What Is The Meaning of Tough?

Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson, John Wayne. Yes, they are all tough. The dictionary has several meanings for the word too. Strong and durable; not easily broken or cut. Not brittle or tender. Difficult to masticate (as in tough to eat). Hard to bare, vicious, hardened, even remarkably excellent. These are all definitions to help us understand the meaning. But how do we apply this meaning in real life?

Tough is almost as strong of a word as Easy. So many things in our life are easy and we make them look tough. So many things are tough and sometimes we make them look easy. Tough to me is not just an adjective as much as it is a real feeling.

Tough applies to family life: It's what you have to be to be a Father. When your kids beg, whine and cry for things. You have to be mentally tough to stand your ground. When they fall and hurt themselves, you have to be tough and keep it together so that they don't panic too. And so that the next time they fall, they don't get too hysterical about the matter. Tough is going to work when you want to stay home with your family. Tough is also staying home with your family when you have so much work to do. Tough is telling your wife that you will be late coming home from work when she was expecting you home early. Tough is telling your kids that you can't go to (fill in the blank) because the weather is bad. Tough is telling your kids they can't have that right now because we can't afford it. Tough is telling your wife the same thing (that might even be tougher).

Then tough can also apply to our daily lives. Tough to me is this coming Presidential election year. Do you choose a guy who has spent his life fighting against most of what you stand for and being called a Maverick as a result? Or do you choose a guy who everyone thinks is the Savior of the world, but who is really a wolf in sheep's clothing? He would not be our first Black President (after all, he is half white. And doesn't Bill Clinton hold that title?). He would, in fact be our first Marxist President (sorry I just call them like I see them - or hear them speak). Some say, vote for McCain because Obama is too scary. His politics are way out there and he has no experience. Another side says, don't vote for McCain. Let Obama win and let the Democrats screw this Country up so we can all say "I told you so". Others have just had too much of the Obama Kool-Aid. They are frustrating to listen to because they take reason out of the equation (as most liberals do) and no matter what evidence you present to them that he is not an "agent of change", but just your typical "say what you want to hear" politician, they won't change their mind and they don't even want to hear it. Others say, vote your conscience and vote for Bob Barr (or write in someone). There is no right or wrong answer here. Any which way we lose. I've struggled more with this matter than anything that I can think of. I keep going back and forth from "let the people see who the Democrats really are because with Bush in office, they aren't taking the blame for anything", to "Man, we really can't afford even four years of heading further towards Socialism". This, my friends is the quintessential meaning of tough. "Who do I vote for". Can we (America) get a Mulligan on this hole?

So why is this so tough. We are told that we shouldn't let politicians get in the way of us living a happy life. Yet, we put so much stock in it because (and this is especially true if you own your own business) they do control so much of our lives that it is almost impossible to not let them affect us.

I can't sit out this election, it goes against all that I believe in. So I will have to walk into that voting booth on November 4, 2008 and make a choice. I will just have to bring God in with me and have him guide me to do the right thing. And I can tell you this, even with God by my side, it will be one of the toughest things I've ever had to do.