The power of one person (#1004)

I have heard and also felt "what can I do, I am only one person". It is overwhelming to have great ambitions and worthy causes in my mind but with no way to effect them out into our society. It seems that regardless of what I think or do, nothing will change. However, that kind of thinking is only one way to look at whether I can be effective or not. Another approach is the one I presently use, that being doing what I think is right regardless of whether it gets out to others or not. I do have power to be me and as me, I can influence those who are in my immediate vicinity. Instead of being cynical about working to change things for the better, I just do the best that I can in the present moment. I am the change I hope to effect. As a force within existence, I help shape not only my life but the lives of others who interact with me. I think about what the dynamic would be if I just lived in a state of discouragement. It would help spread discouragement. That is not what I want to do, even when the chance of me changing anything is impossible. I don't want to reflect impossible, I want to reflect everything is possible. I have that power and I have that ability. I am a human who has reason, logic and an indomitable spirit to express myself. What is that self I want to express? That again is up to me and I choose to express what is best about myself, not what I can't do but what I hope to do. I am not here to give anyone a pep talk, but I am here to express that we are more powerful, even as one person, than we may think. The ripples around my life are ripples that I hope will effect others in a positive and hopeful way. I have that power. One person can and will change the world, even if it is in small ways the power of one person does provide for change.

The pain on our faces (#1003)

It seems that the faces of those I see more regularly have some pain etched in them instead of a relaxed smile. It is indicative of our society that we are more concerned with how our lives are not being fulfilled as much as we had hoped or even mildly expected. There is trouble out there and it is not an illusion. Real hardships and decisions between choices have made us less satisfied and therefore more tensed and unsure. It is symptomatic of economic and political pathways that have gone down roads we are uncertain and even perplexed about. Life should have a pursuit of happiness quality about it. Instead we are in a period where we are competing with each other out of desperation and fear. The paradigms of the past are being convoluted in such ways as to tear at our conscious about what is right and wrong. We don't want to lose what we have yet lose it we will if things don't change. When ulterior motives are directing our every day lives, we must recognize them and discern them from the forces that would expose the ulterior motives and the characters behind them. In a free society there is no illusion. The only thing recognizable is the possibilities we desire. However, in our society today, there are "behind the scenes" movers and shakers who are diverting our free society toward one of confusion, to extract an undue benefit for themselves. The shadowy manipulators have no qualm in denying true freedom if it means they can sell you their "watered down" version of freedom. Intuitively, I know when I am being railroaded in ways that are not universally beneficial for our society. When exclusionary practices become policy, the life of our society becomes less fulfilling. When we are given less opportunity as a means of progress, our lives become more shallow. When only a few can claim our species' destiny, then the hardness on our faces will become the normal and not the exception.

We are all kin (#1002)

Kindred spirits we all are. Regardless of our looks or locations, we are humans who belong to each other. One big, giant family. It is how one looks at reality that defines who we are. I see our world as our place to exist and explore. Even to the point of moving off terra firma and out into the great unknown space. What tremendous opportunities our species has in it's capabilities. We are so close to being able to inject ourselves beyond our one and only home. To go out into the dark recesses of space and discover the secrets that are there. What wonders will we encounter? Our boldness is only matched by our inquisitiveness. What a magnificent gift we are about to give to our next generations. We may not be able to reach for the stars right now, but our children and their children will have the real chance to begin the greatest quest. The long line of generations that have sustained the human being race is about to culminate in a great adventure. The best of who we are, as a species, is still ahead of us and the ability we have to live our best is about to begin. The curiosity we have and the emotion we feel about expressing it has no better path forward than to reach out beyond our limits and create new ones. I am so very happy for the future of us humans and the realities that are so near to being fulfilled. My part is to keep the hope alive for our eventual mastery of our solar system and the galaxy we live in. The treasures of information will likely change our species to accommodate the new realities. The human species as we know it will be changed for the better. We will always remain the best of who we are but that best will have new and unforeseen paradigms. The beginning of the era of human exploration is at our threshold, when we do cross it within the next few generations, the new reality will bring us closer together like the kin we all are.

The beauty of the unknown (#1001)

I can find 5 great examples of why I have the instinct of curiosity. My senses of sight, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. Why on Earth would I not have a curious nature when I have these five senses? I am a walking, talking human laboratory. It is my destiny to take in information and knowledge. That I have a brain, capable of processing information and knowledge gained from my senses reinforces the idea that I am a gatherer of knowns and unknowns. Simply put, I am a living breathing data processor. lol. Now, of course I have a compassionate component that allows me to "feel" emotion and sensitivities to emotion, in conjunction with my processing abilities. It is as if I am a thoughtful gatherer of information. What this does is allow me to have perspective on my actions while continuing to analyze and reason. I know this sounds like I am making us all out to be machines, but what I am trying to do is show our natures in the light of being observed from outside our human species. If we could project ourselves outside ourselves and examine what we are in an objective way we would see the type of species I am referencing. I am not the species of organized civilization or remarkable by my societal attributes. I am a human with senses and the curiosity to use those senses in a compassionate way. That is the species I am. I look forward to everyday as it gives me another chance to apply my attributes. I again can draw in and filter information as I need to do given my propensity for information gathering. We are so close to having the type of technology that would allow us to move off our own planet and explore other planets and moons. This is my great excitement since it hits me at my core where my senses would have new and unknown treasures to find.

