the economy back from the greatest economic slump since the Great Depression. "I would put our legislative accomplishments of the first two years on par with any president except perhaps Johnson, FDR, and Lincoln" he said.

My life isn't really better because of Obama. In fact, the only indicator that Obama can influence, my economic standing, is down. The county sent my tax assessment results this weekend that show that I am now underwater in my mortgage, even though I paid less for my house than it sold for when it was new in 1998. I reminded my boss at my annual review in October that I am the only member of the department who is earning less now than when he was hired; they hired me, froze pay increases, and then gave us a paycut. I have hesitated for months getting a backup car because my gas expense, even though I get 38mpg on average over the life of my car, now costs me almost twice what it did when he was elected. The only reason I feel better under Obama is because of my attitude.

People in leadership positions of any heirarchy try to create an impression. See, they venerate the status quo even while they claim they fight against it. Usually, they draw power from the fear and dependency they can create; they do not want to solve your problems because then you don't need them any more. They have huge egos. They unjustly ascribe all the negative things to other sources and unjustly claim credit for all the accomplishments. For many months now, Obama has been claiming we are recovering while he claims he needs five more years to finish the job. You can't have it both ways. Either it has worked or it hasn't. From where I stand the conclusion is obvious.

Perhaps your circumstances are different. I do after all live in Las Vegas, which is one of the hardest hit areas of the country. We still have high unemployment and foreclosures which will continue if they pay for the payroll tax cut with new fees on mortgages. Obama acts like the farmer who thinks in order to get more eggs from the golden goose it makes sense to slay it. He will talk about shared sacrifice, living within our means, and being wise while his wife jets off with the most massive entourage in American history for vacations at our expense. Yet, he has probably been able to justify everything in his own mind. You see, it wasn't until after he was elected president that he was finally proud of his country. It's all about him.

I have warned for a good long while about causality and coincidence. If you have benefitted from Obama, unless you are his friend or useful to him somehow, I am 95% confident that it's accidental. Do not buy what the media tell you. They are trying to create an impression in your mind. The Ministry of Truth isn't concerned with Truth as much as they are concerned with what they want to be true or more importantly what they need you to think is. That's how they maintain control. When you own the information, you can bend it all you want.

Holy War

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I read a short summation yesterday of the conflict between Christians and Muslims. Many of you may even believe that the war was started by America, when it has actually been going on almost since the dawn of Mohammedanism. Not that all Christians or all Muslims believe in, support, or understand the rationale for this Holy War, but it is part of a longer protracted struggle between the church of Christ and the church of Lucifer.

Before you jump up and cry foul, I chose on purpose not to capitalize church, because it is not a particular church. It is about an individual man's faith rather than the Faith to which he happens to belong. Where this really began was in Heaven, when Lucifer, that son of the morning, rebelled against God and tried to enforce his will over that of his Father. Before Mohammed's vision, the Christians had other opponents. First, it was the Sanhedrin, then the Romans, then other Christians, and only then did Lucifer buy up whole armies and navies with which to slay the saints of God.

Holy war between Christians and their enemies was never started by the Christian Faith. It was started by a few sad souls among either Christian congregations or those of their enemies who took it upon themselves to exact justice upon those who knew not where to find truth. Peter was the first guilty of this, when he smote off the ear of the guard who came to take Jesus. Peter learned quickly after the crucifiction and corrected his course and became wise. Others were otherwise. If you watch "Barabbas", it depicts him during the reign of Nero I believe join in when he hears that the "christians are burning the city of Rome". Well, maybe some were, but it wasn't the Faith as a whole that started it.

By the time of the first Crusade, the Christians had been attacked for many centuries. Until Constantine, they were constantly involved in 'wonderful contentions' with people of other faiths. Even after the unification, there arose disputations even among the Christians- Henry VIII, Martin Luther, and many others who disagreed with philosphies of men mingled with scripture being taught by their leaders. However, by 1050 AD, the Mohammedans had launched several attacks of their own on Christians and were by no means any more innocent than popes of that same name. When the Christians made their Crusades, they gave up their high ground and hurt themselves, because when you pay attention to something annoying, you give it credence.

