Rules for Men

Rule Number 1: Cowboy up

There are times in life when things just aren't fair, people don't treat you right, and luck isn't going your way. It's in these times that you can tell how deep the a is being tested and what's beneith his surface appearence.

Rule Number 2: Crying

A man cries tears of joy. He cries tears of profound gratitude or sadness. But he never cries for himself.

A man doesn't whine and lament the wrong doings of others with crocadile tears in his eyes.

Rule Number 3: Pain is a challenge

When faced with any kind of pain, be it sincere enough to bring tears to a man's eyes or of the physical kind, the man sees this not as a setback, but as a step forward. With pain comes the oportunity to grow and overcome challenges of life. A man looks at pain as an enemy, a friend, a leader; a necessary adversary to the boy.

Rule Number 4: A man needs a woman

Every man needs a woman in his life. At times this role will be provided by a mother or sister, and at times a friend; but no woman will ever be as valuable to a man as his wife. And a man without a wife runs the risk of falling back into boyhood.

Rule Number 5: The Protector

A man protects the weak and innocent. 

Rule Number 6: No splitting hairs

A simple statement given by a man should be conscise enough to be clearly understood by his peers. Men do not mince words. They do not hide their intent in obscurety or vague statements. No, when a man speaks, his words are to be well thought out and complete. If it is not correct a man should not say it; nor should he repeat poorly constructed statements of partial truths without filling in the whole to correctness.

Rule Number 7: Gossip & Chatterboxes

A man does not suffer fools to fill the air with chatter unbecoming of themselves or others. He does not gossip. 

Rule Number 8: A man speaks to what he knows

There are a great many things a man is expected to know, one of which is to not speak on things he knows nothing about. Having an opinion is often overrated when the subject is outside a man's particular studies. Expressing an uninformed opinion for any reason but to ask it as a question to one who has an expertise in the matter is the action of a child.

Rule Number 9: A man asks questions

It is often said that there's no such thing as a stupid question. This is not true. But a man who never asks the stupid questions will have his opinions formed by stupid assumptions. So ask them. Learn.

Rule Number 10: There are no stupid questions

Yes, I know, you're thinking rule 10 is in conflict with rule 9 aren't you? Well you'd be wrong.

When in leadership there are no stupid questions from those you are expected to lead. A man in leadership should be approachable (through propper channels) to be asked almost anything, by anyone.

If you want those you are leading to be stupid tell them to keep their stupid questions to themselves.

If you want those you lead to be wise and well informed, and proficient in what they do, gake time to flesh out every stupid question (on the propper subjects) they have.

Rule Number 11: A man must recognize the caveats

Things are spoken in a context. A man is required to discern the context of a given statement and apply that knowledge to his thinking and response. Not doing so is dishonest.

The context matters. And from a propper context, a man can infere correctly any caveats in a given statement that are required for adepth understanding and rebuttle.

Rule Number 12: Kindness

Generally speaking, a man is kind. He is kind to his enemies. He is kind to his family. He is kind to animals. He is kind to himself.

A man must be kind to maintain honesty and perspective.

Rule Number 13: Hell & Righteous fire

Hell on earth is an angry man. While a man can be angry for good reason it is always best to have righteous indignation over anger. A man's wrath should be that of heaven, not of hell.

To know and master the difference makes a wise man.

Rule Number 14: The Cross

A man is ready to be a martyr. A weak man is unsure enough in his convictions that he will not die for his cause. A strong man will not even think of his life when it comes to his convictions, and he will die before he wavers.

Rule Number 15: Choose you battles

A man may not know what he will lay his life on the line for until it arises, if he has never considered losing it. Cowards are chosen, often because they never choose, while the brave and wise will position themselves according to their values. Both will fight in the end, but only fools & cowards will wonder what for.

Rule Number 16: To fight

A man will fight for something. Boys just fight. If there is no objective to be achieved there is no chance of winning.

Rule Number 17: Win or Lose

Men compete. It is a healthy and nessicary activity. It is also inherent. Men will compete, if not with eachother then with themselves, with their spouse, their children, their friends, strangers etc. Having a healthy and open competition is a vital requirement for being a man.

With competition comes stakes. If there are no stakes the competition simply becomes boyish fighting. Fighting is for children.

Rule Number 18: Grace

When a man wins he is graceful. He is thankful for the challenge he has overcome and benevolent to the loser. Whether it is an enemy in war or a friendly sport, a man is required to be graceful in victory. 

