The lazy minds of the irreverent (#1034)

I am all for a sense of humor, especially when the wit of the humor is sharp and cutting. However, I am not a fan of the jester, who's only purpose is a raw flippancy toward rationality. To abuse logic for the sake of living life to be callous, wasteful and diametrically opposed to progress is counter-productive. Using humor as misinformation for the sake of an illusory self congratulatory behavior is confusion gone amok. I try at times to debate with logical argument when in the company of the irreverent and end up realizing that regardless of the dead cold facts, the irreverent will never admit to them. Instead, they will only reverse the argument in a humorless way to find a self satisfying witty rejoinder that has nothing to do with the argument and everything to do with not addressing the argument. Always a segue from reality back to irreverency. This is not an uncommon approach by those whose knowledge base is not up to a truthful discussion on merit but instead is used to mask an ideal that cannot be defended with logic. It is disheartening to encounter since it dismisses rationalization as a method and relies on an attitude of outlandish dumbfoundedness. No serious communication can occur when the goal of the other conversant so implies an unwillingness to interact with honest intent about the subject at hand. I am shaking my head now just thinking about some of the conversations I have had that were utterly, and I mean utterly, useless. Although I know we are all gifted with the same abilities to reason and analyze, some have chosen to forsake those gifts and disabuse them in favor of being ridiculous and illogical. I cannot help but think that there is some underlying attribute of a rebellious nature at work but for the life of me I cannot discern it's positive effect. Such are the choices in our lives and making choices is what we all must face, apparently even irreverent ones.

The gift we all share, empiricism and rationalism (#1033)

Epistemology is the who, what, when, where, and why of knowledge. This comprehensive structured, albeit as far as we are able to define, analysis helps us to understand our own world and our own natures. The study of knowledge for me has boiled down to two, empiricism: objective observation; and rationalism: deductive/inductive reasoning. There are two more "schools of thought", idealism: reality as a mental construction; and historicism: which focuses on traditions and time periods. I find these last two are less significant and I will leave them out of this dialogue. I have given very generalized definitions of all four "views" of epistemology as a way to shorten the definitions and allow me more time to make my point. My main function here on Earth as a multi-sensoried being is to gather information and put the information to an analysis in order to create logical knowledge. Both empiricism and rationalism are major components in the equation I assimilate. Naturally I also consider the idealism of and historicism values but rarely do they impact the final conclusion at which I arrive. My senses and my logical reasoning are the tools I use to sustain and grow my knowledge base. If this is how I accomplish my learning abilities then it is also reasonable to assume all the rest of us are as able to do so as well. I like the theme of keeping things simple in how I approach processes for utilization. By being my own laboratory and science lab, I am able to utilize myself for information gathering and objective analysis. My body supplies the senses needed to draw information towards me and my logical mind allows me to analyze, reason and then conclude. What I am trying to relate here is that we, individually, are the best source for evaluating and processing information based upon our own abilities to understand those things that are here in reality with us. We are all that unique!

"Occam's Razor" (#1032)

Occam's Razor; "is a principle that generally recommends from among competing hypotheses selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions."-Wikipedia. In other words, go with the simplest explanation as a general rule. This is one of my guiding principles in life, Just keep doing the next right thing that comes my way. I do not go out of my way to plan some elaborate scheme or machination in order to achieve a previously thought out conclusion. I just, in plain language, let the chips fall where they may. Certainly, I am not some cavalier or reckless person who lives life without any thought to what an outcome may be but I do not plan my existence with a preconceived assumption of how that will come about, or what that "come about" will actually be. Again, doing the next right thing is enough of a plan for me to live life like I desire. Much of my early life was grounded in the competition of scraping with others for what little I could get. It is part of an addiction with many of us when we feel that cynicism and poorly attitudes dominate all of our rationales. I had so much remorse for my actions back then because my actions were done in reaction to my poor outlook. The old "woe is me", "life is not fair" paradigm. It is true that I am woeful, :) and that life is not fair, so true, but it is the same for everyone not just me and my few commiserating friends. Given the turn-around in my outlook, thankfully, I have found that living a simple life with very few expectations has been pleasantly rewarding. Keeping things simple in my life has allowed me to appreciate my surroundings and the effort I put forth has honor and nobility to it. What more could I ask for from myself than to do what is right when right needs doing? The secret to life is loving life as much as you enjoy who you are. For me, Occam's Razor, has provided a purposeful pathway for living for me to think and act upon.

The fight to expose the truth (#1031)

That I even have to write on this subject tells all of us that there are forces out there who do not want us to know the truth. They would rather we know lies or distortions or nothing at all instead of letting the truth be known. I am in a constant struggle to root out the truth in whatever subject that comes to me. It is my nature to be curious and my curiosity demands the truth, regardless of how uncomfortable or demeaning it may make me or anyone else. We are never going to change our thoughts and behaviors until we are all dealing with the facts of things and not the illusions of them. There can never be a circumstance where the truth of a thing is deemed to be less important than a lie or silence. I know there are some things in life that need discretion due to lack of understanding or simply a way to explain, however the time it takes to allow ourselves to understand a difficult truth is far better spent than a lie used to hide or convolute it. Sunshine is the best disinfectant and when the truths of things are exposed to the light of day we all benefit. Where truth is used there is less room for lies or confusions. I have spent a majority of my precious time here on Earth just trying to catch up from all the distortions that I have been inoculated into believing. How terrible is it for those of us who have been manipulated by untruths? Obviously it is not such a big deal since our society has taken no real steps to eradicate the free distribution of lies as a practice. We only live here in this existence once as who we are and to make the most of it would be to simply have telling the truth be a foundational principled requirement. The right to open up our dialogue to truths and admissions of doubt where no truth can be proved is my goal and something I deem worth fighting for.

