(source: xkcd.com)
Two people wrote to me very upset about my last article. Everyone on the Internet has to be in agreement. OR ELSE!
The first:
I had written: “Peace can only come from peaceful people.”
But AK wrote: “Really? Is that what stormed the beach at Normandy? Peaceful people? No. Hard men win wars and bring peace. Men who know how to kick ass. Peace comes from being able to crush your enemies and to hear the lamentation of their women.”
I encourage people to disagree with me. The first challenge is to understand that the critique is not about me or what I said but what goes on inside the minds and hearts of the critic.
Adam is right. Normandy helped end World War II.
But my own concern: It was all very very young people. 18-22 year olds. And most of those scared young kids died.
How sad that we had to use these people, barely out of the crib.
Six million Jews had already died. How many could’ve been saved if we just made the correct economic decisions in the 1920s and 30s regarding Germany?
It’s easy for me to say this in retrospect. It’s just speculation. I don’t really know.
Here’s what I do know. Hearing the “lamentation of their women”.
A) didn’t save the six million Jews.
B ) didn’t stop our friend-in-peace, Josef Stalin, from killing 20 million additional people.
C) did not stop the groundwork (in fact, it increased it) for the cold war which ended up causing the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and so much famine and economic distress
D) And yes, the lives of 18 year olds. I have two daughters. I would never want to send them over to “hear the lamentation of their women”.
—
Another note to me:
ATG wrote:
“This was wonderful, and I get the point about the bell, and what it means to you, but I think the (timeless) message would have been stronger and more focused without the (mundane) connection to the NASDAQ.”
My response:
Thank you for your (literary) critique about how I can make my writing (stronger).
Often the timeless and the mundane are the same thing. Breathing is mundane. But also timeless and amazing.
The Nasdaq and other exchanges help over 10,000 companies in the United States raise money. This money is used to hire about 100 million people and research new innovations on everything from cancer research, to electric cars.
The company I mentioned helps over one million people in this country find jobs so they can feed their families.
Nothing about this is mundane.
It’s a miracle.
It’s important to connect the mundane with the miraculous. That’s how miracles happen in your life. I list ten miracles in my life every day.
Please tell me some of your miracles today, because I get inspired by them.
Some of my miracles so far today (11am):
A) My brother-in-law just got here from Argentina. How amazing that he was on the other side of the freaking PLANET last night (near the South Pole) and he is in my house today.
After a long bout of constipation I went to the bathroom TWICE this morning. As all jews know, that is quite a miracle.
C) My wife made me coffee this morning and kissed me and laughed at my jokes. How the hell did someone like this enter my life? The punchline of my joke was “peanut butter and jelly sandwiches” and she still laughed.
D) Yesterday, hall of fame quarterback, Dan Marino, hugged my wife and she didn’t instantly divorce me.
E) At 5am this morning I walked outside and watched the river, gray and beautiful under a rising sun.
Then I saw a skunk looking at me. It was strikingly beautiful as well. Then I ran.
F) My two daughters are too young to fight in any war in Syria. They can’t even operate drones. I hope they always stay that young.
G) I didn’t get angry about my two critics but used them to make a point about how to generate wealth in your life.
H) While I was driving and not killing anyone, a satellite from outer space beamed the song “Heart of Glass” directly into my car. This made me very happy. Finally outer space is useful.
I) A friend pulled some strings and got me tickets to a fashion show for this week’s Fashion Week.
So today I’m going to see Austin Mahone perform while models walk the runway for Stacey Igel’s new line, “Boy Meets Girl”.
I got the tickets ostensibly to take my 11 year old to it but secretly I got them for me! Don’t tell anyone that, though.
J) I read this morning that if you use the word “BECAUSE” in a request, you have a 60% more chance of your request being granted, no matter what words you use after the word “because”.
We are biologically wired to respond like a reflex to the word “because”.
—
What is the “connection” between the mundane and the timeless?
I do know my life is completely different every six months because I list these miracles very day. That is a miracle.
So I know it works for me and because of that, I know it will work for you as well.
Please tell me some of your miracles, because I want you to.