Some people may live this way… yet I don’t agree with it.
It is a Machiavellian tenet that say’s because other people are prone to breaking promises, that this absolves you from keeping yours.
The question is what sort of person do you wish to be?
I believe we should keep our word even to people who are not trustworthy… So we should watch what we agree to do and with whom.
This is because the sort of person we chose to be, and how we conduct ourselves ought not to be dependent on the character and conduct of others… but on our own integrity… we ought to walk the higher path even when most others are taking the lower road.
This way we remain masters of ourselves… consciously and purposefully acting according to our values… not living sympathetically in reaction to the rest of the world… and it’s lack of values.
In this way when you look in the mirror you will see a good man staring back at you… a champion of what is right.
Not living like a victim excusing yourself for being a person of Bad faith.
.. and your reputation as a Solid Guy (or Gal) … a person of integrity will precede you… and doors will open for you because of your own conduct…
This is the Old School virtue that ‘a mans word is his bond’
Thus it ought to be only in extreme circumstances that we should ever even consider breaking an agreement or betraying trust might possibly be an acceptable proposition, and the righteous path.
The Bible warns against making ‘oaths to God’ because most of us being pathetically weak mortals who have so little command of our own passions let alone any control of exterior happenstances we will too often break our vows.
Better not to have sworn to anything in the first place!
Knowing our own weaknesses therefore also ought to make us wary of making promises to people when there is any likelihood we may not be able to honor them.
Take care what you commit yourself to undertake and be sure to make any conditional caveats understood before any deal is shaken upon.
Get your copy of ‘Free Speech Under Attack’ from Good Bookstores or order direct from Tross publishing
**********************************
This Blogpost has been a bloody nightmare to write… and will probably suck just as badly to read!
Not only is it Obscene in length, containing last weeks news that has been thoroughly covered by other writers when it was actually current … The whole theme I was trying to lay out simply didnt work!
There has been too much crap going on!
Yet because I have spent 3 days writing this sod of a thing, I am too peeved to just Euthanize it … letting it die quietly… with dignity…
I’m sorry…. Read at your own peril.
As the calendar clicked over into 2020 I was wallowing under a cloud at how oppressive Ardern’s regime and her henchmen The New Zealand Police has been behaving with regards to the Police raid on Right Minds Social media Commentator and critic of the Ardern Globalist doctrine and Concerned Citizen who made a Submission in opposition to the Firearms Amendment Act… Conservative Thinker Dieuwe de Boer.
The Police had evidently used his submission to the bill as ‘pretext’ to invade and ransack his home and traumatise his family… finding nothing…. yet leaving him (and the Independent NZ Blogging community) a clear message from the regime… of the consequences contrary opinions to the State Agenda could expect to be treated if they dare express them in the public domain.
This shocking act of Political Gansterism was just the latest in a series of such raids on independent Kiwi social media commentators … a clear systematic pattern now evident to all who are awake… one which the so-called mainstream media have done their part to condition the sheeple to endorse as a legitimate suppression of ‘Far Right extremism’.
I had predicted this Jackbooted activity would commence (here) given the Gun confiscation amnesty had been such an utter failure… the Police eager to ‘Punish’ those who had in any way attempted to protest against their new tyrannies…. and because the raid on de Boer’s family home was well covered by several Bloggers there was little I could have added to the discussion, and so I chose to share these commentaries rather than write another one myself.
Here are a few good ones….
Excerpt: “Many New Zealanders were shocked yesterday by the news that Right Minds columnist Dieuwe de Boer had been raided by Police, ostensibly to look for a now-banned magazine for a .22 rifle. As this essay will show, the true reason for the Police raid was as part of a wider effort to suppress dissent – an effort carried out in co-ordination with the Government and the mainstream media.
The New Zealand Government knows what it wants to do to the New Zealand people, and it’s going to do it to them whether they like it or not.
Like all authorities throughout history, the New Zealand Government has a number of people who oppose it, and a number of arse-licking slaves who support it. Those who oppose it are the New Zealand people, whose natural will is to live freely. Those who support it are the soulless hordes of weaklings who have always fallen in line behind authority figures.
That the Government works together with the Police is obvious. In theory, the Police are supposed to be politically independent. The reality is that most Kiwi alternative media commentators have now received Police harassment visits. Vinny Eastwood, VJM Publishing, Cross the Rubicon and now de Boer have all been targeted in recent months – all selected for harassment on account of their outspoken criticism of the Government.
What is less known is that the Government and Police also work hand-in-hand with the mainstream media. The media plays an essential role in this suppression by manufacturing consent for the crackdowns. They present pro-Government propaganda, and attack the reputations of anti-Government speakers…”
^ That is an exceptional piece of truth telling by VJM Publishing which exposes the mainstream media as fake news and complicit in the loss of liberty and headlong plunge of our nation under the Jackboot of a Socialist Police State.
And If that was not enough to depress the Concern citizens of New Zealand… the media kept pumping out the bad news that the State Juggernaut was steam rolling forward with ‘more ‘Hate speech legislation’… and more betrayal of the ‘Full and Final Treaty settlement process’ (re: Arderns utter disregard for the Law with respect to Inhumatao).
Anti-freedom Social engineers are constantly baying for more heavy handed socialism.
