Tag: honor

Dignity, Honor, Majesty

Religion, Society & Culture, Values, World Affairs

Spent all day watching the Queen’s funeral. We often note how “no one does pageantry like the Brits” but they outdid themselves today, establishing a standard of excellence that may never be equaled. I texted my English brother-in-law sharing a selfie of my wife and me watching the ceremonies with the words underneath, “Words Fail”. Indeed they did. Only later did Extraordinary Dignity, Honor and Majesty come to mind and no more needed to be said. Once again, tradition, culture, custom and decorum were on display, as were the poignant scenes of thousands upon thousands of people heartfeltly honoring Elizabeth II.

I was struck by the deeply religious and reverent tone of the proceedings. Never in our own country would such a profound respect be given to religious belief in general, and Christianity in particular. Kudos to the British monarchy. Despite welcoming so many people of other faiths into their country, their steadfast allegiance to Christ and Church remain. England makes no bones about being a “Christian Nation”. Can you imagine Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer or virtually any other politician other than perhaps Pastor Mike Huckabee openly proclaiming anything close to that?

The Godless Left in America have all but succeeded in banishing Christianity from government and virtually every state institution.

As I watched the profoundly touching and deeply emotional proceedings today I was once again reminded why it is that I am a Traditionalist. What we witnessed was grounded, solid. The order, precision, highest standards of excellence, TRADITION, exhibited by not just those who participated directly, but also by the British people, were exemplary and things of which they can and may always be immensely proud.

I am ashamed for those times I’ve not exhibited the grace and poise I should in the face of adversity, controversy, hardship, loss but I am grateful for the example once again upheld by the British Royal Family of how the privileged, blessed and called should comport themselves.

But it is Tradition like that adhered to today: heritage, culture, class, dignity, honor and majesty, that ALL human beings should aspire to.

The PLATINUM Jubilee

History, Society & Culture, Values

Watching the coverage this morning I am reminded that the pageantry of the Royal Jubilee encompasses all the tradition, class, honor, duty, and other noble features that we so sorely lack today. The language used by the commentators, the precision exhibited by the military, the music, the organization, the sheer complexity of the whole affair speak to the majesty and glory of TRADITION. The reason why I refer most often to the RIGHT as Traditionalists is that tradition transcends politics. One can be economically conservative, socially liberal, or something else but the VALUES and practices of Tradition cover all people in all ages of time. They are founded on the principles of Good and Evil, of Equal Opportunity vs. Equal Outcome, of Merit vs. Indolence, of Work vs. Welfare. And how, you might ask, can that apply to a privileged, entitled royal family? It applies because in all ages of time, there are those who are called to set an example, to exhibit the principles, to set the standard and remind ALL of what is right and wrong, good and evil, proper and improper.

This July 4th (2019)

America, General, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

As I write this, Nike has withdrawn a shoe fashioned after the Betsy Ross Flag because the NFL player who elected to kneel during the playing of the national anthem says it offended him.

The Democrat candidates for 2020 are all whining about the expense of the celebration in Washington D.C. but have promised to give all illegal aliens free healthcare and have gone from “no crisis” to “manufactured crisis” to “concentration camps” to “drinking out of toilets”.

The 9th Circuit has predictably ruled the President may not use Department of Defense funds to defend the border.

Bernie Sanders says government is the solution to every problem and promises to raise everyone’s taxes to expand it, while promising free college tuition for all.

The San Francisco School Board is going to spend $600,000 to paint over a historical mural of George Washington’s life at GEORGE WASHINGTON High School because they have deemed it racist and degrading to black and Native Americans.

Antifa beats up a gay, conservative reporter in Portland and the main stream media apologies for or defends them.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a question about citizenship that has been on every census up until Obama may not reinstated for the 2020 census.

The President’s son is spat upon in a restaurant, the White House spokesperson is jeered out of another, with no consequences. Many in the public eye condone the actions as patriotic.

You can’t make this stuff up!

Meanwhile, we’re supposed to be troubled that tanks are going to be on display on the National Mall! God forbid we honor those who made them, who operate them, who defend our freedom, the freedom that permits Leftist to spit their anti-American venom.

I grew up in Europe as a teenager in the 60’s. I helped introduce skateboarding to France with a wood Hobie board on the plaza at the Palais de Chaillot opposite the Eiffel Tower. I was in France the day we landed on the moon. I played baseball in the park in Paris. I was there during the ’68 riots. I was there during the Peace Talks. For several years I covertly worked for the U.S. Embassy, trying to advocate against drugs in my school so that American kids would never have to face French justice or see the inside of a French courtroom or jail.

I was proud to be American, and when our family came home in the summer, I cherished a McDonald’s hamburger, fries and Coke (and change for $1, remember?) and wondered what was in Jack in the Box’s “secret sauce” that made their burgers so tasty and distinctive, and was thankful for the “Land of the Big PX” as we used to call it, and round doorknobs, and deodorant, and Noxzema shaving cream, and Converse Chuck Taylor basketball shoes, and Sugar Smacks, and BASEBALL, and REAL football, and real madras shirts with button down collars and fruit loops.

