Rick Santorum Will Pray For You

If you have been following the seemingly never ending political hype, you may have noticed a common response to opposition from individuals on both sides of the chasm dividing Republicans and Democrats.

"I'll pray for you."

Nearly all of the current Republican candidates have dropped the phrase at one point or another but none more so than Rick Santorum. If we were to tally all of the "I'll pray for yous" that Rick has dropped during his campaign, we would certainly be counting a lot of blessings, or so we would hope. As mentioned, I have made note of this phrase being used with surprising regularity, but oddly only in the face of opposition or difference.

According to Dictionary.com, prayer is a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession. In the face of opposition, I could absolutely understand praying for strength, endurance or the ability to reason with your foe, but in the context of our current political battle, "I'll pray for you" has become synonymous with (and excuse my language) saying, "fuck you."

No one is, or should be, more politically correct than a politician, but this political correctness often serves as a chameleon-esque disguise, masking their true colors.

Even if Rick Santorum is genuinely praying for those who stand in his way of assuming the presidency, I cannot help but wonder what exactly he is praying for. Their well being, enlightenment, understanding? I would like to believe that he is well intentioned but because of is own proclaimed opposition to that which he does not understand or opposes, I would wager that he prays only for change and conformity.

Unfortunately for Rick, differences exist. "Liberty and Justice for all," or so they say. This is but one reason why so many foreigners flock to the United States, having the freedom to live, work, love and worship freely.

When Rick Santorum asserts that he will pray for his opposition, is he giving them a metaphorical middle finger, praying for them to conform to Santorumism, or praying for the good of the world to prevail in however many forms good, kindness and love can manifest itself?

In all honesty, I wish I did not question his or any politicians motivations or reasoning behind what they utter. I wish honesty and integrity were dependable certainties within the ranks of our elected representatives. Unfortunately, I am left questioning.

A Lesson on Gratitude from Your Refrigerator

If you happen to be one of the fortunate people in the world to actually have a refrigerator, you absolutely have something to be grateful for. I would wager that half of the world's population does not. But think for a moment about the contents of your refrigerator and even your freezer. We may stockpile food and beverages once a month with the intent of consuming everything, but for most of us, something inevitably goes uneaten and is left hidden away to spoil in the back, cold and alone.

Everything we put in a refrigerator can spoil or go stale, even water. Now, take this idea and apply it to society; habits, cultural nuances, personalities, relationships, etc. Society is very much like a refrigerator in that lots of things have the potential to spoil or become stale in relation to their environment. For some things, it may take years. For others, mere seconds.

Take negativity for instance. Few people are willing to tolerate excessive negativity for very long because it, in of itself, is such a spoiler.

Do you know what never spoils?

Gratitude!

Kindness and gratitude go hand in hand. Neither, if backed with sincerity, will ever expire in any environment because they serve as the ultimate societal preservative. The human race would out last cock roaches and Hostess Twinkies if we only expressed more appreciation and kindness for our environment and each other. Sadly, we as a species, are not prone to considering the whole of humanity in lieu of our own wants and needs. Selfish, unkind behavior will be the end of us.

For those of you reading, I encourage you to fill your fridge with happiness by expressing gratitude and kindness in bulk.

Italian actor, comedian, screen writer and director, Roberto Benigni, once said, "It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation." So, enrich your diet and eat up!

Be kind. Be grateful. 

Age Is More Than Just A Number

Unfortunately, we live in an era where youth is revered more than ever. There are a myriad of different products and procedures that claim to preserve or restore, but this still does not change ones age. You may be able to defy the aging process, but denying your age is another matter.

Unsurprisingly, millions of people dodge the ageist bullet by simply lying in an effort to fit in or to be more appealing to those of particular interest. Women are given a little more lenience than men in that, across many cultures, it is impolite to ask a woman her age.  

Most can understand not wanting crows feet around your eyes or wrinkles in your forehead, but what does lying about your age really serve? And more importantly, what does it imply? Sure, you may feel better about yourself, perhaps even more competitive with those of a younger demographic, but this does not change who you are. Deep down, we all want to be appreciated for who we truly are but an alarming number succumb to societal pressures to be that which they are not. If there were only a little blue pill for insecurity? 

Over the weekend, I heard a wonderful speaker ask a very thought provoking question. "Are you living 99 years or are you living the same year 99 times?" In growing older we have a wonderful opportunity to redefine ourselves again and again if we so chose. Sadly, many desperately cling to their so called 'prime' by attempting to relive an age that is far gone.

In Los Angeles and certainly many other self conscious metropolises, a person's actual age is regularly coined as the new previous decade. For example 30 is the new 20, 40 is the new 30 and so forth and so on. There are now even people who vehemently claim that 50 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 50, convincing themselves that their age is just a number. But it is not.

Most would agree that you are only as young or old as you feel, but it is almost shameful to deny such a monumental series of progress. Your age is to be admired and respected if for no other reason than the fact that you have survived.

The world is full of hazards, chaos, hate, etc and you have survived it all. You have been given the gift of another day for however many years. Why deny this? Be who you are for your own sake, not for the sake of what may be trending around you.

On your next birthday, in addition to blowing out candles, own who you are, years and all. You and your years are something to be grateful for.

Change of Thought: Perhaps We Are Being Saved

To think about the lengths some people will go to just to have what they want is mind boggling. Our prison systems are full of people who have wanted something--be it money, power, sex, love, material things--and were so impassioned by the thought of having what they wanted that theft, deceit and, in many cases, murder was deemed the best course of action to fulfill that want.

For the rest of us who prefer to live harmoniously with each other and our legal system, we are left with two options: to put forth the honest and necessary effort to acquire what our hearts desire or to deal with the fact that some things are not meant to be. Ideally, we would all accept this graciously, but with the latter, disappointment is often the first response. Enough disappointment stemming from not getting what we want can ultimately result in reflecting upon life with a bitterly unfulfilled sentiment.

A fact reigns true for all people in that, throughout our lives, there have been and will continue to be things that remain out of reach. No amount of money or influence can change this. For those whose degree of want has no defined limit, life will be one circuitous route after another that may never lead to and end reward. But, perhaps the journey is worth it.

My relationship with my sense of want has evolved as I have matured. We can all relate to not getting what we want at some point in our lives, but how often do we express gratitude for that want literally not being fulfilled? It may sound strange, but this evolution of reasoning is perhaps the best insurance policy against disappointment that one could possibly have.

By not getting what we want, or not getting what we want when we want it, perhaps we are actually experiencing a sort of intervention; being saved from that which is not in our best interest at that point in time.

A good example are unreciprocated feelings of affection. To want someone to want you is something that most people will experience, but the laws of attraction are etched in stone. You cannot force someone to feel false emotions. Disappointment is very real in this situation, but what if there was a far greater mutual attraction in store for you? It may not be within your peripheral vision at the moment for you to immediately bound to, but with a few billion people on the planet, surely there must be someone.

The saying goes, "love is blind" and thus, we may not realize that our attraction to someone may be simultaneously forcing us to turn a blind eye to what would be cause for concern or questioning under more logical circumstances.

In short, to dwell in disappointment is unhealthy. If we are able to turn negatives into positives, we will undoubtedly attract that which is positively meant for us and avoid that which is deceptively ideal.