Many families have a "rich uncle," and I had mine. My father's brother had the knack.  Whatever he did seemed to prosper.  A product of hard times in the Great Depression, he had known poverty, scratching out a living on his father's truck farm raising vegetables for market. He was highly motivated to do well and he had the energy, drive and desire to pursue his dreams and ambitions.  As the years rolled by, his efforts paid off as he plowed the earnings from his automobile business into real estate.

"Unity" is a beautiful word.  For me, it has the connotation of strength, peace and tranquility.  It is great when a family, a business, a church or a nation is united, unified, hanging together, being of one mind. Imagine what can be accomplished when everyone is pulling in the same direction, pursuing compatible goals and pressing forward with a common purpose. There have only been rare glimpses of such a state of affairs in this country in my lifetime.

A few decades ago, a virtually unknown screenwriter created a nine-part, feature-length saga, telling of an intergalactic fight between good and evil. The screen writer, George Lucas, shot to stardom virtually overnight with the release of his blockbuster film Star Wars, over 30 years ago.

"Nothing is worthy of respect. Nothing is sacred. There are no absolutes. Humankind must make its own way."

This widely held belief or viewpoint is an atheistic, materialistic approach to life. If one holds this view, then there are no real restraints on behavior. After all, who cares? What difference does it make? According to this view, there is no accountability.

As we parted ways from a meaningful conversation, a friend once bid me a cheerful farewell by saying, "Don't work too hard!" As I began to think about his statement, I wondered, what is wrong with hard work? And how did hard work become vilified in our modern society? Isn't hard work the means of achievement?