What we've made of our country during my generation gives me grave concern.
In relatively short order we've steadily mutated from a nation that valued such qualities as integrity, strength of character and working hard to achieve one's goals into one where it's acceptable to embrace any tactic to achieve a goal, rampant deception and an affinity for government-subsidized sloth.
When was the last time you heard the value of one's "work ethic" even mentioned in conversation? I heard it a lot as a child 59 years back. Never today.
Yes, I know it's a cynical view of a complex situation. Yet I'd ask you to go easy on the messenger.
So what do you believe are the qualities necessary for a person to remain mentally sound in today's rudderless society? A group of us discussed the question last week. That started me thinking about just what it is in our hearts and psyches that invariably leads to an adult (and a society) becoming reasonable and mature in their approach to life. Our discussion stemmed from the fact that so many nowadays seem far too easily swayed and convinced by the opinions of others who all too often are, themselves, equally uninformed or hard-pressed to think critically.
Combining our several hundred years of experience and observation, here are some answers we agreed upon.
We each should form our individual distinctions between right and wrong, then always strive to do what we believe is the right thing. Millions of emotion-soaked people followed an hysterical Adolf Hitler to their deaths.
It's crucial to establish personal priorities and stick to them. This includes weighing the importance of people and tasks in our daily lives. It's so much better to be 10 feet deep and 100 yards wide than an inch deep and a mile wide.
The same holds true to boosting our effectiveness that we become as organized as possible to conserve time and avoid incredible amounts of wasted and limited energy.
We are only as trusted and credible as our word. That's at the very heart of our reliability as the rarest of creatures who can interpret the difference between truth and deception.
It's so important to be fair-minded and show kindness to each other and all living creatures while also being confident to speak up when it becomes obviously necessary.
We should always be ready to delay gratification, especially if doing so clearly can lead to even greater rewards later on.
Don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Get up and move ahead with the brief lifetime you've been afforded. Whining to gain sympathy or invoke guilt quickly wears thin on others.
Be willing to take calculated risks, especially in matters of potentially great rewards.
Decide why you believe as you do, then have the courage to explain and defend your convictions. Always choose truth over emotions that can make you vulnerable to others' agendas. This includes your spiritual convictions, which are far more influential than your physical existence.
Be pleased, even supportive, for the successes of others. Resenting them only damages yourself and leaves the impression of you as petty and jealous.
Never waste energy being unhappy, especially over aspects outside your control. Rather, become intentionally happy about your life and all the good it can bring.
Living means existing in a state of constant change. No two hours, days or experiences are alike. We are best served by embracing changes as opposed to resisting them, and welcoming challenges rather than avoiding them. Challenges invariably make us grow in capacity and strength. Otherwise, we might as well live in a safe and boring closet with a daily pizza slid under the door.
Learn how to think critically for yourself rather than meandering sheepishly along behind those with agendas who delight in using you. Every mob is led by those with personal goals who've learned how to convince followers into believing as they do. Jim Jones, Jim Baker and Al Sharpton all leap readily to mind.
What the plume reveals
I'm waiting, along with thousands of other Arkansans, until Thursday afternoon to learn what contractors Harbor Environmental and Cascade Drilling say they discovered in the single exploratory hole drilled two months ago beneath C&H Hog Farms in the Buffalo National River watershed.
That drilling, ordered by the state's Department of Environmental Quality (cough) at a cost to taxpayers of $75,000, came after the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance (through an Freedom of Information Act request) learned of previously undisclosed findings by an Oklahoma State University geology professor's research at the factory containing some 6,500 swine.
Dr. Todd Halihan detected a large, suspiciously wet plume along with what appeared to be a fracture in the karst subsurface beneath the corner of one of two massive waste lagoons.
Among other questions, I'm wondering if the single hole in one spot was actually bored directly into this plume that caused the action to begin with. We shall soon see.
------------v------------
Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/29/2016