Sunday Thought, December 14, 2014: Dance Like No One's Watching!

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth."

-- Attribution Indeterminate

This photo is wrong on so many levels, I should know, I took it.  The one saving grace is that this person cares so little about what others think.  He is going to dance like there's no one watching!  When you think about it, shouldn't we all?  

There is a lot to be said for people that throw caution to the wind and live life to the fullest, not much of which is positive.  Throwing caution to the wind takes your life expectancy from the "average" to a crap shoot.  Let's face it, those people that ski glaciers, scuba dive with sharks, BASE jump, fall from perfectly good aircraft, free solo climb, kayak Class 4 - 6 whitewater, hunt alligators, and the like, all seem to be in denial about their deep lack of respect for their own life.  Don't get me wrong, I applaud their large steel huevos, I just think they've lost their minds and have a serious lack of good sense.  These are the people that once dead, crippled, or comatose, we all think, "Damn, took longer than anyone thought!"

So when I look at this guy, he seems fairly harmless to himself and those around him, not that I'd let my child anywhere near him... until he repositions that fin and moves clear of the beer cart and the porta-potties.  I'm sure the women found him just drop dead darling, though.  As for me, not so much.  I don't know this gentleman, though he brought to mind other people I do know.  None of them come close to looking as zany as he does, but they do harbor his zest for life and being themselves regardless of opinion.  This is a good thing, and I would let my children near them.

"I think people would live a little bit longer if they didn't know how old they were.  Age puts restrictions on things."

-- Karl Pilkington, radio producer, poet, podcaster

I think Karl Pilkington is wrong, and right.  Age puts restrictions on things so we will live a little bit longer.  It's called using good sense, when danger is involved.  But, other than the danger aspects, is the reason why more of us don't follow the philosophy outlined in the above quote is the fear of being judged, or looking like we're not acting our age?  People that do live life to the fullest could give a rat's patoot what others think of them, for the most part.  Take this handsome fella (please!).  Judges give him a big "8" on the Weirdometer.  I have seen stranger, but then I spent 22 years in the military, so this was fairly sedate.  Truth be known he's probably a really great guy; possibly a family man, a retired full bird colonel suffering from PTOCBD (Post Traumatic Officer Club Bar Disorder), pining for the good old days of Hunter S. Thompson, divorced three times, drives a Hummer, has a daughter in the Air Force Academy, and a stock portfolio that says, "Neener, neener, neener, life is a wiener, and I don't have to work no mo!"  But, that's just a wild guess I pulled out of my nether regions where I keep all things wild, like guesses.

When it comes right down to it, why in the world do we really care what others think of us as long as we're not hurting them, or ourselves?  Hey, if you don't have to conform to some work, school, or societal standard that enables you to live, then why not throw a little caution to the wind?  Why not follow the "dance like nobody's watching" philosophy and make the occasional fool out of yourself?  It's a lot more fun than being normal and conforming.  Not that I would know, of course... just another wild guess.

"To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live life a little."

-- Criss Jami, "Venus in Arms"

I think that we spend way too much too much time conforming and worrying, being offended when what we really want to do is be a little offensive; being disgusted when what we really want is to do is be disgusting for a while, you know, like sing karaoke.

This Sunday consider blowing the minds of your relatives for Christmas.  Wear the "ugly Christmas sweater" or the flashing Christmas tie.  Put on the Santa cap and belt out a loudly obnoxious, "Ho, Ho, Ho!"  Tell the wife you'd be happy to go sing carols around the neighborhood with her, then take her for dinner or drinks and tell her you love her.  Grab the mic on the kid's karaoke unit and totally embarrass them by launching into some song you have no clue how to sing.  Wear the lampshade at the Christmas party.  Do something totally out of character... be the fun one!

Try being wrong, in a good way, on at least a few levels!

"Dance. Smile. Giggle. Marvel.  TRUST.  HOPE.  LOVE.  WISH.  BELIEVE.  Most of all, enjoy every moment of the journey, and appreciate where you are at this moment instead of always focusing on how far you have to go."

-- Mandy Hale. "The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass"

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor