House flies, hornets, spiders, ants and cockroaches can all be evident this time of year. They truly earn their nickname. I forgot to include those invisible pests that twirl around in your head. We all get bugged by something or someone, as human nature can produce a secondary crop each year that requires no watering. Why is it important to talk about nagging topics that creep into our daily lives. You only get change if you voice your opinion on why these issues are not healthy. Experiencing close to three generations I have seen some changes that are bewildering. I appreciate the opportunity to get my bugs off my noggin plate and you can certainly comment with your thoughts or your own list.
I will elaborate on three but by no means are these listed in order of importance.
- Work Ethic. Work ethic continues to baffle me as I personally shop for household goods and also hearing numerous stories from friends and relatives. Don’t take me wrong, there are plenty of diligent, responsible and hard-working people out there but there seems to be a very lacklustered group of employees that are more interested in their phone or getting the next job that they barely go through the motions of meeting their job obligations. Please explain to me the sound reasoning for why this is happening. Are employers resigning to the fact that the job pool is slim pickings so they have to accept inferior labor? A published survey of highly regarded workers should be shared to all potential new hires on what it takes to be successful and happy at your job. I suspect the common denominator has something to do with how these conscientious employees were raised. Ask an industrious person who has put in their 40 hours or more a week how they feel when they are the customer and the person on the other side of the counter could care less.
- Litter. What happened to not only respecting your own property but doing our part to keeping this country a beautiful place. I hear many weak excuses. New citizens haven’t adjusted yet to our laws or how about the real beauty, leaving loose trash / papers in an open truck bed or shopping cart is totally acceptable. I forgot, with electives being tossed out of many schools, wind or the force of air didn’t make the education cut.
- NCAA Division I College Sports. University Presidents that hide behind their Athletic Director’s trash can and fail miserably in articulating that our academics are more important than money. This huge outlay of funds comes from television networks and other media revenue that gets distributed to the higher-ranking athletic conferences and their schools. Ever since June of 2021 when the NCAA adopted an interim policy enabling athletes to earn money from third party endorsements, the highly coveted full ride college scholarship enabling working class families to have a debt free college education for their child is a yawner. Dollars being contributed by alumni, university donors and fans make up the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) fund to buy the top athletes particularly in football and basketball, where the largest tv ratings sit. (The Los Angeles Dodgers are nervous that they will lose their U.S. title as spending the most money to buy a championship team) These sought after players can change schools each year via the portal depending on the most attractive offer. As these professionals, let us be honest, rotate schools, they are thankful their jersey tells them who they are playing for this year. What happened to the saying chanted by universities for decades, “the degree is most important.” I believe many old school college graduates think the NCAA should change the railroad property on Monopoly to B & S Railroad.
Seven others complete my list with articles specifically written about a number of them:
Hate generated by a few and blown out of proportion by our mainstream media
Politicians that are not true patriots and underhandedly approve or simply ignore fraud
When our military is overlooked for their courageous work in defending our freedom
Vehicles that continually float over the center line. Apparently, I missed the memo that the center line / double yellow line{s) are Now, Just a Recommendation, to where on the road you cannot touch or cross.
The sky rocketing cost of entertainment
Passwords for everything
AI – There are genuine upsides to this technology but there should be much concern about what it does to the concept of creative thinking and how will teachers deal with this touch of a button student resource.
One of those pesky bugs was swirling in the back of my brain saying you really are sounding whiny even though that is not your point. Then, what appears from above the clouds to add more clarity, but a movie we caught, “The Last Word” with Shirley MacLaine. A thought-provoking film on an aged woman, Harriet Lauler, a successful businesswoman, disliked by so many with her unfiltered interaction style. Her main objective for those that came in close contact with her was simply for people to get the most out of themselves. Harriet in her own convoluted but very effective way was stimulating emotion and hoping for personal growth.
If you check out on the web “Quotes- The Last Word (2017)- IMDb,” here are two exchanges from Harriet:
“You don’t make mistakes. Mistakes make you. Mistakes make you smarter. They make you stronger, and they make you more self-reliant.”
“Please don’t have a nice day. Have a day that matters. Have a day that’s true. Have a day that’s direct. Have a day that’s honest. A nice day? Mm-mmm, you’ll be miserable. Have a day that means something.”
“The Last Word” brought to light what I think many of us yearn for and that is just, what can we do to improve the quality of life. That attitude got me motivated to walk the walk too picking up some additional litter at my part time job. Such a small action step but it gave me an extra boost. There are so many invigorating examples of conscientious folks doing so much more, from volunteers helping the handicapped to medical workers who go the extra mile in comforting patients. I am glad I saw that movie as it propelled me to do something more than type. The Good Book has an inspiring verse on the topic.
Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Adding to those precious words let us end on a high with a stunning photo that my wife took above the clouds flying home at sunset this Spring.
Hey my friend, it totally amazes me on your writing style, and the way you are able to draw the readers in. I loved this blog and I am curious as to when the next book comes out. I am so proud of you and how you can put words together for your blogs. You must research the subject pretty well to be able to write so confidently about your subject. All I can say is, write on my friend, write on!
