Thoughts and Questions from Aramis Thorn: COVID-19

Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts

08 August 2020

Diminished ~ Closing Thoughts

We are diminished. We as a species are far less than we are capable of being. Our selfish indulgences keep us from caring for others as we should. We think we are good because we do small things to benefit others. In truth, we are filled with wants and habits that keep us from being our better selves.

I do not say this out of self-hatred or disdain for my fellow humans. Rather, I see that we are all in some way in need of being better humans. It is in this effort that we need grace. Trying to establish a hard deck of love requires that we see the need for it around us.

Instead, we indulge our wants and desires to the neglect of the needs of those around us. I was considering a purchase this week. It is within my means and suggested by a daily inconvenience. I have the funds and it is not wrong for me to acquire this item. Then I learned of the needs of someone else. I was reminded instantly of how it would bless that person and increase my understanding of how Jesus is.

I will not say what I did about my dilemma. Either choice leaves me understanding further how we diminish and grow. The purpose of the example is to make us all think of what we should be doing to care for each other. Can my want wait when others have need? Do I possess this thing for myself or wait so that others can see the love of Christ? The answer seems obvious here on this page. It is in the action that our diminished nature asserts itself.

When we choose hate, anger, murder, or things over love for others, we lessen everyone. Eventually, we reach the place where systematic hatred, prejudice, and murder seem like our rights rather than the lowest state of our being. We reach the state where we are unjust, unloving killers in the name of our causes, conveniences, or ignorance. We have done it before and we say we have learned from our past. We have not. We must strive today to love through every action.

It is not enough to have won the war on hate in the past. It is necessary that I actively love in every interaction. It is vital that I show love through every thought, word, and deed. This means that injustice may never be acceptable. It requires that selfishness be always rejected. It must be that when I fail, I get up again. When I am selfish, I own it and make up for it with still more love. In this, Dear Reader, I can keep finding the path to peace, wisdom, and eventually, home.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
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We reach the state where we are unjust, unloving killers in the name of our causes, conveniences, or ignorance.

07 August 2020

Diminished ~ Interconnected

Greetings Dear Reader,

Since it is summer in Georgia, there is a thriving symbol of that which is interconnected burgeoning all around me. Almost anywhere I go I can see vast seas of Kudzu. If you are unfamiliar with this particular plant, it is amazing. It is edible. The tea made from its leaves is quite beneficial. Rarely, one can find purple honey made from its beautiful flowers.

The ample acreage of Kudzu that spreads across untended southern land in the summer astounds me. It can grow a foot or more in a day. I have watched it envelop a bicycle in a yard within a week. It is as invasive as it is beautiful. It is also a prime example of how interconnectivity serves for good or ill depending on one’s perspective.

The idea that we are interconnected in this way does not always influence our thinking as deeply as it should. It hinders our understanding of how much impact we have on each other; how vastly and intricately humans are connected. I love the idea of Chaos Theory. What I do in this small mountain town influences things in parts of the world I may never see.

If I am to avoid diminishing others, I must capture all thought, guard my words, and ensure that my deeds are loving ones. I never may know how important my kindness is to another human life. It may be that a simple act of generosity can change the course of a life. Perhaps always striving to show love can unleash enough love that it crushes that which diminishes us all.

If I am going to work out the love that I am required to live, I must be constantly aware that I am connected to every human through it. I am not going to know if my negligence of love, kindness, and grace that seems minor to me causes great harm elsewhere. Because I cannot know, I must always strive to land on the side of love. I must always consider what I do as having the potential to provide great good. I must love always, be gracious, and be kind.

We are so diminished through lack of this thinking this way that we harm each other individually and corporately. The world grows more diminished as we neglect our interconnectivity. I cannot be a part of that as I have in the past. My interactions must all be based on the need to love the Father and each human that exists. I must not be offended by the failure of others to do this. I must, instead, love them as I wished to be loved. If I do this, Dear Reader, I am benefitting myself. I benefit because I am connected to everyone and their wellbeing is as vital as mine.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

This writing, read in Africa, Australia, and other places around the world can serve to connect us in ways I can only imagine.

06 August 2020

Diminished ~ I Love You

Greetings Dear Reader,

It is a word that we use far too often. We love our friends or family and we love pizza. We love our favorite sport and spring mornings. We love things on a sliding scale. For me, I wish that a word other than love was used for transactions of approval that were not human.

