February 8, 2022
Thought for Today
“The written word, unpublished, can be destroyed, but the
spoken word can never be recalled.”
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Monday, February 7, 2022
Sunday, February 6, 2022
Saturday, February 5, 2022
February 5, 2022
OUTSIDERS AND INSIDERS
Garrison Keillor said, “A marriage to be happy needs an
exterior threat. New York provides that
threat.”
Born and bred in New York I didn’t get it. I didn’t like
the comment either. Maybe saying that would get a laugh in Minnesota and in
every place in the country where Prairie Home Companion was on the radio. Did
New Yorkers laugh? I don’t know. I didn’t.
What hurt me was the first part: “A marriage to be happy
needs an exterior threat.”
Years ago a guy told me about something that happened in
one of our religious communities. It
went something like this.
Five guys – who were soloists and odd balls – who really
didn’t like each other – came together on one issue. They didn’t like their new boss. He was
appointed to their community and he was a “No no!” as far as they were concerned.
They complained to each other. They decided to go to
their bigger boss – the one who made the appointment. They did and in 2 weeks
their new boss quit.
Actually he was the wrong man for the job. He could be imprudent.
He was also too liberal for that community. The 5 guys stationed there were too “conservative”.
I put the word “conservative” in quotes – because they
were not true conservatives. They were “againsters”.
Whatever ….
I also found out that after they got rid of the guy they
didn’t like, they all reverted back to their former cantankerous selfish
selves. They went back into their own
shells.
After that I understood a
bit more why Ronald Reagan won his election. Make an outsider (the Russians) the bad guys
and you get people to back you. Outsiders can unite insiders.
After that I understood a bit more company and county and
country politics better. If you have internal and local politics, get a
scapegoat, bad mouth them, and people will unite with you.
However, the internal problem remains.
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2022
Reflection
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