Breaking the Law – Is it Ever OK? I Say YES!

20 Jul 2025 12 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Have you ever deliberately broke the law?  Mea Culpa!  Mea Culpa!  I have many times in my life.  I grew up with an aversion to rules and a definite bias towards the idea that “rules were made to be broken.”  Sometimes this has gotten me into trouble but other times it has been something I actually feel proud of.  You see, I do believe that there are stupid and even evil rules and laws.

Lets start with the most obvious as an example of laws that were not only bad but evil.  In respect to slavery there are many such examples.  Let’s take just two that make my point.  The very first concerns the legalization of slavery.  Early slave laws recognizing the practice in the US were written well before the constitution or the US was a nation.  Massachusetts is considered the first colony to recognize slavery as a legal institution in 1641.  Most of the other colonies soon passed laws legalizing the practice.  Once the colonies became a country and formed a constitution many Federal laws were passed to condone slavery, and these were supported by the Supreme Court.  Two such laws that are notorious today are the “Fugitive Slave Act of 1793” and the “Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.”

Who today could support such laws?  Laws that treated individuals of another color as little better than animals.  People (slaves) could be beaten, lashed, chained and bred not to mention worked to death so that some people could profit from their labor.  Would it have been wrong to say that these laws were acts of evil?  Should we obey laws that are clearly evil?

For my second example, we turn to Nazi Germany and its Reign of Terror against the Jewish population of Europe.  Over the centuries there have been many laws passed by European countries demonstrating an overt prejudice against the Jewish population.  However, the Nazis took this prejudice to new levels of persecution and eventually genocide.

The first significant law enacted by Hitler that targeted the Jewish population in Germany was the “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service” passed on April 7, 1933.  This law was designed to isolate and exclude Jews from participation in public life.  It banned them from holding government jobs or participating in professions such as doctors, teachers, and lawyers.

Much like we are now seeing in the USA today (albeit for a different purpose), there was a progression of laws in Germany to escalate the violence and discrimination against Jews.  The first laws seemed to be ones that people could live with but eventually they led to laws that were so evil that even Hitler was afraid of them being recorded.  I refer to Hitler’s “Final Solution.”  There may not have been any recorded laws, but the facts of the Holocaust and Genocide cannot be denied.  Eichmann claimed at his trial that he was only following orders to expedite in the most efficient manner the extermination of every Jew in Europe and Russia.

Could you live in a country like Germany was in the 1930’s and 40’s? What if we started deporting legal American citizens from the USA to prison camps in South America or Asia?  Would you obey such orders?

When we first came down here to Arizona in 2010, there was a great deal of discrimination directed against legal citizens who were of Mexican or Spanish Heritage.  One infamous law was the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (SB 1070), enacted in 2010, which included a provision that allowed police to question people about their immigration status if there was “reasonable suspicion” they were in the country unlawfully.  They were obliged to “Show me your Papers” and Mexican American citizens were often profiled and stopped because they “looked” Mexican.  A friend of mine who lives in Tucson and is a musician wrote a song called “Show me Your Papers” which spoofed the law with some very humorous lyrics.

There were other laws passed in Arizona making it a crime to help immigrants coming over the border who might be undocumented.  The problem with these laws is that many immigrants legal and illegal do not speak English.  How in the hell are you going to ask them if they have papers?

One day about ten years ago, I was driving in a rural part of Arizona through the desert when I saw a young man hitchhiking on the side of the road.  I stopped to see where he was going.  I asked him if he needed some water since it was a very hot day.  He nodded his head yes and I gave him a bottle of water.  Down here you are stupid if you do not keep extra water in your car.  He then handed me a piece of paper.  On it was a hand drawn map that showed some directions and a motel at the end of the arrows on the map.  I asked him where he wanted to go.  He simply pointed at the motel.  The name of the motel was on the map, and I knew where it was.

I was on my way home and it was only about three miles from where I lived.  I motioned for him to jump in my car.  He climbed in and off we went with no conversation since it was obvious he did not speak English.  I pulled up to the motel and he got out of my car.  He turned around and in his hand, he held a bunch of fifty-dollar US bills.  He handed one to me.  I shook my head and said, “Gracias but no thank you.”  He smiled, left my car for the motel and we both waved goodbye as I drove off.

Did I break the law?  Was he an “illegal” immigrant?  Should I have just left him on the side of the road in 100 + temperatures?  Should I have driven him to the police department?  Frankly,  I don’t give a damn what the law said back then.  I saw someone who needed help, and I helped him.  Christians are fond of saying “WWJD”, meaning What would Jesus Do?  If you are at all familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan in the New Testament, you know what Jesus would do.

There are good laws and there are bad laws.  Pope Pius the XII once said that he had no problems with the good friars in Minnesota making illegal whiskey during prohibition because they were not breaking God’s law but only man’s law.  I claim to be no saint nor even a Christian.  However, I do believe that some laws whether backed by the Supreme Court or backed by an Executive who can make no claim on morality or virtue are evil and deserve to be broken or ignored.  One caveat is that you must be willing to suffer the consequences of breaking such laws.  No one may be on your side.  It might be years or decades before attitudes change, and people realize how heinous some laws are.

