Randy Butler Contributing columnist
We all have opinions on most debated topics, as do I. Some I am very passionate about; some I really do not care much either way. It is also safe to assume that most of you could care less what my opinions are. The truth is, we live in a country that if it does not break any laws, we have the gift to be able to think, act, dress and speak any way we choose. We can perform any and more of these regardless of how whacked others may think we are. Is this wise for us all to have this freedom?
Like all of you, I cashed my stimulus checks almost immediately as it was deposited into my bank account. But if I am honest with myself, I must ask how was my income negatively affected by COVID-19? The honest answer is it was not at all. At least for now, anyone worth their salt in real estate is doing very well. Properties are selling at an all-time high and at record speeds.
We have all seen the help wanted signs posted in the stores we shop, yet the unemployment rate is up. Does this make any sense? We used to hear almost daily about the national debt. When was the last time that number was discussed? Will this free money cost us more later just in a different form?
As I was driving into the office this week, I got behind a school bus picking up kids for school. Now, maybe it has been this way for a long time and I just have never noticed. It was revealed to me that a new set of rules have been put in place regarding bussing. Being the first car in line I had a pretty good view of the new system. The bus pulled up to a house, waited for a bit, the front door opened, then a child came moseying on out. A few steps behind were the parents. Just before the parade reached the bus, they all stopped to prepare for the ride. This included, but was not limited to, hugs, putting on a mask, and the final wave goodbye. After entering the threshold, I watched as the child made its way to a seat. Without using a stopwatch, the average stop at each house was three to five minutes from start to finish.
As the last child was making her way back, I had a flashback that hit me a ton. Crackie Roush would have not much more than slowed down if my brother and I were not at the road waiting. And another flashback hit just as hard. When the door closed on the old bus No. 12, you had to immediately with both hands grab a seat on each side because that bus was moving. The idea of waiting until I picked a seat and got comfortable was not on Crackie’s mind. Now, I am all for bus safety, but is teaching our kids that no one else matters more than them a good option?
Do you ever feel that in the last three to five years, as a society, we are being forced to adjust to a new set of rules that you just cannot remember voting on? Most anyone you ask about it cannot remember voting either. But nonetheless, the rules of society have changed, and we did not even see it happen.
Once again, each one of us has free will to do our own thing — to be the kind of person that feels right to us. The choice is ours, whether it is right or wrong. Our moral compass is just that, it is ours. If others agree that is fine. If not, that is fine, too.
Just last week a sixth-grade girl in Idaho was involved in a school shooting as the shooter. I do not know about you but when I was in the sixth grade my big thing was what kick-ball team would I be on at Marshall School. How did we get to where we are now?
One of my very strong beliefs is that God created the universe and everything in it, including me. He has given me the guidelines of how he wants me to live. He could, but has chosen not to, make me do anything he wanted. But he leaves that part up to me. This is where the free will part comes in.
Just where is God in all the things we now face? I wonder if God’s decision on how to handle us came from him watching a very good movie that I have seen many times made back in 1967 starring Paul Newman — ” Cool Hand Luke.” There is a very famous line in the movie that is still repeated today. Luke had escaped the prison several times and the warden was at his wits end in dealing with it. Luke just would not listen to the warden’s instruction. Luke had just been captured, again, and the warden spoke after he beat Luke for a bit. Though Luke is there, the warden is really speaking to the staff and the other inmates.
He says, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Can’t you see God looking down on us shaking his head in disbelief? I can.
This next line is equally as important. “Some men you just can’t reach. What we have here is what he wants, so, he gets what he wants.”
Is this where we are? We are getting what we want?
Randy Butler is a lifelong resident of Highland County and a licensed real estate agent for Classic Real Estate in Hillsboro.
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Are we getting what we want? - Hillsboro Times Gazette
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