In war he is expected to tend the wound of the fallen, honor the dead, and treat his captives with dignity and love.

In sport, a man who wins should accept the congratulations of an oponent just as gracefully and with as much humility as if he were congratulating his victor.

In losing a man should be humble and contrite.

In war he should offer grace to his enemy, even as a captive. He should be grateful when his wounds are bound and offer himself where he is useful to the mending of the injured in battle. And while a man is under no obligation to be of use in the enemy's war efforts, a man should carry himself with pride in his labors and honor himself and his countrymen in all that is asked of him, but never betray his convictions.

In sport an man is humbled by a loss and grateful to the victor. He should congratulate the winners with grace and love.

And in all scenarios, win or lose, a man is expected to learn from his mistakes and from the performances of his oponents, to better himself.

Rule Number 19: Love

A man must love. He must learn the actions of it as well as the inner emotions and exhibit them where apropriate. He need not be a bundle of joy or overtly lovable in any way, but to those he is required to care for he must be available to give and recieve love.

Rule Number 20: Keep going

A man knows times will be tough. He keeps going, because for every tough time there's an equally easy one. For every ugly, depressing day there's a beautiful, bright and sunny one, full of joy. A man keeps on going tbrough those darker times because he knows it's gonna be worth it later. He knows pain brings growth if he can just get past it.

Which brings us to...

Rule Number 21: No man is an island

It doesn't matter who you are: a man needs somebody. He can't go it alone for all the rules I've listed above. And just as a man needs all these things, is expected to be all these things, he also needs and expects them from others. There's nothing a man should require of others that he's not willing to give of himself. When a man's alone he has nothing to require of others, and thus nothing to require of himself.

Rule Number 22: Faith

A man without God is lost. He is callus and cold. Having faith seperates the men from the boys. Boys will always have their mothers to answer to. Men will answer to God. That might be a subtle distictions, but a good man will fear the wrath of both his mother and God, because he recognizes that he's a child of both. Boys might fear their mothers, but to them God is just a fairy tale.

Rule Number 23: Work

A man works. It's unavoidable really. A man is either working by his own design or by that of some one else. Boys toil. Men work. The difference is the reward and objective.

Having a job is no fun. But being a man is. Sometimes you have to do a joyless task in order to afford the things that make you a man.

A man at work does his best. He doesn't cut corners or shirk. He doesn't judge his performance by the performance of others, but by his own capabilities. Neither does he cut his performance based of a lack if showing by his peers. He does his best work, or he toils in boyhood.

Rule Number 24: Reward

A man who works for nothing is either a fool or a very charitable man with few needs. On the popular ocasion of a man working who is neither a fool nor motivated by charity, he is working for reward. 

A man must know his worth; and his worth can be assessed by evaluating his adhearence to the Rules for Men. If the work isn't worth a man's time he knows it and does not waste himself on it. A man does not toil where he is neither needed nor properly compensated. Such employment is for boys.

Rule Number 25: The inflated man

Often times we meet an inflated man; one whose worth doesn't measure up to his status or position in life. He might be your boss, a leader, a teacher, and most often, a politician.

While it's annoying (and disheartening) to see these inflated men out in the world, the real men pay them little mind. Because the inflated man, most times, is no real obstacle to a man. He's just a pain in the ass, and we've already covered what pain means to a man.

If a man find himself faced with such an obstacle as an inflated man hindering the way, he need only remind himself of rules 3, 15 & 20... and 22... hell, probably best to keep them all in mind; but mostly remember they are only a temporary pain in your ass so choose you battles wisely and keep on keeping on.

Rule Number 26: It all washes out

If you've made it this far in life you can probably look back and see the times you thought were huge mountainous challenges have passed by like a babbling brook instead of the tsunami you might have fear at the time. And maybe there were some great floods too. But you're here now with all that behind you.

Remind yourself once in a while what hou've already overcome, and how big those challenges seemed before. You'll need those reminders when you look forward and see tge daunting road ahead of you.

A man knows that the road is always hard ahead, but it is always worth the journey.

Rule Number 27: Help other on the path

Because the road is always hard ahead a man knows he must help others on the way. For one day ahead of him may be an obstacle he will need help getting past. Perhaps one you lift up today will be there to lift you up. We are all on the same path. 

Rule Number 28: The path

A man knows his path. It is the only path. 

Rule Number 29: Straying from the path

When a man strays from the path he must correct himself. Since we are all on the same path, if a man strays there is no one to help him find his way back. He must correct his course alone. If he doesn't, if he finds himself listening to others who have strayed from the path, he will toil and flounder with them. Only he can correct himself. Once back on the path he can expect a helping hand from other men still striving forward. He must accept it.

