In his funeral oration for Caesar according to Shakespeare, Marc Antony sardonically points out that “the evil that men do lives after them [while] the good is oft interred with their bones”. As humans, every one of us has a part of his past with which he’d rather dispense, particularly when the lens of public or private scrutiny investigates his behavior and associations looking for problems. Having previously applied for a security clearance, I have already had the government go over my life with a fine toothed comb, and the things that might be cause for concern have been resolved to the satisfaction of the government. In short, they decided they can trust me, and so can you.
Many people cannot say that. I encountered a nice woman a few weeks back who inquired into college prospects for her daughter. When I suggested that she come get a degree and upgrade her life, she informed me that she had made a series of unwise choices when she was younger and had ascended as high as she expected to. I felt sad. I also have a great deal of respect for this woman because she did not try to hide it.
The best way to handle problematic issues for me has always been to face them head on. I find when you try to avoid or delay problems they grow and fester and eventually flank you at a time when you least expect and can least afford to face them. I have been the victim of false accusations. I have been the target of false aspersions. I try to take things with a grain of salt when other people claim something. Recently, I discovered this chastisement from God in the book of Job: “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man…and answer thou me.“ It’s powerful, and it reminds me of how extremely common it is for people to assume that what they hear is true without doing any research on their own.
Last night, I told my class that I used to go to Wikipedia and alter the articles so they were false. This week, I read about a political candidate who has altered her records so as to obfuscate details and remove references, making it more difficult for people to find out the truth of who she is and what she has done. That looks very suspicious. I begin to think she has something to hide. I do not come out and advertise what people might believe to be skeletons in my closet, but if you discover one, I still have my paperwork from my SF-86, and I can show you that those incidents were words without knowledge, and I have never tried to hide these events. I just choose normally to mention other things.
In attempting to hide her past this candidate threatens her future. It raises questions when people find out you doctor documents. I mean, Harry Reid claims that Romney altered his tax returns. I don’t know how you do that, but if it’s true, it’s no less serious of a crime for Elizabeth Warren or Barack Obama to have done so, since both of them are under suspicion of trying to hide the truth from folks.
Everyone makes mistakes, because everyone is human. The trick is to not let your mistakes make you. I am unashamed of my past and unafraid for my future, because the choices I made led me to become the person I am, and the person I am is a person I desire to be. I made choices back then with the best information I had, and when I discovered that I made errors, I made course adjustments. I have been focused for several years now on divine correction and direction, and because I believe in Christ, I believe that for the truly penitent man the past is done away and the Lord remembers it no more.
As we left the exam last night, I told one of my students that I expect great things because I’m trying to make of the rising generation a better one than that to which I belong. I desire them to be better so that we as a people can advance, and so I do not worry if they see my weaknesses, because I know they are smart enough to sort out the wise parts of my life from those that are otherwise. I do not mind sharing my philosophy because I believe it will help them forge their own path, and I have already seen that bear fruit. I take strength from my beliefs, values and norms. They guide my actions and help define who I am. If you find my thoughts amusing, laugh. If you find they support yours, rejoice. If you are taken aback at my lack of wisdom, thank God that He made manifest my weaknesses to you that you may learn to be wiser than I, and that’s why I write this blog in the first place.
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