Academics and the Media have been promoting sugar taxes… and Taxes on Meat and dairy… Hospitals are changing their menus, not to improve Patients health but for the so-called Politically correct rationale of making their operations ‘more environmentally sustainable’.
I was feeling the weight of the relentless Millitarisation of the New Zealand police as being the new and accepted ‘Post Christchurch ‘Norm’ … having been sold to the public via the same lies that were used to justify the concurrent disarmament of Law abiding New Zealanders… that the Christchurch attack ‘had forever changed the rules of the game’… and that We New Zealanders must accept a heavy curtailment of our rights across the board… because we are being told our rights and liberties were ‘dangerous’… and therefore the Police needed far more Powers.
Today if the police pay you a visit they will always be armed… and they will treat you as if you are dangerous irrespective of the reason they have come to see you about.
Until Ardern took office, that B.S only happened in Communist shitholes or in Gun ho America!
certainly not here in Gods own!
Yet in the blink of an eye The New Zealand Police have become a serious danger to the New Zealand Public and they waive loaded guns in people faces on a regular basis and have shot more people in the past 10 years than in the previous 40… and at an accelerating rate…
Just recently 14 armed police turned up to Uplift a child from a single mother
This is the new oppressive reality that the Power Mad Socialists of both the Left and the Right are foisting upon us!
Worse… a huge deluded and ‘woke’ portion of our population are actively lobbying for their own enslavement… begging for the all powerful State to crush independent thinking and Self reliance… primarily these people are Bat-shit crazy … the brainwashed fear driven Pompously self righteous Vegan Zealots of the Cult of Climate change.
In the first weeks of the new year I was also contemplating how New Zealanders are being systematically railroaded into a cashless society… The enormity of this is chilling to the bone!
A Google search will bring up many articles that have been written in the past few years… here is one…
The realisation that this will probably happen without without any significant protest… being fully propagated in the public mind by our Mainstream media…. and the complete loss of Liberty and privacy… the All-seeing Evil Eye watching, and regulating, and taxing your every transaction… such a massive power accrual… in ensnaring the entire population into this system of Mammon.
What sort of future are we bequeathing to our Children????
It is Ironic that while the media report Climate change Doom hysteria is creating a wave of anxiety destroying the hopes and dreams of the youth because they are being told that the governments of the world are not acting decisively enough to reign in capitalism and Far Right extremism and hate…. yet I have been harboring my own anxiety and bleak outlook for precisely the opposite reasons… as I watch the loss of Liberty… The systematic vilification of dissenting opinions… and exponential growth of the Police state… how do tell my son to have faith in God’s grace and providence, while at the same time warn him of the fast approaching Global Kingdom of The Antichrist?
Laugh at me if you like yet anyone familiar with the New Testament and particularly Book of Revelation can see the Prophecies about the Global system of the Beast all coming to fruition… The spirit of Antichrist… the Roaring Lion… the evil seducing spirits at work sewing the idea that Christianity is Evil and its dissemination should be should be Legally suppressed as ‘Hate crime’.
Revelation 13
“11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Satan Laughing spreads his wings.
These thoughts and others have been weighing heavy on my soul and because of a sense of utter helplessness to prevent the advance of Leviathan I have been suffering despair for the future… despair for my Children and Grand children… will they grow strong enough in Fortitude and wisdom… in Faith, and Truth to be able to walk the path that the Children of God must walk… and endure the Powerful delusions that will be propagated against the truth?
I am fearful that they will not be strong enough to resist and to endure… for I know what a monumental trial lies ahead for Christians and Libertarians.
And yet in the past few weeks several monumental things have happened that have reminded me of the importance of maintaining a positive faith.
When things look dark it is easy to get tunnel vision and to focus on the gloom… yet I am happy to say that I have today good reason to think that The Powers of Light are not yet defeated, and that Though things are dire… that still resistance is on several fronts causing the minions of Satan to retreat… and the first of those was January 31… BREXIT!
YAY!!!!!!!! 😀
PRAISE THE LORD!
What a great day for Freedom and self determination in Britain!
What a Kick in the teeth for Socialist Globalism and their desire to destroy Western civilisation via Immigration from the third world, and the suppression of western values under the guise of ‘multiculturalism.
Britain is about to restore their place in the world as advocates for free Trade which PM Brian Johnson rightly accredits as the greatest means by which to raise humanity out of poverty and of creating bonds of mutual benefit between nations thereby greatly reducing the likelihood of Armed conflict.
Will Brexit cause other European nations to reclaim their independence?
Lets hope so!
As Nigel Farage said in his epic Farewell speech to the EU while saying that Britannia loves Europe he condemned the EU as Power without accountability… he slammed the EU’s pigheaded refusal to bend to the expressed will of the people… relentless in their determination to impose their agenda
“I’m hoping this begins the end of this project. It’s a bad project, it isn’t just undemocratic it’s anti-democratic.”
What a kick in the nuts for Socialist Globalist One world order!
A return to Independent Nations!
Again anyone who is familiar with the scriptures and the Genesis account of the Tower of Babble stands in awe of the wisdom of God in dividing the nations in the first place… to prevent the Evil One world Government of Nimrod… King of Babylon.
Politically speaking the concentration of Power has always been the greatest danger… for as the dictim goes… ” Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” … so the Socialist delusion that a One world Globalist government is the way to end wars and wealth disparity is fundamentally flawed as by centralizing all power … which has always been a tenet of Socialism… you usher in not peace… but unleash the Leviathan upon humanity!
