Archive - John Paul Owles

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September 11, 2022

Are you willing to stand up to power and personal threats to save our country, the United States of America? To tell the Truth no matter the personal consequences? To have you and your family’s life threatened in an attempt to persuade you not to tell the Truth?

I remember thirty years ago a member of an elite fraternal order told me about how his economic development department’s boss was taking bribes from developers, including a new house, to approve a development in a suburban community. He had evidence. A paper trail. Legal proof.

When I asked him if he was going to turn his boss in to the authorities, he simply replied, “No.” I looked at him dumbfounded, and then he gave me a litany of reasons. He could not afford to lose his job. He could not risk his teenage daughter’s education hopes. He simply needed to go along. Look the other way.

That answer always stuck with me. Would I have the courage to tell the Truth, report on the facts if I was the person in the room who witnessed illegal activity.

These past weeks we have witnessed several men and women answer that challenge in the affirmative. They have been willing to tell the world what they saw and heard during an attempt to overthrow our Democracy.

The reason why they were compelled to tell the Truth? They were in the room. Unlike you and I, and the news media, they were present. They knew the Truth—and were not intimidated by the ones who were trying to subvert our Democracy.

This courage is what makes our experiment in Democracy sacred. No one is above the law. We are a Nation of Laws.

As you fret over the cost of your hot dog buns and the cost of gas, consider how life would be if we did not remain vigilant to protect our country from within.

This Fourth of July remember this is an experiment. There is no reason to believe it will continue unless men and women, including you and I, are willing to stand up for Truth.

Are you willing to stand up for Truth?

John Paul Owles

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May 13, 2022

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So far, the answer appears to be a resounding “No!” for the majority of us.

A friend of mine called me today and asked what she should do. A neighbor had openly told her that her teenage son had tested positive for COVID-19 and was having systems which the doctors had decided did not warrant hospitalization (yet) but that he needed to be quarantined. She took him home and put him in one of the rooms of her house although everyone shared the house as if nothing had happened. Soon, the neighbor’s youngest daughter was experiencing symptoms. However, the mother refused to allow her young daughter to be tested for COVID because she said the cotton swab used for testing was infected with the disease.

Meanwhile, the mother continued to go to the store everyday for her latte and groceries unmasked. Her other daughter continued to work in the local restaurant. The daughter with symptoms continued to go to elementary school, unmasked.

No one in the neighborhood knew that the son had tested positive, that the young daughter was symptomatic, and they were all living in the same house with no masks or precautions. Instead, they continued their lives oblivious to the fact they were spreading the virus throughout the town without anyone’s knowledge.

Until that point, my friend had no idea that the family was against the vaccines, and even though her son tested positive and the young daughter was symptomatic, the neighbor insisted COVID-19 was all a HOAX. A conspiracy. Fake News.

My friend was asking me what she should do. Who should she tell? Should she remain silent? Afterall, the neighbor told her as if it was nothing. There was no issue of personal privacy. The neighbor didn’t say, “Please don’t tell anyone?” Nope, instead, she was quite proud of her inaction and of herself.

I asked my friend what she knew she should do. You know, that feeling you get when you know God is telling you to act, and instead, you want to try and hide, hoping it will pass. She had very deep concerns about the neighbor next door who was 85 and in failing health…and all the other unsuspecting neighbors with health problems.

And then, I asked the question:

How will you feel if your dear neighbor of 85 dies when you could have done something?

So, I ask you, “What would you do?”

When will the owls cease to be Watchers?

Owls

John Paul Owles

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April 25, 2022

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When will the owls cease to be Watchers?

Owls have been known to perch among the branches—and have been accused of watching the world go by. While Truth has it that owls have been long sought out as birds of wisdom, so too does it tell that owls are tremendous observers.

And that the watchers of society need to heed the wisdom inherent in owls. For, although it is granted that owls do indeed see everything, they tend to be pictured as aloof—above the fray. And yet, in a turmoil-boiled world, comfort can be derived from the fact that owls are designated to observe, comment, and inspire.

Maybe, it’s not the owls’ aloofness that bothers watchers. But rather the owls’ ability to transform a moment of silence to a flutter of activity within a once tranquil sea of conformity.

Or maybe, it is the unknown quality behind those pictures of owls that seem to frighten people.

There seems to be a power gathering beneath the owls’ surface which will eventually be released—when the owls cease to be Watchers.

Are you willing to stand up for Truth?

