Category Archives: Honest

Truth matters, even when it is attacked…

28 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by in Actions, Honest, Insecurity, Leader, Leadership, Passive-Agressive, Purpose, Time, Truth

≈ 1 Comment

They say, “The truth hurts.” Well, non-truth does also.

For all practical purposes, I believe people care about what is true. Now, you can get caught up in the nuances of the definition of truth, but… Even Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

What happens when we cannot agree upon what truth is? Do we chalk it up to relativism? People can get stupid when debating “truth.” There lies the problem, people want to debate “truth” to prove a point. I’ve often said, and truly believe, that the truth does not need to be defended. However, it seems that we must do that now. Just listen and watch; it will not take long to see it happening. But to quote Mark Twain, “Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”

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I joke with my family that if it were not for being disengaged from family and friends, I would be a candidate for being the first to colonize the moon, just to get away from fools and stupid in general. All I need are my books and golf clubs. Used to be that most of the stuff you saw happening, debated, and truth attacked would not even make a difference or would be forgotten five or ten years later. But now, these same happenings, debates, and truth attacks are beginning to have possible long-term effects; some even everlasting.

The definition of truth is now defined as what benefits the person speaking. Any conversation that goes against truth is immediately shut down, ridiculed, or shunned. When those see their “truth” attacked, they become divisive, aggressive, and sometimes passive-aggressive; we can even say violent. Truth becomes irrelevant, people become emotional, and chaos begins to simmer and eventually boil.

Truth will always be attacked. But you know what? Truth is going to win out. As we look forward, truth will continue to stand the test of time. Truth is spoken by honest people who have track records based on, you guessed it, truth. People who speak truth are seen as powerful, which scares many people. Why? Probably due to insecurity. It’s one thing to know the truth and act upon it, yet knowing and not acting on it is where the issues begin.

With light, no amount of darkness can overcome it. The same analogy works with truth; no amount of lies will diminish it. Truth is the constant. There will always be truth attackers and truth bashers. As long as we have people speaking truth, that is enough to give hope for future generations. Have the courage to do so.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2023 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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Being a #girldad and Women Sports Equality

25 Friday Mar 2022

Posted by in Advantage, Agenda, Choice, Expectations, Future, Honest, Humility, Influence, Intentions, Opinions, Power, Value

≈ 2 Comments

I’m a #girldad and very proud to be one. I love Breana with all of my heart and then some (ya’ll know what I mean). However…

In recent events, the NCAA allowed Lia Thomas, swimming for the University of Pennsylvania, to swim in the NCAA D-1 Women’s National Swimming Championships. HE won the 500-yard freestyle event… you see, Lia was biologically born as a male… and there lies the issue. Interestingly, Thomas competed for the men’s swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania for three years before transitioning, undergoing hormone therapy, then switching to compete for the women’s team in 2020. Thomas finished the 500-yard freestyle final in 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds, just over a second faster than second-place finisher Emma Weyant (University of Virginia), while Olympian Erica Sullivan (University of Texas) touched the wall next to take third place. Title IX was established to promote and advocate for equality in women sports, but it seems that is no longer the case. 

Men-VS-Women

Breana played tennis in high school and is a pretty good tennis player (she takes after her mom). They played mixed doubles, but she never had to compete in singles against a boy. Girls played against girls, and boys played against boys. As a #girldad, I’m proud of Breana’s effort in competing. However, as the future begins to change, how would I go back and explain to her that she had to compete against males. At some point, right is right, and wrong is wrong… but that seems to get lost in translation. Some will say it becomes relative, but then…. whose relativeness do we believe? 

I’m not sure where society took a wrong turn, but I don’t think it was when I was growing up. If it was, we didn’t know about it. How do we tell our children not to cheat, stay honest and honorable, while others will literally try to change their gender or call themselves what they are not in order to compete? In the spirit of “political correctness,” I’m sure this becomes an obtuse thought. However, when we tell our girls not to compete, we stifle or limit their competitiveness nature in order to take a stance. 

If we see this now, where will it be later on? We say, “It cannot get worse,” but then something more asinine happens. When we say, “The audacity of…,’ the gravity of the situation does not carry the weight. I will say I admire the actual girls who swam in the meet. I also admire that they spoke out about it afterwards. I wish one of them had won. But then we know they actually did even though no trophy or medal was given. 

My daughter is now grown but still plays league tennis. As a #girldad, I’m passionate about and for women sports. For all the future girl athletes, I wish for them the opportunity to be able to compete at their level. But it needs to be at their level. We can get into the science of it, we can get into the biology of it, we can… get into it. In the end, how one is born is what they are. Allowing a male to compete with females does not create a venue of equality. 

It seems equality is no longer equal. However, to quote Gavroche in Les Misérables, “Here is the thing about equality, everyone’s equal when they’re dead.”

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

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Friendship Thankfulness…

13 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by in Encouragement, Engagement, Friendship, Honest, Leadership, Relationships, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Transparent, Trust, Understanding, Value

≈ 7 Comments

In keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving…

This past Sunday, our pastor, in his sermon, alluded to the idea of what true friendship really is and is not. As I listened and thought about that idea this week, as always… “it got me to thinking.”

