Arrogance and Humility both are taught? Personal responcibility is the key!

I see so much arrogance in our world in everyday life and in sports especially.

I believe arrogance is taught, or just tremendous insecurity.

You are the best, and you don't need to play by the rules ,and you are not responsible for your actions. Everyone gets a trophy and you don't need to perform or out perform anyone its O.K.

Our republic is based on achievement and the drive to better ones life and the opportunity to do so. Our goal is to give every citizen the ability to excel to there own level of achievement.

This doesn't always happen, but the opportunities are not perfectly even of course as the haves have some privileges and connections that the havenots don't.

This is politics and it happens . You can rise above it regardless of the circumstance if you want to.

No society is perfect, but the drafts of the "constitution" and the "bill of rights" do call for the opportunity to be present.

No guarantees but opportunity.

Arrogance is learned buy parents ,coaches and others in your life and so is humility.

I see so much arrogance and entitlement in our world.

When I was growing up you were taught to make your own way. If you had advantages it was a shame to squander them.

It was your choice.

You would work hard and create your own luck by using your God given talents and hard work .

It's the way nature intends it .

Survival of the fittest, it's the laws of nature and since we are nature and God is nature it is a tough world but based on survival. If you are clever you can survive and flourish.

No one owes you anything, and if you wait for someone to do something for you, you will be disappointed. Make your own way and if something goes well or someone favors you with kindness ,then be humbled by it ,and appreciative as no one owes it to you. Of course as a compassionate society we want to help those who are truly down on their luck or sick .

We need to balance it and make sure its not a pure entitlement .

This takes cost and overhead.

It's expensive to care for others, but it certainly is the right thing to do, yet we need to have strict guidelines and adhere to them. I will write about the health care issue in my next blog entry and I truly have a very simple answer ,but like the flat tax the cattle in Washington will never vote for it until "WE THE PEOPLE" stand up and insist on being counted.

BTC

Wonder or Wonder!

I have been looking at my new grandchild in Wonder.

There are two kinds of Wonder and actually maybe more.

The kind of Wonder where you just don't know how to explain the beauty and Wonder like effect something has on you and then the' I Wonder" what that means kind of Wonder. Both have there purpose and are important. Plain Wonder and if we don't Wonder we don't grow.

Either way it's a Wonderful time of year.

Not because of Hanuka or Christmas , but because there is a Wonder that overcomes people in spite of all the problems , strife, negative press, and issues the world over. Because regardless of all of these things there is a Wonder that takes place every year at the holiday season. We seem to feel that things will work out, and the amazingly positive human spirit will win out, regardless of our differences.

So if this season were to do nothing but to be a catalyst for renewed spirit, and somehow give us strength to face the year with renewed belief. Then that is fine and it is enough.

I suppose the gift giving and the pomp and decorations and celebration are all good ,but let us not forget that it's really about caring about each other and giving to each other and maybe about forgiving each other a little too.

Perhaps just perhaps the word Wonder is the answer to what it means.

I Wonder?

When men were Men!

Doug Gilmour was a Hockey player who was recently inducted in to the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments during his career.

He was the epitome of the sport during the time my children grew up and played hockey.

There are many fine players and many great skaters ,but something about this guy was the sport of hockey.

I liken him to Scott Stevens but on the offensive side of the ice.

Tough,tenacious, talented.

Big moments were a big part of his game.

My sons college lacrosse coach would say "Big Man Plays"

Well Dougie had many .

Just when you needed him to come through he was there. Big smile a little bit of Hollywood, in a north of the border way.

The best part of his career was when he played in Toronto .

He won a cup early on in Calgary, but he really was the leader of the Maple Leafs for years with Wendle Clark.

Equally amazing on both sides of the ice he reminded me of the great Bryan Trottier of the Islanders yet more physical.

If you are a hockey fan take the time to watch some U Tube clips of Doug Gilmour in his prime .

That's the way the game was played and should be played.

Just had to say it!

Fiercely defending the rights of Americans to protest.

As we all know one of the greatest things about America is that you have freedom of speach and freedom of assembly.

These are key elements of our republic .

We are a republic not a democracy.

Just so you know.

A republic is a country with a specific form of government, in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are not granted primarily based upon family, military, or business connections.^[1][2] In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a country where the head of state is not a monarch.^[3][4] The word republic is derived from the Latin phrase res publica, which can be translated as "a public affair", and often used to describe a state using this form of government.

So we defend the rights of those who assemble and protest.

This is a good thing.

Sometimes the people protesting have opposite views from our own and sometimes we agree with them.

Either way they have the right.

Protesters are a good balance against the system so when things go wrong they can counter the idea and state their ideals.

Ping Pong is Life.

Life is a Ping Pong game.

Sometimes when you play the ball seems to bounce just where you want it ,and other times it misses the mark.

Life is the same . Every day is different . Thats the wonder of it all.

If we all lived in Stepford we would know what to expect and the boredom would be numbing.

Some days we are on and some days we are off.

The wind and elements can effect the game just as the emotional and other issues can change the game of life.

I suppose it's like anything else we are never completely on our game every day.

Well think about that ,Dr's have to be on their game they have no other choice.

Baby's then and now?

