Nullification as a process (#759)

What is nullification? "1. The act of nullifying; a rendering void and of no effect, or of no legal effect. 2. removal."-Wiktionary. What has the process of nullification have to do with anything? It is one of the most profound options available to any right thinking human when an action that is sanctified actually creates a harm. The best of intentions can never see all the possibilities of occurrence, thus one size fits all does not really exist. It is in the times when a situation has circumstances beyond the limits of a prescribed remedy that we look to nullify the particular remedy in lieu of some other outcome. It is our way of determining if the remedy is suitable and/or fair to the resolution. The most well known nullifications exist within the legal operation of our justice system. However, nullification can also exist in the realm of politics and philosophy. Whenever we are wise enough to see that changes in our world have eclipsed the intent of a recognized practice, we should nullify that which exists to bring about a better remedy for resolution. Often times it is up to ordinary citizens to recognize abnormalities within our society and through the process of nullification, stand up in the face of the wrong and deny it from happening. I bring this subject up not within a point of legal context, but in our daily lives when we assume that since a practiced behaviour is the accepted way it may not sit right within our souls for the sake of morality. In other words, some things are just obviously wrong and we must force ourselves to take a stand against them. In society we are told many things and also told how we should react to those many things. However, in our own minds, hearts, intuitions and gut instincts we may not hold to what the conventional wisdom appears to be. It is then that we must trust our own sense of ethic about right and wrong and not those which are more boilerplate than individually different. We live in a community with each other but we are individuals who do that and trusting who we are to rationalize right and wrong is our own individual decision to make.

Our preservation (#758)

The need to survive is inherent within us. It is one of those absolutes that never really needs to be questioned. It is defined by "struggle" and requires us to help each other in order to realize it over a lifetime. I hear those speak of being solely individual and that is our true nature but I say, how could I live without being birthed by another? How can I stay alive without the care of another? How can I be protected from nature without the care from another? I can only be an individual if others help me! I bring this up to recognize and show support for community and sharing with each other. I hear those who say that my giving to someone else is wrong, that they should find a way to receive what they need without being given to by anyone else. they think that any kind of charity or good will toward each other should not exist. The survival of the fittest mentality. I am awestruck at the absurdity of their position especially since they were nurtured by others. It is a hypocritical outlook as well as an impractical one. Unforeseen events happen all the time on this volatile planet both environmentally and socially. If we do not act as a unit to be able to withstand them then we are prone to being at greater risk of losing our struggle to survive. I cannot claim to need only myself and then not practice that ideology in it's fullest. Reason dictates to me that being a member of a society that protects our freedoms and offers us equal opportunities without privilege or favor, gives us the best chance to win the struggle for our lives to exist over their natural course. In the thought, "we are only as strong as our weakest link", can we begin to understand the interdependence and emotional growth of our own selves and the other inherent natures of curiosity and compassion that also exist within us. I would say that in being individuals, who strive to live within a community, do we truly have the best chance to win our struggle to survive.

The illusion of love (#757)

It seems that unconditional love is one of the hardest things on this planet to find. My mother and her love toward me being an exception. It is in parallel with other forms of acceptance and recognition as well. If I do certain things or hold certain beliefs I am more likely to be accepted and given positive attention. If I don't follow a pre-planned script then I am not worthy of association or respect in the normal sense. A sense of conformity has permeated our psyche's to the point of segregating ourselves based on the belief or non-belief of some unprovable concept. How irrational! It is my contention that those who think they know what is best for someone else should show it through their own example of living not demanding or expecting. If I see something that is working in someone's life then I try to understand it and emulate it. When someone requires me to emulate something that works for them but I see no examples that relate to me then I am not going to incorporate that something. In my thoughts I have concluded that belief systems are there for the moments in our lives when common sense and logic cannot help us. Not as a replacement for learning new information or being critical about facts and theories, but as a comfort and a reminder that life is much grander than what we can conceive. I will never give up my quest to know the yet unknown and by that standard I am not prone to giving myself to a belief system when other possibilities exist. I will not let others and their expectations of me draw me in as an illusion of love when if I do not follow their suggestion they show me forms of the opposite.