A misnomer about liberals and religion (#1030)

I get the sense from many conservatives that they think being liberal is godless. I find that humorous in the sense that surely there are many liberals who are atheists, but many are also god-fearing believers. Being liberal is not about having any morals, on the contrary, it is a mindset of freedom to choose one's morals. If one chooses to a life of religiosity they are exercising their right to believe as they see fit. Same with those who choose to see the world without a god. The point being is that being liberal makes no difference in the choice. Liberalism is: "(from the Latin liberalis) is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights."-Wikipedia. I would even take that one step further and say that liberalism is the natural progression of the importance of equality and liberty. Now, for anyone out there who may say that liberals are not principled or that they are lazy worthless users, then they are just factually wrong. I am a liberal and I am proud of it. Not only am I keen to improve my own life but I have a duty to myself to help improve the lives around me. I do not confuse competition with ego or privilege, additionally, I admonish those thoughts and actions which dispel community and selflessness. How the term liberal has been attacked by those who cannot understand what it is to be liberal is shameful and ignorant. Being liberal includes all individualism that wishes to exist. How can a Democratic society ever deny individualism as long as it harms no one? Is it Democracy that others wish to attack and not just the ideal of liberalism? I am not sure since the distinction for labeling liberalism as an unworthy ideal is less clear and does not conform to rational logic. Attack liberalism and you are attacking the foundation upon which America has been built.

The better and best of us (#1029)

What is that and what does that mean? Some look at the better and best of us as a proof that we can do anything we want because we see ourselves as right and good. Others see the better and best of us as a goal to achieve, a never ending mission in life. What it really is, is a place of inward reflection. It is a plateau from where to judge ourselves as objectively as possible. From that plateau we can look backwards at what we have done as well as look to the present and see what we are actually doing. What we hope for the future is still at this stage hope but it is worth planning for as a way to go forward. The better and best of us is an ideal we can reflect upon and put into thought and action. The inward part of the better and best of us is contingent upon us knowing who and what we are. If we are still confused about who and what we are then we are only moving forward on our best guesses or worse. This is the purpose of this blog, to point out what I have concluded to be our inward natures and instincts. Certainly anyone can and will disagree with me since none of us can ever totally agree on anything. Yet I have taken my stand on the plateau where I am at and have found my vantage point. I know in what ways and areas where I can improve. I have concluded that compassion and curiosity are the two main instincts/natures we all have and that survival is also a common trait. How can I improve on survival? The ways are endless, but basically take better care of myself. How can I improve on my compassion? Easy, see what is going on around me and help relieve the misery where I can. How can I improve on my curiosity? Easy again, just be open and objective about new ideas and allow for my own beliefs to be challenged.

Denial is not courage of conviction (#1028)

I have seen some very strange things over the course of my life but to me the strangest yet is how we humans will go to any lengths to hold onto an idea, yes an inanimate concept, despite the natural and logical detriment it causes us. It is as if a determined will of a force that cannot be stopped has over taken our ability to see objectively. It is reminiscent of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, unable to absorb anything beyond it's own demands. I sometimes wonder if it is lack of understanding or lack of knowledge but I am unable to distinguish the reason. Again, where a concept of thought is held in higher regard than actual living beings. Now I do know that some principles are so dear that they must be valued at most all costs, but really, putting a philosophy or belief before an actual living being is absurd. I can only reconcile the thinking I am writing about here as fantasy. The facts that we exist in are not subject to an interpretation that allows for many to sacrifice for the sake of the few. That is the reverse of what our instincts tell us. We protect the weaker by standing up for them. We have a duty to ourselves to treat all life with dignity. I suppose it is just that many are not able to see the big picture and thus allow themselves the illogic privilege of determining how others must be characterized. I am all for the courage of my convictions because my convictions are honorable and noble principles. Unless we have clear living examples of what we have determined as our lifelong principles we won't be able to act upon the reality of life as it is. Our comprehension of what the problems and solutions are will always be incomplete and not helpful. I bring up denial because it is the closest thing I can think of that is so abundantly wrong with many who are promoting, inherently illogical norms as a purpose for living. More to come next time.