Lucifer is founder and god of the great and abominable church. The "abominable church" isn't a specific church. It is really churches founded and led by men to get gain and deceive people. Far too many people, particularly preachers, "Clothe [their] naked villainy with odd old ends stolen forth from holy writ and seem a saint when most [they] play the devil" (Richard III Act I Scene iii). They draw near to God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. They tell people that it's ok to commit a little sin and that either they can be forgiven for money or that in the end God will save all men regardless. They teach the philosophies of men mingled with scripture and proclaim doctrines that are pleasing to the carnal mind. They teach that salvation is easy (which it is), but not how it happens, because they have not set their hearts to understand the doctrine and therefore cannot teach it to others. When a man of God comes among them, they will call him a lunatic and cast him out and slay him if they can because he threatens their economic enterprise and position of power. Even if they cannot slay him with their swords, they will slay him with words, assaulting his character and slandering his standing in the Faith. It's very diabolical and inconsistent with the principles taught by Christ during His mortal ministry.

The church of Christ is His church if it is founded on His gospel and in His name. If the church be the Church of Moses, then it's Moses' church, or the church of Mohammed, then it's Mohammed's church, or the church of the holy sepulcher, it's the holy sepulcher's church. Only if it's the Church of Christ and is also founded on truth and teachings of Christ will it be Christ's church. While there are good people in every Faith and evil people in every Faith, a Faith that is founded on the principles taught by Christ that teaches men to come to, partner with, learn of, serve, and become like Christ is the only Faith that is endorsed by the Christ. Also, that Faith must be given authority by Christ to officiate in the saving ordinances. Just because men of a particular Faith profess to have the priesthood doesn't mean God licenses the practice of sacred sacraments; Paul told the Hebrews that no man taketh this honor unto himself save he was called of God as was Aaron.

The holy war is between the followers of Christ and the followers of Lucifer. As such, there are gorilla groups of both camps in every church.  Lucifer has bought and paid for false priests to deceive men, tyrants to oppress men, and armies to slay the saints of God. Christ teaches us to turn the other cheek, because His kingdom is not of this world. I think we do ourselves a great disservice when we get attached to the earth and try to establish on earth, which is fallen, the utopia that only heaven can sustain.

Even among Christian Faiths, the assault on faith continues. Their chief weapon is the Bible. Originally, they kept it from people so they could tell people who could not read it even if they were literate and call the priest's bluff. After Guthenburg (who did the world a great disservice by giving them the Bible without training them how to use it), the foist was over and people discovered deception by clergy. When it was written, it contained the fulness of the gospel. For various reasons and at various times, men have changed the actual content and context and connotation of the passages found in the current Bible. For my own part, I own several different translations in several different languages although I primarily read the King James Version. Even by that time, no matter how meticulous King James' scribes were, many plain and precious parts had been removed, because the Catholic Church in various councils and meetings prior to, during, and after the reign of Constantine decided what belonged and what did not. As far as I know, they did not ask God to validate their choices or guide their decisions. It was done democratically and politically. They censored the Bible in essence to serve their own purposes, to secure their own power, and to establish a tyranny over the mind of man. Even today, no matter how well-meant the efforts may be, people change the Bible to 'mean more to modern man'; I heard last night on the Dave Ramsey Show an excerpt from some version that used the word "cosign" which is not a word that Solomon would have used while writing Proverbs. I know what it means (first recorded use 1865 according to Oxford English Dictionary), but that might not be what Solomon meant when he wrote whatever Aramaic word it was that was originally put into the Bible.

This is why it is absolutely critical that you develop, live worthy of, and work to maintain a personal relationship with your Father in Heaven. That way, when men try to deceive you even if it's "for your good", you can check with Him and find out, and when you read what men write, you can discern through His Spirit between truth and speculation. As you learn to listen, He will speak to you about those plain and precious things and give you further and specific instruction to guide you where you need to go, because different things will help you to become Celestial (like God) than will help me get there, and His work and glory is your immortality and eternal life.

Ironically enough, good will win in the end. You see, God's aim is different from the devil's, and the devil cannot understand why He loves men and wants to populate the universe with billions of copies of Himself. Then again, Lucifer is only the father of lies, whereas God is our Father, and like every real father loves His children.

On the Word of an Actor?

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While finally putting the books onto shelves and cleaning up my 'Library' now that the shelves are all in, I watched/listened to the movie "Gettysburg" again. Longstreet passes on some intelligence from a scout named Harrison to Lee and reminds Lee that he knows Harrison. Lee is taken aback and asks, "We move on the word of an actor?" I found it odd to note that the Democrats continue to make the same mistake of resting their laurels in the words of an actor.

You hear actors all the time. They get involved in causes and sell products and get in trouble mostly, but from time to time they also try to tell you what you ought to do. They get into politics, not because they are actually good at anything, but because they are famous. We then allow them to dictate the terms of our lives when they are mostly people who pretend to be something else for a living. Who cares what Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, William H. Macy, and the like think about politics? They are actors who are paid to pretend.