Conclusions:

  • Only fools and cowards obey laws that are evil.
  • We have a right to dispute laws that are inhumane or that violate long-held principles of morality and ethics.
  • We may be punished for breaking a law but we all must be willing to take risks if we want to build a better world.
  • Don’t break the law simply because it inconveniences you. Only break laws that are not in the common good or that make other people suffer without good cause.
  • Some things are evil no matter what the law says.

If you would like to pursue this issue further, here are two excellent articles by Michael Corthell which I will list below with a hyperlink to them.  

“The President Who Breaks the Law and the Court That Lets Him”, July 16, 2025

When the Crowd Booed Back: How Authoritarians Crumble When People Stop Obeying –  July 22, 2025

 

Who gives a damn about the poor, the sick, the hungry and the needy? 

09 Mar 2025 2 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Who gives a damn about the poor, the sick, the hungry and the needy?  According to Pastor John Pavlovitz, it is not the Republicans who voted unanimously on a budget to cut 2 Trillion dollars from aid programs for the needy.  It is not the Evangelicals who Pastor John says put altar calls and prayer ahead of any direct aid to the “marginalized.”  It is also not the many Conservative Christians who say that the Government should not be responsible for the poor and needy but who have yet to devote any money to help those in need, unless of course they be friends or family members.

Pastor John writes, “We’re not witnessing an overwhelming outpouring of compassion from Conservative church folk who have declared that they’re going to repair the homes and make the lunches and pay for the surgeries and watch the children for the tens of millions about to be kicked to the curb by this Conservative leadership—and we shouldn’t be holding our breath.” — “The Christians Mocking Jesus and Defunding the Least of These” — John Pavlovitz, 2-25-25

Tribalism reigns supreme among Conservatives.  My first responsibility according to VP Vance is to take care of my family, then my friends and then my immediate social network.  To hell with the needy who I do not know or who do not live in my social circle.  It is out of sight, than out of mind.

You might argue that we cannot afford all of these social causes.  That is a lie.  It is a matter of priority.  Consider that our military budget is greater than the next highest nine military budgets in the world.  Consider that we have given billions in foreign  aid to the Ukraine and Israel to arm themselves with guns and bombs.  Consider that our tax breaks for the rich have resulted in a situation where the rich are worth hundreds and sometimes thousands of times what even the average middle-class American is worth.

Average Wealth:  The mean household wealth for the top 0.1% is more than $158.6 million.

The Average American Family:  The mean income for all American families is $136.000

Top 1% Wealth:  The top 1% (including the top 0.1%) holds a staggering $49.2 trillion of wealth.  That is 31% of the total wealth of America.

The Bottom 50% of American Families, own just 1% of the wealth in the U.S., with 13.4 million of these families having a negative net worth.

But who gives a damn about income inequality.  These people are losers.  They are lazy or stupid.  Too many of them sit home all day expecting a handout.  All they need is motivation.  A good kick in the ass would get them going.  No one gave me anything!  All I ever needed was a hand-up not a hand-out!  Why should I have to take care of them.  Some of these people make a fortune on government handouts.  Let them win the lottery.  I have a hard enough time paying my own bills.

I walk down a typical American street.  Today I pass by an old woman dressed in the latest “unfashion.”  She is not carrying a Gucci handbag.  In fact, she does not even have a handbag.  She is pushing a shopping cart.  Everything she owns is in a shopping cart.  It is not a Mercedes shopping cart either.  She is moving from one side of town to another so that she can find a new place to set up for the coming evening.  She has learned not to stay in one place too long or the police will move her out.

Yesterday, I passed a homeless Veteran on the streetcorner carrying a sign that reads, “Veteran needs money for food.” I volunteer a few days each month at our local Veterans center.  I am there to help Vets that come in with problems.  Recently, I spent three days trying to help an 80 percent disabled Vietnam veteran get some state assistance under a mobility grant so that he could afford a walk-in shower.  We never got to complete the online form required by the grant.  Every other page had some type of document required to complete the form.

Joe (the Vet) has been asked to provide Proof of Service, Proof of Home Ownership, Proof of Homeowners Insurance and several other proofs.  He has had to come back three times to the center.  Each time he wonders why they just did not state all the forms needed before we started.  A question that I have no answer to.  I have to scan all these forms in as Joe does not have a computer at home.  As I write this, we still have not completed all the paperwork.  He has not returned yet with the remainder of the forms needed.

We can send Israel 3.5 billion dollars a year, but we can’t make it simple for a disabled war veteran to obtain a walk-in shower.  For the amount of money we send to Israel each year we could build 350,000 walk in showers.  But who gives a damn about the poor and needy.  And now some idiot with a chainsaw is going to cut thousands of jobs in Social Security, The VA and other government organizations to improve efficiency.  I worked for fifteen years with Dr. W. E. Deming, and other quality greats.  Dr.  Deming always said you improve a process with a scalpel not with a meat cleaver.  When you use a cleaver you cut the muscle and bone along with the fat.  This is no way to improve the efficiency of any process or organization.

By the way, I am not against aid programs to other countries in need.  However, the aid we send to Israel does not help the sick and needy.  Mostly it is used to build guns and bombs or buy guns and bombs.  But our President stops aid to countries where people are starving so he will have more money to give to his rich supporters.

Losers and more losers.  How come so many people need a handout?  