Rule Number 30: Accepting charity

When a man is down on his luck is no time for pride to kick in and make a bad situation worse for him. Everbody needs help once in a while, and not because they've failed or are bad at being men. The truth is that the road is always harder ahead. So if a man is down amd out there are a lot of reasons he may need a little charity coming his way. When a man needs help he accepts it. No "ands, ifs or butts" about it. And he doesn't try to repay it either. He pays it forward when he can.

Rule Number 31: Go your own pace

Since we're all on the same path, heading the same way, there's no need to race. The path isn't to a destination, so there's no point in competing. If some one's ahead of you, that's good for them. It makes no difference to your journey one way or another. Going your own pace may help you from falling down once in a while. It can be the reason you're available to help others along the way, and not needing charity yourself. There's no glory in being ahead of anyone else and no shame in being behind. You're only competing with yourself, so go at your own pace.

Rule Number 32: Give 100%

There is nothing below 100%. Commit or don't bother. It's that old saying "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." And it's true. You wouldn't accept a contractor building 90% of a house and calling it done. Don't accept anything less than giving 100% from yourself.

Rule Number 33: Nobody is perfect but God

Even though a man gives 100% doesn't mean he gets 100%. That's how he learns his limits and stretches himself for the next effort.

Rule Number 34: There will always be a next time

If it doesn't work out this time, don't get down. There will be a next time. Likewise, when it all goes well, it's no time to be laxed; there will be a next time.

Rule Number 35: The Enemy Never Rests

A man is diligent. He is trained. He is ready. Because the enemy never rests. There will always be another fight, challenge, another foe. Stay focused and tuned for good.

Rule Number 36: The enemy is no dummy

The only dummy is the guy who takes victory for granted. The enemies of a man are organized, trained, devious, intelligent, adaptable, and smart.

who is hillbilly flyer?

Where did the name hillbilly flyer come from? (you didn't ask, but I'm gonna tell you)

I was raised in a one room shack with an out house out back, with my 5 brothers & sister, along with my parents.

That was life until I was 9. I am a literal hillbilly.

From 9 to 19 I lived everywhere from California to Arkansas, over 21 moves in those ten years. Most places didn't last more than a month or two.

At 17 my parents settled im Arkansas with me and my younger brother. We lived in tents & a small camper til we built another small shack, and eventually a small home.

My father and I placed every cinder block, salvaged every 2x4, hammered every nail.

Arkansas was my first "home" at 17.

At 19 my parents divorced.

I found myself living in a rented room with my two older brothers in Utah.

I had no education. My parents gave up on trying to keep me in school after the 3rd grade. I barely had a pair of shoes to my name.

Around this time I began having a recurring dream that would keep my nights full for the next ten years- the hardest years of my life.

In the dream I would always will myself into flight. It was hard. It took all my concentration. I often wavered and fell, but I always flew in my dreams. I felt powerful and free.

Over the next ten years I struggled with education (trying to go to college,) trying to find steady work that had a future, figuring our how social structures work (how to have, make & be friends,) how to date, how to open a bank account, how to drive in traffick, and how to find sanity with mental illness triggered by stress.

In these years I struggled with addiction to porn, I lost my faith, I was haunted by demons and kept company with evil spirits, I struggled to see reality from paranoia, I lost my opportunity to serve my country, I failed college, I got into debt, I became homeless, and I tried to kill myself.

Through all of this I still had the dream. I wrote music. And I had one friend who genuinely loved me, Nyrie. She saved my life.

Hillbilly Flyer was the name I performed open mics under. It was born out if that dream that gave me hope through all those hard times. It gave me a taste of what was possible and planted a seed that never died.

Even though my music never turned into anything, hillbilly flyer still lives on. I've abandoned the capital letters because I realized that ego was the source of all my suffering. At 19 I didn't know how to ask for help. I was too busy being scared to be humble.

At 32 I met the love of my life. My Arkansas princess who I met by chance at 15. Even though I only lived there for a month or two, she remembered me & I remembered her. We've now been together for 13 years and married in 2018.

I am learning to fly. It's still hard at times but I'm making good progress. At 19 I would have never thought I'd be where I am today.

I am hillbillyflyer. Ever changing, ever growing. Going up.

On Rumble

 Rumble... 