The saying goes that those who can, do and that those who can't, teach. I think those who can't do or teach, act. Sure, in industry and education, you find actors, people who show up and play the part of teacher. Some of them are capable people, but they're at least acting to be teachers, and some of them are pretending to be worth anything at all.

Beyond that, consider the words the Lee character uses (Lee is played by Martin Sheen, which I find even more comical). They move on the WORDS of an actor. They do not move on his skill, on his experience, or on any proof of what he says. They take his word for it. Now, Harrison happened to be telling the truth, but they didn't know. Unlike the commanders, Harrison had zero war experience or training; he was just zealous for the cause.

Most of what we see is a play. Most people play parts. You can usually tell when you talk to a person if they know what they're talking about. I try not to pretend or portend to anything I do not actually know, because if people make decisions based on information I give them and it's not accurate information, people die. That's what happened with Heth when he confronted Buford at Gettysburg. He thought and bought the notion that it was just militia, and the Confederacy paid for it.

This kind of fallacy trips people up all the time. In relationships, we buy into the notions- flowers, chocolates, and promises people don't intend to keep- because we want to believe in something bigger than ourselves. It's how we hire people who cannot perform, villify people who didn't do anything (Duke Lacrosse anyone?), marry people who do not love us, and buy things we do not need with money we do not have to impress people we do not like. Shoot, the producers laughed at the notion of an actor in politics in "Back to the Future" when Brown was incredulous that Reagan was president in 1985, and yet we still swallow the foist.

I know they use actors all the time. They use them to sell you cell phone plans and bone supplements and memberships to retirement associations or travel deals. They are people we recognize, but are they really people we know? They are paid in those endorsements just like they are on screen to tell us what they want us to hear. If you move on the word of an actor, you may pay the price.

Other People's Fault

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About a mile away from home last night, I saw a police car pull in behind me. I figured they were interested in me, as I had pressed through a light to make it and hit the intersection when the light was red. The pavement was slick, I slid into two previous intersections, and this was the last stoplight. I decided to push forward, didn't see the cop, and ended up having an unexpected chat.

Much to my satisfaction, she opted against giving me a ticket. I asked her if she was sure she wanted to let me go with just a warning. I am the only person I know who would be silly enough to ask a question like that. I was ready to get a ticket, because I had made a choice and this was the opportunity cost of miscalculating my ability to clear the intersection. If she had given me one, I would have taken it, paid it, and then been more careful, because I expect people to obey the laws required of them by civil society.

However, the older I get, the more I realize that very few people feel that way. Like a friend of mine told me, when people find themselves confronted by problems they do not desire to face, their most frequent strategy is avoidance. Rather than face it and face up to it, they project it onto someone else. It's never their fault. It's their parents, their teachers, their government, society, drugs, anything but their responsibility when it has nothing to do with anyone but them.

You see, it's easier to deal with if it isn't about you. As long as it's not personal about someone or about someone to whom they have an emotional attachment, people will agree with me, even if they are guilty of the same thing. As soon as I point out that they also stand among the number who need the lesson, they either ignore me or villify me. They look deep down inside, take some time in introspection, and then blame other people. That doesn't take a lot of courage.

Change takes courage. Perhaps for this reason, it takes a great deal more courage to stand up to your friends than your enemies. With those in whom you have little invested, you have little to lose, but even when you act as a true friend and tell people what they ought to know and do and be, you run the risk of losing a friend. It's easier to lash out at others than to admit our weaknesses, because once we confess them, we face the choice to embrace them or to change, both of which take work and honesty, and so it's easier to blame others.

Last night, I made a choice, and even as I lay down to sleep, I knew that if the LVMPD officer had given me a ticket I would have taken it. I wasn't happy, but I was ready. Nobody else was at fault, and when I saw her pull in behind me, I pulled over to face the music.

Continuing on from yesterday's topic about superiority, this attitude that nothing is our fault comes from the notion that we are better than other people. It's how we justify speeding, because our jobs are more important, cutting in line, because our purchase is much more important, infidelity, because our physical wants are more important, and stealing, because we know far better how to spend other people's money. This attitude reflects leadership. We have leaders in business, religion, and politics who act as if they are better. They take credit for our work and unjustly ascribe blame to other people, particularly those they do not know or do not like.

In the end, we really are all dust. Death is the great equalizer, which lands every man in the same state as every other, no matter what he does during life. It reminds us all that we are not the most powerful force on the planet or in the universe, and that no matter how smart, how rich, or how saavy we are, nobody has escaped its grasp. Nobody except one Man whose birth we celebrate in a few weeks.