A few years ago, I happened to catch a glimpse of a popular TV show called Bridezillas.  The prospective bride was shopping for a $20,000 bridal gown and screaming, “It’s all about me!  It’s all about me!”  I suppose many people watched this program and enjoyed seeing the little spoiled brat ranting and ranting.  This is a “reality” show.  The real reality is that fifty percent of Americans today are this little spoiled brat.  How many people ranting about Immigration have ever been molested by an immigrant?  How many people wanting to build a border wall have ever lost their jobs to an immigrant?  How many people complaining about illegal immigrants want to do the hard menial work that I see so many immigrants doing all over the USA.  From Arizona to Michigan to Rhode Island to Wisconsin, I have seen dozens of migrant workers doing work that Americans feel is beneath them or does not pay enough.

We complain about poverty and people taking handouts, but our kids are not willing to work anymore because they are too busy playing video games.  We complain about taxes, but we can buy designer clothes, designer shoes, designer weddings and designer handbags.  We complain about inflation, but it does not stop us from eating out at expensive restaurants.  We complain about the price of eggs and gasoline, but we drive $85,000 gas guzzling pickup trucks so that we can be cool.

I inquired of a few people I met recently “How could you vote for a man who is vindictive, unethical, lies like crazy and loves to humiliate other people.”  I was told the same thing by each person I asked, “I don’t care about his personality as long as he gets rid of the immigrants and lowers my taxes.”  Who are the selfish greedy spoiled brats in America?  As Pogo said, “ We have met the enemy, and he is us.”   

The Conservative Evangelicals have bumper stickers and wear t-shirts that read, “What Would Jesus Do.”  I don’t claim to be a Christian and I don’t claim to be a very religious person, but I don’t think Jesus would kick the immigrants out, kick people out of their jobs and stop aid for the people in America and the world who are most in need of help.  The pastor at our church always says, “Give me Jesus, they can have all the rest.”  I don’t think he would want a Jesus who said, “It’s all about me!  I want my taxes lowered and these lazy poor people put to work right after we get rid of the immigrants”

I repeat my question:  “Who gives a damn about the poor, the sick, the hungry and the needy?”  Are you proud to say that you are not your brothers keeper?

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of the evil men.  Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper, and the finder of lost children.” — Ezekiel 25:17

I Don’t Need a Hero, I’ve Got Two of Them!

24 Jan 2025 9 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

This week two courageous and brave women spoke their truth.  In doing so, they stood up for America and the world.  They are my Heroes.  In standing up to speak out, they risked violence, retributions and death threats.  They have since received some of each.  That is why there are so few heroes.  Freedom is not free.  It means being willing to risk your reputation, your career and even your life.  However, it has been said that “Evil triumphs when good people are silent.”  Both of my heroes have been feted in the news, but I want to dedicate this blog to the truth that each was trying to tell.  I do not think that their words should ever be forgotten.  I will share their own words here, since I could never be as eloquent as both of these women were. 

Every year for the next four years, I am going to post their words here on my blog on January 20, to remember the tragic episode that happened this day in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. 

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde::

Let me make one final plea.  Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you.  And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God.  In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.  There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.  And the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals, they — they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals.  They pay taxes and are good neighbors.  They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurdwara and temples.

I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.  Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.  May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people, the good of all people in this nation and the world.

____________________________________________________________________________

Amy Goodman in her Democracy Now Podcast added the following comments to the courage of Bishop Budde.  

AMY GOODMAN: Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde addressed President Trump and his family at the inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington as Trump and Vice President JD Vance sat in the front pew.  Trump was later asked at the White House about her sermon.

REPORTER: What did you think of the service?

PRESIDENT  DONALD  TRUMP:  What  did you think?  Did you like it?  Did you find it exciting?  Not too exciting, was it?  I didn’t think it was a good service, no.  Thank you very much.

AIDE: Thank you, press.  Thank you, press.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They can do much — they can do much better.

AMY GOODMAN: President Trump later posted a message about Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde on his social media platform Truth Social, writing, quote, “The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater.  She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way.  She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.”

Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia posted a message online saying, quote, “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

______________________________________________________________________________________

Ms. Pam Hemphill:

The following is from an online newscast and includes a discussion with Ms. Hemphill and a reporter.  Some of my immediate comments below are taken from an NPR radio show this past Thursday featuring a discussion with Ms. Hemphill.  That is when I first heard her story.  

“President Trump this week issued pardons to more than 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, but one 71-year-old woman turned down the president’s offer of clemency, telling NPR it would be a dishonor to the truth of what happened that day.” — NPR Reporter

“I broke the law that day, period. Black and white,” Pamela Hemphill told NPR’s All Things Considered of the role she regrets playing at the Capitol that day. “I’m not a victim, I’m a volunteer.”

Some Trump voters express reservations with his sweeping Jan. 6 pardons

Hemphill was an ardent Trump supporter when she joined thousands of people in Washington, D.C., who attempted to halt the certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Fueled by Trump’s repeated lies that the election had been rigged against him and his supporters, Hemphill was among those who stormed into the halls of Congress, leading lawmakers to flee and hide.

Taking a pardon now in light of her actions, Hemphill said, “would be a slap in the face to the Capitol police officers, to the rule of law and to our whole nation.”

“Light One Candle” if Politics in America is Depressing You!

18 Jan 2025 6 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Hello America, well I’m your native son.  Born to a Southern Woman and a Northern man.  I grew up listening to hillbilly music and classical opera.  I grew up with a decorated WW II veteran for a dad who was mean as hell and a mom whom my friends all loved and called her an angel.  My dad saw the bad in everyone while my mom saw only the good.  My father disowned me when I joined the military without telling him, while my mom wept for days when she found out I was gone.

