Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Good News


"His House She Enters, There To Be A Light"


Picture available at Lovely Whatevers




As You Go Through Life




Don’t look for the flaws as you go through life;

And even when you find them,

It is wise and kind to be somewhat blind

And look for the virtue behind them.

For the cloudiest night has a hint of light

Somewhere in its shadows hiding;

It is better by far to hunt for a star,

Than the spots on the sun abiding.


The current of life runs ever away

To the bosom of God’s great ocean.

Don’t set your force ‘gainst the river’s course

And think to alter its motion.

Don’t waste a curse on the universe –Remember it lived before you.

Don’t butt at the storm with your puny form,

But bend and let it go o’er you.


The world will never adjust itself

To suit your whims to the letter.

Some things must go wrong your whole life long,

And the sooner you know it the better.

It is folly to fight with the Infinite,

And go under at last in the wrestle;

The wiser man shapes into God’s plan

As water shapes into a vessel.


Ella Wheeler Wilcox



One of the most valuable things I was taught at home was to accept that I would not always be able to figure out everything that happened in the world, or even in the Bible. I would not always get answers that satisfied my own whims, and Instead of wasting precious time wrestling over "questions and strifes of words," (Ist Timothy 6:4) and it was far better to focus on wholesome things. Life would always be part good and part bad and not everything would be fair and not everyone would be rich, but we could be rich in spirit if we filled our hearts from the good things around us.
The news media keeps people in a constant state of tension, worrying about financial collapse. It is not the best fodder for women at home, who need to keep their moods on an even level, in order to be a light to their families. I love the Good Housekeeping slogan, above, that says "His house she enters, there to be a light." The woman at home is like a lighthouse. I explained about the purpose of a lighthouse in a post a few years ago. While the upper lights can be seen at a great distance, the lower lights send a beam across the waves so that those who are in distress can see where the shore is. If you want to know a little more about the lower lights, and the meaning of the song, "Let the Lower Lights be Burning," go here http://www.ussboston.org/shore.html . Scroll down past the song to find the story that inspired it.
Now, while it is natural in this day and age to think that doing something important means to be noticed or have a prestigious career (the upper lights seen by all the world) the work that really matters, and that really saves lives, is done by the lower lights, which cast their beams along the shore to guide those who are seeking refuge. To take care of your own child and knit his soul to yours is more important than anything else. To keep house beautifully and look after a husband who is providing for his own, is better than any top-level position in the market place.
There will always be news reports that show impending doom. The stock market is going to crash. The bankers want to be bailed out or the economy will collapse.(This was addressed in "Don't Bail Out the Bankers." Months later, as I said, the bankers showed their true greed and gave all their top CEOs some hefty raises and thousands of people still lost their houses) The price of gas will increase. The interest is going to be raised on housing. According to the news, the sky is falling! If you did not grow up knowing the story of Chicken-Little and Foxy-Loxy, please read it, here http://www.edsanders.com/chickenlittle/ This was a common childhood story that helped generations of children understand some things about living.
As long as there is a news media, there will always be a scare-of-the-month, a disease-of-the-month (whatever happened to bird-flu? It was replaced by some kind of reptile threat), disaster of the day, new so-called vaccine of the month, and a new threat of the month. This enterprise thrives on this kind of fear. Jesus told about this sort of thing when He said that there shall be "wars and rumors of wars." (Matthew 24:6) He told us not to be troubled about these reports.
As I have written quite a bit about the role the news media plays in influencing people to believe a certain way about things, I will not go into the history of the news media or all the details of why they constantly report impending financial collapse and nation-wide depression. I will, however, say that 40 years ago, the manner of speaking and reporting things was very different than it is today. While they did report disaster, there was not as much manipulation in it as there is today. For example, in order to get people to buy something or to rush to get the latest drug, or to protest something, they often report a story in such a way as to compel them to just what they are hoping they will do. The news is often created and marketed by just a few major organizations . A select few people pick and choose what will be reported every day. It is not news zapped to them by God. It is news that they pick to report that will serve their best interests. They will ignore a lot of news (such as Christians being killed in Africa) and hype up other news. I explained this all in an article called "How to Stop Worrying About Politics and Get On With Your Life."
If you are interested in politics and events, this blog posts a lot of stories in good perspective
One time many years ago I attended a ladies Bible class, where a lot of the older women spent a great deal of the study time relating events about their latest surgeries. They described every detail of the medical procedures and told of every pain they had. I had taken a visitor with me one day and she sat through the entire thing in silence. The actual Bible study was hard to concentrate on after hearing so much of this, and afterwards she asked me, "How can you listen to so much bad news?" I guess they had all become so used to hearing it, that they had not realized how unwholesome it was. Weeks later when I invited her to come again, she answered, "I will, if it is not another 'organ recital'".
