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VIVERE MILITARE EST

Some Things Are Not Black and White

We want things to be simple. We want things to be… black and white. What we have seen over the last week or so is that “black and white” does not have to mean, either/or. Those marching in the streets for justice are black and white. Those police officers are black and white. At a time when too many in America have taken sides, many more have recognized that outrage is the only response to George Floyd’s death. And Breonna Taylor’s death. And… That outrage does not justify looting and burning the businesses of hard-working people who are doing the best they can to take care of their families. The actions of some officers have been nothing short of reprehensible and unacceptable. When officers fuel the protests, with what can reasonably be called violence, we fall far short of who we think we are as a nation. That does not justify shooting, stabbing, or running down police officers. And some officers have been nothing short of heroic and all have put themselves at risk. We have seen...
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What Life Expects From Us

If you have not read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning , feel free to stop here and do so. While we are certainly going through challenging times, the details of life in Nazi concentration camps (he spent time in four, including Auschwitz) provide real perspective. But the book offers more than simply perspective. Frankl was also a brilliant neurologist and psychiatrist. His daily life became a study of man at his worst, but also at his best. It was a classroom of evil & despair with every student asking, “why”? Most of us have had some kind of existential crisis at some point in our lives. We have asked the litany of questions… Who am I? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? Or maybe it was faith found, faith questioned, faith lost, faith found again. Maybe you were convinced that you had to go “find yourself”. Whatever the case, we all want our limited time on Earth to matter. And we assume the answer is “out there” somewhere. The burden of man is that, whi...
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You Establish Your Priorities

Here we are… huddled at home, social-distancing, frequently scrubbing our hands, becoming aware of how often we touch our face, while checking our phones for the latest COVID-19 updates. If you work from home, WebEx and Zoom meetings are nothing new, but now our children may be learning that way. And some are using the same technology just to stay connected with friends. Depending upon your job, you may be working harder than ever. Or you may have much more time on your hands that you ever wanted. Some families grow closer while others crack under the financial strain. Heroes put their lives on the line, as code words are needed to get help to those in abusive relationships. Some leaders exemplify their role, while others make excuses. Some rise to the challenges. Wisdom and prudence and regard for others drive their actions. Some disgust and disappoint. As of this writing, more than 1.2 million people have been confirmed* with the virus and 68,000 have died. The government r...
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The Opportunity of Today

Every day you are breathing presents you with opportunities. Is this day unique? In the sense that more than 100k people in the United States (& 650k people around the world) are sick with a novel virus for which we have no vaccine, limited testing, and this fact has many of us sheltered at home… sure. But otherwise, no. Battles are being fought every day. If you’re lucky, those battles are limited to you battling you. The reality, however, is that we are almost two decades into non-stop war in the Middle East. Lest we forget, lives are still being lost in Iraq & Afghanistan. First responders and medical professionals are getting dressed for work knowing that, for some, their very life may be on the line that day. And many are almost certain to be face-to-face with the deaths of others before their shift ends. Those living in poverty are likely not able to prepare effectively for this pandemic, much less share jokes on social media about the lack of toilet paper and other...
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The Color of Your Thoughts

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? You probably give yourself credit for being a realist. You see it. You get it. The problems and challenges of this world… you understand them. You’re actively predicting the future in your own head. Well, if so, that means you’re likely doing a rather poor job of two key things that can seriously impact the quality of your life… 1) living in the present moment & 2) focusing on what you can control. Are there challenges in the world, in our country, today, right now? Yes. Plenty. Is that new? No. But this is different? Crumbling financial markets, a growing pandemic; the world has never seen such as this. Never? Just try to imagine the world of roughly 100 years ago. World War I rages, followed by the Spanish flu, then Prohibition and the related violence, the Twenties roar, then the stock market crashes precipitating the Great Depression. Wow! All of that in a span of about 20 years, that was then followed by World War II. This is not to m...
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