I feel that we diminish the value of the word, therefore diminishing the value of our love for others. It is not that love is ever diminished but our application of it is poor. No true acts of love are wasted but we have become weak in our application of love to the Father and each other.

We are diminished because we often love things more than people. We put our wants ahead of the needs of others. We are selfish with our love. If we take a cursory look at the troubles others endure, it becomes clear that a suitable application of selfless love can heal many ills. It is in this application that life is found. Paul tells the Romans that, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

It is demonstrative selfless love that is the great power in the universe. That love, applied to the minor activities of our lives sends out notes that build into a symphony of grace, mercy, kindness, and peace. The path to that which is truly good is always through love. We obscure that path when we fail to love each other. We cannot love the Father if we do not love his creation.

I must constantly search for ways to show love to others at every turn. I must think about love as the essence of what is required to keep from diminishing others. I cannot be racist, ignore genuine needs, or be selfish and think that I show love to others. When I see injustice, unkindness, and pain I can respond in love to others. I can work to demonstrate the Father’s love. I can make sure that life builds up others and does not diminish them.

The other piece of this is that we do not tell people that we love them. We do not say it enough. We use the word but not as we should. There are these beautiful moments when we have the courage to express love to people from whom we gain no benefit. In those moments we can disappear and Jesus can be seen more clearly. As his cousin, John said, “He must increase and I must decrease.”

The one place where I must diminish is when it allows me to make Christ more evident. There is no possession or position that matters more than demonstrating to others the unplumbable depths of Christ’s love. It is that love that I wish to speak over and over, Dear Reader. I wish to speak it through my thoughts, words, and actions. I wish for you to feel loved by Jesus in ways that are beyond our understanding. Oh, and I love you, Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

There are few problems in the universe that cannot be solved through a suitable application of selfless love.

05 August 2020

Diminished ~ Unprotected

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of my passions is to be gentle and kind. I feel this means that I should warn you that this post requires some hard-toed shoes. I try not to ruffle toes or step on feathers but it will be difficult to think through this honestly without treading on someone else’s thinking concerning their “rights” and “freedom”. Let me, therefore, begin by saying that I love you and am not angry. If I make you angry, that Is not my intent. I am trying to think through the truth for my own journey and you are welcome to walk with me.

Yesterday, I talked about the vital need to guard our hearts against selfishness because it leads to anger and hatred. I pointed out that hatred of anyone is the equivalent of murder in the eyes of Christ. It is the antithesis of the command to love every human. We, therefore, must examine carefully who it is we murder. What death is acceptable to us? What lives are expendable for my rights and freedoms?

As you see, these are hard questions if the hard deck for my journey is love. If I am willing to take a life over my possessions, am I following Christ? If I refuse to be inconvenienced to the point that I am willing for someone else to die, am I loving my neighbor. We are diminished, Dear Reader.

We will tolerate children being put in a detention center because it does not fit our political stance so we are diminished through lack of compassion. We allow racism in subtle ways or are ignorant of it because we do not demand that every follower of Christ show unfailing love to every human so we are diminished. We allow those who are homeless to lie in the cold and we ignore their need for food, shelter, and love so, we are diminished. We are bathed in the blood of murdered unborn humans because we demand our “rights” over the life of another, so we grow further diminished every day. Every human death diminishes us; especially the ones we cause due to our selfishness, pride, and hatred.

Our culture is diminished because we prefer our possessions and power over the needs of others. I am guilty of this. I have reasons that seemed good at the time but the truth is that nothing matters more than protecting our love; genuine love for others. Selfishness and greed lead us to hate others so that we can dismiss their lives. We trade human life for pleasure, possessions, and personal freedom.

There is no anger in this writing. I am weeping for the lives we forfeit and the souls we tarnish because we grow further diminished every moment that we fail to embrace this truth. If I am to live a life that follows Christ, I must abandon anything that is not centered on loving the Father and loving other humans. It is never about my rights when the wellbeing of other lives is in the balance. I am required to follow Christ and seek the Father, counting on him to supply all my needs. In that, Dear Reader is that way of love, wisdom, and peace. If I have angered you with this, please explain it to me. I do not hate anyone and I am only seeking to journey well.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Can we justify allowing others to die without talking about our own "rights"?

