Write, listen, speak the truth

Write, listen, speak the truth,

14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things
as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment

these traits alone would seem from the text above, taken from the 12th chapter of Proverbs in the Christian Bible, to serve well enough that perhaps nothing else is required. Believer or not these verses should give even the most radical agnostic or atheist some food for thought for the balance of the day. For you old RC types today is Wilfred Owen's namesake saint's day, today is St. Wilfrid's day. Any of Owen's work should give even the stoutest Neo-Con sufficient pause today to reconsider the course of the war in Iraq. And, likely this piece will give any sane person sufficient pause to wonder what the hell is running through my head. In response all I can say is, "Likely better things in the course of the day with this start than you might see without it." Have a good and thoughtful day. For further reference along the lines of what you think is what you are try Paul's note to the Phillipians in the 4th chapter where he suggests that thinking positively is good

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

No matter what you might think of the apostle or Christianity it is difficult to argue against the exhortation to think on whatever is good rather than the converse. Certainly, nearly a century of secular psychological thought and research would agree with Paul. As far as Wilfred Owen giving pause to anyone, it does to me particularly when I think that the thirty something mother of one of my son's playmates is in Iraq. It puts a different twist on Owen's work when mothers, just a few years short of retiring from the military, are the endangered ones. Mothers who have grade school and middle school children at home. Especially, when home is on the otherside of the world from where the mother is, eh?