It is my observation that the media network news is worse than most programming and more blatant than some of the ads. I have had to turn off the radio in my car when transporting children, because of the unwholesome words on the news.
For some reason, people think it is a command of God, or something, to listen to this daily. Would you let a person--a real person-- come in to your house at dinner time and fill up the time telling you bad news? We wonder why we get so anxious, but what we are listening to daily can be a source of it.
The news media helps shape society. They are movers and shakers. They spread their word and people change. One example is the news reports of the early 70's when I first married. Every time I heard it, they were saying that women could no longer stay home. They would say that a husband's income was not adequate to support a family. Husbands were coming home and telling their wives that they could no longer live on one income. Yet all through that time, there were many women who stayed with the home. Their economy did not collapse. I wrote about this on "Do What God Says Do, and Let Him Take Care of the Rest." I said in this article that you control your own economy of the home.
When considering impending economical doom, I always think of the women at home in the Depression Era. It would not have made sense for them to leave their homes to seek jobs, as there were no jobs for the men, or the women, in many areas of this country. Yet today there are people living who still relate stories of their mothers love and home life during that time. I have posted several times about the stories you will one day tell your grandchildren. Will this generation of young women have good stories to tell, or will they jump ship and go out to the workplace, leaving their children and homes in the care of others? Are they strong enough to withstand a depression and keep their families together?
If there is a news report about the economy that troubles you, does it mean you should abandon your home and go out to bring in money? We have lived through these news reports for decades, and what it comes down to is this: staying home is based partly on a belief that you should be there. That belief will carry you through "wars and rumors of wars." To some, staying home is merely an "option" or a preference. Preferences and options can change with the circumstances, but beliefs do not. Beliefs find ways around obstacles, but preferences are like fair weather friends: they do not stay the same.
I hope this in some way helps the several requests for a post about how to approach the constant reports of impending disaster. If there is such financial crisis, I do not want to be parted from my family. I want to be with them. Today, it is quite costly to go to work, with the expenses it entails, but the highest price is the price you will pay later on with your children. I certainly would never risk that. Money is not more important than being with your children. Even those who have no children are finding out that a job is not really worth the stress on their lives, and that they can fulfill all their talents and develop new skills much better at home. They can be much better helpers to their husbands if they are home based.
To test out what kind effect listening to so much bad news has on you, how about having a media blackout in your home. Every time you get the urge to listen to some, just read the Bible. When you read the Bible, read it like you would a news report. That's the Good News. We are not supposed to be dwelling on the bad news. You might not see a particular effect taking place at first, but one thing you will observe for sure: even without the news, life goes on. You can still function without it. You still have to do the things you have to do. With or without the news, you will be dedicated to your loved ones, and you can give them much more love if your mind is not clouded with the doom and gloom of the media. You will not be isolated, nor will you miss out on anything of major importance. If there is something that you need to know, there will be no way to avoid knowing it, for someone will call you on the phone and tell you, or you will merely walk past the newspaper at the grocery store and see the headlines, or turn on your computer and see the first line of the latest disaster on your home page. It is good to know of things you can do something about, but to have constant mental diet of things that you have no control over, can be debilitating to your purpose at home.
For a helpful article on the 1930's depression, go here http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1930s
These are the other articles where I wrote about the lighthouse http://homeliving.blogspot.com/2005/02/keeping-light-on.html


42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this wise and helpful post. I will re-read it often. It seems the news anchors delight in reporting something worse every day. They throw out the word "depression" with a smile on their faces when the experts have said over and over they don't expect there will be one, just a bad recession. After reading this, I don't know why I did not turn off the TV sooner!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this post. I have lately read the news after years of doing just fine without it. Depression hs crept into my soul. I'll have to go back to being an ostrich. At least then, I prepared for the future with Jesus as my guide instead of the doomsday media. I have food safely gathered into the larder, boxes of clothes from the thrift store, etc. I don't need to fear physically. I have built my testimony over the years. I don't need to fear spiritually. Let the doomsday media go on without me.

