On Being Gullible...

A couple of days ago, two of my friends were giving me some grief about being so gullible.  To be honest, the pranks they pull on me are fascinatingly entertaining.  And yes, I am admittedly rather gullible.  I often wonder how many others like me there are out there, if there are people who let their guard down and just let it all hang out.  I don't know when it happened, but something changed in my life that made me far less skeptical within the parameters of most of my intimate relationships. 

As I've given it some thought, I believe that there are many benefits to being gullible:

1.  Open House:  To those within your "tribe," being completely open and vulnerable is a great thing.  The interaction with one another is more revealing and more real that way.

2.  Trust:  In showing weakness, it begins to lose power over us.  When you can look a friend in the eye and know without a shadow of a doubt that no matter how much grief they may give you that at the end of the day, if you get your ass in a pickle, they'll be there and you'll be there for them.

3.  Fun:  It's a lot more fun when the barriers come down and you just be you.  The pressure and anxiety of holding up barriers between one another dissipates and you're left with raw, personal, and complete enjoyment of life and of one another.

4.  Entertainment:  Our gullibility is entertaining to our friends.  They derive a lot of pleasure from seeing us flounder at times, and it may be one of the reasons that they love you.  And that is a great thing.

Sadly, there are painfully negative results of being gullible.  In some relationships, if we're easily convinced of something being true, it leaves us open for deception and manipulation.  Like the line from Spinal Tap, "I believe everything I read," we can be led astray and most often, we are leading ourselves.  It can lead to unbelievable pain and disappointment when time and again we find ourselves in an ugly place, staring in the mirror wondering what in the hell just happened.

Still, I believe it better to be gullible than to be eternally cynical.  Don't get me wrong - I can be an ass where trust is concerned and I am often a real jerk about trust issues.  Being kicked in the face so many times kinda does that to you, but generally, I can say with no hesitation that it's better to be gullible. 

You see, being gullible is fun, it's freeing.  I love seeing my friends laugh and even if it's at my expense, I'd rather exit this planet leaving a smile on someone's face rather than scorn.

Of course, I'm gullible but that is my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.


Gorilla

It's True...Time For Change

For two decades, I've been involved in or pontificating about the political processes and frankly, the words of Solomon ring true - "there is nothing new under the sun."  Politics has largely remained the same and it is what it is, both good and bad.  We have elected outstanding politicians and we have elected some bottom-feeding piles of human waste, but at the end of the day, we're still the greatest country on the planet and God willing, we'll continue to be as much.

Politics is, in many ways, a form of entertainment.  Every couple years, the cast of characters change, but the tunes remain the same, orchestrated and choreographed by recognizable names in the business.  But it is fun, it is entertaining, it is often painful, and it is always gratifying - even when our candidate loses. 

There is a lot more to life and I'm really starting to see and feel that.  Granted, it has taken me far too long and I can't recover the lost time, but I can redeem the time right now, right here.  I've lost some good friends over the years, friends who have gone to be with the Father and those losses have had a profound impact on me.   A trip last year to my home state of Washington was revelatory as well, learning more about my past, my childhood and my family than imaginable. 

This blog is going to change.  There will be a different, more diverse focus.  I'll be posting stories about music, about entertainment in Central Oklahoma, culture and yes, I'll still have the occasional post about politics - but I'll do my best to eliminate partisanship and just get to the heart of what's important. 

So, what is important to me?  My struggling faith, my family, music, culture and community.  Hopefully, you won't be too disappointed.