Recently I heard that an acquaintance from high school pulled an incredibly stupid and short sighted stunt with one of her kids.   Her 14 year old son worked all summer doing odd jobs to save up his money for an IPod.   He wanted to replace his old one with the newest model.   He mowed lawns, picked fruit, walked dogs and cleaned up trash for neighbors.   The big day came when he could buy the IPod.   A neighbor gave him a ride to the store to purchase the coveted gadget.  

All was well until his mom, my schoolmate, heard about the purchase.   She was mad because he already had one IPod so she made him give his new one to his brother who didn’t have one because he was unwilling to work.

Like you, I was flabbergasted.   I couldn’t believe it.

But then it occurred to me that our federal government has pulled this exact same trick on hard-working American taxpayers.  We worked very hard.  We provided goods and services to others.  We did our best at raising our kids.  We helped our neighbors were they were in need.  We volunteered at our local school, church or service organization.  We paid our mortgages and other obligations.  We served our fellow man in a myriad of ways.

Now comes our federal government and takes what we earned by our hard work, by confiscating huge amounts of taxes from us, and turns and gives to those unwilling to work and unwilling to follow the rules.  The simplest and most obvious examples are the billions of dollars spent to give illegal aliens “free” healthcare benefits, “free” welfare benefits, “free” education for their kids and “free” access to public services.  Add to that those who draw welfare, WIC, housing subsidies, “free” lunches, food stamps, and disability income.  The list goes on. 

Why should you be required to pay huge amounts of taxes to reward me for my sloth, stupidity, risky behavior, evil activities, illegal immigrant status, and contempt general for the system?  Why should your hard earned tax dollars be given to me because I drank my income away, snorted it, and wasted it?  Why should hard working people be punished and slackers be rewarded?

My high school classmate’s son suffered frustration, exasperation, inequity, disdain, contempt, and bullying at the hands of his mom.  Likewise, hard working taxpayers are suffering the same.  

In causing the mortgage crisis we faced a few months ago, while we were working our fingers to the bone trying to get ahead, along comes our elected officials to “help” us.  They changed lending rules so that people who couldn’t afford houses could buy their own home.  Sounds so magnanimous.  Then our politicians underwrote those bad loans with a guarantee that the federal government would replace any money lost by banks and lenders.   So politicians caused the problem, politicians exacerbated the problem, and politicians are now causing far more serious problems in an attempt to solve the problem they created in the first place.  

As with most problems “solved” by government, politicians and bureaucrats create 1000 problems with every solution they implement.   And most of the new problems created are unforseen.

Our federal government has damaged the American collective psyche.  The question is: what must we do to undo the government bullying?

The only way back from the brink is to force our politicians and bureaucrats to respect American citizens, respect hard working tax payers, respect our freedom and respect the public till.  And that can only be done at the ballot box.

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Bullying is one of the most disrespectful and dishonorable behaviors a person can display toward another.   Seeking to manipulate, force, coerce or control another person is rude and disrespectful as it reveals contempt and anger that the bully harbors in his/her heart.  

In High School I was a very small boy.  As a freshman I was a true “98 lb. weakling”.   My school’s junior and senior classes were made up of a troupe of Neanderthal man-boys who were big in stature yet woefully lacking in maturity, self restraint and respect for others.  They compensated for their inability to construct complete sentences and manipulate rudimentary mathematics formulas by picking on smaller kids.  Threats and hazing were the tool they employed to strike fear in the hearts of those who were far smaller.  Never would these tough guys pick on someone their own size, there was far too much risk that the person might be able to fight back.   It was a pathetic display of cowardice, emotional inadequacy and attempts to compensate for the weaknesses that plagued these people.

Fast forward to the workplace.  Some bosses treat their workers with respect and dignity, and we all want to work for people like that.  However, some bosses and managers have inadequate skills when attempting to motivate their underlings.   And much of the problem is contained in the way the manager views his employees.  Are they “underlings” or are they valuable assets, invaluable hearts, priceless souls, and highly esteemed individuals?  It is one thing to boss people around and quite another to ask them to contibute, convince them to perform, give them incentive to produce, and invite them to join in a cause.  Bullies try to force others to behave in a certain way but respectful people uphold the dignity of others by asking for desired behavior.

