America is seeing the Salem Witchcraft re-enacted in Congress today. There’s a lot of over-reaction and raw emotion; bending of convenient rules and hypocrisy. I feel the need to speak on this today. Move on to the jokes if this bothers you.

In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, the Father sings a song about being a rich man and all the perks that come with it. One line that sticks out to me as unfortunately true is when he proclaims “when you’re rich, they think you really know.”

Let me extrapolate that a bit. When you’re rich, powerful, influential, etc., somehow people put a lot of weight on your opinions. Just because the rich have “arrived,” people want to be like them … think like them … so they can BE them.

Once you accept that there are fake authorities, look beyond that egotist with the microphone and start looking at the facts. When a basketball player tells you to buy a car, what makes his taste of cars any better than yours? When a Hollywood starlet shares her favorite recipe, are you compelled to try it out? When a politician who has never run a business makes laws that influence corporate budgets and personnel, do you feel it’s going to help the economy?

Peter’s Principle states that “a person is elevated to his level of incompetence.” When a government sucks, blame it on the clueless yet powerful monkeys who made it up in the food chain.

So now that you see the monkeys in your midst, accept them. No need to be exasperated that they don’t make logical sense. They’re monkeys! Move on.

I’m not here to endorse any political party. I trust you’re mature enough to figure this out. And your conclusion my be different than mine. And that’s fine. I may be a monkey too. But I would suggest that you take the Four-Way Test recited in every Rotary meeting (my addition is in blue):

• Is it the truth? Are the facts backed up by reliable witnesses and unbiased reporting?
• Is it fair for all concerned? If the tables were turned, would you accept the rules if it were imposed on you? Don’t be a hypocrite. Would you prosecute any of your political allies if they broke those same rules?
• Will it bring goodwill and better friendship? Is there any room for grace?
• Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Is this a win-win situation?

If your position misses any of these marks, think of the possibility that you’re listening to someone who has more opinion than actual wisdom and the possibility that you’re on the wrong side of the fence.

(Very sleepy now. No more energy to think straight. Be good. See you next week).

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

— James 3:17

TGIF people!

Danger: Millenials Traveling Unsupervised

Shared by Don of Kelowna. B.C.
Watch out! This is really long.

(Of course I couldn’t find any proof that this is a true compilation … unless you consider Huffington Post as legit so my apologies to all you Millennials for this stereotype.)

Abbot and Costello Math Trick
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre

These guys talk a mile a minute. Smoothless performance. At one point, it seemed like Costello actually made sense. Clean, intelligent, classy humor — the best kind!

WATCH VIDEO

Reality Check in “Crazy Rich Asians”
Sent by Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Some interesting trivia about the movie.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Naomi of North Hollywood who shared this photo

The post Traveling Millennials appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Lawrence is a Math wiz kid who hardly studied yet always topped the exams. This pattern followed him throughout his academic life … graduating at the top of his class.  Jun, another genius from another school, was the salutatorian of his high school batch. Rob was a terrible student yet he was a walking calculator. He could spit out the square root of a 7 digit number in a split second and he would come up with the answers to Trigonometric and Geometric equations before he could explain how he got the answers.

These three boys had very bright futures but sadly, Lawrence became a recluse; Jun dropped out of college because he didn’t see the need for it; and Rob hung out at the billiard tables where he got his affirmations. What happened? Do you have a similar story about people who “could have” but “didn’t?”

I have 3 theories. The first is “fear of failure.” Rather than fail at something, they’d rather not even try. This often happens with child actors and actresses whose peak started too early in life. Many could never live up to expectations especially because their every move was out in the spotlight. They were never free to grow up. The second is bad parenting. The parents didn’t direct their kids in the right direction. It’s not entirely their fault either. Maybe the parents just didn’t know how to raise a superstar.

A famous verse brings me to my third theory which is similar: that his parents never realized his real bent. A popular verse says it all.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6

Many think this means “teach the child right from wrong so when he becomes an adult, he will live as a good citizen.” But actually, (and I invite my Jewish friends to please confirm this accuracy) it means parents should be sensitive to the child’s bent. What are his inclinations? More specifically, the parents should pray and ask God what His plans are for their child. Don’t force a child to become a high-salaried doctor when he was meant to be a dancer. How drab the world would be without gifted dancers.

I still need to gather my thoughts about this but we had a 2-hour power outage earlier this evening. It’s almost midnight and I have to launch this email out already. So I’m really rushing. Hopefully I made myself clear. And I am so so sleepy. See you next week.

This of course, is just me.

TGIF people!

At the Poker Table

Shared by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Shades of Abbott and Costello with Johnny Carson
Sent by Don of Kelowna, B.C.

Unless you were into politics in the 70’s you will probably not get the humor. Just know that this is similar to the Abbott and Costello act “Who’s on First” which I also feature below.

WATCH VIDEO

Who’s on First

One of the funniest comedy routines ever. Again, if you don’t know the names of the players … too bad.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Parting Shot

Thanks to Rodney of Manitoba, B.C. who shared this photo

The post The Poker Messenger appeared first on Traveling Archive.