Why Do Mean People Go to Church?

OR ... How Can You Go to Med School and Skip All the Science Classes?

So I'm having lunch the other day with an acquaintance who had some very interesting and disheartening stories to tell about his church experience.  In sum, for all of his adult life, he's been very involved in two different churches only to have been behind the scenes long enough to realize there was stuff going on (in both) which he could not be a part of.  He's decided to pare it down a bit, opening up his home for Sunday services and essentially, starting over. 

What really stood out to me was how familiar the story sounded and how it reminded me of some of my experiences years ago.  For me, the question went unanswered back then.  But, I've since learned a thing or two, and I thought today I would tackle this question that's been on my mind since I was a kid:  Why do mean people go to church?

Life, Liberty, and Shades of Gray

I took a political self-assessment the other day which was basically answering a handful of questions and returning to me where I stood on the political spectrum.  Turns out, I'm high on personal liberty, low on government intervention.  Any action that the government takes should further 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'  My underlying philosophy is that freedom is good.  And restrictions on freedom are bad.

I've actually read two very different columns today on two very different subjects but they both got me thinking about freedom.  What one person sees as freedom, someone else might see as a restriction of freedom.  Moreover, the idea that the government can do something to grant freedom to one person might often mean that someone else's freedom is compromised.  Ayn Rand puts it like this:

It only stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.

The Greatest Luxury of All

In Joseph Ellis' biography of George Washington, we're offered a look into the world of the "new" landed gentry - the Virginia planting class.  This elite group had stumbled upon a rare combination; a new crop and a ready-made market, albeit an ocean away.  While tobacco took Europe by storm, becoming an instant success and a mainstay commodity for the civilized world, it was something of a puzzle to the agri-businessman because it was particularly hard on the land itself and required a great deal of physical labor to cultivate.

The labor issue, tragically, led to the infamous colonial slave trade.  As far as tobacco's toll on the land, it just so happened that Virginia provided  a seemingly endless supply!  It doesn't take an economist, merely a glance at a map, to understand the scope of North America and how it dwarfed the comparatively crowded European states.  A Virginia planter was more concerned about protection than he was space.  So while a market existed and land was plentiful, the planters had uncovered a unique set of challenges in managing these tobacco plantations.

Trimming the Olympics Down a Bit

I've enjoyed the Olympics so far.  At our house, it's the kind of thing that's 'on' whether we're into the particular event or not.  But there are some events that just seem too oddball to be included.  And then you have some events that are just 'done to death'.  Swimming, for example.  I like what one guy said on the radio about swimming.  "I like it but what's the deal with all the different swimming events.  Just get from one end of the pool to the other and however you get there is up to you."

In 2012, there will be 302 events.  That's all the sports and sub-categories.  I guess that means, there'll be 302 gold medals, 302 silver, etc.  302 people who finish 4th.  Man, that would be bad.  For the rest of your life ...

"You were in the Olympics?  That's awesome!!!  How did you do?"
"I came in 4th."
"Aw.  So..."
"Nope, no medal.  Nothing really.  Just my memories."

A Bit of Local Shoe Legend

Yes, the Heaton family is oddly preoccupied with shoes.  Or more broadly, as Heather pointed out recently, 'what goes on below the knee.'  This because our oldest is not only particular about his shoes but about his socks as well.  I must say, I am particular about socks also.  I've been known to get so irritated with a pair of dress socks that I've gone to the store in the middle of the day to buy some more comfortable ones and thrown the old ones away.

With the kind of socks you might wear with tennis shoes (sneakers for you Yankees), Tucker and I face a divergence of opinion.  This is, in fact, how it all got started this morning.  On a normal day, Tucker comes down looking like this.

Jack Reacher

Gotta love the recurring Lee Child character, Jack Reacher.  Here's an excerpt where Reacher had been confronted by two guys and told them if they wanted to make it a fair fight, they needed to bring more men.

“Six of you?” I said. “Is that it?”

No answer.

“That’s kind of incremental, isn’t it?” I said. “I was hoping for something a little more radical.  Like the difference between an airborne company and an armored division. I guess we were thinking along different lines. I have to say, I’m kind of disappointed.”

No answer.

I said, “Anyway, guys, I’m sorry, but I have a dinner date.”

They all took a step forward, bringing them closer to each other and closer to me. Six pale faces, sallow in what little light there was.

I said, “I’m wearing a brand new shirt.”

Child, Lee (2011-09-27). The Affair (with bonus short story Second Son): A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) (pp. 189-190). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Places and Seasons

Going to Hiawassee today and they're expecting some weather up there.  But once it passes, Saturday is scheduled for sunny and 73!  There aren't a whole lot of places that can beat the Georgia mountains in the spring.  In fact, Hiawassee is the kind of place where there isn't really a bad time to go.

In the summer, you get on a boat and hit Lake Chatuge.
In the fall, you plan a weekender around college football and drive up from Athens, if you're lucky.
In the winter, you settle in by the fire, read a good book or do a puzzle, and pull for snow.
And in the spring, you do what I'm doing.  Take your fishing pole, maybe your golf clubs, and leave your worries behind in Atlanta.

That got me thinking about some of the places I've been and the ideal time to go there...