The Liberty Legation 15-3 Diogenes’ LED Flashlight When I was teaching at the university, I would often tell my students that many of the technological goodies we take for granted have all been developed (on this planet) since my grandfather was born. Forrest Charles Wenner, my maternal grandfather, was born in 1903. Mass production of automobiles, heavier-than-air flight, mobile telephones, commercial radio and television were developed or functionally refined during his lifetime. My students were not impressed. They had become accustomed to the routine of new technologies and applications appearing nearly every day. It must be true, therefore that change is constant. With the unending introduction of new marvels and gadgets we have become a throw-away society. Consumer purchasing is a primary indicator of our national economic health. Instant meals, fast food, and a plethora of disposables seem to be the way we measure our “quality’ of life. I know that I sound like an old “fuddy-duddy” when I grumble about mastering a Version 2.0 of some phenomenal software as Version 7.3 is being introduced. The speed of change has accelerated to the point that I wonder if we’ll ever have the time to appreciate the “now.” Perhaps it is merely a function of my age, but I fear we are moving too fast to build foundations and permanence in our lives. Our technological advances and the availability of instant food, drive through funeral visitations, 6 church services per Sunday so we can arrange our trips to Cedar Point or the beach and other “conveniences” that accelerate and clutter our lives are luring down a veneered path. Our lives are becoming “all surface with little depth.” The disposable nature of our lifestyles has distorted our sense of what is truly important. We focus on acquiring things rather than building them. In lieu of strong relationships we have “friends” on Facebook. Instead of spending quality time with our extended families on Sundays, we hustle the kids to soccer practice or Little League games. Obviously I am becoming an endearing (my opinion) antique. My five-year old grandson is much more adept than I am with a video game console. Technology advances aren’t the only areas of our lives that seem to be moving at warp speed. Our lives have become frenzied as we rush from one event to another. The concept of permanence has nearly become a quaint anachronism. Relationships and marriages are discarded like yesterday’s newspaper. True craftsmanship has been sacrificed on the altar of mass production. “Pressed-wood” self-assembled furniture has replaced the sturdy oak, seductive walnut and inviting cherry of times gone by. As I write this, the old Peggy Lee classic “Is That All There Is?” rolls hauntingly through my mind. Perhaps the gap between older people’s “what might have been,” and the youthful glance toward “what lies ahead” is too wide to span. It is possible we older folks become wistful about pacing, spacing and reminiscing because we can no longer run the race. On the other hand, it may be that the frantic lives of younger generations deny them the opportunity to understand, ponder and conclude. When one is ricocheting down the road at a high speed, it is difficult to identify the flowers that grow along the roadside….let alone smell them. It is not just flowers that lose their individuality as we fly past them. Other people do as well. The blur of the crowd, the masses gathered at mega-functions retard our capacity for truly knowing someone else. Although my one and a half statewide campaigns were not successful in the electoral sense, they were invaluable for my personal development. After traveling several hours to meet with a tiny group, I would engage in some serious reflection during the long drive home. I learned to prioritize …. my desires, my needs, my wants, my goals, and even my principles (yes, even my principles). Driving home from a meeting of six people who claimed to share at least a portion my vision for a state faithful to constitutional liberty, I would question my sanity and my tolerance for others. I would often grumble about their failure to turn out a crowd or their treating me as if I were expected to spend time with them with no “quid pro quo.” I resented their taking me, my time and my message for granted. I was angered by their lack of passion for what Ohio could be. I was dismayed and discouraged. Usually, however, after the first potty and coffee stop on the way home, the seething anger would subside to a slow and low simmer. By the time of the second coffee stop my anger would be gone, and I would reclaim the purpose…the goal…the object of my passion. The trip and the meeting were not about me or my petty personal preferences. It was about my grandchildren and my Ohio. If but one person from that tiny group could begin to share my hope, then my efforts would double. Just one…or two…or more. I was searching for people who had the strength and the will to be evangelists for constitutional liberty. There weren’t many, but the Founders were few in number, and Jesus only had twelve apostles. That lonely time in the car (I drove 87,500 miles during 10 months of 2010) allowed me the opportunity to think, to evaluate, to dream and to refine my purpose. I was looking for warriors for liberty just as Diogenes was looking for an honest man. I think my results were better. I found many people committed to a freer life and limited government. What I learned from that campaign failure is that each of us should take the time to contemplate about our lives and our loves. We can begin to understand what is worth dying for, and more importantly what is worth living for. Maybe we should spend more time listening to our hearts rather than playing with the new best thing. May you find some precious peace so you can ponder your purpose. youtu.be/TJBhdKrwTOc Charlie Earl thelibertylegation thelibertylegation@outlook
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 23:58:59 +0000
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