GROUND
ZERO PLUS 1253 DAY--New York, NY, Monday, February
14, 2005--Myth
has it that in the third century Roman Emperor Claudius II created
Valentine's Day by trying to Terrorize love.
Emperor
Claudius attempted to terrorize love
The legend has
it that Claudius believed that married men made terrible soldiers
because their first priority was thinking about their wives
and families. Instead of fighting a hundred percent for the
Emperor, these love-sick family men hedged and often were more
concerned with living to defend their families than sacrificing
themselves on some foreign battlefield.
So, Claudius
banned marriage.
He became the
"Beast of Love Terror."
Catholic priest
Valentine took issue with Emperor Claudius' edict and despite
the danger of physical torture and death, married young couples
despite the ban.
Valentine
sent the first 'valentine'
There are other
myths and legends about Saint Valentine, including one where
he fell in love with the jailor's daughter and sent her a love
note signed, "Your Valentine."
The only known
fact is that February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day, and, it has
been linked to an expression of love.
On the same note,
Valentine's Day can also be considered a form of Vigilance Day.
If love involves the protection and preservation of one's family--as
was the case when Emperor Claudius banned marriage--then he
was worried that being a Sentinel of Family Vigilance would
trump being a Sentinel of Emperor Vigilance.
The role of being
a family protector, guarding it against all forms of "beasts,"
has been a primary role of men since the dawn of time. This
includes the animal kingdom as well as the human one.
Today, guard
dogs symbolize the relationship between the family and its need
to ward off potential danger.
In my own case,
when I was traveling all over the world in an earlier career,
I had two Siberian Huskies at home--Zonka and Volka. I felt
secure knowing my wife and children had two wolf-related canines
patrolling the house and that they had nice long fangs that
would, without hesitation, sink into the flesh of anyone trying
to penetrate the home's perimeter.
Author Cliff
McKenzie with Zonka, a Protector of his household
Living in New
York City, the predominant Sentinel of Canine Vigilance on the
streets is the Pit Bull. While not a friendly dog by any means,
it will protect its owner with a viciousness that keeps "Beasts
of Terror" at bay.
Vigilance is
about protecting. The core of that Vigilance is the power of
love. If one truly loves his or her family, then one's life
is secondary to the safety of the family.
This means that
a Sentinel of Valentine Vigilance is not afraid to face the
greatest of all demons that exist--Fear, Intimidation and Complacency.
Emotional Terrorism
is far more frightening to many than physical, for it involves
the exposure of one's inner vulnerabilities.
A true Parent
of Valentine Vigilance is not afraid to share with his or her
children that understanding one's Fears, Intimidations and Complacencies
is the key to driving away the threat of the Beast of Terror.
When the Beast
of Emotional Terror realizes that a child has a Sentinel of
Valentine Vigilance who will stand between the child and the
beast and bare his or her fangs even at the risk of his or her
own injury, the Beast will run and seek out a far more easy
prey.
A child who learns
that his or her parents or loved ones are not afraid to be afraid
and admit that Fear, and not reticent about conjuring up at
least One Percent more Courage to overpower that Fear, the child
sees a model of how to counter the ominous shadow of the Beast
of Emotional Terror.
Children
see models of how to counter the shadow of the Beast of
Emotional Terror when parents admit to fear and fight
the Beast
The same is true
in cases of Intimidation where the parent dredges up One Percent
more Conviction to counterbalance it, and to boost the energy
of Right Action by One Percent to quash the power of Complacency
(powerlessness and inaction.)
So, on Valentine's
Day we have one more opportunity to vow our Pledge of Vigilance
to our loved ones. We have one more reason to turn away from
the "emperor" and fight for our family rather than
all the other meaningless factors that try to rob our attention
from their security.
Be a Sentinel
of Valentine Vigilance.
Take the Pledge
of Vigilance today as your great Valentine gift to those you
love.
Your contributions
are needed to support the VigilanceVoice. Send $1
or more, either through PayPal below, or in cash or check. You can also
help by investing in a local ad in your community paper promoting the
Principles of Vigilance and how to overcome
Emotional Terrorism.
Go to Donation Page
For More Information
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