Nicole's wedding entrance

The Wisdom of Our Parents

Even if you don't believe in the teachings of the Bible as a matter of Faith, you must at least agree with me that there is a lot of knowledge and wisdom written into the Bible. Sure, some read into it what they want to, but it is worth reading. The author of the book of Genesis wrote that "...a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." He wrote it in the context of the creation of man and woman and how they "fit" together in the grand scheme of things. I particularly like Peter's message that husbands must treat their wives with understanding, giving them honor. Otherwise, "your prayers will not be heard." As The Girl and I continue to work toward our wedding and our lives together, these teachings from hundreds (or thousands) of years ago ring true.
If only that were the case with our parents. Our parents are all divorced from each other. Those failed marriages left a lot of doubt and sore feelings among them. My Mom and Dad talk to each other, but I'm sure they're not completely happy with each other. There is a lot of remorse, regret, and some anger at what happened there. The Girl's Mom has been an issue as of late because of her insecurities brought on by her failed marriage. The Girl's Dad is also weary of his daughter getting married and is surely afraid of her getting hurt.
While my own parents have been very much "hands off" with me since I was about 16 years old (only intervening when I requested their assistance), The Girl's parents are very much "helicopter parents". I think this is because of several reasons: The Girl is, well, a girl; I am not from this country, being from Texas; and losing power over her would mean them losing power over yet another loved one... like they lost it with each other.
Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe I'm reading too much into this. But maybe... just maybe... the wisdom of our parents is not written in stone or infallible. I guess I'll have to wait and see how it feels to have my own children tell me I'm wrong.

Ethics, Morals, and all that other stuff

I was watching "The First 48 Hours" on television the other night. The show is about investigations into homicides and how detectives have 48 hours to get a break in a murder case before it grows cold. It's a very interesting show. The one show I was watching was about three young guys who broke into a house and killed the father of a family. Two of the guys thought that they were just robbing the house. The third was there to kill the man as part of a contract killing. He was going to be paid $15,000 for the murder.
That incident got me thinking about why people kill. It was hinted at in the show that the murdered man may have had a checkered past... that he may  have deserved it. Then I thought about all the drug dealers and traffickers that are killing each other in Mexico right now. Thousands dead as drug cartels fight for control of the routes that feed Americans' drug addictions. Did they deserve to die?
I was raised by a mother and father that believe in the rule of law. They'll be the first ones to criticize corruption and all the other shortcomings of the justice systems, but they still taught me to subject myself to the law. I think this deeply ingrained sense of justice stops me from killing anyone. The one exception being  in self-defense. To protect my life and the lives of those I love, I'll fight like a lion.
But it is a fair question to ask how much a life is worth and whether or not one is worth more than another. Is the life of a career criminal worth taking for the right (or wrong) reasons. The State of Texas seems to think so. So do other States and other countries. It's a matter of ethics, morals, and all that other stuff that both separates us from the animals and makes us act like them.
The answers are not clear. On the one hand, some people should be taken out of this world because leaving them in it would bring more chaos and despair. On the other, who are we to make that decision? Better yet, what drives a person to make that decision? Premeditated murder is something that truly makes me wonder about what makes people tic. What drives someone to willfully and many times without remorse take another life? All those hit-men from drug cartels... Is it just a game, a job for them?
I don't think anyone has all the answers, and I don't think I want to know.