Material things are not what is important (#756)

What do I mean by that? I mean to say that the things we make and buy that are material have a function but they are not what define us. If I had to lose everything, I would be glad for the loss if it left me intact. My life and who I am within my life is the most important thing. I bring this subject up to express my thoughts on the present difficulty so many Americans are facing today. I see a lot of anguish and stress because of the imminent loss so many are experiencing. But I also see the grace some have found in the knowledge that whatever happens will not take from them their life or the ability to be who they are. Our society is a changing dynamic and those many and significant who wield the power have taken their own considerations to the extent that many are left without a way to support themselves. It is in the confusion and chaos where I see principles rise up above the circumstances. Most do not, and fight tooth and nail in an ever losing battle to submit to change while a few are sensible and at ease with the presents immediate future. I am always admiring of those who teach by example and when I do see it I am obliged to point it out. Not to say that fear has not been felt by those affected but how they handle the fear is the greatness I get to witness. Courage is not gained before the fear, it is gained after the fear and despite it. Somehow and someway we will all survive these troubling times but it is in the how our character is applied to the reality that will get us through it. Acceptance of reality is the first step, then a will to change despite the fear is next. I always feel that when I see someone trying to help themselves, then is when I want to help them as well.

Beyond hope (#755)

Even with my dying breath I realize that my greatest hope may not be realized. Of course that is just logical, even to one who believes in the magic of the unknown. It is difficult to understand this probability will be true and a part of me does not want to admit it. However the greater part of me does and accepts that what seems sublime may indeed just seem that way. I have been raised to give out hope to the possibility that dreams do come true. I have that part of me that knows that life is more about chaos than perfect harmony. Yet still the romantic in me relents to the call of the perfect harmony logic. Why is that? Why is it that the smartest rationalization I own is still at the mercy of the hope I have within me for some other outcome? lol. The astronomical odds of my greatest hope coming to fruition is still like 50/50 in me. If I thought I was a paradox before, this confirms it without a shadow of a doubt. Time will go on and circumstances will change but always within me I will know that the unfilled destiny I do not live is the one that will always lure me back into it's hope. Putting the right words to this in order to make sense of it to someone else is definitely not easy, but I am trying. Of course it is even harder since I am being non-specific as well. Regardless, I need to get this out of my soul and into the light of day. I am only one boy/man who is privileged to live in existence. There are billions of others who also live now and have gone on before me. Have their dreams and hopes been fulfilled? I doubt it as well. Yet my life in my mind is somehow different and worthy of being one of the few exceptions that have ever, or do live. This has been great to reveal in word what I had no idea would be my topic today. Serendipity, providence or coincidence has seen fit to allow me this and I am privileged to take it. Wish us all luck for the greatest hope in all our lives to come true!

I am empirical evidence (#754)

I know that I am like most everyone else generally, specifically less so but still similarities are abundantly threaded throughout all of our lives. I have used myself as a baseline in trying to understand possibilities about certain subjects. I suppose it is a bit of wisdom to know what things we have in common and which ones we don't. I have been in some conversations lately where the other person(s) have pretty much claimed that if people are not like them then I, and those like me, am wrong-headed. I find that using myself as a template for what is right to be disingenuous in the least case and arrogantly egoistical in the worst case. Knowing when to use generalities about myself is the key for me. I am human and as such have certain commonalities with other humans. Not just the eating breathing stuff but in the emotional arena and where we apply logic. Laziness or ulterior motive seem to be the genesis for those who have predetermined attitudes and reasoning for unmovable calculations. They would have the rest of us believe that they have some insight into life that is lacking in those that disagree with them. I am all for using every device known to make an understanding more clear and even sometimes correct. I am bothered by those who do not have this as the highest priority but would rather self-service some other need within them. I came into this world knowing nothing and I will leave this world still knowing much less than I would have hoped for when I first started my curious quest. I am in this for the information and truth if at all possible. In the meantime I will have to continue to glean through that which is offered to me with the strainer of objectivity and an open mind. 

Silently courageous (#753)

I am still in awe at the behaviour of the protesters in Egypt who managed in 18 days to overthrow a corrupt government of 30 some years. There are those entities that advocate for violence and destruction as the only means for change but their argument has been annihilated. A silent courageousness has won out over bullying and thuggery. fear has been conquered by courage. I am still in awe and I will be for the rest of my life. the noble Egyptian civilization has given us the way forward. When confronted with despair and oppression as a reality, quietly standing up and staring down those forces in agreement with other like-minded citizens can prove to be the change to a new reality. This may not always occur as a result, millions have died throughout history expressing their hope for change through peace. But in the Egyptian case, a result that has captured our minds and hearts through modern communications has galvanized us together in such a way that others see the same possibilities for themselves. The new paradigm of passive resistance and the hope for democratic ideals seems to be the dynamic that can very well overhaul the hand of hard rule in favor of intellectual and modern progressive ideals. I remember once in an Eastern European studies class asking my professor if the newly liberated countries of the eastern bloc were writing new and enlightened constitutions for their countries and she just looked at me puzzled by the question and then said something to the effect of; (paraphrased) "How can we improve on the American constitution? Those who have been oppressed are just happy to be free and living in a country resembling democracy as their greatest hope." Like children playing in the sunshine, they are oblivious as to why, they are just happy to be playing in the sun.

