But Everybody's Doing It.

Perhaps we have become too distanced from Leave it to Beaver if we are ever willing to try this as an excuse anymore. Are there some people in today's society who hear those words and do not automatically think to themselves, "Well, if everyone was jumping off a bridge would you do that too?" Thanks to old shows with classic television moms like that, an entire generation of kids actually held that excuse in check simply because the response was so obvious.

Sadly though, the resurgence of this tired old excuse is becoming strong once again. Granted, it takes on various forms, but the basic message is the same. If the establishment is doing it, it must be the way to go.

"Mom, all the other kids' mom's are letting them. "

"But the U.N. says we need to go about it this way."

"I want to drive this because that's what all my friends drive."

"We need to do it this way because the biggest church in the U.S. does it."

My dad is an interesting guy. He loves to go against the establishment. He does not seek controversy at all; in fact he avoids it. But he often will see which way the wind is blowing before he turns into it instead of keeping it at his back. He gives money to causes he deems worthy rather than keeping it for himself. He cares nothing about current styles. He helps people who only seek to frustrate him. He votes for outcasts when a party has thrown their support behind a community leader.

He follows Jesus.

Maybe that's where he gets it. Jesus existed outside that which was deemed the establishment. He flew in the face of the Pharisees. He argued the merits of time-honored commerce. He earnestly pursued outcasts instead of reaching for the brass ring. He loved others with a passion that could never be properly returned.

I know intellectually that my opinion about my dad is impossible and cannot be true in the least, but I still in my heart believe that he has never chosen a path that he knew to be improper. I know he has made mistakes and his attempts at logic sometimes make me want to scream, but I still cannot imagine that he ever knowingly pursued a path that he knew was outside what he thinks Jesus would do or expect. People who have heard me talk about my dad know that I think he is a great big goober and even that is an enormous understatement. But when it comes to being anti-establishment, I only wish I were bold enough to be like him. Because I think that in doing so, I would in turn be more like Jesus.