Zombies and Superheroes

Retrieved from "http://marvel.com/universe/Marvel_Zombies_(Earth-2149)"

Tom Sheppard

6/13/2017

The Walking Dead are Among Us

Perhaps you don't believe it is true?  Consider that no less an authority on life and death than the first person to ever resurrect, Jesus of Nazareth confirmed that the dead walk among us.

In The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 9 verses 57 through 62 there is the account of two would-be followers of Jesus.  Skipping over the story of the first one, to the second he said, "Follow me."  This would-be disciple replied that he was willing, but first he wanted to go and bury his father.  Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."

From more modern authorities comes this interpretation of the interchange.  On BillyGraham.org I found this:

"He was speaking of ...those who were alive physically but dead toward God in their souls."

https://billygraham.org/answer/what-did-jesus-mean-when-he-said-to-let-the-dead-bury-the-dead/

Super Heroes are Among Us

Former Atheist CS Lewis noted that

"...the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which,if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship."

For some time I have puzzled over the popular mania about zombies.  Likewise, I puzzled over our obsession with super heroes, mutants, and stories of those with supernatural or magical powers.  I believe both fascinations stem from the same root.  Each of us knows that within us lie the seeds of life or death.  If our life is more like a walking death, than the robust super-charged life of a super hero, we feel the loss and yearn for more.  Or, some resign themselves to the life of the undead / unliving, believing that quasi-death is the inevitable fate of everyone and that true life is but a brief state that soon will pass to be replaced with unrelenting gloom.

Harry Potter is a very ordinary seeming boy suddenly learns that he is anything but ordinary.  His story resonated with children and adults around the world to the tune of more than 400 million copies.

All of us want to believe that there is magic, or a super hero within us, just waiting to emerge and transform our lives from humdrum to an extraordinary adventure.

Many of us go through our lives feeling like we are the walking dead.  While there are those among us whose lives are filled with life, vitality, abundance and joy.  These success stories seem to us like some sort of super hero story.

We buy all sorts of elixirs and snake oil remedies from people who present themselves as economic or spiritual super heroes.  Each bottle, book, course, boot camp, or certification is presented as an essential step to transform ourselves from zombies into super heroes.

Jesus of Nazareth was threatened with death by stoning when he told the people of his home town, "Ye are gods." (John 10:33).  The fact that he was quoting from the Old Testament (Psalms 82:6) didn't make the pill any easier for his hearers to swallow.

Are these sellers of success the keepers of the true path to change each of us from zombies into super heroes?  Unfortunately for those of us who have bought their wares, no.

Zombies and super heroes are all around us.  A few live lives of abundance while the majority shamble through theirs lives decaying a bit with every step they take.  What is the difference between the super heroes and the zombies.  What is it that can transform your world from death into life?

Joy.

Joy is not about everything always being happy and fun.  Joy is about being grateful for both the pleasant and the unpleasant in your life.  Joy is about embracing life as it is, where it is, instead of always pining for whatever is not there right now.

You can live in a state of constant joy.  You can mourn for the death of a loved one while being grateful for the happiness that person brought into your life while they were here.  You can regret the loss of riches while remembering how good you felt when you used your riches to make lasting memories with others in you life.  You can dislike the taste of the poor food you eat while being grateful that you have tasted so much better.  On the flip side, you can take pleasure from the happiness you are experiencing this moment while being grateful that the pains which came before have heightened your appreciation for this moment of triumph.

Joy transforms our life from walking death into abundance.

How Do I Become Full of Joy (joyful)?

The simple answer is not the easy answer.  The simple answer is that you decide that you will be joyful.

This decision is simple, but not easy.  Once decided, thereafter it takes a lifetime of thoughts and actions to maintain.  Every time something unpleasant comes into your life, you must be sincerely grateful for it and appreciate how the unpleasantness makes the pleasant experiences in your life that much richer.  Every time something pleasant comes into your life, do not take it for granted. Rather, remind yourself of how your unpleasant experiences are making this moment of delight, richer and more wonderful.

When I was a young man, for nearly two years I lived in a third-world country.  While there, living among the people, I saw real poverty.  While there, I saw despotism and corruption both in the government and among the people.  I saw a government that the people had reason to fear and knew that Constitutional Rights was, there, a meaningless phrase.  Right along with things like the rights described in the Miranda Act to protect people from abuses by the police.