04 August 2020

Diminished ~ Unguarded

Greetings Dear Reader,

We began with the understanding that we are diminished by the death of others. Anger and hatred lead to murder. We talked about Jesus’ proclamation that if we hate someone, then we have murdered them in our hearts already.

Let us then reason for a moment on what is required to not become murderers. It seems that it all starts in our minds. What we think becomes who we are. How we feel is determined by how we think. Our minds influence us so much more that we admit. We think selfish and self-serving thoughts that turn to resentment, jealousy, anger, and hatred.

What we fail to connect is that being unforgiving or unloving in any way is a form of selfishness. If I do not forgive you, then I am serving my own desires and not those of the Father. I cannot be selfish or miserly about forgiveness and love the Father with all that I am. I must guard against the subtle selfishness of failing to forgive wrong even as it is happening to me. On the same coin is the face of guarding against failing to love the Father and all humans. Withholding forgiveness and love are acts that serve only my desire to be selfish.

Further, by withholding forgiveness and love, I am going against the Father’s command to love every human as he does. In doing this I diminish the value of the lives in front of me. This is what leads to so many crimes against humanity but we will get to that tomorrow. What I wish to focus on for my heart today is the vital need to guard my heart against anger and hatred so that I never get to murder.

I am not angry that those who oppose Jesus and his love for them. I feel sadness that they deny themselves the richness of love that he wishes to flood into their lives. As I pointed out last week, Jesus does not hate anyone. Jesus does love every human and wishes for them to find the forgiveness and life that is in that love.

Unguarded minds and hearts lead to the thinking and feelings that result in selfishness, hatred, and murder. I must guard against anything that gives this kind of evil a foothold. No one wakes up hating others without getting there by failing to forgive yesterday. No one starts out selfishly failing to love without first being selfish about forgiveness. We diminish others when we are selfish with our grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. Tomorrow we will apply this to the ways in which we hate and murder each other, Dear Reader.

First, I wish to take today to meditate more deeply on my thoughts and questions about this. It is my thinking that must change. It is in my thoughts and questions that I must seek to follow Jesus more closely, listen to the Spirit more humbly, and love the Father more deeply. If those are my determinations, then I will not diminish anyone. Please ponder this with me.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

I must guard against the subtle selfishness of failing to forgive wrong even as it is happening to me.

03 August 2020

Diminished ~ Pineapple on Pizza

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the debate over pineapple on pizza, I am one of those who loves pineapple as a pizza topping. In truth, my favorite pizza is bacon and pineapple, a thin crust with extra cheese. I have been told by others that this is wrong and that they hate it. They have, however, not hated me for loving it.

I have never even heard anyone get angry over others having pineapple on their pizza. I have seen them chide and argue. There are those who feel very strongly about both sides of the issue. Still, pizza toppings are never a reason for violence or anger. I suppose I need to ponder where that line is.

You see, Dear Reader, as mild as this topic may seem, there are those who would get angry about it. It is likely not because of pizza toppings. It is more probable that there is already a full measure of anger in that person. The toppings issue just tips the cup and the anger spills out.

Anger turns to hatred if left to fester. If we hold onto anger, we are engaging in hatred whether we wish it or not. If we reject someone based on past behavior, we are not doing to them as we would have done to us. Failure to actively love others is passive anger. We lie to ourselves and say that we have no malice or that we have forgiven. We have not if we are avoiding showing love to others.

We become diminished when we allow our anger to fester into hatred. No matter what someone else has done, we are required to love that person as Jesus loves him or her. When thoughts that reveal anger drift into my mind, I must address my attitude and do what it takes to be sure that my process is to love and forgive.

It is not possible for me to follow Jesus correctly or love the Father with all that I am if I hate anyone. Keep in mind that Jesus equated hateful thoughts with actual murder. I know that there are people who hate me. It is my obligation to love them as deeply as possible no matter how they treat me.

Further, I must always guard against moving toward hatred of any human. I can hate wrong things that are done but it must not be fueled by anger. I hate human trafficking. I am not allowed to hate those who engage in it. I am diminished in my understanding if I do. It is wrong to allow the evil actions of others to limit my clarity in following Christ. I can move out of love to seek justice for others. It requires me to patient. It requires me to seek peace.

