February 17 more than a handful of us will trek to Nathan Bedford Forest State Park to continue the Lost Weekend tradition. A few notables will not be in attendance because of a schism within the Chub Squad. Those of you who haven’t gotten the full story deserve something of an explanation.
I have done my best over the past several months, in all good faith, to get both sides, to remain neutral, and to honor our bond of friendship. What follows is a general synopsis.
The schism essentially comes down to two approaches to friendship. One says you don’t talk about politics and religion, and intervene only under the most extreme circumstances. The other approach is that when one sees a friend one believes to be in distress, the concerned party must intervene, even if that means touching some of these raw-nerve issues. Like the underlying beliefs themselves, people arrive at their approach on their own, and must also bear the consequences of those decisions. The idea that subjective, personal feelings can cloud either approach cannot be overstated.
Wherever we stand on these approaches, we’re all adults capable of making our own decisions about friendship, lifestyle, and family as well as metaphysics and politics. No one among us is a fool or a person of unsound mind. We are all entitled to our beliefs and choices – they are intrinsic to who we are. We are different in the eyes of all, save God.
The Chub Squad is bound together by happy coincidence. We enjoy each other’s company, play games, eat bad food, and smoke cigars. This year there will be fewer of us doing so on Lost Weekend. But those of us who committed to going hold in no ill will those who made other plans. In fact, if everybody mysteriously showed up, our joy would overflow. And we hope that in coming years, we will all enjoy Lost Weekend together again.
Or, to put it another way… “Gentles--do not reprehend if you pardon, we will mend… Give me your hands if we be friends.” –Wm. Shakespeare
Love to all my Chub Brothers!
TTF
2 comments:
You guys need to all make up for the kids' sake. You are tearing little Timmy apart.
Nice one!
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