A cautious boldness (#752)

The old "it appears to be an oxymoron" title. lol. I am trying to relay a positive movement forward with caution as it's guide. It is wise and sensible to follow through with passions and creative ideas as long as we are willing to respect what the passions and ideas create. We must also be sure that the passions and/or creative ideas actually are a positive force for change. Ideals are great but if they cannot be backed up with real world applications within the existing dynamic then they are of little value, beyond being hoped for ideals. I know in my heart and mind that equality for everyone is true and equality of opportunity is true, but to apply that ideal in our existing dynamic is in theory doable, but in reality is mostly impossible. The entrenched privileged will not give up their hold on resources and a way of thinking that gives them the right to be elite above others. I say mostly impossible because there is a way to change our reality and the current events in North Africa and the Mediterranean show us how. Although the task we wish to achieve should be reflected in caution, it also must be done with boldness. Standing up straight and looking others in the eye when relaying our vision is the beginning. Not in a threatening way but with the conviction of our principles to be of help. We all need purpose in our lives to give us a sense of worth. It is in this worth that a calm peacefulness can be found. Therefore all of us can and should forward out of ourselves the best we can find to change what is not best in our world with a cautious boldness.

If it is a strategy to do the right thing, well... (#751)

Hmmm.... I guess I can help my neighbor because it makes me look good to the rest of the neighbors. I can use that later down the line, like an investment to be used when I need it. This is the kind of strategizing of which I am making a reference. First let me say that being good, trumps looking good every time. Second, if you have to think about where best to do the right thing you have essentially lost the inherent intent of doing the right thing. It is a lot like when we think we have something figured out, it is then that we should realize that we are no where close to it. Our logic/illogic little brains, differentiation intended, are usually not very good at reflecting our hearts. It is in the absence of calculation that our spirits can most fully deploy our better and best natures toward doing the right thing. Percentages and statistics are good for keeping score but terrible for just living by our caring natures. Certainly, there are some situations that need some reflection of thought before an act can be determined to be right, however if that is not the case, and the only reason a right act is performed is to gain some advantage, well there you go! Doing the right thing for the wrong reason only makes life artificial. It is in all this artificiality that confusion and chaos will become obstacles to personal and communal growth. Honesty and truth are what give us the best chance to face the world we live in with a hope of making it better. The face behind the mask needs to be the same face as the mask, except of course at Halloween and mask parties. lol.. We are all responsible for our actions and if they come from our hearts instead of from our heads how much more happy would we all be? What's the point of life if our happiness is not our greatest hope?

In knowledge and experience we find common sense. (#750)

Where do we find the truth? Is it on the surface? How deep must we dig? Exactly the kind of questions one should ask themselves about any subject of importance! We are alive in an existence that requires us to participate within it. There can be no short cuts allowed when it comes to being properly informed. As you and I know very well, there are many out there who are not properly informed and they have some powers that end up affecting us in ways that are detrimental. We must all take serious our privilege and right to be informed as much as we can in order to have an effective part in our society. We also need to build up our knowledge base in order to hope to have the best common sense in our daily lives. I see no reason why every one of us cannot be a wise person. It takes little motivation to be informed when the alternative is to be told what to do and think. Some have chosen the path of letting someone else think for them out of some need to be accepted or inferiority. But those needs can be easily corrected by helping them learn. Learning is unique. It gives us power over the chaos in our lives and our place here in this Universe. Learning also helps us gain new experiences which is just as important as learning. Both allow us to have a real world view and insight into how our interactions can best be achieved. If we do not choose to learn or experience life then we are not part of the change that life is continually making. There is little hope then that our intuitions and feelings will ever be confused with common sense.

