My Sunday Thought for 031818: Perpetually Catching at Straws

"When you're grasping for straws, don't be choosy about the color."

- Linda Poindexter, writer, humorist

The phrase, "Catching at straws," is hundreds of years old.  It eventually morphed into "clutching at straws" and then, more recently, "grasping" at straws.  No matter which you remember or prefer, the meaning is the same:  To try and do something as a last resort that is very unlikely to succeed, or to simply consider positive suggestions or thoughts in a bad situation when you've tried, or thought, of everything else.  I think there's another meaning which mass media, of late, has been guilty of:  If you can't find anything bad to say about someone you don't like, don't stress over it - make something up.  After all, what's journalism if you can't take a little artistic liberty with the truth, right?  

What?  You were expecting facts in your news?  Why would the news media do such a thing?  Because the majority of us act as if we're really this clueless, of course.  We concern ourselves with someone else's interpretation of facts, like a Hollywood star, which might be thick as a brick and have great hooters but is so much more interesting, entertaining, and convoluted, than the facts.  Get with the programming!  This is the 21st century, after all; when you're grasping at straws, don't be so concerned about the quality, think about the participation award!  

“The world is drowning in weirdness and lies......and here we are, so used to it that we're actually bored!”

-- Inio Asano, author, manga "Solanin" creator

It would seem one would need to lower their bar a bit, quite a bit, to be a journalist nowadays, much less be interested in getting at the truth.  A Hollywood star, on the other hand, is an actor and very good at acting as if they really know anything of substance.  Believing anything coming out of an actor's pie hole is tantamount to believing anything on the internet - Bonjour!  Or, if you've mindlessly fallen prey to those pesky Russians who've hacked into what we see and hear - Здравствуйте!  

So, where am I headed with all this?  I have no idea, I just write this drivel as it comes to me in the moment.  But, the following comment came to light in an article recently, posted by The Monastery, which might point us in a direction:

"Critics point out that the Bible doesn’t explicitly mention guns (well, how could it?). But they also insist that religious folks who cite the Bible are simply clutching at straws in an attempt to connect the Second Amendment to Biblical values. Vague references such as a “rod of iron” don’t constitute an endorsement of modern firearms, they claim."

-- TheMonastery.org, "Pennsylvania Church Holds Mass Blessing Ceremony for AR-15s"

"Religious folks who cite the Bible are simply clutching at straws." Okay, but half of the population in the U.S. states this same thing about the other half when those folks dare cite the Constitution. In the absence of facts we tend to grasp at straws or resign to drown in a swimming pool of bullshit which we created, never realizing the pool is only three feet deep. Is this really easier than helping each other by simply being forthright and truthful? It would seem so, and I hesitate to point out, as mentioned above, that the vast majority of us act as if we're really that clueless.

We create government the same way we create religion, by giving it life through belief, loyalty, faith, hard work and sacrifice, then we standby and hope we did the right thing.  We hope all of the belief, loyalty, and faith, aren't misplaced, and the hard work and sacrifice hasn't been in vain.  But, then, who are we to complain?  Didn't we give up the reins of control to some nimrod we voted in to do the work for us?  Or, maybe it's the Russians, or the Chinese that are in control.  Or, God forbid, the Iranians!  This is reminding me too much of the opening to the original Outer Limits program: 

"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image; make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to the outer limits."

And what's the scary part?  Well, today they can actually do all of this remotely controlled Outer Limits crap, and they can even watch us through our TV screen.  Heaven only knows what they've seen me doing, but then, I've always wanted to be on the "big screen."  As I understand it, the capability for this little invasion of our privacy has been removed.  Yeah, right.  Unless you're an exhibitionist, I'd stay out from in front of any flat screen monitor,

Like Socrates, the only thing I know for certain is that I know nothing, and I'm not even sure about that.  But, it would seem to me that those people we put in control are, in fact, thinking they are in complete control.  The church thinks for us, and government thinks for us.  We allow it, and some of us even so ignorant as to want more of it.  Freedom of thought is the smoke and mirrors which dazzle us into submission, and religion is, in fact, the opium of the people.  We think we have freedom and, it would seem, that very thought is the only freedom we're allowed.  

Is there separation of church and state?  We would seem to demand it, yet they both want to exercise the control, we give them, of everything!  We are, all of us, about as righteous as we are intelligent and, according to scripture, "there is no one righteous, not even one."  No one is ever really in control; the people, religion, government, and the "deep state," all wallow in their denial of this.  Any control we think exists is fleeting.  We are, all of us, grasping at straws until a greater power shows up to humble us with our own ignorance.

“You don't drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”

-- Edwin Louis Cole (1922-2002), "father of  Christian men's movement"  

We need to recognize the straws we're grasping for are floating atop the pond of crap we've created for ourselves and are close to drowning in.  We should all take a moment and consider draining this pond before we're at risk and, maybe, we should learn to do the backstroke.

2,500 years ago, the Chinese spiritual teacher and philosopher Gautama Buddha stated, "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path," and 2,500 years later, this is still sage advice.  We create our out circumstances, our own consequences, through the decisions we alone make and the unquestionable faith we alone can have.  We can listen to advice from doctors, lawyers, friends, and clergy, but it is ultimately up to us whether we heed that advice or, perhaps, morph it into a decision of our own.  If we don't learn the lessons which make up our lives we are doomed to repeat the mistakes; we will find ourselves constantly at odds with our poor decisions and happiness will be a straw forever out of reach.  

If I were God, I'd have my thumb caressing the big red DELETE button.  We must be doing something right, however, because we're still here.  Go figure.

“It is like a drowning man catching at a straw. You yourself will agree that, unless he were drowning he would not mistake a straw for the trunk of a tree.”

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881), novelist, engineer

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.