A Fresh Take on the World's Biggest LiesWritten by Terry Mitchell
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(7) Free of charge. I've found that most things that are supposedly "free" will ultimately cost me more than stuff I have to pay for. That's because many things that are free come with obligations or strings attached. For example, that free book that obligates you to buy three more, that free month of a discount purchasing service that you end up subscribing to for a whole year (although you never use it), or that free car wash that made you feel compelled to make a hefty donation. Even many religious groups will stoop to deceptively using word "free." As an evangelical Christian, I believe that salvation is a fee gift from God through Jesus Christ, plus nothing, minus nothing. However, many Christian denominations, while asserting that salvation is indeed free, also attach strings like saying one must also change his or her lifestyle. If something comes with obligations or strings attached, whether real or perceived, then it is not really free. (8) You can't miss/lose/go wrong. Trust me - I can! Apparently, a lot of other folks can as well. It's amazing how many times people have missed things that could not have been missed, lost things that could not have been lost, and gone wrong when it was "impossible" to do so. All of this reminds me of 1962 expansion New York Mets. Supposedly, any given Major League baseball team will win 60 (of its 162) games a year no matter what. That year, Mets succeeded in losing nearly 20 of games they were going to win no matter what! (9) It is your decision - I won't try to influence it or stand in way of whatever choice you make. Is it really? Will he or she really stay neutral? How many times has someone said that to you and then still went right ahead and tried to influence your decision-making process in some way? Many will use bad attitudes, whining, pouting, shaming, criticism, or even veiled threats to try to have an impact on your decision. The truth is that very few important decisions are truly yours alone to make. Other people are almost always trying to influence almost all of your important decisions in some form or another. (10) Effortless. This is a favorite word of advertisers, but it's almost never actually case. You've seen commercials; lose weight, change your attitude, get rich, find love, shape up; it's ....um,...effortless. Slick pitchmen will claim that you can have all of this stuff and more with little or no effort on your part, as long as you shell out money for their products and/or advice. Obviously, to achieve these or any other worthwhile goals, you'll need to do something and, if you have to do something, it's not effortless!
Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Virginia, USA. He operates a website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in mainstream media.
| | PEARL HARBOR DAYWritten by Irvin L. Rozier
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Freedom cost lives of our nation's best On ocean below their bodies now rest To see Old Glory flying over Arizona that day Brought tears to my eyes and reminded me to pray To Lord God who rules from heaven above That He would comfort us with His great love Remember those who died so we can be free And Star Spangled Banner, O Say Can You See. copyright Dec 7, 2004 Irvin L. Rozier
author, preacher, retired military Author of the book, My Walk with the Lord, www.selahbooks.com
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