THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

When I started blogging in March of 2007, it was after several years of resistance. I considered it the height of arrogance to think anybody would possibly care what I had to say. I now see that the blogosphere, while quite idiosyncratic, is relevant. It matters.

People spend so much time in life dealing with what does not matter. Therefore, I wanted to dedicate today to putting everything in perspective. For those of you who find disappointment that money, power and sex are not on the list of what is relevant, then you might wish to reread the list thrice. Below is my list of what actually does matter. It might take people a whole year to read some of the links attached to this column. I believe it will be a well spent year.

What matters:

1)      God–Without God, there is nothing. Yet even though may people believe that God matters, we have a difficult time explaining to others why God matters.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/mono.html  

2)      Family—I have had the best parents and grandparents a fellow could ask for. My father used to sing a song to me when I was a child. Thankfully my parents and I did not make the same mistakes that this beautiful song talks about. It was written by Harry Chapin, redone by Ugly Kid Joe. Even those who know you love them…tell them again.

http://www.lyricsdepot.com/harry-chapin/cats-in-the-cradle.html

3)      Freedom—Freedom is not American or Western. It is a gift from God. When Ronald Reagan thundered,  “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” he was spreading hopes and dreams to millions of people. Four years later, those hopes were realized.

http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/speeches/wall.asp

4)      Laughter—There will always be tough times. There are many comedians, but Bill Cosby is one that will always be relevant. His stand up routine “Bill Cosby, Himself,” will be watched 1000 years from now. It was my father’s parenting bible. My father, grandfather and I watched it together, pointing at each other every time Mr. Cosby spoke. He also did it without gratuitous foul language or crudity. He truly became America’s dad with that routine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby:_Himself

5)      Human contact—Whether in businessor in our personal lives, isolationism does not work. It is harmful for society. From a 14 year old sending another 14 year old a happy face through instant messenger to international commerce through Ebay and other websites, we are truly an interconnected world. When every nation joins this group, the world will be even better off.

http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/printStoryId.aspx?StoryId=4217

6)      War on Terror—Some may wonder why the War on Terror gets four links, while the rest get one or two. The War on Terror is the defining issue of our time, a global struggle for civilization against barbarism. Unless civilization wins, there will be no trees to plant, people to embrace, or God to Worship. 1000 years from now, the world will exist because the good people alive today saved civilization.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071201619.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/119989/why_we_must_win_the_war_on_terror.html

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/Transcript_Page.aspx?ContentGuid=484182dc-bf7c-42a7-ac74-9e270a9ef0f2&comments=true

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=115845

7)      Love–Without love, there is no life. World Love Inc promotes peace, but is not an anti-war protest site. It recognizes that sometimes fighting is necessary for there to be peace in the long run. However, it reminds us that the ultimate goal is a world filled with peace and love. I pray to God the people of this world do what is necessary to achieve this on a permanent basis.

http://www.worldloveinc.us/page/page/1391009.htm

8.)      America–Americans are good people. We feed, clothe, protect and defend the world. Never has a nation been so powerful and so noble. We have made mistakes, and we have flaws. We also take introspective looks deep inside ourselves, and constantly improve on an already fine nation. Being American is a badge of honor. 

 

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-ferrara092501.shtml

9)      History–Worrying about how our actions will affect us in the short run is not what life is about. What truly matters is the judgment of history. Public opinion swings like a pendulum, but a noble historical legacy of having done the right thing can last forever.  

http://www.historians.org/pubs/free/WhyStudyHistory.htm

http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006760

10)  Expression of ideas—Every human life has value, and everybody has something relevant to say. We can raise or lower the level of discussion and discourse. Technology has given us advances in science and medicine, and allowed creativity to flourish. The blogosphere has helped spread that creativity rapidly, like a wildfire of innovation and brilliance. The blogosphere matters because the people are the blogosphere, and God created the people.

http://www.webmasterview.com/blogging/why_blog

I thank God for creating my family and me, and for giving me the ability to write. Out of my deep love and respect for God and my family, I hope that what I have to say actually does make a difference in this world. If this column is relevant for one person, then it has done its job. Like all of us…it matters.

eric 

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under POLITICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.