Respect: Honor your mother and father

Pablo Hernandez Vargas
My father

My parents taught me all the basics: survival, respect for all people especially those older than me, the value of family, the value of extended family and friendship, compassion/empathy, justice, equality, and the sanctity of independent ethically driven thinking. They taught me the value of the truth and the principle that knowing the truth but not adhering to it made me guilty and complicit.

These were all principles they learned from their religion and their parents. They weren't simply guidelines, but rules they followed. They didn't follow the crowd; they followed their conscience. My father was a concientious objector (a non combatant medic) during WWII, like Desmond Doss, but he served his country. Through out his life he lost or was refused jobs because he refused to work on his Sabbath, Saturday. Again, he stood by his convictions. 

He was ridiculed for his "broken" English but employers loved his work ethic and his personal ethics. To gain respect, be respectful. My father, however, believed that we also must speak up for the disenfranchised. "Unto to the least of these...", he would quote. Respect is a responsibility that we owe each other.

As I've aged, I have begone to notice how we ignore our seniors as if they are all demented and have no value. Yesterday, I witnessed a group of elderly ladies simply asking if their order could be taken at the bar vs the table where they were sitting and waiting patiently to be served. They were thirsty and it was hot outside. The barkeep rudely repeated that the server said "they would have to wait". No compassion and no respect. The ladies were offended but said nothing.

Well, I said something to the bartender about her rudeness and lack of empathy. Then I went to the lady who was not served and asked her how it made her feel. She and her group said they are frequently ignored as if they don't exist. I told them that I spoke to the bartender about the incident. It bothered me enough to say something and do something.

The incident kept playing over in my head, and when I went home I elected to call the manager and complain about the bartender who had also served me, smile less and without a care about me. I told him it was bad for business and that seniors are folks with lots of disposable income and can pay tips. I let him know the name of the person and added, I left no tip.

People do not respect each other today. We no longer follower the golden rule or even any form of higher power nor conscience. Do what's right. Speak up. Honor your mother and father. Be honorable, practice your ethics, and your faith. Go the extra mile and do what's right. Listen to your conscience.

 

A Little Bird Told Me

Bluebird Waiting to Get Out
Keller, TX

My mother knew how to keep us all in line. She would tell us that she was omniscient because a little bird would tell her everything. My sisters and I believed her omniscience. When I spotted this bluebird on my walk, peering out, and watching my movement, I knew I had found one of her spies. Life has these omniscient little bluebirds. We should heed them.

Female Eastern Bluebird With Meal
Keller, TX

It turns out that there are political bluebirds out there too. Also with omniscient powers. One is tweeting like crazy on social media how the Big Beautiful Bill is a sham and that it along with tariffs will cause a recession as we add more deficits snuff out consumer spending and wreak havoc to industrial supply chains. The other bird, the President, is tweeting back his song of sunshine and that he will retaliate on the doomsday tweeter. Wrong or right, it's not a good time to be a parked car underneath these birds. Both have been rumored to do lots of hyperbolic tweeting. 

As both birds continue to sing and tweet, Congress ignores all economic advice, one thing we know, these tweeting birds have been known to crap on others their entire tweeting lives. I'm going to listen to the little bird that I inherited from my mother. And whether, I like Elon or not, I know that the Big Beautiful Bill is a sham, inflationary, and will slow down growth. Average folks like you and me have already seen the price of everything increase needlessly simply because of the President's loud tariffs tweets, and the tweets of FED economists. We've been warned. The GOP birds are flocking together claiming it will not add to our deficits and tax cuts, tariffs are necessary, one can only hope they migrate and leave us alone. I'm ready for the drama and noise to stop but that would sell less advertising.