Channeling our passions (#749)

Our society is in a transition period where many people are propounding differing views on the structure of how we should live. The complexity of the whole of our society leaves few of us with the big picture vision necessary to know how to go about applying solutions to every facet of how we commune together. I have found that becoming knowledgeable about some of the areas of our lives helps me to be insightful in some areas instead of being only adequate or less than that in every facet of our society. I do learn all I can about my greatest interests and listen to others speak about the areas I am not as well studied in. It is if I am just a link in a chain ready to add strength to what I know when the pulling and pushing begin. I have a lot of passion and desire to be a part of our society in a way that helps reflect the better and best of what we are and what we can be. The comprehensive knowledge necessary for me to be effective is not within me yet. However the things I do know about are ready for discussion and application. I am doing a part that I can be effective in and that is my comfort for now. As I continue to learn different areas of expertise I can add them to my overall knowledge base and make myself that much more effective in debate over more generalized directions. It is important for us to be a part of our own destinies, however they may look to us. I am never certain of anything and things are constantly changing, but if I am involved in looking for objective solutions that have all of our interests at heart, the changes won't be difficult for me to incorporate into my continually growing knowledge base.

Our harsh realities (#748)

Telling the truth has been a strategy for most of my life. I learned it from those who taught me and from peers of mine as I was growing up. It has been, for lack of a better thought, on a need to know basis. Recently however I have begun to dismiss this form of strategy about telling the truth in favor of just telling the truth when it happens despite the circumstance. I no longer care so much what others think of me but more so what I think of myself. I remember that when I was young and I found out some truth later after having been excluded from it, I was angry for not having been trusted to know how to "handle" it. In the bigger picture of life and the future of life one thing is very clear to me; I need to know things in order to grow. Every time I am not made aware of something through a decision by someone else, I am stunted. I do not need someone to decide what information I am able to handle or how it may effect me. How I handle and how I am effected by information is mine! Do not withhold them from me! All of us need to trust one another with the harsh realities of life. Once we are all aware that reality is what it is we then can make informed decisions about how to improve it. The illusion, all is well, we seem to need to push out to those we feel responsible for is actually thwarting the best of what we have within us. It is actually a detriment to our complete make-up as independent human beings. I never wish to harm anyone but to withhold the truth is a form of harm that has a greater impact overall than a punch in the gut. A human being is a remarkable entity and should be allowed to stand on it's own in the full knowledge of what really is true.

My internal struggles (#747)

I wanted to clarify something that should be obvious but needs to be said occasionally. I am constantly writing about aspiring to live up to my better and best principles. I quite often fail and that is what I need to address today. There are times when my frustration, at not being able to communicate with some folks using logical understanding, manifests itself in language and attitude that I am not proud of admitting. I don't have to wade into these conversations that are not centered on facts or reality but I do anyway. there are at times within me a need or compulsion to try to reason with the unreasonable. I cannot just let them go so easily without giving an effort to have them rationalize their positions. Most every time though they do not base their rationalizations in logic but instead in belief and their best intuition. Don't misunderstand me here either, I am not saying that every time I am on the side of the correct, I am still learning something new eveyday. What I am saying is that the new I learn is based within logic. My intent to engage in civil debate with those of differing viewpoints is to reconcile our visions. In my mind I am hoping for a bridging of thought that can have a positive influence on our collective futures. I would happily be wrong every time if it meant that we could agree on the value of human dignity and the shared hopes and dreams of all of us. Unhappily I am not so blessed with the positive outcome I hope for and instead end up with less than honorable uncivilized conversations that serve to remind me that I have not arrived at some beautiful place where my words and actions always exemplify my highest ideals and principles. This is my confession that despite my earnest attempts to be the man I most wish to be I still am not him and I have the scars of inadequacy to prove it.

An innocent hope (#746)

As I continue to move down the line of life I notice that there are two ways I look at life. The first way is to be cynical and grow worse into my despair that life cannot offer me much more than what I have already experienced, overall. I would grow more into myself and shut people out as to interaction and communication. Finding that I am the only one worthy of my own attention. lol. That is not the way I choose to be though. The second way is the one where I see something new in everything and everyone each day. I smile, interact and communicate with a true innocent hope. It is amazing just how special life really is. I will tell you why I say this, it is because I can look at something the first time, form a thought and then look at it again and form a new thought. My simple first understanding is just the beginning, not the end. The complexity of all things is marvelous and full of unasked questions. If all I had was the view of my local area, it would take me lifetimes to understand that view in totality. I recognize that I have inculcated a sense of arrogance about things and people who do not meet my preformed expectations. It is in the recognition of this that I find myself correcting my view and going back to that, at first, innocent hope. I disregard my preconceptions and let myself experience this new circumstance, since all circumstances are new in some way, as if I have just arrived with no clue. It is respect that I am giving to existence and the other lives and objects within it. My new, every moment, is an opportunity to live life like the child I started out as, full of wonder and wanting to be friends with everyone. Naive? Perhaps, but I find contentment and happiness there in the way I choose to go.