Lydia said...

Kate, you dont have to be an ostrich. The doom and gloom will get to you via the internet, even by chance glance, and the checkout counter at the grocery store. You can withdraw from the news but it will bombard you from the speakers in stores and the televisions around you, so you need not feel you are isolated without it. It isnt the word of God. It isnt holy. It isnt special or enlightening or life giving. It is life-threatening and can take away your peace. Young women at home can find news with a better perspective (see my link in the article for visionary woman) and be at peace in their hearts. Without the news, life goes on.

Holly said...

I'm so glad to read this-thank you for sharing it. I'm going to check out the links you included also (later when have free time). Holly

Anonymous said...

Great Post! I rarely watch the news and when I do am aware of the fact that it may be 'slanted' and things are added or detracted to get and keep your attention, so I take it with a grain of salt and go on with my day. So many people I know lose sleep and energy over what they read and hear, and begin themselves to fear monger, like that 'Henny Penny and the falling sky story' where one small happening upsets an entire barnyard

God will always provide, guide and keep you safe according to His will :o)

Mimi said...

Good thoughts. I have known two different people who were actually advised by their physicians not to watch the news. One is a heart patient, and the other was someone who had physical problems combined with depression. I don't have a medical reason not to watch the news, and I do like to stay somewhat informed. But, I've found that, for me, a little bit of news goes a long way. I just personally function so much better if I limit my news consumption and concentrate on more positive things.

Just Me said...

An excellent and much needed post in these days, Lady Lydia. Thank you for your wisdom.

Anonymous said...

Good article. I have been researching this and I want to know your opinion. Will the U.S go bankrupt?

Lydia said...

Read:

http://www.halexandria.org/dward282.htm

Lydia said...

and this
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ARTICLE2/doodoo.html

according to the evidence on both these articles, (the one in the previous post) it is already bankrupt and has been for some time.

Lydia said...

read this also

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ARTICLE2/doodoo.html

Gail said...

Thanks again Lydia for a post that tells the truth and uplifts us like a drink of cold water in the desert.
And if the U.S is bankrupt who but God Himself can put things to rights?
All the more reason to put more time and effort into prayer and right living!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your wonderful articles and for repeatedly reminding us of the worth of our careers at home. That is not what we hear much of the time. For those who would like to understand what the media is doing to our nation, I would recommend reading the book The Marketing of Evil. It is not an easy, fun read but helps one to understand the undercurrent that we face constantly. I agree.....we really don't need it. It's not wholesome and is intended to destroy our faith in The Creator.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with this post. I have a keen interest in politics and international affairs, but for my own well-being I've come to realize I cannot listen to this nonsense everyday. I'll get worked up and upset over something that I don't agree with or that is a sad atrocity, and there's nothing I can do to change it. It just doesn't help anyone.

Sometimes I go several days without reading or watching news just to mentally heal myself. And, as you say, the world goes on, and you're not really missing anything that important. I'm tempted to not convert over to digital tv when it happens so we just won't have tv anymore -- the radio and internet are plenty.

Great post!

Anonymous said...

I would concur with you, Lydia. A little American history; during ww1 America lent the UK and Europe vast amounts of capital; promisery notes etc etc the late J P Morgan - it has gone bust, hasn't it?); the signed documents are open and no secret. Well, after WW1, America called for its debts to be repaid only for the UK, France etc to say sorry, no, we've lost an entire generation of our youth etc etc. AGain during and after WW2 the lend lease scheme went the same way. Finland is the only European nation to have paid back its debts in full to the US. if the US were able to recoup this money, including interest along with value of equipment/hardware, there would be enough to not only fully balance the books but ensure every man woman and child would live decently. This is no conspiracy; any student of US 20th century history, especially its wartime history will know this to be plain, verifyable fact. ironically, while the UK refused to pay its debts back to the US following WW1, it pressed the Australian government demanding funds for the resources WE used fighting THEIR war!! We wer forced to pay them for the boots and bullets WE used supporting THEM as THEIR allies!!!!! Hypocracy of the world so called system!!! It's done and dusted; trust in God and all will eventually be well. This might sound flippant, but it is true. And we will not need to hoard. I remember the recession of the early 1990's and this is nothing compared to that. Even then we all made do. Don't fear, folk, it'll be all right.