Christianity has the Ideological Goods that exposes such dangerous enterprises for what they really are.
Like Satan, Socialists hate the Bible because it stands in the way of their will to Power.
Being peopled and promoted by Globalists the EU is fiercely anti Nationalistic independence and effectively put the whole of Europe under the sway of UN Socialist Policies and agenda.
Hopefully we are in fact witnessing a turn of the tide against the machinations of Anti Western Socialist Globalism!
Add to this the acquittal of Trump in his Senate Impeachment trial… ending the latest Farcical and Malicious attempt by the Whacko Leftist Democrats to discredit and even topple Trump from power.
Now I am no Trump worshiper yet the fate of the World was very precarious in 2016 and the Defeat of Hillary Clinton by Trump may be understood to be akin the Brexit in that it represents yet another massive defeat for the Woke leftist Globalist Agenda.
Like British Brexit is patently a resurgence of Nationalism and independence… so too was the election of Trump a resurgence of American Nationalism…. away from the socialist New world order.
As Farage pointed out “Populism is becoming very Popular”, and Both Bexit and The election of Trump are symptoms of a Populist backlash against Woke Liberal Globalist bullshit that is attempting to destroy western values and ideals and impose a Global socialist dictatorship.
And as such the Rabid Woke democrats have sold their souls to Belzeebub …. and possessed with the deepest malice have incessantly labored to fabricate outright despicable lies to try and impeach Trump in the hope to damage his chances of Re election.
Their Fraudulent Congressional process of impeachment was an absolute partisan travesty by any legal standard, yet their Evil plans were once again thwarted by the US Senate which the Machiavellian Democrats did not control.
So My spirit has been buoyed by these huge events.
Now 2020 is not only a pivotal year for the US in that its Election year for them… it is also Election year for us too in New Zealand… an opportunity to Boot out The worst government we have suffered this millennia … the Ardern Regime, The problem is there is little to be gained given how utterly hopeless the main opposition party is!
This is of itself a very depressing fact, and yet the National party Leader Simon Bridges has made Several announcements that do in fact constitute some important improvements on what Ardern and Labour are peddling.
In particular he has said he wants the farcical Treaty settlement process to be fully wound up by 2024, He says that the waitangi tribunal should eventually go, and also wants to see an end to the Apartheid electoral system and race based seats in parliament!
Both these things are of the highest importance to me and so while ‘Regeim change’ will not exactly be reason for dancing in the street as would be the case if New Zealand elected a Libertarian party into office, none the less there are at least some reasons to be more positive than the current misery.
Given that Arderns recent meddling, having ignored the *Legal* status of Treaty grievances at Ihumatau as being full and finally settled , is threatening to completely put our nation back to square one
If Ardern is defeated so too will her Evil Collaborator be booted out!
Bridges early declaration that He will not consider any coalition deal with the current deputy Prime minister and Leader of the New Zealand First Party Winston Peters was music to my ears!
And watching Peters behave this a child kicking a tantrum has also been delicious!
It will be Good riddance to this Charlatan!
So I am doing my best to shrug off my recent depression and put on a more positive outlook…in spite of the Coronavirus outbreak!
Our world is in constant flux, and contrary to how I how I was feeling at the end of last year… I do appreciate that there is a wave of protest rising against Socialist Globalism that is starting to seriously impact upon their Agenda.
Their Greatest diabolical machine that is causing the most trouble is their great Global warming Scam… how much longer will they be able to fool so many billions of people and deceive them into supporting their Tyrannical Globalist ambitions?
Sadly there is very little to distinguish the National party from Labour esp when it comes to matters of Draconian militarization of the Police and intrusive surveillance.
Under National New Zealand’s slide towards a cashless society will not skip a beat.
What Simon Bridges has said about ending New Zealand’s Apartheid system is Great stuff…. yet will he actually deliver on it?
It was talk like this from Don Brash that put the fear of God into the Establishment Maori at the thought of losing all their Political privileges and Billions of annual tax loot that has them furiously working to entrench the Treaty and make it harder for this apartheid system to be abolished….
So be vigilant!
This challenge to Racist separatist power and extortion will not go without a nasty fight… and the real problem is that I fear New Zealanders dont have the spine to do what must be done.
Plagues and pestilence.
I have been doing my best not to freak out too much about this, yet evey day the news gets worse.
Is The Coronavirus Outbreak China’s Chernobyl?
What Bullshit are we being fed,,, and what is the real truth?
If we survive the Caronavirus Pandemic I myself will be giving my party vote to Act.
I cannot Blog more about the virus here and now… it will have to wait.
Still…Maybe it would be wise not to wait for people to start dropping dead in the streets and our country plunges into chaos and panic before making sure our Civil defense Survival Packs and your stores are in order to sustain your family for a Month at least, and start to fortify your body….
” Strengthen your immune system now. Stock up on iodine, high dose vitamin C, B.complex, garlic or allicin and vitamin D.Be prepared to self quarantine where possible, so stock up the pantry too.”
That last piece of advice was given me by a friend… (what the hell the Iodine is good for against viruses I do not know… a disinfectant?)
You will have to google that and find out yourselves, yet I think that sums up about all we can do for our own self reliance self preservation at present in the face of this terrifying virus… Waiting on the *The Government* to instruct you what to do is not a plan.