I have a new theory on what will actually happen at judgement. I think that at judgment people will finally be faced with truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When they finally have to acknowledge their real motives, their real feelings, and the truth of their actions, I think that will be hellish for many people. I know many people who have spent years building a life around lies, and when they cannot escape them any more, I think that will be hellish. Our lives are nobody's fault but our own. While we may not be responsible for the actions of others, we do own how we respond.

Like I told my students, I do not really care too much what you believe or do as long as you own it and the consequences. You see, if you are honest about what you believe and do, then I know where to go from here. As long as we lie, any help offered us proves useless or less effective because it's not calculated against the truth of our travails. As long as we lie, Christ cannot help us, lift us, or change us into something better. If you own it, you take responsibility for the consequences rather than making me shoulder them. If you own it, then if it turns out to be an awesome choice, you can honestly find joy in the consequences. Consequences aren't always bleak; they can be wonderful. Until we accept truth, not only will we think other people are at fault but we also empower other people to be beneficiaries of what we do that is good.

Improve when you can. Hold your ground when you get there. Involve Christ from the getgo and let Him seal your faults.

Light-Minded Condescension

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A friend of mine missed church yesterday due to a rather severe cold, and so I called him up to chat. We ended up talking about a book, James Farrell's The Holy Secret, which deals very simply but very profoundly with the problem in our perception. You see, my friend and I both think that the problems in our world come from the misbegotten notion that we are better than other people.

The simple fact of the matter is that we're all lost sheep who have need of a Savior. Many of my friends are surprised when, after they confess their faults to me, I am uncritical and equally penitent. I tell them that even though my transgressions may seem small to them, they are still marks of open rebellion against the Lord and keep me from Him without the intervention of the Messiah.

That's not how most people think. Each thinks he has "run up a very favorable credit-balance in the Enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church (CS Lewis' Screwtape Letters)". Conversion, however is much more than that. It is true and full submission to the will of God.

I sat in my meetings listening to the leadership draw near to the Savior with their lips while their hearts are far from him. Granted, the Bishop was absent in the meeting when the light-mindedness reached its peak, but I am continually dismayed by the fact that some of those who appear to be furthest advanced in the service of the Master and in positions of authority act with light-minded condescension, not only to people who are earnest seekers of truth, but to the principles and precepts taught by Christ during His conversations with men. We do not know what He said, because we do not listen; we cannot hear because we do not look to Him. Why should we read what others wrote about Him when we already know everything?

As I consider their pride, I wonder about my own. I know that Paul wrote to the Hebrews about priesthood authority that "no man taketh this honor unto himself". I spoke with an old friend who is himself a bishop this weekend about what I should do. You see, I have maintained the attitude for a year now that if it mattered to the Lord, He would yell at my bishop who seems to have no interest whatsoever in whether or not I even show up at church. See, nobody talked to me the entire time I was there except with that superfluous inquiry into my well-being Americans use as an inarticulate greeting. Maybe they're so wound up in their own problems that they don't have time to notice anyone else. Then again, maybe I'm dead and don't know it.

It bothers me, especially at Christmas, that they can take things that matter most to me so lightly. While they inflate things of transitory ephemeral value, they speak with thinly veiled disdain for things of eternity. They mock wives, procedures, families, etc., while they excuse sloth, tardiness, and villainy. They call good evil and evil good, and I wonder why they are where they are. I trust God knows what He's doing; I just don't see how He gets us to where He wants us to be from where we are, and I'm frustrated all along the way.

Contrary to popular belief, truth is not relative or subject to change. Contrary to popular belief, it does not make you a better person that you have a lofty title, a bank account awash with cash, or a metabolism that keeps you lithe and fit. As a matter of fact, where much is given much is required. Too many people I meet however act as if they believe they must save themselves. They consider salvation to be a scale in which their good deeds are weighed against their sins, as if you can earn your way in. They only turn to Christ when all other lights go out, after they have done all they can do, when all we really can do is repent. Like the innkeeper, there is no room in their hearts for the Savior of Men. They intend to save themselves. They are better than we are; they have no need of a Savior.

My friend and I talked about what's really required. What's required is repentance. Jesus taught that the only thing that matters is that the sheep returns. He is not interested in how shiny or thick its coat is or any of the outward measurements. Riches and intelligence are relative, and compared to the Christ, none of us are worth anything at all. I have begun to hear Hamlet's solliloquoy differently this weekend as he says "Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing." We live and move and have our being at the express will and beneficience of our Creator. It is not for any prowess we possess that we awake in the morning. For all I know, I die every night and am brought back to life, because there's nobody there to prove otherwise.

