Locks and Laws

I have read and heard it said by some that in this thing called society, there are norms, standards, beliefs and traditions which define it, but which, in the regular course of time can and must change in order for the society to grow and improve. Along these lines, there are some who have assumed that this change or growth must include a change in moral values, especially where religion is concerned and they use this reasoning to attack religion in all it's forms. While not attempting to control anyone's thoughts or beliefs, I think it would be helpful to examine the idea that values can become outmoded and useless in a society where people agree on such a course and wish to freely follow it to it's end. 

 

So, let us take as an example the moral value of property rights. History is almost nothing but the chronicles of property rights disputes, whether personal or national. Everyone wants their own property, free from the oppressions of a neighbor, king or ruler of any kind. Thousands of years ago, from Mt. Sinai came the words, “Thou shalt not steal,” and ancient civilizations reserved their harshest punishments for those who felt inclined to violate the property rights of their neighbors by stealing or any other dishonest act. No one wanted to be taken advantage of.

But suppose there was a group of people who decided that property rights were old-fashioned and that they wanted to set up a society where this value was absent. Because they have decided that stealing is not wrong any more, they start taking whatever they want from whomever they want. The most bold and greedy among them would find themselves in possession of the greatest wealth, which in turn would make them prime targets for others. No one would want to work hard to produce or procure anything honestly because they would be afraid that someone bigger or stronger would take it away and murder would follow closely on the heels of this wanton theft as people would resent the removal of their property. 

 

Believe it or not, there have actually been many instances in history when this very thing has happened. People, in their zeal to find the 'perfect society' decided that old values, laws and standards were outmoded. They substituted 'common goods' for property rights, and found themselves in a vortex of shifting ground where no one was safe. Common property quickly evolved to include people, and soon the family was dissolved in favor of 'free love'. Unlike the bold predictions of glorious cities of wealth and peace, these societies always led to a terrible sort of economic and moral cannibalism. The strong preyed upon the weak until the weak were either dead or silenced. When there were only the strong and greedy who remained, they always ended by fighting to the death for what they wanted. History shows that when you take away a man's right to own property, you take away his outward motives for self-restraint and self-respect.

If a man will not control himself, I must either let him take what he wants from me, whether it be my property, my family or my life, or, I must find a way to either stop him or remove him from my society. Anciently, those who lacked self-restraint were not allowed to wantonly kill, steal or violate another's person but were either punished or banished for their crimes. Without property rights and the laws and punishments to protect them, there can be no peace or safety in any society. But if this is true for property rights, could it not also be true for other laws? For instance, if there is no moral code, then who is to stop a man from abusing a child? If moral codes can be outmoded then where does one draw the line between what is abuse and what is not? And If there is no line for restraint, then where will be the line for defense?

Most religions provide the best safeguards of a man's liberty. They teach that a man has a right to life, property and the pursuit of happiness, but not the right to destroy or take another's life, or property. They provide motivation and social pressure for restraint by reminding him of the eternal nature of law and justice. But, if people do not believe that there is a just retribution for their actions, then, no matter what we say, they will have no reason to keep to a moral or ethical code of any kind. If they do not believe in an eternal justice, then they naturally will desire to remove the restraints of physical justice. In other words, if I don't believe that stealing is wrong, why should you punish me for it? Such a person would desire to legalize everything he believes is not wrong. A group of such people could create a society where there was no such thing as wrongdoing, which, as has been observed numerous times throughout history, always ends in disaster. Throwing out religion, or the moral values espoused thereby, is like throwing out the locks on your safe. It isn't very safe.

Silver Screen Savvy

I'm a big fan of the silver screen. I love old movies. My children think it's strange when some of their friends have never heard of men like Cary Grant, Danny Kaye or Fred Astaire. In our house, it's standard fare to have an old movie playing at least once a week. And, every year as a family, we gather around the fireplace, pop some popcorn, snuggle up in blankets and watch White Christmas. When we watch it, we sing along with all the songs and laugh at all the bad jokes, again. Sometimes we even dance while they are dancing. It really is a lot of fun. I know it seems like an unorthodox family tradition, but we like it.

Some of my favorites are movies like Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Their frolicsome antics and slapstick humor is unforgettable, and in this one, we even get to hear Cary Grant sing!

Speaking of Katherine Hepburn, who is perhaps the greatest actress of our time, we just recently watched Pat and Mike, the wonderfully funny and surprisingly heartwarming film with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. It's hilarious how, with a little Jiujitsu, Pat takes out the thugs who are trying to hurt Mike. But the interplay between those two actors is never better than in the great film called, Without Love. Endlessly entertaining and interesting, these two actors should have been granted immortality. The world would be a better place now if they were still in Hollywood.

