*Please Note*
As of July 2015 many photos have been intentionally removed.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Going Numb Is Dumb

I suppose I am the average guy. My daily life consists of a few routines, much like I'm sure yours does.
Why is that? Probably because our lives are so often learned behavior. We see our friends live a certain way, we watched our parents do things this way, or our co-workers function in like fashion so we follow suit.
I believe all this routine is quite dangerous. Take a second, look up and pause. What do you see in the world around you? You see poverty at disgusting levels. I'm not talking about distant lands seen on TV during 30 second commercials with some lame celebrity host. I'm speaking about what goes on a few miles from your home. Mass murder is on the rise. I'm not talking about a third world country caught up in civil war. I'm talking about what happens in your city each week. Moral depravity is rampant. I'm not talking about crimes or heinous acts against the faceless innocent. I'm talking about the most basic sense of right vs wrong that is largely absent from every decision we make.
How did we all get here? Routine.
We keep doing the same thing, keep chasing the same goals, paying the same fines. And why..because that is what everybody else is doing.

This past weekend, lifelong friends from back home were in town to spend some time with us. In typical fashion, one night we ended up way past our bedtimes catching up and sharing our lives with one another.
A truly holy experience and sacred honor.
One thing became clear to all of us, nobody is immune to the dangers that come with falling into routines.
Life, marriage, raising children, all must be sheltered from the pitfalls of routine.
Routine will bring us just that...more routine, more of the same. More greed, more divorce and heartbreak, more misguided goals.
I've said many times before, decide what you want... success or greatness. I challenge you to determine which is the more admirable quality. How would you rather have your children described...as successful or great? Will you play in the games of this world, will you encourage your children to participate in the same games?
I submit to you that the greatest leaders, poets, soldiers, doctors, artists, in the history of the world are those who refused to live life according to the rules, and be governed by the wisdom of this world.

Think about it...you surely know someone who is quite successful by most standards. By default, would you trust that same person with your life, or with the life of someone you love? My friends, success does not equal greatness. They are NOT one in the same.
I heard it put this way once, and although this example never sits well with some people, it makes a clear point.....
On September 11th, the great people ran into the buildings, while the successful people ran out.

Do not go numb with routine. Do not go numb with success. Such behavior only leads to death. Death of the worst kind, wherein you are still upright and wandering around completely aware that you are not fully alive.

3 comments:

Jeannine said...

The phrase that keeps coming to mind lately is 'living intentionally'. So many of our decisions and actions are governed by our personal and collective history . I want to be able to say at the end of the day that I made my choices based on my own personal compass, not that I backed into them by force of habit.

Kris said...

I appreciate how you think about these things and how our boys are lucky enough to have a daddy who provides for them but doesn't let his work consume him. I hope we are always aware of how we spend our time and only put our energy into what is really important.

dezhorst said...

That was one of the best posts I've read in awhile, maybe because it hit home a little bit. I don't want to be walking around, knowing full well that I am not fully alive, and I want to make the right choices to walk the road that leads to a significant and "intentional" (to borrow from Jeannine) life.

btw..this guy if fantastic! who is he?