It is mighty tempting for a columnist to continually focus on the ills of society.

I–like you–see the negatives unfold on a daily basis. Yet, one must remind themselves to look for the good; to marvel at the existence of those young men who have learned their lessons and have decided to be positive forces.
Contrary to public opinion and social fact, there ARE young men who are making a difference and staying on the right side of the street. They DO exist! Unfortunately, the mainstream media (MSM) make its living on what one song notes as ‘Dirty Laundry’; focusing on the negative and ‘overlooking’ the positive.

Sipping upon the brew of evil eventually robs an individual of the vitality of upright living. Therefore, we’re going for a different direction this month and letting the breezes fill our sails and push us into a better understanding of the consequences–of goodness.

SHORT TERM CONSEQUENCES:

First off, living an upright life will bring you a lot of peace and relief. Medical science has proven that excessive stress is the trigger for a whole lot of physical and psychological ailments. A person who feeds upon evil, spending their waking hours plotting how to rob, steal and trick their way through life–as taught in the Book of Proverbs–is not long for this earth.
Evil eventually goes down, and the results are rather brutal.

Those who make the choice to abstain from the negatives of life–regardless of their temptation–are marked as individuals who have the capacity to bless their neighbor and community, they are ‘a great catch’ for marriage!

For young people, focusing upon the good side of going to school–even if you have had setbacks in the past–will reap you rewards. Employers are not all that anxious to hire the class clown, the class thug, or the class troublemaker…even in bad economic times. The student who gets their diplomas and degrees–with decent grades and minimal disciplinary reports–can look forward to being employable. Sure, there are times when you may have to work a ‘survival job’, but those with a clear criminal background will have a life ahead of them without having to worry about warrants for their arrest.

LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES:

It gets better for those who are determined to live on the up.

Take the matter of your being able to help others. Job references from the disgraced, the criminal or the thug aren’t worth very much to employers. Banks, stores, and landlords have little use for those who don’t have good credit. Law enforcement agencies, law schools or medical colleges have little use for individuals with DUI’s or suspended driver’s licenses.
Even temporary agencies will overlook those who have ‘shady’ backgrounds.

Maturity involved keeping a sober view of one’s life. The young man who has an eye on his future from his present vantage point won’t be engaging in the ‘wrong’ kind of activity, nor will he ‘cave in’ to his physical surroundings when the going gets tough.
They learn quickly…from other’s mistakes and missteps.

Now, I don’t want you to think that living life on the right side of the street is going to be easy. Friends–and enemies–will talk about you, questioning your motives. The good that you would do, in our modern age, will make you a suspect in some circles.

Sad, but true.

One of the factors that landed Jesus Christ on the Cross was that he went about doing G-O-O-D. By Jesus feeding the poor, healing the sick and raising the dead–among other noble acts–cut into someone’s money supply. His mere existence threatened ‘professional’ religion, not to mention the local undertaker’s association.

Nevertheless, He is still remembered for His modeling goodness in action.

GOODNESS COSTS–BUT NAYSAYERS AND HYPOCRITES EXIST:

Always remember: The crowd didn’t need much prompting to release Barabbas and to move Jesus towards the cross. Doing good always has a higher price tag than evil. In our modern day, the cry goes up from every vocation and genre: “We WANT to have someone to respect, admire and look up to.”

At least, that’s what is claimed.

In reality? The naysayers and hypocrites abound to mock the good and feed upon evil. The Caesars of our day recline in their royal robes and watch the festivities in the Coliseum of public opinion, quickly turning a thumbs down upon those who are making a difference by righteous deeds and living upright lives.

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos quarterback immediately comes to mind. Sure, someday he may ‘slow down’. However, let’s look at him in the present while he is still ‘hot’ and the crowd can’t quite figure him out.

With all the grief that Tebow has been getting both inside and outside of the National Football League, one would think that he was the next Michael Vick. What are Tebow’s crimes? Giving praise to His God. Playing a clean game. Giving credit to his team mates. Showing humility in public and being good at his job. Supporting his coaches.

Yet, the ‘sour grapes’ parade continues to roll on.

Heaven forbid if some of Tebow’s traits actually managed to find their way into modern society. Some of our Caesars might lose their jobs as goodness truly gets a foothold on Main Street–and in the homes of our land.

It’s never too late to live on the good side of the street.

Mike Ramey, a syndicated columnist and book reviewer, lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. THE RAMEY COMMENTARIES appears on fine websites and gracious blogs around the world. To correspond, email manhoodline@yahoo.com. © 2012 Mike Ramey/Barnstorm Communications.

To read more of Mike’s columns, please go to:

The Manhood Line
The Gang Line

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God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith,
Dr. Vibe
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