Master told me to think about my punishment for disrespect. I have been thinking. How to choose a punishment?

Punishment should fit the crime. Jaywalkers are not executed and someone convicted of robbing a bank is not given a $10 fine. So the punishment needs to be severe enough that it fits the infraction, but not outrageous.

I don’t think punishment should be meaningless. It should at least give me the opportunity to consider what I have done. In the past, Master has had me write about what I did and why it was wrong. I expect I will do that anyway, so I did not choose that as my punishment.

Punishment should be inconvenient. Punishment should be something you would not normally do. I toyed with the idea of having punishment be some sort of cleaning, but if it needs to be done anyway, that’s not punishment. At most it is speeding up the timing on cleaning. Being punished by doing something you should/would/need to do anyway is not punishment.

Punishment should not be a waste of time. I heard of a Master who made his slave stand next to the washing machine while the clothes were washing because she was behind on doing laundry. That sounds kind of foolish to me. If she is behind on doing her laundry, she is probably behind on other household chores. It would make more sense to say while the clothes are washing and drying, other housework must be done. Perhaps she could scrub the kitchen floor or clean the bathroom. To simply waste time does not seem like a good punishment.

So, what to choose? I finally came up with an idea. I proposed to Master that instead of exercising 30 minutes a day (my goal) for the next week I would do 60 minutes a day. This is something that is good for me, and I usually do my best thinking while I exercise. It is not something I would do anyway. Master has agreed that this can be my punishment.

Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery and having all of your money problems disappear? What a wonderful thought, isn’t it? But winning the lottery would not solve all of my problems. Some winners would probably say it causes more, but I will leave that for another day. The problem that comes to mind that having all of the money in the world would not solve is….time.

I seem to suffer from a lack of time. Lately, especially, I am always going, always doing. Between two jobs and two kids, there always seems to be somewhere I am supposed to be.

If I won the lottery, would that help? I could quit one or both of my jobs. But the truth is, there are things about my jobs, especially my “second” job, that I dearly love and would miss very much. I wouldn’t want to walk away and leave it behind. I wouldn’t want to leave the people behind.

Perhaps this is something I need to consider. How do I deal with the problem of time? Do I need to be more efficient? Or do I need to stop and smell the roses, enjoy where I am and what I am doing, so that I don’t miss the journey as I concentrate on the destination. Life offers much to see, do and enjoy.

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember and honor those who serve our country. Today I will be going with my boys to a nearby town, where my youngest will perform in the band during a Memorial Day ceremony.

I must admit to having a poor attitude about the military in the past. I thought “dumb” kids entered the military. Smart people did something else. It was not an option I ever considered as a young person, nor did I think much of it for others.

A couple of things happened to change my ignorant attitude. The first was 9/11. After the attacks on our country, we were ready to fight back. Who did we turn to? The military, of course. Had I been a young person, I would have considered a stint in the military at that time.

Also, I have seen my niece and nephew join the marines. This two young people had very little direction. They tended to float from here to there, often in trouble, with difficulty holding a job. My niece has become a responsible young woman with a husband and child. My nephew has been forced to stick with something for the first time in his life. The military has done for these kids what their parents did not. It has provided them with purpose and direction. It has literally saved them.

So to the military people today I wish to say two things. First, I am sorry. I was ignorant and wrong. Second, thank you. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You are both worthy and honorable.

XYesterday, I showed disrespect to my Master. I was online, and, as usual, I let him know what I was doing. Specifically, I was preparing for a baseball tournament. He came online, said good morning, and expressed his pleasure that I was going to the tournament. I told him I would talk to him later.

What did I do wrong? I TOLD him I would talk to him later, I did not ASK permission to leave. Usually I do. He immediately responded that I was wrong. I usually wait a few minutes before signing off, in case he wishes to say something. Boy, am I glad I did. I’m glad I didn’t just leave. That would have made him angrier. Instead, I saw his response and immediately apologized and corrected myself. I was given permission to go to the tournament, but there will be fallout.

When I got back from the tournament, I came online. I was going to go to bed, so I asked him if I was there. He came on and said yes, and we briefly discussed things. He is considering what he would like me to do as a result of my disobedience.

I have apologized, but I know the worthlessness of an apology. At school, after a kid has done the same thing 10 times, he/she will often say “sorry”. I say, “I don’t care if you’re sorry. Just stop doing what you’re doing.” So when Master says I’m sorry is worthless, I do understand. I do, however, feel compelled to say it, because I truly AM sorry. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. It’s not that I say I’m sorry, but whether or not I change my actions.

Master has told me to think about my punishment. I am not sure what punishment would be appropriate. I must admit, I am more interested in learning from my mistake. What, exactly, did I do wrong? What is the appropriate response? Here is a list I have come up with. I hope Master will help me to refine it.

1. If Master and I are talking online, always ask permission to leave. Example: May I take a shower, Sir?
2. If Master and I have been talking, ask permission to leave. If he doesn’t respond after a few minutes, I can assume he is no longer available to anwer, and respectfully say that I must go. Example: May I take a shower, Sir? If no response after a few minutes, I must take a shower now, Sir.
3. If Master has not responded online, i.e., we have not been talking, respectfully say what I plan to do. Example: I need to take a shower now, Sir.

When Master was unhappy with my actions, I immediately copied and saved the conversation we had so that I could look at it later, understand what I did wrong. I will continue to do that and to think about it. I will dissect it. I cannot undo my error, but I can learn from it.

mas•ter

I did a search for the work Master on dictionary.com. I won’t give you all of the information that I got. It was literally pages and pages of info (15, to be exact). I did try to cull out the ones that I thought most described Master Bennet.

Master
–noun
a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something
an owner of a slave, animal, etc.
the male head of a household.
a person eminently skilled in something, as an occupation, art, or science: the great masters of the Impressionist period.
a person whose teachings others accept or follow: a Zen master.
Chiefly British. a male teacher or schoolmaster.
a worker qualified to teach apprentices and to carry on a trade independently.
a person holding this title.
a victor or conqueror.

the Master, Jesus Christ.
a device for controlling another device operating in a similar way. Compare SLAVE (def. 5).

–adjective
being master; exercising mastery; dominant.
chief or principal: a master list.
directing or controlling: a master switch.
dominating or predominant: a master play.
being a master of some occupation, art, etc.; eminently skilled: a master diplomat; a master pianist.
being a master carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another: a master plumber.
characteristic of a master; showing mastery.
–verb (used with object)
to make oneself master of; become an adept in: to master a language.
to conquer or overcome: to master one's pride.
to rule or direct as master: to master a crew.
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1. To reduce to subjugation; break or tame (an animal, for example).
2. most important element;
Master has power over me. He may decide to do with me as he wishes. I trust him, so I don’t worry about him doing something that I would find offensive or wrong. But Master does have power over me. He is my Master. He is my owner.

He is the victor, the conqueror. He has conquered me, my fears, my doubts. He has won my heart. He has subjugated me.

He is a Master at several skills and a teacher of those skills. He teaches me daily. He is the principal one, the head of this relationship. He is the male head of this family that is U/us.

There is a part of Master that the dictionaries don’t seem to capture. I think of Master as a term of endearment. I imagine the disciples felt the same as they addressed Jesus as Master. To me, referring to Bennet as Master includes feelings such as affection, love, and loyalty. To me, this is the special meaning of the word MASTER.