If shit gets real here in NZ supplies of essentials will immediately disappear off the shelves.
Dont be a sheep.
Prep!
And at Times of crisis do you really want to live in a cashless society???
We all need to consciously resist the push to do all our business via the internet and make using Cash cool again!
This is just one way we can resist the evil desires of the Beast system and maintain our privacy and independence as Free Men and woman… lets tell the Banks, and IRD, and the Government to bugger off with their Evil plans for a cashless society!
Lets tell then No thanks!
We dont want it.
IMO despite all the evils we are wallowing in I believe having a positive outlook depend upon having a Life affirming faith in Christ and that no matter how bad things may get… Ultimately Good will conquor Evil.
It’s been over seven long months since the last time I just dropped in here to try to explain my absence from my own blog. In a word, depression.
I must preface the following remarks in this paragraph by saying that I regard psychiatry as a pseudoscience. I regard psychiatrists in general with contempt. Nonetheless, depression is classified as a psychiatric illness. I suffer from it myself (see link above). Regardless of the true nature of the beast, it truly is a beast. It is a life-threatening condition. Up to 10% of people who are diagnosed with clinical depression (aka major depressive disorder) take their own lives, sooner or later. Over 50% of all people who die by suicide suffer from clinical depression. In fact, 90% of all people who die by suicide suffer from depression, alcoholism, or some other diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their deaths. Suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined.
Of course, all of the above has just been brought home to me yet again after I read yesterday’s blog post by my co-blogger Tim on the tragic death of his friend Bruce Davies. May he rest in peace.
Lemmy on the bass
I’d now like to turn to something more positive.
The whole truth is that my prolonged break from blogging has been due to more than just my mental malaise. Several other factors have also contributed to the decline in my blogging output over the last couple of years. And one of them is that over the past year and a bit I’ve been spending rather too much of my spare time learning to play the bass guitar! It’s become my obsession. In fact, I’ve gotten good enough at it that I’m now in a punk rock three-piece called Headcase. I’m on bass, Bill the drummer’s on drums, and Simon’s on guitar and vocals.
Sure, so far we’ve had only one actual band practice, but it’s early days yet. We’re going to attempt a few covers to begin with, starting with a song called Submission by the Sex Pistols, and then we’ll take it from there. Watch this space.
But as well as becoming a rock star in my spare time I really want to get back into blogging on a regular basis. I’ve missed it. I’m out of practice. And I have writer’s block. So I thought I’d warm up with an album review. And a controversial opinion, viz., that The Endless River is Pink Floyd’s best album since Wish You Were Here.
But it’s been a hell of a day, it’s getting late, so my review will have to wait. There are only so many spoons in a day.
Meanwhile, I’m very much still alive, still here, and, furthermore, I’m back. 🙂
I just dropped in to proffer an explanation of my absence from this blog for the past 18 months or so.
In a word, depression. I have been beset with mental health problems my entire adult life. I have at least four diagnosed DSM-5 disorders. Of these, depression is the worst. It is, quite literally, a life-threatening illness. Fortunately, amongst other things, my life is not mine to take. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Things took a turn for the worse about 18 months ago. Amongst other things, the full implications of having recently been belatedly diagnosed with adult ADHD were sinking in, winter was coming, and my usual coping strategies of injudicious drug use and abnegation of personal responsibility were failing me. But what really got me in a tailspin was when the state started bankruptcy proceedings against me, for alleged failure to pay taxes. I saw my GP about my predicament and he had no hesitation in giving me a medical certificate for WINZ. The upshot is that, since last autumn, I’ve been on the sickness benefit. Yes, that’s right. I’m a ward of the welfare state. So you can see what condition my condition is in.
But that’s enough about me, I don’t want to make this post all about my personal woes. In time-honoured fashion, I want to make it about this country’s political woes. This post will be about the government’s role in providing mental health services and, in particular, it’s role in NZ’s high rates of depression and suicide.
Straightaway, let’s get one thing straight. The government doesn’t actually care. The present National government doesn’t even want to know. Why else would it re-brand what was formerly the sickness benefit as “job seeker support”? A sickness beneficiary already has a job, and they know it! Their job is to get well. Well enough to seek, find, and then hold down a permanent paid position. All of which is easier said than done for the chronically mentally ill. Some of whom should, and do, end up on the invalid’s benefit.
The government doesn’t actually care. Certainly, the neoliberal government we’ve had in this country since 1984 doesn’t give a damn. To begin with, take the fact that the suicide rate for New Zealand males aged 15-19 doubled in the course of three years from 16 per 100,000 in 1985 to 32 per 100,000 in 1988. While trustworthy statistics aren’t easy to find, it would appear that this alarming increase in NZ’s youth suicide rate has held up. I see no reason to dispute the claim that NZ now has the highest rate of teen suicide in the developed world.
Former Children’s Commissioner Ian Hassall makes a couple of especially pertinent points (notwithstanding his dubious analogy to climate change).
The critical fact is that New Zealand has the highest rate of youth suicide in the OECD. This excess of young people’s deaths in New Zealand when compared with other OECD countries must be a result of local factors.
The statistics show that whatever these factors were, they began to operate from 1985 to 1988. That was a time of social turmoil in New Zealand. The economic restructuring that was sweeping the world was imposed faster and deeper in New Zealand than elsewhere.