When I returned to the United States of America, I came back with a full appreciation for the astounding wealth enjoyed by even our poorest in this country.  I came back will a deep appreciation for the wisdom of the framers of our Constitution as well as gratitude for those who have stood in defense of our country, our freedoms and our ideals.  Because of my experience there, I look askance at those who claim that our political process disenfranchises them, and I realize that what they are really saying is that our system doesn't allow them to do whatever they feel like doing with impunity.

Living a joyful life doesn't happen by drinking some elixir, rubbing in some ointment, attaining some degree or certification, attending some course, or reading some book.  A joyful life is the result of an attitude of gratitude which absorbs and is grateful for both the happy and unhappy things in life.

For me, this gratitude is founded upon my knowledge of the divinity and love of Jesus Christ and God the Father.

Having the certainty that the Creator of the universe is also the literal father of my soul allows me to be grateful for the fabulous beauty of the world I see around me every day. Knowing that He created it, in all it beauty and variety, to gladden my heart, makes me pause to truly observe and absorb the beauty that surrounds us.

Knowing that one day, I will die, but that is not the end.  At his word, my spirit will rejoin my body and He will glorify and perfect me by his power and grace and grant me such opportunities that the mind of man cannot imagine or comprehend.  All the sorrows of this life will, at that day, seem but a small moment.  I am grateful He lets me experience the bitter so that I can savor the sweet.

Isaiah 55:1,2
"... every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you,..."

The walking dead around us are dead to the joy of life.  The super heroes among us are those who live joyful, abundant lives, filled with vibrancy and gratitude for both the pleasant and the unpleasant.

Note:  An article in the Wall Street Journal today says that "adolescents with a strong personal spirituality are found to be 60% less likely to be severely depressed as teenagers,"

Tom Sheppard is a business consultant and coach to small business owners and individuals. He is a recognized author with dozens of titles in business and fiction to his credit. One of his endeavors is to help those who want to see their own book in print. He does this through his trademarked Book Whispering Process (TM). 

The author is not an official spokesperson for any organization or person mentioned herein. 

(c) Copyright 2017 A+ Results LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

Your comments are welcome... Please observe some ground rules. No profanity, vulgarity, or personal attacks. Profanity, vulgarity and personal attacks not only betray a lack of vocabulary and imagination, they also are the hallmarks of bigotry, and bigotry is the hallmark of someone who is fundamentally insecure in their views. Facts are always welcome.

Bullies v the Silent Majority

Tom Sheppard

11/12/2016

As #TrumpTrauma continues to fascinate the nation, the following true story, posted today by a friend of mine shows what is wrong in the US today and why Trump won this election. It is a sad story.

The day after the election my oldest son, Baker, asked my wife if a friend of his, a Muslim girl, would have to be deported now that Trump was elected. Lauren explained to him that we should always stand up and protect others, especially those in the minority, and that she would not be deported.  

Yesterday at an after-school Student Council meeting, while discussing an upcoming social event in December. Baker referred to it as a “Christmas party”. This same girl took offense and asked him not to call it a Christmas party. He apologized. Moments later he slipped up and called it a Christmas party again. In anger, she jumped up and pulled his hair. In pain and embarrassed in front of his classmates, he left and he hid out the rest of the meeting in the bathroom. 

I was touched that Baker had such concern for his friend. Baker is one of the most caring and least bigoted kids I know, much more so than I was at his age.  

I was sad that he got attacked for what really was just an accident. He would never intentionally offend anyone. I was sad that this girl didn’t know that just two days before Baker was concerned that her family might have to leave the country.  

I am also really sad for this young girl. I wondered what she must have been feeling the past few days. Threatened? Afraid? Or what she may have experienced from other classmates that might have set her on edge to lash out.  

Two innocent kids that have been friends that have been set at odds due to the society and happenings all around them that they have nothing to do with. This makes me sad. I hope that we can heal as a Nation soon.

For quite some time now, Christians in the US have been being assaulted by the twin bullies of Islam and Atheism.  They have been fierce, abusive and even violent in their assertions that we should shut up and hide in the bathroom when our views differ from theirs.  They have been demanding that we relinquish our rights because they are offended.

I believe that Trump got elected because he appealed to the silent majority, who were tired of being silent anymore.  He gave them a voice that said, "stop walking on me."

I admire the good Christian values this boy demonstrated.  His parents have taught him well.  I hope they also teach him how to deal with bullies.

