True Freedom

"It's all about me."

"It's not about you." 

Which of these two statements best represents your own personal belief system? The first statement can be applied to almost everything that Western Culture embraces. It's all about my wants, my desires, my comfort, my way, my stuff, the list is almost endless. 

The second statement is the opening line to Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life." From the opening lines of this book the gauntlet is thrown down regarding the conflict between culture and the Bible. 

But what does the Bible say about which belief system we should choose?

The Story of the Battle of Little Big Horn

A couple of weeks ago I wrote this sentence, "It is an interesting dynamic, that history is generally not only written by the winners, but by the surviving winners. They get to selectively remember not only their decisions, but in some cases they will choose to discard facts when those facts conflict with their own pathway to glory." Today I would like to amend this opinion to add the following statement, "It is an interesting dynamic, that history is not just written by the winners, but by the surviving winners who possessed the passion and resources needed to tell their story."

Today's blog demonstrates the importance of that amended sentence. 

General Armstrong Custer, whose early career showed little promise, (Custer graduated last in his West Point class of 1861), soon made up for his lack of scholastic achievement in bravery and skill in the heat of battle. He fought in the First Battle of Bull Run and Gettysburg and by the time the war had ended he had been promoted to Major General in charge of a Cavalry division. He supposedly had over 11 horses shot out from underneath him in the Civil War and unlike most generals of that era, he led his troops from the front rather than the rear. He was also known to be hot-headed and often made rash decisions during battle as well as in his civilian life. This trait would arguably end up costing him his life . . .

Time Transporters

I'm not sure any other medium has the power to transport me back through time like music. And though I can't explain why, certain songs trigger my mind into fully replicating the entire experience, the smells, sounds, lights, people, everything that is associated with that memory is linked directly to the chords of those songs. It happens so frequently that I have started labeling those songs, though not originally I'm afraid, with the term, "Time Transporters". So this week I thought I would describe a few of those songs that hold that special place in my memories.  

I first heard the song "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, while exploring the city of San Francisco in June of 1980 with some friends, and this song seemed to be playing in every store and restaurant we frequented. I remember one morning waking up early to go jogging, (friends that have only known me since the 90's will be shocked at this revelation . . . ) and after my run getting back in my car at Fisherman's Wharf, watching the fog bank slowly retreat into the Pacific, the sun skillfully illuminating that void, and hearing this song on my car radio. Magical times. 

General Stonewall Jackson

Growing up in the South during the 1960's, the belief in the divine goodness of the Confederacy was still a strong thread that ran through our culture. Despite the passing of almost 100 years, there was still a smoldering resentment that coupled with geographic isolation and culture insecurity, resulted in a  admiration for the "Lost Cause". 

(Disclaimer: This does not represent my current opinion regarding the Confederate cause and it's "Lost Cause Myth" which has survived for over 100 years. However, seeing the true colors and motivations of the Southern cause does not reduce my admiration for some of its finest leaders.) 

It is an interesting dynamic, that history is generally not only written by the winners, but by the surviving winners. They get to selectively remember not only their decisions, but in some cases they will choose to discard facts when those facts conflict with their own pathway to glory. This is true of almost every war that has ever been fought, with the exception of the Civil War myth regarding the "Lost Cause". There are a multitude of reasons for this cause, too numerous to cover in this blog, but suffice it to say that rarely have the losers of a war controlled the narrative of a conflict like the Confederacy did after the Civil War.  Yet, I'm getting off topic, because my subject for this week's blog is on one of the legendary commanders during that conflict, a man who didn't have the luxury to control his own storied place in history, General Stonewall Jackson.

With the same last name as the great General Lee himself, it would have been a natural pathway to embrace him as one of my favorite Southern generals of the past. However, I have always gravitated more toward Stonewall Jackson, perhaps because of his aggressive style displayed in several key battles in the war. But as I grew older and learned more about General Jackson, I discovered even more reasons to admire the man beyond the myth.