“No pain, no gain” was the catchphrase of Rogernomics. What it meant was that it was expected that the structural changes would be painful but they would be worth it in creating a more robust economy.
For young people, the changes were rapid and painful indeed. Suddenly, finding a job was not guaranteed and bright future prospects dimmed for many. A reduced welfare safety net meant that many were not sufficiently helped and inequality widened.
I don’t think that we can say for sure what aspect of neoliberalism is to blame, or even that we can definitively blame neoliberalism in the first place for the sustained rise in youth suicides. But it’s certainly a prime suspect.
As ever: what is to be done?
Officially New Zealand has focussed on mental health and mental health services as a means of dealing with the problem. Mental ill-health and lack of mental health services cannot explain the sudden doubling of youth suicide from 1985 to 1988.
Not surprisingly, then, this approach has failed. Mental ill-health undoubtedly has a part to play in many youth suicides, but there is no reason that this should be more of a problem in New Zealand than in other countries.
It is comforting to believe that young people will be safer if our mental health services are improved but it is largely a false hope. Saying so will, no doubt make me unpopular, but so be it.
So be it, and I agree.
Sadly, throwing more money at the problem isn’t going to help much, if at all. In fact, I submit that a big part of NZ’s current mental health crisis is down to excessive reliance on the state to fix the problem. A bigger part is due to state intervention in the first place. It is completely wrong, for example, that the state treats the simple administration of a proven cure for depression as a greater crime than rape or armed robbery, and instead busies itself funding a lolly scramble of often worse than useless placebos.
Whereas I don’t think more government money is going to fix the problem, I do think it’s downright criminal to cut funding to mental health services in a time of mental health crisis. And that’s what this National government has done. My point is that where the state has taken on responsibility for the provision of mental health services, it must honour that commitment in the meantime. Until such time as we can successfully devolve this responsibility to families, friends and support at the local community level. Faceless bureaucracy never made anyone happy.
At a time like this, it is utterly appalling that the government saw fit to cut funding to Lifeline, one of NZs biggest and long-established suicide counselling lines. And instead, allocate that funding to a “new, preferred supplier” called LaVey. All very well, perhaps, except for the six-month hiatus between Lifeline’s funding being cut and the new provider stepping in. Oh, and the fact that Bill English’s wife is on the board of LaVey! Nepotism doesn’t get much uglier. (LeVa, LaVey. Whatever.)
Now, a closing few words about the efforts of the government-funded agency Like Minds and their take the load off campaign. When I first saw their video featuring Daniel from Taihape I was immediately reminded of the disturbingly dark comicbook art of the Spanish artist Joan Cornellà.
Wait just a moment! Take another look at take the load off. What on earth is that woman friend using to get her mate Dan out of his pit of depression? That’s right, it’s a hangman’s noose.
Sure, it’s supposed to be a lasso. But seriously, what sort of subliminal message are they sending to the suicidal? The people at the agency that created this plagiaristic monstrosity sure have a sick sense of humour. (It wouldn’t surprise me if they were the same outfit responsible for Colin Craig’s election campaign material last election.)
I’m glad that I also have a sick sense of humour and can appreciate it. I hope you do too. To all my depressed friends out there, I say, life is very much worth living, no matter if it seems like a sack of shit right now. Hang on in there!
Today is the 10th anniversary of my Grand Father, John Steele Clark’s death.
He was a wonderful and inspirational person.
The Greatest human being I have ever known.
I was blessed beyond measure to have him as my Granddad.
I have not seen my own father since I was 5 years old and yet this loss was greatly mitigated by my Grandfathers Love and guidance.
I miss him, and still reverence his memory.
When I knew his time was short I did something a tad different.
I wrote a Tribute to his Life and death and sent it to him before he died so he could read with his own eyes what his Grandson thought! 🙂
My tribute was very controversial as it was *My take* *My perspective* rather than simply a concise record of his exact doings and faith.
That was another reason I sent it to him… to see if he would discuss what I had written.
We never did discuss it, and so I took that as a Tacit endorsement! 🙂 And this was important to me because I expected some of my family members to not be that impressed with my Rendition of things.
Thus with my Granddad’s anniversary in mind I have typed out my Tribute to him and posted it below.
I hope to post more about this wonderful man in the future.
I also hope my tribute is of benefit to people struggling with the Pains, trials, and tribulations of Life as this is not just the story of an individual’s life but about Hope and happiness in the face of death and loss.
Love You Heaps Granddad! XOX
Tim Wikiriwhi.
I have started a Facebook page in memory of Him >>>Here<<<
I hope everyone who knew him visits, enjoys, and contributes to this memorial.
My Granddad. (Left) Married Me to my Wife Joy at Mclarens Falls Tauranga. March 2002.
Tribute to Reverend John Steel Clark. (Re-post)
Anglican Minister.
Thames/ Coromandal Peninsular.
New Zealand
1923-2006
Man of Faith and Reason.
A Christian view of Life and Death.
By his eldest Grandson.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
“For the Invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse;”
St Paul. Romans 1vs 20
“I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live…”
Jesus Christ: John 11vs 25
“for by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast”
St Paul: Ephesians 2vs8,
After an exemplary life, and a heroic fight against cancer, by beloved Grandfather has passed on.
