From Ben Stein

For this holiday season, I am posting excerpts from a segment of the CBS Sunday Morning program presented by Ben Stein. I found it particularly interesting.

My Confession by Ben Stein:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees: Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities, and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him.

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail, and they spread like wildfire. But when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.



My Best Regards,
Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Rather Write Than Breathe

I recently attended a romance writer’s conference held in Park City, Utah. The setting was breathtaking, the company wonderful and the food absolutely delicious.

The conference was a wonderful experience. The speakers—editors, agents, authors—were inspirational and their workshops full of invaluable information to any writer, beginner to published. Although inspired by the conference, I learned two discouraging facts: I’ll never be published by a large house, and I can’t write.

I WILL NEVER BE PUBLISHED
The reason for this is because of my life. With disabilities including Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction and Fibromyalgia as well as a mother of two autistic children, I can only write about one book a year. Apparently in order for publishers to be interested, you must be able to crank out at least four to five books a year—a definite drawback for me. Despite not being prolific, I do want a chance to share my love of story, make enough money to support my writing habit, to encourage other challenged writers and enjoy a little escape into my character’s lives.

Well, don’t go feeling too sorry for me. I have published three books. But the small e-publishing company I’m with doesn’t provide any promotional opportunities except my books listed on their website. With all of the challenging issues I face, it would be nice to have this added help that only a larger publishing house can give.

I CAN’T WRITE
The second thing I learned is: I can’t write. One of the agents brought an eight page list of self-editing tips. By the time I applied all of the corrections to my current manuscript, there wasn’t a sentence unturned.

I have to admit both of these revelations were humbling experiences but also very rewarding. Surprisingly, I’m not discouraged. I may never be the next JK Rowlings or Stephenie Meyer, and I may struggle with the written word, but I love to write. Whether I can write perfectly is irrelevant. A love for writing shines through the written word as the soul shines through the most troubled body. Here’s to all those writers who would rather write than breathe.