It is we not me (#745)

Every morning I find time to stop and just say thank you to no one in particular for this gift of life. Some days it does not feel like a gift, more like a sentence. However, those mornings are far and few between. I also look into the mirror and put a smile on my face so that I can see what I look like when I smile out at others. As far as smiling mugs go I am not too shabby. lol. All of this is to premise that we have an interconnectedness that relies on us being involved with each other. At times I need my alone time and that is when I get to contemplate or meditate on what is happening around me. For that time alone I am grateful. I stop my day when I fall asleep and start my day when I wake up. The beauty of waking up every day is that I get to start at the beginning of my remembering. The same is true for my outlook and perspective on what has previously happened. This helps me immensely in that I am reminded that my first impression on things is not always correct. I am also a survivor and at times that instinct, to survive, overshadows or clouds my judgment. I mostly try to think about us as opposed me whenever I can. Why? Because I want all of us to have what we need to live. We all don't have that as of yet. You know what I mean! My priorities had been honed to acquiring things as a baseline. Each person out for themself. Yet this principle of self often and continuously leaves others by the wayside. Some will say that this is the animal kingdom and survival of the fittest is a natural order. I have come to discount that theory for two reasons, first an enlightened society has no need for allowing the weaker of us to die, we have the ability to protect those who are not able to protect themselves. Secondly, natural orders are not immune to evolution. Especially in light of the human animal. We humans have a leg up on others in the animal kingdom through reason and emotion. We get to set the new paradigm for the natural instinct of our species. In my understanding, it should be we and not me.

Speak power to truth (#744)

The constant battle within me is how I speak about truth. I am normally mild mannered and respectful to others when I have to correct a false or incorrect statement. I have been the one who needed correcting and when I have been publicly shamed it hurt emotionally. I don't start out to be wrong and when I have been shown to be wrong I use it as a learning tool. When I am chastised in a condescending way I often come away from the circumstance of a constructive criticism growth opportunity to a defeated inadequate depressed state of being. In lieu of my past experiences I have taken the route of being soft and gentle in my expression of forwarding the truth where it can obviously be shown. The interesting thing is that some folks just don't care whether they are wrong or not in their understanding of the same reality we both share. Over some time I have learned how, and to what degree, to gauge my response when I argue and rebut erroneous information. Some, myself included, see the obviousness of an argument and can admit and/or change our perspective accordingly, while others cannot for the life of me see anything different than the illogic they have embraced. I have learned over time as well that sequencing an argument in a logical form expresses my understanding. Those who choose to ignore logic for the sake of a belief system or because logic is not their process for understanding, I leave them to their thoughts and move on. I speak logic with force and conviction knowing it has the weight of formula and language as it's premise. I do not quietly pronounce my point but I respectfully, with a determined deliverance speak power to truth and let the argument or point of contention rise or fall on the merits of what is real.

All of us are an example (#743)

We all do truly matter. What we represent and reflect back out to each other is what and how we think about ourselves. We don't have to reflect out to others who we are and for a long time in my life I didn't care much what anyone thought, especially myself. Coming to maturity has changed that. I have put away the things of inconsequence and have accepted that life needs me to be positive and helpful instead of, by default, greedy and hurtful. There are those out there who think that not being greedy or selfish is foolish. They have the mindset that we must all fend for ourselves if we are to achieve some sort of happiness. That if I don't do it someone else will. As though being cynical is the right thing to do and shows intelligence. My experience has been that when I take at will for me without regard to any consequence, I have effectively taken from someone else. I keep saying this and will keep saying it to my dying day, resources are limited. There is only so much to go around. If I am taking indiscriminately I am denying what others very well could need just to survive. I bring up being an example for a purpose. Somehow an enlightened mindset needs to foster some growth in all of us so that we can learn to appreciate each other more than we appreciate "other things". This sense of deserve or entitlement, when used to define greed or selfishness, must not be allowed to thrive. We all need or deserve some portion of some things, most notably respect, but to advance ways of thinking that harbor success as measured by the most of accumulated things is an ironic self-destruction. We should be focused on how we act and the benefit of our actions when measured to our fellow humans and the hopes we all need to share.