It’s one of life’s truisms that “we crave that which is out of our reach and have disdain for the things we can’t get rid of”. Having had so much of America out of my reach 9 months out of the year, I learned to yearn for and love it, especially juxtaposed against the many ofttimes peculiar European countries which I visited. And, by way of contrast, I grew to hate the oppressive, boot-on-the-neck, quasi-socialist, government-run society around me there.

On this July 4th I’m grateful to be American, to honor those who lived, suffered and died for our freedom, beginning with those Brits who vowed never to be “subjects” anymore, but “citizens” of what became, and thankfully still is, the greatest nation on Earth and the greatest force for good in the history of mankind.

May God bless the U.S.A., particularly now as the assault on everything it stands for intensifies and Good and Evil line up in opposition.

Our Word Matters

Morality, Society & Culture

My Greatest Generation father used to make a distinction between making a promise and giving one’s word. They oughtn’t be different, but he emphasized, “You should be able to count the number of times in your life you give your word on your two hands.”

His point was that giving your word was a sacred oath, to be reserved for the most important commitments of your life, not to be doled out capriciously.

Look at your spouse at the altar and say the words, “I do.” You’re giving your word.

Place your hand on a bible and vow to defend your country. You’re giving your word.

Promise you’ll take out the garbage. That’s rather different.

Giving your word is often expensive, hard and inconvenient, and almost always has a cost. Sometimes it’s a small cost…perhaps even an economic one. At the other end of the spectrum it can have the highest cost of all – the loss of one’s life.

But it’s fundamental to integrity. And integrity is fundamental for trust. It’s also fundamental to one’s reputation, trustworthiness, respectability, dignity, and above all, self-respect. And it’s also about Honor.

These are principles in short supply these days. The constant diet of hypocrisy, deflection, half-truths and outright lies the Left argues is necessary because it serves noble ends such as “Social Justice”, “Equality”, “Fairness”, saving the planet, “freedom” (basically, amoral license to do anything at any time for any reason), etc., leaves no room for the kind of integrity I’m talking about.

That’s the moral bankruptcy of not all but most of the Left, the majority but not all politicians, lawyers, pitchmen, spin doctors and con artists. And it’s, regrettably, reflected in much of what we see on television or hear on the radio.

Giving one’s word, telling the truth, and honoring commitments are fundamental to the fabric of a free society and to growth and prosperity of us as individuals, of our communities and our nation.

Yet I expect that if someone other than a clergyman were to try to explain the merits of giving and keeping one’s word (as I am here) he or she would be laughed at, perhaps even scorned.

“Everybody does it.” “Everyone lies.” “Promises are made to be broken.”

Not true. There are plenty, perhaps even a silent majority of people in this country, who’s word is still their bond. Who will at great cost and sacrifice say what they’ll do and do what they say.

They’re unheralded, unidentified, unacknowledged, but they’re there.

May they continue to honor their commitments, keep their word, and inspire others to do the same.

Keeping one’s word matters.

Stuff That Matters

Economy, Entertainment, Family, Finance and Investments, General, Health Care, Politics, Society & Culture

With a salute and due credit to Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) whose book Things that Matter (New York: Crown Publishing, 2013 available from Amazon here) was the capstone of his exemplary life and the inspiration of this and future related posts, I’ve begun my own list.

New items come to mind daily so it is a work in progress. They’re in no particular order, although Truth, God and Right would be right up there at the top of any ordered list. From time to time I’m going to address these topics in more detail but to get started, here’s a first stab.

Truth matters.

God matters.

Right and Wrong Matter.

Our word matters.

How we think matters.

People matter.

What we teach our children matters.

What we do as a family matters.

Helping others matters.

Being friendly matters.

Courtesy matters.

Being considerate matters.

Our reputation matters.

Loyalty matters.

Being kind to animals matters.

Conservation matters.

Courage matters.

Catching someone doing something right matters.

Thrift matters.

Obeying/Respecting our parents matters.

Respecting our elders matters.

Respecting authority matters.

Saying what we mean and meaning what we say matters.

Words matter. What we say and how we say it matters.

Listening matters.

Perseverance and determination matter.

The choices we make matter.

Temperance matters.

Anticipation and thinking ahead matters.

Knowing ourselves matters.

Our health matters.

Controlling ourselves matters.

Deferred gratification matters.

Grooming matters.

Situational awareness matters.

Whom we choose as friends matters.

What we read matters.

What we watch on television matters.

What we tweet/post/email matters.

What we eat matters.

Our morning routine matters.

How we spend our non-working time matters.

Hard work matters.

Honoring our spouses matters.

Standing up for what we believe in matters.

How we treat those above us and how we treat those below us matters.

What we value and how we spend our money matters.

Where we live matters.

What we don’t say matters.

Please send us your additions to this list by email to admin@grumpsreport.com !

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