We are all accountable (#1027)

No one gets a free pass here. We all need to do more than just look after ourselves. In this really hard economic time it seems futile to ask each of us to do more than keep ourselves afloat. However, it is what is needed and that makes it necessary for it to happen. I myself have already looked at my present and have figured out some ways I can go out beyond my own needs and be helpful to others who have things worse. All of us need to stop and reflect on what we can do for those who are in a bad way. No excuses or blame, just what can each of us do. I know for me and many others I have heard, helping others is a great remedy for what ails us. It all starts with the will to do something other than complain or shut down. There have been better times in our country but not so much better that need was not still prevalent and necessary. We have not yet evolved as a society of ambitious selfless souls, who see need and immediately assuage it. Yet we are capable of such honorable and noble actions. Our intentions at times are indicative of how deep our compassion runs for our species, so the real possibility of us becoming the benevolent souls we have within us is attainable, but only if we are accountable. We must each take upon ourselves the mantle of leading by example. Certainly whatever we can do when we can is the way to start, but start we must if we are ever going to live up to our species' potential. it starts here right now with me writing this post about what we must all do. Where it goes from here is up to everyone or anyone who reads this. I have nothing to gain from this personally, my life is at the backside of it's living. There is no grand payoff for me, however for our species there is and that my friends is what I want most in the world.

Oh woe is me (#1026)

I keep getting little reminders from myself about how sensitive I am to the little harms that come my way. These harms are so magnified in my head, that I often find myself saying, "how come these types of unlucky things keep happening to me"? Like I have a fate that will always be cursed. It takes less than a moment however for me to come back to reality and put my "harm" into perspective. I can do this because my memory is such that I can recall far worse things happening to others. What I do know is that I am very fortunate to have love and care from others in my life when so many are denied these simple human connections. That is my little psychological uneasiness and though it does come around from time to time it has a remedy, that being I just remember that people have it much worse. Now that takes care of me realizing that life is not all bad but what I need to do is try to understand how to make life better all around me. Here is my view of things, I open my eyes and see a world that I would not imagine if I could imagine what I wanted to see. It may seem a bit arrogant of me to think that the world should look like what I think it should look like but my intentions are good. I open my eyes and I don't like a lot of what I see. I feel it is my responsibility to change the world where I can to make it look like something that makes me proud and happy. Now if all of us would adopt this same simple philosophy then our world would be wonderful within no time at all. It really all boils down to what is the priority of every single soul. If it isn't to make our world better by improving it then we are still struggling to find our conscious. Sadly, we are so confused as a species right now that it isn't just as simple as us seeing what we all need but instead it is mostly only seeing what we want without regard to what others need.

The status quo is unacceptable (#1025)

If our society ever gets to the point of the status quo being acceptable it will have hit perfection. That being said, the status quo will never be acceptable. I won't even go into explaining how it is impossible for us to be perfect. It is hard not to laugh at the idea we ever could be. This is just reality and anyone who thinks perfection can exist, here in our existence, is in denial. So change is our purpose for living. The constancy of change is what we are all about. Finding new and different ways to support our lives in this existence. Now some may have ideas about what an existence beyond this one is like and that is something else. In this existence we are tasked with surviving and trying to do that surviving in a way that harms as few as possible. At least that is the common wisdom that we all should share. I know also that there are ones out there who have no such compunction, to our species' eternal shame. Regardless of the psychopaths/sociopaths, who have no emotional attachment to other individual's survival, we must remember that where we are now is just a snapshot in time and not our reality. Our reality is ever-changing and understanding how and why change occurs is our own personal duties. yes, we have a duty to society if we want the best of what humans can be to dominate our interactions. We are all responsible for correcting wrongs and maintaining what is right. As we maintain what is right we are also responsible for making what is right even better. Don't be confused by my terminology, right is good but it will never be perfect, therefore even right can be improved upon. What the history books will say about this time span in human development will be directly related to what we do with our duties and responsibilities as they confront us on a daily basis. What say you?

The benevolent heart is needed (#1024)

Where is your peace? Do you have a heart of gold toward life? Is your main goal to justify how you feel despite what others may feel? I have too many questions about how we as a species define our actions when the heart of us is absent. There are some in our current American society who feel that all things wrong are a by-product of each wronged individual. That success is there for the taking and that those who don't are less than worthy. The American dream is more an illusion today than it was when I was growing up. The chances of having a family, home, job and all the perks that used to be available have gotten much worse. Is it because the opportunities are there and the opportunities are not being taken? Is it that a good life is not a welcome hope anymore? No to both questions. People want opportunities to succeed and they want to have families and a nice life with their families. The answer is that there are few opportunities available to be taken. There are 100 million Americans below and just above the poverty line. This is because only a few opportunities for a better life in the workforce actually exist. Why am I going to statistics and commentary to express that a benevolent heart should exist? Because only through looking through the eyes of others can we see the problems and solutions that need to be addressed. If I didn't care about you I wouldn't care to help you have a better life. So I must care about you if I have the natural human instinct I was born with. If I have lost my instinct to care about our species then having a benevolent heart is moot. I have not lost mine however and that is why the benevolent heart is necessary to solve what ails our society, economically in particular. Pushing for a better life for all of us is what those of us with a heart left in our chests must continue to do.

