The “easy way out” is the Utopian ideal that all mankind aspires to. I know that I certainly have attempted to find it.

I reached a point where I realized that in many ways, that philosophy was backwards. What appears easy, is often difficult in the long run, and the seemingly hard stuff, makes things easy in the long run.

It may seem easy for a 16 year old to say yes to drugs at a party, when in fact if you look at the future ramifications, it is MUCH easier to say no.

While I do believe it is easier to do the right thing than to do the wrong thing and pay for it later, it is in fact, easier for people in positions of responsibility to lie, rather than dispense the truth.

For the Christian pastor who stands in front of a congregation telling them what they want to hear rather than what needs to be said, it is much easier in the short run than being truthful. People want to know that they are in control. Many 21st Century pastors will joyfully tell you that you can earn your way to Heaven (not in those words) by the wonderful things you do for other people, or animals… or the environment…and so on. He or she knows it’s what many humans want to hear. Of course, helping others is Godly, but is irrelevant for salvation. Still other Pastors will tell you that everyone goes to heaven. It’s a pretty easy sell to essentially say, do what you want, it doesn’t matter. To hell with Hell, so to speak.

Man is driven to make things his own. We take what we are told, and re-create it to make it what we think it should be. The easy way out in Christianity, is to accept that re-creation. Why not just go with flow?

When the end comes to pass, we will know if that was “really” the easy way out.

Have you ever lied to yourself in an attempt to fool yourself into believing that this or that is easy? I know I have. If I can just do it tomorrow it will be easier. Of course it is always harder.

Politics is filled with those who know they will get farther with you (and your vote), if they lie to you. They take the easy way out, and tell potential voters what they want to hear.

Many voters will say yes to the Utopia that’s promised. Then eventfully it is discovered, that because you took the easy way out when you voted, they now “own you“, not the other way around. There was a time when they needed you, now they’ve made sure you need them.

Have you ever said well, I’ll clean up my dirty dishes later. I have. It seems at the time, like we’re getting the easy way out. Three days later and ten more dirty dishes, now Aunt Emma and Uncle Wilbur are coming over and you have no choice but to wash the dishes. Lots of dishes with food caked on. I guess it really wasn’t the easy way out.

I’ll get those brakes fixed on my car later. That was the easy way, right? Then they fail you and you crash the car. Not so easy now is it? Yes, I have done that.

To take care of the complexities of life, first take care of the little, common stuff.

This is where you expect me to say, there is NO easy way out. Nope! There is indeed always an “easier” way out. The easy way out is generally whatever seems like the hard way at the time.

Take it easy,
Wayne

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I love sharing song lyrics on the pages of Earth Images. They always lack a little without the music, but often the words themselves are powerful enough to merit their publication on this blog.

Back in the day when John Lennon penned the song called Imagine for the Plastic Ono Band, I was quite taken with it. That’s not surprising as Lennon and I shared a lot of the same philosophical alleyways.

Lennon was in fact a dreamer and he wanted to tell the world to just come together. Also to get rid of all those things that divide us. It sounded pretty good to me.

Time passed, Lennon is long gone and I learned to think a little deeper about things.

John did what I and many young people do, we look for superficial reasons for deep seated problems. We blame everything but those who do evil deeds. It is much like those today who think if we just made more laws against guns, then all of the evil ones who murder would stop. Guns are why people do evil things. Right?

No heaven, no Hell, no country, no possessions, no religion. That’ll do it. John is not the first to blame objects and borders for what’s wrong with mankind.

Sorry John, that’s neat but it doesn’t fly. If you were alive today, you would know that too. I think personal observations of many of his friends about Lennon near the end of his life, substantiates my belief.  A distinct turn to the right was witnessed.

You cannot cure man of his ills by removing the tools he uses to destroy. He will make new ones. The evil that lurks in the heart and soul of humans, is the result of sin, not heaven  or religion or countries or possessions.

An actor who grew up in the south in the fifties named Samuel L. Jackson lamented recently that when and where he grew up, there were guns everywhere. Eight year olds had guns. Nobody ever shot anybody. That’s because there was still a respect for human life. There was less evil in their hearts and nobody made excuses for the evil they did do. Nobody blamed things like guns.

There is only one cure for what ills mankind and it is God.

So John, this former social/political liberal (me) can still imagine great things. Like the potential for man to accept the one true answer to his dilemma.

Imagine

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today… Aha-ah…

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

God Bless

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Republican candidate for the Senate in the state of Alabama, Ray (or Roy) Moore needs to step out of that race. I have a great smell detector for people falsely crying wolf when they accuse men of molestation and rape, and I believe two of those women in what they say.  Republicans nationwide including the President are asking him to step down.

That’s quite a diference in what Democrats did back when Anita Broderick accused Bill Clinton of out and out rape. My smell detector was working in the 90s too. The smell did not come from Broderick but from the hypocritical left instead. They made fun of Broderick.

Once again, Ray Moore needs to get out of the senatorial race in Alabama.

Then this

Ah sweet Hollywood

Where are the cries for that statue to come down from those who want every statue or remembrance of the old south removed?  Could those people be phonies!

See ya next time,                                                                                                                               Wayne