The sophistication of natural rights (#1000)

This isn't just about breathing air, drinking water and eating food. This is about the right to define one's own destiny as long as no harm is done to others who wish to do the same. We all get to have a say in our own lives. Unfortunately, and in cases fortunately, over time, systems for living have been implemented and maintained. However, an ideal way for our species to interact and live out our lives has yet to be installed. Some of us look to refine what we call society or civilization to the greatest degree of possibility, while others wish to maintain the status quo out of some fear or selfish desire. The struggle for our way of life is still being fought and it centers on our natural instincts and what that defines. I have chosen to create this blog to use as a vehicle to examine and explain what I see as our natural instincts. It is always important to understand the subject we discuss by knowing what the subject is. I see our natural instincts as compassion, curiosity and survival. Simplified in three descriptive words. Of course those words have bountiful meanings implied within them. I used the topic title for this post for a specific reason, that being drawing attention to the enlightened understanding of our inalienable natural rights. As an example, I am a curious and caring fellow who strives to live. These are my rights! There should be no question as to me being able to exist in this reality with nothing less than these natural rights. Any policy of society or civilization that would hinder my ability to express my natural rights, within not harming anyone, would be a violation of my natural rights. It is not up to me or others either to define any restrictions on natural rights if the natural rights fall within the "harm no one" paradigm. This is how I judge what thoughts and actions are being proposed by others who have no sophistication on the precious ideal of natural rights.

Of privilege and deserves (#999)

Our expectations of reality seem to have some duty to honor ourselves for what our perceptions conceive. It is amazing to me that we can hold ourselves, individually in such high regard! Is it a defense mechanism to trick our own minds so that we can function outside what is real? If anything I have learned about myself it is that I am just significant, not insignificant nor magnificent. I don't hold to honoring myself as anything special nor do I disdain myself for being the worst of what I know. I am just another among many others. I find that this reality of mine is quite right and therefore easy to be a part of. There are no illusions of grandeur nor depressions of uselessness. I am happy to be alive and striving for what just and noble thing that is next in front of me. Life is that simple when it is that clear. I have ambitions to better myself on a constant basis with time mixed in to associate and communicate with others in a friendly and relaxing way. Life is not about being crazy or rushing about with only tunnel vision as my guide. I have life to live in order to be human. I am not just a set of limited actions or thoughts, I am all actions and thoughts I can envision. Needless to say that always my being must be within "harm no one nor myself". When I do violate this simple concept, I immediately halt and retract the action or thought that violates this simple principle. Now, to privilege and deserves. Those who are deserving of some accolade, receive that deserve through action or thought, that is appropriate and right, not privilege. I see our society set up in ways that honor those, who for nothing else, stand only in privilege. Privilege is not an attribute nor is it a desired character trait. It is a position in life that has less equality to it than merited. I enjoy and admire those who earn respect and honor for their actions and thoughts, and I don't enjoy those who claim respect and honor for no other reason than existing.

The mystery of existence (#998)

No one can say why we exist. Certainly we are born and that is how we exist but the why is still a mystery. Is there purpose to us or just serendipity? I don't know the answer to that question and really it is of no significance to me either. I would like to know why we exist but that is not anything I ever expect to know in my lifetime. What I tend to concentrate on instead is how I live this life I am given. I can find a purpose in that for me. Now, don't get me wrong here, I don't need life to have a purpose, but personally for me, I find more satisfaction applying a purpose to my life than not. I have reflected upon and cultivated what my instincts are and again, for me, I have decided that my instincts are worth having a purpose built around them. In other words, My instincts are sufficient for me and I don't need anyone else's instincts to work from. As you all know by now, I believe my three instincts, survival, compassion and curiosity are natural. All other instincts have morphed into being from the denial of any or all of the three I have just mentioned. Given my instincts and the desire to find purpose within them, I have found some guiding principles that help sustain me. Learning and caring for all of existence has quite the ambition to it. I know it is impossible to learn and care for all but that I still do says volumes about my outlook toward existence. I have no boundaries within learning and caring. Nothing is any less deserving of my attention than anything or anyone else. I like that! I do not get to pick and choose what is important. I only get to know what it is right in front of me and move on from there. I am a contradiction at times since as I get older I get more sedentary. My younger days were full of traveling and adventure whereas now I am much more comfortable just looking at my immediate surroundings wherever they may be. The why is not as important to me as the how I live and I will continue to distinguish between the two.

Lying liars and the lies they tell (#997)

This topic gives me an opportunity to explain my theory about how the denial of compassion, survival and/or curiosity, can and will bring about human thoughts and actions that are not natural. When we have no compassion or curiosity about existence, we fellow travelers are left with a void that cannot stay unfilled. Rarely can anyone live in stillness and void for more than a moment or two. Something must replace the lack of our natural instincts of compassion and curiosity with a survival aspect. Since care and wonderment are not being expressed then the opposites of those characteristics will evolve. A lack of compassion, often described as psychopathy or sociopathy, or more generally, selfishness. A lack of curiosity often leaves us with a person who has a set defined life view that cannot be changed. A dogmatic outlook that has no concern for new information or even valid arguments from logic. A closed mind if you will. Since being closed minded and selfish can be melded together to form a persona that superficially expresses itself through confidence, it is often mistaken as wisdom. I suppose it is true that if you demand a thing long enough with conviction, regardless of validity, you will eventually gather a following. I will talk about followers another time but for now followers can be obtained through a series of manipulated statements and bombastic actions. Just because someone acts as if they are certain as to how everyone else should relate to the world does not make them right or even close to right. I, personally do not listen to those who exult themselves to places of prominence above others since that is the first sign of a closed mind. I prefer to be around and listen to those who offer compassion and curiosity as a course for me to follow that leads to me better being able to survive.