Today we are here to witness the dawn of a new era of greed and empire.  Some of you are no doubt mourning the demise of the old era of greed and empire.  Many Americans including the rich, super-rich and mega-rich are out learning how to do the “Musk Frolic and Prance” as they await their expected epoch of profits and returns.  Even the poor who voted for Trump expect that in making America great again, Trump will give everyone a turkey for Christmas along with a free bottle of Jim Beam Bourbon.

For those of us who share less than kindly sentiments towards Trump, American Exceptionalism and Corporate Profits, it can be said that one person’s heaven is another person’s hell.  I know many of my friends woke up sick and petrified by the election results.  Years of trying to figure out how anyone could vote for such a character, were demolished in one horrific nightmare of populism which saw Trump actually win by a majority of the votes cast.

Some are now saying that it is time to regroup and rethink our strategies.  Many more have decided that the stress and frustrations are not worth it and have turned off the news and tried to shut Trump and his minions out of their minds.  It is hard to do this when everywhere you turn you see people jumping up and down celebrating Trump’s victory.  I want to share with you a very famous song (Light One Candle) which I think provides some inspirational thoughts.

This song goes back to the days of the Civil Rights movement but in terms of its subject matter dates back more than two thousand years.  I would like to interpret some of the stanzas and describe what they mean to me.  I recently heard this song again while listening to some old tapes.  I could not help but think how relevant it still is.  I hope it moves you the way it moved me.

First, here is some background information about the song from Wikipedia:

“Light One Candle” is a song by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.  It is a popular Hanukkah song.  Peter, Paul, and Mary performed the song in concerts starting in 1982, before recording it for their 1986 studio album No Easy Walk to Freedom.

The lyrics commemorate the war of national liberation fought by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greek empire from 167 to 141 BCE, a war described in the Books of the Maccabees and commemorated by the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.  After Judah Maccabee and his army defeated the Syrian-Greek forces, the Jewish people according to custom cleansed and rededicated the Temple by lighting a Menorah, or a candelabra with nine branches.  There are eight branches surrounding a central branch which holds a special candle called a Shamash.  The Shamash is used to light each of the other candles one at a time.  According to the Talmud—an extensive collection of rabbinic law and biblical commentary written between 200 and 500 CE—the Maccabees found only a small amount of oil to light the candelabra.  It miraculously lasted 8 nights, resulting in Hanukkah’s nickname, “The festival of lights.”

Light One Candle by Peter, Paul and Mary

  1. Light one candle for the Maccabee children with thanks that their light didn’t die:

I want to give thanks for my life, my wife’s life, the lives of my friends and the lives of the many people who are still willing to fight the good fight for freedom and justice.  I give thanks for the people who will not give up and for whom the light of hope has not gone out.

  1. Light one candle for the pain they endured, when their right to exist was denied:

I want to light a candle so my eyes can see the hardship and sacrifice that so many people who have gone before me have endured.  I want to see with my heart and feel with my soul the pain that the heroes and heroines have endured who gave their last breath for my freedom and rights.

  1. Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand:

Let the sacrifices made by other always be illuminated in my eyes by this candle.  Never let the realization dim for me that you gain what you strive for in this world and that as Frederic Douglas so famously said: “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground”.

  1. But light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker’s time is at hand:

I light a candle that shows two wars being waged as I sit here at my computer.  I suspect many more wars are going on that I do not see.  The two wars the candle shows are killing innocent men, women and children each day while cries for peace and ceasefires are ritualistically ignored.  Day after day goes by while those with the power to stop the killings refuse to see the light shone by the candle.  Where are the leaders with the wisdom to know when the time for peacemaking is at hand?

maxresdefaultChorus:

Don’t let the light go out!

It’s lasted for so many years!

Don’t let the light go out!

Let it shine through our hope and our tears.

  1. Light one candle for the strength that we need to never become our own foe:

Pogo said that “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”  I light a candle so that I can see the truth and avoid the path of vengeance and retribution that guides so much of war.  It is easy to lose sight of the path that we want to be on and to go blindly down a trail that makes us “one of them.”  We become the “wolf that we feed.”

  1. And light one candle for those who are suffering, pain we learned so long ago:

I light one candle to see the grief and suffering that are afflicting humanity.  To see the many people who are in the shadows and cannot be seen.  The light from the candle shines on those who are deeply in distress but are being ignored.

  1. Light one candle for all we believe in, that anger not tear us apart:

I will light a candle to shine into my heart, to keep it from becoming dark.  A light to show me that all people who walk this earth deserve more than my scorn or wrath.  Under the light from this candle, we can all work together to made a better world for ourselves and our children.

  1. And light one candle to find us together, with peace as the song in our hearts:

Let the light from this candle shine like a million suns until we can all see the glow of peace that burns in every heart.  Humans from the beginning of time have sought peace wherever they have settled.  Let this light remind us of the common bond  that unites all of us in every part of the globe regardless of race, religion, gender or ideology.

Chorus:

Don’t let the light go out!

It’s lasted for so many years!

Don’t let the light go out!

Let it shine through our hope and our tears.

What is the memory that’s valued so highly

That we keep it alive in that flame?

