And many of the workers seemed to have all they could handle with dealing with one person at a time. This is often good advice, to deal with one problem at a time, but what happens if it is more than one problematic person at at time??
On one particular occasion, there were four young teens who decided to cause trouble all at the same time. We had a 'time-out' room, and directed the four boys in there ...each one assigned to a separate corner.
One of the boys smiled, seemingly pleased with the exploits of he and his cohorts. He said that he felt all four of them together could take me on.
I reminded him that when dealing with each of their behaviors, it was my goal not to hurt anyone ...but, likely someone could get hurt if four of them decided to rush me all at once.
He backed off a bit ...and said, he didn't like the way things were being run (his obvious opinion of his 'rights' ...or his concept of 'right & wrong'). He added that he believed in anarchy.
I knew what that meant, but often it's wise to ask someone what they mean by what they say.
He did a fairly good job of describing anarchy ...as having no rules, and everybody doing what they want to do.
I smiled, and said to him, "If we had anarchy here, it would be the same as it is now."
I think I sort of surprised him by my comment, as he hesitated before making his next comment, "No way!"
I explained that if everyone did what they wanted to do ...there would still be some conflict, because that which one person wants may get in the way with that which another person wants. And I concluded by saying that things would be the same way as they presently were ...because I was bigger than him, and I liked the way things were.
I know I've told this story before, and I don't adhere to the 'bigger than' ruling policy. Communist countries often use strength and power to rule. And they often capture the youth's minds by pretending they are all for them, and need them. They use the youth to help them undermine everything that would be in the youth's favor.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn is an author exiled from Russia. His opinion was that teachers in the West are leading a younger generation in a spirit of hatred of their own society.
Others have viewed us as 'Generation Me' ...
It would be sad indeed, if people hated everybody, including themselves ...so, it's good to see someone 'like' themselves.
I must ask though, does focusing solely on 'Me' affect others ...other than me??
Honestly, I must say, "Yes."
And honestly, it also affects 'me' ...often in ways that are not beneficial to me.
Having us define 'right & wrong', or morality ...hasn't that bought upon us some of the very ills that we now face??
January 2018 ---we have had an onslaught of undeniable reports about an Olympic doctor, who was also on staff at Michigan State University. Those horrific reports have not just made us aware of an isolated event. At the end of last year, we had heard of a shocking number of Congressmen and other political figures who had tried to cover up their inappropriate and immoral actions. And many prominent media figures seemingly thought their organizations were too highly esteemed to challenge their reckless behavior.
Actually, throughout our entire society ...there are abuses that for the most part go unchecked.
There are countless many more cover-ups. Why are they cover-ups?? Because they are known to be wrong.
Who is responsible for the wrong?? The coach for the men's basketball team at Michigan State University ...has faced many reporters. When someone like the university doctor faces criminal accusations, the police take the reports and the courts deal with each individual case. The men's coach is not authorized to conduct criminal proceedings, and I'd never assume he had any conversations with any of the athletes on the women's teams. We do get mad when horrific things happen, mad enough to want everyone to pay consequences, but it should not be also those who are not perhaps guilty. The doctor has certainly gotten away with it way too long, yet he is now going to likely serve his life behind bars. That may not help the pain of the victims, and the lines of communication need to be investigated as to why this was able to go on so long ...but, that particular doctor will not be able to claim more victims.
Should we not trust any doctors??
Should we let everyone rather get sick ...so as to spare the youth of the chance that another sick doctor may be out there??
I don't agree at all with what many of the people profess and do at Westboro Baptist Church, but that does not make every Baptist denomination guilty ...or every denomination, of every church??
I'd say that is not leading us in the right direction. I do believe that we are obliged to speak out against the wrong though ...and I do speak out against those who in my opinion are not professing the Christian example. I don't speak out and point out all the mistakes that people make. (I'm not going to report someone who puts chewing gum under their seat at church.) But, there are many sticky situations that cannot (or should not) be ignored, and when it is this serious ...there is a necessity to speak. Not only do actions need to be curbed, but I believe we are too liberal with the use of our freedom of speech.
There are other faith believers who may live in Michigan communities who are affiliated with a much larger community of believers that may profess some things they may not individually believe in ...and I also believe it should be the responsibility of those individual believers to point those particular things out which separate their beliefs from the potentially damaging beliefs of many other vocal members and leaders of the faith.
Many things are covered up, other issues may be pointed out, and there are those things which are right out in the open ...not challenged, therefore seemingly accepted.
Yes, what about those things which are not covered up??
And not only not covered up, but ...actually, advertised, promoted, and dispensed publicly???
I don't know much about this ...as I said, I only go to a movie about once a year, so I'll have to 'Google' it.
Well, I tried to look up a list of immoral movies, but instead of sexually immoral, a list of violent movies came up. I only recognized two or three titles out of fifty ...and it was disturbing enough, so I decided I didn't want to look up the sexually immoral list.