Ignorance is a choice (#996)

I don't very often start a post with a negative subject but it is necessary at times in order to keep things in perspective. The blindly followed mantra by those who are susceptible to mainstream media is becoming a large number. It verifies a conclusion I have come to that people will trust just about anyone if they are on television or radio. Just the fact that they are in a position to demand your acceptance of their opinions is enough for a lot of folks as enough evidence that what they are saying is the truth. I guess the reasoning goes like this; why would they lie? I am not a cynical person by nature and that more than likely is another reason for folks to accept information at face value. Unfortunately, being cynical in this day and age is only the first step toward uncovering the illusion of reality being presented. Do your own investigations of information by any means possible. I know that it is easier to trust some politician who comes off as all knowing, but don't be shocked when you find out that arrogance looks like knowledge. An agenda is being served up to us in a palatable fashion and we are so hungry we accept it as fact. Think about this, those who spoon-feed us a philosophy that lacks objectivity or that you can intuitively discern prejudice and bias within it, is not being given to us for us to decide but has a decision built into it that you are supposed to follow. If you are not being given honest and truthful, general information that gives you an opportunity to make up your own mind then you are being herded into a decision pre-planned by others. Remember, being objective allows you to see our reality without constraints, anything less is an attempt to confuse and manipulate your individualness into a group of followers, not leaders. Ignorance is a choice, what choice do you make?

Honor comes from the heart (#995)

I have been going back into the memories of my life to it's earliest stages and have come away with the conclusion that I built the foundation for the principles of my life from my heart. My mind followed. It seems appropriately logical, since I was at my most innocent at the beginning of my life. I have held that we are mostly all born innocent and that our communities and environment effectively change our innocence to skepticism and cynicism. The cycle has endured over time and that I can even see that, is somewhat of a victory in an effort to combat how we end up as opposed to how we start out. Regardless, over time, we get opportunities to reflect back and change our perspectives if that is what we want. For me, it was going back to how my heart wanted to live my life and bringing my mind along to have it make sense of my choices. My heart is where home is and I like how my heart makes me feel. I have lived like a heartless uncaring human and it made me feel inhuman. It is my problem to have had the trial and error of this type of perspective and I would not recommend or even consider recommending it for others. Perspective can be gained in ways that do not include trial and error. That is the purpose of logic and common sense. A little bit of a curious intuitiveness will also benefit one from having to resort to trial and error. Back to the main subject here in this post, honor and how my heart creates it's happening. We humans are given two amazing instincts; curiosity and compassion, which otherwise may be described as heart and mind. With my heart, I live the instinct within me, constrained only by how my mind will allow me. Metaphorically, it is similar to my heart being the motor and powering my life but my mind being the steering wheel and directing my impetus. As I care for the feelings I feel, I also have built principles around them that care for their being, thus honor, honesty, loyalty etc...

Ours not mine (#994)

I have found a simple formula for keeping the smile on my face. I don't look at the world as a place I need to conquer, instead I look at the world as a place I need to help. There seems to be one constant theme that circulates around in others' conversations about what needs to be done in our world. It being, that we must battle each other for the resources on this planet that are already here. We are not battling over things that don't exist but over things that are already here. Instead of us all taking part in the resources as a means for survival and cohabitation, we are nonetheless pitted against each other in some form of contest that has real life implications. Somehow a "thinning out the herd" mentality has become all pervasive and instilled in our mindsets. Nature does exhibit this trait among the lesser reasoning species, but somehow us greater reasoning species are being led to believe it is our destiny as well. The compassionate component within me says otherwise. We have not been given the ability to analyze, reason and conclude in a logical way for the sake of it being null and void. It is astonishing to me just how little we appreciate the gift of knowledge and application over the sense of some unconvincing argument that we must all fight each other for existence. The human experiment is not going forward as much as it could, instead it wants to emulate lesser species and their attributes for survival when these lesser species don't have the same wherewithall that humans have. Instead of raising the bar of enlightenment, we are lowering ourselves back down toward a by-gone era of brutish evolution. The dumbing down of our species has many causes and certainly it has to do with our own insensitivity toward each other. However, whatever the cause of our growing anti-intellectualism, in the form of rejecting the boldness of our species' advancement, there is still time to change the outcome.

