I went to the funeral of a man I’d never met recently. I went to honor an honorable man. It was his son, a man I’ve known for almost 20 years. A man who personifies honor in my scheme of things. And because he is honorable I chose to go to his father’s funeral as a way of showing my respect. It is what honorable men do for each other.
In the United States we spend too much time honoring/worshipping people of no honor. Musicians, actors, authors, politicians, and other assorted vermin who occupy the public spotlight. Not that all of the people in that group are vermin, but a great number of them will not be joining in the weekly bingo game in Heaven. Can you think of a single thing to recommend Paris Hilton besides her proclivity for seeking the limelight? Most celebrities have the moral code and ethical behavior of cockroaches. The difference is that they run toward the lights and not away from them. Flashes from cameras seem to attract them.
We’ve become so distracted by the celebrity culture that we fail to pay attention to those that truly are heroes in our lives. The father of three who keeps the family together after his wife is killed in an accident. The loving wife who takes care of her elderly husband in the last stages of his dementia. The firefighter who rushes into the burning building to save someone despite the ominous trembling of the wall. The sailor who stands watch and pays attention, knowing the rest of the crew depends on his knowledge and skill.
Back to my friend: he works hard, he’s served his country and retired from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel. I know his value system. I know he’s the guy right next to me as we rush into the burning building to look for survivors. I know that he’d help me take down an active shooter without a second thought. He has courage, good values, piety, belief in God, and one heck of a twisted sense of humor. And that’s why I went to the funeral. It is my strong belief that if we don’t honor and stand by those who are honorable we will find that the ones without honor, those who degrade our humanity, and cheapen our lives, will triumph and be ascendent. And once they have the heights and we are in the valleys the end of days will come. It seems closer all the time. I’m going to try and push back against it for as long as I can. And being there for my friend was a part of that.
How many times this week have you wasted time reading about Kim Kardashian? Did you spend a few minutes checking out the sad death of Mindy McCready? How much time did you spend praying for the good people in your life and thanking God that he’s put them there? How will you tackle that balance of time now that I’ve pointed it out to you?
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Today’s keyword bingo entrant (just to drive statistics) is Hugo Chavez. A man with no visible honor.
