Blog 108 – 9.2.15

The summer before my fourteen birthday, before the first great heart break of my life, ah young love can be at the same time so thrilling and so devastating. The summer before my life became all about loving and being loved my mind was haunted by the words of a British band, not my beloved Beatles, nor The Rolling Stoned but another group of bad boys of sixties Rock – The Animals.

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good.
Oh, Lord, please don’t let me be
misunderstood.

If the idea of Sixties Rockers praying has you intrigued read on. The Animals lead singer was quite fervent and his prayer was a teenaged anthem of sorts. Our parents laughed at our hair styles, at our choice of clothes, our prayers and protests for peace in a war torn world, and we were so misunderstood. Teens most often are because as adults we too often forget how desperately we once wanted to be understood by our peers and our parents.

Denying the reality of those teenage dreams, ideals, and desires only makes us adults seem hypocritical and calloused. Understanding is a two way street. I made an attempt at humor in a comment to a post about President Obama yesterday and it fell flat and someone thought I was bitter and didn’t like Jesus very much. I was really trying to poke a little fun at our election process and said that in 1968 I remembered  seeing a bumper that read: Re-Elect Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord. I went on to write that unless I read his story wrong that Jesus was only put forward in one election and that he was beaten in the race by a dark horse candidate – Barabbas. I further stated that it was rumored that the Pharisees rigged that election. Perhaps I overestimated the New Testament knowledge of my intended audience or my comedic skills.

At any rate I had one lady so upset she Facebook Messengered me “I am sorry for you.” And when I tried to explain or apologize for offending her I got a message that she was not accepting any messages from me. I thought that a bit cowardly of her on several levels but I did go back to my failed joke comment and posted that Jesus was more than alright with me, alluding to the song lyric “Jesus is just alright with me” and that I wasn’t making fun of Jesus but trying to poke fun at our election process. I am not angry with the woman who is sorry for me I am only sorry that I was misunderstood.

It is, I understand, the responsibility of a writer to make sure he or she is understood. The same is true of speakers and singer/song writers, all three of which I claim to be. I do not expect everyone to agree with my opinions 100%. As I told a friend recently who said he did not, if he or anyone did I would question their intellect. Think for yourself that is why you were given a mind. By all means use it and do not allow me or anyone else tell you how or what to think.

It is a big mistake to expect or even try to make people think like us. One of the things that makes each us so unique and wonderful is our individual take on life. In a song my daughter Emily liked to sing and I liked and love to hear that I call The Baby Song the phrase is repeated, “You take me just the way I am.” Nothing says I love you and I appreciate you so much as allowing people to be who they are and think their own thoughts.

Don’t misunderstand me. None of us always gets it right but I think we stand a better chance of figuring it out if we do our own thinking and at the same time allow others to think for themselves.

Your friend and fellow traveler and sometime thinker,
David White