Blessings, I'm not even American and I know this portion of your history.

Sarah,
Australia.

Lydia said...

I dont know if anyone has read the book, "Maria " by Maria Von Trapp, upon which the movie "The Sound of Music" was based. In it, the Nazi colonel said, "The ostrich buries his head in the sand, and the Austrian buries his head in the flag," when Georg refused to pull down the flag of his homeland and put up the Nazi flag. So ladies, do not be intimidated by those feminists who accuse you of burying your head in the sand if you refuse to listen to the 24 hour broadcasts of filth by the globalists news media. They think you should be open minded to it but we are not supposed to listen to just everything the government media complex puts out there over the airwaves just because they call it news. They report everything that makes you ashamed to be a part of the human race and everything that makes you afraid to breathe the air. The communists accused Christians of being narrow minded because they would not listen to the communist doctrine. Dont let words like "ostrich" or "narrow minded" discourage you or keep you from your goals. The Bible says we should not worry about the future, and Christians who live right will have no need of fear, for they will not be spending their money on vice, or wasting their substance like the prodigal.David said in the Psalms "I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his sons begging bread."

candy said...

Great post!

It is so true that all we hear is recession, depression, money is tight etc etc etc.
Sure, no doubt that some people are struggling financially and its tough but I dont believe in the media when they claim that its everywhere.
Here in Alberta, Canada for example, we havent found ANY money/recession issues. Infact people are spending and thriving more than ever.
We are definately not experiencing it here.
And if it does hit us, Im not going to worry. Things like that are only temporary and we can ride it out.
Its the same thing about Al Gore's silly prediction about the weather. Sooo many people believed in all that hype. Meanwhile, the media did not cover the other side of the story where it is proven that Gore's stats were totally wrong.
We have to stop listening to the media thats for sure.
Not to get political but just to give an example.... here in Canada, we have noticed that alot of the media in the States protrays that the majority of people are democrates and even that the whole world is happy about Obama.
Its just not true! If everyone in the States could see the media we see here in Canada which shows how many Canadians and people worldwide dont support Obama.
Its so shocking how one sided the media is and how they can fool so many people.

Gail said...

Great thanks to Australian Sarah and Canadian Candy-Faith for the information. You know what I wish? That we could all come together for a Lady Lydia convention, you know, the way the star-trek and other people do. Wouldn't that be a delight?

Unknown said...

I greatly enjoyed the posts here, ladies! Thank you for such a wonderful article Lydia and to all who commented, thank you for your insights and taking the time to write and post them.

We shut off our satellite tv last week. I told my husband that it is like getting a 55 dollar a month bonus but the BENEFITS are greater than that. We already are spending more time together in the evening as a family. My home is quieter all through the day without it on. We are enjoying music CD's to add atmosphere now in the quiet space where the television used to intrude with "blare." Sometimes we just enjoy the quiet and peace of having NOTHING making noise except the natural sounds children and household things going on.

I didn't need the bad news spewing on DOZENS of channels and we didn't need the division of our family that happens when we watch television. It was a much quieter, calmer week around here without that television.

This next couple of weeks we will be taking all the TV's from around our home and putting them into storage. We will keep them for future use or for sharing and use them to watch family movies and movies we choose to watch, ordered from netflix. But no need now to have 5...yes 5! Tv's in our home.

I am very excited to say that where the TV stood in my living room, I will soon have a fireplace. It will REALLY make that room lovely and it will be one more mantel that I can enjoy decorating. I can't wait to see how peaceful the room will be without the TV, a lovely fireplace in that spot instead :) I look forward to bedrooms without televisions as well. We can put flowers or some art on the cleared off surfaces.

I'm loving the changes in our home because of the decision to NOT watch television. My outlook is so much more cheerful this past few days as well.

I've determined to spend my time thinking on GOOD and lovely things and being an encourager to my family and friends, rather than dwelling on troubling news and bringing worry. There is more than enough worry to go around! I am not needed to generate any more of it.

Thanks again, ladies for sharing your thoughts. Lydia, I always so appreciate your well done articles.

Kimber

Lydia said...