We all have friendships in our lives. They come and go, change, etc. As I look back, it is funny to see our “friendship map” and where it has taken us.

Friendship is tough to define. Often, our definition of friendship is what we make it in order to meet our needs at a specific time in our lives…

Anyway, as I have been thinking about friendships this week, I am very thankful for the friends I have. Those who accept and take me for who and what I am, and most importantly – my well-being. I think there lies the true measure of friendship.

I’m a HUGE Charlie Brown fan…

So… friendship…

First, I believe friendship only happens with people you actually spend time with. It is hard to develop a friendship if you are never around a person. And no, friendship is not the number of “friends” you have on social media.

Second, friendship needs to enjoy one another’s company. We are around a lot of people daily. Friends, sure… but is the measure of that only surface, or does it cut deep?

Third, it is hard to have friendships without common interests. I have said it time and time again, “There is something to be said about having like-minded, kindred-spirited people” in your lives. There are only so many conversations one can have on family and the weather.

Fourth, this is where it will get interesting. We have to have friends that will “get into your business.” If you cannot have honest, heartfelt conversations, then the friend status might need to be “un”checked.

Lastly, friendship must not only offer encouragement, but it must also be willing to help in a time of need. I am not talking about times where “I need a favor.” I’m talking about no matter who, what, when, why, or where… that friend will be there, no questions asked.

I hope you have friends who have the characteristics above. I do, and for that, I am whatever is beyond thankful. If you get a chance, you might want to tell them that.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2020 J Clay Norton

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United or Divided? (A Re-post)

26 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by in Agenda, Attitude, Change, Character, Conversations, Courage, Crisis, Culture, Expectations, Freedom, Future, Honest, Humility, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Love, Purpose, Reflection, Relationships, Sincerity, Trust, Understanding, Unity, Value

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For what it is worth, I am not a fan of “reposting” my blogs. However, I am reposting the blog “United or Divided” today. This blog was originally written on January 26, 2018. I believe that leadership stands and transcends time and many other things and ideas as well.

When I wrote the blog the first time, it was written with the idea that we are in a crossroads of education. Now, as a Nation, we are as well. 

Only one sentence I will add for the blog is this…  “We, as people, must find our likeness in Christ for healing to begin and to sustain.” 

I hope you enjoy the re-post.

Below you will find the lyrics to the new song by Christian artist, Mandisa, “Bleed The Same.” The other day I heard it for the first time on KLOVE riding down the road. Like many things, it made me start thinking…

We say this, and we say that, only to get and keep the same results. We say we want more or better, but we do not put the effort in to change. Many times we might even be influenced by others who do not want to change. I/we want to…. I/we wish… I/we… The “want list” just goes on and on.

When it comes to the lives we live, they are the sum collections of thoughts created from experience or instilled as a way of life. However, the funny thing is, we are all in this together. At some point, we must acknowledge that everything in one way or another, affects everything else. The ripple effect might have diminished very small by the time it got to us but rippled it did.

Our world of humanity has its foundations based on morality. Sooner, rather than later, we should all know the difference between right and wrong. Yet we continue to make the same choices that enable our lives to stay the same, while at the same time always wanting more or better. The system can only be blamed so much. The issue becomes that we want the spotlight on others and their faults. We never want to turn the spotlight on ourselves. The last thing we want is for our inadequacies to be shown in the light.

I figure the best way to handle all of this, is to start with me. What am I doing to make it better? The “it” is anything that divides. It is united we stand. Can we (you, I, whoever) choose to work for a greater good? How many times does each of us have that one opportunity to do just that? Actually we have many opportunities.  We just wait on someone else.

As you read the lyrics below, I would dare say that each of us would agree with everything it says. So many solid truths. Whatever change you want, let it start with you. Most of all, let others see it. Go out and prove it. Your essence of leadership does one of the two… it unites or divides.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

 

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2018 J Clay Norton

©2020 J Clay Norton (edited)

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If you want to listen to the song, click here:

 

We all bleed the same
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Woke up today
Another headline
Another innocent life is taken
In the name of hatred
So hard to take (hey!)
And if we think that it’s all good
Then we’re mistaken
‘Cause my heart is breaking

Are you left?
Are you right?
Pointing fingers, taking sides
When are we gonna realize?

We all bleed the same
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Tell me, who are we
To judge someone
By the kind of clothes they’re wearing
Or the color of their skin?

Are you black? (black)
Are you white? (white)
Aren’t we all the same inside? (the same inside)
Father, open our eyes to see!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for?
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more, said
Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for? yeah
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We’re more beautiful when we come together (let’s stand united!)
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)
We all bleed the same(we all bleed the same) (bleed the same)
Let’s stand united (let’s stand united)
Let’s stand united!

So Father God, I pray
That our families will come together right now
And seek Your face
You will forgive our sins
And You will heal our incredible land
In the name of the only Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen