The Stunning Question

Posted on June 22, 2012 by jackpelham

Every once in a while, a simple and straight-forward question comes along that can have profound effects on the people who give it the consideration it deserves.  The question itself seems to separate people into different types, based upon how they respond (or not) to it.  Some may end up changing their paradigms because of it while others adamantly harden their previous positions against any changes.  In this way, the question can even have a dividing effect, especially as its implications become apparent. Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Religion | 1 Comment

“Wasted Votes” and a Failing System

Posted on June 22, 2012 by jackpelham

“It’s a waste of a vote to support a candidate who cannot win.”

Is there anything wrong with this assertion?

You hear this often when folks like Ron Paul or Ross Perot are being discussed. I find it quite funny, however, that McCain and Gore both lost, yet the people who voted for THEM don’t consider those votes to have been “wasted”. It’s only seen as a “waste” when it threatens to keep the preferred Party from winning. Continue reading →

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Rethinking the Pledge of Allegiance

Posted on June 21, 2012 by jackpelham

I ran across this cartoon on Facebook and it prompted a discussion that I thought I should share here.

My response to some of the dogmatic statements in support of it was as follows:

Hey, folks, I have some objections to the pledge that have nothing to do with religion. Have you ever REALLY thought through those words? Also, this cartoon might suggest to the not-thinking-deeply crowd that all wars about about “defending our rights”. The fact of the matter is that very FEW of them have anything to do with defending our rights. Take Iraq, for instance. What did that have to do with my right not to like our Pledge of Allegiance? Continue reading →
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On The Brink of Truth: Dabblers and Divers

Posted on June 16, 2012 by jackpelham

In my continual observation of the world, I note with sadness how it seems that a great many people have not made the commitment to immerse themselves in an uncompromised lifetime of truth.  They have somehow squelched, or someone else has managed to squelch for them, that most natural of childhood traits by which people want to know and to understand the truth about things.  The “why” has all but disappeared from view, at least in some areas of life; the reasons for things have become less important.  The explanations and the logic behind things doesn’t seem to matter nearly as much as it once did, and they value the security of certainty in a matter much less than before.

Please understand that I’m not suggesting that most folks have made a commitment to a lifetime of falsehood and deceit.  No, that’s not where I’m going. Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Logic, Paradigms, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science | Leave a comment

Musing on the Psychological Challenges of Activism

Posted on June 14, 2012 by jackpelham

I observe that:

Few people:

  • can look beyond what they see in order to imagine a different way.
  • are in the general habit of investigating/analyzing things.
  • are interested in being authentic representatives of the labels they wear–provided that authenticity is perceived to be costly or inconvenient.
  • habitually seek to solve (or even to intellectually devise solutions for) societal problems.
  • are really as good at these things as they think they are.

This makes it very hard, if not impossible, to initiate a viable reform movement in a society. Continue reading →

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So you didn’t listen. Should I challenge that?

Posted on June 3, 2012 by jackpelham

Previously, I debated whether I should tell you if I think you’re wrong about something.  Then I pondered the difficulties of trying to tell you when you have so many erroneous and pre-conceived notions.  I had already written a piece on the dishonesty of not responding to proof, and seeing that you didn’t heed that, I wrote a new piece (tongue-in-cheek), condemning your attempts to be criticism proof.  But still, you were silent.  So I wrote a piece showing how your silence tells me that you do not care.  Still nothing from you, however.

So now I’m pondering whether to make a pointed assault on your character.  Would I simply be wasting my time, or could it be that a sharp rebuke about your apathy and dishonesty might just bring you to your senses? Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Paradigms, Religion | Leave a comment

Yes, you’re a Christian, but are you honest?

Posted on June 2, 2012 by jackpelham

If you’re like most, you’re a Christian because you have some level of respect for Jesus.  OK, nothing wrong with that at all.  But people being people, they often lose sight of the principles behind the things they respect—behind the labels they put upon themselves.  In American politics, for example, most of us laud our history, our spirit of independence, and our overall form of government, but strangely, we don’t study our history, get involved in our government, or even read our own Constitution!

See what I mean? Continue reading →

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We Love Our Labels!

Posted on May 20, 2012 by jackpelham

I’m about to crack open a can of worms that can’t be fully dealt with in a single article.  This is a topic that has been strongly on my mind lately and it seems time at least to get it on the record, if only briefly so.

I observe that a great many people seem to label themselves in various ways.   This is a common behavior and we see examples of it every day.  Here are a few examples, just to get the ball rolling: Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Consumerism, Paradigms, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science | 1 Comment

How I Can Tell That You Don’t Care

Posted on May 17, 2012 by jackpelham

If you’ve watched enough movies or TV shows that depict gambling or spying, you’ll know what a “tell” is.  The poker player nervously fiddles with his wedding ring when he’s bluffing.  The undercover agent begins to sweat when he suspects that the bad guys are “onto him”.  The con man hems and haws when asked a direct question that he ought not  answer directly.  These are the kinds of ways that a person might unwittingly “tell” you that he’s not sincere.

These are all active examples—things that can be witnessed and measured in one way or another and used to determine whether a person is lying.  But there’s another kind of “tell” that a skilled observer can use to tell when you don’t care.   And if you’re like most folks, you give yourself away without even realizing it. Before Continue reading →

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Response to a Huckabee Supporter

Posted on May 14, 2012 by jackpelham

This post is a response to a comment made on Facebook.  Here’s that comment:

Unfortunately, I really believe Mike Huckabee in 2008 represented God’s final chance for America, at least politically speaking. We all pray for Godly, Christian leaders. God gave us a candidate who would openly, unabashedly stand for Him and Christians said “no, thanks,” for a variety of what were generally really silly reasons. I really believe that was America’s Kadesh-Barnea, and we failed as badly as the Israelites did and essentially for the same reasons. Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Religion | Leave a comment