What’s the commitment to those who have died

That we cry out they’ve not died in vain?

We have come this far always believing

That justice would somehow prevail

This is the burden, this is the promise

This is why we will not fail!

There are those who say keep the faith.  Those who say do not give up hope.  Those who say when you get knocked down, you only succeed by getting back up.  We cannot fail if we keep trying.  We can only fail when we stop trying.  The days ahead may see and probably will see many of our dreams destroyed.  We may see a world tilting towards injustice and cruelty.  It may become a landscape full of the wreckage of many of our hopes and desires.  But it is only our own despair which will defeat us.  Each of our voices are needed.  Each of us must carry a candle to illuminate the visions of what could and should be.

Chorus:

Don’t let the light go out!

Don’t let the light go out!

Don’t let the light go out!

I Want to be More Like Jesus!

22 Dec 2024 7 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Every year, I try to post our “Annual Holiday Letter” and then follow up with some holiday or Christmas missives.  Today, I was struck by what a friend of mine wrote on his blog: 

“I want to be more like Jesus.”

Now just to be perfectly clear.  I believe that Jesus was a great prophet and humanist.  I do not believe that he was the “Son of God” or that, “He rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven.”  Nevertheless, many people would disagree with me and millions of people the world over celebrate his birthday on December 25th.  Jesus has inspired people to live a better life, and it would be no mean feat for anyone to follow in his footsteps.  I admire my friend for his goal.  I decided to see what or how ChatGPT would respond to his request.  I typed in his goal into my ChatGPT program:  “I want to be more like Jesus.”  The following is the ChatGPT reply that I received word for word: 

ChatGPT:

That’s such a meaningful and beautiful goal!  Striving to live more like Jesus involves focusing on qualities and actions that reflect His teachings and character.  Here are some practical ways to guide you:

1. Cultivate Love and Compassion

Jesus emphasized love above all: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).  Practice kindness, empathy, and care for others, especially those in need or who may be marginalized.

Look for ways to serve and help, whether through volunteering or simply being a good listener.

2. Practice Forgiveness

Jesus taught forgiveness, even for those who wrong us: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  Let go of grudges and seek reconciliation where possible.

3. Live Humbly

Humility was a cornerstone of Jesus’ character.  Avoid arrogance and practice gratitude for your blessings, knowing that everything is a gift from God.

4. Spend Time in Prayer

Jesus often withdrew to pray and strengthen His connection with God (Luke 5:16).  Take time daily to pray, reflect, and seek guidance.

5. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat others the way you want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).  This simple principle can help guide your decisions and interactions.

6. Embrace Patience and Peace

Jesus remained calm and patient even in challenging situations.  Practice patience with others and seek peace rather than conflict.

7. Live Faithfully

Make God the center of your life by reading Scripture, attending church or fellowship, and applying biblical teachings in your daily actions.

8. Show Generosity

Jesus cared deeply for the poor and was generous with His time and resources.  Share what you have, whether it’s time, money, or talents.

9. Stand for Truth and Justice

Jesus was unafraid to stand up for what was right.  Be honest and stand firm in your values, even when it’s difficult.

10. Be Servant-Hearted

Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28).  Serve others without expecting anything in return.

Becoming more like Jesus is a lifelong journey.  It’s about progress, not perfection, so give yourself grace along the way.  ❤️

___________________________________________________________________________________________

I think these are all beautiful goals.  The only one I might partially modify would be number seven.  “To make God the center of my life.”  Being an atheist, making God the center of my life would be hard to do.  Nevertheless, the way I see it is that I should not make the mistake of making “Myself” the center of the universe.  I remind myself regularly that the world does not revolve around me.  Neither do I make science or even rationality the center of my universe.  I try to read other books of wisdom like, The Tanakh: The sacred text of Judaism; The Quran: The sacred text of Islam; The Analects of Confucius: The sacred text of Confucianism; The Rig Veda: The sacred text of Hinduism and The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The sacred text of the  Baháʼí Faith. 

There is much wisdom in the world and the more I read, the more humble I have become.  The more difficult it becomes to take myself too seriously.  Reading and reflection are good antidotes to prevent oneself from being another god.  So, this year if you want to embrace my friend’s goals “To be more like Jesus,” you will get no argument from me.  I will salute you and wish you success on your journey.  That to me is the true meaning of Christmas.  What Jesus would have us all do this wonderful holiday season. Did he not say, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Growing Old with “Old” or is it “New” Memories

15 Dec 2024 12 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

Currently the thinking in Cognitive Psychology is that memories are not stored but are recreated.  Each time we “Remember” an event, our mind recreates the memory from bits and pieces of things that we associate with the event.  The impact of this process is that there is great latitude in the accuracy of what we believe happened in our pasts.  My spouse Karen and I often have totally different recalls of what happened at a given event.  Interviews with people who were on the “grassy knoll” at the time of JFK’s assassination show that their memories six weeks later had changed quite a bit.  From not seeing anything or hearing anything to suddenly remembering someone shooting or running and puffs of smoke appearing in the air.

Christmas is a wonderful time that serves as a catalyst for bringing up old memories.  Memories of days gone by with relatives.  Memories of cooking at Christmas or holidays with our mother.  Memories around the holiday dinner table.  Memories of gift shopping and gift giving.  Memories of decorating the house.  Memories of trees, lights and angels.

