GROUND ZER0, New York, N.Y.--April 6, 2004 -- I have a choice today.   I can make today one of Terror or one of Vigilance, either a good or bad day can be had by me.
      But, like most of us, I try and squeeze myself in between the choices.   Like the kid who isn't eager to raise his hand in class for fear of being wrong, I often duck and weave, and pretend "today is just another day, a long continuum of previous days, another piece of colorless string in a great ball of string called "life."

        In other words, I hide from the day's bright side and dark side, or, attempt to.   I try and circumvent reality that dictates today will be as good as I make it or as bad as I make it, and that, no matter what I do, I cannot hide in the middle.
         A friend of mine once told me that I could not "coast" in life.   That is, there is no way I can avoid the gravity of life's pushes and pulls.   He underscored his statement with the comment:  "Cliff, the only direction you can coast is downhill.  Gravity will not allow you stand still."
     He further reminded me that people who think they are standing still in life are not.   He reinforced the fact the world turns on its axis at 1,000mph, and despite all efforts to hide under the covers of life, life was marching by at rapid speed.
     In a nutshell, he was telling me I had to either be Vigilant each day and accept life on life's term, or, be Terrorized by pretending I was powerless over it, and live in the shadows of Fear, Intimidation and Complacency regarding Time itself.
     Time.
     It is the reminder of our ultimate mortality and, the axis of our value.  Time reminds us we have a mission on this earth that extends beyond being fertilizer and worm food. 
     We can choose to be Sentinels of Vigilance.  We can choose to take the Pledge of Vigilance and subscribe to battling our Fear with Courage, to suppress our Intimidation with One Percent more Conviction, and to quash our Complacency with Right Actions that benefit the Children's Children's Children.

      Or, we can wait for the Beast of Terror to come chew us to death, slowly, painfully.
      I was reminded there is no middle ground this morning.
      Life is to be used to evolve, or, it becomes a grave disguised as a rut.
      This morning, I chose to rise out of the rut because it is, after all, Easter Season.  It is a time for all people to think through the renewal of their human vows, to reexamine the values of life and to see, hopefully, that the focus of their values should rest upon the future of the Children's Children's Children.
      If for no other reason to renew one's existence, it is that perhaps something one does may, in some circuitous manner, impact a child's life and make that life just a little better than it might have been had that person become Complacency about life's values and given up on it by refusing to embrace its ultimate purpose--the children's future.

       That's why the Pledge of Vigilance is a lifejacket for me.   When I wear it, I realize life has values beyond my meager vision of today being like yesterday, which was like the day before the day before, and that today might be the same as it was then and therefore not worth the effort.
        But then, when I think of the children exploring the world, and how I might possibly find some way to sweep the path they walk clear of the Beasts of Terror that lurk in the bushes to ambush the children and drive them, as they have me, into caves of despair and frustration, where Fear, Intimidation and Complacency line the walls, I am enthused to seek my broom and sweep the path for the children.
        This alone makes life worth living another day.
       

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The Pledge Of Vigilance