I love my dreams (#1023)

I cannot remember the last time I had a bad dream and even then I was just being me in it. That is amazing for me to know because like all humans I still have some little doubts about how I would act if I wasn't mostly in control of myself. In my dreams I am just me without questioning my actions. It is strangely real to me that my actions and thoughts in my dreams are consistent with how I am when I am awake. The reason I have had doubts about whether I was still just like me in my dreams is that sometimes in my dreams I have super human strength and gravity defying abilities. lol. If that were the case in real life my dreams offer a clue to me that I would still be just me without all the ego I presume would have attached to me. That is comforting! the foundation of my good intentions even cover me in my unfiltered dreams. I know that I am being who I am supposed to be by this validation. I know it sounds like a leap but for me it is personal and justification being verified by the consistency in my dreams fits together in a peaceful way. The logic of it is difficult to quantify but in essence, if I am the man I am in my dreams, where rules and restrictions are not required by others over me, then I have found a core with the rules and regulations in my real life that has overlapped into my dream life. By knowing that I am the same principled person in both paradigms is tremendously satisfying. The best part of my dreams then is the actual happenings and the happily distorted persons I interact with. Quite amusing with a touch of real life tension, enough to make my dreams complex and insightful. I don't know why this subject has hit me like it has this morning but the dreams from last night were powerful and heartfelt. My dreams are important to me and help to continue my life along my chosen path in a most wonderful and inspiring way.

We are just the next set of links in the chain (#1022)

What will we contribute to the human species? This is our window to look through and until it is taken away we have the opportunity to do things that make a difference in how the history of humanity is recorded. This is greater than the country I live in it is about the whole of our Earth and the total population that inhabits it. It seems rather ridiculous that one person could think they could have such an enormous impact, yet there are no rules about who can do what. Certainly, we are all restricted in some form or another, some more than others, however the ideas that come into our heads and how we plan to implement them come from each of us. We have such power over our thoughts and imaginings that to waste them on an inaccurate assumption that we are too less important and not nearly worthy of anything substantial and magnificent, would be to deny our own natures. Like I am always harping on, we have compassion and curiosity constantly at our fingertips as the foundation for all of who we are. To not be able to reconcile our own self-worth through our natures is a waste and unnatural. It wouldn't surprise me if each and everyone of us 7 billion humans are not capable to being the next great innovator of our time. If anyone is looking for a purpose and they are beyond the idea that life is all about them, then the magic can happen. We are at our best when we think of others before we think of ourselves. It allows us to see beyond ourselves and toward the bigger picture of life going on around us. From there it is just imagining how to create a society that reflects our best attributes and advocating for that. This isn't about who can make whom do what, it is about what we can think or see as a vision and offering that with what others see as well. There is no right or wrong when we have the intent to make lives better while building new paradigms for the future.

Doing things right isn't hard, it is fun! (#1021)

Their is no arrogance in doing things right. Not even the old saw about rubbing someone's nose in it, when they are wrong. Doing things right is fun and should be a happy experience, regardless of how others feel about it. For one thing fun is a by-product of an enlightened mind. It isn't something to be looked down upon. Serious things need to have an element of fun attached to them in order to take the seriousness from being a drudgery. It has always been about how we want to feel about our lives. We get to choose what that is. I know we cannot control the day to day interactions we have with each other or the structures of society that must be implemented, however choosing to enjoy our experiences is within our domain. I know that within me is an established choice to be the best good person I can be. To make that happen I have to learn and understand how I can make that happen in a complex world. Such is my ongoing project. But in the process of doing this I am also aware I get to feel what I want to feel about my efforts. I get to decide to enjoy the ride and see what good is being played out or I can remain devoid of emotional perspective and let the river of time flow by me and not have the memories laughter and fun comfort me with. This isn't some magical experience we are living, it is us living it with what we have at our disposal. I always go back to when we were growing up and didn't have "things" like some others and how that made me feel inferior and insecure. Then now when I see the real world and how life itself is treated as garbage for some, I have come to know that everything, whether good or bad has a side to it that I can make better just by my attitude. I am working on that and everyday I get a little closer to really enjoying life despite it's multitude of contradictions.

The beauty of my own insignificance (#1020)

Funny how thoughts occur to me. I know everyday that I will be writing on a subject but what that subject is doesn't normally materialize until I am sitting in front of the keyboard ready to go. However, sometimes the subject hits me in a dream or when I am just relaxing my mind and then suddenly some abstract concept jumps into the forefront of my thinking. This morning is like that in that last night while I was tossing and turning in my half-conscious sleep, I thought about how I can make a difference in life. Mario Savio's speech about throwing ourselves on the gears of the machine to make it stop struck me in a way that soothed my soul. I am just another human who can throw his body on the wheels and levers of the machine to force it to stop and understand that we all need to have our freedom. I can sacrifice myself with pride and dignity without having the fear of losing my life. This gets to what are my principles and how do I represent them. It does take courage to stand up to the unknown and be bold about my intentions. The fear that usually comes with that can freeze the actions of the best of us, however it does not have to if I have the knowledge that even despite death, my actions are of a greater significance. That is the key to defeating fear, understand that it does not matter. What matters is how I live my life. Change can occur and by me being ready and able to stand for it makes me the most alive I could ever be. There are others who have followed this path of giving of oneself for the greater good, maybe not as many as a strategy as opposed to snap decisions, but effective nonetheless. That I know I am insignificant in the big picture fulfills a necessary communal aspect of my soul and thus allows me to be just being another cog in the wheel of justice ready to throw myself in sacrifice upon the gears of the inhumane machine.

