Modern Solutionary – Lightening Burdens; Building Prosperous Futures

Our Earthly Remains, Not Just Dust

Like every creature that inhabits the earth, our bodies are destined die. In the animal kingdom, once death occurs, a natural process begins that will allow the remains to break down into the original organic compounds of their creation.

As humanity evolved and populations densified into societal units, leaving the expired bodies out in the open created health risks. Steps had to be taken to humanely dispose of the remains. Through various eras, in addition to exposing the corpse to the element and the scavengers, they have been buried, burned, or submerged in bodies of water.

Once mankind began following religious beliefs, our death is now viewed as the passage from one state of existence to another. With the founding of Catholicism by Jesus, being a loyal Jewish man, Christianity closely followed the Jewish beliefs when they adopted their burial rituals.

In the gospels, we read the details of how Lazarus’ body was wrapped in linen and laid in a closed tomb. In the discourse, we learn that even our Lord, Jesus, wept while Lazarus was entombed. The sadness of separation caused by our earthly death escapes no one, but our arrival on the other side, is greeted with joyful celebrations.

From the earliest beginning of the Christian church, our body was recognized as something special; being made in the likeness of God. This kinship is exactly why Jesus chose to participate in the entire human experience. With the Word made flesh, Jesus, was given the perspective of humanity’s earthly suffering. It is through His Passion we are positioned to better sympathize and rejoice in the depth of the God / man relationship.

It was some of the early Gentiles, converting from Paganism to Christianity, who brought over the practice of cremation as method of handling their dead. For some of the Jewish converts, this did not sit well, because of the belief that the soul would be reunited with the body on the last day; much like the example of Jesus’ body after his resurrection. In either case, it’s more about reverence than the destruction. Protecting and containing the remains of the body shows reverence to our “Earthly Temple to the Lord”.

Within the last century, the Catholic Church issued prescribed directions for the way our earthly remains should be handled. The burial of our bodies, especially in urban areas, has become a challenge. As more and more people were opting for cremation, Church leaders had to find a way to maintain the sanctity of our earthly body while providing options that solved the problems of available space.

In 1963, The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, spelled out what in Latin was “Piam et Constantem”, “Pious and Constant” which allowed for cremation to occur but with prescribed handling of the precious remains.

The remains were to be stored, in their entirety, on hallowed ground. This was to protect the holiness of the vessel of our soul. Prior to this it had become common for surviving relatives to divide up the ashes, keeping them in their homes during their life. This was the survivor’s way of not letting go of their deceased loved ones. The Church has never condoned that decision. From a theological view, refusing to protect the remains in a holy place, solely for our pleasure is viewed as a selfish act and should be avoided. The same can be said about scattering the ashes. We are taught that the remains should be protected as precious and when we fling them here and there, it lessens the importance of what the vessel once stored.

Most recently, in 2016, the Church added clarity in a document called, “Ad resurgendum cum Christo”, “To rise again with Christ”. It reiterated that we should mirror Jesus as closely as possible, whenever possible. The Church prefers a body be respectfully cared for, placed whole in a casket or urn, and interred in a hallowed cemetery much like Jesus was. This demonstrates our hope and faith for our own resurrection.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

Opinion or Truth?

Truth on display

Words matter and so does their meaning. The funny thing is that societies have a history of changing the meanings of words and phrases over time; usually in order to bolster public favor of certain agendas or ideas. Regardless of the definitions of the words, the underlying truths revealed by them never change; we just have to rephase the questions.

“That is my truth”, is a phrase believed to have its origin in 1955 by a member of the American Friends Service Committee. The expression was meant to suggest that one’s life experience is subjective. In other words, when we are speaking with a person, we cannot begin to know what is in the person’s head so we can’t understand everything the person has experienced concerning the topic being discussed. Which is all true. In 2023, when the words “my truth” are said, it is as a rebuttal in the hope that the discussion will be dropped and they will be allowed to live their life “authentically” or the way they so choose regardless of what is true. With the latter, that is called, “living a lie”.

