We live in a culture where profanity and crudeness of speech has become the norm. Call me a sexist- I've been called worse- but it bothers me more when girls use language unbefitting to themselves or their families or the Lord. The following is from July 17, 2008.
She didn't see me. I was in a big department store yesterday replacing some of the items stolen along with my suitcases last Saturday in Honduras. (A friend read of my plight and mailed me a $50 gift card. She also left explicit instructions that I had to replace my Lucky You Cologne before my China adventure which begins tomorrow!) The she who did not see me is a former student of mine who now attends another school. I was looking for khaki shorts and she was strolling the shoe aisle when she very loudly called one of the girls with her, "B****!" She wasn't mad at the other girl; she was just engaging in teenage conversation. I made sure she did not catch sight of me until minutes later when I walked back to that section and greeted her. She was genuinely glad to see me and I told her quickly about my Honduras mishap. She has no idea I heard what she said...and I'm glad. To be truthful, I hope it would have upset her if she knew and I believe it might have. If it had happened in my classroom, I would have been mad but I wasn't angry yesterday. I wasn't even really disappointed. Probably the most accurate way to describe my reaction is that I was embarrassed for her. She just wasn't embarrassed for herself.
If you have been keeping up with my recent entries, you know I was held up getting through Customs Saturday night, causing me to miss my flight and requiring an overnight stay in Miami as the guest of American Airlines. I wasn't sleepy when I plopped down on the bed in my luxurious hotel room so I turned on the television to catch up with the world after a week with little outside contact. The first station to pop up was the one belonging to the hotel. As I recall, it had a welcoming message but then there was this: They informed their boarders that adult entertainment was available and could be ordered. That was no shock. What was printed next caught my attention, and I think this is close to word-for-word.
"No titles will appear on your bill so no one will know what you watched."
There you go! You can have your pornography and your privacy, too! Apparently, some folks would like to keep their viewing habits to themselves and this is the solution to their dilemma. Honestly, most of us have watched things on television, the movie screen, or the computer monitor that caused our consciences anxiety. Obviously, the hotel is attempting to keep the consciences of its guests off limits to those (spouses, bosses, parents) who might question what is piped into a particular room on a given night. In Ephesians 5:12, Paul wrote,
" For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." Secrecy, to some extent, masks our shame and lets us present whatever side of ourselves we choose to the rest of the world. The privacy of a hotel room can tempt our baser nature. At times, we need the presence of others to restrain our behavior. I think my visual presence would have tempered the language of my former student, who still is one of my favorite kids in the world. I guess I'll never know...and neither will she.
Applicable quote of the day:
"Shame may restrain what law does not prohibit.”
Seneca
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
www.hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
Bon Voyage, Dear Steve.
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