First contest business:
Yesterday's practice answers:
Although everyone guessed Anne Marrow Lindbergh as the first woman to get her glider pilot's license it was technically Maxine Dunlap. Lindbergh was the first woman to get a "first class" glider pilot license. If it came up in the contest both answers would be considered correct.
Althea Gibson was the first African-American to win a singles title at Wimbledon.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was the first Hispanic congressperson.
The last is an example of how the participants in the contest make the questions harder than they really are.
Today's practice questions
Whose "Gaelic Symphony" was the first symphony performed by a woman in the United States?
Who was the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church?
Who was the first African-American Woman to become mayor of a major city in the United States? Small cities don't count.
Do you believe in redemption? Let's play hypothetical here. You own a store. You are working the store alone. A man comes in to the store and tries to rob you with a baseball bat. You turn the tables on the robber, pull a gun out, put the man on his knees and hold a gun to his head. What do you do next?
A. Shoot.
B. Call the police.
C. As the man begs for his life, you give him forty dollars, a loaf of bread, and send him on his way.
Then you go happily about your business.
I know I wouldn't shoot the man. And I probably wouldn't give him money or send him on his way. I'd call the police. He would probably be convicted of attempted robbery and sent of to prison for three to five years. I'd brag to my friends about how I stopped a robbery and sent a scumbag to jail. I'm am curious about what you would do. Answer the question and then read the following story:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/he_kept_the_change_3mewgRcqMr311EPvag4sjL
The next question of the day is have you ever helped someone and then sometime later received a letter of appreciation? As part of a charity program that I was involved some years ago I took a third grade student shopping for shoes and socks, then we stopped for a sandwich at McDonalds. About a month later I received a thank you note that read among other things "I had never been to a restaurant more." The letter meant more than the act.
About Me
- William J.
- First, I think the birth sign is wrong. 6-21, some papers say Gemini, some Cancer. Guess that means I have so many personalities that I can do group therapy alone. For those that don't know how to read Google profiles I have put what I really mean in ( ). Hot (Good looking enough to be in movies(if I buy at ticket). A body like a God (Buddha). Romantic (Thinks begging is foreplay.) Physically fit (Heart trouble. Put 911 on speed dial before we get initmate.) Good Provider (has good life insurance in case you forget to put 911 on speed dial.) Loyal (has reference letters from Mom and parole officer.) Intelligent (scored 1600 on his SATS but you have to total the scores of the four times that I took the test.) Looking for someone compatible (Be between 30 & 99 and not inflatable.)
10 comments:
Do I believe in redemption, yes. Still, given the circumstance you describe, I'd go your route and call the police, while I had the guy covered.
Reading the article puts a bit of a different slant on things. The robber obviously was very open about feeling this was the only way to feed his family, even though he knew it was a wrong act. The store owner listened and, I suspect, felt the guy wasn't a major threat, either from what he said, how he acted, whatever. Still, I'd probably have held onto the gun, while passing out the bread and money and until the guy was gone. It's wonderful that the storeowners combination of force and charity were able to turn the guy around. I honestly can't say whether I'd be that charitable.
Helping someone... A while after the end of one of the stress management courses I taught at FUlir, one of the women sent me a note, telling me how I'd not only made her life happier, but that as a result of putting into practice the suggestions about meditation and saying "no," even to her family, on some important issuees and taking a couple hours just for herself each week and such, her b/p (which had been so high, it had to be checked at the Life Center weekly) had dropped to the point where she was now off all b/p medications. Her doctor told her he didn't know what she was doing or had changed, but keep doing it! That note made my day.
While it wasn't a note, one of things that had me on a high for some time was verbal. I used to invite the kids in the Golden Gloves program to my house on Saturday nights, when there wasn't a match. Various ages, sizes and "flavors." All these kids came from broken homes, most lived in lousy neighborhoods and in many cases "home life" was built around drugs and alchohol and abuse. We played "Spoon" (a silly card came) and cooked frozen pizzas and just talked. My sister, who's eleven years younger than I am, lived with me at the time and both of us can be pretty silly. One night, as they were leaving, one of them stayed to tell me how much it meant to be able to come to a "real home" where people could laugh and tease and play and talk, without being afraid what they said might create a big argument and where booze and dope weren't necessary to have fun. That meant more to me than any letter of appreciation I got from the association.
Oh, the other "biggies" are the letters and notes I've gotten from people I've never met, who bought my cancer book, and wanted to tell me how it had helped them and their families. Those mean more than an advance or royalties.
Hi DR
Yes, the robber was very open about it, but would you believe him? Under those circumstances I don't think I would. Even after hearing the story, I'd still call the police. How long will forty dollars and a loaf of bread last? And if I don't turn him into authorities to I put another store owner at a future risk from him? Obviously in this case it worked out and the robber worked on himself instead of continuing the life of crime.
It never seems to amaze me how many people you have helped in your life and what differnet backgrounds they are from. The stress class probably was on the affluent side and the golden gloves on the poverty side. I find that amazing.
I already knew of how much When Someone You Love Hace Cancer helpd everyone since we used it at the cancer research center I donated time at.
Bill
You're right, I have some real ambivilant feelings about the robber, which you made clear... if I help him will it make a positive difference or will it simply encourage him to continue trying this approach?
I believe in redemption also. I also think I would have given the man the forty bucks and bread. Even though I know how careful one needs to be in these times, and I don't trust anyone anymore, I still believe in helping someone when their luck is down. Its just me. If they are giving me a line of crap, then they will have to pay for it in the end.
I want to say I'd probably call the police. That is, imo, the right thing to do. But I'm a sucker for a sob story, so if it ever really happened, I suspect I might give him the store.
In a rush tonight, so probably won't tackle the questions.
Have a few extra minutes here, so I'll blather on. I'm not sure if I believe in redemption or not. I do in theory, but in speaking to a friend who has worked in a prison here for a long time, I begin to wonder. His opinion is that if there's any redemption at all, it's thin on the ground. He says guys get let out and before you can blink, they're back in again. He sees it all the time.
So I'll reserve judgment on that, and just be glad I don't have to make the decisions.
Hi DR
That is what made the question interesting to me. That is also what made me respect the shop owner who obviously judge the situation correctly,
Bill
Hi Dona
You sometimes are a complicated person!
However, it doesn't surprise me in the least that you would put someone else's well being before your own.
I also believe in karma and that old saying what goes around comes around.
Bill
Hi Pat
I think in his situation the grocery store did the right thing. I don't think in that case I would have been nearly as good as that shop owner was.
Bill
Hi Pat
I don't really believe in blanket redemption. I do however believe in redemption. Some people will never change. A lot of prisoners wouldn't even know what redemption is. The ones that do, imho, are the ones that don't return.
Bill
Post a Comment