In America and much of the world, every adult citizen can choose to live the way they see fit and every human is born with the power of freewill. We can and should value everyone’s perspective, that is how we learn, but we do have the freedom to do this without necessarily honoring their view. When we are wrong in our thinking our value as a person is not lessoned and when we are open to learning the truth, our value soars.

Even before 1955, all children were taught…well almost all them, that every truth is universal and designed by our Creator. If you decided to dye your hair, lime green and someone told you or even inferred that it was not a natural color for human hair, you would have said, “Personally, I like the color.” not “It’s my truth”. A truth is true for everyone, anything else, is an opinion. “Broccoli tastes nasty” is an opinion not a truth, some people like the taste of broccoli. “Lime green hair is not a natural color of human hair.”, is a truth not an opinion, no one has ever been born with lime green hair. “The sun rises in the morning” is a truth not an opinion. Pretty clear?? Not to some.

Why does identifying the truth matter?

No one has the power to elevate an opinion to the level of a truth. If that were the case, every court trial would end with a not guilty verdict. Something that is true is true for everyone and has always been true for everyone. By giving people, the authority to change what is true or false leads people to believe they are more powerful than they really are. That perceived power can lead the youth, the unknowledgeable, and the uninformed to act in a manner not conducive to the truth. The outcomes that follow will be negative in nature and will affect everyone connected with that individual.

No one should knowingly lead people away from the truth. That is why we send our children to school; they are supposed to be a repository of truth. Society depends on people following the truth. That is why the laws of any society should be crafted based on the truth. “It is wrong to allow people to kill others.”; this is a universal societal law and a widely held moral and ethical value. When laws are based on a lie, it is unjust to all, not just to those who dislike it based on their personal values and emotions. That is why, since the erroneous ruling of Roe v. Wade, the United States has been deeply divided. Our Constitution, which our Republic was founded upon, grants the citizens three inalienable rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Every law in the nation must conform to the Constitution. When our government sanctions, allows, or uses taxes to pay for an abortion of a healthy infant, for no other reason than the parents do not want to have a child, that is an unjust law by every standard of measurement. No one should have the liberty to say who lives and who dies.

When the people are forced to honor any unjust law, it brings into question the justness of every law, chiseling away at the element of trust. Without trust there is dissent within the ranks causing separation and discord. Eventually, it leads to chaos, unless quickly made right.

We have had other unjust laws, but they were overturned rather quickly, and the people were told it should have never been done. The abortion debate is the first of such laws that stood for so long. During that time, many, many more unjust laws have been passed, all eroding the truth from our schools and homes. We must regain civility and honesty in this Country or soon, America will no longer be, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

If this is my last post, I want all to know, there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary” and the soon to be released “The Power of the Wisdom of Three”

The Law of Emotional Response

Through nearly two decades of research on wise decision making, I have uncovered a number of findings I truly was not looking for. One of those unexpected discoveries was the Power of the Wisdom of Three. Through this epiphany, I determined that, statistically, a majority of the natural laws that we use to solve problems, each have only three components.

One such truth is the Law of Emotional Response. Everyone will initially allow our emotions to predicate how we Perceive, Accept, and Handle the outcomes of our decisions.

It seems that this truth might help explain one cause of the division occurring in our social media fed society. Maybe we should have a popup reminder on our digital device, “Truth before emotions!” Too many well-intentioned, well-educated people allow emotions to fuel their beliefs, instead of first determining the truth. In other words, we want to feel good about what we believe to be the “truth” and if we don’t, we emotionally rationalize and find another “truth” that we can feel good about.

The flaws of this rationale are, “How we feel has no bearing on the truth.”, “There can be only one truth, it is eternal; it was true yesterday, today, and will be true tomorrow.” and “What is true for me, is also true for all.” Everything else are opinions.