One of my quirky tastes is that I love old British films. Alec Guinness, in The Ladykillers is a British theater/ film mix that is absolutely unmatched for sheer cleverness. I also love him in The Swan, where he plays a crown prince with Grace Kelly as a princess. Funny, sad, thoughtful and unexpected, I loved every minute of it. Movies with Alec Guinness in them are sometimes hard to find, but with the help of Youtube, Netflix and Amazon, I am having a little better luck. One of my recent finds was an old, old one called Barnacle Bill, where Alec Guinness plays a sea captain who gets seasick but who finds his niche running a little pier carnival. Insightful and tender, funny and ridiculous, this movie is one I will keep around to show to my grandchildren!

A few years ago, I also discovered a terrific singer who was famous in the 1930's and 40's. The first time I heard her sing, I just couldn't believe it. What a voice! She had an amazing career as a young singer/actress and then, after ten years of tremendous success, she left the movies and never went back. She disappeared from public life altogether. But, cinematography has kept an archive of her films which are a real treasure for any music lover. Starting with Mad About Music, her debut film, then First Love, which is a sort of Cinderella story and going on to It's a Date, His Butler's Sister and Lady on a Train among about a dozen others currently available, Deanna Durbin is one of the best singer/actresses of all time. She rivals Julie Andrews for singing and has a youth and bubbliness that became her charming trademark.

And where would musical theater be without dancing? Gene Kelly, with his captivating smile and amazing dancing skill, is a favorite at our house. In Summer Stock, a movie with Judy Garland, Gene Kelly shows the scope of his talent for singing, dancing and acting. He and Judy make a terrific couple and they literally sweep you off your feet.

Today, we've got a lot of computer graphics and I'm told that you don't even have to be able to act to be successful. You just have to have the right company doing your special effects. I don't know; It's just not the same. My idea of good special effects is Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling in the movie Royal Wedding. I think my problem is that I was born an old fogie. I'm always saying things like: They just don't make movies like they used to. So, when I'm tired of the glitz and glamor, shock and awe, death and gore, I turn to the black and white, song and dance, clever and friendly. Can you blame me?

This Blank Page

As I sit staring at this blank page, wondering what to write, I am thinking about this beautiful new day and how it is a little like this blank page. Everything I do, everything I say has yet to be determined. I am the master of my choices and the possibilities are endless. I can take this day and this page and make of it whatever I choose.

In spite of the 'blank page' effect, however, human beings are often bound by their past. Habits formed over years' time make strong fetters for our lives that can be nearly impossible to break. I say nearly because they are not impossible to break, just almost impossible. But if you think of your day, or even your life as a blank page, with the key of choice in your own hand, it does not seem so impossible.

There is something in my life that I have wanted to do for a long time. I have known of it's value for many years and yet, I have not actually done it. Why? Well, I suppose it might be habit or fear of failure or just laziness. But whatever the reason, I realized only this very minute that the only thing between me and the accomplishment of my goals is me. My habits of thought and behavior, perhaps begun in childhood, color my blank page every day and I stand by and let it happen.

If you like what your page looks like every day, then I suppose there is no need to change it. But if, at the end of the day your page is not what you had hoped, then there may be a need. Some people are oddly indifferent towards their blank page, as if they expect someone else to fill it up and then sit around complaining about all the things they don't like about it. It's like some people I have read about who will go into a doctor's office and expect him to 'fix' what is wrong with them. But when the doctor asks the person about his lifestyle and finds out that the cause of the 'illness' is poor habits and deliberate self-destruction, the person becomes defensive and angry saying that the doctor's job is to 'fix' the problem, not tell him how to live.

A blank page can also be intimidating. Some people are not comfortable with taking responsibility for their choices and their lives. They want to allow life to happen to them, while they complain, worry or just don't care. On top of that, blank pages and empty days can be filled so easily with wasted hours and mindless entertainment that many now spend their whole lives in this manner. I guess the real question is: Why should anyone try to do something besides waste their days?

Even in a very narrow view, life is spectacular. Speaking in terms of humanity, there have been thousands of generations of human beings inhabit this planet. Billions now inhabit it, and if we can assume anything from that, billions more will yet be born. If that is true, then there is nothing more we need to know in order to have a reason for improving our lives. With my limited perspective, I can see some of the choices which my Great-Grandparents, Grandparents and parents have made and their attendant effects on me and my life. I now have the opportunity to live and choose. All people, not just my own posterity, could potentially be impacted by my life and decisions (take Thomas Jefferson, for instance).

