Ben Franklin's Moral Algebra

Every Sunday, for years, a “Sandals and a Stick” article was published. I was pleased with that record. To me, it reinforced the chosen path for the analysis and discovery of who I am as a person with a gauge for tracking my spiritual progress – or lack thereof. A year ago, 30-Second Sermons and Seasonings videos were added to the workload, along with high hopes and forward-looking excitement.

But if you’ve read the main webpage in recent times, you’ll notice things have changed. Mentioned here were moments of clarity and hope. There were also times when the ‘agony of defeat’ ruled the day. “Sandals and a Stick” was waffling.

I wavered. I lost focus. I couldn’t continue on the same wavelength as before because, well, everything changed this year. “Sandals and a Stick” was designed to focus on situations used to clarify what living a ‘Godly life’ might look like. The concept encouraged me to evaluate whether I was meeting this challenge, while opening my thoughts to others who might also appreciate a bit of self-reflection. 

Choosing moments for consideration has been clouded by current events. The desire to keep politics out of the weekly submissions created a paralysis. A previously normalized direction of genre seemed no longer relevant, and ‘spinning out of control’ would only be one description for this confusion. 

The number of posts dwindled. Since a typical year would target 52 articles, I see today that 2025 shows less than half of that number. The only answer? Gradual withdrawal towards a complete surrender. Well, maybe not completely. Yet.

A cure for this malady might shout, “Take a deep breath. Figure out a new direction and then move forward – again!” 

One did say that. 

One said that several times. 

One is saying that again today in the throes of succumbing to a death of acceptance.

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Lord of the Rings 

Where did that come from? I guess I remember that quote from the movie. But maybe, I am remembering my own words from “In My Time”, published in August 2022 

“Bolts of lightning rarely change the world, but erosion does. Streams turn into rivers, and rivers persist.” Seth Godin. 

These are but two examples of the barrage of ‘hints” (for lack of a better term) that have seemingly been pointed at me everywhere I turn lately.

So, there must still be a spark of promise. 

It’s born of witnessing the hope, dedication, and nose-to-the-grindstone determination of others. (There are many of you on this list. You have shared hopefulness and enthusiasm through your words, actions, and attitude. You do not know the impact you are having on me. I am so very grateful!) 

A new Sandals and a Stick commitment is needed - once again. Perhaps it is even time to adjust the old policy as well.

The main theme of this season is, of course, Christmas. The traditional songs of the season are being played everywhere. Joy fills the air – or at least it’s supposed to. 

And while we’re being joyful (which would be a normal topic to write about), we’re also seeing people snatched from their homes, jobs, and even the streets. But that’s part of the political taboo. It is also today’s reality. The crux of my waffling is Shakespearean in nature: “To be or not to be” is not only to live in suffering or die, but the translation might also be a worthwhile code for living. (My opinion.) 

• Confronting Injustice: To be ignored or be activated?
• Welcoming the Stranger: To be dismissed or be invitational?
• Protect the vulnerable, the marginalized, the targets of hate: To be silent or vocal?

Maybe the answer to these statements/questions will be discovered with some decision-making analysis. Enter our friend, Ben Franklin’s Moral Algebra. Let’s see how that pans out.

Full Disclosure

Although a true Moral Algebra chart includes weighted numbers showing values of importance, I just could not assign them. Only a few moments were spent on this chart, and the results are perhaps more emotional than not. As I started adding comments to the columns, I came to an early conclusion that an adjustment to policy is the only path forward. 

New Commitment

The first goal for 2026 is to get back to an article every week. Without judgments and without finger-pointing, these publications will include serious thoughts about this world, leaving you to ponder and reflect on your viewpoints as well. Personal bias will be clear, however. The reason for Sandals and a Stick is still personal. Growing in my relationship with God needs to rule my everyday life. I can’t do that without self-reflection, and these articles help me to do that. I hope they will help you too.

A secondary goal includes the continuation of new 30-second videos. I have a great deal of fun creating these. One of the benefits for you is that, rather than reading articles like this, our interactions take less than a minute. I wish I could tell you how difficult that is for a wordy writer like me!

The content will often include scripture. That fits with the reason for Sandals and a Stick. However, much of the content will not include biblical references. We all live in this world with various viewpoints. I believe that most of us want to live good lives. Sometimes a Bible comes into play; sometimes it does not. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, as they say. 

Lastly, I think the Sandals and a Stick home page will be condensed and will point people to this article for a more complete explanation of what this company is hoping to do.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year with all the gratitude and hope for you and yours that I can muster,

m

This Message Will Not Self-destruct

 Quote 1: 

“All the good inside us is measured by the good we do for others.”