It is normal for us to allow emotions to affect our decision-making process because emotions play a pivotal role in our lives. Emotions are a natural response to situations, and they can influence how we perceive and interpret information.

Our emotions are often linked to our personal values, experiences, and beliefs, which can impact our decision-making process. For example, if someone is very passionate about a particular issue or topic, they may be more likely to make a decision based on their emotions rather than logical and truthful knowledge.

On the positive side, emotions can help us cope with stress and provide motivation. For example, fear can motivate someone to act quickly to avoid danger, or excitement can drive someone to take risks and pursue new opportunities, many of which will be positive.

Overall, emotions play a complex role in decision making, and we must be vigilant to not allow our emotions to take the lead over logic or reason. It is important to be aware of our emotions and how they may influence our decisions, so that we can make more informed, rational, and wise choices.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

The Three Holy Oils

I love the rich heritage of the Catholic faith and the Power of the Wisdom of Three. It has made me who I am as a person, a professional, and a spiritual being.

One of the Holy Week rituals of the Church is based on the Jewish ritual of anointing a body with oil and more specifically, Jesus’ anointing prior to his Passion. Each year, during the Chrism Mass, bishops around the world, will bless the three oils used by the Church for the upcoming year. All three are blessed; oil for the sick, oil for the catechumens, and the Chrism oil is also consecrated.

The basis of anointing a body with oil is the fact that the body absorbs oil into the skin. Through the act of anointing, the oil and what it represents, becomes part of that person. You can’t see it, but it’s there and one cannot wash it off or out of their body, even if they wanted to.

Having personally been anointed with all three holy oils, I can attest to the blessings I have received through these powerful spiritual acts.

The first oil, the Oil of the Sick, is pure olive oil that has been blessed. It is used in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Through this sacrament, God gives the sick person grace and strength to bear the illness or infirmity. Many people have witnessed the power of this anointing, bringing spiritual, mental, and yes, physical healing. The Catholic Church has seven Sacrament all of which are outward signs of the Grace of God.

The Oil of the Catechumens is also pure olive oil, and it is use during the Sacrament of Baptism of adults and children. When the oil is applied to an adult, we pray that God will instill in them the wisdom for discernment and the strength necessary to avoid evil during their inquiry into the Catholic faith and their preparation for a life with Christ. An infant is anointed just before receiving the waters of baptism and their anointing is to help ward off evil, avoid temptation, and help them grow to possess the faith necessary to carry the cross of Christ throughout life.

At the Chrism Mass, the bishops mix and consecrates the Holy Chrism oils made of pure olive oil and the oil from a Balsam tree. The oil symbolizes strength, and the fragrance represents the “aroma of Christ” (2 Cor 2:15). Anointing with chrism oil signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is used to consecrate someone or something to God’s service such as an adult, receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, confirming their commitment to the faith, and an adult receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders to become a priest and an infant during baptism, marking them as a Christian. When applied, the deacon, priest, or bishop, traces the Sign of the Cross with chrism oil on the forehead of the one being confirmed, the crown of the head at baptism, and says, “[Name], be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

The Three Golden Eggs of Societal Opportunities

Opportunities can be likened to three golden eggs and yes, we each have our favorite one. As a society, we must work together to solve the communal problems facing the group. In a free market environment, businesses are created to sell products and services needed to solve those issues. By working as a network, we each can thrive individually, corporately, and societally. To do so, requires knowledge, understanding, and control of the relationships between the three societal opportunities.

In everything that we do, we seek opportunities that require us to interact in three possible ways; compete, cooperate, or mutually benefit one another.

Competition can range from cut-throat to friendly.

The spectrum of cooperation can span from an all-in participant to a side-line observer.

The golden ticket is when the opportunity mutually benefits each party; a shared goal.

From birth, we begin to develop our own unique personality. That personality will evolve as we age. It will also drive how we interact with others, our values and beliefs, and how we view, relate, and communicate with others. Our personality will dictate the way we face the opportunities presented to us.

