KEN’S CORNER: True vs. False Love, Questions, and a Reason For Being
Commentary by TLB Contributing Writer: Ken LaRive
In bible study I found the word “agape.” It describes perfect Love, the Love that God has for us. It is perfect because it is completely unselfish. I was told that it is something we should all aspire to, but as humans can never completely grasp. I have given that a lot of thought, and have tried to realize this Love, here on earth. I haven’t yet found it. I see particles and elements of it, but the fact is, I have found very little True Love.
Let’s look at several reflections…
Safety has become a big thing here in the oilfield. So big that if you are caught several times not adhering to the rules of safety glasses, steel toe boots, hard hat, ear plugs, and such, you are just put on the next boat out. If you see someone doing an unsafe act you are obligated to make this known, causing suppressed condescension.
There is little disagreement among the hands that safety is for their own good, but deep inside, there is a low rumble of cynical thought. They think that the oil patch cares nothing for their safety, but for the lawsuits that have previously been won in court, and the price of insurance. If a strict safety policy is implemented, and a decline in lost time accidents can be presented to the insurance company, a reduction of premium is forthcoming. Before this, a lot of men died because of improper tool handling, ignorance of their job, and poor working conditions. Sure, good things have come from these changes, but it was promoted, from the beginning, by false love. Its outcome was right, but the reasoning that promoted it was wrong. Men know this. They feel it in their gut.
Manufacturing and packaging businesses today are required by law to give informational warnings on their wrapping like fat and sugar content, and cancer cautioning. Those on the other end who actually prepare and process food has a mandatory standard for cleanliness. All must adhere to a proper wage for the required work; give out precautionary health supplies like dust masks or gloves, and supply MSDS sheets on chemicals found on the premises. Without prior litigation, government involvement, or attorney advice, would these civil rules and laws have been implemented? The answer is no. Few businesses would be unselfish, having the welfare of their workers before their own. They would do only what the bottom line dictated, by the advice of a bean counter.
No disrespect intended, but from my point of view, CPA’s are running the oilfield now, with a few computer gurus along for the ride. So it may seem that it is the bottom line that is all important, and not the expertise from years of experience. If the phones go out we would probably have to shut operations down, or circulate until we get them fixed. And then, since I mentioned computer gurus, I see young men who for some reason have an affinity for understanding software, where we over the hills are confused, confounded, and afraid of the changes. Because of this there is a milking going on, to install protective firewalls, virus protection, and to be updated. These men are sucking the life out of business, as they generate fear, knowing full well that without their self promotion it would be found out how simple it really is…
We all have it in us, this false love. It comes out in ways that we don’t even realize. When I get a cup of coffee at CC’s I want to give the little girl a tip, but I can’t put it into the glass until she sees me do it. I want to be recognized for that! Do I care that she gets that money, or is it the recognition I want for the giving? Just a thought…
Two men who have the same job on a rig will go into the boss’ office to talk over the task. Though both were cordial to each other while on the job, and might even be friends at home, in the presence of the Company Man they will become rivals, positioning them to be dominate over the other. One of them may talk or laugh real loud, or use wild and extreme gestures. Another might verbally step over the other’s thoughts in the middle of communication, change the direction of the meeting to suit his own expertise, use domineering body language, or position his manly bulk between the company man and his partner to strategically block the other’s view. It reminds me of roosters in a chicken coop, and there is no love lost between any of them. Does this sound familiar?
I was dispatcher/mud engineering several years ago, trying to line up a cleanup chopper flight for late Friday afternoon. There was one service hand going in. He kept coming into my office all afternoon asking again and again when it was due to arrive because it was Friday night, and he had a date. As the afternoon wore on, and it got later and later, the more aggravated he became. Finally, I got word from PHI: The chopper from Sabine Pass has gone down somewhere around Cameron. Four hands and one pilot were dead…
I told the service hand, and he turned completely gray. I wonder, did he turn gray because of his near miss with death, or did he have empathy for the five men who lost their lives? Who were these men coming to our rig? I’ll never know them, and yet, there were hundreds, if not thousands of people crying for these five men at that very moment. I didn’t. I didn’t know them, and I felt nothing. I felt almost as if it was something out of a movie. Like it wasn’t real! I took a chopper three days later, and felt no fear, like that was them, and it couldn’t happen to me. I felt that since I didn’t know them, somehow, they weren’t a part of me, or my world. Do you feel this way?
