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| Rob's Soapbox | ||
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Congratulations!
You have finally landed on the one page on this entire site (and on the entire internet for that matter) that is purely without bullshit... my soapbox page. There are a lot of times during our show that, whether it's because of time constraints and other obligations, I don't always get to address some issues that I feel don't get the attention they deserve. There are even more times when I just don't feel like waiting until the show the next day to get some things off my chest. Thus, I have started the "Rob's Soapbox" page. If you have clicked on this page looking for someone to coddle your fragile sense of self-esteem, or tell you what you want to hear or to reinforce your outdated world view, then exit this page right now and go somewhere else. If you are in search of the last forum for reason and common sense left in the world, then sit back, relax, and enjoy. I make only one promise with this soapbox page... if you read long enough and often enough, you will eventually be offended. So here's my latest soapbox. Listen up, 'cause you just might learn something... |
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March 26th, 2007 THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY Religion is nothing more than a brainwashing technique based in fear. Religion is a man made form of coercion using the widely accepted premise that there must be a supreme being watching over us all and/or at the very least, a creator. I am one of the most spiritual people I know, but I am not in the least religious. I am also, however, one of the most open minded people I have ever met and as such, I have visited many a church in my day, often out of curiosity, sometimes out of respect, and never out of obligation or fear. Years ago, I was on one of my church visits, motivated by respect for someone close to me who had invited me to come, and I ultimately stumbled upon one of the greatest lessons of my life. After that visit, for 9 months, I regularly attended a fantastic church known as Sparks Christian Fellowship in Nevada. It was a casual, mainstream church that focused its teaching more on life than on guilt, which I found to be a departure from most churches I had visited. I use the past tense because I have no idea what the current state of SCF is and I haven't been inside a church for the purpose of worshipping in the 21st century. During that 9 months I learned a lot about myself and life itself, but never more so than on one particular Sunday morning when lead pastor Scott Parker was speaking. He told the story of what we would call today a "road rage" incident and how he had begun to react inappropriately and angrily during such. As he recounted the events, I could easily relate to countless incidents throughout my life when I had allowed my emotional side to get me "all worked up" over something that, when reflected upon later, was seemingly silly and a waste of energy. Pastor Scott told his tale and then acknowledged to us all how silly he too, felt about getting upset over some clown who didn't use his blinker… and then, as he re-enacted the speech he gave himself at the time, he asked the question that I have never forgotten; How important is it, in light of eternity? For the next hour, Scott gave example after example of things that seem important in the heat of the moment, but are actually mole hills made into mountains by vein, narcissistic, self centered humans who desperately need a little perspective. Whether it was road rage, customer service, missing a TV show or a favorite sports team losing, Scott related to everyone in the room and asked the question each time in response to the allegedly "horrible" event that had ruined their day... how important is it in light of eternity? For the truly simplistic people, this phrase takes on a black and white meaning that is meant to say nothing (ever) matters when compared to all of eternity and our never ending quest for spiritual nirvana. That, however, is not the lesson I took, probably because I am not a simpleton. Regardless of what you believe in (including those who believe in nothing or those who believe that this life, on this Earth, is in fact, the end of the journey), no one can deny that we waste precious energy during each of our lives on "little" things. However, no one is claiming that there are not important things. In fact, the lesson I take from the "how important is it in light of eternity," question is to focus on the truly important, truly meaningful things that we do over the course of our lifetime. Arriving home in time for "24," flipping off the guy that that cut you off, and getting your pizza delivered within 30 minutes are all examples of unimportant meaningless things that should assume their rightful place in the land of forgotten events on the tapestry of your existence. There are, however, a select few things that I believe define you as a soul, and therefore, regardless of your religious belief or lack thereof, are the things that truly do matter in light of eternity. HOW YOU TREAT YOURSELF: Whether you dismiss it as a Hallmark cliché or mock it for its simplicity, there is no denying the age old adage that you can make no one else happy until you are happy with yourself. We live in a world that espouses meaningless, non-existent sentimentalities that are meant to make you "feel" good, when in fact they are actually self destructive. We are told and taught that selfishness is bad, that we live in a "global" community and that it takes a village to raise a child. Truth be told, you are responsible for the happiness of only one person, ever, in your life... you. If you believe in an actual God who resembles a father, then you must know that he wants you to be happy above all else. While there is a certain amount of selflessness required to achieve that happiness, it is certainly not true that you have to lose yourself to the whims, needs and desires of others to be happy with yourself. Quite the contrary. In fact, if there is a judgment day, I am quite certain that the final exam will come down to one basic premise; did you positively affect the one and only one thing you can control; your life? HOW YOU RAISE YOUR OFFSPRING: Based on the events of the past 40 years, there are countless souls rotting in hell based on their parenting. The older I get, the more I realize how damaging and destructive parents and mentors can be. One word, one phrase, one reaction, can irrevocably change the course of a child's life and yet parents in America today are lazier and more self involved than ever before. We coddle, smother and emotionally abuse our children at a level I never thought imaginable and we are producing grown up cretins as a result. If you believe in an actual God you must know that he has entrusted you with his most prized of all things; his own personal children… an actual extension of himself. It is our job to raise our children to be quality, functioning adults, not blithering idiots who are afraid of life. If there is a judgment day I am quite certain that many people will never be given a chance to defend themselves; they will simply be shown an image of the socially inept, devoid of self-esteem, sad adult they allowed their child to become and off to eternal damnation they will go. HONESTY: Like so many other things in life, honesty, in practice, is not as black and white as people would like you to believe. I have never known anyone who has not told at least one lie. Whether it's a lie of omission, a lie to preserve a surprise, or a lie to spare someone's feelings, all of which are often referred to as "white lies," or "acceptable little lies," they are still lies. Thus, we are all forced to make honesty a relative and/or subjective entity. Some of us approach the situation by creating a moral exam that can be applied; for example, if the lie will save lives, makes money or does not harm anyone, then it is acceptable. Others approach honesty by deciding early on that honesty will only be used or demanded when it makes us feel better about ourselves. Regardless of which rationalization you use, the actual truth comes down to this: only one person, ever, knows the truth and that's you. Honesty is actually about never lying to yourself. Telling your buddies that you shot a 78 at golf when you really cheated, or telling your wife that you hit it big gambling today when you actually just got your tax refund in the mail are not lies as much as they are delusions. Lying to yourself is the greatest injustice because you are, in effect, turning the power of your existence over to others, rather than preserving that which is most precious... controlling your own path. By lying for the purpose of receiving praise or acceptance from your peers you are telling your soul that the opinions of others are more important to you than your own opinion of yourself. WINNING: Winning is not something that has to, or should be, done all the time. There are times when it's ok to have fun, relax, and just enjoy something regardless of the outcome. However, all of us must choose a passion and demand that we are going to be our best at it. If not, then why exactly are we here and what exactly are we doing being passionate about something that we are not giving 100% to? When you commit yourself to something, you commit who you are and put it on the line not for others to judge as much as for yourself to judge. When your head hits the pillow at night and you've won, you know that you gave yourself everything and achieved the desired results. Those who tell you effort is what matters are those who have never won. Effort only matters if it results in a win.
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