If we develop a highly competitive nature, then every endeavor is viewed as a competition. We will usually have a high self-esteem and be driven by the need to “win”. This egg can be extreme rewarding or very detrimental, depending on the factors of the opportunity and the strength and weaknesses of the person.

For those who enjoy the egg of cooperation, they see every opportunity as a chance to play well together and this works well in some cases. Cooperative opportunities can be very rewarding though it does not mean mutually beneficial. People who gravitate toward this opportunity will not need success to “feel” like they are winning, even when winning is required to pay the bills.

The final egg, the mutual beneficial opportunity is the proverbial, “win, win, win” scenario. Everyone likes this egg for the obvious reason of “divide and conquer” but the competitive personality will not always play well with others. Still, whenever we can come together as a society and all benefit from the effort we should rejoice in the experience.

Three different opportunities to get to the same place. As with ice cream, we can have a favorite while still enjoying the others. At times we will be extremely competitive, another time the opportunity might call for us to be cooperative, and still another might allow for us to bring together partners to share in the mutual benefits of the opportunity. It’s is not one or the other, as much as is it which one is called for in this instance. Maturity makes it easier to choose but knowing and understand the differences is a good first step.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary” and Vice President, Education and Development at The American College of Financial Services

My Journey, to Becoming a Servant Leader

As a young man I was given the opportunity, by a mentor, to lead a group of sales associates. I turned down his offer three times before finally accepting it. The main reason that I declined it was of a selfish nature. All of the other managers in the organization were making less money than I and they were working substantially more hours to boot. It wasn’t until my mentor pointed out to me that my perceptions and biases toward the position were based solely on the talents, skills, and abilities of others, not on mine. It was at that moment that I decided to trust his faith in me and become a sales manager.

I was in that role from the time that I was twenty-three to twenty-six years old, and boy did I learn a lot about myself during those three years. Not only was I young, impetuous, and selfish but I knew nothing about leading people or what motivated them. I assumed that everyone wanted the same things that I did; to be the very best and be willing to work as hard as needed to make that happen. I could not imagine anyone working every day in a position that allowed you to earn as much money as you wanted only to settle for less than your best. I had an epiphany when I learned what the other salespeople were actually making. Sure, I understood that each of my team of seven could not all be number one, but I calculated that if each of them sold only seventy percent of what I did, they would all make substantially more money, and I would be the number one sales manager in the territory.

So, what went wrong?

I did!

During my first year in a management position, I showed everyone that I could really manage. I managed to fire the most people in the office. I managed to prove that my office door was not soundproof. I managed to develop an ulcer that generated a level of discomfort in me on the same level that I was causing to everyone else on my team; all the while, reaching the top 5 in company staff rankings. I was winning but at what cost?

That year, for Christmas, my team chipped in to get me a present. I was so honored as they all stood around the conference room table with the wrapped gift sitting in the middle. The most senior salesman and my closest friend prior to my taking the staff, spoke on behalf of the team. It was his words, the team’s gesture, and our united actions over the next three months that changed our lives and the lives of countless others throughout my career. I will never forget his words to me as long as I live.

“Tony, we care for you as a friend, but we despise you as a boss. You know this business better than I do, even though I have fifteen more years of experience. Your ability to teach others to sell and to make money in this business is above anything that I have ever seen. We are all making more money than we have ever made in our lives but with that said, something has to change.” He slid the present in front of me, stood back saying nothing more. As I ripped the paper from the box, I discovered it was the complete Tony Robbin’s “Personal Power” course. Before I could say anything, my friend and colleague spoke up once again. “We want you to complete this course over the next thirty days and to show you how committed we are, we will all take it with you but if you choose not to do this, we are all prepared to give you, our resignations. Merry Christmas and we will see you Monday morning for your answer.” They all left the room.

I was speechless, standing alone in that conference room staring down at my gift; a gift of love, a gift that came with a heavy price tag but also with a tremendous net worth. I did not need to think long about what my answer would be. I knew in my heart things had to change and the changes had to be in me.