Network newa is a propaganda machine owned by a elitist few, designed to swing an election, promote prejudice, bring belief in false science, and keep people on the road to socialism. If we did the same thing with a religion, we would be called extremists. If you read a report carefully you can see the sly use of words, to create an opinion in people. Some reports are fabricated to create acceptance of certain social things, and other reports are played over and over to either desensitize or enrage. Reporters do not investigage. They just read aloud whatever comes in over the API and UPI wires--news companies that controll information. If you really want news, go to the Visinary Woman link on the sidebar, because she also shows some things you can actually do about it from your home.

Kimber, in one of Thomas Kinkade's books, he tells about the difference between the cold blue light of the television and the warm light of the fireplace, the latter which he portrays in his paintings.

Marqueta (Mar-kee-ta) G. said...

Dear Lady Lydia,

Thank you for helping combat the depressing talk all around us. I can't remember where I read it, but someone offered the suggestion that the reason we're having financial problems is that everyone dwells on it, and that to reverse the situation, all we have to do it focus on the wonderful things we have everywhere, and stop feeding the fear.

Love,

Marqueta

Lydia said...

Marquetta,

There was a country during WW2, that when under threat from a invader, immediately shut down the news media as a first step in keeping the people from sympathizing with the enemy. The president of that country knew that the press could destroy the country from within. He turned to alternative investigative repoerting and set up guidelines for broadcasts. People can be discouraged or encouraged by broadcasts.

Thanks for the "trekkie" compliment, but when the feminists, who constantly pick at this blog, get ahold of comments like that, or the wore "ostrich" they accuse me of trying to lead women into cultish ignorance, something that some of them, deeply indoctriated by women,s studies in college, practice themselves. So please be frugal with the compliments. There is a long list of hard working homemakers on my sidebar that are doing a great job thst really deserve accolades.

Lydia said...

Candy, visionary woman has a great post on the history of the global warming scam. I t tells how it all got started. I put a link to that article on the "for feminists and students" list on the lower left on this blog. Everyone please go and read it. It is very good.

Elaine said...

I so enjoyed reading your post today. I was newly married in the early 1970's just as you were and I well remember all those same newscasts and the propaganda to influence women to work outside the home and to get that all important career! I am SO glad I did not listen to those and instead followed my heart. I am now reaping great benefits with my two married sons, lovely daughters-in-law and my 19 year old college aged son who is still in the nest. I have five lovely grandchildren too. I continue to be a stay-at-home wife and mother and I have never regretted my decision! Thanks so much for what you do to encourage younger women to make right choices!

Jessica said...

I really enjoyed reading your post! I also think that the media is very biased, and wants us to see the negative aspects of society. Truthfully I am getting tired about hearing how bad our economy is. I understand that there are some people out there that have lost their jobs,(some I am friends with),and my heart goes out to them. There are a lot of others out there that have not been good stewards of their finances and are now paying the consequences. I currently reside in the greater Portland area on the west-coast. It's amazing how disliked president Bush was, and how many people wanted Obama in office. Many people have been blaming Bush for our financial difficulties, and see Obama as a sign of hope.I'm really tired of hearing people blaming our former president for their financial choices. I also agree that being a homemaker is a matter of beliefs, not economics.My husband has an entry-level job, and during the first year of marriage I worked. I believed that working was what was best for our marriage. I was working at a fast-food place while going to college. I felt that managing the household, working, and going to school was stressful. I have found that by shopping at thrift stores and cutting back on certain things, we've been able to strech my husband's dollars. It really bothers me how so many people in my family have told me I should apply to stores and fast-food places. What they don't understand is that doing so will more then likely require I work all week-ends, holidays, and evenings.My husband works Monday thru Friday, which would mean no quality time with my husband.My family is also not understanding how doing so would leave me little time to manage my household, or that my college classes are keeping me busy. I think that it pays to live more simply rather then assuming more money will lead to more happiness.I understand that the US economy is doing poorly, but this means getting more creative with our funds. I also think people should stop blaming the president when the used their home equity loans for other things, and have maxed out their credit cards.

S. Belle said...

I enjoyed this post. It is so worthwhile to focus on what is good and lovely.

Thank you for your writings on this blog. In fact, it was the post, Do What God Says Do, that encouraged me to stop working all together, and figure out a way to earn money from home.

Jessica said...

S. Belle,if you don't mind me asking, how have you been earning money from home? I have been praying about being able to earn money from home. Does anybody else reading my post have ideas on how to generate income from home?

Lydia said...