I cannot do any of that if I carry hatred in my heart for anyone. It is in this narrow path that we can be whole and undiminished. It is the Father who will prepare the way and make us whole. It is possible to be provided for even in the presence of my enemies if I love them. I need to be willing to even share my pineapple pizza with them. It is living the desire for all humans to find their way to Jesus through love and grace that works. Shall we work at not diminishing others and so become less diminished ourselves?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Even when people hate us, relegate to unloved and unworthy, we must respond in love, grace, and kindness.

02 August 2020

Diminished ~ Let The Sun Set on It

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have been to a couple of beaches where the sunsets always captivated me. I used to make time to go to one of them just to clear my heart and mind. I would consciously release the things of the day that were not healthy to carry into my sleep or the following morning.

Anger diminishes us. It has its place but that existence must be short-lived and empty of pride and vanity. It must not be coupled with malice or violence. Anger’s purpose is to honestly reflect that which is wrong at the purest level. There are times when we must be angry but, in that anger, we must not do wrong.

Part of this is seeing how holding anger diminishes us. I used to anger easily but I also sought to serve my own purposes and designs. I used my just anger to fuel anger that was unjust. I held anger too long and it diminished me. There is a good reason that anger is not supposed to last the day it is born.

As I strive to live this way, I find fewer things about which to be angry. Too often, what I used to make into anger is actually hurt. When I identify how I feel properly, I can be more merciful and deal in deeper grace. Do not think that I have mastered this. Rather, Dear Reader, I am trying to avoid diminishing anyone. If I hold onto anger, I diminish those who I am supposed to love.

It is very difficult to show love and anger at the same time. One would better serve love by setting aside the anger. We must not bury the things that are wrong. We must speak the truth in love. The anger, however, is always optional. It may take time to let go of anger we have held for years. It is worth the effort.

Others will tell us to be angry. They will wish us to hold our anger in support of this or that cause. The cause may even be just. The only way to hold anger is to diminish the love for the object of our anger. Instead of constant forgiveness, we administer constant judgment and condemnation.

It is never anger that brings peace. Anger never restores love. Fear feeds anger. Hurt takes on the guise of anger so that we burn away our pain in the heat of rage. Then we find that we cannot let go of the flame as it diminishes both our target and us. If I find anger as my first response to anything, I must ask what it is consuming for its fuel. I must put out its fire before it diminishes me altogether. The best way for me to do this is to allow it only a candleflame that I extinguish before I seek my sleep each night. Let us agree to daily snuff out this candle, Dear Reader, lest we both be diminished to irrelevance or worse.

Love Reclaims the Atmosphere – Burlap to Cashmere

I'm staring at the mirror
As the shadows plague my room
In every risen hero there's a choir that resumes

I used to be a soldier but a painter I became
I used to walk on water but now I fan the flame

Oh, the dizziness of traffic as her garden starts to wither
She opens up her violin so the darkness can forgive her
And today we'll crucify the fear
As love reclaims the atmosphere

There is guidance in transition when the body starts to rust
The earth begins to rumble and the particles of dust relay

Their message of decay
Oh, the dizziness of traffic as her garden starts to wither
She opens up her violin so the darkness can forgive her
And today we'll crucify the fear
As love reclaims the atmosphere

Be honest in transition when preparing for the feast
Send blessings to your critics and careful with the least of these
Release the prisoners free

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon
Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
Facebook       Twitter
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BLOG Archive: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/

“And today we'll crucify the fear as love reclaims the atmosphere.”

01 August 2020

Diminished ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

This past week, my dear friend Tom posted some thoughts about people making memes or joking about deaths due to the virus. He poignantly reminded us that this loss hurts someone and the joking about it may further the harm. He also reminded me that we are diminished by the death of others.

When John Donne thought he was dying, he wrote the following:

'No Man is an Island' - John Donne
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore, never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

MEDITATION XVII
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

We have seen many losses this year. I think we are already too desensitized to death. Perhaps that is part of the diminishing. That is what I wish to explore for a few miles. As we travel, we are going to encounter death. There have been deaths that have diminished me greatly and for a long time. There have been deaths that I have wrongly wished or celebrated; not seeing how they diminished me.

As we journey together, I want to look at the ways in which we are diminished by death. I wrote a book about it, Chronicles of Thanatos the Reaper. This book began shortly after I understood the necessity of death. This look at death together, however, will not be a set of stories. Rather, I wish to be sure that I analyze death as it diminishes us in this time. I want to be sure that I honor every life.

