" 60 Eyes"

.........not really 60 eyes, but eyes that have been seeing for 60 years. Now before everyone under the age of 30 stops reading, let me just say that I am not one of those old folks who claims to be wiser. Nor am I a "red hat" purple wearing left over hippie as I might justifiably be, given the times I grew up in. I claim no extra knowledge or pretension of having a right to tell others what to do or how to live. After all it was my generation in the '60's that told everyone (and told them loudly and in technicolor) that everyone was free to be themselves. "The man" no longer has the right to tell us what to do or how to live. Politics, civil rights, women's liberation, the beginning of gay pride......all began to bloom in those days. Ah, those days.........

.........so now, having come of age in the 60's, I find myself 60. What have I seen or heard that I can learn from. What can I hold onto? While we put more and more trust into 'authorities', 'spokesmen', and 'commentators'; what is real and what is just another guy writing on Wikipedia?

........lest you think that this has nothing to do with integrity, my theme, I think it does. We are influenced by our environment as well information and ideas specifically taught. Having spent over 35 years in education as well as time in the business arena, I am well aware that the mix between those influences varies. As the hippies were 'contemplating their navels' and ancient philosophers were seeking sense and purpose in the universe, so the search goes on.

........my point really is that until you know what you believe and use that knowledge to live, you are lost. Are you examining what you believe? Do you care? More importantly, start measuring your actions against what you think you believe. Do your actions match what you claim you believe? Hmmmmmm.........It should, shouldn't it?

"Test the Heart...."

"Test"..."heart"....words used so frequently in our modern society, yet what do they mean. The heart implies a romantic concept, emotional. Tests are academic, cognitive. What could it possibly mean to "test the heart"? Are we insuring that we really love someone before we form a union with them? Are we measuring the amount of knowledge or skill we have acquired? Does society care?

As we Americans have relaxed our standards in many areas of life, some ideas take on new meaning....or should I say lose meaning.

As we adjust admission standards to college and give out trophies of "participation" regardless of record, we diminish tests. As we redefine love and the various arrangements and permissions that "being in love" include, are we strengthening our society--ourselves? Are we offering more access, or are we taking away the soul of commitment and achievement?

In a spiritual sense, the Bible tells us "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity". ( I Chronicles 29: 17) Are we a religious people? If you claim to be religious, how do you define what God considers integrity...what God considers appropriate 'heart attitudes'?

The American way is to decide for yourself. So, let's examine integrity and the tests that life holds for us today. Let's see what lies in our hearts and then test our character--corporately and individually. The journey to "find yourself" has always been preeminent in the human search for meaning. I would propose that no one even is looking anymore.