Jessica,

I live in Oregon, also, and it Oregon has always had a poor economy, according to reports, for as long as I can remember. The federal government gives this state billions each year for state expenses, like highways and schools, but one of the presidents (Clinton) shut down some of the major sources of income (lumber and a few others) and made things worse. Some of the problems here are due to the fact that it seems determined to fully embrace socialism, robbing from those who work, to pay for those who do not.

Jessica said...

Wow! I just relocated from the rural northeast to Vancouver,WA. I did not know that Oregon had a long history of a hurting economy. I did notice that the vast majority of people I spoke to favored having Obama as president. I also noticed that virtually everyone I spoke to hated Bush. I am with you regarding socialism. I don't think it is fair to the tax payers, and I don't think Bush is the bad guy everyone has made him out to be.

Lydia said...

Jessica, According to one researcher, Bush has arranged for the troops to return home from Iraq. However, the next president will get all the credit for it. To me, it is all a big game. Both parties are the same as far as spending and liberal policies. I vote the Constitution party, which is gaining influence, and has a belief that I can agree with.

Lara said...

Dear Lady Lydia,
Wonderful post, as usual. Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Such an interesting post, & so many good comments that followed! I have to agree that a steady diet of newsnewsnews will surely destroy a person's determination, sanity, & any shred of optimism they may possess. I do NOT have my head in the sand...but that doesn't mean I need to keep the news programs on all day long. There are so many things to be done, & I usually like having music to keep me company. Currently on my CD player: Rosemary Clooney, Alison Krause, & an old Norman Luboff album that my husband made for me from the LP.

Economically speaking, I find myself a bit conflicted. I have no desire for a fulltime career outside of my home, would not make a good home business owner, etc. I like being at home, looking after things here. There is a great deal to be done, & I have designated myself the individual to do it. My husband has always been very much in favor of my staying home, & my children have never know anything else. BUT...my husband's business has been down for several years now, & I only learned a couple years ago that what I thought was my "income" from him, for running the household, was simply cash advances from credit cards. This has me so worried & angry that I can't begin to find the words for it. I will probably be heading out into the workforce very soon, & I don't anticipate this with any joy. What does one do, ladies, when faced with a situation like this? My conversations with myself go something like this: "We'll never have a decent meal again"..."The kids will be fine, they're a little older now"..."I've seen this happen in other families, it's the beginning of a very slippery slope"...."Why didn't he tell me things were this bad? We could have sold the house while the market was still good"...& on & on. And we don't even live a sumptuous life! I came to marriage prepared to work hard, as my parents had shown in their lives. It has never bothered me to shop at the bottom of the economic food chain, so to speak, & I've always enjoyed the challenge of creating something out of seemingly nothing. This, though, is different in that all these years I have been working "blind", & believing one thing while the reality of the situation was quite different. If you haven't already concluded what the nagging (& conflicting) questions for me are, I will state them: "Why should I go to work to help rectify the situation, when I did nothing to create it?" And, "How can I NOT go to work when we need the income so badly?...I should have been out the door ages ago!!"

I will be reading some of the links you've provided, Mrs. Sherman. Always enjoy your blog, & I thank you for speaking on so many difficult subjects. :o)

sincerely,
Brenda

Marci said...

I agree that the news is a waste of time. I look at the headlines on the internet so I'm not ignorant of what's going on in the world. Watching it on tv just makes me angry and that's not good. The other night my husband had been watching something and the news came on after that. After about 10 minutes watching the news he said, "This is depressing!" Then he turned it off. That was just local news too. Of course we should to some extent know what's happening in the world but watching the news and accepting it all as fact will just make you anxious and most of the time you are being fed lies and half truths.

Anonymous said...

Thank you i really enjoy this article because i am so fearful about this economy business. I also would love to read the post you mentioned about (The woman at home is like a lighthouse. I explained about the purpose of a lighthouse in a post a few years ago.) Can you repost it and share it again. Thank you.

Betty

Stephanie W. said...

I appreciated what you said about preferences and beliefs. I get tired of hearing people say that such and such is their preference. It seems that fewer and fewer people have true convictions and beliefs to which they are committed.

Lydia said...

I have added two of the links, on the main post, if you care to click them on. There are a few more I have not found yet.

Anonymous said...