I have hopes, but they are repeating the same exclusivity pattern with features that Twitter did, giving higher tier access to select accounts behind a secret wall.

Streaming on Rumble is kind of a pain in the ass compared to the ease of youtube or twitch.

It's is forgivable for a small platform starting out, but Rumble is past that. How much did they pay certain personalities to move over there? Yeah, they aren't a little mom and pop app. They want to be with the big boys but have you believe they are just grassroots little guys.

There's a dishonesty in the way Rumble presents itself and runs their site.

You never got that with Parler for example, and we all know what happened there. Rumble isn't going against the main tenant of big tech. If they did they would be at war.

"free speech" is the brand. Rumble is the proving ground as to the financial viability of so called free speech. The truth is that they don't actually care what you say, and never did. They care who says it.

You see some of this same dishonesty in Truth social. It was too close to Parler, people sniffed it out. Parler didn't move to Truth. They came to twitter, now X, and that remains the distinct difference between the so called free speech platforms.

If I were to rank them it would go X 1st, Rumble 2nd, and Truth 3rd, in equal free speech for users. Yet even X has stated that free speech does not equal freed reach; which is that main tenant of big tech: control not what is said, but who gets seen when saying it & when.

Rumble has a looser vision of reach than X or Truth does, but it isn't unfettered. Access to advanced features of the site are limited by status, just as twitter has been. But when Musk & X are opening up their access and transparency Rumble is not.

On X you can now basically see a set of features and their price points. On X, if you want more access to the site and it's features you simple pay for the service. That doesn't exist (yet?) on Rumble.

Although Rumble recently opened up their streaming features to all accounts, it really is just not enough in the long run. The site is a jumbled mess. Features are missing. Features are hidden to smaller accounts without any info on how to achieve them (even twitch has that.) Hopefully this will change.

Hopefully I will see more as my channel there grows. But into what? To what end? Well I guess that's all on me because Rumble doesn't seem to have a long term path for their users. Their vision seems fairly narrow and short sighted. And that's a huge misstep considering they attract (and intend to) the kind of creators that are looking to a longer future.

Woke movie reviews (not what you think)

Blue Beatle is genuinely bad. Maybe the worst written movie I've ever seen.

I don't care about "woke." It's not about that. (Mind you, this is coming from some one who stands my the statement that "Barbie is one of the best, and most important films ever made in my lifetime" and should win best picture. I am  not interested in the politics of woke movies.) Blue Beatle is just bad writing.

The era of visual story telling could be great. Blue Beatle could be great. What messes all these films up is the exposition, every time. It's like they 'draw' the story board first, budget the project based on those visuals, and then plug in writers (because they have to fulfill contracts.) I don't know anything about the industry, but I'd bet money that's exactly what happens with these films, so it's no wonder the writers don't give a $#!t about the product.

It doesn't take a genius to know that when your 'talent' (or employees) don't care about their work, the work suffers.

Barbie is good (even if it is woke) because the people who made that movie cared about what they were producing.

Blue Beatle is bad because those involved clearly don't care. It is just fulfilling a contract- checking boxes and moving on. They didn't care if it was a success, good, or even made money. The boxes got checked & the unions got paid. The product is of little interest.

Visual story telling can work. But when actors get paid by the line, when writers are built into the project, when directors & producers are all on retainer, there's little room for anyone who cares what gets produced. Scenes are overwritten, rushed, incomplete, chopped together... the only people who might have cared about this movie were the editors, and I've got to figure that after a few hours of trying to turn $#!t into gold even they check out and check boxes.

The movie would improve greatly if 90% of the dialogue was cut.

Why I'm pissed. a rant.

I grew up in a world, & country, where things generally worked as advertised. We were told we can be anything, do anything, become anything if we apply ourselves and work hard for it. Maybe... maybe that's still true as it was, for some, but for an increasing majority it becomes less true every day.

Why I'm pissed all the time:

Although the "you can be president" line was never actually true, we understood it to be an ideal that we all strive for. Maybe you couldn't be president, but you could work hard and get close, and maybe- just maybe... It wasn't determined by how much of a sell out you were or how much of your soul you were willing to taint, or even by how much filth, lies, scum & debauchery you were willing to accept of put up with. It was determined by how hard you worked toward it and how dedicated you were willing to be, and none of that required abandoning your principals or beliefs because there was always another door, another opportunity, another group or company that would appreciate those values and your hard work & work ethic.

But no more.