Must Read

John Paul Owles

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January 1, 2022

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So far, the answer appears to be a resounding “No!” for the majority of us.

A friend of mine called me today and asked what she should do. A neighbor had openly told her that her teenage son had tested positive for COVID-19 and was having systems which the doctors had decided did not warrant hospitalization (yet) but that he needed to be quarantined. She took him home and put him in one of the rooms of her house although everyone shared the house as if nothing had happened. Soon, the neighbor’s youngest daughter was experiencing symptoms. However, the mother refused to allow her young daughter to be tested for COVID because she said the cotton swab used for testing was infected with the disease.

Meanwhile, the mother continued to go to the store everyday for her latte and groceries unmasked. Her other daughter continued to work in the local restaurant. The daughter with symptoms continued to go to elementary school, unmasked.

No one in the neighborhood knew that the son had tested positive, that the young daughter was symptomatic, and they were all living in the same house with no masks or precautions. Instead, they continued their lives oblivious to the fact they were spreading the virus throughout the town without anyone’s knowledge.

Until that point, my friend had no idea that the family was against the vaccines, and even though her son tested positive and the young daughter was symptomatic, the neighbor insisted COVID-19 was all a HOAX. A conspiracy. Fake News.

My friend was asking me what she should do. Who should she tell? Should she remain silent? Afterall, the neighbor told her as if it was nothing. There was no issue of personal privacy. The neighbor didn’t say, “Please don’t tell anyone?” Nope, instead, she was quite proud of her inaction and of herself.

I asked my friend what she knew she should do. You know, that feeling you get when you know God is telling you to act, and instead, you want to try and hide, hoping it will pass. She had very deep concerns about the neighbor next door who was 85 and in failing health…and all the other unsuspecting neighbors with health problems.

And then, I asked the question:

How will you feel if your dear neighbor of 85 dies when you could have done something?

So, I ask you, “What would you do?”

We are all Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs

John Paul Owles

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September 1, 2021

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Whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a business executive, we are all running a small business, which is called our life.

Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (Hulu)

Editor Picks

John Paul Owles

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August 31, 2021

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Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself is a film I can’t explain. I believe it is one of the most poignant, emotionally moving, and challenging minutes I have spent. I have watched it three times in its entirety. Each time I go away feeling something inside of me has changed. And it has. I just can’t explain it. I would encourage you to take that journey yourself. Turn your cell phone off and any other distractions. Turn off your inner dialogue and let the film flow to you.

Here is what Hulu says about its original film: “In & Of Itself tells the story of a man fighting to see through the illusion of his own identity, only to discover that identity itself is an illusion. An intimate and powerful exploration of what it means to be and be seen, the film chronicles Derek DelGaudio’s attempt to answer one deceptively simple question, “Who am I?” His personal journey expands to a collective experience that forces us to confront the boundaries of our own identities.”

In one of the opening scenes, members of the audience are looking at a large board with “I Am” cards to pick from. Some are very contemplative, others less so. Some are smiling, others are very serious. But each one has to make a decision before sitting down. Carrying in their hand a slip of paper identifying who they believe they are . . . at least at that moment.

In the background, you hear Derek DelGaudio.

They ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Later they ask, “What do you do?” which means “What have you become?”

It is not enough to have a name. They need something to call you. So, you search. You look at the roles the world offers you, trying to find the one that reflects who you are.

Only a lucky few get to play the role they want. The rest settles for what’s left or struggle with what they have been handed. Then we all learn to embrace our illusions of identity.

I did. I thought I knew my role. Then I met a man who told me who I really was.

And I knew he was right. I just didn’t know why.

From that scene in the film and on, I will not spoil the journey for you. As I said, I can’t really explain it. You just have to watch it yourself.

In & Of Itself is a Hulu Original and was a one-of-a-kind theater experience, created by Derek DelGaudio and directed by Frank Oz. The show had its World Premiere at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles on May 3, 2016, where it saw several extensions before moving to the Daryl Roth Theater in New York City. It opened Off-Broadway to critical acclaim and once more quickly extended its initial 10-week engagement, selling out its intimate 150-seat house, night after night. The show continued extending its run, again and again, until DelGaudio decided (somewhat controversially) to end the show at the height of its success, stating, “I feel like I’ve said what I wanted to say.” After 72 weeks, 560 performances, and grossing over $7 million at the box-office, In & Of Itself closed as one of the most successful shows in off-Broadway history.