The "House Rule." If you don't follow it, you don't stay. Being a lover of animals, both domestic and wild, I find it fascinating to watch how they behave and why. They have a natural sense about them to survive, but once they get past the survival struggle, they can be taught to behave quite well as the picture shows. Living in a rural area, our house rule shown as the caption to the picture says it all. If you don't get along, you don't stay and it has worked quite well. We've saved a number of animals over the years including dogs, cats, horses and even birds, but we've found that once they are comfortable, they get with the program quite easily.
So, what's the problem with humanity these days? We find kids running wild, people committing outlandish acts and a general lack of respect for property and others on the part of many. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all kids are out of control or adults either, for that matter. But it is clear that we have a large social disobedience problem which can be seen nearly everywhere we go. And we just shrug it off and disregard it as we move on, leaving the problems to grow and over time be accepted as a norm of sorts. The more we allow that to happen, the more common and worse it usually gets.
Well, here's the thing. Admit it or not, we have issues today with rules necessary for social order. A pervasive spirit of anything goes has grabbed hold of many of us and society can't exist that way. It's one of the blessing of such things as The Constitution and yes, the Ten Commandments or other similar religious rules of order, for there have to be rules for behavior in any civilized society. And as the "take to the streets" mentality takes over, look at what happens to us. The more we let it go, the more we get desensitized to the adverse consequences such as beatings on the street, rampant looting and worse. Anarchists love that, but I dare say that most Americans and decent people from throughout the world don't.
If you look at nature in action, even animals have rules. Our domestic creatures learn from experience. Once they figure out what gains them favor such as food, they adjust to that. Even the wild things have order, with the pack leader or "alpha" teaching and establishing how things get done. And while animals can be brutal to each other, with the exception of rogue creatures, they use their brutality for survival, as in finding food. Once they've had enough to eat, most don't kill just for the sport of it.
But man, well, that's a different story. Jealousy, greed, pride, hate, unrequited love, and other such things can often drive us to break out of the order and do what we want regardless of the consequences. And those consequences are usually horrific both for the victim and the perpetrator as good or potentially decent lives are ruined.
Watch the animals around us and we can learn a lot about nature. And since we've been privileged to have both a higher cognitive ability and a soul, recognize them for the gift that they are. Sure, each of us is an individual who wants to do his or her thing, but realize there is a right and a wrong way to pursue our dreams. When we step over the line and infringe on the rights of others, serious problems result. When large groups of us together do it, we broach anarchy.
Learn from experience and open your heart and let the Spirit of kindness, decency and good living shine in. For me it's found in my Lord and Savior, but for others it might be something else inside, a positive little voice which pushes us to do the right thing. Follow goodness, not darkness. It will free us from the chains of bad actions and open us to clean and productive living. What could be better than that, both for us and for those who share this life with us.
So, what's the problem with humanity these days? We find kids running wild, people committing outlandish acts and a general lack of respect for property and others on the part of many. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all kids are out of control or adults either, for that matter. But it is clear that we have a large social disobedience problem which can be seen nearly everywhere we go. And we just shrug it off and disregard it as we move on, leaving the problems to grow and over time be accepted as a norm of sorts. The more we allow that to happen, the more common and worse it usually gets.
Well, here's the thing. Admit it or not, we have issues today with rules necessary for social order. A pervasive spirit of anything goes has grabbed hold of many of us and society can't exist that way. It's one of the blessing of such things as The Constitution and yes, the Ten Commandments or other similar religious rules of order, for there have to be rules for behavior in any civilized society. And as the "take to the streets" mentality takes over, look at what happens to us. The more we let it go, the more we get desensitized to the adverse consequences such as beatings on the street, rampant looting and worse. Anarchists love that, but I dare say that most Americans and decent people from throughout the world don't.
If you look at nature in action, even animals have rules. Our domestic creatures learn from experience. Once they figure out what gains them favor such as food, they adjust to that. Even the wild things have order, with the pack leader or "alpha" teaching and establishing how things get done. And while animals can be brutal to each other, with the exception of rogue creatures, they use their brutality for survival, as in finding food. Once they've had enough to eat, most don't kill just for the sport of it.
But man, well, that's a different story. Jealousy, greed, pride, hate, unrequited love, and other such things can often drive us to break out of the order and do what we want regardless of the consequences. And those consequences are usually horrific both for the victim and the perpetrator as good or potentially decent lives are ruined.
Watch the animals around us and we can learn a lot about nature. And since we've been privileged to have both a higher cognitive ability and a soul, recognize them for the gift that they are. Sure, each of us is an individual who wants to do his or her thing, but realize there is a right and a wrong way to pursue our dreams. When we step over the line and infringe on the rights of others, serious problems result. When large groups of us together do it, we broach anarchy.
Learn from experience and open your heart and let the Spirit of kindness, decency and good living shine in. For me it's found in my Lord and Savior, but for others it might be something else inside, a positive little voice which pushes us to do the right thing. Follow goodness, not darkness. It will free us from the chains of bad actions and open us to clean and productive living. What could be better than that, both for us and for those who share this life with us.
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