A Word On Cowardliness

Words can be twisted and turned to mean most anything. However, the fact of the word and its definitions can't be disputed. What follows is an attempt to put some perspective on a word that we tend to see as a matter of weakness, a person who is a victim. What follows shows that it's also a word that applies to those with much power who victimize others while attempting to make themselves the victim.

When I sit and watch television or go to the movies, one thing that appears to be laced in just about all of what I see -- the point that appears to underlie so many story lines, plots and news stories -- involves cowardliness in one form or another.

Now, before I go on and people begin to lose direction, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. This is NOT about pointing fingers, nor is it about saying this is what people want to see or any other manner of attempting to form a negative opinion about media for doing it. Rather, this is an attempt to bring something to the readers attention -- as well as my own -- something that can allow us to, perhaps, see things in a different light than we might, otherwise, perceive, that a story line, plot or news story might direct us.

So, let's begin with the term of coward, cowardly, cowardliness. When I look at the definition in dictionaries, I see 'with tail between the legs', 'destitute of courage', 'timidity', 'wanting courage', 'not brave'. I see that cowardly 'implies a weak or ignoble, pusillanimous, mean-spirited and contemptible lack of courage', or 'the cowardly or skulking commission of an outrageous crime', or 'cowardly submission under a threat'.

When I saw the word pusillanimous, my first reaction: Where did that word come from?

My second reaction: What a cool sounding word, wonder what it means?

The third reaction brought me to the first step of what follows. I checked, and the definition I saw, goes like this: Destitute of manly strength and firmness of mind; cowardly; weak or mean-spirited; arising from weakness of spirit and want of courage.'

Destitute of manly strength. Part of me worried about offending. However, when I think of the term, I realized something rather quickly. Manly here, means that of man, which includes woman by the virtue of man being included in both. I do have thoughts on this topic of how we, man and woman, treat one another, but that's for another time. Here, I hope to continue with the definition at hand, coward, pusillanimous. Consequently, a touch of cowardliness I will bring to the topic of men and women (male and female), but that's for another time, as well.

So, with the terms out before us, a coward is not only someone who hides from a fight, does not stand up for his beliefs, cowers when challenged. In essence, someone who tucks tail between the legs and runs.

A coward is also someone who lies and doesn't own up to it, cheats in an effort to get away with it, steals what doesn't belong to the person.

A coward is also someone who is weak or mean-spirited -- pusillanimous. In other words, takes advantage of a situation where they are stronger than the other, whether this has to do with having more money, physical strength, political power, or just knows how to speak in such a way to make sure they appear more correct than someone else, and not by facts but, rather, the use of popular opinion -- group think is a good communications term for it -- or popular belief; and popular opinion and belief tends to lead to greater confusion, a safe place to appear a hero without being heroic.

My point: A person who makes sure the situation they put themselves in, protects them while bringing harm to others. This is a coward. Someone who doesn't want to work in truth but, rather, in advantage.

People can twist this to make themselves appear the offended as opposed to the offender. Right now, people can point the finger at examples. None of that matters.

The truth of it is in the point. When we watch a news story that's sensationalized, we're receiving a coward's version of the story. Or a news story, that shows a heinous crime without following it through to the actual conclusion or skewing the conclusion, we're receiving a coward's version. When we see television show or movie where a politician uses their influence for an outcome that serves them over the common good, we witness a story about a coward. When we see a politician point the finger at another within the same government to appear correct, we witness a coward.

A movie where an individual stalks around and kills others while staying in the shadows for cover, we do NOT witness strength. Rather, we witness a coward, weak and mean-spirited, destitute of strength or courage.

Bottom line, a coward is a liar, a thief, a cheat, and a person who holds others up to the highest standards of perfection, while they point the finger at others. This coward wishes for everyone else to accept that they're not perfect, that they're human, and not what they truly are, cowards; and they agree with the truth of appearances, as long as they're on top.

There's more, but it's a start......

Anyone ever think to be happy to be human?

The other night, I ended my day the way I always end them. I reflected on things that occurred throughout my waking hours. I thought about my daughter's basketball team and how much growth I've seen in all of them. I thought about the activities my daughter -- and son -- are involved in throughout the year, and how each one helps them to grow in another way. I thought about how they worked so hard at school and doing homework, learning things they did not know nor fully understood, things they are just now learning.

I then began to look at my wife and I, how some days seem a struggle, but in the end, we lay ourselves to bed -- whether we're frustrated or not with the things this world can press upon us -- and we're happy. Maybe it doesn't always show on the outside, but I couldn't be any happier than with the love my wife and I share, a love that's ours alone and precious to each of us as one.

I could go on but I think it's best to get to my point sooner than later. Anyway, the title of this post occurred to me. Does anyone ever think to be happy to be human?

So many things we put before our lives as human beings. Whether we're male or female, heterosexual or gay or lesbian, athlete or scholar, attractive or ugly, physically fit or out of shape, intelligent or dumb, rich or poor, selfish or selfless, Jewish, Christian or Muslim, Catholic or Baptist, etc. Everything around us seems to bring about comparisons.

When the question came to me, it lead to another question which I thought I'd pose to everyone who's reading now: How much more unified could we be if we first saw ourselves as human beings and the individuals that God created us to be?

After all, underneath all the layers that we've added to our lives, it is our humanity that God blessed us with in order to find our way back to him.

As always, more to come.......

Are we sure that this is what we really want?

As a society, we have a very difficult question to answer: Are we sure that this is what we really want?

There's so many directions to take this but I want to keep things simple, so let's use television since it reaches so many people. Also, since it's supposed to be about what's going on with us, let's look at the news. Now that we have our focus, let's think about what is covered. For the most part, the news appears to be devoted to murder, rape, disease, hate, terrible things politicians are doing, prostitution, and laws that big business is breaking, with a tiny bit of goodwill mixed in . . . and that's just before weather and sports.

Weather seems to enjoy a good destructive storm that's coming. In St. Louis, where I live, snow and ice come to shut us down. Though there are times when I agree with that assessment, there are far more instances where they seem to take things a bit further than what's actually occurring.

In sports, they'll cover the games and the scores, but they can't help themselves with a good scandal that is reported as if the fabric of all sports is coming apart at the seams. Note to reader: If that is happening, it started a long time ago.

In all this, I'm not saying that they are out-and-out lying, but I am saying that they are making choices as to what to show us and how and, by their choices, they are telling us that we want to see the worst this world has to offer. What they are telling society is that this is what we want to see in our world, the horrors of what life has to offer. After all, it seems that when they don't have much to talk about, that's when the goodwill and happy stories get more airtime. And now, more than ever before, they're sensationalizing everything, as if they're not only reporting you the news first but it's as if they're making the news; or that they're the ones who found it -- how happy they appear to be the first to show us misery.

So, back to my question, are we sure that this is what we really want? If so, congrats, we've got it! If not, then there seems to be work for all of us to do.

I'm not saying that the news has to change or television has to change or that there needs to be a new regulation or anything like that. What I am saying is that I think we'd be good to take a step back and look at all the impressions we have of one another and our world in general and how much of that is based on truth as opposed to fiction. When we look at a person who's not dressed like us or doesn't look like us, are we fearful of them? Should we be fearful of them? When we think of politicians, do we see someone who's lying to us or genuinely wishes to do a good job? When we look at an athlete playing a sport, do we see him or her for their abilities or the scandalous picture that surfaced on last nights news, or some sports talk show? When we go to see a movie, do we see the actor as the character they are playing or do we see them for the horrible picture painted of them in the media?

There's no judgment here, however, what is it that we believe and want as a society?


.....More to come.