Here we sit, situated between two manufactured holidays, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Perhaps \u201choliday\u201d is misleading and inaccurate, but the two are days in which much of the nation is engaged in a similar activity.<\/p>\n
It was hard to ignore the foolishness on the floor of one Walmart, no less. Hours after gathering for an intentional giving of thanks, two men graveled to the ground, fighting for who gets what, somewhere between the paper towels and on-sale toys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In Hoover, Alabama \u2014 not far from Birmingham \u2014 the foolishness was far worse. According to local police, a fight broke out between two young men inside the Riverchase Galleria mall near the FootAction store. It resulted in an exchange of gun fire, with two wounded and one killed. (The specifics of this incident continue to be investigated.)<\/i><\/p>\n There are multiple, valid aspects from which we could approach the above, manifest foolishness. They are not the same \u2014 as one seems silly \u2014 the other heartbreaking. Yet a single, primary question lingers:<\/p>\n Why do we fight?<\/i><\/p>\n Prompting a second, also necessary question: are we teaching the younger generation that is acceptable and good to fight?<\/i><\/p>\n While it may be a somewhat unpopular premise, it\u2019s hard not to wonder when we fuel the \u201cmad-as-hell-and-not-going-to-take-it-any-more\u201d mentality \u2014 in societal, sport, or political disagreement \u2014 no longer even allowing<\/i> for disagreement \u2014 if we are teaching the younger generation that fighting is actually acceptable and good.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be clear: there is a time for everything\u2026 a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance, a time to be silent, and a time to speak up. But not every offense is a need to be offended. Not every time we feel impugned is cause for protest. And not every ounce of friction is reason to fight.<\/p>\n Fascinatingly, here comes the fight \u2014 right after the nation\u2019s pause for Thanksgiving. Such made me ponder further.<\/p>\n Thanksgiving is peaceful. Fighting is not.<\/p>\n Is there then, a link between gratitude and peace?<\/p>\n Is there a correlation between the intentional expression of thanksgiving and how much actual peace we feel inside?<\/p>\n And\u2026 when we fail to express our thanks, when we intentionally omit gratitude \u2014 judging it to be unnecessary or even undeserved \u2014 worry, anxiousness, and stress prevail?<\/p>\n Maybe, just maybe, our worry, anxiousness, and stress (along with their accompanying resentment, anger, and acrimony)<\/i> would be lessened exponentially if we learned how to be intentional in the consistent offering of thanksgiving\u2026 in the practicing of gratitude\u2026 and in recognizing all that we have been graciously given. It\u2019s wonderful what happens when that realization displaces worry at the center of your life.<\/p>\n If we fill our minds on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious \u2014 filling our minds on the best, not the worst \u2014 the beautiful, not the ugly \u2014 things to praise, not to curse \u2014 it\u2019s amazing what that does to our perspective\u2026<\/p>\n How it changes the way we see the world\u2026<\/p>\n How it changes the way we treat one another\u2026<\/p>\n And how we realize some of this fighting is the fruition of foolishness.<\/p>\n Let us focus most on what is good and right and true.<\/p>\n And let our intentional expression of thanks last for more than a single day each year.<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here we sit, situated between two manufactured holidays, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Perhaps \u201choliday\u201d is misleading and inaccurate, but the two are days in which much of the nation is engaged in a similar activity. It was hard to ignore the foolishness on the floor of one Walmart, no less. Hours after gathering for … <\/p>\n