Many of our memories are poignant.  Some memories bring sadness as we remember the “Good” old days.  Most memories bring joy as we relive in our minds the love and happiness that we once shared with long-gone friends and relatives.  We conjure up pictures of a past that we paint with vivid colors, dramatic actions and a dream filled choreography which may or may not bear much resemblance to the actual event.  It doesn’t matter though.  We are not trying to sell it.  At worst, we want to share it with others and share with them the memories that they have.

I sit here thinking of some Holiday memories.  Some less related to the holidays and more or less related to the “good old” days.  I am not sure if they are real, but I tell myself that they are.  Here are a few that come to mind:

  • 18 cent a gallon gasoline
  • 25 cent movies
  • 15 cent popcorn
  • 10 cent bus rides
  • Ferris wheel rides at Coney Island
  • Swimming with my sisters at Lake Ronkonkoma
  • Walking by myself when I was only 7 to PS 171 school in Brooklyn
  • Propelling myself down a Brooklyn street on a scooter made with a wooden box and old roller skate wheels
  • Carrying groceries in my little red wagon for people from the store to their Apt. for 10 cents
  • Visiting with my cousin Louis
  • Dreaming that someday I would be an astronaut
  • Deciding if I really wanted to be an astronaut or maybe a world-famous archaeologist
  • Wishing that I had my own set of encyclopedias
  • Midnight mass on Christmas eve
  • Wondering if I would get a bicycle for Christmas when I was seven years old

To paraphrase the famous song from The Sound of Music, these are a few of my favorite memories.

Bows on gift boxes and dreams of new toys,

Shiny new building blocks and Lincoln log homes.

A bicycle with three speeds that was meant mostly for boys,

Trains that ran on 1/64 scale tracks, some with a cute little dome.

These are a few of my favorite Christmas memories.

I hope this holiday season brings joy, peace and prosperity to you and your loved ones.  I would love to hear from you what your favorite memories are.  Please use the comment section to post as many as you like.

I will post our annual holiday letter next Monday. 

 

What Are You Up To These Days?

18 Nov 2024 7 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

Have you ever run into an old friend, and they ask you “Well, what are you up to these days?”  I find this a very difficult question to answer for several reasons.  One is that I am not sure if they are just being polite or if they really  want to spend an hour or so listening to what I have been up to.  I generally presume that they won’t want to spend the time.  Another reason is that it does not seem polite to regale them with what some might construe as bragging.  For instance, I would like to say the following:

“I am building a new wall in China to rival the old one.  However, the China wall project is just a side hobby that keeps me busy until I get to play my new symphony with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  I have to couple my symphony debut with my visit to the King of England.  I am being awarded an OBE for my contributions to English literature.  After that, Karen and I will leave on another round the world cruise.”  “Oh, do you know what an OBE is?”

“Kids and grandkids are all above average and Karen is happier than ever.” 

“And what are you doing these days?”  “Oops, times out, I have to run.  Call me for lunch the next time you are in town.”

More likely I will answer the above query with a very different response.  As a matter of fact, after our church breakfast this morning, one of the friends at our table asked me what I was going to do today.  My reply was honest, “I have no plans to do a darn thing today and I have nothing that I want to do.”  I actually cannot think of anything I would rather do than nothing.  Well, I may take a nap or help Karen eat some unbaked cookie dough.

As it gets nearer to Thanksgiving and Christmas, Karen’s baking genes kick in.  She  will bake enough lefse and Christmas cookies to last at least until Easter.   Most of Karen’s baking  goes to our stomachs, the stomachs of friends and neighbors and Karen’s children.   I keep wondering each year as the cost of sugar, butter, chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, oil, flour and other cooking supplies go through the roof,  how long our IRA will last.

I suggested to Karen last year that we ask for a good-will donation from anyone she gives cookies to.  She thought I was being rather mercenary.  I tried to tell her about the “Prosperity Gospel” but being a good Lutheran from birth she would have none of it.  If you are not familiar with the “Prosperity Gospel”, it goes something like this:

Jesus was really very depressed because he was poor and did not have a limousine or private jet.  Jesus died because he wanted us all to be happy.  He knew the secret to happiness was to be wealthy.  He said, “It is very easy to thread a needle when you are rich, but poor skinny camels can never get through the eye of a needle.  Rich people will have many servants who are good at threading needles.”

The New Testament in some versions have Jesus saying the following: Luke 12:15

ESV:  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one ‘s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

 NIV:  Then he said to them, “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

As we get closer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday and Christmas and Boxing Day, we will again be able to watch all the good Christians trying to decide what Jesus really said or perhaps what he really meant about prosperity and wealth.  Did he really mean it when he said,  “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.” — Matthew 19:21

Or did he mean that you should plan your shopping spree very carefully, so you will be able to beat the other shoppers to the bargains and sales.  Get up early in the morning with a great shopping list and carefully measure the distance between the stores you want to go to.  Remember some stores will open earlier and some will have better bargains, so you need to plan your shopping very astutely.

Time, prices, sales, bargains, money and crowds are all factors to consider in developing your strategic shopping plan.  For those of you who are planning challenged, you can find online help in navigating the hoards of other shoppers who are just waiting to get the best bargains before you do.  Go to Godshopsmart.com  for a list of bargains and strategic shopping plans. Strategic shopping plans can be purchased for as little as $19.99, and they will be worth every penny.