By the way, I don't mean punching the girl.  Violence in the face of bullying and oppression is the course of last resort.

First is an appeal to the offender.  Asking reasonably that they apologize for their violence and intolerance and that they demonstrate mutual respect, not just one-way respect.

If that fails, then an appeal to legitimate, formal authority for redress of the wrongs you have suffered.  If the authority fails to redress your wrongs, or joins in the abuse, then there is only one course left.

When the appeal to the better nature of the bully fails and the recognized authority either declines to intervene or joins with the bullies, that is when a violent response is justified.  Not right then, but the next time the bully tries to beat you down.  Then, you are justified to counterpunch and knock him or her down and tell them, "this far and no further." 

God expects us to follow the rules.  He also gives us the right to defend ourselves when those who are set in authority to enforce the rules are unable or unwilling to preserve our rights and keep us safe in our persons and possessions.

For the past several years, and with increasing frequency and furor during the Obama Presidency, the silent majority of Christian Americans (black, white, brown and red) have been being bullied by the Atheists and Muslims.  We are being told we must be silent in our beliefs, while only they are allowed to speak freely.  We are being told that we should not only not be heard, but we should not be seen.

If the Jews remember the rise of Hitler, they should be deeply afraid of this trend.  They were on the receiving end of the National Socialists (NAZIs) push to replace all religion with the worship of the state and its leader.  If the Christians are being actively persecuted and bullied by Muslims and Atheists in this country, can the Jews be far behind?  And what of the Hindus and Buddhists? 

Once the Christian bulwark of tolerance and civility is destroyed in this country, the many religions and races who have sheltered behind it will be swept away and only one religion will be tolerated - the worship of the state, and its leaders.

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is the second step of ordinary Americans, the silent majority, dealing with bullies.

First, we appealed to the better nature of these bullies.  As with most bullies, they assumed our peaceful response was a sign of weakness.  That just emboldened them to further outrages upon us.

When they failed to behave in a civil and tolerant manner, being as respectful of our rights as we have been of theirs, we looked for intervention by the legitimate authorities.  What we found at the highest levels of our government was a President and an administration that was hostile toward the rights and beliefs of the silent majority and unwilling to take appropriate measures to protect our rights as well as those of others.

Seeing the unwillingness of our leaders to stand for justice, the silent majority took the next step.  We sought out a candidate who appeared to give voice to our fears and frustrations.  The obvious danger from demagogues at this point should be clear to all students of history.  It remains to be seen if Trump will be a demagogue, or if he will stand in the breach of the wall of Christian tolerance which has been blasted by Atheists and Muslims, and mete out both liberty and justice for all, or not.  That is what the silent majority are hoping for, is liberty and justice for all, not just for the favorites, or the bullies.

But, be warned, the silent, tolerant majority have spoken in this election.  They have said clearly that what has gone on before will not be tolerated anymore.  If the bullies of Islam and Atheism don't behave as civilized people should and exhibit the respect they ask for, and government doesn't protect the rights of the majority as well as it does the minority, the next step, a fist to the nose of the bullies, is a place which has not been seen in this country since the American Revolution.  And it won't be pretty.

I never want to see that day.  It is my hope and prayer that the Atheist and Muslim bullies will be fearful enough of the results of this election that they will correct their behaviors and embrace the norms of civil society where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and where they don't expect their rights to be exercised at the expense of the rights of others.

The silent majority of Americans have spoken.  Will you hear it.  Will you heed it?  Or will you instead respond with violence in another attempt to get what you want by bullying others?  Beware of picking a fight you cannot ever win.  Just because the majority are usually silent and patient, does not mean they will always remain so.

"Beware the fury of a patient man."  

John Dryden

Tom Sheppard is a business consultant and coach to small business owners and individuals. He is a recognized author with dozens of titles in business and fiction to his credit. One of his endeavors is to help those who want to see their own book in print. He does this through his trademarked Book Whispering Process (TM). 

 The author is not an official spokesperson for any organization or person mentioned herein. 

(c) Copyright 2016 A+ Results LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

 Your comments are welcome... Please observe some ground rules. No profanity, vulgarity, or personal attacks. Profanity, vulgarity and personal attacks not only betray a lack of vocabulary and imagination, they also are the hallmarks of bigotry, and bigotry is the hallmark of someone who is fundamentally insecure in their views. Facts are always welcome.