By the end of the second year as staff manager, we once again beat all records but more importantly I began to change as a person and as a leader. I would like to tell you the changes happened over night, but it didn’t. Nearly forty years later, I am still a work in process. I would like to tell you that everything that we covered in the “Personal Power” course we mirrored and adopted completely but we didn’t but what we did, worked. Keeping a journal really does change the way you see your life. This course began my leadership journey which also included many other world-renowned programs. I would also like to tell you that I have this leadership thing down pat, but again, I did not then and today, I still do not. I am still growing, learning, and at times struggling but it has been worth it.

Having borne my personal history; I would like to summarize the lessons that I learned throughout this leadership journey. Looking back, it is really very simple; simple as the Power of the Wisdom of Three.

Leadership is about serving three groups of people; those whom you report to, the people who report to you, while at the same time serving your needs and those of your family. Amazing results begin to happen, when a leader understands the power of unifying the constituents of all three groups. Your service becomes everything but selfish.

For clarity, serving as a leader does not mean you are being dominated. It means you are doing what is expected of “you” so that those whom you lead can do what you expect of “them”. It is through what I call Selfless Servitude that we receive the benefits of successful leadership. It is said, “You cannot give more than 100%.” This is a law of nature, and you cannot change a law, you can only affect the law. Once you give 100% there is nothing left to give. Yet that is not the case when someone operates under Selfless Servitude. When you are giving of yourself, selflessly, you have a replenishing reserve. For instance, I can give selflessly 100% of myself to one person, turn immediately to the next person I serve; having another 100% of myself ready to distribute to them. Then a miracle happens, they begin passing along a percentage of what you gave to them.

In order to run this leadership engine at the capacity needed to sustain the bountiful power of Selfless Servitude one requires fuel from each of the three groups to keep your battery fully charged. To lead successfully, all three groups at the same time, at the level you and the groups desire, the leader and each of the teammates, must learn the process of walking the Three Steps of Servant Leadership: Agreement, Acceptance, and Endorsement. Each step has to successfully be trod so as to satisfy each of the three groups that you serve. Simply put, when a decision is made, unity must occur, the leader and their three groups have to be in total agreement, commit and deliver full acceptance, and perform with unwavering endorsement, as if the decision were their own.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

The Six Questions of Discovery and The Choice

The questions starting with Who, What, and Why always prompts When, Where, and How. Only after these generate multiple options, do we ask the final question, Which.

Questions are the key components to learning. Any parent can tell you, that as soon as a child begins to comprehend their environment, the questions start to flow. It is how every human creates their cache of knowledge. Without questions, our only source of knowledge would come from our limited life experiences and instinct. Trial-and-error would be the method of choice delivered through the School of Hard Knocks.

But the six questions of discovery are much more than the mental calisthenics for all knowledge; they are the keys we use to unlock the truth needed to live by. They are, by Divine design, tied to the natural order of our existence through the Power of the Wisdom of Three; the natural laws of science having only three components. No, they are not six stand-alone questions; they are really two pairs of three questions, each pair intended to enrich the knowledge that makes us uniquely human.

Who, What and Why answer the questions about our human trinity of personas; our Personal, Professional / Vocational, and Spiritual selves. In essence, they reveal our purpose. Who we are, as a person? What we are, as a student, worker, or a retiree? Why we are, spiritually? The answers to these three questions form our self-image and it is our self-image that projects the three characters we portray, who we see our self to be, who others see us to be, and who we perceive others believe us to be. All these answers combined, should lead us to one unified individual: not three different and separate personalities. Who, what, and why we are, regardless of when, where, and how we are!

When, Where, and How make up the questions that direct us toward our future accomplishments. They should clarify our actions while supporting our human personas through our three-conscience human abilities, our Thoughts, Words, and Deeds. These questions allow us to seek out the truth from other sources. It is our thoughts that conceive the questions, bringing them to written or oral words so we can learn and teach them for and to others, and our actions or lack of action make up our deeds which are created by applying their answers appropriately or, in the case of poor decisions, inappropriately, to our personal, professional, and spiritual lives.

