Month: December 2023

Oh, my what a night. It was not about “when they drove old Dixie down” either. Twas a night before the jolly fat man for some people came sneaking into their house.

Hmm these days he would be a burglar or thought of as a thief breaking into a house. Some might say “that he is a sneaky old cuss.”

Some sorta of a modernistic Robin Hood. He would bring gifts to the little boys and girls but only the good ones. Which is why I never got, those great gifts or got none-at-all.

Twas the night Janet awoke out of a fitful sleep. Awakened by some inner instinct that something was amiss in her home.

Arising from the warm confines of her bed she slipped on her fuzzy Bugs Bunny house shoes. With the ears flopping she shuffled sleepily down the hallway towards the living room.

She could hear sounds coming from it and it sounded like ho, ho, ho!

What!  

Wait!

It surely could not be that red pajama wearing fat man she thought? There was a light on as she shuffled towards the kitchen for a cup of Joe to help her wake up.

She gave a yawn and saw a figure bent over a sack on the floor and things flying up out of it. Naw, she thought this is about the birth of Jesus not that white bearded guy known as Saint Nick-e.

Ahh, Janet thought someone has made a pot of Java. Something to warm up the bod and clear out the sleep from the eyes.

While taking a sip she noticed a change in words coming from the living room. Not longer ho, ho, ho but it sounded more like holey, holey, holey! Now that was more like it a real Christmas song she thought.

She took a few steps into the living room and noticed the figure bent over saying holey, holey! What in the world she thought as she realized the things flying into the air were socks!

Socks?

Yes!

Socks!

And it was not Santa doing it but Mat as he searched for a pair of socks that did not have holes in them.

So, it was not the white bearded Santa, but Mat. He was looking in all the wrong places for his Socks. This bag of socks were meant to be thrown away!

They were not meant to be thrown around either!

Well, Janet shrugged least his x-mas gift would be treated better.

Yep, his gift of some brand new, U-N-H-O-L-E-Y socks!

That was the story I was told and you can believe me or not!

State now there is a word, but what does it mean to state a fact.

What does one mean by this is statement.

Last week at a breakfast meeting I said “it doesn’t do any good to gripe.”

The rebuttal, rejoinder, or answer to my statement was I do not gripe, I just state the facts.”

I have often wondered how the stoic chief in Ndn oops I mean western true facts westerns would have answered me.

Would my rebuttal have resulted in a ferocious head butt? Maybe, the rejoinder would have resulted in a dislocated joint or joints? My gripe might have resulted in a deadly throat or neck grip!

Would I have ended up in state of disarray?

Today there is an army of gripers, complainers, and staters of facts.

But what facts? Sgt. Joe Friday would just ask for “just the facts” whether it was from a man or woman.

Now we have their statement of their facts mingled with fantasy. It has become more of their imagined rights.

Mostly it seems guaranteed by a constitution of delusion.

We do have certain rights but what do they really mean? How far do they go?

It used to be if a person had a gripe-complaint one could go to the Complaint Department. 

Now it has become a right to gripe, complain, a right to be disrespectful to workers in the departments. The bible in 2Samuel 15:1-6 tells a story of a young whose main gripe was that he was not the king. So, he sat at the entrance to the city saying to everyone who passed by if only her were king he would hear their grievance. Grievance a fancier word for gripe, complaint, or disagreement.

Just as then, there is someone who will listen to your dissatisfaction with things to get their way. 

There is a skit by Monty Phyton that in essence is about an argument department. In this skit you went up to the window where the guy asked what it is you wanted. You asked for an argument and he would ask if you wanted a five-dollar argument or a ten dollar one. You made a choice gave him the five and then it would start.

The payer stood waiting and after a few seconds would say well? The other answered well what? Well I gave you five. No you didn’t! Yes, I did. It would go on for about a minute of back and forth then the clerk would say times up!

Maybe this is what we need if people had to pay to air their gripes, complaints, or just to state the facts. This might deter some of the loudest and of those gripers, complainers, and staters of facts.

Back in the day of Kings and Ndn Chiefs would we dare say even Booo!

Gripe: verb -complain about something in a persistent irritating way.

Griping: noun-the action complaining in a persistent irritating way.

This word “gripe” has become a national pastime, and since it has become more so, since it is an inherent right.

I did not fully realize this until, I started looking at the origin of it.

This interest was sparked during the Sunday morning church service. It happened during our testimony time, where one gets up to praise God for all he has blessed them.

One lady got up and spoke of how blessed she was by the help in the kitchen. With all the other ladies who helped her and put up with her griping.

 I sit up straighter as my brain said “what” when my ear caught the word griping!

I had been telling people that I had joined the Army to get all my griping over with. Military people I believed were the top dogs of griping.

Now comes this Christian lady telling us all about how she gripes!

That should not be so!

As my righteous indignation rose up, it was quickly quelled (i.e. doused or stopped) by God.

He reminded me of all the sermons about being in Gods’ Army.

So there!

Yet!

There remains this question of where did this right to gripe come from?

Throughout history one had to be silent or secretly voice your gripe. Kings, lords, dictators, and more than like Ndn chiefs could have you killed, imprisoned, fined, or banished from the tribe.

So, this curtailed public griping amid fears of reprisals.

Personally, this Ndn might have been banished without his bow and arrows, tomahawk, knife and so on. It would most certainly limit his ability to procure food and clothing.

Hmmm I wonder if those who banished tribes to reservations and told the Ndns to raise crops were vegans?

Just a thought.

Ndn people by and large were meat eaters with some tribes raising crops too.

So, griping could bring and exact severe punishment to the griper.

This is some reasons why griping remain subdued.

I think it became more prevalent as natural resources dried up. Namely food supplies, building materials, and even people from wars.

Rulers started facing angry, desperate people. They were viewed as subjects not worthy of having a voice.

That is why in history gripes turned into war of words, against the  rulers and leaders. They wanted more and demanded a right to be heard.

Today more people gripe about anything and some very silly things and the internet proves this fact.

To have a reasonable conversation with facts is no longer the norm if we could find a norm.

Griping has become very intense these days.

The Bible in Proverbs 18:6 says “A fools, lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows.”

Some are known for their many words but never saying anything that makes sense.

Words that make up speech are guarded by the American Constitution about the right to gripe…..or more commonly known as Free Speech.

This one thing I have learned is …..not to grip.

Now I just complain.