When we hear the term “bully” most of us think of the neighborhood tough who catches us in the alley and demands our lunch money.   But bullying is not limited to physical intimidation.  Anytime a person uses force, manipulation, control or intimidation to get their way, bullying is taking place.   Not only were some of the boys in my high school adept at physical bullying, girls often got in on the act but in a different way.   Generally, women possess superior verbal skills when compared to men.  Because men are generally superior to women in physical stature, men may bully others physically, so women who are intent on bullying often choose to do it verbally.   Verbal bullying does not carry with it the social stigma that accompanies physical bullying.   So women often get by with it and their bullying isn’t even recognized.  Beyond physical and verbal bullying our culture is replete with examples of emotional, positional, religious, economic and political intimidation and manipulation.   Anytime an adult tries to coerce, manipulate, intimidate, threaten, or force another person to do something, bullying is generally the result.  

Bullying can be seen in parenting as parents attempt to force their children to bow their will.  Show me a person who was hit, browbeat, manipulated, intimidated and threatened and I will show you an adult who is angry, confused, addicted, rebellious, violent or is a shell of a person.   However, show me a person who was treated with dignity, respect, honor, patience, grace and mercy and I will show you an adult who is strong, healthy, courageous and well adjusted.  There are exceptions, of course,

Another insidious form of bullying is government and bureaucracy.   Growing up I periodically heard the term “public servant” in reference to government employees.  This term suggested that these people were in positions to serve fellow citizens.   But in recent decades public servants have become our slave masters.  Don’t dare expect “service” at the DMV when trying to renew your automobile registration.   Try calling the IRS and getting “service”.   Don’t dare expect a building inspector to “serve” you with anything but contempt, arrogance and condescending remarks.  Don’t even think your child’s educators will “serve” you if you ask them to stop teaching your child the religion of Global Warming, the religion of abortion or the religion of federal government control.   You will be laughed at if you want your government to “serve” you by providing only the most modest amount of national security that is necessary, only a modest amount of law enforcement to keep predators of society at bay, or the most meager of taxation to pay for these few “services”.  Government is not our servant, we are quickly becoming their slaves as politicians seek to control more and more of our lives.   Bullying is the term that comes to mind.  Government either serves us or bullies us.

I don’t know about you but when it comes to relationships I want to be in community with people who are respectful, healthy, gracious, merciful, kind, strong, courageous and wise.   I want to have friendships with people who respect me and offer their friendship and companionship from a position of strength and health, not fear and duty.   A friendship with a bully is somewhat like trying to convince a skunk to be a good house pet. 

If you have to bully people to get “respect” you won’t get respect, all you will do is instill fear in people.  People won’t like you, they may tolerate you if you have something they want. 

If you feel the need to control others, manipulate, force, intimidate, or disrespect them you might want to consider that you may be bullying people around you.

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Our society has fallen for the myth that science is omnipotent.   We tend to believe anything that is “scientific”.    In school we were taught that anything scientific is right and not to be questioned.

Since science gets top billing in our academic world, then scientists must naturally be the all-knowing purveyors of truth.  After all, they simply report the facts, right?

In the realm of human experience facts are very important.   For facts are the basis of knowledge.    But more important than facts and knowledge is understanding.   It is more important to be able to understand facts and properly interpret those facts and place them in the proper perspective than to possess facts alone.   For example, if in the process of working with a saw if you were to observe the fact that blood is dripping from your hand that fact would be very important.   But understanding that your hand is wounded and that you need to stop the bleeding is just as, if not more, important than the fact that blood is gushing from your hand.

But above understanding is a higher order of human cerebral function and that is wisdom.   Knowing facts, knowledge and understanding is very important.  In our sawing accident above it would be wise to stop the bleeding, find your severed finger in the sawdust, make your way to the hospital and seek the proper medical attention to save your life and maybe even your finger.

Should we trust science?   Absolutely.  To a point.

All humans approach life with a bias.   Everyone of us has it.   My bias is that of a business owner, father, construction general contractor, wrestling coach, author, speaker, hunter, skier, climber, coal miner, farmer, horseman and steel building designer.  I believe in self-reliance, personal responsibility, and toughness.   I am sick of arrogance, irresponsibility, greed, and oppression in our culture.   Therefore, my bias is toward truth, personal responsibility, hard work, adventure, lifelong learning, challenge, and growth.

What about scientists?  What if a scientist has a bias toward a political agenda that wants to control other people.  What if one scientist sees an air sample and concludes the sky is falling while another sees the same exact sample and says it is normal?   What is one scientist sees a sample of Anarctic ice and concludes the earth is melting while the next scientist sees the same sample and concludes the earth’s temperatures are within their normal range?  Who are we to believe?   Whose opinions and recommendations do we follow?

How about common sense?

Look around you.   Observe your environment.    Don’t be duped by the unfounded biases of those who want to manipulate you.

For instance, if you have been told the earth is warming and will cause melting at the polar ice caps and the oceans will rise and flood low lying lands, look around you.    Have you heard any mention of rising sea levels?   Have the seasons been warmer or colder in your area?    Have you observed any changes in the world around you?   

Because when you are told that Global Warming is coming but you observe the coldest winters in decades, do you become suspicious.  When the purveyors of Global Warming suddenly change the name of their cataclysmic event to Climate Change, do you become suspicious?   When you observe snow drifts that survive the summer heat for the first time in decades, do you become suspicious that the Global Warmers might be interpreting scientific data wrongly?

The need for common sense is real.  The need for healthy skepticism is in order.  Just because a story  is in print, on the radio, on the TV or on the internet does not make it factual, understandable or wise.    A published story simply means a person is expressing their interpretation of an event or a situation.   S/he is expressing that interpretation from the bias they carry in life.

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The richest nation in human history has a cancer eating at its soul.  

Daily the newspapers, televisions, magazines and blogs vilify evil oil companies for their greed and avarice.  As for me, I am thankful for oil companies who supply the fuel that powers my automobile, heats my home, and provides the electicity for my lights.   I am thankful for the small percentage of profit they eke out of their vast business ventures to reward those owners and stockholders who invested in the enterprise in the first place.  

I am thankful for the vilified rich people who are the target of the anger and vitriolic verbal attacks in our media and political campaigns.  For without rich people I never would have found my first job.   Without rich people I never would have found customers to afford the homes I built.   I am thankful for all of those greedy rich people who bought land, built companies, purchased machinery, paid workers and efficiently operated businesses that produced my automobiles, food, clothing and home.   I am thankful they chose to apply their time, talent, effort and resources to producing the goods I enjoy.

I am thankful for the hard working people who labor daily to provide the goods and services that I enjoy.  Without those who sew my clothes, produce my food, transport their goods to local stores for me to purchase, serve me in restaurants and maintain the roads,  I would have to provide everything necessary for my own survival.

I am thankful for the pain in my life that taught me to stop being stupid and arrogant.  Hard times and pain have changed my arrogance to humility, my stupidity to wisdom, my laziness to industry, my bad habits to service for others, my greed to generosity, my harshness to kindness and my wastefulness to thrift.

I am thankful for the beautiful things in life that allow me to sit back and enjoy the handiwork of man and the Creator alike.  Beautiful golf courses, brilliant sunsets, bountiful apple orchards, rushing streams, fields of wheat, snowcapped peaks, incredible structures, pounding surf, engineered bridges, herds of elk, a well-tuned race car, or a newborn baby all whisper the beauty that is everywhere on the earth.

I am thankful for the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that is ours to discover.   Anyone can find wisdom who is willing to open their heart and mind sufficiently to ask, seek, research, listen, consider, think, experiment and discover Truth.   

I am thankful for a political system that still allows for debate, open discussion, freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of thought.   I am thankful for the name calling, heated arguments, disrespectful behavior, distortions, and outrageous promises because the true character of men is revealed in this crucible.

I am thankful for the dead rich guys who founded this country and set up an economic and political system that is taking many decades to dismantle.   This wonderful culture is so resilient and formidable that the “takers” and “deconstructors” of society have found it very difficult to destroy.  So far our political system has endured those who pick at the threads in an attempt to unravel it.

I am thankful for the schools that provide education for kids and adults alike.   Education allows industrious souls to interact deeply, communicate effectively, produce efficiently, serve humbly, manage skillfully, and earn the respect of their fellow man.

In an odd way I am thankful for the terrorists among us who would destroy us all, criminals who prey on the weak, hucksters who trick the masses, con-men who dupe the simple minded, politicians who deceive the weak minded, and charlatans who stir up anger amongst their blind followers.   These predators ensure that wise people remain vigilant and strong, ever prepared against the destruction, trickery and deceit.-

I am thankful for genuine folks who treat me with respect and dignity.  For it is these salt-of-the-earth people who add spice, depth, goodness, honor, kindness, trust, wisdom, character, love, peace, and grace to life.

Tim

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You are either growing or dying.

What snapshot of you, in the journey of life, do you want the world to remember you?   At what time in life would you like people to freeze your image, in their minds, and treat you like you were at that time?

People change.  The world changes.   We want others to remember us at our best moment.   A gracious and merciful attitude is what we want others to display toward us.   If we want others to assume the best and treat us with grace and mercy, we can encourage that attitude by treating others the same way.  

To behave with grace and mercy toward others is far more respectful to their dignity than treating them with cynicism, blame, and arrogance.  Remembering others at their best, giving them a break, forgiving their evil behavior and being gracious toward their weaknesses; isn’t that what we want from others? 

Yet how often do we freeze a person’s image in time and treat them as the clumsy adolescent, prissy little princess grade schooler or thieving little shoplifter from that chewing gum incident in 4th grade?   How often do we refuse to forgive, hold grudges and avoid the perpetrator of a minor slight from 30 years ago?

Tim

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There was a time in our American culture when common sense reigned supreme.  We fished by the tides, planted by the moon and treated the land with respect.    We raised our kids with wisdom, patience and kindness that was passed from generation to generation.  We conducted business on our word, with honor and ethics; and all on a handshake.    We helped our neighbor, honored our Creator and treated others the way we wanted to be treated.

Hand in hand with that common sense was a mix of science and art.  But somewhere along the way, it seems art has been replaced by science in areas where the two should go hand in hand.   Take rearing children, for instance.   In the times when the skill of parenting was learned by the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next, parents mastered the art of parenting by trial and error, failure and success, and constant growth and learning.  

Then along came Dr. Benjamin Spock telling us how parenting should be done based on scientific understanding of the day.   John Dewey appeared telling us how to educate our kids with “scientific methods” in Industrial Revolution context. Sigmund Freud came along demeaning cultural wisdom, our Creator, and our humanity; all based on his “scientific” discoveries.   Charles Darwin came telling us we are but apes based on his “scientific” theories.  

And Shazzam; our culture is messed up.  

Possessing knowledge is a good thing, for the most part.   Having the understanding of how to apply that knowledge is better still.  But even more profound is having the wisdom to know when, where, why and what to apply that knowledge to.  But the ultimate is to possess the character to righteously apply that wisdom for the good of all mankind.

Our culture chose the cheap substitute and elevated knowledge to the pinnacle of achievement.   Without understanding knowledge is just rote memorization and senseless facts.   Without wisdom knowledge is a tool that elevates one’s own opinion of himself and leads to arrogance and self indulgence.  Without character, knowledge is a tool that can be used for great destruction and harm.

Thus our world is a scientific world, full of knowledge and facts.   But void of righteousness, character and wisdom.

Tim

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Give; and people will open their hearts and minds to what you have to say.

To be heard, you must earn the right to be heard.  Our constitution guarantees us the right to speak but does not address the right to be heard.

Many an arrogant fool publicly demands that people listen to his infected rantings.  But rarely has that individual done what is necessary to earn the respect of his potential audience.

The word “respect” is defined by such words as yielding, deferring and submitting.   To gain the respect of another person you must yield, defer or submit to them in some manner.  Showing respect to another person automatically requires humility.  Arrogance has no place in demonstrating your respect to another person.  In fact, arrogance will not allow you to show genuine respect to another.

If you have been trying to get another person to listen to you and change their mind or their behavior, try humbly giving them a gift, a kind word or a humble act of kindness.   Giving may produce an open heart and an open mind on their part.

Tim

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Most of the stress, turmoil, confusion and anger in relationships is caused by disrespect.   If you doubt it, take a moment and list the worst 10 stressful situations in your life over the last few years.    Without specifically knowing what you wrote, let me tell you something about your list.   Most, if not all, of the situations involved disrespect from someone in your life.  There are a few exceptions but most of the stress in our lives stems from disrespect. 

Because disrespect is such a huge issue in our culture, imagine what the world would be like if all disrespect were eliminated.    Imagine how relationships would work if there was no disrespect.   Imagine the calm and peace in families if there was no disrespect.   Imagine what your job would be like if there was no disrespect.

It is impossible for you to eliminate all of the respect in the world.   But it is possible for you to begin eliminating the disrespect you spread in the world.    And the minute you stop disrespecting people, you have already made the world a better place.   The minute you stop disrespecting people is the moment you change your world drastically.

The Golden Rule is a wonderful thing.  The way you treat people is the way people will treat you.   Let me illustrate.  If you like it when people curse and scream at you, simply start cursing and screaming at everone you meet.   Within a few days, everyone in your life, everyone you meet will be screaming and cursing at you.  

While this example is somewhat absurd, it starkly illustrates the point that you can help determine how people treat you.   The real point of this absurd example is that if you like to be treated with patience and kindness when you make mistakes, treat people with patience and kindness when they make mistakes and they will tend to reciprocate.  If you like respect, treat people with respect.   If you enjoy the love of others, love people around you.  

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Our feminist society has succeeded in emasculating and neutering men.  

Over the last few decades we have heard volumes about sensitivity, kindness, gentleness and sweetness.  While these can be admirable characteristics of a male, if these are the only characteristics he possesses he is destined to be a weenie, a wimp and a girlie man.   To be “whole” and healthy a man must possess characteristics of manhood, namely; courage, toughness, strength, character, and the ability to take care of himself and others.   If a man only possesses one extreme, he is lacking what it takes to be a Rugged Gentleman.

Some men in our culture have the luxury of living as boys much of their life.   Some men don’t even bother moving out of their mommy and daddy’s house.   Some don’t bother themselves with growing up and learning what healthy relationships are all about.   Some derive their worth from their cars, houses, clothes, jobs and status.   Some men simply don’t bother growing up.     And it is sad to see our culture allows them to get off of the hook and continue their irresponsible, immature ways.

It is time to grow up.   It is time to take responsiblity for yourself.  It is time to humbly serve your fellow man.  It is time to take care of your family.   It is time to be a responsible man.  It is time to be a Rugged Gentleman.

Tim

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Welcome to the Austin Building Company blog. This blog is about building more than structures and improvements. It is about building character, courage, respect and honor in our culture. Our purpose is to share ideas that help me to become Rugged Gentlemen and encourage strength, toughness, courage, appropriate aggression and the rugged part of the male image.

This site is intended to be politically incorrect. We deal with the truth, not the opinions of pointy headed academic folks who arrogantly establish their opinion as “correct” and anyone who disagrees with their exalted opinion as “incorrect”.

You will find masculine humor on the website, www.AustinBuildingCompany.com, that is not sweet and sensitive. You will find recipes that are intended to harden the arteries. You will find opportunities for adventures and incredible learning experiences. You will find other viewpoints what are unashamedly masculine, tough, courageous and counter cultural.

So if you are too uppity and arrogant for some good healthy male interaction, Women’s Day or Cosmopolitan magazines probably have just the website for you.

If you are a Rugged Gentleman, a courageous male, a protector of others, a courteous man, a gun owner, and an outdoorsman, this site was built for you.

WELCOME!

Tim

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