For most of my life I wasn't able to "apply" myself toward any future. I wasn't able to do that until my 20s at the earliest, but by then one's life is often riddled with so much baggage that becoming anything other than what was already primed is usually impossible. And I was primed to be an absolute wreck of a human.

It's an unusual circumstance than, generally speaking, I've found that the only people who begin to understand are those who have escaped a cult or grew up in a 3rd world, impoverished, socially broken country.

I never went to school before college age, apart from a year or two (collectively) scattered across k-4th grade. You can't imagine the trauma of becoming an "adult" and having to figure this life out with no concept of how society actually works; combine that with an extremely introvert personality who is (non-diagnosed) on the spectrum, is dyslexic, and is suffering from several mental health crises like ptsd & schizoid episodes that devolved into delusional, psychotic, & dangerous choices.

Put me in an algorithm and more likely than not I end up dead or in prison.

I was suicidal for the better part of ten years. College & applying myself were low priorities, and really impossible for me.

Yet, I fucking applied myself anyway, and broke free of my programming.

If I were anywhere near the same 20 year old today I probably wouldn't make it. It's so hard to see hope in the world anymore. It's hard to see a future that one can build for themselves that isn't locked behind some social or economic barrier they will never reach. It seems to day that all the pieces in the monopoly game have been take  and the best you can hope for is to watch those lucky enough to get a piece play in futility because the banker is cheating, and everybody knows they cheat but it's their game and everyone wants to play. So it's sitting on the side lines watching the others have "fun" or nothing.

And yes, I know the monopoly game reference dates me. Kids don't play board games anymore.

But this isn't a game. It's life, my life, your life, our children's future, our country.

At some point I made it out of becoming what I was primed to be. I found peace of mind, comfort & hope of a future me that is successful and free of all the bullshit. Luckily I found all that before the world turned into whatever hellscape it is now.

It bothers me deeply that opportunities I was at liberty to squander have been completely removed from the thoughts of younger people. The ideal "we" all subscribe to isn't that 'you can do or become anything if you apply yourself' anymore, but instead has become some twisted vision where we just are or not, nothing to try for, nothing to look forward to, no changing of stripes; If you are broken that's okay, go join the broken ones.

You don't have to be broken. You shouldn't accept this world as it is. It can be better, but you have to make it so. You have to try. You have to apply yourself. You have to break down those hidden barriers and demand more of those you patronize. But in order to do anything, and have power over your future, you must know where power comes from in each given dynamic or system. You have to know the power of economy and your worth as a worker & consumer; but to learn that you have to work hard, apply yourself to what you do, be it for yourself or other, and do everything you can to produce the best product or service you are capable of, and then push yourself to become better at it. This is the only way to learn the power of self worth, the dollar, and the consumer. 

These three are what has been lost from this new world. The lack of self worth, the lack of knowledge of the value of the dollar, the lack of respect of the consumer and knowledge of their worth combined has created a world of static classes with no hope of becoming more than the cast one has been given. (And I say given, not born into for a reason. In this world you are no what you are born, but are what you will be ordained by this world to be. Be it a celebrity or a scrub, it is no longer up to you in any way. It is decided by those with power over you.)

This is why I am so often pissed. Not for my sake most of the time. As I said, I've found comfort and peace. It is for the sake of those born in this world I am pissed. They will grow up not knowing how unnaturally contrived what they will see as normal society is. Certain concepts that have been the trademarks of this passing golden age of humanity will be lost and foreign to them. Concepts like work ethic, costumer service, pride in one's work, ideals, innovation, breaking the mold, etc., are all but lost already to those who remember living with them. 

What hope do the young have when we who remember choose to forget or abandon, to stop fighting for the things that created the greatest age of prosperity in remembered human history? We are priming them for a dark age. That's why I'm pissed. And you should be too.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: A True One Issue Race

The magic of a good salesman is to be able to offer you something so fantastic that it revolutionizes the way you think and present it in such a way of confidence, with credentials, that you will then ask the salesman to confirm the very fantastic thing he just told you.

That was Trumps magic in 2016. "I know the system is corrupt because I use it" was just one of his many revolutionary platform statements. When the salesman makes a statement like that honestly he can sell you anything. Trump did and sold half the country on it.

Fast forward to 2020. Trump was unable to sell anyone anything. It was now the Democrats and Statists that had the fantastic line: he's corrupt! And who did everyone look to for verification? The very source of the fantastic.

Trump was unable to overcome this regardless of how the votes turned out. Too many people were unable to care about 81 million votes for a few reasons:

For starters, Trump was corrupt, he admitted to being so in 2016. That was the double-edged sword of his magic. Nobody forgot it, especially swing voters from the Democratic party.