What I will do is begin with the way in we are diminished and analyze the losses. I want to see how I am changed and how it impacts you as well, Dear Reader. There is a way to paddle out of this mess. We need to find it together. I know that love is the hard surface we must traverse. It seems that celebrating or joking about another human’s death is not loving. Please stay with me as we explore this. The topics will be hard but your thoughts and questions will always help.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”

27 June 2020

Second Thoughts ~ Missing Baseball

Greetings Dear Reader,

I realize that Baseball is not as important as oppression or the murder of the innocent. I have not lost that perspective. I do, however, feel that we must grieve all losses or they come back to hurt us. Baseball has been a part of my summer, my legacy, and my faith for too many years for me go unscathed from its absence.

For those of you who feel the same, please enjoy this little distraction. I have watched through Ken Burns’ documentary Baseball and then after each “Inning” have watched the movies associated with that era. I am providing that list for you with little commentary. The Inning descriptions are taken from Wikipedia. I hope you enjoy it.

1st Inning – Our Game

This inning serves as an introduction to the game and the series, and covers baseball's origins and the game as it evolved prior to the 20th century.

2nd Inning – Something Like A War

This inning covers approximately 1900 to 1910 and includes the formation of the American League and its integration with the National League, culminating in the establishment of the World Series, as well as the emergence of the game's first great star, Christy Mathewson, which helps to clean up baseball's image as a rowdy, brawling game. Ty Cobb is discussed in-depth (the title of this inning comes from one of his many quotes). Many of the quotes used in this inning and of the other early innings are taken from Lawrence S. Ritter's The Glory of Their Times.

Movie(s):

Cobb (1994)

3rd Inning – The Faith of Fifty Million People

This inning covers approximately 1910 to 1920 and follows baseball as it goes through its greatest era of popularity yet. It heavily focuses on the Black Sox Scandal, taking its title from a line in the novel The Great Gatsby. The line refers to how easy it was for gamblers to tamper with the faith that people put in the game's fairness.

Movie(s)

Eight Men Out (1988)

4th Inning – A National Heirloom

This inning covers approximately 1920 to 1930, and focuses on baseball's recovery from the Black Sox Scandal, giving much of the credit to the increase in power hitting throughout the game, led by its savior Babe Ruth. The title comes from what sportswriters called Ruth.

Movie(s)

The Babe (1992)

5th Inning – Shadow Ball

This inning covers approximately 1930 to 1940. A great deal of this inning covers the Negro Leagues, and the great players and organizers who were excluded from the Major Leagues. Also, the episode deals with organized Baseball's response to the Great Depression, as well as the sad decline of its most iconic star, Babe Ruth, and the emergence of new heroes, like Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio.

Movie(s)

The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

The Stratton Story (1949)

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)

6th Inning – The National Pastime

This inning covers approximately 1940 to 1950. The emphasis here is on baseball finally becoming what it had always purported to be: a national game. As African-Americans are finally permitted for good into Major League Baseball, led by Jackie Robinson. This inning also looks at how the game responded to World War II and how the game became, more than ever, a symbol of America itself.

Movie(s)

42 (2013)

A League of Their Own (1992)

7th Inning – The Capital of Baseball

This inning covers approximately 1950 to 1960. Burns emphasizes the greatness of the three teams based in New York (the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers). This inning also covers one of baseball's golden eras and how America's own changes, such as leaving urban areas and heading west to more open suburbs, caused baseball to painfully follow.

Movie(s)

Fear Strikes Out (1957)

8th Inning – A Whole New Ballgame

This inning covers approximately 1960 to 1970. As the nation underwent turbulent changes, baseball was not immune, as Babe Ruth's beloved record of 60 home runs in a season is threatened by a sullen and complicated player, Roger Maris, and for the first time in decades, pitchers, led by stars Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson, dominate the game. The loss of home run power and betrayal to the game's past, combined with the meteoric rise of football, cause many to turn their back on baseball. Expansion and labor are major topics in this inning.

