So Facebook wants to know, "What's on your mind, John?" Well, I'll tell you if you feel like listening...
Right now my mind is wondering what the real problem is. You see, everyone is either upset right now with Nike or Papa Johns, Kaepernick or Trump, the NFL or that their team will end up left out of the playoffs at end of the college football regular season (okay it's a little early for that one). But the real problem isn't pizza or shoes, it's not the former QB or the current President, and it's not the leagues that develop and display some of the greatest athletes in our country.
The real problem is a lack of love and the presence of hate. It's not about if you play sports, like pizza, wear a suit and tie, or can throw a football. It's about if you respect the people around you. It's about if people are treated fairly in this country.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States reads like so:
"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
It has been clear to anyone who follows politics that we do not live in a "more perfect Union." I believe that our country turning its back on our Creator, more so than on our founding fathers, is our greatest cause of concern. Our founding fathers were following our heavenly Father in the pursuit of religious and other freedoms. They were not pursuing the next trend.
Justice is no longer clearly established in our country. Some groups of people who fight back against military and police are hailed as heroes, while others who do the same thing are viewed as thugs and criminals. Who started deciding which team is good guys and which one is bad guys? How did anyone get to be above the law and not be a bad guy?
I do not envy the job of law enforcement. They have a job that requires them to potentially put their lives on the line every single day for mediocre pay and state benefits. And they most often deal with the worst people in society. I'm not talking about color or income here, I'm talking about criminals so don't try to twist that - cops typically deal with bad people period. Do cops sometimes cross the line? Perhaps. But let me give you a football example:
If a WR has been eating your team alive catching passes over the middle all game, eventually a safety or LB is going to light him up. The hit may be late, it may be illegal, and he may get fined for it. But regardless, the next time that WR comes across the middle, he will remember that hit and the pass may get bobbled or dropped. Do police officers sometimes have to deliver an extra hard hit? Yes, I believe they do. I don't think that hit should be a low blow to a guy's knee to end his season or career (looking back at the football analogy) or a fatal maneuver from police, but I do believe that sometimes that hit serves to deliver a message. Far too often I don't think we get the full and accurate story of police brutality, though I'm hopeful that bodycams will help with that. In football, we see all the plays. We see them from 10 different angles and in super slow motion. But in the real world, you don't have instant replay, you don't have timeouts. You are forced to make split-second decisions which sometimes mean life or death. And as I've shared before, when you have a choice choose life. But remember that sometimes the life that officer is choosing, is the life of his wife's husband or his children's father. No one leaves home that day not wanting EVERYONE to return safely.
I'm not protesting the National Anthem and the players aren't either. Hall of fame coach, Tony Dungy shared this, "These guys are not unpatriotic. They're not standing against our country. They're kneeling against what's wrong in the country." Even to say, "Make America Great Again" implies that we have issues that need correcting. However, Dungy went on to offer the best solution I've heard so far regarding it and the issues that Colin Kaepernick began kneeling for. He suggested that instead of kneeling for a few minutes before a game, that he would give up 10 minutes of his press conference to let players speak. Normally, you see people do something outrageous to get attention - well now the attention has been obtained, people are listening. Let's talk. Let's find solutions. Let's work through this TOGETHER. Until we stop acting like politicians, like enemies, like bitter rivals, we will never be able to solve the problems and make this game called life better.
Well, Facebook, you asked and I shared. That's what's on my mind - is why my children must be forced to grow up in a world where the pizza you like, the shoes that make you run faster, or the sport you play has suddenly become a political statement. I just want them to eat food, play hard, and enjoy the game. Why can't we as adults do the same?
Right now my mind is wondering what the real problem is. You see, everyone is either upset right now with Nike or Papa Johns, Kaepernick or Trump, the NFL or that their team will end up left out of the playoffs at end of the college football regular season (okay it's a little early for that one). But the real problem isn't pizza or shoes, it's not the former QB or the current President, and it's not the leagues that develop and display some of the greatest athletes in our country.
The real problem is a lack of love and the presence of hate. It's not about if you play sports, like pizza, wear a suit and tie, or can throw a football. It's about if you respect the people around you. It's about if people are treated fairly in this country.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States reads like so:
"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
It has been clear to anyone who follows politics that we do not live in a "more perfect Union." I believe that our country turning its back on our Creator, more so than on our founding fathers, is our greatest cause of concern. Our founding fathers were following our heavenly Father in the pursuit of religious and other freedoms. They were not pursuing the next trend.
Justice is no longer clearly established in our country. Some groups of people who fight back against military and police are hailed as heroes, while others who do the same thing are viewed as thugs and criminals. Who started deciding which team is good guys and which one is bad guys? How did anyone get to be above the law and not be a bad guy?
I do not envy the job of law enforcement. They have a job that requires them to potentially put their lives on the line every single day for mediocre pay and state benefits. And they most often deal with the worst people in society. I'm not talking about color or income here, I'm talking about criminals so don't try to twist that - cops typically deal with bad people period. Do cops sometimes cross the line? Perhaps. But let me give you a football example:
If a WR has been eating your team alive catching passes over the middle all game, eventually a safety or LB is going to light him up. The hit may be late, it may be illegal, and he may get fined for it. But regardless, the next time that WR comes across the middle, he will remember that hit and the pass may get bobbled or dropped. Do police officers sometimes have to deliver an extra hard hit? Yes, I believe they do. I don't think that hit should be a low blow to a guy's knee to end his season or career (looking back at the football analogy) or a fatal maneuver from police, but I do believe that sometimes that hit serves to deliver a message. Far too often I don't think we get the full and accurate story of police brutality, though I'm hopeful that bodycams will help with that. In football, we see all the plays. We see them from 10 different angles and in super slow motion. But in the real world, you don't have instant replay, you don't have timeouts. You are forced to make split-second decisions which sometimes mean life or death. And as I've shared before, when you have a choice choose life. But remember that sometimes the life that officer is choosing, is the life of his wife's husband or his children's father. No one leaves home that day not wanting EVERYONE to return safely.
I'm not protesting the National Anthem and the players aren't either. Hall of fame coach, Tony Dungy shared this, "These guys are not unpatriotic. They're not standing against our country. They're kneeling against what's wrong in the country." Even to say, "Make America Great Again" implies that we have issues that need correcting. However, Dungy went on to offer the best solution I've heard so far regarding it and the issues that Colin Kaepernick began kneeling for. He suggested that instead of kneeling for a few minutes before a game, that he would give up 10 minutes of his press conference to let players speak. Normally, you see people do something outrageous to get attention - well now the attention has been obtained, people are listening. Let's talk. Let's find solutions. Let's work through this TOGETHER. Until we stop acting like politicians, like enemies, like bitter rivals, we will never be able to solve the problems and make this game called life better.
Well, Facebook, you asked and I shared. That's what's on my mind - is why my children must be forced to grow up in a world where the pizza you like, the shoes that make you run faster, or the sport you play has suddenly become a political statement. I just want them to eat food, play hard, and enjoy the game. Why can't we as adults do the same?
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