Egyptian Revolution (#742)

It is rare for me to comment on a current event as I try to keep the post on a philosophical slant. Today however I am filled with emotion over how the Egyptian people displayed an ideal, the right to protest for a better way to live, with courage and perseverance. After 18 long and determined days the demand the Egyptian people refused to relent on, their leader's removal, has finally come to fruition. I am utterly taken aback by the will of an entire population to rise up out of the control of a system that had them stifled and condemned to inhuman treatment. It is easy to assume that when confronted with despair and a hope-crushing existence that we would naturally gird ourselves in the courage necessary to throw off that which is oppressing us. It would be a mistake to think that "natural" would reflect what the Egyptian people just showed the world. It was exemplary, beyond what others have done and serves as an inspiration to all of humankind as a blueprint for how to face the danger of change with unyielding courage. A man named Abdou Abdel-Monaam Hamadah set himself on fire to protest poor living conditions in front of the Parliament building in Cairo, Egypt's capital. His solitary act of despair served to not only highlight his own concern for life in Egypt but also reflected the despair the rest of all of Egypt was experiencing as well. One mans desperate act changed an entire nation in 18 days. I for one am humbled by the events that have occurred in that faraway land but I am also invigorated by it's heroic display. There is great hope for our species if this is what can come of a determined population of like-minded citizens within other countries where similar conditions prevail.

The existence of a God? (#741)

It is obviously difficult to prove the existence of something that has no physical manifestation of itself. If there was some way to apply any of the five senses to proving the existence of God I do not know of it. In light of no physical proof, we are only left with intellectual and emotional arguments to theorize. The prevailing argument is that God does exist and that faith is what is needed to experience Gods presence. A process of believing that God is real in a way that cannot be physically proven. This reveals that within us there is a need to understand what our world is and how we are a part within it. We are more than logical beings we also have a sense of spirituality to us that requires us to have some type of connection to the past and the future through something. That something being a force within and without the universe that makes all of this have a logic to it. See, our logic does dominate our thinking but it is not the only paradigm that we hold dear. We feel our emotions and clearly they come from something within us. Logic has a hard time explaining the genesis of emotion from intellectualism, yet a spiritual connection to the comfort and peace of our lives can be felt. Does this spiritualism come from a God? Possibly. Does it come inherent within our natures? Possibly. Do occasions of serendipity or coincidence really translate to providence? Possibly. Yet the knowing of anything physically concrete about a God continues to make the question of whether there is a God uncertain. It has been and will remain my position that the right to believe in a God or not is up to each individual. Life is hard enough and if believing that a God is in our corner supporting us allows us the ability to face each day with confidence and hope then who would say that is not right. It is also the same for those who need no belief in a God to face each day with confidence and hope. Either way, no physical proof can be established to deny the existence of God or to prove that God does exist.

I have one view of existence (#740)

I do have one view of existence, despite the fact that it is constantly evolving, it is mine and only mine. I started writing this blog because I wanted to share what my vision of life and it's complexities looked like. I wanted to have a forum for expressing my thoughts on a daily basis interconnected with my belief that only three true instincts reside within me. The one instinct of survival is predominant in that it contributes to both the two remaining ones, compassion, which to me is all care, and curiosity, which is all wonder. Now you may say to yourself, what of all the other instincts of greed and hatred and disregard? My answer is simply that when any of the three natural instincts are being denied, wholly, severally or individually any number of lesser actions fill the void. When we are nurtured in our natural instincts, there is no room for any other action to exist. This may seem quite lofty as principled and applicable thinking but I say we are both innocent, therefore pure to our natures, as well as capable of living in application that which is not denied. The present form of existence has been modeled after nothing with a plan, it has come about out of the ashes and struggle to survive. We have that survival instinct within us operating at full capacity. As to the other two instincts, whenever we are able to turn, individually, inward toward our truth of caring and wondering, recognize them within ourselves and express it outwards toward each other, we may then begin to see an evolution back to who we really are and leave behind us the path that has left us inadequate as an outstanding species, worthy of a respectful awe from ourselves. Again, only my one little meager view of existence

It is okay to tell the truth (#739)

I really don't mind admitting that I am wrong. I have had lots of practice over my lifetime and it is nothing new to me. I had hoped that I would have gotten better at not putting myself into a position of being proven wrong but it still does happen. I can live with the embarrassment, it is mine and I have earned it. lol. Of course I have learned to be more objective about things in life so that I can keep an open mind thus mostly saving myself the ingratitude of others about my uninformed opinion. My particular battle within myself is over my ego and how I feel about what is right and wrong. I have had to rethink my positions on most everything I originally learned because I grounded my thoughts in subjective viewpoints. Eating crow is an expression I have heard most of my life since it relates directly to admitting an error of mine to someone else. It cannot taste good and would seem to be what ordinary people would attempt to avoid with a conviction. It also though serves as a metaphor for describing why it seems so hard to admit fault. It is not a pleasant experience. Since I have insightful experience with admitting fault I usually go very gently on others when they must admit fault to me or others around me. It is important to create a climate of positive fault admitting for the sake of getting back to the truth. Rubbing someone's nose in a mistake is antithetical to fault correction. Instead a reward of some little magnitude should be displayed to those who are willing to comprehend a mistake in conjunction with admitting it. Telling the truth in all of it's forms is what we all can do to make our world clear for determining the direction we need to go.