This is a very interesting article. Usually I agree with most of the things you write, this might be one of the execptions. I agree that the economic news is greatly exagerated. I do not understand how families making average incomes can eat out 3 or more times a week, putting it on a credit, paying just the monthly minimum payments, and then become angry when work hours are cut and there is no money in a savings acount.

On the other hand I think it is important to have some knowledge of current events. If some one with a time machine from 1975 would have traveled back to 1960. I don't think anyone would have believed what they heard. I think it is important to know a little about what is going on in DC so the next 15 years don't change as much as the years I have previously mentioned.
The current administration could be the one that transforms us into the next Sweden or China.
I want the next generations to have as many children as God will give them and work in the occupation of their choice including homemaker or small bussiness owner. It would take very few changes to the tax code to make those things next to impossible.

I am not sugesting abandoning the duties of home for full time politics, but if we want our daughters and grandaughters to be able to enjoy the home life we have now, we may have to leave our vases empty for the day and write a quick note or two to congress so there can be flowers in the future.

Melanie

Lydia said...

Perhaps I was not clear about what I meant. The major news sources (NBC< CBS, ABC< CNN etc and the wires that feed them their news API, UPI and others, are not reliable sources of information, because they are slanted. I gave a link to a blog that shows other news that is never reported, that we should surely be concerned with. There are also other sources that do not have the left wing slanted, pro global type of news on it. What I meant to say is that much of what you hear that is worrisome is completely slanted to make you vote a certain way or buy into something, etc. They also will not report certain things that do not serve their interests. I never suggested that homemakers never be aware of what is going on in Congress or in Washington DC because I think they can be very active in government. What I did suggest was that the government media news complex was not the one to listen to. There are a lot more sources you can go to if you want the truth about abortion, the truth about what measures are being taken against home schoolers, or things that affect the family, or the truth about the secret things being passed behind our backs in government, that will ultimately harm us. There are many watchdogs that keep an eye on these things and post in on blogs or alternative newspapers. The kind of thing you get on the tellie and the radio and the newspaper is the kind of thing that will jangle your nerves and cause you to be less than functional at home. Yes of course you can and should do many things that help your government do what is right. I know a lot of women who do just that. I am saying the news media that we know from television and radio is not reliable. THe way they report things does not give the full facts.

Lydia said...

Melanie,

I was not suggesting that homemakers ignore government concerns or politics. I was showing how the news media is not the route to solve anything, and how they are all owned by the same company. They do not report how many babies were killed through abortion, for example--why is that? THey do not report the secret bills that are passed to undermind marriage or the home, even homeschooling--why is that? Private sources have to unearth it and publish it on their blogs or in smaller, conservative publications run by donations. Check out the blog at Visionary Woman that I put the link up for, and you will read many things never reported by the major news sources. So to sum it up, yes, get involved in keeping our government responsible as servants to the people, and no, dont rely on the news media for news,

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your clarifications to my post. Now if only the main-stream media would be more willing to do the same when questions arise :-)

Melanie

Jack's Mommy said...

I try to watch as little news as possible, which annoys my mom! She watches the local news religiously - 7 am, 12 pm, 5pm, 7 pm and 11 pm. I get so mentally depressed AND stressed when i watch the news, and it's not just because of the economy. They report all bad stuff such as shootings, rape, murder, violence and death. A steady diet of death never did anyone good!!! Mom says I should watch it so I'll know if something important comes up such as a local water contamination. I tell her I'm not willing to watch 10,000 minutes of death for 2 minutes of "possible" water contamination.

All in all, I feel sooo much more happier during the week if I don't watch any news.

Anonymous said...

We basically ignore "the news" here, too.

Sometimes if something interesting appears on the internet, I'll click... but sitting through the evening news is like being force-fed sewage.

If anyone has ever watched "Nancy Grace" on Fox, which purports to be a current-events program but it really an obnoxious exercise in schadenfreude, you'll see that this is just a more obvious manifestation of the same idea.

A very, very limited range of sensationalized topics are covered, breathlessly, over and over and over again, till the next "topic" is chosen.

You know who I feel kind of bad for are the elderly and shut-ins-- so often they watch too much TV, and it is, I think, even worse for them than for the general population. My grandma, in another state, is recovering from a recent illness, and I know she watches too much-- it upsets her greatly and I wish I knew how to get her to stop.

Always they're featuring the grisly details of how some horrible woman is suspected of killing her own children, or something, and it just makes Grandma sicker.