You may have noticed that I'm often unsure of my value, but it's mostly because I know my weaknesses rather than an attack on my strengths. Only I among mortals am intimately familiar with my weaknesses and my need for a Savior. I was reading the end of the Epistle of James and found this in chapter 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Other people are surprised sometimes to hear me talk about how much I need the Savior. They think because they know what I do that I'm perfect somehow. I am a man, subject to the same passions and fits as every other man. Sometimes, I pay them no heed. Sometimes, I pay attention far longer than I should to the whisperings of the adversary. I will be humble, for I know my weakness, and I ask for your prayers, that I may be healed, that I may be a more effective instrument in the hand of my Maker. Your effectual fervent prayers may avail much for me.

At the end of that same epistle, James concludes with these words:

Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Like I said, I've done some thinking about conversion, which seems to be a submissiveness to the will of God, and willingness to strive His works to do and trust in His redeeming love. I am not better than you. I need the redemtive power of the atonement just as much as any man on the earth. Every day, I really do die, spiritually speaking, and those of you who encourage me and pray for me help hide a multitude of sins and rescue me from spiritual death. In the end, it is not a tally of good deeds compared to our rebellions; it will depend on Christ. Will you try to save yourself still at that day or invite Him to help you?

Nobody in Their Right Mind

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On my way into Kohls today, I was accosted by a young lady asking me if I'm registered to vote. I noticed the shirt she wore and wondered why in thunder she was an Obama supporter. Then again, I'm frequently mystified as to the choices of political involvement made by young people. Ron Paul is poised to win the Iowa GOP Caucus, and I have no idea why.

Young folks tend to support people who think America is the problem. Obama goes around apologizing for America, talking about how we're lazy, greedy, and intolerant. Paul goes around talking about how we're at war on the wrong side. Both of them go around talking and then claim they didn't say what they said or that we misunderstood what they said. The irony is that we can watch them say it over and over again, thanks to sites that archive video of politicians.

I just don't see why these two people attract support from any demographic. Even Obama admits that he hasn't done much, since he needs three more years. Neither of these men will go on record and do what ought to be done, but they'll jump over the steeple chase to attack someone who does. They did so with Ryan's budget. They would do so to me. My life is not better for any of Obama's policies or any of Paul's suggestions despite his entire career in Congress. As I have said and written before and elsewhere, if your life is better, it's coincidental. Most politicians are their own favorite beneficient, beneficiary and constituent, and to Death Valley with you and your problems.

That being said, I don't watch Fox or CNN or anything. I find that my blood pressure goes up when I watch the news. I have spent a good deal of time and money over the past five years studying the Enlightenment Experiment that birthed the United States, traveling to the sites relevant to that history, and reading the actual notes of men who made it happen. Sure, the men were imperfect; they were after all men. Their ideas were, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, the best any group of men ever has or could manage.

The older I get, the more I think that politics is about personality more than principles. The people who flock to Ron Paul or Barack Obama do so, not because they are interested in what ought to be done, but because they identify with the personality of the candidates. They will talk all day long about sacrifice and doing what's right, and then they do what's best for them, the majority of us be damned. Freedom is not license to do whatever you like; it is to do what you ought. Neither of these candidates is a good choice because they believe in destroying America in order to rebuild it. Every real leader knows that it's easier to hold onto something and improve it than to start over from scratch. Once a city is lost to an enemy army, it can only be retaken at the expense of much blood and treasure.

Nobody in their right mind would vote for either kook- Obama or Paul. I'm not happy with the other options trending up either, but the only way I know to find a candidate with whom I completely agree is to run for office myself, and I'm neither old enough to run for president nor interested in the prospect. So I'll settle, but not for either of these court jesters, and neither should you. Improve when you can. Hold your ground when you get there. Every upgrade, no matter how small, moves us closer to lasting prosperity and peace.

"Doctor Jukebox"

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On another blog I follow, I was introduced today to the concept of Dr. Jukebox. He's that expert witness who can and will, for a fee, testify in court that no matter what you did it was absolutely wrong and criminal. As Dr. Grumpy points out, Dr. Jukebox will sing whatever tune you like once you drop in the coinage, and it pays better than actually doing anything in the field. That's work after all.

I've paid attention to alot of roorback moments in recent media. I do this because I have, like Dr. Grumpy, been the target of miscreant and malcontent versions of Dr. Jukebox, who felt it their patriotic duty to exact justice against me or people I love, regardless of the facts. He, and the client on whose behalf he spoke, were not in it for the truth; they were in it for the money. How much money can the gaggle of gals that went after Hermann Cain hope to make (or how much have they already been paid), or that gal who said Justin Bieber fathered her son, or that stripper who accused the Duke Lacrosse team of raping her? They saw a chance at wealth without work and took it, because it costs very little to file a lawsuit, and any shark lawyer will take a case for a chance at 33% contingency fee.

