Selling History to Rick Harrison

We've all heard "Money makes the world go round"; but do we actually believe it? I love the TV show, Pawn Stars, which if you've seen it, the objects brought in are amazing! Recently, I've seen a 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers signed by Sandy Koufax and other all-time great baseball players. I saw a Russian medal valued close to $40,000 recently bought for $6000 dollars. So, my common thread is this: What determines the amount of money paid for something? Pawn Stars is a perfect example; history is still worth the price. 

At first, I had a certain view on the practice of selling the past. Why should we sell our past for a few dollars? Attached are two videos. The first video shows the old introduction to the show, followed by the current introduction. I think it is interesting to hear the words in both videos. What changed in terms of priority? The second video shows a daughter selling her father's World War II memorabilia. Part of me believes that selling family treasures like that is pretty telling of how much we care about our nation's past. But why does this matter? How many children, or adults for that matter, would know about antiques if historical objects weren't sold? Kids would read about historic events in a textbook, but would they be remembered? Rather than selling the past, the practice of antique dealing shows just how much we care about the past. We talk about moving forward, but the way I see it, we still want to remain in the past. We give thousands upon thousands of dollars for some items. Why? Because it is the story of us. Those events are the reason that we are here today! 

My great-grandfather was in Skunk Works for Lockheed Martin from World War II through the Cold War. He was business partners with the top engineer, Kelly Johnson. Together, they designed some of the greatest airplanes ever made, including the SR-71 Blackbird, P-38 Lightning, and U-2 Bomber. Unlike anyone else in the world, my family has pictures and sketches signed to my grandfather from Kelly Johnson. Being who he was, Johnson's signature on original blueprints or plans is worth serious money. But, there is absolutely no way that I would sell that history for anything! My great-grandfather would be rolling in his grave! Just because I won't sell the pictures doesn't mean that I won't talk about them. The reason people pay so much money isn't because of time passing, but rather, what it means to them. Believe me, if I could sell a 300 year old piece of wood for thousands of dollars, I would do it in a heartbeat! History still lives because it matters to each person, regardless of age, background, economic status, etc.. Not only do we need to remember history; we need to embrace it. The best way to move forward is to remember the past. History repeats itself now more than ever. 

Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame?

So I have a question for you: Are innovation and cheating the same? Both provide a more efficient process, and both produce a positive result. Well, in theory. Each day should be different. That's the joy of life. But, today was different than the normal different. Today, baseball players were elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Those who had a vote believe they chose the best players. But, come to think of it, what if the "best" cheated? What about two players who snuck their way into Cooperstown this year? They say they were pioneers of innovation in baseball; they just cheated. Run that experiment yourself. I dare you! Cheat on a test, get caught, then tell President Worthen you were just "innovating". Then, please maintain your innocence. Is honesty really the best policy? The world doesn't run on honesty anymore; it runs on "innovation". I find it interesting that when honesty is caught on camera, the world is stunned.

Hence the title of the blog, I am all for innovation. I also believe in honesty and traditional values. Now it seems that it's a paradox! Super computers called iPhones are at our fingertips. There is more computing power in a smartphone than there was in the first space shuttle. Scary, huh? On the contrast, high school athletes are being suspended for steroid use. Are we innovating, or are we "cheating the system"? I guess it really depends on the way you want the world to go. Progress is perspective. Millennials claim to embrace the future. Why not embrace "the now"? Why "innovate" when we can actually innovate? It's not an insult to be a Millennial. Admit it or not, if you are in that age group, you are a Millennial. I hate to break it to you. The Hall of Shame is just one example of Eddie Guerrero's quote, "If you're not cheating, you're not trying".

What can we do? I am one person. Someone else reading this is only one person. The sad reality is that even though there are many Millennials, we are all one person. What we can do is innovate for our benefit, not cheat ourselves. We are a new generation! So, why don't we leave the cheating and steroids in the past generation? Why don't we end the "Steroid Era"?

I Failed Because of My Beliefs

For the record, I plan to record entries about the title of my blog, not about religion. This is just simply one aspect of the blog's title. 

Our forefathers founded this country on the freedom to believe. We take it for granted everyday. We're supposed to embrace different beliefs. Without realizing it, we have strayed far from this ideal. My younger brother goes to a Christian high school. I went to an Episcopalian high school, a place that has a very dear place in my heart. Before I continue, my little brother and I were raised as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are Mormons. The freedom of belief enables different religions to have different theology. That's the beauty of it! Although an Episcopalian school, my alma mater defended each student's beliefs, whether they were agreed upon or not. Unlike my school, I was alarmed with how my brother's school teaches religion! Instead of a prompt to identify differing doctrine between themselves and Mormons, the pastor asked why Mormons were wrong. (And for the record, no question he asks regarding Mormons is ever in context). A religious school is to teach their belief and values, not degrade a student's! One example is my cousin's husband. He went to this school where he was taught to hate. When I returned from my LDS mission, I spoke in church. After my talk, without hesitation, he told my mother that when he didn't agree, he completely stopped listening. I'm still amazed with how open he was with his hate of Mormon belief. 

In the Book of John, Jesus himself says, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). Replace the words "is without sin" with "has different beliefs". A pastor, a man who studies the scriptures for his profession, was violating what Jesus Christ taught his disciples!

When my brother showed me the homework assignments, I was furious. Seeing the guidelines, I helped him with his responses. What is truly shameful is that he was given a 0%. It is gut-wrenching that he failed for defending his core values. Does this sound of the freedom of religion? Or discrimination? I'm sure George Washington is rolling in his grave. General Washington fought for the freedom to believe, not to condemn. Why is it commonplace that future generations are taught to hate? Hate is more apparent now than ever, an example being Israel and Palestine. Everyday Israeli children are taught how to defend themselves from a Palestinian attack. On a much smaller scale, the only way to pass this religion class is to hate Mormons. Does that seem right? But the bigger question is, why is it okay for a Mormon to get a 0% for defending his beliefs? The whole point of this is that the future is a scary one. A society that talks about peace and diversity is teaching the very thing that they appear to be condemning.

Millennials represent a whole new way of life. Millennials are individualists. We are changing the way the world has worked for centuries. The future is more than scary when hate is not just acceptable, but taught and encouraged. Unfortunately, there is no simple method to cure hate. It's easier to cure cancer than it is to cure hate. I am part of the rising generation, but I don't stand for a large part of what we are supposed to become. I worry about raising children in a society that thrives on hate. All we can do, and must do, is live our beliefs. Practice what we preach. I believe in tolerance, love, respect, and other traditional values. Just because we are a new wave of people, does that mean that traditional values are being replaced as well?