I don’t
usually post the work of others, but a friend of mine who attends our Monday
night Bible study at St Charles Borromeo in Tacoma sent this to me a few weeks
ago. I thought it addresses issues you’ve read about on this blog in recent
posts, but from another’s perspective.
Ron is a retired ship driver (Commander, USN).
Chaplain’s Locker
June 2012
“Running Rust”
Last year,
the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy wrote an article in one of our
military magazines on this topic. He
used running rust as an example of what happens when we allow, even a little
bit, rust to go unchecked. It has an
insatiable appetite which ultimately destroys a ship. So it is with allowing questionable behaviors
to slip by unchallenged, even a little
bit. Eventually anarchy and chaos will evolve, not
only within a person but a society as well.
On occasion
I’ve engaged my grand children in discussions on this topic. Many child psychologists in the past have
encouraged an attitude by parents of protecting the psyche of the child by
allowing certain behaviors to exist which we wouldn’t think of when we were
kids. Further, they encourage parents to
remove as much disappointment and failure as possible from their children’s
lives. These “tolerances” generally lead
to adults who do not respect authority nor others. Just as steel is tempered by fire, we are
tempered by disappointment and failures during our lives. Without these bumps in the road, we are not
challenged to be people of value and worth.
In my
discussions with family, I’ve used the comparison of Polaris---the North
Star---with spiritual “centricity”…the steadfast acceptance of traditional
values. Early mariners used the North
Star as a tool in navigation. It could
always be counted on to be in the same place regardless of the position of
other stars, which rotated around it.
Such are the values of the Judeo-Christian philosophy. They are a steadfast set of rules of
behavior which are constantly under attack, not only by young folks, but by
many of our contemporaries who have somehow decided that their individuality supersedes tradition…that
their behavior is justified, contrary to the norms of society.
Our God
calls us, with love and kindness, to remind our children and others of the
dangers which their behavior, at times, creates. As the senior members of our families, we
have a special responsibility to actively challenge the insidious nature of bad
behavior. To do less is a disservice to those we hold
dear. And, as role models, we are called
to always question our own behaviors and attitudes. “Tough love” has great value. Food for thought.
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