Too often, people are not really interested in the truth. There are other versions of Dr. Jukebox who will play the tune demanded by the source of their grant money. Far too many scientists go out to do research hoping to prove their preconceived notions. Far too many cops investigate the obvious and ignore everything else.  Far too many people invest in religion, jobs, and relationships not because they really like WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) but because they want what they see to be what they want to get. For this reason, they will manipulate language and details, citing half of what you said or did without the other half to back it up in context. They are in it to get gain, and society as presently constituted rewards them. We are afraid to offend, afraid that we will be accused of doing something by virtue of demographics or personal beliefs they project on us, and that the complaintant will be backed up although the malcontent is actually malevolent.

For a long time now, I have really wanted to make a tshirt that says the following:

I don't do P.C. I'm a Mac.

They won't allow it because it's a trademark, but it sends home my point that P.C. is not a friend to truth. We already walk on eggshells enough as it is, and if we're not allowed to do our jobs to the best of our ability out of fear, nothing will ever get built. People make mistakes. Only evil people let their mistakes make them. Each of us makes a character by the things we practice, and the world would be better if all the Dr. Jukeboxes of the world instead of passing judgement were out practicing what they preach.

Soap Shall Set You Free

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One of the labs we teach is an environmental sampling lab. Students go out and swab environmental samples onto a regular growth media plate and a plate with antibiotics in it. We use this to show them evolutionary adaptations and the need for cleanliness. Some of them come up with unique sources to check. We have had couches, banisters, purses, spare change, and the dirt outside tested for bacteria. Most of what we find is benign, but it always leads to a good discussion about what we found, where, and why.

Our janitorial staff has caught onto this. They try very, very hard to sanitize, especially towards the end of the semester when we send the students out to do this. One of the other professors, however, came up with something I had not considered that hammered home to me just how important it is to sanitize things yourself.

Sue suggested we swab the lock mechanism inside a stall. You see, when you go into a room to clean, you clean what you can see, what you're used to seeing, and where you expect to see obvious filth. However, even the most careful of humans will contaminate this lock lever, and we know that most students are neither careful nor health conscious. If that were the case, they wouldn't engage in all the risky behaviors that dominate their lives.

As I used the bathroom next after our chat, I thought about that handle. I looked at it. I wondered how many bacteria were growing on it and how long they had been there. I wondered if I should hire someone to come clean my house, because different people emphasise cleaning differently, and it might catch stuff I routinely miss. I wondered how many people at school get sick because they touch that and then leave the bathroom without washing their hands.

Ironically enough, this is a battle you can't ever completely avoid. I am surprised the statists among us don't say "Why bother cleaning up and trying to avoid getting sick? You should just do so with protection", because like the war on poverty and promiscuity, they are willing to surrender at the outset, but they ostensibly care about our health. Even the most careful person will catch something. I have known folks who got cancer or hepatitis, not because they were unsafe, but because of other people or random chance.

However, you can't catch a disease to which you are not exposed. Lather up and cleanse out every part of your life. Clean your house, your mind, your speech, your food, and your body. Poor Richard taught us that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Just because you can't stop all instances doesn't mean you shouldn't try. You will survive 100% of the outbreaks you don't catch. I guarantee it.

"Tell Spencer to flush". --from "The Man Who Knew Too Little"

Empty Nester

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The time of the semester has come when I feel like an empty nester. Next time I see my students, they'll be taking their exams, glad it's over, anxious about their grades, but on their way hurriedly somewhere, somewhere else. We spend ninety hours together laughing, learning, and talking about things that matter both today and for all of their tomorrows, and then they move on.

I know it's as it should be. They need to move on, to move forward, to keep making progress, and I'm just a small way point on that longer journey. As far as a man in my position can, I understand a little of what it might be like when all the kids are grown and leave to find their fortunes elsewhere.

From time to time, as happened today, they tell me they'll miss me. Although I've been teaching off and on for many years, I don't have any students who come back to visit. It would be pretty tough since I've taught in so many different places and occupied so many offices in that time, but in today's internet-driven world, I'm surprised they don't contact me. Maybe I'm not as good at this as even I would be willing to confess. I hope they are well, wherever they are.

This Christmas season, my thoughts are with my 'children'. To all of you who have been or are my students, at least for the next 48 hours, you're in my thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas, and Godspeed.

Taking the Bait

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I learned Friday night that fish have a memory that lasts about two minutes. For this reason primarily, it is easy to catch fish, even the same one if you catch and release, with the same bait, day after day, year after year. How ironic then that we believe ourselves a superior species when we also have such a short memory when it comes to political bait.