Are you a part of history or will it pass you by? (#993)

It is not easy to recognize when history is being made if you are not paying attention to things that are going on around you or if you chose to ignore reality. It is my assertion that history is being made all around us right now and if we do not join in, in it, we will be left to deal with the wake of the consequences. I have a voice and a mind that is free to objectively formulate opinions based on my instincts of curiosity and compassion. In the mix of the whirligig of motion, I can see a pattern of change that is abruptly coming. I will be aware of the change and the history it is about to make and I will also know how to deal with it as it does become our new reality. For those who cannot let go of past institutional thinking that has proven itself ineffective, the future will be a shock and they will be caught unaware as to how they will be a part of it. Denial is only good in cases where nothing matters. Denial in the rest of things is a detriment and a backward frivolous enterprise. No one knows what the best is for all of us but what we do know is when something is wrong for most of us. Changing the rationalization for previous actions is hard and requires an immense amount of proof and determination. But no change can occur if the premise for change is not recognized. Such is our dilemma today. Many see the inaccuracy of events and policies that shape our lives yet most do not understand the reason for it. When that reason becomes evident to enough, then change can happen and those who don't see the evidence for whatever permutation of thought that prevents them from doing so will be left with no foundation for change and they will instead resist the change out of fear. Unfortunately that is our history of evolving and it once again exemplifies our need to be self-informed and strict in that process.

Acknowledging the unknown, it's okay! (#992)

It is alright to say "I don't know", just let er rip potato chip! We don't need to be the all knowing, in fact we don't even need to be the mostly all knowing lol. It's really okay to be uninformed and admit that than to pretend that we do know, when we don't. I love that there is so much unknown out there, it helps fuel my curiosity to learn what I don't know. I am a little bit of a slow learner in the sense that I must know a thing deeply and fully before I move on to other things to learn. I can grasp most concepts but when I am having a hard time understanding something I don't know, I stay with it until I do. In the meantime however, I do not pretend to know it before I do. It is okay to admit inabilities, none of us are perfect and me knowing I am imperfect gives me the confidence to admit it. See, truth has a role in what I am. All of life has really gotten very simple for me, just being honest and truthful about my own capabilities/incapabilities has freed me to experience and enjoy this existence without reservation of reality. I am here and that I know. Everything else is an adventure in living and learning. My lack of ego is refreshing to me since ego only serves to inflate within me an illusionary perception of myself. I am just a human being, no different than any other human being in the species sense. I feel like I am cheating somehow in that I understand the life cycle for myself. I am reassured within me that what time I have spent here is precious and a gift. I exist as me, one who can understand that I am just here visiting and like a visitor, I am learning what I don't know. The structure of society that keeps us busy is helpful but not the purpose of our lives, living and learning are!

Equal measures of logic and compassion (#991)

This is how I see common sense. Knowing the facts and factoring in human qualities. I know that this simple form is not complex enough to capture all of common sense but it is close. Things like experience and perspective weigh in with their paradigms to help with logic and care but for the most part it is intuitive to say that logic and care are the two main ingredients to common sense. For all that I hear today though, it seems that common sense is not as common as it should be. I listen to most people's arguments about the subjects of our day and leave with a confounding dilemma, It seems that the big picture is being sacrificed in the name of some little contentious point. I am flabbergasted at the inability of those who see a different vision to be able to logically explain their vision to the end point without becoming adamant to any other possibility. It is as if logic is being compromised in favor of some hoped for outcome that does not have a basis in reality. Too many want to be demi-gods, foretelling a vision not based on reality. The problem is, is that too many are following the zealotry of belief without a grip on the logic of the belief. It is as if the conclusion of an argument does not hinge on the validity of the premises anymore. Illogic is all I can ascribe to it. Normally, common sense comes into play and that would usually intervene as a control as to what was correct and what was incorrect. No longer is common sense being given much credence as to many final analysis'. It saddens me to no end that the real problem we seem to be having has to do with both fear and lack of knowledge skills. The well rounded education has been replaced by the specific part theory and courage to face the unknown has been replaced by a belief system that cannot be proven. Unfortunately we are digging a hole for ourselves and are not even aware we are creating a fall.

What do Americans promote? (#990)

It is easy to tell what the health of a country is by what it promotes. Those countries that promote education, health, good work opportunities, and the care for it's disadvantaged and elder citizens have a grace about them that underscores what is best about their countries. Those countries that promote less on education, health, good job creation and less care for their disadvantaged and elder citizens, have opted instead for a survival of the fittest mindset that undermines national unity and cohesiveness. Certainly, many countries fall between these boundaries due to being without the resource4s to create the best environment for it's citizens and should therefore look to aligning themselves with other countries that increase their overall viability. However, there are countries, like America, which find ourselves actually choosing to become a survival of the fittest country. A philosophy not based on community but on individualism to the extreme. A dog eat dog world where the honor and respect of human dignity can only be measured by how well one navigates the economic maze we have constructed. The sole equivalency in determining the value of the human individual is in how well the human can practice the principle of selfishness. If turning each of us against the other is the method going forward here in America, then that does not bode well for our continued growth and sustainability as a nation. I believe we Americans have the will to promote a society that reflects what has been shown, through creative and successful ideals, that focus on education, health and good job creation, while taking care of our disadvantaged and elder citizens, Continuing to promote the general welfare of our country and improving on ways to do so are the challenges we face and the people we need to face those challenges cannot be people who think the answer to those challenges is to ignore them or scrap the programs that have been built so far.