There is not enough time today to fully express what he means to me, I therefore shall leave much out of this tribute for others to share.
I have chosen to focus on the most precious values that I personally treasure… that I see as the Greater part of his legacy.
My Grandfather was the Abraham of our family!
When I was growing up his word was Law.
He set the standards for manhood and he always stuck to his word.
His glory as a faithful husband to my Nana and as a father to his children (and Grandchildren) gave me such assurance that life makes perfect sense, and that all is well in the world.
Rev Clark was a man of Reason and a man of Faith.
He was a Christian minister, which is a huge testimony to the value of that religion.
Those who knew him and loved him, yet are not Christians ought to pause and contemplate the huge implications that such a man of great wisdom and integrity was not ashamed to wear the garb of a Man of God!
It is this truth that I hold dearest about my Grandfather, and it is in honour of his principled faith in God that I wish to write to you about life, religion, and death.
This is a fitting time to talk about religion and death.
If it’s not cool to talk about religion and death at the funeral of a preacher, then I ask when?
For many Death is the hardest most frightening reality we face.
How are we to deal with it?
We all must face our own mortality sooner or later and worse still we must face the mortality of those we hold dear.
Some like my Grandfather, live full term and death becomes a sort of mercy, yet many tragically die before their time and it seems a truism to say “Life’s not fair!”
Should we die from our own immorality or foolishness we may find small solace in seeing such deaths as justly ‘reaping what we have sown’, yet often death comes to the virtuous and innocent…at the hands of some evil, and so this rule appears violated.
The Soul that looses a loved one in such a way, or they find themselves facing an early death by some evil is in danger of becoming bitter and twisted, and a hater of God, even if they don’t believe in him!
Indeed they choose not to believe in him simply because they see life as unjust!
It is for this reason that a positive philosophy about death is essential for every one of us if we are to truly enjoy life.
Without a sure reasoned faith powerful enough to overcome these sorts of pain… bitterness and hatred of God are almost as sure to consume your soul as the sun will rise tomorrow!
Perhaps some may delude themselves into being happy by such base notions that ultimately ‘Nothing really matters’, but this can never suffice the deep hearted.
This can only leave you cold.
I therefore say True Religion is essential for the survival and happiness of everyone of us, and not to have such a faith is a disaster!
Pain bitterness, hopelessness, and hatred are the lot for the lost soul without true religion.
Rev Clark Knew this, and this was one reason he was a minister of God.
Peace, hope, and a clear sense of justice are only possible for the man of reason that has reason enough to have faith that ultimately all is well and that life has real meaning and value.
It is my testimony, and that of my Grandfather that reason enough does indeed exist for hope and belief in Divine Justice.
Tears. Knowing time was short. Me and Granddad shortly before his death.
Let me now share with you a tiny fraction of the logic for faith in God, faith in his goodness, and faith in Christ by a few self-evident truths.
What lies in that box is not my Grandfather!
That dead body is but the house he lived in.
Science tells us that we replace every cell in our body every seven years.
This being so, most of us have had many bodies in our lifetime already!
They are miraculous things that were designed by incredible genius, but they are not the essence of who we are.
What is missing from that corpse is the *Real Granddad* whom we all love!
*His Soul*.
A great portion of Mankind are suffering from the delusion that we are but soul-less matter.
This is a great inhuman and evil superstition that has the most evil consequences for those under it’s spell.
The fruit of it is nihilism and this lowers man down to the level of a germ.
Granddad knew this truth and was a minister of men’s *souls*.
Now think about love… what is the chemical formula for that?
Can chemicals love?
Can rocks feel?
Can robots be conscious of their own existence and care about the existence of other robots?
The man of reason and science, who holds that good and evil have objective reality must say no!
There is no Atheistic science that can accommodate the facts of reality or human experience!
All human invention is childlike when compared to such marvels as the human mind, brain, and hands.
The scripture that declares we are made in God’s image is the most rational statement pertaining to our existence!
I say that if the Earth was like the moon, and there was no such thing as mankind… then it might be rational to think ‘there is no God’ or that whatever is responsible for existence is dead not living.
But we live!… and science has proven that Life only comes from life.
It therefore follows that whatever is primary in reality must not only be alive, but also of supreme intelligence.
We call this Supreme being God…. who is before all temporal Laws and things.
The scripture wisely declares “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God”, and that mankind must beware ‘science falsely so-called’.
Don’t be deceived by *Fake Science* like Darwinism.
Understand the difference between science proper, and poor speculations that are contrary to it.
Darwinism is fatally flawed and already fading away, yet Christianity stands fast and ready for you to embrace.
It alone accounts for cause and effect, both Physical and Moral.
The foolish man builds his house upon the sands of man’s ever changing myths.
The wise man builds his house upon the rock of God’s sure word of truth, The King James Bible.
This article appeared in the Waikato Times.
Why must we embrace Christ?
It is because this is how God has declared as his only acceptable way of salvation, and it is God who sets the terms for such a thing… not us.
To be so vain as to believe God must accept us on *our terms* is to hang reality on our whim, and to Deify our pea-sized intellect!
Socrates, who believed in life after death, said it ought to be a man’s chief concern to ‘Know thyself’, and that the unexamined life is not worth living.
I say that if we dare to examine ourselves our need for Christ and God’s forgiveness becomes as clear as day!