Politicians count on our short memory when it comes to political activity in order to perpetuate their political power. Every time they do something that stirs up political fervor, they back off slightly until the pressure simmers down, and then they find a new way to do it. See, once it's done, our anger doesn't suffice to change anything. This way they can use the same tactics or same end games over and over and get what they seek irrespective of the will of the people.

Frequently, they use the same bait, the same lure, and the same lines to fish for us. They tell us that the GOP wants to fire teachers, policemen, and end Social security. DEMs promise us jobs and money and prosperity and peace if we just give them a little more power. What is more amazing to me is that, just like the fish, we forget that they said the same thing two minutes ago, and swallow the parliament jester's foist hook line and sinker. We almost always take the bait.

Like the fishermen, the politician does not do what he does for the benefit of the fish. These particular fishers of men bait us for their own elevation, opulence and advancement, always careful to garb it in writ that sounds like it's for our good. Even if it happens to benefit you, that is accidental. The politician does not do what he does for your benefit; he does it for his.

Real statesmen do what they do even when it might be bad for them individually. You can tell who's doing the right thing, because they typically have nothing to gain. The true measure of a man, I heard in a talk on CD this weekend, is in how he treats other people, not how well off he is. I heard that Obama was brazen enough to say that even if America fails his kids will be ok. What in thunder? What kind of president talks about America failing or says something akin to "sucks to be you, but my kids will be fine"?

It's almost as if people today want to be deceived and are too lazy to do anything about it. They are too attached to their 'stuff' and unwilling to sacrifice anything on the altar of freedom. That is inconsistent with American tradition, where men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to do what they ought.

So as we head into 2012, remember there is an agenda in what they tell you. They are baiting you with the same old lines, the same old bait, and the same old lures. They want to hook you and reel you in, either to devour you to serve their own ends or just so long so they can get where they want to go, whereupon they will release you back where you were, no better off than you were before except by accident. Why do they do it? Because they want to win above all else. They are not interested in America's success per se, only their own. If they aren't enough without winning an election, they will never be enough with it.

O Ye of Liddell Faith

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For most of my adult life, I have heard talk from members of my faith and others rationalizing their participation in sports on the Sabbath. What they do not realize is that this argument, this dilemma, is an old one, already handled, in a time no longer remembered by many yet on the earth. It was once a national sensation, but if you were born after summer 1924, you weren't even alive when it happened.

Among my favorite movies is the movie "Chariots of Fire". I first became aware of this movie because of the musical score composed by Vangelis for the movie. It deals with among others the story of Eric Liddell, part of the British Olympic contingent to Paris in 1924. It focuses on themes of faith and faithfulness to principle and loyalty to God. I find it a little bit ironic that the descendant of a king who once beheaded his best friend for loyalty to God demanded the same treason in return for national piety. Even in our nation, Patrick Henry had written about how abandoning his principles would be like an act of disloyalty to God.

Eric refused to do any kind of sport on Sunday. It does not say if he would exercise, but he refused to do anything competitive on the Lord's day. He tells the man who would become the king that God makes nations, God makes kings, and God makes the laws by which they rule, and His law says that the Sabbath is His. Every member of the British Olympic team who competed on Sunday lost. Liddell turned around on Thursday and outran one of the fastest men on earth. So, you are not the first to weight the opportunity cost of sports on Sunday, and you will not be the first example made thereby.

Liddell was vindicated in his decision thanks to timely intervention by the youthful Lord Lindsay, who was a teammate of his. When Liddell completed his work, in his early forties, God called him home, he having sealed the testimony of his faith with his life as a missionary in Japanese occupied China.

In the sermons Liddell preaches associated with running depicted on the film, Liddell asks parenthetically this question. "Where does the strength come from to finish the race of faith? From Within". Each of us is tempted to hedge on principles, to abandon what we know, to quit the race, but the strength to not only finish the race but also to win it comes from an inner personal resolve to dare to be true, to be valiant, no matter what opposition may arise. Would that more men were of Liddell's faith.

Perhaps you will not be called upon as was More to die at the block or as Liddell to vanish into obscurity abroad, but your choices are the testament of your life and faith. The first time you do something in error, it's a mistake. The second time it's a choice. If you have room to upgrade your choices, this is the time. Rise up and be men, men worth remembering, men of faith, the very and only kind of men who are taken to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire.

For Students or Faculty?