The days we have left (#989)

The zealotry with which some live their lives is not aimed at looking at what will happen but at what is happening right now. My life is right now and I live it that way because I really do have nothing else. Of course I have principled pathways I follow but it is what I do in every moment of those pathways that define me. That definition is the real me, not some facade or superficial illusion of me but the real me. I know I want to live every moment sustaining what is right in life, such as discovery, knowledge, happiness, camaraderie and a general hope for a special intimacy of a personal nature. The logical assimilations, plus the emotional experiences worthy of human interaction and expression, deserve my full attention in the "right now". This very moment on a continual loop of the very next moment. I count myself fortunate to have even lived to this age I am, in perspective, since throughout history most have not attained my age. I have found closure in a soulful way about time and it's demand that all of us are limited within it. The importance of living in a way that has honor to it, increases in scope when the actuality of being mortal does sink in. I am on that plane with my life. I have not been so bad in my previous years as to lament my failed opportunities, however they are failed opportunities in that I did not respect and honor my days of past with any real conviction of dearness. I lived like there were an infinity of tomorrows without regard to the obvious illogic. That is no longer the case and it is true that with age does come a certain wisdom, especially in areas where the wisdom should have already been present. Existence is not about me, it is about what I do in life that affects life. Life is the true purpose, for without life, existence has no meaning.

The hard of life (#988)

Everyday brings something that requires me to resolve myself to standing up for my personal principles. It was scary at first carving out my own identity, since I did not want to offend those close to me or alienate them either. But it really all comes down to this, I cannot be what others want me to be, I must be who I am, without reservation, except that I don't harm myself or anyone else. Discretion is almost always the better part of valor and using that principle helps to me assuage those who are disappointed in how I think and act. I cannot please everyone although that is my hope someday. The reality is that if I am who I want to be and do it with the compassion and happiness, I then feel that has to be good enough. I am an example, like all of us are, and that is what drives me. Not the choices in life I make but the reasoning behind those choices. Acceptance of reality, regardless of whether I agree with reality is the first step toward being myself. I see the world as it is and hope to be the best of who I am within that. It is my hope also that being the best I can be will have a positive effect on that reality I am a part of. I titled this post "The hard of life" because everything that we do requires a cost. Am I willing to pay the cost, whether it be hard feelings or blood, sweat and tears? Nothing is free of effect. The hard in my life is now an established acceptance. I know that with every word or act I emit, there will be consequences. It is just that today those consequences are worth paying from my perspective. I accept who I am and what I do as the best way to be me with the full knowledge of how that cost will appear. I am surprised sometimes when unexpected agreement with me occurs but that is not rule, it is more the exception. Such is the hard in my life.

Live from my heart (#987)

I don't know how to say it any better than that. Living from my heart is as satisfying as I make it. My mind, logic and all the knowledge I have will not fill my life with dimension. It is only by including my emotional caring that I have a real sense of the complexity of this existence. I have found that by being sensitive to circumstances and situations I can intuitively trust how I feel as to what I think and act upon. First, let me make something clear, being sensitive gives me insight into reason and analysis, it does not give me license to be weak. On the contrary, it gives me the strength to act upon my conviction with stalwart purpose. I am often amused at how some think that by me trying to understand things from a multi-dimensional perspective, I am not coming at things from a position of strength. It is easy to be a bully, even I have had experience in strong-arming manipulated outcomes. However, I learned quickly enough that all factors need to be known for a solution to have a real chance of actually being beneficial. The persona of the ramrod or tough-guy is appealing to many since it does offer a moment of perceived power, yet it also is a fallacy when put into context with what is real and what is an illusion. I am not talking about job or emergency situations where leaders are expected to lead. I am talking about in everyday life where we all have doubts about what if any our role in society should be. My life is not based upon a number in an economic formula, rather it is based upon how I interact with humans on a human level. Whether I am given what amounts to bounty through effort, or not, I am still happy to just be alive and appreciate what this thing called life presents. My heart is happy to know that it is part of all my calculus' and that my friends is the secret to having a fulfilling life.

The crossroad (#986)

It is becoming apparent to me that the political aspects in our country have gotten to such a point that I must weigh in with where I see our American future. The crossroad we are at involves the implementation of two distinct sets of visions. There is one vision that sees our country going forward on the foundations that have been established over centuries of debate and compromise and another vision that would cause the upheaval of that very same foundation. First let me bring to light the upheaval vision. It entails restructuring our society away from communal concepts and building upon individual abilities. A sort of survival of the fittest mentality with little regard for those who are not able to compete. What this looks like to me is a master/slave paradigm with the slave class beholding to the benevolence of the master class. The established vision welcomes all of us into a family oriented society. Each of us contributing in helping each other grow and prosper. A "pay it forward" concept that has been our tradition since the founding of our country. In this established system there is also room for individuals to express their abilities in ways that build for them individual success. The established system offers both individual advancement while securing the health and welfare of the community. In the upheaval system, individual success can be obtained but those who don't are left to fend for themselves. In the upheaval system there is no communal good or programs designed to protect the unfortunate. That we are even discussing the two as equal options, pains me to the core. I am a human being, not a machine! A society that discounts or disregards the differences between us and values economics more than the sanctity of life is a paradox. Our natures demand that we nurture each other yet there are those who have no such empathy, and are otherwise devoid of compassion. Thus the crossroads!

