Friday; July 18
I am a bit too young to remember Will Rogers, but I am not too young to appreciate his insights. Will Rogers was an Oklahoman who had a keen eye and a pretty sharp tongue. Rogers was born in the latter half of the 19th Century and died in 1935; yet much of what said is just as applicable in 2025 as it was in the early 20th Century. I could fill several columns with his wit and wisdom; but a couple of observations that seems to span time are: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” and “Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.”. As I was reading through a list of his quotes the other day, one gave me chills. “Everything in changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and their politicians as a joke.”. Oh my, that really hit home! Have you noticed how easy it is to get upset at the commentators but not to hold the lawmakers accountable? We fuss with and about the people who have no control but tend to excuse those who are making the choices.
As I read that quote, one thing that came to mind was that there is nothing new under the sun; yet something else jumped out to me. Let’s make sure to hold people to the proper standard. If someone’s decisions are influencing what is going on, let’s confront them – but if people are merely commenting about what’s going on, let’s not get too worked up about it. They may just be watching and reporting.
As I read and listened to Will Rogers I sensed genuine care for people. He didn’t come across as mean-spirited, he seemed to want the best for his friends and neighbors. Let’s try to capture this concept today. When we truly care, we can make a lot of things better, even if we come at them from different directions.
Think About It!