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I have previously written about my misgivings about academic advertising. Far too many decisions in education seem garbed in language that makes it sound like it's about the students when that is not necessarily the case. Last night for example I heard about a new initiative in higher education to promote people finishing their degrees. That's less about the students and more about the institutions themselves.

One of the college ranking system's criteria factors in how many students an institution graduates. This is supposed to measure how well an institution supports the students that attend. However, it is mostly used as a way to rank schools, not by the quality of their teaching or the quality of their graduates or by the concern of faculty for students. Instead, this statistic targets parents, who are concerned they will pay for students to attend classes but never finish.

Truth be told, we have a lot of students who take a long time in college. Some of these have extenuating circumstances: jobs, diseases, children, etc., that keep them from attending full time. In Las Vegas, our transient population also contributes, as people move away often before they finish, preferring to attend a cheaper in-state institution for their basic core before attending the prestigious institution of their choice for an actual degree. Many of them change majors. Many of them actually take classes, not to get a degree, but to learn things. Shoot, even I do that. There is no way I'm going to get away getting a degree from the school where I teach while I teach there.

Perhaps the most troubling trend in retention is indemic to the institution partnership. Students will bounce around from institution to institution since they are all part of the same system, taking particular teachers or vying for a better grade or hoping to pay cheaper tuition at the community college, and as such we have students who attend all of our institutions. Yet, they are not given credit as being a graduate because they attend NSC and graduate from UNLV or attend CSN and graduate from NSC, or even UNR. It's all part of the same system, and that's the problem.

In my opinion, too many of the measurements used in education do not accurately reflect the quality of the educational experience. Grades are not equivalent with knowledge; graduation rate is not equivalent with care for students; GPA is no predictor of success or dedication or committment; prestige is not synonymous with quality. The best way to get better education is to get better educators. Far too many professors are there for the wrong reasons. They are there to advance themselves or because they couldn't advance themselves in other places. Most successful people can either earn more money elsewhere or do not consider themselves good teachers. Most tenured teachers care a lot less about the students than they would like you to think. Shoot, how many people are actually taught by their professors? At least I was.

Educational institutions are there to make money. Although they rarely if ever actually turn a profit, they exist to rake in money against the cost. They do not care as much about the education of students, otherwise they would have tighter admission requirements to make sure the students who arrive are equipped and motivated for success. We allow high school students, who generally speaking lack the focus and maturity to actually succeed in college, to take classes while they are minors (Why do we allow minors to attend college? It's good neither for them nor for the institution). We allow people to take classes so long as they have a pulse and a credit card. We allow people into programs based on overall GPA after they fluff out their GPA with Underwater Basketweaving, History of Dance, and Backseat Driving classes boosting their GPA. Then we ask why they aren't successful. They are not ready.

Not all professors are created equal. Truth be told, a decade ago, if you told me I'd be teaching Organic Chemistry, I would have laughed at you. Even my ex-wife might be surprised to discover that, because she thought I would never amount to anything, let alone become a professor. My exams are difficult, but they force students to learn, not just barf back up a bunch of details for the exam. There is even one teacher, hopefully former, at my institution who gave exams completely unrelated to the course. I expect great things, and the students who are motivated and equipped for success have risen to the occassion.

I told one of my classes this week that although I wouldn't do this if I wasn't paid, I am not here for the money. The money is insanely good for a single male who bought a house far below his means, and so I am willing to do work off the clock to help them succeed. As I have previously mentioned, I give them other lessons, personal examples, and relevancies that some cannot or will not match, because I actually enjoy the work I do. It's hard work to be a good teacher, even more work perhaps than I am willing and able to give. Fortunately for me, I also happen to get paid, and I am paid sufficient for my needs, and so I will do things other people will not to help my students do things other people cannot.

What I learned about teaching, I learned from my mentors. Doctor Ron R, Doctor Dave Q, Doctor Carol C, Doctor David S, Doctor Bill W., and a handful of others made a personal investment in me. When they saw that I was willing to learn, they were willing to teach, and they went above and beyond to help me become successful. Of course, it also helped that I wasn't headed to medical school like most of my classmates. I watched what they did, why they did it, and how they did it, and I adopted techniques, mannerisms, and philosophies from them all that I recognized helped me learn to be a teacher. Hopefully, dedicated but untenured professors are like fine cheese- they get better with age.

Institutions of higher learning exist to teach people. Sometimes the students will advance without advancing the reputation of the faculty or institution. It's not so much what we do as it is what they do with the tools with which we equip them. Graduation rates that do not lead to job placement are a misnomer, and while my students will not directly as a consequence of my classes get jobs, I do teach them things I believe will help them after they finish college. At least, that's my goal. My students will testify by their accomplishments if I reached that goal.