What are You, A Man or a Mouse?

By Terry Ward

There are basically two things that separate man from the animals - God and manners. I don't know about you, but don't people act really differently today than they did a few years back? Now, I'm hardly what you'd call a Southern Baptist Fundamentalist, in fact, just about the furthest thing from it (well, maybe not the furthest...I don't make pagan sacrifices or anything like that), but I do think we lost something when we kicked God out of school. Back in the good old days when I went to the Pink Prison (I still remember my suggestion for our class club - the Pink Prison Pals - I know, I'm cringing too), we could choose to go to religious ed class. I went. I got out of school early. I'd be a dope not to go. I don't remember much of what I learned, it wasn't too hard core after all, but somehow, I walked out of there with the knowledge that there was SOMEONE bigger than me. I wasn't necessarily the center of the universe. That knowledge had the dual effect of

keeping me in line and letting me know there was someone to lean on when all else failed. Those are really good feelings.

But, you're asking yourself, what do manners have to do with it? Think about it. Why are there manners in the first place? Consideration. Being considerate of others' feelings. It's just downright considerate to not play with your earwax while eating, agreed? (For those of you that know my kids, no, I did not teach my children to eat like Cro-Magnons. They learned that all by themselves.) But, beyond all of that, isn't that one of those God "things" that we're supposed to learn? You know, the part about loving your neighbor, that kind of thing. Having manners is just another way of putting into play what God wants you to do in the first place.

So what's the point I'm trying to make? I guess it would just be nice if we lived in a world where kids knew there was a Big Guy up there and didn't talk with their mouths full (all of this counts for adults too). There's a lot of things wrong in the world. And there's a lot of solutions. Some really big, some really small. Well, for right now, these are my solutions, and I'm standing by them. God and manners. It might sound silly to you, but hey, it can't be any worse than the Presidential

election. As a matter of fact, this article is pure genius compared to that. And besides, wouldn't it be nice if you could convince your kids, out of pure consideration, mind you, that they really didn't have to get up (or stay up until, depending upon the age of your kids - ask me about our family Santa Claus) at five am to open presents? Yes, I thought you'd come around to my way of thinking.

Merry Christmas!!!