If you want to have some great lefse (Do you know what lefse is?) or wonderful chocolate chip pecan bourbon cookies to keep you from starving while you wait in line, I will give you a good deal on a batch of either.  Your choice.  You pay shipping and handling costs.  A good friend of mine bakes many churros this time of the year.  They call her the Churro Lady.  Another acquaintance makes great tamales.  You can choose either pork or beef tamales or mixed.  I prefer the mixed.  I can get you a good deal on these as well.  Nothing like a hot tamale or warm churro while you stand in line at the cashier on Black Friday.

So, this holiday season, forget the elections.  Forget politics.  Jesus would want you to shop.  Get out there and do your best to get the best bargains.  The US economy depends on shoppers like you.  However, this Holiday season, please be mindful not to purchase any products from China, North Korea, Russia or Iran.  Anyone caught doing so might be in trouble with the new Office of Strategic Buying.  I hear from highly placed sources that either Lauren Bobert or Marjorie Taylor Greene might be named Director.  Big Brother Will Be Watching You!

1200px-Shop_till_you_drop

 PS:

Here is a great poem for those of you who want to start celebrating a “Do Nothing Day.”

I’m Sitting Doing Nothing

by Jack Prelutsky

I’m sitting doing nothing,

which I do extremely well.

Exactly how I do it

is impossible to tell.

I scarcely move a muscle,

but serenely stay in place,

not even slightly changing

the expression on my face.

I’m fond of doing nothing,

so I do it all day long.

Whenever I do nothing,

I don’t ever do it wrong.

When I am doing nothing,

there is nothing that I do,

for if I started something,

it would mean that I was through.

When I am doing nothing,

I’m immobile as a wall.

When I am doing nothing

I don’t do a thing at all.

It’s easy doing nothing

and I find it lots of fun,

though when I’m finally finished

I’m uncertain that I’m done.

A Conversation with Jesus about Love

27 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Love Is All You Need or Is It?

I had this conversation with Jesus nine years ago now. I think it is worth reposting as so many people have a need for love in their lives but so few people know what love really entails. John

Only God Can Save You!

17 Oct 2024 13 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

This past year marks my 41st Jesuit Silent Retreat.  I may be the only Atheist at the retreat.  Each year brings new insights and thoughts.  I wonder if I have grown any during my retreats.  I can’t say that I feel any closer to God, yours or theirs.  I wonder if there is a God but I doubt it.  I wonder if there are multiple Gods.  A God for each religion.  Is the Muslim God and the Catholic God and the Jewish God the same entity?  Were the Romans, Greeks, Hindus and many others more on the mark with different Gods for different functions?

This year reading as I usually do many of the assigned Gospel readings and many other Gospel passages I was struck with how many of the old prophets emphasized the need to believe in God’s goodness.  Only God can save us and we must have faith in God’s goodness.  God has a plan for all of us if we will only listen to him or perhaps her.  God knows what we need but we ignore his/her messages.  Pray to God.  Love God, for God loves us.  He loves us so much that he sent his only “begotten” son (Not sure what a begotten son is) to save us.

Exodus 33:18-19 (NKJV)

“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’”

Frankly, I still don’t get it.  Many people have taken a shot at saving my soul, but I still don’t see any value in God.  During the past five years, he/she has allowed Global Warming to destroy much of the climate that I once loved.  He sent a scourge called Covid 19 to help ruin the last few years of my life.  And to top it off, he allowed a low life called Trump to run for President again.  I guess I am lost to the damnations of hell fire, but I still don’t see a God that is going to save me.  If so, he/she is about 78 years past my patience.

C. S. Lewis was the great “converter.” The conversion of an Atheist to a Theist is an aphrodisiac for the devoted religious. I suppose it justifies their belief in a future fiction that requires a complete abandonment of reason and logic.  A place called Heaven where we can all live happily ever after.  Just as long as we are willing to listen to daily sermons about how good God is for us.

“[God] will not be used as a convenience. Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of heaven as a shortcut to the nearest chemist’s shop.” — C.S. Lewis

But “Only God Can Save You” has a ring of truth to it.  No one on earth can save you from death.  No one can be trusted to be by your side forever regardless of the consequences.  Friends and lovers come and go like shadows in the night.  One day someone loves you, the next day they hate you.  One day someone is your friend, the next day they unfriend you on Facebook.  Tragedy of tragedies.  Loneliness is a Satan stalking all of us all of our lives.  I would wager more people have committed suicide out of loneliness than any other reason on earth.

Psalm 107:8-9 (NKJV)

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

Only the concept or idea of an All Knowing, All Seeing, All Powerful and All Compassionate God can guarantee us that we will never be alone.  Never be forgotten.  Never be forsook.  One popular song goes:

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

This song was first written by Oscar Hammerstein II and composed by Richard Rodgers for their musical Carousel, which was released in the USA in 1945.  It has since become one of the most popular funeral songs (Next to Amazing Grace) of all time.  Many people interpret it to have faith.  Faith in friends.  Faith in lovers.  Faith in a God who will always be with you in time of trials and tribulations.  It is a song to give hope to people in time of grief and suffering.

