LEMMINGS

Slowly but surely we've become a nation of lemmings. Fuzzy, harmless little lemmings with a singular mind set ... follow the guy in front. Today more lemmings are being created than ever before.

Higher education seems to be the incubator of "Lemonistic" thinking ... Woven in to the curriculum of knowledge is the lemming mentality. Lemming 101?!?

I personally have nothing against the growing masses of lemmings ... However I would never want to become a publicly correct lemmings.

I'm a free spirit and free-spirit's don't reside in lemmings. I'm also independent and lemmings can't afford to be independent.

Fortunately I just don't seem to fit today's lemming profile.

A lemming has a need to be accepted ... a need to be politically correct and follow the direction of the masse ... "Shake ‘n bake," "paint by numbers" all these terms are indicative of a true lemming. A lemming feels a great contentment when he's inside the line ... but there has to be a line.

Just give a lemming a job description and a little cubicle with his desk. Happy! Happy! Happy!

Ah, another lemming says, "Just give me some food, a seat and screen, and I'll be content".

Nose to rectum they continue their common direction.

Thoughtless followers of the masses.

Clueless followers of the masses.

In my lifetime, I've worked with lemmings. I've worked around lemmings, I've worked under lemmings; but I'm definitely not a lemming. I'm an independent, alive and creative individual, traveling an entirely different direction then today's herd of lemmings..

On occasion, some lemmings even dare call me a rebel. What an honor!

How nice it is to be free from the fuzzy parade of mediocrity.

A CHRISTIAN IDOL?

When God's Church became the building, it began to die. It seems the "world" became aware of this deadening trend, and started calling the building the Church. Little by little Christians in the past followed along and accepted this change ... the building in too many cases became the church.

Look at the grand and permanent Church buildings in Europe and ... America.

Christians, as a dynamic people, slowly became invisible, and disappeared in the shadow of the Cathedral. Wow!

How we Christians love our beautiful buildings, we love "our" Church.

Our buildings, called Churches; created and designed by us. They're beautiful, they're permanent, they're visible and above all they're ours!

In reality, we, as God's Church, are eternal, consequently permanent and we, as a people, are to be visible lights in the community of dark doing together what we can't do as an individual.

Today it seems that what goes on inside many Church buildings is secondary to the growth and maintenance of the building itself.

It's apparent that a growing number of Church members would rather put their money and time into maintaining and improving their buildings than financing the more abstract, yet eternal, ministry of their Church.

Ministry is the very purpose of the Church.

I hate to see the Dynamic of God absorbed by the brick, steel and glass of man made idols. It's happening. Aaron had his golden calf, and we Christians today have. Let's not forget who we are, who's we are and what we're for ... where we gather, and where we worship is simply incidental.

TWO SHOES ... FOUR FEET

As a Junior High student in a Mexican school you are required to have a uniform and shoes. In a poor family having a small income ... $320 per month ... and seven kids, you just have to make do, Junior High school uniforms and backpacks cost around $90 each.

Ricki and Tomas are two brothers about the same size. Ricki, twelve, is in Junior High and his brother Tomas, eleven, is in grammar school; they have one pair of shoes between them. They make do by sharing the same shoes, When Tomas returns about noon, he takes his shoes off and Ricki puts them on and heads two miles down the dirt road to his school.

As a kid I was poor too, and ran all summer barefoot, but I had a better option than that. I had a good pair for Sunday and my "feet" world wasn't dirt but cement.

When I came Saturday afternoon, the boys were running around barefoot and in pajamas. I kidded them about wearing their pajamas so late, then I looked at the clothes drying on the fence. Mom stripped all the kids down to essentials and washed the clothing that was left, which wasn't much.

The family, like others in the neighborhood, buys their water from a tank truck that comes by every few days.

Yes, we paid for one uniform and two pair of shoes. These kids need school. I looked at all the boy's school books and grades, then gave them each $1.00 for their good grades ... a world of need, so close, and yet so far away.

NOW THIS THING IS BIG!

Yesterday I came out of the Krispy Kreme factory with a donut and cup of coffee; looking to the left I saw what appeared to be an armored car. A brand new armored car.

Parked near me was a vehicle I had never seen before.