Richard, such kind words and I think of Shirley MacLaine in the movie and how you improve each person’s day you come in contact with. Your genuine positive outlook and attitude is infectious. Thank you!
Hear hear!
A ginormous problem is the weakening of the dollar and how our countries debt has literally gotten out of hand. Bitcoin is the only solution that could possibly fix it. Our government has printed over 48% of our money supply since Feb 2020. Source: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2SL
Through money printing and government overspending, the unit of measure that we work for, that we save our time and energy in, has lost value. Which means we have to work harder smarter longer to out pace it. What is the cause and effect of that – breakdown in society because people have to grind harder to make it. Or scheme harder…. Like I said, breakdown either way because we burn out. Check out this cnbc article on what a family of 4 needs to make to be comfortable per state, it’s insane!
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/14/how-much-money-a-family-of-four-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-all-50-states.html
You either need 1 person killing it or you need both parents making good incomes. Obama and the democrats screwed the country in 2010 by passing the UNaffordable healthcare act which actually raised prices instead of lowered them. Before we switched to Christian health sharing Medishare our Blue Cross BSNC plan was over $1200 per month premium and $10,000 annual deductible. So at minimum you’re paying $14,400 per year just to HAVE health insurance and and extra $10,000 on top if it’s a tough year with lots of Dr visits.
If you want to actually see your family and enjoy them while it lasts, there’s not much time outside a standard 40hr work week grind more. If you do then a sacrifice has to be made. Missing your kids practice, game, show, whatever. What kind of affect does that have on a young person who wants to make their parents proud and look up to see their face after scoring a goal.
We need to have our dollar backed by a hard asset again, like Bitcoin, so our time and energy cant be diluted away by politicians that don’t have our best interests at heart. Sooner we do that, the sooner we get ahead, the better society will be. So many apartments are going up because people can’t afford to buy a house. $400k for a regular family house these days? Move closer to the city and 500-1mil. Looney tunes man!
Fix the money and see what happens.
Lastly and what matters most is sharing the gospel of Jesus through action and word. It really takes a different kind of love to do that and it’s got to come from the Holy Spirit within us, empowering and encouraging us to be a light to someone. It is so easy for the world to creep in and take over, and takes discipline to choose the narrow path.
Thank you Brett! I agree that our federal budget is out of control and until we have a balanced budget amendment, I don’t see the end to the problem. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on bitcoin and the possible upside to moving in that direction. How a family of 4 makes it without sacrificing quality family time, I do not know. Your ending is powerful and what we should all heavily consider if we are not doing already, is sharing the gospel of Jesus through action and word.
Really great post. I often think about, pray about, get annoyed about many of these same things. You captured so well the thoughts of our generation!
Always great to hear from you David and to hear you echo similar thoughts. You reminded me of the importance of The Power of Prayer, which is highly underrated! Thanks
Great article! Certainly makes you think! ❤️🙏
Hey Chuck! Good to hear from you. You are a true testament to a lifelong Superior Work Ethic! Thank you!
I, too, get frustrated with people who aren’t fully invested in their jobs. But I feel that employers don’t always stay invested in their employees enough to train them and to evaluate them regularly. I don’t believe that workers are inherently lazy or poor. It’s their performance that doesn’t measure up, not subpar people. As an educator, I believe that workers can be taught how to do a job well and to take pride in it. Unfortunately, many people only see “work” as putting in time at a job. Employers, parents, teachers, and co-workers can establish expectations, model them, and monitor their employees to build and keep the type of work ethic that makes a business successful and also recognizes employees for their efforts. I’ve had several appointments in different areas of Penn State Hershey Medical Center recently. As someone who was a Co-op for Penn State student teachers, I can say that Penn State goes out of its way to ingrain attentiveness, courtesy, empathy, and striving for excellence, going the extra mile. My interactions with everyone at Penn State Hershey shows me that a “work ethic,” caring about how you do your job and the way you interact with clients/patients/customers can be promoted and learned by all. It certainly creates a happier and more pleasant work environment. If employers only care about making a profit, their attitude can trickle down to the employee that doesn’t take pride in their workplace or themselves.
Cheryl, glad to hear about Penn State Hershey Medical Center and their fine staff going the extra mile. I know there are good ones out there and I am glad you shared your experience. I appreciate your thoughts!
To those who married to their phone on the work place, I would say , “that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
Thanks Abe! Dedicated workers lead to a successful and happy life.
Great content! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for reaching out! Support is huge!
Thanks Bob. You nailed it! All my ‘big” bugs are there: those that annoy me, those that scare me, and those that greatly sadden me.
I must add one to top of annoy list for me, the use/overuse of the word LIKE!! It used to be just a simple verb or preposition. Now it was evolved into this all-purpose adjective!
He’s like…., She’slike…., It’s like…., They’re like…. How did this happen? Of course I tend to blame social media for everything. Maybe I’m missing something.
I’m like so annoyed!!!!
Thank you Sharon. I am glad you shared one of your bugaboos. I wish I would have had you as one of my teachers going through school! We all remember the teachers that made a difference in our learning curve.