Sunday Night With John: No, You Move!

I am a flawed man. I’m well aware of this fact. It is why I’m drawn to people in history or characters in fiction that lived by certain principles. We are all flawed. We are all open to emotional swings. And, if we lack principles, we all are susceptible to losing our way.  Principles become our guiding light through the emotional minefield we navigate every day. That's why we cannot blindly support a group or a person. We bend our will to allow a friend to commit an action we know is wrong. Or, we make excuses for our leaders, citing the difficult spot they are in. Or, we justify to ourselves our own actions even though they go against our moral code. The problem with this is that every time we do this we chip away a little piece of our soul, chi, integrity or spirit. We end up on the slippery slope to becoming a Bernie Madoff, morally corrupt and life-poor.

As I watch the news every night, there are macro examples of this daily--Republicans twist their words, actions, and decisions to put up with Trump, while, the Democrats bemoan Trump for most of the same stuff Hillary did. Our leaders have made each other a contradiction. They hate the leader of the other party,  not realizing that their own leader was morally and ethically bankrupt years ago. Trump and Clinton sacrificed their principles years ago for power and money and to feel superior to others. If you hate Hillary and support Trump, you are basically supporting a male version of Hillary. If you hate Trump and support Hillary you are basically supporting the female version of Trump. If your principle is to support people who tell the truth, who are honest, genuine, and want to lead in order to serve others, not themselves; you would dismiss both of these people no matter your political affiliation. But it’s more important to be right, damn the flaws, damn the sacrificing of our soul the second our guy or gal is in charge. We will drown out the sound of our spirit dying, by telling the people who disagree with us that they are wrong and not living the mission.

In a world that is constantly interweaving, combining, and compromising (which is a good thing) we must realize there is still right and wrong. There are still bullies, corrupt leaders, and people with compromised spirits, waiting for us to betray our principles to meet their ends.  They want us to bend, break, or forget our principles, hoping we will just conform, forget we have the ability to stand up to the world, and say, no. All this brings me back to my favorite fictional character, Captain America, because of his unwavering commitment to principles. He once said, “Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world -- "No, YOU move.”

Even with all my flaws as a man, I have principles that I believe in, and losing my integrity and soul are too high a price to pay.  I'll never forget that, even if it means I fall short of life's goals, I want to look at the people who love me and have them say, he's a good man. So, if you need me, I’ll be by the river of truth telling my corner of the world, "no YOU move!"