It may not be the only reason, but it certainly is a reason for spending my days in the anxious pursuit of a worthwhile dream. My dreams today will largely determine the reality of my children tomorrow, just as the dreams of a few good men determined the destiny of this great country.

So, with the blank page of a new day in front of me, I feel like shouting: “Hooray!” because I have the power to shape the future, both for my children and for humanity. It sounds a little like magic beans from a peddler. OK. Anybody want to buy a cow?

All I Want for Christmas

Please,

Let me have a morning where the snow is freshly spread like flour on a pie crust, all light and powdery.

Let me have a great big fresh-smelling pine tree, too broad for it's space in the room and so tall that the star on top has to duck a little to fit; that's full of big, fat, old-fashioned, slow-blinking lights making kaleidoscopic patterns on the ceiling.

Let me have a freshly baked pumpkin pie all steaming and bubbly, fresh from the oven and smelling like a spice rack.

Let me have a cup of apple cider from the apples in the yard, mixed heavily with orange peels, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.

Let me have days on end of anticipation, music and family togetherness.

Let me have an evening with children dressed as Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, sheep, donkey and an Innkeeper.

Let me have a reading of 'A Christmas Carol' with it's ghosts, memories and change of heart.

Let me have a concert of great music, prepared especially for the season, like a beautiful turkey dinner complete with all the trimmings.

Let me have a turkey dinner with family gathered around the table in thanksgiving for the bounties and blessings of Christmas.

Let me have one moment by myself to reflect on what it means to be alive.

Let me have peanuts and stockings, lumps of coal and oranges, candy canes and ornaments, carols and Christmas cards.

Let me have a morning too early, where, in the dark by flashlight or candle light, children rise and peek at the stockings hung for them on the mantle and gifts that were too big to wrap.

Let me have people to share with, people who need my help and people who just want to be with me.

Let me have all of this and more, every year, year after year for my whole life.

Is that asking too much?

I guess not.

Thanks

The Best Thing I Ever Did

When I am trying to think, it is a supreme distraction to me if there is movement, noise or confusion in the same room. Often, like Winnie-the-Pooh, when I wish to think about something or solve a perplexing problem, I go to my “thoughtful spot”, my bedroom, close the door and just sit in peace and quiet where ideas can flow freely without interruption. As human beings, I believe we all need a thoughtful spot, but I also believe that we need a thoughtful life.

I had three children and lived in a fairly large city when I awoke to the chaos around me. It happened one bright, sunny afternoon in our front yard while my children and I were out for a short walk. As we walked down the sidewalk returning to our home, a car came speeding over the little hill behind us. I thought nothing of it since we were on the sidewalk and kept my eyes on my children walking a few steps ahead of me. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the car dove recklessly toward my children. I drew a quick, gasping breath and prepared to scream. The car, just as quickly, jerked back onto his side of the road and went careening away from us, well beyond the speed limit.

At first, I thought that the boy driving the car had been trying to hit my children. I was angry and frustrated by my powerlessness in the situation. However, I soon realized that the boy had probably just been goofing off and had tried to frighten the children. This terrible and harrowing experience caused me to question the wisdom of living in such a place.

Within a year, we had purchased a small farm and were enjoying the wide open spaces around us. The first thing I noticed about living there was that if you had to drive anywhere, there weren't fifteen cars behind you, pushing you to go faster. You could drive anywhere and stop in the middle of the road if you wished and just look at the scenery. The other thing I noticed was the feeling of calm that allowed one to think. No one was hurrying anywhere and life just sat there like a blooming flower, waiting to be enjoyed.

Our friends were astonished that we would move so far away from “everything”. They complained that the drive into town for my husband's work would be intolerable to them. They liked that shorter drive, they said. Ironically, though further, the drive into town from our farm actually took less time because one did not have to fight the traffic, besides the fact that a leisurely scenic drive was far less stressful.

There are times when we have to be where everyone is hurrying everywhere through bustling, crowded thoroughfares. When that happens and life seems to be a mass of hurried confusion, it is helpful for me to step back from the crowd, turn off the noise, stop the car and find a quiet place to reflect. There are too few places where this is possible. Instead, life seems to offer more and more distractions, noises, fast-paced shows, activities, jobs, money-making schemes, products and advertisements. Not only that, but people seem to be in more of a hurry than ever to keep up, get ahead and stay afloat.

The other day, when offered the opportunity to assemble a simple project at a scout meeting, I overheard one boy say that he didn't have the time. Is life so fast-paced, even for children, that we don't have time to live?