The indignation of the ignorant (#985)

Of course I am not immune to the ravings and ramblings of those who see the world through the prism of illogic. We all have our days with those who talk right through us as if we are not even there. Try as I do, I am left with the dissatisfaction that comes with futility. Add on top of that some extra vilification from the illogical ones in the form of sarcastic comments about how irrational I am. Certainly I am wrong many times during the day but not as often as I see some others. I at least can admit my wrongs when confronted with logical premises that cannot be refuted, however I cannot say that for some others I have the unpleasant task of conferring with. It is as if time has suspended logic and some folks have reached a plane of demi-god. Their reasoning cannot be disputed by facts or analogy. I can handle the uninformed mostly, but it is the uniformed who lambast me for reasons they are not able to articulate that get some rise out of me. I am learning to just smile and accept their attack on me as a way of confirming their inability to express their point of view with clarity and let it go at that. However I am still learning to do that and I do have a ways to go. My curiosity helps me to want to understand things in a logical way. I yearn for the obvious arguments that rely on truth and facts. Yet, mostly I get opinion and innuendo as a retort from most of my fellow disagreeing citizens. I want to do what is right with all things that affect us and I am not predisposed to any position in society. I guess that does give me an advantage since I do come to every argument with an open mind. I do start conversations with a point of view but I am not glued to any point of view that can be refuted with logic. It is the extra doses of acrimony aimed at me for even daring to refute long held beliefs. Sorry, I am not changing so get used to it.

We must trust/have faith in our better natures (#984)

The concept of faith has been most often used in relation to religious belief systems. But the type of trust/have faith and I am talking about is the kind that we know about, not what we hope is real. I have spent countless hours describing our better natures, our compassion and our curiosity. These two instincts of ours need our trust. I know, when you think bad things or do bad things, you think these are our natures also, nasty, brutish, whatever. I disagree, these things are not our natures but these things come about when we are denied our compassion and/or curiosity. We must learn to trust ourselves and what is in our intent. That basic idea of what would we do if we were in total control. How life would have nothing wrong in it. It all starts with each of us. Our complexity is amazing. We can handle thinking on different levels as a routine. Cannot we also handle being just our natures and have expectations for others to do the same? None of us is any too different from the rest of us that we couldn't maintain a life on Earth that reflected our better natures instead of a mixture of our best and worst. We have the greatest opportunities to educate ourselves in ways that explain why we need to do what we need to do when it is time to do it. lol. Our base knowledge should encompass all of us and we all should honor the society we could have by being responsible within it. Our past should serve as a reminder as to why we need to continue forward. Our progress into our species' destiny has just begun but what a time to be alive. Nothing can keep us stationary or going backwards but ourselves. We are at the threshold of the future and with the knowledge and technology we now possess, that future is far less fearful and far more inviting.

We have not arrived yet! (#983)

I suppose it should be no surprise that some people if not many people think that we as a species are at a great stage in our overall evolution. We have control over so much in this existence and we also have a sense of unlimited ability. Yet we do not have that unlimited ability yet nor do we have control over many of the life-extinction possibilities surrounding us. Somehow though we have been able to look past reality and instead see an illusion of our inevitable worth as being invincible. We think and act as if our destinies are within our own control and allow our egos to pat ourselves on our own backs. Often I have distinguished our mindsets as being somewhere between fear and ego, yet both seem to come into play here. I am not a psychologist but enough of an observer in my own life to know that what makes me afraid is often masked by my ego. A survival instinct at times but I am also aware of it so it does become a choice on my part. Instead of accepting reality and embracing it with an eye toward possible solutions, Instead, I allow myself the folly of ego and tell myself instead that I am a demi-god and the trivialities of reality have no say in my fate. Since I am the master of all things that are within my grasp I therefore shall wield my sense of profound worth with a deserving hand. lol. I do wax poetic at times. What I do these days as opposed to my non-illustrative past, is accept what reality is before me as the truth of situation and circumstance and humbly look for solutions that can affect honorable and noble change. It is much more difficult doing things that bring about a positive effect when it seems that those who are held in some regard see only destroying things as a solution. We are no where near being the enlightened human we think we are and we should reflect that in our humility.

The shame of the affluent (#982)

It has become clear that affluence has it's drawbacks. In my young mind I had thought becoming wealthy was an unmistakable goal of positive attainment. I have since become aware of the thoughts and actions of the affluent and see that there is more of a negative nature to it's fruition. Just having wealth is not by itself a bad thing, however it is what happens to our principles for living that does make for negative outcomes. It appears that those who have wealth must separate themselves from the rest of us out of some fear of losing their wealth. They begin to look on those without wealth as lesser humans and not worthy of their time or interactions. This fear is how they see the rest of the world and thus create another class of citizen, them and us. Having all the fine and comfortable trappings wealth can offer is so appealing to so many that the thought of losing it once attained is unthinkable. A selfish attitude toward what is thought to be rightfully theirs is the mindset and anyone who would take from them is considered an enemy. Even if the taking is in the form of society and it's rules for governing. No one person is immune from another person as that is how society works, however the affluent wish to have immunity from those who are not affluent. Our system of economy rewards many facets of behavior the greatest of which is hard work with innovative ideas. The admiration of those among us who have attained this type of economic success brings out tremendous admiration from me and countless others. But admiration is lost when the cost of those who are affluent make life more difficult for the ones who are not. Economics does not determine the value of the human, character and principled conviction do. today the affluent have neither when they are living in the belly of fear.

