Larry's thoughts::
"Don't sacrifice your convictions for the convenience of this hour"
"Don't sacrifice your convictions for the convenience of this hour"
~Sen. Ted Kennedy
Bridge and I were at the mall over the weekend just enjoying the long weekend and while I was there, I saw a Batman tshirt I had never seen before. Anyone who even remotely knows me knows that I'm a big Batman buff. The tshirt was a plain white tee but had the famous Batman logo in ultra bright neon colors like a highlighter. I thought it was different as compared to the dark or gloomy things often associated with the Caped Crusader so I bought it (and it was 50% off too!...love those Memorial Day sales). But when I showed it to Bridge she was immediately turned off by it. She was like "what the heck??" and didn't like it because it was different. I thought to myself that the reason I liked it was because it WAS different! While I'm not an extreme non-conformist by any means, I do like to defy the norm sometimes and be a daredevil to do something fun, wear a funny shirt because it is crazy, or just be silly for a laugh. Well she disliked it so much she even joked that I would have to walk a few feet from her if I were wearing it! She was teasing me so I played along and offered to just return the shirt because, even though I like Batman, I like Bridge more.. Lol. Well she told me that one of the reasons she loves me is because I'm a man of conviction and that I stand by what I say, think, or do. So if I really liked my neon Batman shirt, that was fine by her.
Anyways, that got me thinking about convictions. What is it that we believe in and are we willing to stand by that? My late paternal grandfather used to say that "true character is doing the right thing when no one is watching you" and I really do believe in that principle. Lord knows he was a man of true conviction that's for sure. People will judge us on what we say and if that is what we do in truth better known as a hypocrite. The world is filled with hypocrites and that is unfortunate. I agree that it is easy to bend under pressure under many circumstances. But not bending under pressure is what builds character.
Many young people are forced to deal with this concept every day when faced with things like sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. If you give in, then you're "cool" and if you don't...well you know the answer to that. I think the more you don't give in and stand by your convictions, the easier it gets to stand by your principles and what you believe in.
I think a popular example is probably being a Christian. For example, in the Bible, Jesus was denied three times because a disciple didn't stand by their convictions. To this day, Christians are often looked upon to see if they convey the the values they seem to live by better known as "practice what you preach". One of the men I knew at church told me once that "if someone accused you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" and I think that's a good example of the 'practice what you preach' concept not only in religion but just in general.
Bridge and I were at the mall over the weekend just enjoying the long weekend and while I was there, I saw a Batman tshirt I had never seen before. Anyone who even remotely knows me knows that I'm a big Batman buff. The tshirt was a plain white tee but had the famous Batman logo in ultra bright neon colors like a highlighter. I thought it was different as compared to the dark or gloomy things often associated with the Caped Crusader so I bought it (and it was 50% off too!...love those Memorial Day sales). But when I showed it to Bridge she was immediately turned off by it. She was like "what the heck??" and didn't like it because it was different. I thought to myself that the reason I liked it was because it WAS different! While I'm not an extreme non-conformist by any means, I do like to defy the norm sometimes and be a daredevil to do something fun, wear a funny shirt because it is crazy, or just be silly for a laugh. Well she disliked it so much she even joked that I would have to walk a few feet from her if I were wearing it! She was teasing me so I played along and offered to just return the shirt because, even though I like Batman, I like Bridge more.. Lol. Well she told me that one of the reasons she loves me is because I'm a man of conviction and that I stand by what I say, think, or do. So if I really liked my neon Batman shirt, that was fine by her.
Anyways, that got me thinking about convictions. What is it that we believe in and are we willing to stand by that? My late paternal grandfather used to say that "true character is doing the right thing when no one is watching you" and I really do believe in that principle. Lord knows he was a man of true conviction that's for sure. People will judge us on what we say and if that is what we do in truth better known as a hypocrite. The world is filled with hypocrites and that is unfortunate. I agree that it is easy to bend under pressure under many circumstances. But not bending under pressure is what builds character.
Many young people are forced to deal with this concept every day when faced with things like sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. If you give in, then you're "cool" and if you don't...well you know the answer to that. I think the more you don't give in and stand by your convictions, the easier it gets to stand by your principles and what you believe in.
I think a popular example is probably being a Christian. For example, in the Bible, Jesus was denied three times because a disciple didn't stand by their convictions. To this day, Christians are often looked upon to see if they convey the the values they seem to live by better known as "practice what you preach". One of the men I knew at church told me once that "if someone accused you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" and I think that's a good example of the 'practice what you preach' concept not only in religion but just in general.
I liked Senator Kennedy's quote because it is very true. I know I'm not running for political office like he did but it does apply to life. No matter what we stand for, take a position and stand by it. I know it isn't easy to make a decision sometimes. I tell Bridge often when she's confused about something to just make a decision. The longer you dwell on the issue, the harder it is to make that decision because then you begin to doubt yourself. In the end, no matter the outcome, at least you made a decision. Even if it was the wrong decision, you can still learn from the experience so that you can make better decisions in the future. Once you've decided to stand by something, then everything else often just falls into place.
As I was writing this blog, I glanced at the wall in my office and noticed something I hung on the wall a while back. In the daily grind, I usually just walk in and out of here working but I thought it was interesting given this topic. I have a framed picture of a poster asking "What Do You Stand For?" and it has various traits listed around it. Hmm...I guess this is something that I've obviously thought about before and will probably keep in my mind for some time to come.
1 comment:
Bridgedette's Comments:::
You all have to SEE this shirt. Everyone knows that I support Larry and his love of Batman ....but the shirt that he showed me in the store (after he bought it) nearly blinded me!!
It was like going back to the 80's and I was waiting for some one to yell "NOT." ha ha
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