Living takes time. Like thinking in my thoughtful spot, living has to be taken in with slow, easy breaths, enjoying it one moment at a time. I found it very difficult to live in a place where I was constantly dodging cars, being kept awake by noise and running as fast as I could to keep up. Real living began for me when I steered off the fast track and parked in a little field where I could think. It was the best thing I ever did.

Wildrose Music: Music For Everyone

The goal of Wildrose Music is to provide great original music, royalty free, that is downloadable in several formats. We have created a place where choir directors and musicians of all kinds can find good new music that is free and easy to download.

There is a need, we feel, to share the music that is being written. We feel that the copyright laws are too strict and actually restrict the circulation of great music. Some people feel that composers deserve to be paid for their work, as much as anyone. As a composer I have struggled with this question for many years. Certainly composers have to eat, but selling sheets of music is not the answer. Music is something you share. However, I realize that I am almost entirely alone in my opinion. I believe that people ought to be given the opportunity to have the great music that is being written. If it is of value to them, then they ought to give back what they think it is worth. However, I, as a composer will not hold the music ransom for money. In my opinion, this cheapens my life and makes me a slave to the dollar. What I write, I write for the good of myself, God and other people. I do not write it to make money for me or anyone else. I believe that the good music I send out will come back to me in the form of good will, good wishes and joy. It has already done so for these many years. I have shared all my music with anyone who asked me. I have been paid, again and again in things other than money. Once I make it a profitable venture; expecting money from every page printed, then the joy of giving is gone and the avarice of expectation sets in.

I choose to leave the avarice alone and live only with the joy of knowing that the music is going out and giving someone else a slice of happiness. That is enough for me.

The Real Thing

I'm the type of person who likes to do things herself. I like to have things to do and I like to be responsible for doing them. I like the feeling of knowing that there are people who depend on me for important things like meals and clean clothing. I also like to feel that I can do other significant things that are valuable to other people. These qualities about myself are, I'm sure, in no way unusual. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that these feelings are a common need among human beings. I noticed early in my career as a mother that children are extremely keen about their independence and desires for significant work. It is parents who discourage these qualities in their children and it's usually because they don't understand that it is a need.

From the first moment a child realizes that there is such a thing as a kitchen and that there are important things going on in it, a child is curious and desirous to participate in the action and work of this most interesting place in his world. To him it is an adventure in exploration and discovery. The child, if allowed will spend hours working with and experimenting on the tools and ingredients in a kitchen. However, as a mother who was interested in things like 'clean', 'safe', 'tidy', and 'convenience' I found it very difficult to overcome my feelings of frustration over the child's natural curiosity and desire to work at something significant. Often I would try to shoo the children out of the kitchen and away from the tools of my trade so that I could keep order and feel that I was a good housekeeper. But the more I tried it, the worse I felt.

I have known children whose bedrooms looked like a mini Toys-R-Us. The toys are so thick and so deep that it would take a week just to shuffle through them all, let alone play with each one. They are usually Christmas gifts which quickly lose their appeal after about the first 24 hours. They then get piled with the rest of the next-to-new toys that will eventually find their way to a thrift store. Parents are under the mistaken belief that children NEED toys. Every advertisement about children tells us this untruth in the most convincing ways. Even children will demand toys, saying that they need them in order to be happy, content and feel loved.

Children need one thing: usefulness. You can give a child the most expensive toy on the market today and still they will play with it for a few hours and lose interest, the same as if you had purchased a dollar store junk toy. In my opinion, most toys are an insult to a child's intelligence. They assume that a child needs and desires to be entertained. But this is a false assumption. Children need to feel that what they are doing is important to the people around them. Just like you and I, they need to have a work that gives them those feelings of self-satisfaction that come only from doing important work well. Toys are merely a distraction from life. Children need real life, not distractions.

It was the look on my daughter's face when I tried to get her to play with her toys instead of help me in the kitchen that taught me the truth about children. She was hurt beyond words when I told her that I wanted her to go out of the kitchen and play with her toys. What I was really saying was, “I will do the important work here. You are just a child. You can play with toys. You are not important enough to do something real.” The look on her face let me know that this was the message I was sending. When I understood that, I decided to put aside my personal feelings of frustration over a little chaos and let my daughter help me in the kitchen with whatever I was doing, regardless of the mess or inconvenience. The result? Well, she now cooks wonderful meals for hundreds of people, loves cooking, feels significant and important in her life as well as mine and is a happy, well-adjusted adult. She feels confident that she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to and has made her parents proud of her accomplishments more times than we can count.

Was it worth the inconvenience and extra mess? What do you think?