I walked around it checking it out. It wasn't an armored car. It wasn't a swollen Hummer. It was simply the biggest street legal "what-ever" I had ever seen on wheels. Big wheels!

Ooh, the price tag!

Men like cars, and men like big, and men like tough ... this was the most impressive BIG ‘n TOUGH thing I'd ever seen. As I looked up at it, I quietly wondered at what altitude the driver's seat was.

Just then two young men came out with their donuts, went to the vehicle and started climbing up the side. They reached the doors and opened them and sat down inside. How I envied them ... looking down on all the cars below.

Mileage? I would guess about three gas stations an hour.

Wow! Look at that tire.

One of their tires would cost about the same as my little Nissan Xterra ... which I formerly thought was a rather Macho vehicle.

The difference? I drive around slow cars on the freeway, this thing simply drive over them! Oh, the feeling.

Well, as I stood there, I had to admit that mine wasn't as big as theirs. Mine Xterra was more in the toy Hot Wheels class now.

Obviously, these two men weren't politically correct, they weren't green, that's for sure.

Thumbs up! Two fossil fuel fools dedicated to heating up the atmosphere while driving over the little tree huggers in their electric wind powered sewing machines.

Yep, I slowly drove away, a humbled man.

LADY, WHERE DID YOU GO?

Ladies seemed to have vanished. When I was younger, I remember, we had ladies. Come to think of it we had gentlemen too. "Ladies and Gentlemen" wasn't just an opening statement speakers used in speaking to a crowd.

There actually were Ladies and Gentlemen. I do remember.

Young boys, like myself, were taught to become a Gentleman and treat Ladies with the honor and respect they were due. We were also taught manners. (When's the last time you heard the term manners? )

The term lady isn't used much any more. Today the concept of Ladies is, well, obsolete ... dead.

I rather miss ladies.

A true lady is rare find ... and probably old.

When they hear of the term Lady, many look back and think of the term Lady as a formal European entitlement ... part of the aristocracy of yesteryear. History.

Maybe that's the case.

Today it's simply woman or women. Woman's lib and Feminists stripped woman of lady. Feminists "We are not the weaker sex! We are equal with men! We don't want men or for that matter need men. Cut your hair, dress in a suit, stand tall; you are equal ... and keep your seats men, we can stand as well as you! No need to open that door, we can do it as well as you and even a little better."

Today it's simply women and men ... continuing their quiet struggle.

Throw out the manners, dignity, honor and respect we had for ladies. Throw out the beautiful and graceful walk of a lady. Throw out the perfumed trail of a Lady.

Today, Its simply men and women, boys and girls trying to blend into some sort of crude short haired Unisex anomaly.

Yeah, as an old Gentleman, I miss the ladies.

COMMERCIALS

I love today's TV commercials, don't you? An endless variety of devious sales pitches, if these guys could get through the screen they would grab you!

Where won't these guys go?

How unusual. On the screen bursts a pre wedding scenario; everyone in their best formal dress, white covered tables ... wine glasses ... Happy handsome young people, Then this young and happy lady picks up the mike and discusses ... intestinal bloating and constipation, flatulence? At least they're outside.

I'll have to admit it's a great pre-wedding subject!

Speaking of TV commercials, the pipe people are an interesting animation; pipe people in a dilemma running around looking desperately for a bathroom. Gotta-go syndrome! Bladder control problems.

Pills, depends, whatever.

Oh! And I'm a little intimated by the suggestion that I may have erectile dysfunction. BUT ... they caution ... if the pill works too well, (over five hours), your not to brag, but rather call a doctor immediately! We are assured that just one pill would make one ready at any time any place.

Of course I blushed as I looked up the definition of erectile and dysfunction.

Speaking of pills; I just found out tonight that one pill a day of this product in a bottle, will give me ribs. Muscular ribs! Now that's just what this old man needs is muscular ribs.

When I was young, commercials were on radio and much simpler ... mostly dramatic soap operas except the Marlboro man in the magazine. He was a macho nicotine icon, full of testosterone sitting proudly on his horse smoking. (The horse wasn't smoking.)

Cheers! At least today there are no tobacco or liquor commercials.