Principles vs. Slither Spines & Pop Rock Fled the Romans
⁘ “Have you got principles? Roots well-set in the bedrock — a spine that holds you straight? Or just an invertebrate slithering through life — house without solid foundations? Said Peter, "Yes Jesus, how we dig you! We'll stand by your side. True till death forever and ever." We know how that story went. When you hold the line — those are principles.”
Have you got principles?
Roots well-set in the bedrock,
a spine that keeps you standing straight.
If not, then how flimsy you remain,
an invertebrate slithering through life,
a house built without solid foundations.
Oh, but I believe in this and this and this, say your lips.
But talk is cheap, my friend, your mouth a hollow hearth.
Said Peter, "Yes Jesus, how we dig you!
We'll stand by your side.
True till death forever and ever."
Come the third rooster's crow with the Roman legions...
"Oh, I know nothing at all,
I had nothing to do with any of this."
Okay.
So that's not a rock there – that's just pop.
Now, what are principles made of?
First, certainly, from clear recognition,
evaluation of what should be.
And beyond that, the decisions you make,
those affirm the principles.
Without that, they are simply ideas.
When push comes to shove,
when it's time to hold the line,
if you flicker, if you bend.
Those were not principles.
Those were simply ideas propping your identity.