Wealth and it's illusion (#1019)

How illustrative is the mental picture of a person sitting in a room full of gold coins, basking in their good fortune with a measure of addiction enough to circulate their endorphins on a continual loop. Not only are the gold coins a work of art but they represent wealth in such a way as to make a person exhibit the real possibility of making fantasy and illusion come true. Such is the making of the demi-god. We have all been raised in our society to constrain ourselves under the principled guidelines of shared sacrifice and restrictive individualism. Most will not ever have the ability or the circumstances in their lives to accumulate great wealth so more pragmatic solutions for living are contrived and accepted. When those who are able to have the "room full of gold coins" are suddenly released from normal societal restraints, another paradigm opens up for them. They are now suddenly heralded and looked upon with envy and awe. So, instead of keeping with the ideal that wealth is just a means for barter, they demand and command an ideal greater than just reality. They move to a place in their minds where justification of their own perceived specialness has overridden normal insightful instruction. Certainly, those who have attained success have a right to their own happiness but when they cannot disassociate themselves from the idea of success in commerce with the idea that somehow they are greater human beings than those with lesser economic prowess, they lose touch with reality and begin to live in an egoistic illusion. Success in life in any area of endeavor is to be applauded and encouraged, however, a duty by all of us is simply to recognize that our actions are not divined, they are human and as such we must take care to appreciate what we have done or can do and not allow a mindset of greed to overcome us. Instead a mindset of benevolence should occur and living as the best of what a human can be or do is of more value.

The war for our minds (#1018)

This is about value and what price we pay for our own ability to define who we are. Some would say that there are only a few choices we can make to define who we are. Yet others say that who we are can be anything imaginable that has the potential to be true. I prefer more options instead of less. I can usually tell when someone is restricting my options by their use of fear as a guideline. None of us has any right or knowledge to dictate what this existence means and how we should be within it, except that we harm no one nor ourselves. Now, reality is that if you do not think a certain way you will be shunned or slighted in ways that inhibit some perceived benefit. I know this as I have almost cut off all avenues to feel welcome in circles that are constrained by ideology and it's restrictive practices. yet I am a free man who has access to information and knowledge that I can objectively scrutinize without being bounded by rules, dogma or convention. I am a truly free human being in that I am not pigeon-holed, denied of possibilities. There is a concerted effort and it has been going on for ages to control what we think and what we do. We are set upon by forces that wish us to be in groups of various kinds so that we are easily swayed by logic that seems to perpetuate a flow toward pre-conceived notions. Thinking outside the box is not what is promoted rather thinking inside the box is. I am often surprised that I am able to disassociate from the group or crowd and still feel an exhilaration toward community and our common benefit. For me the world will always be the great adventure that my abilities will allow me to explore. I am not stuck in the paradigm of the offerings, that the powers that be package to us, in order to control my natural instincts, rather I am a free agent ready to survey the landscape for all of it's possibilities.

A check on power (#1017)

The sense of entitlement and privilege is a validation to most who are susceptible to it's allure. It is a great person who can keep a common sense understanding about them while being economically successful. For the most part economic success breeds a new and distorted sense of self-worth. I have seen otherwise generally decent human beings become little tyrants due to increased wealth. It is a metamorphosis that has it's foundation in the concept that wealth makes wisdom. Instead of humbly relaying their story of success they instead become professorial in how others have "done it wrong". As if each of us and our own unique circumstances are irrelevant. Such is the case in most of my experiences. The insatiable appetite most of us have to some illusory hierarchy we egoistically have framed, is verified when some of us actually do experience success. However, verifying a conclusion that somehow has worked out does not make the initial equation valid. Even fallacies will work despite defying the rules of logic. A false truth if you will. But when scrutinized by the rules of logic there will be found an incorrect assumption that has been relied upon as a premise. Which brings me back to success and power that feeds the ego and mutes any wisdom that might have come from it if value to circumstance and serendipity had been properly assigned. Unfortunately, we can be such petty little creatures when given the opportunity. My sense is that for most of our lives we feel like lesser humans until we can "make our mark". Again though, the rationale for this phenomenon is based in inferior concepts and the willingness to skirt high principles in the name of results. A check on power has never been needed more to keep our sense of our own self-worth in line with good fortune and it's true materialization.

You must save yourself (#1016)

I know this one very well. Nothing anyone or anything can save me but my own desire to do so. Certainly help if I need it does come in handy but without me first deciding to want to try nothing will work. What do I mean by save yourself? Simply everything that seems to be an obstruction to a healthy and fulfilling life. One thing for certain is that there is no blueprint to life and we all must struggle to define how we best fit into the world around us. It is scary and confusing to start but eventually our thoughts and actions help us arrive at a place where some sense of continuity does evolve. However, settling for where we land due to serendipity or coincidence is less fulfilling than actually charting a course of our own based on our own personal intangibles. Chance is a product of disorganization in place of formulating a plan. It is easy to let things happen in due course when the ethic to work at a plan is more difficult. All of us possess tremendous abilities and if shown how to do things most would gladly have that then trial and error. Most of us I say since my own stubbornness didn't allow me the path of least resistance in this area. I have converted and come to the startling realization that my perfect sense of privilege and demagoguery were fascinations of my own creation. In other words I was taught some life lessons that reiterated my true nature of fallibility. lol. Luckily I survived my own ridiculous illogical reasonings of me existing outside logical reality. I am just a human, no more special or worse than any other human and in that, I have come to realize that who I am and what I do is completely within my control if I choose to understand and put into practice the principles that I want to define the best of me. I get to choose and in that I not only save myself but I also get to live myself as well.

