Was in San Diego and then in Boston during the past 10 days. Beautiful and historic places. In So Cal there is visible evidence of an urgency to look good….. ” not that there is anything wrong with that ” to quote Jerry Seinfeld. Its the weather, the outdoor life, all combine to sometimes. ” push ” the people there to be so concerned with their physical appearance. It seems most of the leading plastic surgeons are out there or are married to the “Housewives” of Orange County or Beverly Hills. It’s competition that becomes difficult as one matures. To the visitor … It seems somewhat artificial and not as important as other important areas of life. In and around Boston the emphasis is different altogether. Seemingly forsaking appearance there is extreme emphasis on the intellectual…being smart..smarter, the smartest.
The reputation and history and influence of Harvard drives people to have abounding desire to not merely gain knowledge but the pressure is extreme to be seen as excelling in some academic area. And the “push” is almost a desperation to not fail as it is to succeed. The competition is just as strenuous and even more so than other areas as it is mental and can become a longer battle than the “looking good ” battle in Southern California. To the visitor … It seems overemphasized and not as important as other areas of life. But, there are great people there. And there are great people here. We are all Gods Children. We have desperation and various types of pressures operating on us. We live here…. What do visitors think of us? In what areas are we artificial and in what areas do we get desperate about??? West Coast, East Coast or here in Birmingham…. Looks matter, being smarter matters…. and other things that visitors find us shallow and artificial about. Matthew 6:33 gets it right. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness…. and all these things will be added into you ” All these things. They become different things when we seek Him. Seek Him Terry Bethea August 18th, 2014