Testimony

I've been pondering the idea of principles or the lack of them, mostly. The decline in moral standards in this country is no secret. Take television as an example. Rin Tin Tin or Desperate Housewives? Which would you prefer your 10 year old to watch? I am not suggesting that bad conduct has only appeared in the 21st century; however, it has become more blantant. More people wink it off. I would like to think I live in accordance with higher principles than most but I don't know for sure because there doesn't seem to be an agreed upon standard anymore. Most of the time I drive the speed limit. But not always. I hear a joke that would be offensive to members of a certain religion, race, ethnic origin, etc. and I laugh and feel guilty later when no one notices. I am undercharged in the check out line at the store and I fail to alert the clerk. But if I am overcharged, boy, that is another story! In general I think that we all expect others to have high principles. When they don't, well, we feel smug. Self-satisfied that yes we are superior to that cheat or that prejudiced person. So I am thinking. Am I really a principled person? Or am I perjuring myself as I shuffle through this mortal existence? I want to do better. Do you?

"The sun is the most evident thing to be seen, and yet the hardest to be looked upon."

I am glad people like my photography. I've been taking pictures since I was 8. And seem to have a knack for it. Or maybe it is the result of practice. It is the same with writing. I've been doing this a long time too. I've made a concerted effort to improve at it. When I wasn't writing creatively, I've written letters to penpals all over the world. To these women I owe a debt of gratitude for continuing to write me back even if they didn't know what the heck I was rambling on about. For an example, see the first paragraph of today's post. And that is pretty coherent compared to some of my poetry. Remember I like things sharp. The parsimony of words in poetry really intrigues me. I don't understand why poets write elephants when a speck will do and get them more readers. I imagine it's individual style. If I like things crisp, why do I write such long blog posts? Oh, I just have weak principles.