Listen carefully and take notes…
“Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is righteous is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil…” 1 John 3:7-8.
“Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:10.
I’m four days from being 46 years of age. I’m blessed — The Lord has given me much discernment, even more these days, it seems. I’ve seen a lot of sin in 2019, doubled face people acting egoistically, and much attention being directed to those who oppress. I think I’m seeing a phenomenon around here, “The Stockholm Syndrome,” under a plutonomy eager to see an increase in precariat — precarious proletariat, as Noam Chomsky once put.
It ain’t very Christian bible belt fellas… Not really.
Southeast Tennessee is too autocratic maybe even heartless in its core, I’m witnessing. The disregard for those who struggle around here is ungodly. It seems that fear tactics are the norm in this region, along with repression of ideas and thoughts done by outsiders. You have to learn how to ignore the structure of power in order to live a decent life in this place or submit to the local wishes, even if they are perverse in nature, in order to have a chance to be accepted by the inner circle.
Oh my.
“Do as I tell you. You are below me. No questions asked” is the ultimate regional philosophy, it seems. Thank God I’ve decided to live my life adopting an independent policy mindset rarely attached to the wishes and impositions of local cults. Disdain, disregard, desolation, depression, disaster! I see them all…
My God… Have mercy on them.
We live in a small city with the characteristics of a small town. The concentration of power and wealth around here is cyclical and predictable. The wealthy are elected to positions of power and pass legislation to protect their own. It become a vicious cycle, overtime.
It is what it is.
My childhood friend once told me, “If something appears to be, it often is.” It appears to me that the culture of southeast Tennessee is very callous, everywhere you go. My frame of reference is based on the several states I’ve lived in before coming to Cleveland, TN.
Love is what we need not hate or malice. Playing power games is part of life but it doesn’t make it Christian. Being insensitive and showing complete disregard for others due to fear of repression by a local leader is of the devil.
Please… Don’t be afraid to comment on my facebook wall. It’s okay… I’m not the enemy.
My advice: Be less hypocritical and have more heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. Show care for others by being reasonable with your actions. It’s the right thing to do. Put away your frowning faces and smile.
“Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:10.
“Dear children, don’t let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is righteous is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil…” 1 John 3:7-8.
I’m thankful that the Lord has put me to work with good people in my department at school. They are the exception… The answer is often found in the small print, I say. I think I found the answers in the fine print.