The Tough Questions

“Daddy, what’s rape?” queried the little girl. This kind of interrogatory sends chills down a parent’s spine. Not only is one concerned about what might have precipitated the attention of the child but one is also maddened by the reality of a world where someone so tender is exposed to something so brutal. No doubt in a world of instant communication, few are spared the spillover effect from a constant and uncensored stream of information.

Naturally Interested

While we love our home and being there, it seems that days go by without ever sitting down to a meal. And though I lament this reality, there is so much good happing on the other side of our front door to which receptivity is warranted. So we gather our family and go into the world. Heartland Truly Moving Pictures gave us such an opportunity just this past week. Our family had been in Brown County for much of the weekend, enjoying the turning autumn colors and the company of good friends. But we dashed off to tux up and attend the annual awards gala as the guest of a dedicated board member. It would have been easy to have demurred. It would have been easy to pass on another event. But as so often happens, we are certainly glad that we did not. Heartland’s film festival has become an Indianapolis and now international must-do. The winning film “Cairo” illustrates the reality of sexism in the Muslim world. Check it and others out at www.trulymovingpictures.org.

Trust Me

Who do we trust? Do we trust our spouses? Our kids?Our parents?Ourselves? Or, do we trust strangers? Experts?Journalists?Government? This simple question has vexed human kind since we could first consider our own existence. Perhaps it harkens back to time in the cave when we most had to rely upon one another. If we chose a weak or irresponsible member to our clan, we’d likely not survive very long in the harsh reality of a saber-toothed world. So, we developed mechanisms to measure the veracity and reliability of the promised commitment of others. The most successful of us became acutely aware of deceit and chose to align with those more worthy of our confidence. The trust in us of others became crucial to our flourishing. Even now, centuries later, political candidates vie to convince us of their genuineness in a desire to advance their own agenda.