Feeding a corrupt system (#1015)

We all do it to some degree because we are trapped within it's process. We have been within it's momentum since we were children and escaping it is akin to escaping from ourselves. Or so it seems. As more and more awaken to the inherent problems we face as we continue to feed the system the more and more we are upset and angry by our own culpability. It will eventually get to the point of living with our wrongs or doing something about it despite the material and professional costs we incur. It hits our population in waves with those most vulnerable effected immediately, while those most insulated through wealth are generally the last to realize change of some sort must happen. But like humans have shown throughout history, we will eventually adapt to a better system for our lives and move on but not without the pains of drastic change. The struggle to deny and refuse the inevitable will put great strains on our ability to live together in harmony, as such we do. The tumult we cost others and the price they pay, for the stubborn clinging to selfishness and greed some fight change to retain, will be the measure in history of how difficult it is to evolve from one system to another. It is sad that humanity has not yet been able to live in enlightenment and instead chooses baser human default instincts to define who we are. While we fight to not only improve our stations on this world with progressive honorable principles, we also take great care not to obliterate our own species in the name of arbitrary philosophical beliefs. That we are in a state of being able to obliterate ourselves tells of the psychological disorder our society has created. Our current system has foundational flaws to it and in my mind is not worthy of being a structure that defines who and what humanity is.

The importance of objectivity (#1014)

Objectivity defined; "Judgment based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices.-wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn. Not easily done since most of us see through the lens of our own concepts of right or wrong. Yet it is absolutely necessary for us to see the world through no filters of established thought/emotion or illogical prejudice. The thing is what it is regardless of what we apply to it as a definition. Objectivity gives us the clearest, truest informational starting point. We have what we have before us and the next observable step we take is to understand all the different realities it presents. We are all scientists since we have most if not all of our five senses and the ability to apply reasonable analysis toward a conclusion. We will not always have a definite conclusion but we should be able to move our understanding forward enough to know how to perceive what we are trying to understand. What happens instead is that the thing we are observing has connotations to us through pre-conceived notions or dogma. We stop short of objectivity and instead subjectively apply a category to the thing we have observed. Instead of treating the thing with innocence we have already pre-established a consequence. Most today who do not practice objectivity as a foundational principle have already shrunk their view of the world in order to have some illusory control over it. It is amazing that the appearance of being uncertain is seen as a detriment when in my mind the uncertainty should be seen as a value of being in a state of needing closer scrutiny. The arrogance that masks the subjective model is thin and only used by those who have fear as a genesis.

Faith in the human species (#1013)

It is not easy having faith in us. We are an unpredictable lot at times but we do seem to find our way back on course when we have strayed for a time. I think it says something about our natures and this Universe as a whole. I bring up our environment because we do not live in a bubble and our surroundings serve to remind us of our limitations. It is these very limitations that help remind us that we do not have the control over existence we try to proclaim. Even the most wealthy and powerful amongst us is not immune to a comeuppance. Our natures act as magnets to pull us back from the egoism of our minds and the illusional journey ego takes us on. Grounded in fundamental ideals like our curiosity and compassion will always give us the opportunity of an anchor to reality and logic. It is in reality and logic that we can maneuver the divinations of our own intuitions and foresights, as well as dogma and philosophy of human invention. The easily accepted availability of our own self worth, to ourselves, needs restraint. None of us are "all that and a bag of chips". Yet our potential, when cultivated in a manner of principled objectivity, can be the most amazing equation of concluding the future of our species. All of us on a similar understanding can set forth the progression of processes that not only improve the day to day life of us in existence now but also those of our next generations. I bring this up because we live in a time when logic and superstition minded properties are still waging a war for the soul of our species. Instead of logic and superstition minded properties working in conjunction with each other to promote a greater knowledge base for our souls evolution.

Building consensus (#1012)

I never stop trying to get us to see who we are so that we can truly work toward what is best for us. Don't ever let anyone tell you different, we need to know who we are so that we can build a path toward our future. I will always disagree that we have negative instincts inherent within us. Every time I see a new born child I see the look of curiosity in their eyes. They learn what we teach them and negativity is what they often see. The change in the continuum of status quo must come from us together. We must realize how special it is to be alive and coordinate all our activities around our curiosity and compassion. As the newborn child is innocent so are we in our natures. Again, the only way we get to be negative is when we are denied the positive instincts of curiosity and compassion. The rules of society and religion have not served our better instincts to the highest degree. Most have evolved over time from illogic assumptions and ulterior motives. Yet here we are in the midst of uncoordinated attempts to provide some form of freedom, liberty, justice, equality etc... The radical idea that we can solve our problems and create a society without first understanding who we are as a species is immature. Time will tell long after I am gone whether my conclusion of starting out from who we are before we create a society that reflects what we are. However, wasting time when logic can be used to save it is rather absurd. I have been writing this blog for closing in on to 3 years and not once, not once have I heard any type of rebuttal to my claim that we have three natural instincts, two of which directly go to our personalities and the third, survival, goes directly at our will to live. We care about people and things and we wonder about everything within our senses and beyond. Once we really do begin to build a consensus toward this natural truth of us human beings, then we can build that enlightened society that reflects our true natures.