What is wondrous about God’s salvation through Christ is that he has managed to satisfy both Justice and Mercy, and to reveal his loving grace towards us.
He has achieved this by giving us freewill, and the liberty to choose to or reject him.
For us to choose Christ we must recognize we are sinful and lost.
Do not hide behind such foolish cliché, as ‘Religion is the cause of all mankind’s woes… such as war.”
Sin and Evil are the cause of these and knowing this ought to convince us all of the need for salvation and God’s government!
The good news is “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Salvation is a free Gift!
The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Rev Clark believed in God and was a minister of this truth.
Was he an irrational superstitious Fool?
No!
He was a man of Reason and a true Humanitarian.
This is what Christianity is all about!
I don’t ask you to become a pew warmer.
I implore you all to ask Christ to be your savior!
Let us maintain our faith in justice in the face of every hardship.
Let us play the hand we have been dealt with dignity to the very end.
Let us love one another and cherish every moment we have!
I thank God for my Grandfather and trust his soul is now in a much better place.
And I expect to see him again!
Thank you Granddad for everything.
You are an inspiration to us all.
Amen.
I cannot finish without giving recognition to my Nana who is the best wife any man could have.
Thank you Nana for loving and caring for my Granddad.
We all love you so much!
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness: but unto us which are saved: it is the power of God”
St Paul. 1 Corinthians 1vs18.
Now I am going to say some things that will upset some folk… yet It must be said… It keeps getting swept under the carpet… so that the party can carry on.
Though an indisputable Icon of Grunge, Scott was a tragically lost soul…. a Train wreak of a person.
Scott was the same age as me… 48.
His music is an essential part of the soundtrack of my life, yet his death… like so many others is a testament to the fact that he was a follower of unbelievably disastrous values, and yet sadly millions of other lost souls worship these Musical loose wheels… and dance their way down the road to destruction.
Scott Weiland’s tragic story is but one track on a stuck record that keeps repeating…
We could talk about Alice in Chains frontman Layne Stanley, or the miserable fate of Kurt Corbain.> April 5 Sux.
Next week I’ll be going to AC DC… yet sadly Bon Scott wont be singing… he’s on that Highway to hell.
It does not have to end like this!!!!
On a much more positive note… Many Rockers survive long enough to wake up from their Drunken stupor and see the light.
Alice Cooper… Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. Nek Minnit!
I know what I’m talking about because *I was a lost soul on that road myself*
Read my story > Jimi vs Jesus.
Wake up my friends!
Love music by all means, yet you will not discover the road that leads to life until you free yourselves from your foolish prejudices which keep your minds closed to the truth.
Beware that love of the Darkness… you think you are free… when you are in fact slaves.
What about Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix,John Bonham, Keith Moon,Brian Jones, or Amy Winehouse?
Rehab could not save her.
The list is endless.
How long will Miley Cyrus last?
Scott Weiland LA 1994.
Many of you now are parents… how can you raise your kids yet leave them without direction… without hope?
You cast them out into open waters without a compass.
It does not have to be that way.
Seek and ye shall find!
Dont be fools unto the end.
Teach your Kids the lessons of the Survivors!
Those great and fortunate souls who realised in time that even being among the God’s of Rock is nothing but death without Jesus Christ.
The Bible is wonderfully true to those who learn the Truth in time…. terribly true who learn it too late.
It is my hearts desire to help anyone who seeks answers to their questions… to their perceived critisisms of the Bible, yet only a truly open mind and heart is fit to receive the truth.
Closed minds and hard hearts are beyond reach.
To anyone disturbed by the carnage of Rock and Roll, and it’s effects on their youths… Seek!
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
Jesus Christ. John 8vs 32.
End note: Of course raising your children with biblical faith does not guarantee they wont wander off out into the world… yet even so they will have that lighthouse back in the distance…
They may have to learn what the lost world is like the hard way… yet like Blackie Lawless… they can return home.
Tim Wikiriwhi
Music lover.
Christian.
Scott Weiland’s ex-wife has penned a candid, poignant essay on the deceased Stone Temple Pilots singer on behalf of his two children
“December 3rd, 2015 is not the day Scott Weiland died. It is the official day the public will use to mourn him, and it was the last day he could be propped up in front of a microphone for the financial benefit or enjoyment of others. The outpouring of condolences and prayers offered to our children, Noah and Lucy, has been overwhelming, appreciated and even comforting. But the truth is, like so many other kids, they lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd was hope.”
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scott-weiland-s-family-dont-glorify-this-tragedy-20151207#ixzz3tnAG1lNh
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
“Theistic Faith is Optimistic and springs from a Possiblity Thinker, whereas Atheistic doubt is Pessimistic and springs from an Impossiblity thinker”. Robert Schuller Senior.
It is with both sadness and pleasant memories, that I and my wife joy say good bye to a wise old Christian, whose ‘Hour of Power’ brought inspiration and faith into our Non-Churchgoing lives.
Dr Robert H Schuller
For years his ‘Hour of Power’ was our TV church.
Now Dr Schuller was not a 1611 King James Guy.
He was not an exponent of Dispensationalism.
He was even lacking in preaching the Gospel of grace… yet still I say he was a Great Christian man, and one of my Spiritual Fathers.
He reminded me very much of my own Grandfather… John Steel Clark… and that is how millions of people around the world saw him, as a Caring and Wise Christian Elder.
