My Sunday Thought for 110517: The Reflection Staring Back

"Sometimes you gotta wash away the paint, and reveal to the world the jackass that is hiding beneath."

-- Danny McBride, comedian, actor

Ever get into an argument with yourself? It is usually over something stupid, and something you already know the correct response to, but there isn't anybody else around that understands the issue better than the two of you. Never get into an argument with a jackass, especially when the jackass is you. I stated in an earlier post, "One's first thought might be that it would be easy to take down a jackass in a discussion. And that would seem reasonable, if jackasses weren't stubborn as all get-out. More likely what will happen is everybody else will only see two jackasses trying to 'out bray' each other."  Such nonsense gets noisy and produces little, if any, constructive outcome. Unfortunately, there will always be those who argue for the sake of argument or because they think it makes them look intelligent instead of smart. Of course, when it comes to the perpetually offended, one might feel the overwhelming urge to simply slap them silly and walk away in disgust; it isn't politically correct, but I have to think this beats wasting time trying to reason with someone who would even find reason for offense if you agreed with them. 

"Lady, I didn't get up this morning wanting to be a jackass... but you just pushed my jackass button."

-- Bill Engvall, comedian

Frustration is trying to lookup images for two jackasses braying at each other, when the internet keeps redirecting you to images of the U.S. Congress.  There are pictures of Congress actually working.  Contrary to what we might assume?  Only if we're really as stupid as they think we are.  Images of Congress in session are probably set up photo ops to keep us voting them back into office.  Calling a congressman a jackass is an insult to any self-respecting ass, but I digress.

When you look in the mirror at the reflection staring back at you, do you like what you see? I mean, are you okay if you see the reflection of someone going to hell for who they are and what they do? Because if you like what you see, even though you know you're damned, what does this really say to you, or to others? What do you think it says to everyone around you who sees through your transparent facade? Well, not everyone. If you hang with people just like you then you're in a mutual admiration society of shallow narcissists; so, I guess you're already damned by association.  Everybody wants to be you until they are you, then the smart ones pine for who they were and bemoan they mistake they made by thinking you were something to admire by wanting what and who they never were.  Beware what you wish for; quiet humility is always better than the egocentric alternative.

“Narcissists will never tell you the truth. They live with the fear of abandonment and can't deal with facing their own shame. Therefore, they will twist the truth, downplay their behavior, blame others and say whatever it takes to remain the victim. They are master manipulators and con artists that don't believe you are smart enough to figure out the depth of their disloyalty. Their needs will always be more important than telling you any truth that isn't in their favor.”

-- Shannon L. Alder, inspirational author

The biggest problem with not being honest in recognizing who is staring back at you from the mirror, is everyone else who stares at you are unwitting witnesses to an inability for honest self-assessment.  Unless you've been raised under a rock or away from the mainstream, the narcissists, manipulators, con artists, et al, are fairly transparent.  I'd like to think most good people recognize their own transparency, and embrace it as proof of life.  Barring this kind of ownership, if I find people I can't read, I keep peeling away at their facade until I reach some fresh raw meat.  Narcissists don't like this game of revealing layers, unless they initiate it.  The peeling away of their protective layers makes them, understandably, nervous and threatened.  

Journalist Karl Kraus (1874-1936) once wrote, "To me all men are equal: there are jackasses everywhere, and I have the same contempt for them all."  I have written, "The only people who truly offend me are the perpetually offended."  I don't have contempt for the perpetually offended, I just think some people need to get a life, and if this is their sad idea of life, then it sucks being them.  We would all be better off ignoring their petty offenses until such time as they find an important one.  Of course, by that time they'll be like Chicken Little and we'll simply assume this is another cry of, "The sky is falling!  The sky is falling!"   

“…have you always been a jackass or is that something you’ve just recently acquired at the ‘I Want to be a Junior Jackass’ store?”

-- Ray Palla, "H: Infidels of Oil"

I have no issue with the sinner staring back at me from the mirror.  I have full ownership of my mistakes, the choices and the consequences.  I knock wood each morning and thank God for another glorious day in paradise, and another chance to excel in life.  Will I succeed, today?  Probably not, as the sinner carries a burden of many secrets, secrets known only to God and any cohorts to those choices, good or bad, made in life.  The reflection staring back is the accusatory reminder of honest penance doled out by one's self, and the humble acceptance of one's present and future, the balance which must exist in the universe.

Balance is all about knowledge.  How does one know sweet without knowledge of bitter, light without knowledge of dark, forgiveness without knowledge of damnation?  Who among us knows better the sweet taste of salvation - the sinner, or the righteous?  How does a teacher truly teach, if they have no personal point of reference?  If you haven't walked the walk, how do you talk the talk with any sense of credibility?

So, what is left for the sinner who has found forgiveness for themselves?  I wrote the following in a post about the biblical 'end times' called, Rapture: Will You Choose to Stay?

What will the righteous do at the end?  My assumption, from what I've seen and heard, is that they will jump at the chance for a place on God's lifeboat.  The righteous of God will have given what was asked for, and will stand ready for God's promise to them, even while showing their true nature by their very actions.

Who, in their piety, will stand in the face of life everlasting, looking down on the multitude being left behind, and not feel compassion for their ignorance and pain, some modicum of pity?  Who will stand up for the lost, one more time, and renew the faith of God in mankind?  Who is willing to turn their back on what God wants, in order to give that which God demands?  Who will stand on that Day of Judgment?  Who will stay and guide the children left behind, through the tribulation and what lies beyond?

"I will stay for them, those You leave behind!"  As I close my eyes and lift my face to heaven, spreading my arms slightly from my sides, palms forward, I feel a hand grasp my right, and yet another grasp my left.  I cry.

When your reflection looks back at you, does it accuse, does it forgive, or does it do nothing?  We all have choices to make and consequences which drive our lives, and perhaps they will also drive what we do at the end.  Reflect to others the humility, love, forgiveness, understanding and sweet reasonableness, you discover throughout your life as anything else is of little consequence.  For all of this that you give, expect no return in kind.  Be selfless in love, in friendship, in life, in charity, and in faith, and do it all as if there's no future.

I plan on smiling in the mirror tomorrow.  How about you?

Editor's note to the reader:  By the way, a horse is an intelligent animal but not very smart.  A 'jack' ass, on the other hand, has earned itself a bad reputation as being considered argumentative and stubborn because of a unique survival instinct - it is smart.  A horse will do exactly what the rider wants, even if it means running itself to death, whereas the jack ass will instinctively do nothing which puts it at risk.  It isn't stubborn, it simply sees no good outcome in walking into a canyon full of rattlesnakes and has no problem letting the 'intelligent' rider know its mind by sitting down and not budging.  Smart.  A jack ass is not a jackass, only people can honestly lay claim to that, less than laudable, moniker.  Just saying.

Editor's Note 

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

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. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, 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 learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.