Is It Legal To Murder Santa Claus?

A reader once asked me to justify using quotes in my posts. They suggested it proved I am a lazy thinker and suggested some of the quotes I used were fabricated and or misattributed.

Attribution matters to me and I try hard to make sure that what I share here is accurate but the allegation that sharing quotes represents sloppy thinking is as foolish as asking if it would be a crime to kill an imaginary figure.

I didn’t engage with the fellow. Didn’t mention much of our education involves studying the things others did and said because there are moments to wrestle with mental midgets and moments to do what we can to expand our minds or so I tell my kids.

What Is The End Of The Beginning?

One of the reasons I write is because I hope one day it will help my children find their way through some of life’s challenges and gain a better understand of who their old man is.

I have done my best to shield them from some of the chaos and confusion of recent years because I didn’t see how knowing more would help and figured the faster I moved through these moments the better it would be for all of us.

Some of this stems from what happens when dad gets caught in the corporate chaos created by others and some of it comes from the turmoil that comes with mid career moves.

When the day comes when they ask me how I have made certain decisions and how I justified analysis and a dose of going with my gut I’ll share these quotes with them.

They are all tied into the posts below. There is a whole theme here, a rhyme and reason that others might be able to follow or might not.

• Sometimes Dad’s Just Don’t Know
• It Is The End Of The Beginning
• Bloggers Need The Write Stuff
• Success Is More About Effort Than Luck
• He Named His Intention Texas

One of the things I want my kids to understand is it is nice to be understood and to have people follow your train of thought but it is not always needed or necessary.

Sometimes you are the only one who can hear the song of your heart and you follow a yellow brick road that no one else can see.

People make fun of what they don’t understand because of fear and insecurity but I don’t want them to pretend they can’t hear that music or see the road when they do.

I get it. I know it. I understand it because I am living it.

It is not always clear and I still would prefer to have more concrete rules, items and examples to use but I don’t. I am good with that. I am ok.

That is part of why I blog too.

This where I suss and sort it all out.

If you want a rough and inelegant way of describing it this reminds me of the surge of energy and fear I sometimes had before a fight. I was always nervous about getting hit but once I knew what that felt like it was game on for me.

A nicer way of describing it would be to compare it to entering really hot/cold water.

“If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” ― Albert Einstein

I love that quote more than I can say.

It reminds me of a discussion with a good friend about the importance of asking the right questions.

Good questions are part of the foundation of a good education. It begins with recognizing you don’t know what you don’t know and trying to figure out what gaps need to be filled in so you can ask smarter questions.

Circle back to the quote about changing the facts for a moment and I’ll say sometimes I think we get the right answers but they are attached to the wrong question.

Part of growing is figuring out how to expand your mind so that you recognize the opportunity to look for other answers/facts.

Ask my kids about the importance of being able to argue both sides of an argument and they’ll tell you I am an advocate because the person who can argue both sides often has a greater understanding of the issues.

But it is also because I am pushing back against a growing intolerance for being offended. All too often I hear/see people complain about being offended and their response is to call for a ban or boycott.

I find that shameful and disappointing. Don’t like what you see on television? Don’t watch.

Is It Legal To Murder Santa Claus?

Why not ask a serious question like Why Do Clowns Make Better Lovers Than Mimes?

Or more importantly tell me the man who just spoke about tolerance why I shouldn’t burn your evil spawn, the elf on the shelf and the mensch on the bench.

I hate those creepy things.

Now if only I had a quote for that…