by Bill's Spirit
Member since:
March 3, 2006

I'm Better Than You Are

July 31, 2006 10:40 AM EDT (Updated: August 08, 2006 06:33 PM EDT)
views: 50 | rating: 8.1/10 (7 votes) | comments: 28


I believe in Peace Movements

and that makes me better than you.


I believe in following the Geneva Conventions

even though the enemy does not

even though you no longer do

and that makes me better than you.


The fact that I would rather save a life than take it

or ignore it

or spit on it

or take advantage of it

or kick it when it is down

makes me better than you.


The fact that I would rather give a hand up

a hand shake

or even a hand out

then a back hand

makes me better than you.


And the fact that I wouldn't want to lose my son our daughter

or your son or daughter

or anyone's son or daughter

in a war

makes me better than you.


It gives me the High Ground

It is Doing What Jesus Would Do


and that makes me better than you.

--
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Comments: 28

Nancy S. Jul 31, 2006, 10:43am EDT
A delightful take on the 'What Would Jesus do' foolishness.
Can you send this to those who have the power to make the choice?
Aileen F. Jul 31, 2006, 11:10am EDT
Standing the high ground is good in a spiritual sense, but when the enemy is going to laugh and shoot anyway, I'm hoping those who protect us will do what is necessary.
Wendy Hanawalt Jul 31, 2006, 11:12am EDT
I'm sorry, I may be suffering from serious humor impairment, but is this supposed to be a spoof? If it's supposed to be funny, it lacks a clear sense of it and, if it's supposed to be serious -- well then, that's the problem.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 11:14am EDT
Nancy - Thank you. It does seem that WWJD was only taken seriously by the marketeers of braceltes, and was just another quaint fad to the general populace. What a shame. Oh well, at least someone got rich.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 11:20am EDT
Aileen - People will always laugh and shoot anyway, even those who protect us.

Wendy - I'm dense. What is the problem if it is serious?
Dannielle S. Jul 31, 2006, 11:37am EDT
My Dad enforced the Geneva Conventions back during Viet Nam; he wasn't popular with the guys on either side, but he got our boys home alive.

I know what Aileen is saying, though -- being right or better doesn't keep anyone alive. Neither does being wrong or evil. In the end, nobody gets out alive, so it's all about living a life where we leave things a little better than we found them.
Vicky P. Jul 31, 2006, 11:44am EDT
HHHHHHMMMMMMMMM
Sarah C. Jul 31, 2006, 11:56am EDT
Asking "What would Jesus do" and claiming "I am better than you" are, or should be, mutually exclusive.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 12:10pm EDT
Danielle - Right On!! We all give our lives to something, for something. Whether it is children, community, work, friends, religion. Those who wish to be warriors place their lives in the hands of government, which in our case is established by the people and is supposed to reflect the visions of the people.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 12:18pm EDT
Vicky - I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks.

Sarah C. - Touche' - Let's tell that to ALL the Christians. And let us also add the phrase "I will kill you" to that list.
donna f. Jul 31, 2006, 12:42pm EDT
I've known that all along....
Nancy S. Jul 31, 2006, 12:49pm EDT
I can see both the humor and the seriousness in this, and they are not exclusive. You take a statement that by being so vastly overused has become trite. "What would Jesus do?" If one truly lived by this, there would be no war, no hatred, no killing, and no harm. But there are these things, and sometimes the loudest proponents of WWJD-like thinking are doing the most harm.
I appreciate this piece for the message and do not need to over-analyze the fairness of it.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 1:04pm EDT
Donna - Smart-aleck.

Nancy - Thank you.
Wendy Hanawalt Jul 31, 2006, 1:05pm EDT
Self-righteousness, on either side, is the problem.
Stephalicious B. Jul 31, 2006, 1:09pm EDT
Bill, you are better. No doubt about it.
Carol Roach Jul 31, 2006, 2:34pm EDT
I do not know any person who lives with those values, feel they are better than anyone else because that is a value in and of itself, that the same people believe in and I am one of them. We do however know that respecting everyone's opinion and I mean everyone liberal or conservative is important. But just as conservatives have their particular slant on life so does a democrat and you know what that is the american way, a beautiful idealogy that americans have cherised and fought for long before america was a nation.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 2:53pm EDT
Wendy - Yup. Too true. To answer your earlier question about serious or funny; let me label this a Dylanism.

Stephanie - Better than I used to be, maybe. Better than you, not a chance.
Bill's Spirit Jul 31, 2006, 2:57pm EDT
Carol - Your comment is one of the best yet. Thank you for it. I wrote this in response to those posturing for war from a rightousness standpoint by answering from another rightous standpoint.
Cena W. Jul 31, 2006, 5:52pm EDT
I have to disagree with Carol, I don't respect everyone's opinion, in fact I frequently disrespect and dislike certain opinions. I am not going to even say their opinions are valid to them since so many don't even know why they believe what they believe or think as they think, and never ask any questions.

Bill,
I am reading this as satire, and I would add, I am vegan/vegetarian, I am better than you.

Excellent!
Cheryl C. Jul 31, 2006, 6:50pm EDT
I always ask myself, WWBD?

(what would Barbie do?)

I'm thinking of marketing pink plastic bracelets.
Fish Pierce Jul 31, 2006, 10:49pm EDT
WWJD? Yes, if he were in charge of the National Budget, would Jesus use the money to kill people or help the poor?
Bill's Spirit Aug 1, 2006, 8:23am EDT
Cena W. - I am so glad you ken the Spirit of this piece. Blessings upon you.

I have never believed that respect for other's opinions required agreeing with them. I have tons of respect for Veggies and Vegans but I don't adhere to it myself. I am an Omnivore.

Likewise, I have great respect for the Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim traditions, but I don't practice their practices. I'm a free-thinking Descartesian Gestaltist who enjoys exercising my freewill with an amalgam of past and present Western and Eastern affiliated philosophies. And I gave my soul to Jesus when I was eleven, still with no regrets.
Bill's Spirit Aug 1, 2006, 8:27am EDT
Cheryl C. - LOL - Good Luck with that. A good spin off might be WWGIJD (What Would G.I. Joe Do) for boys, with camo colored wrist bands, not bracelets.
Bill's Spirit Aug 1, 2006, 8:33am EDT
Fish Pierce - I would say it's a sure bet that if Jesus were in charge of the National Budget He'd be spending the money on helping the poor, feeding the hungry and healing the sick and not on killing people. Perhaps He would be able to work the same magic on the national budget and government programs that He worked on the loaves and fishes.
perry long Aug 2, 2006, 12:57pm EDT
I don't believe in a peace movement.

I try to be one.

I don't need to be better than.

Unless myself, of course.

May I have the next dance?
Bill's Spirit Aug 2, 2006, 1:19pm EDT
Perry Long - Good words very well stated. I only dance with women. Sorry.
mona d. Aug 3, 2006, 10:38am EDT
i found this funny and honest. to a greater or lesser extent, don't most people believe that they themselves are correct and therefore better than those who disagree?
and although i am not a christian, i still get annoyed at the wwjd commercialized crap. i do try to think of what the dalai lama might do or say in a certain situation, but i sure as hell don't abuse the thought or wear it on my wrist.
Bill's Spirit Aug 8, 2006, 6:31pm EDT
Mona D. - I am so glad that you found it the way I left it.

And, yeah, I would say most people do act that way. Like Cena W. said; "I'm better than you." is the satire of the piece. Thanks for commenting.

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