Straighter Furrows

Straighter Furrows

Charlie Earl

My father was obsessive about his fields and furrows. The rows must always be straight….no deviation. As a youngster on the farm, I thought that he was overly picky. I found his insistence on straight furrows to be rather tedious because my impatient attitude wanted to get on with it. Invariably we had the straightest rows in the neighborhood. One could peer down the row of emerging corn and see no swerve or variation. When plowing, our furrows were nearly as precise and dead-furrow depth was to be no more than 8 inches….because they were easier to “fill” and created a more level planting surface.

Now that I’m plowing furrows for myself, I find that I’m committed to straight and narrow ones. There are a number of reasons that I have grown to value straighter furrows. First, precise furrows have fewer “missed spots” so the person doing the plowing does not have to redo the plot. It saves time and fuel….you know that old “do it right the first time” wisdom that never loses its potency. Second, there is some personal satisfaction derived from craftsmanship. The aesthetic value and the internal sense of accomplishment are satisfying. Third, the straighter furrows are more easily worked to allow for a smoother and more consistent seed bed which, in turn, should prove beneficial at harvest time. Fourth, I miss my Dad, and every day I discover how right he was about so many things in life.

It seems probable that most of us would enjoy having a “do-over” for certain actions, inactions or incidents from our pasts. I can recall (painfully) many instances when I have failed to properly respond to a circumstance even though I knew what the correct response should be. Either my stubborn pride or short-term self interest dictated my inadequate reaction. Inevitably I paid for my failure to follow a proper course. It seems that our human and carnal natures become most dominant when our reason and faith-based responses are most needed. If I can fall into a sports analogy here: it’s similar to when the 90% free-throw shooter clanks a couple at “crunch time.” Our higher purpose and our higher natures are not natural. Our tendency is to revert to our weaker and baser natures when we face adversity.

Even when we are mystified by something beyond our ability to comprehend, we feel the need to reduce it to the comprehensible. Although at first blush this appears to be a logical response, it assumes that we are capable of knowing everything. It is arrogance of the highest order. The mature response is to admit that we do not know, but accept the possibility that something may be greater than our feeble knowledge. This is the essence of faith, but in times of stress or trial, we resort to our limited awareness to provide unsatisfactory and incomplete answers about what is going on around us. Belief is knowing enough about a matter to accept it at face value. Faith is sustaining belief when pummeled by doubt. Those who have little or no faith are most vulnerable in times of trial.

This somewhat meandering missive was prompted by what I observed on Facebook yesterday. Numerous posts suggested that I “share” if I believed while others insisted that I “like” them. Meanwhile….other posters belittled and ridiculed those who have faith and wished to be “liked” for their cleverness and original thought. I found myself wanting to share my faith but not desiring to be brow-beaten into doing so. In addition, I resented the judgments of those who laughed at my belief. In many respects they are no different than those who wish to behead me because I am an infidel in their views.

Straighter furrows and straight rows allow me to focus on the task at hand. They prevent my being distracted by extraneous issues and meaningless gestures. If I tend to my field and cultivate it wisely, then the harvest will be bountiful. If, on the other hand, I allow other factors to intervene, my rows, my time and my energy will not be utilized to their greatest potential. As I line up my John Deere to strike the next furrow, I must remember to keep my eyes on the target at the far end of the field. If I do so, my goal will be achieved so far as my meager talents may allow.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

  

Gentle Spirit, Bad Attitude

Gentle Spirit/Bad Attitude

Charlie Earl

Despite my curmudgeonly demeanor, I am a cuddly type of guy. Violence isn’t my thing although I’m not afraid to ferociously respond when my loved ones are threatened. I’d rather get along with people and talk things out even though I can be rather pig-headed at times. My family tells me that I am a verbal bully….not abusive, but so self-assured in my beliefs that I discourage dissent. In addition, I am a bigot. I detest people who act as if thinking is too difficult. I loathe people who see their life’s mission as telling me how to live mine. I abhor thoughtless clowns who perceive government as the final arbiter for all questions of morals and policy. I hate those who believe my previous statements are “hate speech.” In our present politically-correct climate I am an outlier…a fossil… persona non grata….and an anachronism. But I am lovable although not universally beloved.

Although I cannot cite the exact physiological ratio, I seem to recall a statement that smiling requires fewer muscles than frowning. That may be true, but it causes me to cheerfully ask, “What about scowling?” By now you have detected an element of schizophrenia in this column. I simultaneously am happy and despairing. Giddy with joy and fuming at the social and political mayhem that surrounds me. It seems impossible to be happy and filled with rage at the same time. But yet….that’s where I am. I know there are skeptics who suspect that believers in Christ are delusional and misguided. I shared their views once upon a time, but since my conversion some thirty years ago, I have truly experienced and enjoyed the happiness of eternal hope while anguishing about the state of the “world” … and our nation.