Finding your passionate purpose (#981)

Somewhere within us all we have something that matters deeply to us each. It is finding this something that matters, that we need to explore. Time is what allows most of us to understand the big picture of life. It is upon understanding the big picture that we are able to see how and what we can do within that big picture. Certainly, education and research must be part of the discovery process but eventually most of us get a chance to see the world as it is. Now comes the decision, do we just exist and enjoy the state of life around us or do we do more than that. I have found that when I was younger and less knowing, I tended to live hard and fast with little regard for the present and future of things around me. It was easy for me therefore to choose to want to help change society for the better instead of being just along for the pleasurable ride. I have found a purpose for my life and it does not necessarily make my life fun or happy on any constant basis. I have found that trying to do more for the world around me instead of focusing mainly on myself has become my purpose. What that simple idea has done for me is open up many fronts where I can be helpful to the world around me without restricting me to just a few options. Adaptable, that is what I am trying to be so that when I can do something that matters it is possible for me to try. I would rather be this way and live without things others take for granted than to not and have more things that eventually would leave me feeling empty. It is my mind and soul where I find true comfort and fulfillment. I have to sacrifice my insecurities that bring about temporary satisfactions for the greater good of what I want my life to mean. It is not always easy since I will always still be just human, but regardless of that, I am my choice of life, now that I know what matters.

The will to believe in honorable principles (#980)

It does not come easy to believe in things that are ideals. Mostly we are creatures of the right now and whatever is in front of us, regardless of the overall implications, we act on the immediate instead of the the most honorable. I had always thought myself above lesser ideals until I caught myself compromising on those same lesser ideals. It seems that thinking that I have only the best of intentions is not the same as me acting on those same best intentions. What I have learned is that I must choose to not only formulate a list of honorable ideals but I must incorporate them into my instinctual actions. I can only do this through repetition. That is how I assimilate good behavior, practice, practice and more practice. The key to all of this for me is to recognize I need to have a method for thinking about things. The first thought that should come out of my head is do I have an understanding of what is going on. Once I know I understand, it is only then that I get to form an ideal as to best relate to what is going on. This is not easy to do since it does require me to be in the present moment at most every moment with a focus. I am prone to thinking of the past and future while not focusing on the present and this is an area I am working on. There are times and places for all things and getting my mind organized to that, will only benefit my overall effectiveness in reality. I have to disassociate myself from the circumstance or situation and look at the big picture with all the pieces. This is why I must make sure I understand what is going on before I do anything else. Sometimes things are easily identified and other times things will never be clear to me. But in knowing where I am with things helps give me the necessary judgment as to action or inaction. It all starts with me having the will to live an honorable life and then everything else follows from that will.

The depth of compassion (#979)

If you follow this blog at all you know I believe that we have two natures, one curiosity and the other compassion, plus the wild-card will to survive. I use the word compassion to describe our heartfelt emotions. Whether simply as being kind or of the ultimate, mortal sacrifice for others. Between the two extremes of kindness and mortal sacrifice we find that most of our compassion exists in varying degrees. Yesterday I found mine in a sudden way aimed toward a friend who meant something special to me and was taken in a sudden and terrible way. We all suffer loss and it is our nature to grieve and mourn in ways that help us to move forward. That is the one great hope out of this is that the future continues to come and regardless of who is here or gone, the future makes no promises. I truly know my emotional experiences are deep within me and make up much of who I am. Don't get me wrong, my curiosity and the logic of things are heavily important but without the emotion they stir within us, they are but dry and dusty values. More than what I think is what I feel about what I think. The combination of the two is where my soul and my character meet. Each time I am leveled so low in despair over loss I am continually reminded that the losses I have endured were because of the people who affected me deeply. This is just another day to most and yesterday is gone, however this blog post will serve to mention to existence that a single life in this world is more than just a statistic or another human among many. We each have a gift to offer and when that gift is offered and then recognized by others and is abruptly taken away, it will matter to those who don't have the specialness of that gift any longer. I know what that hollow feeling is in my gut and it won't be filled soon enough. Goodbye like-minded good friend.

How long will you remain silent? (#978)

All of us at some time in our lives have to cross the line between inaction and action. We measure what the cost/benefit will be and put ourselves into the control of others. When I decide it is time to make a stand, just how much have I already given up before I do? Everything appears to be a strategy, with everyone waiting for the other person to make the first move. There is still some of that in my life but not as much as before. Today I have certain principles that I live by. One of them is living in the truth. I don't allow myself much wiggle room when I know the truth of a matter and I know the next action I must take. It isn't about a strategy for me it is about standing on the right side of honor. I know dishonor and cowardice, I have crept away from the courage it takes to stand before and I do not like how it made me feel. As hard as it is to stand and be accountable for the truth it is even harder to run from the truth out of fear. We are all human and come to a point in our lives when we must stop running and stand. The price for life in a world of fear is too costly to pay when it comes at the expense of our dignity and respect. It is the face of silence that will destroy our souls when making the noise of truth is expected and right. Everyone feels fear but those who stand despite fear get to feel courage instead. It is a choice of being free to determine our own principles for our living and having the conviction to stand for that freedom of choice. Death is sometimes a possibility when choices are made, that is why it is so hard for many to stand up and be accountable to high ideals. Yet, it is because of high ideals that I find the courage to be the man who will stand up and be reckoned with. It is in our natures to survive but it is also in our natures to reason and analyze logically what that survival actually means. Some things are too great to be silent about.

