R.I.P., Mr. Rogers

Fred Rogers (1928-2003), an icon of children's television programming while many of us were growing up, passed on to that great neighborhood in the sky this past Thursday. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 74. He will be greatly missed - especially by his wife, two sons, and two grandsons. If only more people were like him, with such huge hearts and caring souls. [It seems that good people always die. And as my mother says, the bad/evil people you want to die, never do!! For example: Saddam Hussein. Or even worse: Ariel-fucking-Sharon!] To this day, on the rare occasion that I flip through the channels and see "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," I will leave the station there and watch.

*sigh* - the brevity of life... We never know when we're gonna go, for tomorrow is not promised. (Especially with people like stupid-ass Bush trying to get us all killed with his asinine war rhetoric! >:( ) I need to get my life right before it's too late. I was looking at some Scriptures that affected me. In the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, we have some books not accepted by most, if not all, the Protestant sects. The ones included in the Old Testament are not considered divine by the Jews either, although many Jews, such as rabbis, quote extensively from these texts. We call this collection the deuterocanonical books. Or as the Protestants call it, the Apocrypha. Anyways, there's this particular book I like. It contains many things on moral instruction and it is the book of Sirach. The particular chapter that spoke to me the other day was chapter 5, which is as follows (the numbers indicate the verse):

1 Rely not on your wealth; say not: "I have the power."
2 Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart.
3 Say not: "Who can prevail against me?" for the LORD will exact the punishment.
4 Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?" for the LORD bides his time.
5 Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin.
6 Say not: "Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive."
7 For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath.
8 Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day;
9 For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance, you will be destroyed.
10 Rely not upon deceitful wealth, for it will be no help on the day of wrath.
11 Winnow not in every wind, and start not off in every direction.
12 Be consistent in your thoughts; steadfast be your words.
13 Be swift to hear, but slow to answer.
14 If you have the knowledge, answer your neighbor; if not, put your hand over your mouth.
15 Honor and dishonor through talking! A man's tongue can be his downfall.
16 Be not called a detractor; use not your tongue for calumny;
17 For shame has been created for the thief, and the reproach of his neighbor for the double-tongued.

I think many of us, even if we consider ourselves believers, live in this way - as if we had no one to answer to, as if there are no consequences for our actions, as if we can get away with anything because God will forgive us. For anybody of the Abrahamic faiths, as well as some others, if you're looking for a good code of conduct to follow or to just remind you of how we ought to live, I recommend the Book of Sirach. I think even if you're not religious in the least bit you could find some verse that you might like.