The sanctity of life (#1011)

In the world we live in today it appears through the evidence, we all live in, that process of society trumps people. We seem to hold greater value in the manipulations of how we do things than in the people who actually perform the process! In other words, process over people. My blog was created so that I could amplify my insight into what the nature of the human being is. The reason for this is to help us understand what we are before we identify how we are going to be. Now, all of the processes for living we have carried forward need to be re-examined to see if they promote the maximum potential for our species to move forward. Just because we are in systems that work reasonably well does not make those systems fair or viable. We need to see the larger picture beyond all of our own lives toward those lives yet born. Our future is our strength as a species and strengthening it to it's best potential is the least we can do. As I continue to set the baseline of compassion, curiosity and the will to survive as our fundamental core, the argument of our future can then come from that genesis. The pure simple truth is if we don't know who we are, we cannot serve our future with it's best chance to survive. This isn't about our individual satisfactions or our differences as viewed by ego, it is about fulfilling our natures natural evolution toward further enlightenment. The curiosity we have and the five senses we use to fulfill our curiosity is indicative of the logic within my notion of what it is to be human. That we care enough to nurture and love is another prime example of our ability to crave emotional sustenance through compassion. That we struggle to overcome, in the face of death, proves our survival instinct. Nothing I offer here is new but that I offer it as our true nature is. To rebut all other expressions of negative nature I assert that the denial of our true natures bring them about. Who we are should determine what we become and starting fresh with this ideal can create new and just paradigms that honor all of us and not just some or most.

Restoring respect and dignity (#1010)

So many people feel a loss of power in their lives. It is because they cannot control their futures due to a broken economic and political system. Where less and less merit is held in esteem and cronyism is valued higher. The free flow of anything depends on opportunity for all, not just for some. Yet we are not feeling the free flow because it is more illusion than fact. Just saying the words greed and selfishness, does not portray the damage these two forms of egoism do to our society. I am all for motivation and improving one's own lot in life but not at the expense of violating honorable principles like fairness, equality and justice. When we realize just how harmful greed and selfishness are we then can see how we allow these chosen behaviors to permeate throughout our thought processes and actions. We are all guilty of fomenting their perpetual continuance in many ways and forms. To our detriment, despite any short term gain that may be realized. I am delving into this subject because I see a need for restoring self respect and dignity to a massive amount of people who realistically feel a loss of their hope for a better future for themselves and their offspring. We are at a crossroads in our society, do we allow for a mindset of hard brutish philosophies to define what it is to be a human or do we reassert the best of human principles we have cultivated over our time in existence? I know it is the latter. Evolving as a species required us to learn from our mistakes and discard those mistakes as illogical. Why would we go backwards as a society and again try philosophies that hinder individual growth and communal advancement? Other than out of some mistaken misguided reasoning, which is still wrong, there can be no positive explanation. This really is simple, all of us have value and need the opportunities to express that truism.

We all own the information (#1009)

I find it somewhat troubling that some think that they are the exclusive imaginariums of ideas and concepts that they can copyright or trademark. Now I know we have a system that protects intellectual property but the fact that most all knowledge is handed down from generation to generation somewhat dilutes the claim that any one person is the sole owner of ideas and concepts that spring from the knowledge base. Economics has it's rules and as such the rules have been in place for centuries that differentiate ideas and concepts as property. I am just unsettled by this long standing tradition. Ideas and concepts as property are part of the problem in my view. We all get our "new" ideas off the backs of older ideas that have been generally in society as free to learn. The wedge, like idea or concept ownership, that is acceptable in economics has a direct impact on our actions within our social community. Society is segregated by the principles that operate both economics and religion. I will leave religion out of this for now and focus on how ideas and concepts and their ownership, as to economics, adversely affect the social growth of all of us humans. When we do not share the idea and concepts that naturally follow from advancing logic in areas of the yet discovered, we are disassociating our natural instincts for all to be curious. For the sake of economics this has been an acceptable practice, however, not for the maturation of our species. What is more important, our individual ability to define success as winning at economics, or our society improving in all ways possible? I challenge the very foundations that have shaped our society as being serendipitous and not principled, well thought out processes. To reshape our society as to what it is to be human is not outside our grasp but the longer we keep accepting old unnatural paradigms, the further we get form changing our society for the betterment of generations to follow. Information is for all of us regardless of whether economics says different.

