Last evening was a wonderful experience for not only me but for a couple of hundred wonderful people from all walks of life, ages, histories, experiences as I was part of a concert to raise funds for a local jail ministry. Many songs were sung, many words were spoken, many tears were shed, many smiles shared, many wonderful sentiments expressed, many people, old friends, for the first time in a long time reconnected; it was at the aggregate a Joy! Through absolute exhaustion from the physical and emotional stress of such an event, when I got home and was able to reflect on the whole of the lead-up to the concert and the concert itself, and I was deeply reminded of the very words I spoke last night to the crowd on my now found Five Principles of Jim Williams Life:
- If you do what you have always done you will get what you have always gotten
- If you do not know where you are going, that is exactly where you will end up
- If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything
- Whatever it is in life you are looking for, you WILL find it
- STAY IN THE FIGHT!
After a crazy, restless night of sleep, my mind re-registered on Principle 3 as I have read the morning news which I love to do each morning. We are watching Russia begin annexation of her former republics with absolutely nothing that will stop the Putin juggernaut, the continuing saga of the lost jetliner, the global equity markets jumping in all directions, gold continuing to lose value, etc, etc.
Last night I had this moment of reality and relativity slowly slide into my cross hairs when just before my Quartet took the stage to do our set, I saw this young man sitting near the back of the crowd. I just glanced at him for my mind was already to take the stage. He was tanned which was unique for NE Ohio in late March and as he looked at me I realized it was one of six former students that came to the concert last night but this young man, Ryan West, had just returned from his third tour in Afghanistan. Many times during this deployment I had prayed for his and his unit's safety while in-country. I was so deeply touched and we stood and hugged each other for a few moments. In that moment, my Principle 3 flashied more vividly across my radar screen for here was a great young man that Stood for Something!
During our set after having sung No One Ever Cared So Much For Me, I asked Ryan to come up onstage with me and I recognized all the veterans and spoke about Ryan as a student, as a trooper and as an excellent example of our America. It was special given that moment with so many watching to embrace him and tell him I loved him and thanked him as did many before his departure. In that few moments, the stark reality hit me that so many around me sincerely do not exemplify what they stand for therefore they can and do fall for anything.
I have extreme concern about my country, a country I have loved for my entire life, have worn the warrior cloth of my nation, have paid my taxes without a whimper and prayed for my leaders as hard as that it is to do at times and especially currently. But then I step back and asked the same, simple question about what does my nation stand for in 2014? It is at that vertex that I feel I am in the equinox of not knowing what my nation really stands for in complete honesty. The values that established the boundaries and provided the strands of culture are unraveled it seems. It would seem my nation seeks only tolerance which translates as no absolutes that translates to no boundaries. A culture with no boundaries is a gang with no morals as I view it.
I have been teaching my four year old grand daughter to render a sharp hand salute and how to cut it away sharply this week and my wife and I are helping her learn the Pledge of Allegiance to our Nation; precious to say the least to see her combine the salute and the Pledge for it swells my heart. But core to that swelling with pride is in knowing she is Ethiopian and now living her life in America; a blessing as is she. But what will her America be for I know it will certainly be very, very different that my America was, right?
This nation is not the nation most of us grew up in, loved, worked, sacrificed, and will die in. This nation is adrift in a sea of borrowed and lobbyist money making our leadership more and more prostitutable; so sad! We see our military top brass being rightly publicly admonished for bad choices and conduct. Where are the heroes? Where are the ones we want to be like? It seems each day a new blemish or shadow is cast upon our horizon and I see a whole generation of great young minds casting around in disillusionment for those that Stood for Something have gone AWOL at a time when the "heroes" and "examples" of right are needed so desperately.
Last night as Ryan and I embraced in absolute respect, I was re-energized and lifted in my love for this nation and its youth. So I ask the question as I did to the audience last night ... what do you stand for, really, what DO YOU Stand FOR?
I stand for giving a straight-concise answer when asked a question-regardless of how many points it costs you in the polls.
ReplyDeleteI stand for character, integrity and being genuine.
Your input equals your output-you get what you give.
I stand for family values
Look at the last Presidential election; we passed over an honest, genuine, religious, well rounded Business man with solid family values in favor of a Lawyer and community “organizer” that started his Political career in the living room of a person that hates America-and worshipped at a church whose pastor is racist and hates America. How do people ignore that very important fact? Ever hear the phrase “birds of a feather flock together”? You are so right Jim that “if we don’t stand for something we will fall for anything” well, we fell for it big time! Because we believed the lip service instead of looking behind the teleprompter to investigate what he stands for as a person, we get lied to almost daily, our Constitution is in shambles and welfare rolls continue to rise. Yea-we got “change” alright!
Right now I could stand for a big sausage and cheese omlette so thanks for another well-penned piece Jim!