I’m sitting here with an old book in my hand whose author has long been dead. He has letters after his name so I am inclined to give reverence to what he has to say. When I think about that I realize how silly that is. I know tons (literally) of people with letters behind their names and little that they say should be revered. And just because the author is gone doesn’t mean what he had to say was meaningful. Ah, there I go again. Negativity is such a problem. My dark side wants to criticize and complain about things that really are none of my business. I want to complain about our school administrators. But really now, I don’t get paid to deal with what they deal with. I don’t know the pressures they have. I don’t know the nuances of the issues. It just seems a bit delicious to complain about them as if I could do a better job. That is narcissistic madness. Should I have their position I would most likely do very poorly.
I have come to realize in many cases administrators have to make decisions not between better and bad but between bad and badder. The decision is what will do the least harm because there is no good decision possible. However, it is so satisfying to belittle others. Little do I realize when I do I am actually belittling myself, in my own eyes and most usually in the eyes of those who heard my ranting. My dad passed on to me one of life’s great lessons and I need to remind myself of it on a daily basis. It is quite simple. I need to mind my own business.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 2, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org