The simplicity of honest ambition (#1008)

I have this one totally figured out. Never have I felt more like me and confident in my actions than when I am doing an honorable and/or noble venture. All of me comes out, my funny side, my compassion and my wit. If it is this way with me I am assured that others experience the same natural state. This should be an eye-opener for all of us. We are at our best and most complicated selves when we strive to do an honest ambition. It is when we do dishonest actions that we hide ourselves and our actions from others to see and know about. It is sad that being dishonest has been given an avenue of travel because of little to no other opportunities. Even when there are other opportunities, traveling the dishonest route seems more appealing. There is a price that is paid for being dishonest, and it starts with the loss of our self. Again, I am the most brilliant me when I am doing honorable actions. When I am not, I am a shell of the man I could be. For me, the trade-off is not worth the dishonest intention. Most of us have dishonest thoughts and do dishonest actions because of some perceived gain. But what I have found out is that the perceived gain, no matter how satisfying, cannot replace the loss of myself to me and to others. I am the greatest gift I have to share with the world, not some material or accolade based on dishonest achievement. The simplicity of honest ambition is just the start of what the ideal outcome will reward me with; my integrity and humility. It has taken me many years to understand a great purpose for myself and by extension, others. We all have the same commonalities, the same hopes and the same opportunity to choose. It is really all that simple.

The courage to live (#1007)

What do I mean? Living is a relative term. I know most of us just want to get through our days with as little trouble as possible. It is a comfortable way to live and having the knowledge that we can somewhat control our immediate future is important. However the risk is that while we are looking about our own individual zones, our overall lives are being directed in ways that are in contradiction with our perceptions. It has always been my insight that having discomfort in our lives is a way of maintaining what comfort we have. I know, what is that you say? lol. What I mean is that when we put ourselves out in the path of uncertainty, for the purpose of standing up for what we have, in the face of what could be taken from us, we display that being uncomfortable is a strategy. In other words, we have to draw the line to protect what we have or what we want even if it causes us harm. There are those out there who would take from us our very souls if we did not stop them. That is what I mean by having the courage to live. It isn't just about our material possessions either. More important than material objects of comfort is our own set of principles for what we expect the human race to exhibit. I know that I can live with the clothes on my back and feel good about myself as opposed to having all my stuff and given away my honor and feel worthless. It is what is inside of us that makes us who we are and what we want to be. The fear of losing or not gaining is evident in today's society but that phenomenon is changing. More are committing themselves to honor over shame or cowardice. It is refreshing to see what humanity can do when faced with the pressures of being denied the right and ability to live a healthy and productive life. My faith in humanity is being restored while, literally, the effect of that faith is under attack. The courage to live indeed!

What is the priority, people or ideology? (#1006)

Is it what we think or what we are? For me it is clear, people are the priority, otherwise what is the point? Ideology is a method for understanding and working toward a governing societal structure. Whereas people are the point of having a societal structure to begin with. Our priorities need to be focused on people and what we can do to alleviate fundamental needs. Certainly a process for caring for the general health and welfare of our citizens can be structured without there having to be an ideology attached to it. Human instinct is sufficient to warrant the ideal of removing unnecessary pain and suffering. Once we have set about the generalities of a fundamental acknowledgement that values life of no harm above all other considerations and implement real solutions to approach the people first paradigm, then ideologies that move us from there can come about. The old argument that we all have natural rights is true. We are obligated in this existence to maintain a civilized manner for the regeneration of our species at a baseline fundamental level. Some do not agree with this ideal and chose only to grasp the realities in this existence with a mindset that only limits life to forces outside most people's control, which are incongruent with enlightenment and natural rights. Furthermore, it is incongruent with our own natural instincts of nurturing care and curiosity. Our species has survived with a will to exist and it is represented prominently by our history of surviving in the face of extinction. We have cared for our children in ways that reflect our natures by passing on knowledge and improving their abilities to survive in an easier manner. To regress from nurture and natural rights in favor of an ideology that resists generational improvements is backward thinking and antithetical to human progress.

Sovereignty as a belief (#1005)

In my own mind I have a sense that there is a dominion force to the Universe. How I choose to define dominion is clearly the question. Even chaos can be dominion, although I tend to think of a force that is less chaotic and more systematic. Now, I want to also be clear about belief systems, I neither disagree or agree with them. I am neutral. The reason being is that both the acceptance of a belief system and the non-acceptance of a belief system appear to have merit unto themselves in different ways. I am just more wary in my thinking and need an empirical evidence approach with an intuitive component. Nothing yet has captured me other than I don't know. However, not knowing is only a reference point and not a destination. So forward I go into the unknown, weighing factors and discovering more curious concepts. What I can glean from my limited observations is the understanding that I live in an existence where a mostly static relationship with my environs is reality. Although chaos does play a part in it it does not dominate my observations. What does dominate my observations is my own abilities, the five senses, and the structure and beauty of existence. To me, that is enough to allow me to intuitively understand that a sovereign does or did have a hand in what I am able to perceive and logically rationalize. I cannot claim to identify the sovereign but I can acknowledge that it is possible and even maybe probable that a sovereign exists. There is another bit of "evidence" I feel should be considered. I know that I am not the sovereign and therefore I am just a part of the whole and not outside the making or existence of the Universe. I have in no way shown that a sovereign exists or existed. But what I have learned for myself, outside of belief systems, is that something greater than all of us has the possibility to exist and that comforts me for the moment. Knowing that I have more to learn and understand keeps me in a humble manner which, through my experience, can only be a positive outcome.