Young children of neglect and abuse never really know they are victims of neglect and abuse. They believe the terror is all normal. They know not freedom. They only know
We must rescue them.
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No Failure Of Nerve
Students on the streets of China, soldiers on the beaches of Normandy.
We celebrate their nerve this week. The nerve of true radicals. The nerve of true heroes. The nerve of those with guts — ones with the audacity to believe THEY could face down power, tyranny, and genocide.
These radicals, at different places and times but united in cause, stared into the eyes of brainwashed minds — and their bullets— and screamed, “No you won’t!”
They knew some things matter more than self-preservation — truth, justice, liberty for all people, freedom to worship, freedom of the press.
As we celebrate them — dead and alive — let us also recognize that no society is too far from the return of those insidious IDEAS — xenophobia (the fear of “others”), nationalism (“Make our country great at any cost”), tribalism (“My political party is good and the ‘other’ political party is evil”), propaganda (The use of blatant lies and deceit to brainwash the ignorant), and relentless attacks on the free press & institutions of accountability.
Bravo to those heroes. And bravo to those today — those who, in solidarity, have the nerve to speak-up and prevent history from repeating itself.
“Never Expected Any Of This Attention…”
I’m not into quick fixes. I don’t trust them. The answer to tough questions is never a simple answer. I’m especially leery of self-help techniques, the memes you see on social media. Like “Think Positive Thoughts” or “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
No. It’s not true. Really bad stuff happens even to people who do good things — look at Jesus or his followers, or Martin Luther King, Jr.
I’ve been talking to my staff about this really smart author named Seth Godin and we’ve been reading a book of his called Lynchpin. He thinks that no matter how mundane your job might be, there’s always a way to add creativity and genius to it.
Human beings, Godin believes, are not cogs in a wheel. We are not machines. During our discussions at staff meetings, I would always refer to the people who work at toll booths. They take your money then they push a button so the gate does up so you can proceed on your journey.
People who work at those booths are human barriers, keeping you from going where you want to go. And most of the time, they have little to nothing to give. They act like cogs in a wheel.
I’m leaving Chicago’s O’hare airport and I’m in line at one of those booths — not a toll booth, but at the Enterprise Rental booth.
And I
Even though I’m not into quick fixes, there was something about this lady that touched me deeply. Didn’t seem to be a quick fix, seemed to be a woman who was a Lynchpin — adding creativity and value and genius, even to a mundane job.
After I shot the video I asked Camilla for her email address. When I returned from the trip, I sent her an email. And she responded with this.
I’m not into quick fixes, but if we are ever to find “attention or
It’s A Biblical Command.
A few seconds into 2019 — I am worried.
The other day I decided I would quit worrying. As a New Year’s resolution — give it up.
Then the clock struck 12. I wondered what Edison was doing. He’s my 20-year-old. He lives in downtown Los Angeles.
A few seconds into 2019 — I am worried.
Confession: I didn’t wonder. I worried. Then I recalled my resolution — a decision, a choice, an act of the will — to not worry
Many believe we have free will over our thoughts. As if we could choose our beliefs in the same way we choose to raise our right hands.
I worry that we can’t.