The universe is in your eyes (#738)

The eyes are more than the window to the soul. I have seen a whole universe vibrantly alive with sparks and shines. How best to explain the mystery of the human experience? I somehow feel we are emissaries of the whole of existence. I have heard the scientists within our species talk about how we use only about a tenth of our brain. I wonder what secrets are stored within us waiting to be discovered? I was fortunate enough to have seen the vastness and clarity in the eyes of someone special. I had never knew that peering into someone's eyes would reveal such a magical event. If that is true for one it is true for many or all. We are all mostly the same physiologically, therefore the potential for someone to see what I have seen is there. Certainly, our body parts have functions of purpose as to simple survival, but they also appear to have functions we have not yet thought to consider. As we discover new dynamics of purpose for ourselves we are unable to conclude that we are defined within limited parameters. Our species and the as yet undiscovered phenomenons that may well exist within us are just waiting to be experienced. My journey of self discovery is not just without me but also within me. It would seem probable that if our eyes hold the mystery of where we are then it would follow that our brains hold something even more revealing. What is all that unused matter that makes up the ninety percent of our brain that is not being used. It is my hope to unlock that mystery while I am still here enjoying the sensations and experiences of what I do know of this universe of existence.

Trust your own internal sense (#737)

When I try to tell someone that they should trust me about something I had better be trustworthy about that something. It is difficult enough just to be trustworthy to myself about myself, let alone trying to convince others of something I would have them accept. I have found that my own internal gauge of what is right or wrong supersedes those who would negate my instincts and reasoning, without totally validating and verifying their advanced perception. I have lived inside myself for the length of my life and in that time I have built up a mechanism for distinguishing right from wrong and truth from fiction. The process is continual and on-going but the basis is there within me. I need to trust what I have reasoned over the time of my life to be the best source of direction. I can always learn and will always be willing to look at different points of view for the rest of my life but in no way by looking at different points of view am I validating them as logical or correct. I think of myself as a sort of black hole, trying to pull everything within me so that I can digest it and make sense of the aftermath of the absorption. One thing I love to do is gather all information on a subject and then morph it into a conclusion that has the most logical sense to it. It may seem a bit odd to do things this way but for me it works. So many people in the past and present have formed some opinions and stances about certain things and never seem to be flexible to other possibilities. I find that odd and I am not of that school or train of thought. I trust my instinct to be an objective egalitarian and the definition I understand from that principle. 

My own frailty (#736)

I know that I am susceptible to being irrational and speaking in anger with an attacking curse-laden repertoire. Yes, it is true, I can speak the vulgar language with the best of them. It is part of my upbringing and the culture to which I became exposed. Certainly, I have the ability to control myself like all of us do and when I choose to display my inner rage in conversation I am responsible for the content. I have mostly steered clear of using street and gutter language out of respect for children and respectable civil conversations. It do find however that my language "spices" up a bit when I am confronted in language with illogic as a strategy. In other words when someone chooses to "bait" the conversation with non-sequitur rationales to confuse and create chaos in order to obfuscate logical premises and conclusion. I find my tolerance level decreases when I am "being played". I do try to objectively engage in discussions as a means for learning and sharing ideas. It is my goal to treat everyone with distinction and respect. At times I am not afforded that luxury. I am still a work in progress and attaining a higher level of controlling my emotions and not allowing the triggers I know so well to have their way is a continuing struggle. At least I am aware of my frailties and I have a re-energized impetus to do better. It seems that even though I think I am being a bore with my language I often get praise for my stalwart determined stance, despite the emotive descriptors. lol. I can do better and I expect better from myself. We are all so very complicated and this is just another example of that fact.