It is the choice question, Which, that makes the difference between wise or unwise decisions. Our freewill, not our intelligence, controls the answer to that question, as well as the final outcome.

Asking the discovery questions of everyone will only confuse you; look around, there are many inquisitive fools. We must learn how to weed out those persons who do not know the truth and those who benefit from ignoring or withholding the truth. Those people, though loved, should never be trusted to provide true guidance or to enflame our emotions. They know that many can be manipulated to use emotions, as the determining factor, when answering the Choice question.

In addition, we must use of these questions appropriately to be effective. Start by using the other laws of nature in unison with these. One such law is The Law of Determining the Truth. It provides a simple to remember, yet difficult to master, formula for uncovering the true facts of life by asking the right questions, to the right people, at the right time. Then, once the truth is obtained and the right choice is made, we should follow the Law of Applied Truth; we are each born to learn, then teach, and finally, to live the truths of human life.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

The Three Positions of Lay Worship

I learned a long time ago; religion is mankind’s way of trying to get closer to their god. I am a cradle Catholic, a seeker of the truth, and Solutionary for the Faith. This means, I am not Catholic just because my parents were. I have been researching various faiths since I first began questioning my spirituality as a young man. Through forty plus years of research and extensive study, my findings have only bolstered my love for the church Jesus founded and that love has compelled me to a life of sharing the truths that I have found.

I have many non-Catholic friends who have also questioned their own faith. They attend Catholic services like baptisms, weddings, funerals, or other special events that might include a Mass. A common question they all have is, “What prompts Catholics to stand, kneel, and sit? It seems confusing.” Some have called it “Catholic Calisthenics”. I tell them, they are not alone, many Catholics, don’t fully understand why we do these things, they just go with the flow. Personally, I have to know the why.

When we stand, sit, or kneel at Mass, we do so as One; using our mind, body, and soul. The word catholic means universal. We come together, each a different person yet become one body. Every Roman Catholic Mass, in every country, all around the world will follow the same format. Just like in everything we do; our actions help to affirm our beliefs.

The Mass, a ritual dating back to the second century, is beautifully arranged with each element having a different posture and a reason for that posture. We stand at the beginning and end of Mass because we are coming flawed and going forth renewed and forgiven. Standing reflects action, we are coming to worship our God or going out into the world to profess our love for God, his people, and our selves. Standing also shows honor and respect. We stand during the reading of Gospel as a sign of respect for the words of Christ, the “Good News” hold a higher place among the rest of the readings because they are directly related to Jesus’ words. He is the “Word made flesh.” During the time Jesus walked the earth, a teacher or Rabbi was the one who sat down and the students would stand around them, eager to hear their words. Sitting is a posture of relaxation as well as listening and meditation. We sit during the readings and the preparation of the Holy Eucharist because we are being attentive to what is happening in our presence. The early churches did not have chairs or pews, the faithful sat or knelt on the floor. We’ve only had pews for about 500 years. Every faith service known to man, included kneeling as a sign of adoration, humility, and penitence. The practice of kneeling during personal reflection, the Eucharistic Prayer and during Communion reminds us of our need for forgiveness, that we humble ourselves, and show reverence toward the miracle of the true presence of Christ transformed in the species of the Holy Eucharistic. This is also why Catholics genuflect toward the tabernacle when we enter or leave the church. That little golden box houses the real presence of God in the form of the Holy Eucharist.

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”

The Weapon Is in Us

Only truths solve problems

Solutionaries solve problems in a selfless manner and does so using truthful knowledge discovered through Education, Experience, and ethical / moral principles. This fact of knowledge is universal and applies equally to everyone.