Whats the difference between having a baby 30 years ago and having a baby now?

Woman still go through trying to have the baby naturally and then often have to have a C Section.

It still happens.

The baby is often hungry at weird times during the first months and really doesn't get on a schedule until it wants to.

It still happens.

New parents worry about breast feeding vs not breast feeding and what is the right amount of time to do it for.

It also becomes a matter of sanity ,as the thought of getting up ever 3 hours to feed a baby is crazy.

It still happens.

The specialists in breast feeding and sleep management and special care are all available and they have great information ,but until you really live it and experience the baby and what a tremendous task and miracle it is you have no idea what and how to raise a baby.

It is certainly a young persons game.

Exhausted ,sleep deprived, and delirious nervous system breakdown are a few adjectives which define the job.

It still happens.

Somehow all these babies get born and most in our society survive and thrive long enough to become part of what I call the 3 stages of exhaustion for parents.

Stage 1: Physically exhausted as in stage one while the baby learns to survive and walk and talk.

Stage 2: Emotionally exhausted as the children become teenagers and learn to drive cars and party until God knows what hour.

Stage 3: Financially Exhausted which lasts for the rest of your lives including college ,Internships, marriage, children and the rest of the growing up process.

So there you have it parents you have the map of happiness which we all get to follow.

It still happens.

I spent a few hours with my first grandchild last night and despite all the trials tribulations and all the sleep loss and emotional concern it is worth every bit of it as the blessing of new life never fails to bring love and happiness into the world.

It still happens!

The use of thermostats and the insanity of it all.

The thermostat is one of the greatest inventions of all time.

You see the temperature, so let's say its summer and its hot and the outside temp is 89 degrees.

So you set the thermostat for 70 now that is a lot of work to get the house down to 70 but the system keeps pushing until the house is 70.

Ah it feels so nice.

Then the system shuts off once the temp in the house is the same as the thermostat says.

Then the temp in the house starts to build and once it goes above 70 on the thermostat the system goes on keeping the house at 70.

The cold air only blows while the system is on maintaining 70 degrees.

Now if you ask certain people they say why is the fan not blowing all the time ,and if we keep turning the temp down in the house that will constantly be blowing cold air right?

If you continue to lower the temperature in the house or leave the fan blowing the whole time this might solve the problem, but it will not stop the energy company from shutting off your power when you can't pay the bill.

Carbon footprint excluded.

Who knows, it all depends on what the thermostat says and what the temperature is outside, and what the attitude is inside?

The Circle of Life!

I know there are plenty of parents and grandparents who understand the meaning of "The Circle of Life." I suppose it doesn't really hit you until you experience it first hand.

The miracle of birth is the most amazing gift that we are given. To renew and or cleanse the soul like a swim in the ocean!

It never fails to amaze you, and it is bigger than anything else can be.

It is the succession of our race ,and the hope that there is a better day, and a better society in our future. I suppose that there is a grand plan although sometimes I think its all left to chance.

The miracle is that through doubt , sadness , glory, tragedy, triumph, having and not having.

It all comes down to being with the people we care about, and have feelings for.

It's that simple.

I am not sure what the purpose of life is, but i do know that the time spent here is best spent with our friend and families because when it comes down to it that's all we have.

And I mean All!

The Ocean is the beginning and the end!

Global Warming is warm!

Today there was a research report stating that global warming is actually going to help the health of the people on earth.

I will post the article here because I can't say it as well as the study.

The great philosopher Lewis Black said first "Eggs are good for you ,then they are bad , Make up your mind I have to Eat"

Here is the reverse opinion on global warming.

Should we worry about a sudden rise in sea level of 1/4 of one inch over the next 100 years or not?

"Make up your mind I want to go surfing"

The study by Heartland Institute, Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, and Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) says “mankind will be much better off in the year 2100 than it is today and therefore able to adapt to whatever challenges climate change presents.”

However, this "finding" completely contradicts the observations and predictions of most researchers in the world. It directly challenges the findings of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) report.

The “Climate Change Reconsidered: 2011 Interim Report” was co-authored by a team of scientists recruited and led by Craig D. Idso, Robert Carter and S. Fred Singer.

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It asserts that manmade greenhouse gases do not play a “substantial role” in climate change and that previous reports about the effects of global warming overestimated the situation and “failed to incorporate chemical and biological processes, which are as important as the physical ones."

However, the conclusions of the study contradict the findings of the widely cited reports of the IPCC and many climate research organizations. The IPCC says that human activities (manmade greenhouse gases) are actually responsible for climate change. According to it, CO₂ contributes to the melting of polar ice caps, rising sea levels, reduced Arctic ice cover and alarming changes in the environment.

The authors of the new report say “the net effect of continued warming and rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere is most likely to be beneficial to humans, plants, and wildlife.”

The report says that “global warming is more likely to improve rather than harm human health because rising temperatures lead to a greater reduction in winter deaths than the increase they cause in summer deaths.”

The researchers found that global warming “benefits” not only mammals but amphibians, birds, butterflies and insects also benefit from its myriad ecological effects.

The reports also states that the Medieval Warm Period of approximately 1,000 years ago was both “global and warmer than today’s world.”