The illusion of complacency (#735)

If there is one thing I have learned in many forms of life it is that when I rest on my or others' accomplishments, I am already starting to lose those accomplishments. The ideal of vanquishing those things that have caused us harm is not absolute. There truly are human forces out there who would like nothing better than to maintain a superiority over others. Not in the usual sense of earned respect but of manipulated power. Even if I struggled for the entirety of my life to overcome a deficient societal abuse, I am not assured of defeating it. If I become complacent in my efforts I am even more likely to fail. The weariness that accompanies struggle to overcome is real and can be an obstacle to us. However, the alternative is to continue to be in a state of less than. I am sure those who would battle to retain ill-gotten power over others would assure you that if you just quit fighting things would be okay. I am not alive and living just so that someone can tell me that my life could be okay according to them. I am alive and living so that we all can determine what we define as okay. It always strikes me odd how some can not see the beauty in all life but only in their need to control it. I have and will continue to struggle against forces that do their best to deny the right of self-realization and opportunity for all of us humans. We don't need a patron for us to plead to about what we want, we need a society that automatically addresses our needs without us having to beg. The genesis of society must be at the level where all live and not where only some came attain. For us to realize our society for all we must never become complacent in our march toward it.

The strength of the mind (#734)

How far can one be pushed? How long can one endure? Two questions that have an individual answer for all of us. The ability to stand for what is believed to be correct and the strength to continue to stand is what we all will know at least once in our lives. Determination and conviction couple to help us define who we are. The lengths I will go and have gone are a testament to my right to be alive in this existence. I scream at no one in particular that I am here and I matter. It is instinctual within me to validate and verify that I am not some mistake of nature and that I have a purpose beyond my own knowing. Where does this expression of my existence come from? It is in my heart and soul that I recognize the human sensations that trigger my mind to say, I am here and I do matter. My mind is the center of analysis for the reasonings that formulate within me. It is in my mind that I take my emotions and logic and apply them to some force of thought and action. My mind is the catalyst for what I am ready to reflect out to others. My heart and soul give me the premise information and my mind gives me the conclusions for which I chose to identify myself with. It is then back to my emotions for the impetus to act. Shall I be courageous and act with principled logic? Or shall I hold back and not follow the logic through action but only in thought? Who am I and what is it I scream at no one in particular to announce I am worthy of life? My actions, not just my thoughts are perhaps fated for me here in this existence. Fear will have it's way if I let it but if I don't let it I must still act to express my will. The strength of my mind is centered on the existence of who I am and if I am truly alive.

The great disquieting (#733)

We all have a voice! Everyone of us. It is our right by nature that we are equipped with our senses to be used at each of our pleasures within the limited constraints of society. It is all of our duty to make sure that all of our voices are given the opportunity to speak. It is only opportunity I claim, nothing more. Some may chose the path of silence as their statement and as such have chosen not to express through voice. Up until this point in our human evolution we have struggled and continue to struggle to define the structure for a society that has all of the concerns of it's citizens at heart. We have been given models of structure to advance and live within but the reality of such attempts always comes up short, thus the disquieting. If we are to overcome the disquieting and find peace with rest, we must not stop evolving into a more enlightened species. The progress necessary requires us to face our inabilities with renewed vigor to improve. We must be clear and focused on the logic and common sense of our approach to change and how it affects our current manners of existence. We are the reason for improvement, who would stand in our way except ourselves? Motives for keeping ineffective status quos can be conspiratorially and fear-based driven. Why should that be a surprise to anyone, the ideal of boldness and courage to change to better has been elusive to us for most of our history. We have it within us but it is difficult to bring our determined will to better ourselves to the forefront of our actions. Some show it and remind us that change is inevitable and the direction we take to get there can be uplifting and freeing. Our spirits clamor against the things that shackle us and eventually we will shake free from those limitations. 

I give you mine (#732)

One must be able to recognize a need in order to sacrifice one's own self for the betterment of another. Charity and selflessness, two admirable characteristics which produce a like result. Both actions or thoughts come from the compassion we feel to express or acknowledge. Our ability to think beyond ourselves is also displayed in nature as nurture within other animal species. It is not unique to us but is shared by most sentient creatures. I absolutely marvel at the simplicity of interaction we and like animals express. I will continue to contend that once we understand our own nature and the nature we have within our community, our societal problems will begin to disappear. We have been dominated by other expressions that have been forwarded as instincts and behaviors of value. The continuous progression of less than honest ideals has left us incomplete as to society and our own personal intuitiveness. What is the purpose of being alive? To answer that we erected goals of short and long-term durations. We have chosen a system that values accomplishment over any other form. Accomplishment is means to what result? It seems a bit odd that we progress certain achievements without having a guiding principle for their particular achievement, other than the obvious monetary reward. It seems that the means has also become the end. The value of monetary accumulation has even become of greater value as a self achievement than any other purpose one might give thought toward. Has the value of the means overcome and replaced the reason to get to an end? Our ideals are of a principled nature and therefore must allow, for those who trumpet them, evidence of thought and action for the meaning of principled ideals to be real.