[Analysis of history and science influence on political and religious attitudes.]

It’s a small world. We were out on a fine, beautiful Saturday afternoon, headed over to our lab to work on the ham radio repeater. An event was underway at the Mountain Venue.

We noticed one of the security guards managing traffic into the parking lot. I pulled the Gator over to chat with him, introducing the co-author and myself. Then was the intriguing remark, “Oh we met about fifteen years ago, when I was delivering the trim material manufactured by a custom shop in Tulsa, for your home.”

“Cool, that is interesting.” I remembered the shop, the owner, and the unusual truck. Did I remember him or the multiple thousands we all meet in those intervening years? No, but he did. That started a lengthy conversation to catch up.

After driving for the trim manufacturer, he spent years as the district manager for a soda vendor. With his Marine Corps experience, he decided to go into law enforcement for one of the nearby cities. The venue hires many of the security people from their ranks. How many people do we encounter in passing, and never give it another thought?

Another similar  adventure involved the co-author’s passion for architectural excellence. Our son-in-law was having natural wood trimmed and shaped by an Amish shop near Inola. Son-in-law was building some of the furnishings for the venues. He was explaining to the shop owner where the venue was, to which the owner exclaimed, “Oh, I know where that is. I delivered an Amish-crafted walnut table and chairs that would seat 20 to the house up there.” The next time we went up to get material, I chatted with the shop-owner about his intervening adventures. We had a connection.

These encounters illustrate the importance of maintaining genteel relations with everyone, everyday, everytime. Imagine, had I been in a frustrated mood when the gentlemen were going about their workday, providing valuable service. Then their remembrance would not have been pleasant and our next encounter would suffer.

Dad constantly encouraged us to be gentlemanly with everyone. He had a crew of carpenters with diverse ethnic backgrounds. But being raised in the Old Victorian South, they were all called Mr. Red or Mr. Lee or Mr. Firstname.

Constructing a new home can be stressful. The co-author and I committed to not getting upset with each other during the years-long process. We pretty much kept that bargain, even if I did not achieve the goal with the manager. During construction, after going through several plumbing crews, he hired a young plumber who finished up the rough-in. He was a talented, pleasant young chap. A different plumber was hired for the finish work, because that young plumber was then working for them.

We recently had some repairs made and he was remarking he was surprised when his contractor sent him to finish the job. I explained that we switched contractors because of him, his workmanship, and personality. Subsequently, our son used him for his rental properties.

That led to an interesting exchange about how our economic system works. At the time I was actively in the work force, we were making a tolerable income and had the resources. Money is seldom squirreled away, but folks tend to spend it, like we did on our ranch and home. That spending provides jobs and opportunities for other people to make money. When seniors retire, they often do not have the same resources, but still need some projects accomplished.

We are using the same plumber 15-years later, though now working with his dad.

Our son-in-law used the same plumber on his home construction. In a not-so-strange way, the plumber is deriving benefit and income because of work that I did decades ago.

Its about the people we meet. Frequently, you have repeat encounters that you do not expect or those you do expect like the grocery store. What is your attitude? How do you treat the people, regardless of their job? You will likely see some of them again, perhaps in a different condition. Even if you do not recall them, they may remember you.

Think about it. We are all people on this journey called life. We all have problems. We all have some type health issues. The Golden Rule declared by the messiah-rabbi Yeshua, in his sermon on the mount, and recorded by the government tax-collector Matthew over two thousand years ago, still applies. “… do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” That’s life.