Shame As An Effective Motivator

This last week protesters against Justice Kavanaugh came up against Senator Manchin (D. WV) in a head on confrontation. 

He was being interviewed by the media. 

But the protesters drowned him out with chants of “Shame” and “Shame on you!”

Similar to the series Game Of Thrones, where the evil Queen Cersis must “Take the walk of shame” for sleeping with and having a child with her own brother. 

She must walk through the city with all the people yelling “Shame” at her, spitting on her, throwing rotten vegetables at her, etc. 

There is no place to hide. 

Her hair has been shorn off. 

Her clothes have been stripped from her. 

Without her clothes and pretense, she is naked, but she is also naked because her soul is bearing her sin before everybody.

This week life imitated art and the protesters stood in judgment over Senator Manchin’s decision to vote yes for and support Kavanaugh.

He was surrounded by shame. 

It was not meant to be politic, respectful, or open any sort of dialogue, but simply to tear the Senator down and humiliate him for his decision. 

I could imagine how he must feel being surrounded by all these people telling him he was a disgrace and that should be completely ashamed of himself. 

There seemed no one left to strand up for him, defend him, and let him save face. 

I am not saying his decision was right or wrong, just that when seemingly everybody passes judgment on you as evil and a disgrace, there is no where to hide or anyone to defend himself in this mob lynching. 

I imagine that this feeling of shame is sort of what happens when we die and we must face everyone we dealt favorably and unfavorably with.  

For those who we wronged, the chant of shame echoes through G-d’s heavenly court. 

There is no place to hide as we must now pay the piper for each and every thing we did or didn’t do.  

Our deeds are no longer hidden, but exposed for everyone to see. 

We cannot pretend to be good when we were not.

The veil and pretense of righteousness disintegrates.

We are exposed for who we really are. 

Our true selves and our sins are there in full sight and for which we must bear out our ultimate shame. 😉

(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)

Who Are The Real Animals

So if you want to know who are the real animals in this world…

It’s people!

If you can stomach it, watch this graphic video of elephant taming. 

The elephant is caged, chained, poked, prodded, beaten, spiked in all the sensitive areas. 

It is tortured and left with festering sores and then made to do sickening slave labor. 

While animals generally kill for food, people abuse, torture and kill for profit and maniacal enjoyment. 

Sometimes, we wonder why G-d punishes the world. 

But look at how the world behaves. 

Is there no heart or soul in some people? 

G-d forgive us for our sins and evil inclinations, and have mercy, and make your people better than this, much better. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Naked Sitting

This was some amazing sculpture at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. 

This “Big Man” is just sitting in the corner at the top of the escalator.

Sitting naked and looking deep in thought and down on his luck.

In a sense, as we sit or stand in front of our Maker, we are all naked bearing witness to our transgressions and trespasses. 

What are we to do when we give in to weakness?

We see people looking around and hoping no one is seeing them as they try to get away with doing the wrong thing.

But as my Oma (grandmother) used to say in German to me: 

“Liebe Gott sieht alles” 

Almighty G-d sees everything!

Our souls, and the souls of those that came before us, and those that will come after us, are all around us, without limitation to time or space. 

Our nakedness is revealed no matter what we use to try to cover up with. 

Hunched in the corner, we don’t really know what to do, but to try to do better with each and every next time.

We have opportunities to right the wrongs, if we get up and exert self control and overcome our mortal and character weaknesses. 

Then our nakedness won’t be foul in sight and smell, but will be radiant, with our spirits having risen to the occasion of what we can be as the children of G-d. 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

A New Type Of Chocolate Chips

Ok, dieting is hard enough with all highly processed food out there these days. 

And everything is carbs, carbs, and more carbs…it’s literally poison for the body. 

But when you go into the store and see Lays chocolate covered potato chips…this just brings you to the verge of sin. 

The top are milk chocolate covered potato chips, and the bottom ones are dark chocolate covered ones. 

Choose your poison?

This is definitely a new type of chocolate chips…Hershey’s eat you heart out. 

I told my wife pleadingly, “Can’t I just taste one?” 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

What’s Your Vice?

So no one is perfect.

And no matter how outwardly pious the person, everyone inwardly has some hidden (or not so) vice or excess that they must learn to tame.

Here’s a top 23 list:

Substance Abuse

1) Cigarettes

2) Alcohol

3) Drugs

Greed

4) Food

5) Money (e.g. gambling, hoarding)

6) Materialism (e.g. homes, cars, boats, planes, jewels, clothes, etc.)

Obsessive Compulsive

7) Work

8) Sex

9) Popularity (e.g. talking, partying)

10) Religion 

11) Sport

12) Control

Anger

13) Violence

14) Abuse (e.g. verbal, emotional, physical)

15) Rape 

Callous

16) Indifference

17) Tardiness

18) Laziness

Egotistical

19) Selfish

20) Boastful

Crooked

21) Lying

22) Cheating

23) Stealing

Think about the people you know–love ’em or hate ’em–and is there anyone that doesn’t have one of these to some extent or another?

And for those of you wondering, my vice is, of course, pizza! 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)