Love, Love Me Do

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | 4 Comments

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Sun. Feb. 14, 2010 5:45 am

Is Valentine’s Day just for Lovers? Is it just for the the young or the single? Singles? That is what the Greeting Card publishers, Songwriters, Poets, Florists and Chocolatiers seem to suggest. I have my own thoughts about how this holiday may best be celebrated but thought that I would do some research into the history of Valentine’s Day, fully expecting to find some deeper meaning as in an all-encompassing love for mankind. If that ever was the central message of St. Valentine’s life or of the Catholic Church in declaring this Holy Day, it appears that no one really knows! Stranger still is that there is apparently great dissension among historians (both in and out of the Church) as to which St. Valentine that February 14 is intended to celebrate! Did you know that there are at least 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus? Apparently, numerous legends and theories abound about the who, what, when, and why concerning the origin of this holiday. But the one thing they all seem to have in common is that the Greeting Card companies got it right and that Valentine’s Day is solely intended to celebrate Romantic Love.

Still, it’s a wonderful opportunity to remember to give our love, our compassion, our forgiveness and our patience to all who’s paths cross ours on this day and on all days for that is the only pathway to peace, within ourselves and within our world.

The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others. – Vincent Van Gogh

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Situational Truth? Humbug! (+ Law-Related Icons)

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | Leave a comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Tue Jan. 5, 2010 9:15 pm

I was once told (by a lawyer, no less) that there is no such thing as the truth but rather that “truth” is always “situational”. That attorney was by no means alone in that opinion and perhaps may even be in the majority with that view but I have to respectfully and vehemently disagree. I personally believe that those who advocate “situational truth” and “situational ethics” are confusing truth and ethics with what are merely artificially narrow points of view stubbornly clung to as self-justification for thoughts, beliefs, and/or actions which they realize, consciously or unconsciously, would fail under objective scrutiny. To such proponents, truth is a collection of facts and pseudo-facts arranged in a manner to produce that which conveniently relieves them of moral and/or actual liability for the consequences of their choices.

My criticism of “Situational Truth” does not mean that I fail to recognize that everyone views events from their personal frame of reference and that more than one view can often and even simultaneously be valid. Nor does it mean that I see life in terms of black and white without any shades of gray. The problem, as I see it, arises when someone places validation of their internal emotional needs as the final arbiter of what is “true” regardless of any objective analysis of irrefutable – but external – hard facts and evidence. To me, truth is truth whether we like it or not. Shades of gray only apply to and only exist when we have competing interests to consider when deciding how we want to think and act in response to the truth. While there are times when there is no one “right” answer and times when there isn’t even any “good” answer, denying the existence of the truth is never a valid option.

Seems like I’m in pretty good company on this issue, as the following quotes attest to. What are your thoughts?

“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”
– Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965).

“Fraud and falsehood only dread examination. Truth invites it.”
– Samuel Johnson (English Poet, Critic and Writer. 1709-1784).

“It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath”
– Aeschylus (Ancient Greek Dramatist and Playwright known as the founder of Greek tragedy, 525 BC-456 BC).

“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.”
– Elvis Presley (American Singer and Actor widely known as the “King of Rock and Roll”, 1935-1977).

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”
– C.S. Lewis (British Scholar and Novelist. 1898-1963).

“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
– Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910).

“Remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall — think of it, ALWAYS.”
– Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948).

And now, for tonight’s freebie clip-art and icons, a few more to serve the legal community’s needs. Enjoy!

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False Pride, Foolish Lies & Mermaids Cries

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Leslie Sigal Javorek | 1 Comment

Posted by: Leslie Sigal Javorek • Date: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:15 pm

The endurance of the legend of mermaids (one of the earliest known reference to mermaids was recorded around 800 B.C. in Homer’s epic, the Odyssey) is perhaps the most apt analogy to human’s capacity to stubbornly maintain beliefs and claims that suit their fancy and purposes despite the overwhelming facts and evidence against them. While many of us may have thought of mermaids as merely a fanciful fairy tale to lull a child to sleep, history records a long-held belief of the actual existence of these beautiful, voluptuous maidens with their luminescent scales and tails like fish that frolic in the ocean depths and lure many an unwary sailor to his doom.

“The day before, when the Admiral was going to the Rio del Oro, he said he saw three mermaids who came quite high out of the water but were not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men. He said that he saw some in Guinea on the coast of Manegueta.”
– From Diary of Christopher Columbus, Jan. 9, 1493

Had Homer and Columbus been aware of the scientific truths which eliminate even the slightest chance of the possibility of an actual mermaid species, would that have altered their fears or observations? As I am not familiar enough with the personalities and character of these men, I cannot say for certain, yet based upon an abundance of sociological and psychological research by others more knowledgeable than I (such as this, that & this one) it is quite likely that one of those men would have clung to their claims for dear life.

I am not talking here about religious faith or about optimistic beliefs in the face of all odds, as those I believe are an entirely different animal altogether and as such, topics for separate discussion. No, what I am getting at here is my being confounded by those who take such extreme positions that are not merely in conflict with every known fact and scrap of evidence, but which are often about events or details that would otherwise have little consequence in the vast tapestry of their lives. What kind of ego consciously chooses to insist, with a poker face, on the veracity of their statements even after they’ve been laid bare before all as vicious twists and lies? Whom do such people expect to believe them and on what basis do they portend others should accept their precarious views as truth? I am completely befuddled by such people, as I can see no purpose to their madness. To me, it is like a drowning man who insists he stands on dry land and thus refuses to take the hand of one who would raise him from the ocean to relative safety. While G-d himself warned against the evil of false-pride over five-thousands years ago and while self-preservation may be considered the most basic instinct of all living creatures going at least as far back as the dinosaurs, the fact is that dinosaurs are extinct. Apparently, this is still a lesson some people never learn.

Me? I prefer to keep life simple. Thus, the tale of beautiful, graceful ladies of the sea keeping our lonely sailors company remains a delightful prelude to sleep.

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