WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
There are two topics I try to avoid when putting this column together. They are religion and politics. I witnessed my father arguing both topics as I was growing up and I vowed to not waste my time arguing over such personal issues. Besides, I feel everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and who am I to try to make them change their way of thinking. I’ll leave that to the politicians in Washington.
I do have my own religious beliefs, and I pray. There have been times in my life when I’ve even had a conversation with my God. I remember one time asking what surprised him most about humankind. He replied, “Humans have a tendency to lose their health to make money, then lose their money to restore their health. Humans also think so much about the future that they forget about the present, and they do this in such a way that they live neither in the present nor the future. They live as if they will never die and end up dying as though they had never lived.” Not bad advice, for those interested.
I visit the post office here in Three Rivers every day. On a recent visit, I noticed that there weren’t any wanted posters on the wall. Jokes have been made on this subject for as long as I can remember. I asked one of the postal clerks about this, and she didn’t have an answer. I wondered when they ceased posting them and why they aren’t there anymore. No one seemed to know. Now I’m a little concerned about two things. First of all, how are bounty hunters going to know who to look for? I mean, this has a big effect on their livelihood. My second thought is, perhaps all of the criminals have been caught and no one is really wanted anymore. This could really affect a criminal’s frame of mind. It would really bother me to think that no one wanted me. Finally, here’s another one of those things that might make you think, “Hmmm?” How did they get the pictures of all the criminals for those wanted posters in the first place? Did they put out a PSA (Public Service Announcement) asking for all the bad people to come in and have their picture taken? I hope I don’t lose any sleep over this.
Cell phones bring you closer to the person far from you, but take you away from the ones sitting next to you. I find this statement to be quite true. You see it more and more every day. Perhaps it might be a family dining together at a restaurant. The parents might be talking to each other, but the younger members of the family are busy checking Facebook or texting someone. As a result, the family members don’t share their thoughts with each other verbally. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fading away of the family unit. I’ve also seen a couple having breakfast together at a cozy cafe. Each one was busy with their cell phone. They could have just as well stayed home. Some modern technology is the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread, but it is also destroying our ability to communicate with each other face-to-face. God forbid someone creates a cell phone that can hug you.
One of the hardest things I have to deal with these days is change. I’m a creature of habit, and once I get into a routine, it’s difficult for me to change my ways. This is especially true if my way seems to work out for me. I believe in the saying, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” However, if we are to get along with each other, we must all be willing to bend a little and accept change from time to time.
I recently came across something I’d like to share with you. They are the three “Cs” of life. They are Choices, Chances, and Changes. You must make a “Choice” to take a “Chance”, or your life will never “Change”.
I’ll close this week with a quote from Dalai Lama. “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called ‘Yesterday’ and the other is called ‘Tomorrow’, so today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live.”
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