Fearing the truth (#977)

It is not natural to be afraid of the truth. It is a learned experience perpetuated by individuals with less than noble motivations. Sometimes I feel like I am on an island in my own life as to how I see the world we live in and how we humans treat each other. There is much good to be said for positive ways but our negative ways need to be exposed. Hiding from the truth is not helpful and is actually harmful. Everything is real simple for me as to philosophy, "are we better off or not by what we are doing"? It all boils down to that one little sentence. No more of the confusion of opinions and the half truths of ulterior motives, just simply, are we better off? Some look at the world through the eyes of judgment and tell their truth based upon a prejudice. Many see the world as a precious opportunity to exhibit the best natures of humanity. Then there are those who could not care either way, they are immune to thinking critically because the call of temptation is too great. Why are we so afraid to acknowledge our own beliefs? I have found that unless those beliefs are popular, many feel they will be outcast or not included into groups of their peers. I also feel this way at times when I am not on the best mental plane. I am human and I struggle like everyone else. However, as quickly as I see my own weakness, I just as quickly change my thought back to what are my principles for living, which mainly consist of helping those who need help and keeping myself in humility. When I keep myself firmly implanted in the thought of we, the strength of my principles flourish. I don't fear the truth when I am living in it. Shine a light on me and I will not scurry and hide from shame or guilt, or puff myself up and say look at me aren't you blessed by my magnificence, but instead I will bow my head and thank my Universe for letting me participate in this great experiment. For those who fear the truth, I say, don't and then start living in it.

What do you believe about yourself? (#976)

It has been my contention and proclamation that human beings have two natural instincts, curiosity and compassion; with a third wild card instinct, survival. Without getting into the survival instinct and only focusing on the two, curiosity and compassion, I have tried to show that when we are in the two we are into the best and happiest moments of our lives. A sense of fulfillment and purpose are our evidence. This is what I have found for myself and hopefully others will share this same insight. Now I have read many philosophical, psychological and sociological accounts of what the nature of the human is and their reminders of how negative and detrimental we can be to each other. In my argument back to these other less noble thoughts of our natures I say that the less noble in us is a by-product of the denial of curiosity and compassion. The less noble or being denied our two natural instincts is what happens as a result. Now I am sure that many would scoff at this as being simplistic and not reality. I however see this as an absolute. Never in all of my existence have I ever been less than in euphoria than when I am free to care and wonder about anything and everything. I know the results of my caring and wondering bring out different emotions but those emotions are directly related to how the circumstances and situations are being effected by other factors and people who are not consistent with compassion and curiosity. I can only control what I do at any given time, and I know that what others do also affects me. However today I do know that and I can adjust my expectation or hope accordingly to always understand that the chaos of life today does not reflect the continuity life today could reflect. I am not saying we need to live in a perfect world, but what I am saying is that we could live in a much better world.

Where is the truth? (#975)

To be able to fully employ my curiosity to it's greatest ability, I need to know what the truth is. There are many ways to find the truth but it does require a skeptically objective mind. I do not cede any truth to just someone telling me or assuming a truth must be true, I need to do observation and investigation. Even then the truth many times will remain elusive. Not being able to know the truth of something is still a truth in itself. So many possibilities and very few ways to learn what truth is. So what is so hard about just learning the truth of a thing? It is simply having an open mind and taking the time to search out all there is to know about a subject. This is where the trouble starts for most everyone. Taking time to learn is not easy when the demands of life are so overwhelming. It comes down to prioritizing. What is more important, the hard work of searching for truth or finding shortcuts and hoping that the truth is still what you find. I know many who have compromised on what the truth is to have not only the appearance of knowing the truth but the time back it would have taken to find out for oneself. The grand compromise. The problem here is that appearances are only just that, an illusion. The many people I have had conversations with who had some of the strangest viewpoints on things are the ones who did not do the research on the subject they are "experts" on, instead they took someone's word for it or only cursorily glanced at the material, without applying the necessary logic to make sure it was not fallacious reasoning. I understand their strategy in this respect; society demands so much of our time that we just can't take the time to do our own research and thus we must rely on others to do it for us. The problem is that others understand this as well and they use that to further their own agendas as a strategy. It is a sad commentary on our way of life that we can't find the time to research our own opinions.

At what price do we sell ourselves? (#974)

All of us have a price. None of us has the virtue of being totally incorruptible. I recognize that my statement may have some shock value to it and I suppose it is meant to, however it is still true. We trade away our rights to life by just being a part of society. The little that some of us trade for security is a price, just like the lot some of us trade away is also. I understand this and realize that for all my high honorable principles, I must recognize that without selling some part of myself I could not have anything that resembles modernity nor community. This is the foundation I have built my life upon, it is my social contract with the rest of us to be a part of how we live. I am willing to live within boundaries that keep the rest of us, myself included, somewhat free from imminent fear and loss of security in exchange for opportunities that give us some comfort. As I have been in society and learned that this is how things work, I have increasingly found that the cost of myself in this contract has become increasingly less comfortable, to myself and others, with an equal loss of security. Somehow our social contract has been twisted by others to alienate most of us while enhancing some of us. The statistics are everywhere that prove this. Those who say that it is not so have become the noise of the false logic and of those who feel the need to promote a false truth upon most of us. We begin our time in society bargaining off a part of ourselves to join society, this bargaining off is a form of manipulation we agree to. We start out in a position of selling ourselves, so is it so inconceivable that others would also try to sell us as well? When we understand how life works and what is real, it is very simple to see that our society is changing in ways that make our initial contract with it less appealing, instead of more hopeful.