2 minute read
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
(most of the time)
A series by Bad Billy Laveau on the phone: “The psychologist will see the multipersonality schizophrenic tomorrow. He is busy with a ballet dancer’s dislocated toe on the orthopedic ward today.”
Happiness is a firm building component in mental and physical rewards for work. It is simple. You work, you get paid. You work harder or better, you get paid more. Ever since our War of Independence (1776) and the Civil War (1865), our society has prospered due to diligent work and family stability.
A frequent symptom of failed societies is destruction of family influence in the general public. The ruling class wants a tight family for themselves. They maintain power through bloodlines rather than performance.
They weaken opposition by de-emphasizing the family and emphasizing the individual. Confusion to the enemy, they say. It works.
Our country entered that confused process with the “Me Generation” focused upon “how you feel about everything.” The outcome was a generation that either cannot or will not support themselves, financially or emotionally. They are the “basement generation,” more open to taking drugs to alter how they see themselves or feel about themselves. No real sense of direction. That is a downward spiral into the abyss of failure.
The “Me Generation” will have higher medical costs when serious illness arrives. They will suffer from the effects of inadequate happiness, optimism, and purpose to facilitate medical recovery. If they have not prepared financially for the added cost, you and I (taxpayers) will pay for this shortcoming.
What happens to you is not nearly as important as what you think about what happens to you. You decide what you think. It is free. You don’t need anyone’s permission.
Take Brenda Lee, a towering Augusta giant, (she was 4’9” tall and skinny) who grew up in poverty in the Harrisburg area. She went on to influence the development of rock and roll music with chart topping songs: “I’m Sorry,” “Rock Around the Christmas Tree,” “Break It to Me Gently,” and many more. In her mid-teens, she was the family breadwinner. Now she is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Look her up on YouTube. Clearly, Brenda Lee was not bogged down in self-pity, blaming others for her struggling start. Her attitude and thought, plus a soaring voice, lifted her and her family. No whining, no crying, no blaming others. I’ve never met her, but I would like to.
Our young people need a better sense of family stability. When I grew up, divorce was greatly frowned upon. Illegitimate births were a mark of shame. Welfare was a last resort. If you were in need, your family stepped up and provided. Your church did the same.
Family and church are two fundamental building blocks of a strong person and a strong society. Present day trends seem destined to destroy, or at least weaken, both. This is not good. This is not productive. This is not progressive.
Decades ago, just before taking the field, a football coach friend conditioned his team to chant: God. Country. Family. Team. There was never a thought of “I”. Once he said, “There is no ‘I’ in “win.” One arrogant player didn’t get the point and disagreed The coach immediate shot him a withering stare and intoned, “Yeah. But there are two I’s in idiot. Don’t you be one.” If a coach had that exchange today, he probably would be fired.
For the sake of medical economics, we must return to strong family ties, religious beliefs, and patriotism. Short of that, we are in for a world of hurt. Life expectancy will diminish. Medical costs will keep increasing. Depression and unhappiness will abound.
I, for one, desire happiness, wellness, and longevity. It beats the heck out of the alternative.
