Easy

Easy does it.

I suppose it's not a bad thing, particularly when it comes to stress.

I find some meditation works and thoughts floating a bit then focussed.

AA mentions easy does it. They use a day by day approach to dealing with addiction.

Unfortunately too many people take an easy road instead of easy does it.

Like just about everything, easy is a two sided coin.

There is a scene in The Greatest Story Ever Told where Jesus is fasting in the wilderness. He climbs to a cave where Satan is eating from a big pot of stew (?).

Donald Pleasence gives a boffo performance. Satan is portrayed as a smarmy, softspoken peddler of surrender.

He offers Jesus some food. Jesus says he's fasting.

How tempting when tired to toss a regimen and perhaps become self indulgent.

Breaking once in a while is ok, but it can be a slippery slope.

Take time out then get back on.

Satan talks of an easy life and that many say an easy life is a sinful life. Not so he says. It can be easy if a man knows the way to power and glory in 'this' world. Here, he distorts those terms.

Jesus does not respond to this. Power and glory are a different thing to him and for that matter to us.

It's not self aggrandizement. It is doing what is right.

As he's tempting Jesus, Satan is smacking his lips and talking with food in his mouth. Reminds me of some unrefined buffoons of my acquaintance.

If it had been me, I'd have smacked the crap out of him and thrown him over the cliff. Disgusting pig.

Satan then kicks a stone off the very steep cliff, trying to incite fear and then asks if Jesus would like to have the world and its kingdoms to rule.

Kinda redundant, since J is known to Christians as Lord of all in both worlds ie flesh and spirit.

S is appealing to the lowest common denominator. It's trying to sell the short side, again the easy way.

J replies that homage is due to God only.

The whole thing about what is right and wrong is here.

Rewards are not always what we might even expect.

Like many of the Founders, we may sacrifice all in this world to bring the Republic back. That is the opposite of this 'what's in it for me' style that many embrace.

It might be easy to let others do it then even claim some of the credit later. Or it might be easy to just sit it out or retreat into the bosom of the beast of big gov.

Doing the work is its own reward. That's homage, worship to me.

Anything beyond that might be gravy. But certainly in our case, Restoring the Republic is reward beyond price.

Back at the movie, Satan tempts Jesus to jump because if he is the Son of God, the Angels will protect him. I like the bit where Max Von Sydow as Jesus looks down and seems to suffer a touch of vertigo -s-.

He simply says not to tempt God.

Yep. Sacrifice, when made, should be done right.

And sacrifice there will be. The cost of Freedom is high.

One last bit was the idea of turning stones to bread. Perhaps to feed the hungry in a false sense of altruism? Satan is not very giving. Gotta be a trap.

A false show of power is hollow and is the lot of the dark side.

Collectivism tries to ensnare stomachs as well as minds. Thus, it's a gimme gimme state, instead of learning to work for oneself. The gifts we bear are hijacked if we surrender to that old line of crap.

In the film, Jesus walks off as Satan continues smacking his self satisfied lips, biding his time, plotting how to suborn and undermine the Light.

He walked off to do his work just as assuredly as we will trod our path and follow the work we must do.

All the time the enemies of Freedom will continue to try undermining us.

We must decide what is easy or hard.

How easy is that?