God creates Individuals each with specific contributions to make, so that all knowledge, all truth, all the godliness and virtues of Christ do not reside in any one person/ sect.
We are all single members of the Body of Christ.
I Add Dr Shullers personal contributions to Christian Thought as one of the necessary pillars in my Ideological Fortress.
His is an ideology to help us master our Psychology, and steer us towards bold action and positive outlook.
To his credit Dr Schuller was very Libertarian in his Political Ideals and beliefs about Voluntary action in the pursuit of values.
He taught Pragmatism….
His Ministry brought many Great testimonies of faith from Achievers, and people with amazing stories,
His Sermons were inspirational calls to action… to pursue your God-given visions and dreams.
He wrote about how to rally back from personal loss… ” Tuff times never last, Tuff people do…”
We wrote about the psychology of the ‘Impossibility thinker’… “..trapped in the tiger cage of their own mind.”
For the Bi-centenary of The Birth of America, Schullers Message ‘I am the American Flag’, was an Epic on Freedom and prosperity… as long as the Morals of the people do not themselves ‘flag’.
Freedom is only fit for a people of strong Personal values and Self governing Self reliant ethics.
Unfortunately Later deliveries of that great speech have been trimmed down to the extent that they do not do justice to the Libertarian theology in the original.
Years Before facebook, … Joy and I would share with our Battling Kin… positive insights we had picked up from watching Hour of power on Sunday morning, or comment on what fantastic musicians, Choirs, etc… we enjoyed very much.
Robert Schuller built his ministry from the ground up into a global audience.
I do not know the details of the eventual collapse of his TV ministry, so I wont make any comment on that.
What I will say is that irrespective of that unfortunate end to his ministry, his character, example, and intellectual contribution to the faith building self reliance , tolerance, Christian thinking of his day is secure.
I believe his greatest legacy will be found in his Children and Grand children.
The Schuller family are and have always been Exemplary.
They were a Pillars of strength in America’s darkest hours after 911, and no doubt we can continue expect great things from them.
Robert A Shculler’s Hour of Power message “God’s truth is Marching on” is an Inspirational call to America to Keep Strong in faith, esp in Religious liberty.
I pray God’s grace and providence remains upon them.
**********************************
Dr Scheuller in New Zealand.
A great orator like Dr Schuller must have been used to having a few Zealots in the crowd… and so it would be when he came Down under.
I have my own Robert Schuller story.
🙂
I met Dr Schuller very briefly in about 2002.
Joy and I travelled up to Auckland to see him at a large Central City Church.
Several 1000 people in attendance.
Joy and I are Big fans of the Schuller family, Though we have always thought Dr Schuller needed some ‘encouragement’ regarding The Gospel of Grace, The King James Bible Issue, Dispensationalism, and Libertarianism, and I would not let this opportunity pass….so I had packed a small pile of pamphlets and small ‘tracks’, etc to give to him.
The question remained as to exactly how I was going to achieve ‘the drop’.
This was post 911.
GW Bush era.
War pending in Iraq.
The Schullers had been a source of Moral Spiritual support for the American people directly after 911, and in the War years that have followed.
Back then there were Anti-American terrorists and Jihadists, hiding on every grassy knoll.
Postal Anthrax.
The Program we had been given told everyone to remain seated when Dr Schuller exited.
Well…. the moment was fast arising, and Joy ribbed me saying that if I was going to give him the package that I had better do something fast… and Being a subscriber to ‘Possibility thinking’… I decided I would simply break the rule of remaining seated, and walked up out of the Auditorium over to the exit.
There I met him for a few seconds, and gave him my ‘present.’
I called on God to bless him, and America as he was getting into his car.
Mission accomplished!
Possibility thinking may involve some risk, yet can get spectacular results!
I got to shake Dr Schullers hand.
I Figure he would forgive me for being cheeky enough to ignore the Rules.
I was ‘Optimistic’ and opportunistic.
What he did with my gift, I have no idea.
I had Fulfilled *my Part*… my moral duty to put the goods into his hands.
It was now up to God to inspire him to read it.
Insignificant as this tale is it actually is descriptive of how his teachings have moulded my thinking and motivated me to action and activism.
Dr Schuller is one of my Mentors whom has been helping me get out of my seat for the last 15 years.
*******
Robert Schuller’s legacy will continue through his Children, and Grandchildren whom in many ways exemplify Enlightened Christian character, and through his fans as they continue to share his Humanity, His wisdom, his Possibility thinking.
He will continue to be a source of my own resolve to always be an optimistic chaser of of big ideas and visions.
His Son Robert Jnr says on Facebook “My Father is now in Heaven with Mum”.
Thank you Robert H Schuller.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Possibility thinker.
New Zealand.
Update: Schuller’s Funeral …
“This is the day the Lord has made. We will be glad and rejoice in it.”
Bobby Schuller lifted up his chest and enunciated those words in a booming voice – exactly as his illustrious grandfather had done for more than half a century opening the “Hour of Power” program every Sunday, beamed across the globe to millions.
The more than 2,000 attendees at Crystal Cathedral founder Robert H. Schuller’s memorial service Monday morning, who packed the Christ Cathedral plaza in the shadow of the gleaming glass tower and sanctuary, burst into laughter, tears and thunderous applause….