Second was the Biden (or the Statists') line about "the adults" running things again. People were relieved when they saw windows being covered, magic boxes of Biden votes showing up at 3 am, and pipes bursting- shutting down entire voting populations that would vote for Trump. People were relieved that "they" wouldn't let the con-man back in office to sell them again: because the real betrayal of Trump (to them) is that, as the 'outside' man who saw how corrupt it all was, he never delivered on cleaning out the swamp. Fool me once... and I'll abstain or vote 3rd party, or in the case of the Democratic swing voter who was still in dire straits since 2016 watching their cities burn, voting against Trump was a small consolation they could afford themselves, because they had zero to lose.

So Biden wins 2020 (one way or another, it doesn't matter because in the end it was the magic that made the difference anyway, not the votes.) So how does Trump overcome this in 2024? I don't think he can. I don't think he or his team knows what happened in 2020. Thus, if Trump becomes the Republican nominee he will be set up for disaster. He has already proven that he can't be trusted to "clean up the swamp" so what other platform does he have? "I was robbed" is going to fall on deaf ears of a nation that watched its cities burn, has given in to climate extremism, has record homelessness and drug addiction, and can barely afford to care at all. What is Trump selling us this time?

The only answer Trump can afford is China. If that becomes his platform (and I believe it will) he has a chance again. But will it be enough?

On the other side 2024 the Democrats have the same issue. They have been thoroughly burned on being the "adults in the room" and their great equalizer, Biden, has been proven to be everything they said Trump was on the corruption front in 2016 (and worse for them, with connection to China.) Selling Ukraine isn't going so well since so many Americans are just tired of nation building policies, not to mention the obvious fraud involved there. And stability of any kind, social policies, etc., will get them laughed at in the ballot boxes in every city in America.

So the Democrats have wokism (which is just a brand of the WEF, and a thin veil of Communism...) but name me a Democrat that isn't a communist or Socialist. You can't, because there isn't one. But do the Democrats have the base in numbers large enough to remove the veil and run on Communism? (I hope they think so, because either way, 2024 will be a one issue race: China, or Communism.) It would be nice to simply have these things out in the open for one election in my lifetime.

"Vote Communist" vs "Vote Freedom" seems easy enough. It won't be for many, but it will seem to be for most. Until the votes come in.

In the end it doesn't matter who the nominees are. It only matters if they know what the 2024 election is about. Trump has a weakness of making everything about himself. If he does, if '24 becomes about vindication of retribution for 2020, he is DOA to many voters.

The Democrats, whoever they put forth, will simply be the flavor of the week. The candidate will stand for nothing, speak of nothing, promise everything, and will undoubtedly be against, or for everything depending on the wind; but will ultimately be Communist to their core. They will be anything and everything needed to achieve the power. In any case they will be a magic salesman, of that you can be certain.

Judgment

If I am at all good it is because my father preceded me, and if I am in any way bad it is because I've ignored the lessons layed out be him.

At the judgment I will be his advocate for all the lessons I have learned by his example, all the hazards I've been able to avoid, and for all the pain he suffered before me that helped me avoid the same.

My father is no saint, but he has suffered as one for my sake. He's also no example of good living or moral fortitude. He is in fact a man with demons & desires that rule him, just as many are. Had he had no children there would be no virtue in his sin; no lessons learned by his example, no paths blazed through turmoil, followed or avoided. He would have no advocate of this life.

When a man dies he leaves behind his memory and deeds. He is purified by time and distilled into one legacy. That memory falls mostly on his children to maintain or abandon; his foolishness, his savagery, his kindness;failures; successes; whims & fits all are at the mercy of those he leaves behind.

With what emotion should we remember the dead? (And don't say honest- for that is an impossibility when remembering.) Should we be kind & forgiving, even not understanding? Should we be cold and practical, tallying them up like a scoreboard? Should we forgive & forget, moving on and not remembering at all? Do we have a duty to those who've gone before us? If so what when remembering, and what will be our testimony of them on our judgement day?

I don't have children. For that I may be judged. But whatever judgment made against me for having not, I imagine it is little compared to the lack of witnesses I will leave behind when I die. There will be no souls saved by my example; no lessons learned by the next generation. 

Memory of my life will not live on much beyond my final breath; and I will stand before my maker then, and He will ask, what witnesses have you of your works? I will say none. When all my enemies will line up to testify, there will be none to rebut.