Once again, countless families had to endure the loss of loved ones at the hand of one troubled individual by the use of a firearm. Reliably, many people are drawn to treating a symptom of the problem instead of solving the problem. Indignant cries are calling for our public servants to create laws that outlaw the legal sales guns, specifically assault weapons. And. once again, this will not solve the problem of people intentionally wanting to harm others. Even if they get what they want…nothing will change.

With very little effort, I crunched the data relating to mass shootings over the last 101 years beginning in 1920 through 2021. This is what I found:

1920 to 1970 – 25 mass shootings with 232 deaths; for an average of 9.3 deaths per event

1970 to 2021 – 237 mass shootings with 1614 deaths; an average of 6.8 deaths per event

If semi-automatic guns would have been the problem, we would have seen a rise in deaths per event. That did not happen. Instead, we see a substantial rise in the number of events.

What changed in society, causing more people to be driven to harm their fellow citizens?

I found many contributing factors. The main ones would have had to change the mindset of people, the culture of society, and the attitudes of children and young adults over multiple generations.

In the 1960s, we began closing mental health facilities and the number of psychiatrists began to plumet. At the peak of admittance in the 1950s, there were over a half a million people who resided in these facilities. Now, it is rare and very difficult to have people committed due to mental health issues. Without a doubt, most mass shooter are not of their right mind.

In the 1943, we banded the requirement of the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and in 1962, we began the band on prayer in our public schools. I’m sure I am not the only one who finds it interesting, when a public servant or a media spokesperson asks us to pray for the families of those affected by a mass shooting yet, these same people, when asked, if prayer should be allowed in our schools they reply loudly, of course not.

Then, in the 1970s, the annual number of shootings went above single digits for the first time and remained there. Were there any other societal events that coincided with this devaluation of human life in the American culture?

January 1973, a federal court ruled in favor of abortion on demand. As a Country, we turned our backs on the most innocent of people, our unborn citizens. We allowed intelligent people to rationalize the termination of a healthy pregnancy just because it inconvenienced the would-be-parents. Again, it makes no sense, that the same people who try to justify that an embryo is not a life would also protest in the streets the minute someone else killed an alien life cell found anywhere else in the universe. This is hypocrisy at its finest and the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The rise in the number of mass shootings have skyrocketed since the 1970s, and why not? We no longer pray as a united society, we no longer feel the need to teach our children to respect the sacrifices of the lives of our National heroes, and, in some states, you can now kill an innocent life, almost up to the moment of natural birth, for no other reason but that the new life will interrupt the mother’s plans.

The problem is not guns, poison, or explosives…it is the people we are becoming.

If this is my last post, I want all to know, there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary” and the soon to be released “The Power of the Wisdom of Three”

Great Achievers Needs Humility

This is only one of the reasons why LinkedIn usage, of an hour a day, should be required for those running a business; you learn / remember valuable quotes and lessons posted by others. One of my connections’ connections recently reminded me of a quote from Coach Nick Saban.

“Average players want to be left alone, Good players want to be coached, Great players want to be told the truth.”

This insight is valuable regardless of if you are a coach, parent, supervisor, or mentor. This truth is fueled by the Power of the Wisdom of Three and speaks to the leader but what about the receiver of the fact? The lesson of the truth is important to both parties, but the receiver has additional responsibility toward the truth. They must learn, profess, and live the truths they are given.

The great achievers usually have huge egos, notably so in the early years. Speak to any successful leader of icons and they will confirm; it can get in their way. No matter if you are average, good, or great; if you have an inflated self-esteem, it can make the truth hard to accept. It is especially difficult for the greats because they have been more successful than most, even living with the lie the leader is attempting to correct. This is the main reason the greats struggle with addictions, poor behavior problems, issues of self-absorption, and ethical and moral shortcomings.

The magic only happens when they swallow their pride and rely on the trust of those who really love them whether it is a parent, dear friend, coach, mentor, or other another leader in their life.

Only then will the truth, that they say they want to hear, can be of value!

If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.

Anthony “Tony” Boquet, the author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”