Movie(s)

61* (2001)

9th Inning – Home

The final inning covers approximately 1970 to 1990. While baseball survived the 1960s, the changes were not over, and in some ways, its most bitter conflicts were just beginning. Major topics include the formation of the players' union, the owners' collusion, free agency, and drugs, as well as gambling, scandals. However, the game manages to win back the hearts of many with such moments as the excitement of the 1975 World Series and the return of the New York Yankees to dominance. The documentary ends with an ironic boast that baseball (and indirectly the World Series) had survived wars, depressions, pandemics, and numbers of scandals and thus could never be stopped. The 1994 World Series, the series to be played the year the film first aired on PBS, was canceled due to a players' strike. This marked the first time since 1904 that the World Series was not played.

Movie(s)

The Rookie (1990)

Moneyball (2011)

Million Dollar Arm (2014)

Fictional but worth the time and tears:

Field of Dreams (1989)

For Love of the Game (1999)

Trouble with the Curve (2012)

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon

Web Page: www.aramisthorn.com

Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Facebook Twitter

Medium Instagram

BLOG Archive: http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/

23 April 2020

Second Thoughts ~ Everything is Empty

Greetings Dear Reader,

I grew up mostly in Atlanta. I remember riding on the bus to school the day the “Population Now” sign passed 500,000 and the bus driver pointing it out. The last time I saw it the number had passed 5,000,000.

I had to drive from my small hamlet to Atlanta on Monday for an authentic reason. If you do not know the interstate system in the greater Atlanta area it is a congested mess during rush hour. I drove through the worst part of that system during morning drive time without touching my brakes once.

It was like the first episode of the Walking Dead when Rick is riding his horse along the interstate with no competition. There were a few cars moving as I drove but the highway was eerily empty. The traffic to my destination on surface streets was little different.

I had to wait for a bit at my destination and waited in my car. Even the place I had to visit was less busy than it should have been. Where I parked was not marked against parking and there was no traffic. Still, a worker came up and informed me and the driver in the car I had parked behind that we had to move.

I watched the driver of the other car berate the worker for his message. When he came to me, I thanked him for doing his job when it was difficult. I moved immediately to and empty library parking lot across from a Chic-fil-a. Whilst I waited the additional hour, I saw the heaviest traffic of the day. It was dozens of cars lining up to get chicken sandwiches.

Even in the crowded emptiness, I saw a man do his job when it was difficult. I witnessed somebody mistreat him for it. I watched a trained crew serve lunch to hundreds of customers with skill and a bright spirit. It all revealed that the world is so very empty. It is the people who fill it. They bring their hearts to the world and either treat others wrong or right. In all of that, we either crowd the emptiness with good or ill.

It is up to me to do good or to do ill. It is my responsibility to do good. The world needs all the good we can spare right now. Even in the empty streets of large cities, we need to treat others great, not just good. I need to be nice, kind, loving, and attentive. It is how we make the journey joyous even through the lonely boulevards of cities under siege. It is how we show Christ to others when it is most difficult. Help others where you can, Dear Reader. I will too. Be kind in every circumstance even when those who lead us forget to do so. The One we follow never forgets.

Crash-Barrier Waltzer – Jethro Tull

And here slip I --- dragging one foot in the gutter
in the midnight echo of the shop that sells cheap
radios.
And there sits she --- no bed, no bread, no butter ---
on a double yellow line --- where she can park anytime.
Old Lady Grey; crash-barrier waltzer ---
some only son's mother. Baker Street casualty.
Oh, Mr. Policeman --- blue shirt ballet master.
Feet in sticking plaster --- move the old lady on.
Strange pas-de-deux --- his Romeo to her Juliet.
Her sleeping draught, his poisoned regret.
No drunken bums allowed to sleep here in the
crowded emptiness.
Oh officer, let me send her to a cheap hotel ---
I'll pay the bill and make her well - like hell you
bloody will!
No do-good overkill. We must teach them
to be still more independent.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

#aramisthorn

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Novels: From My Publisher or on Amazon

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Thoughts and Questions from Aramis Thorn

08 August 2020

Diminished ~ Closing Thoughts

07 August 2020

Diminished ~ Interconnected

06 August 2020

Diminished ~ I Love You

05 August 2020

Diminished ~ Unprotected

04 August 2020

Diminished ~ Unguarded

03 August 2020

Diminished ~ Pineapple on Pizza

02 August 2020

Diminished ~ Let The Sun Set on It

01 August 2020

Diminished ~ Opening Thoughts

27 June 2020

Second Thoughts ~ Missing Baseball

23 April 2020

Second Thoughts ~ Everything is Empty

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