Any evangelist can tell you about the internal struggle between glorious happiness and utter despair. Certainly… Christian evangelists and secular proponents of political liberty share similar ebbs and flows. For example the evangelist moves through earthly life with a conviction or certitude that is a mystery for most people while at the same time, the preacher yearns for others to share the promise. When they reject it, deny it or demean it, his heart is broken, but his personal joy remains intact. The true evangelist for liberty has a nearly intuitive understanding of the happiness that engulfs the unfettered life. Liberty’s advocates share a similar fate with the warriors of the Gospel. They know the power of freedom, but are saddened by the failure of others to understand. Simultaneous joy and pain.

Anyone who fervently believes in a noble cause has been gifted with a purpose. Too many people drift through life seeking “meaning.” Those who have repented and accepted the gift of salvation cherish the life-altering moment. Similarly….those individuals who are obsessed with a meaningful purpose are driven to achieve their goals. It is the unfocused person who traipses from one guru to the next, from one panacea to another seeking something to live for and to die for. It may seem contradictory, but if something isn’t worth dying for, it rarely is worth living for. Even though many seek to institute a valueless society here, the people who have made value judgments to go “all-in” for a worthy cause are the happiest among us.

They are the saddest as well because they are often ridiculed, shunned and ignored. The Word of God informs believers that they will persecuted for their faithfulness. At a somewhat different level so, too, will be the zealous advocate for liberty….or any worthwhile endeavor. People generally prefer to slide through life without too much resistance, but once someone has discovered a worthy purpose, opposition is sure to arise. So it is possible to possess a gentle spirit and a bad attitude at the same time. In fact if one believes in something strongly enough, it is inescapable. If you are one who has a noble purpose that will not be denied, you will be identified by your caustic tongue when you utter with love, “Stick it up your a$$. I’m moving on and you can take it or leave it.” Just remember to say it with a warm smile.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

http://thelibertlegation.blogspot.com

   

Government is anti-Darwin

Government Is Anti-Darwin

Charlie Earl

Despite the anti-religious, anti-faith stance of the federal government, it is actually a huge promoter of anti-Darwinism. The concept of Natural Selection is routinely abused by government policies and priorities. Even many state and local governments deny the guru of anti-creationism by their contradictory programs and efforts. It has long been a belief of mine that government cannot be trusted because it has no mind, no soul and no heart. We can now add “no consistent principle” to the list. As you may have detected by now, government policies that punish the successful and reward the unsuccessful are contradictory to the Darwinian model.

By assisting the underachievers in society government distorts the pool of acquired merit. In many cases, not only are the successful treated punitively, but are ostracized and demeaned. This approach is similar to the “self-esteem” movement within our education system. Non-performers are praised, suckled and pampered by the government agents in charge while the more diligent members are left to fend for themselves. Maybe we should identify the phenomenon as the “Darwinian Inversion” because it undermines true achievement while rewarding the talentless and the slothful. Losers never lose, and winners fight like the dickens to stay above water.

Perhaps one of the more glaring illustrations of my thesis is the government reaction to disasters….particularly natural ones. For hours and even days, government agencies and media warn people that a storm/hurricane/blizzard is headed their way. Dire forecasts and predictions abound as the public sector screeches about the coming gloom and doom. Evacuations are urged and ultimately required. Yet… yet.. during and immediately following the catastrophic event significant sums of taxpayer resources are expended for rescue operations for many people who refused to comply. The government is distinctly anti-Darwin because of its eagerness to save the stupid, the stubborn and the unstable from their own folly. If the government and the liberal progressives who control it truly believed in the Darwinian principle of Natural Selection, they would refrain from preventing the “death by storm” suicide efforts of the unfit.

With its emphasis on the weak, the lazy and the disadvantaged, government intimidates the public into a squeamish acceptance of its inexorable growth. By appealing to our better natures the progressive/socialist cabal builds a web of control that is fueled by false compassion. Government functionaries and their apologists prey on the strong by advocating for the weak. The so-called secular and data-driven public servants deny Darwin’s hypotheses to advance their own agendas. They elevate the weakest among us and expect those of us who survive to carry on without whimpering or objecting. If we complain, we are characterized as heartless and unfeeling, selfish and cruel. The anti-faith government uses faith as a tool to bludgeon the producers while exalting the takers and looters. If Darwin were alive today, he would climb aboard the “Beagle” and search for a place where the fit are flourishing. The United States government and many of the state and local governments appear to be obsessed by the notion of appropriating from the fittest in order to encourage the proliferation of the unfit. The approach is the antithesis of scientific Darwinism.

Personally, I find many of the popular interpretations of Darwin to be distinctly anti-Christian, but some of his hypotheses are valid, observable and can be replicated. Governments’ ignoring of the concept of Natural Selection while self-servingly promoting a collectivist social agenda is scientific misfeasance and malfeasance. Perhaps the real answer is not a government bias for anti-Darwinism, but rather a government position that distrusts the individual. Government seems to prefer the lower common collective over the shining achiever.

Charlie Earl

cearlwriting@hotmail.com

cearlliberty@gmail.com

http://thelibertylegation.blogspot.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com