But where does one find such a God?  The Bible shows us at best an arbitrary God.  Sometimes belligerent.  Sometimes vindictive.  Sometimes vengeful.  Sometime cruel.  A God that many of us see in the world wreaking havoc on humanity for any number of transgressions.  From Sodom and Gomorrah to massive floods to sending his “Chosen people” into slavery.  A God who threw Adam and Ever out of the Garden of Paradise because they dared eat an apple.  A God who destroyed cities because they did not live up to his/her expectations.  A God who sent a flood to wipe out humanity.  This is a compassionate loving God?

Psalm 31:19 (NIV-84)

“How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.”

Or is it a God who feeds his people.  A God who watches out for his Chosen ones.  A God who rewards those who obey him/her.  A God who destroys the enemies of those who worship him.  A God who is loving, kind and compassionate.  I wonder what God really is.  Here are some questions that still nag at my Atheist beliefs.

  1. Do I think that I am smarter than all the wise and great people who believe in God?
  2. Who or what created us?
  3. What if there is a God? What does he/she think of me?
  4. What if there is no God?
  5. Is God simply a metaphor for “Unconditional Love?”
  6. Is God Death or Life or Both?

The Atheist by Martin Braun

Science defines my virtue.

Factual and fictional books are my domain.

Don’t speak to me of pixies, fairies, and unicorns,

Or of your monopoly on morality, love, faith, and shame.

I am what I am

And of what I do I claim my own.

I fight for my survival

Of which need not be told, judged or shown.

There is no all knowing

Or an immortal god of my fate he will judge.

For when my heart ceases to beat

It will return from whence it came, a kind of primordial sludge.

What if Jesus Ran for Office?

10 Aug 2024 1 Comment

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

A Political Play in One Act:

Place:  A campaign headquarters somewhere in America.  Two political campaign advisors sit discussing campaign strategy for their candidate:

Jake:  A ten-year veteran of smear campaigns

Bryan:  The head campaign manager for a Republican candidate for office

____________________________________________________________________

Jake:  I hear the Democrats have nominated some guy named Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth.  Sounds like a foreigner to me.  Do we have anything on this guy?

Bryan:  I had two aides dig up a bunch of stuff.  This guy has a checkered background.  I think we can really nail his ass to the cross.  I have five major areas that I think we can get him on.  Let’s go through them together and see what you think.  We need to prioritize our attacks.  Maybe start with the biggest ones first?

Jake:  Yeah, the sooner we destroy his credibility the better.  The more we can dump on him, the more he will drop in the polls.  So, what have you got?

Bryan:  Well first of all.  He claims he is some sort of itinerant preacher who can heal the sick and raise the dead.  But he does not have any theology training or any bona fide theology degrees.  And he is practicing medicine without a license.

Jake:  Beautiful.  We will nail him for being a fake faith healer and being incompetent as well.  Imagine preaching without a degree from a Bible College?  As for the license thing, I have some friends in the FBI who can start an investigation and maybe even charge him with a felony for practicing medicine without an MD degree.  What else have you got?

Bryan:  This guys got a bunch of followers but one in particular named Judas would be willing to go on Fox News and denounce Jesus as a fake and hypocrite.

Jake:  How much does he want?

Bryan:  He says for only thirty pieces of silver, he can make Jesus look really bad.

Jake:  Okay, we will run with that first.  How about several ads with Judas talking about Jesus being a fake faith healer and not following his own advice.  Let’s get them running as soon as possible before he builds up any momentum.  The press will eat this up.  Anything else?

Bryan:  I was saving the best for last.  You won’t believe this.  He has a platform called “The Eight Beatitudes.”  He wants to take from the rich and give to the poor.  Some type of income redistribution.  He says the “meek will inherit the earth.”  This guy is obviously a Communist.  He says a rich man will have less chance of getting to heaven than a camel would have of going through the eye of a needle.  He tells story after story of rich people getting screwed.

Jake:  Unbelievable.  What is this guy a total idiot?  Man, we will bury him with this.  We will label him as “The Communist Candidate.”  Has a ring to it.  I will tell all of our Fox Media outlets that they need to start an “anti-communist” line on this Jesus guy just as soon as they can.  I want radio, tv, podcasts describing how he plans to increase taxes on the rich and give it to the poor.  The usual stuff we label Democrats with: More welfare queens; Tax and spend; Soft on crime.  Does he say anything about crime?

Bryan:  I hear he hangs around with prostitutes and pimps.

Jake:  That’s great.  We can bring up his anti-family values as well as coddling criminals.  Any evidence he is screwing any of them?

Bryan:  Some of our informants say that he has a girlfriend, but we don’t have any corroboration for that.  He may be gay.  He is not married, and he hangs around with a lot of young men.

Jake:  See if we can follow up on the queer angle.  Hanging around with young men sounds suspicious to me.  Anything else Bryan?  I think we have enough to go on with just what you have already.  The key thing though is I would like to find more people who can testify what an asshole this Jesus really is.  Find some people he didn’t cure or some rich people like Elon Musk who will condemn Jesus.

Bryan:  One last thought.  He may be an Anarchist.  He talks about tearing the capital down and building it up again in three days.  He also talks about changing the law.

Jake:  OK, have someone follow him and get some good tapes of his talks.  Spread some money around and see if anyone else will come forth with some juicy stories about this Jesus.  I think he is dead already.  Crucified by his own ideas and words.  He won’t come back in three days; I can promise you that.   Jesus is history.

The End   

Some books on Jesus that you might like to read:

 

 

 

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