This is not a recent phenomenon ...as there have been movie ratings for a long time that have been listed as adult movies, though I don't know why any adult would want to watch them. They are not adult-like in content. They are horrifically sickening ...and it's very disturbing that they are even out there. And it concerns me that so many people seem to get a degree of excitement out of shock value ...whether sexual, violent, or otherwise.
Like I said, this is not a recent phenomenon. When I graduated from high school, the movie, The Exorcist, came out. Nearly two decades later, The Silence of the Lambs, became a movie everyone was talking about. Then two decades later, Fifty Shades of Grey, joined the ranks of movies of which over 80% of the people who viewed them said they liked. And there are numerous other movies ...of which many of you can recall much better than me. But, those three movies alone brought in a combined total of nearly $500 million dollars.
It seems that horror movies have their own category, but if you label a film Comedy, then it broadens the audience to include children. And if it is a cartoon, much more is often overlooked.
It seems like a double standard ...where we can also stand politically against guns, yet violence is increasing on the screens in the theaters. And of course, for years we have had cartoons filled with violence ...where animals were the characters. Now, we come closer to human beings ...by depicting superhuman beings, involved in superhuman violence.
So, what is the standard of 'right & wrong'??
What the doctor at Michigan State University did was inhuman ...or subhuman. If we as humans acted like animals ...that would be immoral. But, it would not be as horrific as what some of us humans do.
Like so many people, I would like to ask why?!?
But, I sort of know why.
We often only look at the horrific result, not tending to what leads up to it. And we also mostly focus on what is currently brought to our attention, and usually in close proximity to where we live and breathe.
One third of all child marriages take place in one nation ...50% of their females given away in marriage before the age of 18 years old. And often dreadfully not even entering the teen years. Does that hit us close enough to home??
Another community of people is said to have reported wife abuses within two-thirds of the households, within the first year of marriage. This group of people are a society of much wrong ...but, if I don't mention what they are by name, does it concern you enough to look into it yourself??
Other nations practice female genital mutilation from as soon as birth ...because of a sick notion that they have the right to control female sexuality, as a result of their male dominance and deep-seeded, sometimes jealous controlling insecurities. There used to be a phrase that said, "Not in my neighborhood!" This phrase was mostly addressing a national drug problem. Is it important if it goes on somewhere else?? Or do we view that as someone else's problem??
The United States of America, where I live ...has been a 'melting pot' of different peoples and different ideas, having integrated many and much varied concepts of 'right & wrong'.
Back in late 1979, after Iranian revolutionaries took 52 Americans hostage at the US Embassy in Tehran, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Iran and froze Iranian assets in America. Among those frozen assets was a $400 million delivery of fighter jets from the U.S. that Iran’s previous government had already paid for. (info. from Snopes)
{The government that we apparently owed the $400 million to ...was taken over by hostile revolutionaries, which in my opinion were not the people we were dealing with, and certainly by keeping American hostages is proof enough for me that we not do business, nor settle debts with them. But, that appears to be what we sadly did. For some reason we felt obliged to cooperate with a revolutionary and hostile group, instead of one that does not profess to hate us and wish us to be wiped off the face of the earth.}
The mining company, Uranium One, was originally based in South Africa, but merged in 2007 with Canada-based UrAsia Energy. Shareholders there retained a controlling interest until 2010, when Russia’s nuclear agency, Rosatom, completed purchase of a 51% stake. Our Secretary of State at that time played a part in the transaction insofar as it involved the transfer of ownership of a material deemed important to national security — uranium, amounting to one-fifth of U.S. reserves (a fraction re-estimated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at closer to one-tenth of the United States’ uranium production capacity in 2017) — thus requiring the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), on which the U.S. Secretary of State sits. (info. from Snopes)
The list and examples from those mentioned could go on & on. So, how do we find common ground as far as 'right & wrong' goes??
I look to the Bible, which some people say is very violent. But, perhaps those who find difficulty with it ...don't understand. There are many examples of things gone wrong ...but, if you read of those cases, you will also read of interventions and consequences. One such horrific case is described in the Book of Judges ...during a time when it was said that people did what was right in their own eyes.
Okay, yes, it was men's eyes in the Book of Judges ...and one horrific example is described in Chapter 19. Actually, all the problems I've mentioned previously ...have been problems as through the minds of men, or their mind's eye. The one that does include a woman's problematic decision, I have not mentioned here ...and that is abortion. Though, I do consider that much the man's fault also, as I believe in most cases a woman would love to have a man's child if the man would only continue to want to have her.
People do have differences and don't often see things the same way ...but, the magnitude of the differences should be more on the level of this: (I was going to share what I view as a common and not disturbing exchange by a husband & a wife, but then I was seeing reports on the news ...and after sharing my quick jumbled thoughts, I do not feel in a comical mood at this time. Perhaps I will add it at a later time, as I believe we should not sour our entire life forever. But, as Solomon's addition to the Bible states: there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak ...and certainly it is not time to laugh, but it was time to speak.)
