There is a song by Lynyrd Skynard called Simple Man.  The lyrics basically show a mom giving her son some advice he should listen to when he gets older.  She wants him to be a "simple kind of man".  To get married and to do something he loves. To not lust after the "rich man’s gold".  To remember that there is "Someone up above".  All she wants is for him to be satisfied.   

Listening to that song one day I decided to share it with my mother who loved it.  My father and my mother had many times given me similar advice.  Today I still hear that advice every time I hear that song.   

I grew up with basic principles that were taught by my parents, and a few I had to learn the hard way. These principles along with the advice to be a “simple man” have given me a perspective about life.  I hope that by sharing these principals this will give you an idea of who I am.  When I post in the future, I hope that if you ever wonder why I say the things I say, you refer back to this post as a guide to understanding my point of view, before challenging me.  These are in no particular order.

Principal 1: Nothing in life is free.

                       My father worked very hard the entire time I was growing up.  We weren't rich and couldn't afford nice things, but we always had food on the table.  Many times it wouldn't be a lot, but it was always enough. If we wanted something we had to work for it.  His blood, sweat and tears were the reason we survived.  The lesson I learned was that nothing we had was free. Someone has to pay for it.  

 Principal 2: Always give thanks to God. 

             Before every meal in my family, we would stop bow our heads and pray, thanking God for the food he had given us.  If we got a car fixed or if my dad got a raise, we would stop as a family and thank God for His blessing. Although I have not been perfect in obeying this principal, I always try to take time out of my day and give thanks for all my blessings.

 Principal 3: There is a time and place for everything

             Always knowing that there is time and place for everything has helped me cope with hard times.  Having to make hard decisions is easier when knowing that maybe there is a time and place for those decisions.

Principal 4: Never hide from the truth.

            Humans are known liars.  They say the average person lies once for every 3 minutes of conversation and most don't even realize they are doing it.  I have learned that there are consequences for lies.  If you have done the right things, and the truth is on your side, you will always win in the end.

Principal 5:  Love, protect and defend your family.

            Family is most central institution on Earth.  We all have family members that go astray and fall into rough and troubling times.  However when you love and defend your family members, they will usually come around.  Always Love your family.

These 5 principals are in no way the only way to live your life.  In no way am I saying these are the 5 most important things to do.  I am simply saying that I try to use these 5 ideas to better help my life and interpret different situation.  I also hope that this will give all of you a better understanding of who I am. My future posts will generally be political in nature, and describe events as I see them.  I encourage constructive feedback and discussion. Hopefully we can all be Simple people.