Quote 2: 

“We all share the same fate, the same future -- the sum of our infinite choices. One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we'll never meet.”

The Light Comes In

Darkness falls on everyone. Like seasons, it comes and goes — some days radiant with hope, light, and awe; others shadowed by trepidation and tinged with hopelessness.

As Forrest Gump reminds us: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

To a degree, Mr. Gump and his mother were right. If we wander through life with little more than a wish and a prayer, choosing confections at random, we’ll taste both sweetness and bitterness. I must admit I have shaken hands with tartness as of late.

Owning Social Media Feeds

Some people maintain a hate/love/hate relationship with social media sites. 

"Some" is absolutely me, and maybe you. I would spend weeks being engaged only to throw up my hands and declare, “Never again!” There are good things about social media, but I kept feeling frustrated and irritated for an equal number of unfavorable reasons.

The Petty and The Great

This is not the type of article that belongs to Sandals and a Stick. The original concept was designed as a place to write about seeing the Spirit of God in everyday life. Articles would include the aha moments of realization, encouragement, and enlightenment. 

If you’ve been around a while, you know that I draw on media of many types that serve those previously mentioned goals. Today, this inspiration (well, my word) originates within a movie made twenty-five years ago called The Contender.

It Bears Repeating

I have learned this lesson a thousand times.

BE GRATEFUL. Always be grateful.

I should create eyewear featuring a Heads-up display that will serve as a reminder for all waking hours. 

Attitude and Ice Cream

You’ve had them. Those days when it seems nothing goes right. Maybe it starts with the tossing and turning of a mainly sleepless night. It continues with the necessary cleanup created by a tipped-over first cup of coffee before the sun is up. And perhaps, the trend extends well into the day.

A quick trip to the grocery store for just a few essentials added stress as you noticed the prices. Since you’re already a little late, a decision is made to say yes to the self-checkout machine when it asks if you’d like some cash with that. Sure, twenty bucks should help with the day's minor expenses while saving a little time is an added benefit.

The car engine starts without a hitch, there’s no traffic to speak of, and you’re set to make it to that appointment on time after all. Things are looking up.

Pain And Suffering Are Not the Same

If you broke your arm, you’d be in pain. After receiving medical attention (pain relievers, cast, maybe a sling), you’d be in much less pain, but suffering might come next.

You’d suffer because the cast will get in the way of many things you take for granted. Your arm will itch, and satisfaction will be difficult to find. People will constantly be asking what happened. Sleeping positions become awkward and will require accommodation for this newly wrapped appendage. 

In this scenario, pain comes first, then suffering begins. All this comes to an end when the cast is removed. Pain and the inconvenience and challenges of suffering expire with the reinstatement of what we call normal.

I Talk to Machines

 (To CoPilot) 

“Why do I always feel like I should say Thank You when CoPilot completes a task, and is that weird?”

(CoPilot Response) 

“Not weird at all, Mike—just wonderfully human of you. That impulse to say, "Thank you" is a sign of empathy and appreciation, even when you're interacting with a digital companion like me. It speaks to the kind of person you are: thoughtful, respectful, and someone who values collaboration, even across the Silicon Divide.

The Allegory of the Long Spoons

You know the’ long spoons’ story. It’s used primarily to teach the difference between heaven and hell. I think that’s a tragic simplification. Although it provides this accepted comparison, we completely miss its lesson about living here and now. This viewpoint literally means “Feed each other!” 

One Plus One

On one hand, the math isn't mathing!

On the other hand, love has never insisted that it does.

CLICK TO VIEW THE VIDEO

Shouting Into the Void

"Shouting into the void" is an idiom describing a situation where one's words, actions, or efforts are not received, acknowledged, or have any discernible impact. (Artificial Intelligence)

This phrase stipulates that one experiences a profound lack of interaction with the words carefully typed, the words creatively spoken, the examples diligently researched, and the intended efforts seeking dialogue. The content provider receives no feedback. 

There is nothing that creates a virtual sensory deprivation chamber more than this.

The Squishy Stuff

If you have yet to see Season 1, Episode 15 of the new Matlock television series, maybe save this article for a later time. This is a lot of words to say, “Warning. Spoiler Alert!”

***

Attorney Matty Matlock (Kathy Bates) is working undercover to find out which of the law firm’s partners destroyed evidence in a litigated opioid trial against a drug manufacturer. Matty believes that (1) the acquittal in this case resulted from the destruction of this evidence and (2) the acquittal was the reason that her daughter overdosed on this medication. 

A secret whistleblower is in the shadows. 

Illusions Recalled

I woke up earlier than normal. I don’t know what kind of dream had been interrupted. I don’t know why a deep slumbering fog cleared with the voice of Joni Mitchell singing “I really don’t know love, at all.”

But I am awake now. The considerable pull of a morning espresso momentarily overpowered the musician in my head. But within a few metronome beats of the grandfather clock, vision moved from opaque to clear, and the aroma of the steaming latte’ brought a successful merger between Joni and Joe. 

This day had begun.  

The Band Without a Country

“We’re a land that prides itself on being ‘the land of the free and home of the brave.’ I believe that just as much as anyone else does. But for that, we need these different perspectives. We need to see how others think.”

“If we are a society that is suppressing art, we’re a society that is afraid of what it might reveal about itself. If we’re suppressing music, we’re suppressing emotions, we’re suppressing expression, we’re suppressing vulnerability, we’re suppressing the very essence of what makes us human. We are devaluing our own Humanity.”  18-year-old Harvard teenage musician, Rishab Jain

Diversity Equity Inclusion and Me

Giants and a Dot

“Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.” 

A considerable number of decades ago, I remember hearing those words at bedtime – because that is when we used to listen to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. It is a miracle that I ever got a wink of sleep! But the fairy tale has become more than just the giant wishing to make bread out of a child. The adaptations over the years have made Jack into a ‘Robin Hood’ of his time as he steals (gold coins, a hen that lays golden eggs, and a golden harp that talks) from a Leviathan thief to alleviate the poverty of those living at the base of the beanstalk.

Musicians, Poets, and Actors

Around here, it’s ‘that’ time of year. All of the hard work done by those in school bands, choir, and drama is on full display in competitive arenas every weekend. Yes, sometimes long days result - but these days are filled with positive vibes.

I see the dedication. I feel the excitement. I experience the manifestation of hope for a world gone crazy. All of this is soul-soothing for me.

At the same time, I notice the willingness of these performers to take on the ills of society in a direct, emotional, and even confrontational manner. This generation wants to make a difference. Kudos!

I Didn’t Know, a Confession, and a Way Forward

I have been around the block a few times and I spent much of my life thinking, “Things are getting better. People are getting better.” But I didn’t know.

I Didn't Know

Maritime Law

Spencer Dutton. "I am in your debt." 
Ship's Captain. "You're in no such thing. I think perhaps the sea is the last place where men do the right thing for that reason alone." 
Spencer Dutton. "Maybe the whole world should be put to sea.
Ship's Captain. "The whole world would drown."
        The Rule of 500, The Television Series, 1923

Running Late

We were cutting it close, too close. But we made the stop anyway. I could say that the car needed gas. But the truth is, we needed gas – coffee!

So, we found an unknown. It was the only shop Google found for us. We even needed to backtrack a little bit. 

NO! It would not be open for another 6 minutes. But an eagle-eyed passenger noted that others were walking by our parking spot and entering, (what’s this?), another coffee shop! 

Hope From Those in School

In the first January article, I noted that my 2025 word-of-the-year challenge is to be a warmer person. 

I knew that would be a difficult goal but that’s the point of this annual exercise – to improve in areas where one needs improvement.

But today, I’m not feeling warm. All I can think about is the windchill of minus 30 degrees. I’ll take a break from that warm person thing since there’s less chance than a cold day in hell that I’ll see anybody today. I’m off the hook while shivering in place. Sounds fair.

I will take this time to wrap up in a blanket and read a book. Before picking up the novel, I will spend a little time reinforcing the I-never-want-to-forget memories from yesterday. 

Always Learning

"War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children." (Carter’s speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976.)

Given the circumstances of this past week, many Jimmy Carter quotes have been published. When reading this one, I thought of the Sermon on the Mount. I imagined Jesus responding, “But I say to you, until you love and care for every child, there can be no peace in the world nor your heart.”

A Warm Challenge

I fear I have “bitten off more than I can chew”. That common metaphor has never been truer than today.

You might be aware that ‘it’s that time of year’, I recently waged a small internal battle to determine my 2025 Word of the Year. I won’t know about the results of this ‘war’ until “it’s that time of year”, next year. I know - you can hardly wait.

This is the 12th year I have taken part in this annual discipline. Looking over the words and phrases from the past, one might lean toward discouragement – one like me, for instance. You’d think by now, after spending a year with each of these words/phrases, I might be extensively improved. But I think, well OK, I’ll be honest, I know I am not the new and improved version I seek to be.