Credo
Middle child had her Quest Credo service at church today. After a year of classes, and a field trip to Boston, each student was asked to write a "Credo" or statement of faith outlining somehow what they believed in to be read in a Sunday service that they helped lead. I think they did an awesome job, and I was blown away by Miss T's credo statement. I think she did an excellent job with it.
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CREDO
I have two stories to tell you, one about how the world seems, and one about how it could be.
Recently, I was assigned to read “MacBeth” for my ninth grade English class. The book comes with a hefty packet of questions and included tie-in reading. The reading itself told of psychopaths, people who lacked the conscience that you and I have. These people have no sense of shame or of others, and will lie, cheat, steal, and even murder to get what they want. Furthermore, the reading explicitly stated that psychopaths had an advantage over others, comparing them to cats in a world of mice, preying off those who were unable to stop them, living in a world build by them, for them.
The mere idea of such people existing would be enough to depress me, and the whole packet was enough to send me into a spiral of sadness. My faith is built on trust and kindness between people, you see, and I felt worse and worse as the day progressed until my sadness climaxed during my evening bath. It was here that I completely broke down, weeping the night away. I felt like my entire faith had been called into question.
That was the sad story. Here’s a slightly happier one.
A little less recently, my dad was in a Nebraskan airport going home from a business trip. He was going through security, and although the line was long, he was near the front. And while he was standing there, my dad saw two men standing a little ways away, worring. “The line’s too long! We’re going to miss our flight home!” My dad saw a big, burly security guard striding toward the two men, but before he could get to them, my dad walked over to them. “Hey, Dave, Larry! There you are. I’ve been waiting for you guys!” The guard said “Do you know these people?” and my dad said “Oh, yeah! They’re my friends. They had to go park the car. They’re with me.” He accepted that, and my dad took those fellows back with him to the front of the line where they passed through. Afterwards, they showered my dad with “Thank you’s” and ran to catch their flight. After they’d left, my dad’s boss turned to my dad and asked “Did you know those guys?” and my dad responded, “Nope.”
What I most value in life is boldness, kindness, hospitality, selflessness, and gratitude. When my dad first told me about what he did, it made me feel warm and fuzzy. They say that to change the world, you have to be the change itself, so I strive to live these values not only in my word, but in my everyday actions so that I can help make the world a better place.
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CREDO
I have two stories to tell you, one about how the world seems, and one about how it could be.
Recently, I was assigned to read “MacBeth” for my ninth grade English class. The book comes with a hefty packet of questions and included tie-in reading. The reading itself told of psychopaths, people who lacked the conscience that you and I have. These people have no sense of shame or of others, and will lie, cheat, steal, and even murder to get what they want. Furthermore, the reading explicitly stated that psychopaths had an advantage over others, comparing them to cats in a world of mice, preying off those who were unable to stop them, living in a world build by them, for them.
The mere idea of such people existing would be enough to depress me, and the whole packet was enough to send me into a spiral of sadness. My faith is built on trust and kindness between people, you see, and I felt worse and worse as the day progressed until my sadness climaxed during my evening bath. It was here that I completely broke down, weeping the night away. I felt like my entire faith had been called into question.
That was the sad story. Here’s a slightly happier one.
A little less recently, my dad was in a Nebraskan airport going home from a business trip. He was going through security, and although the line was long, he was near the front. And while he was standing there, my dad saw two men standing a little ways away, worring. “The line’s too long! We’re going to miss our flight home!” My dad saw a big, burly security guard striding toward the two men, but before he could get to them, my dad walked over to them. “Hey, Dave, Larry! There you are. I’ve been waiting for you guys!” The guard said “Do you know these people?” and my dad said “Oh, yeah! They’re my friends. They had to go park the car. They’re with me.” He accepted that, and my dad took those fellows back with him to the front of the line where they passed through. Afterwards, they showered my dad with “Thank you’s” and ran to catch their flight. After they’d left, my dad’s boss turned to my dad and asked “Did you know those guys?” and my dad responded, “Nope.”
What I most value in life is boldness, kindness, hospitality, selflessness, and gratitude. When my dad first told me about what he did, it made me feel warm and fuzzy. They say that to change the world, you have to be the change itself, so I strive to live these values not only in my word, but in my everyday actions so that I can help make the world a better place.