We see so many things in the paper and on TV, of horrible earthquakes, Tsunamis, mud slides, not ten hours from home. How many people would give up a weeks pay to travel there to help? Could we in fact have made a difference? I remember the face of the little Mexican girl on the front cover of National Geographic, up to her neck in that dirty water, her foot caught, after a mudslide inundated her highland village. I thought to myself: they were able to get this great shot; surely she was pulled to safety. But later in the story it said that the little girl had died from exposure. Is it possible that photographer thought more of the shot then helping that girl? Is that possible? Or is it possible that the photographer thought the same thing I thought looking at it on television? …that someone else would pull her out? Just a thought…
I know there have been people who have done heroic things, in everyday life, and in war. There have been men to jump on a grenade to save his friends, and the bible says there is no greater love then a man who gives up his life for his friends. Surely, each of us has an element of that great Love in us. There is a champion in all of us.
Men out here treat each other with such callousness, such disrespect, and yet they are here for a reason that may be close to True Love, their family. I think that probably one of the primary reasons that false love is so prevalent is that we don’t see other human beings as family, and we don’t see the earth as an extension of ourselves. We are you know. We are a part of this earth, and every person on the planet is related to us. That man who cut off that woman in traffic wouldn’t do that to his own daughter! Can you imagine what he would do if he caught someone doing that to one of his own?
Once you have these thoughts in your head, it just won’t let you alone.
Does it bother you that there are governments sucking the life out of people? Can we justify that your wife and kids can’t walk outside because of the crack house across the street? Should we say anything when someone tells you a whole religion should be exterminated, when you know in your heart that it is just a few fanatics at fault? Can you turn a blind eye on the old person living next to you who can’t afford to buy medicine, when dope is being sold to her grand-kids at school? Can you reason out why we have to have bars on our windows? Why! Because we let it happen!
I ask you; wouldn’t it give your life a bit more meaning to stand up for something, instead of sitting on your butt watching TV for five hours a day?
Do you have the guts to ask a few simple questions? Like, how many deaths, on average per hour, are displayed on TV, for fun? Is it possible that we might become insensitive because of that? Do you care that our national forests are used as tree farms? Do you care where our tax money is going? What is the divorce rate? What percentages of births are out of wedlock? Do you know what partial birth abortion is? Does it matter? Does any of it matter at all?
Sure, a lot of questions, but nevertheless the answer to all of them seems the same. It might appear complicated because it is so simple, and yet, the answer to life’s most compelling questions eludes us for the greater part of our lives. The answer is…
Sorry Luv, you’ll have to answer that one.
••••
Read more great articles from KEN’S CORNER
••••
From the Author, Ken La Rive – We in the Liberty movement have been fighting to take back this country for less than a decade, peacefully and with the love of God and country in our hearts. Our banner has been trampled on and displaced by a multitude of distractions, further eroding our nation and the cause for Liberty. And so, as we are pulled by forces we cannot fathom, powerful entities with unlimited resources stolen from our future, unaccountable trillions printed out of thin air and put on our backs as debt, we must formulate the most pitiful of all questions any patriot might ask in the final hour: Are we going to fight for our master’s tyranny, or are we going to demand the return of our civil liberties and Constitution? Are we going to choose The Banner of Liberty, or the shackles of voluntary servitude? Will it be a war for corporate profit, or a war to regain our ability to self govern, as the blood and toil of our forefathers presented to us, their children, as a gift? I fear that decision is emanate. I fear that any decision will be a hard one, but my greatest fear of all is that the decision has already been made for us.
••••
Image Credit:
••••
Click on image below to visit site:
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply