Sunday, May 31, 2009

WHO IS DR. BOB MOORHEAD???

Only through ignorance can one be objective. When initially reading "A Paradox of our Time" I was grabbed by it's bluntness. It spoke the truth with a frankness that deemed it believable. No flowery words to coverup the point. No long sentences or walks through flower littered paths to come to it's conclusion. It seemed as if the author truly just stated his mind- raw thoughts to paper. After some research on the topic I came across a website meant to burst our beliefs and stub our superstitions a.k.a "snopes.com." 
Without snopes, we would still be believing that Walt Disney arranged to have himself frozen in a cryonic chamber full of liquid nitrogen, awaiting the day that medical technology can "reawaken" him; without snopes we would still be confused about the author of this snap to reality prose. The "poem written in free verse" was authored "unknown" in the Implications on Literature when I first came upon it. In the introduction it vaguely mentioned that the possible author was a Columbine student writing it as a response to the shootings. This leaves an eerie feeling, yet a slightly satisfying one being that the life lessons gained from "the Paradox" may have actually been applied. Furthering my research I came upon the poem quoted from a "Dr. Bob Moorehead." Being that I am an avid lie detector, I brilliantly searched long and hard for the creator of this life altering passage. Google.com was my life saver, and one of the first few links was to our good 'ole and trusty "snopes." 
The website proudly claimed that, yes, the author was this Bob, who in fact was a pastor. Was. In past tense: "Seventeen members of his congregation reported that he had sexually assaulted them," "these allegations prompted his resignation in 1998." 
Are we to dismiss this as a casual sermon given by a man who literally did not "practice what he preached," or are we to remain objective in the reading of this passage and take it as face value and respect this poem, prose, essay, sermon, life-lesson as it is- words meant to inspire you to make a change in your life? Unfortunately, we are now not ignorant of the source and therefor we will be subjective- use this subjectivity in your life. Realize that although the source may be soiled, each person can teach another regardless of his place. Bob Moorehead may have believed his message but was not strong enough to heed it's warnings. "Know Alef, teach Alef," be a real man worthy of the title and make choices. Don't let your life be a PARADOX. 

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