My only resolution, improve my humanity! (#1796)

Getting better at being a good and great human being 24 hours a day. Yes, even when I am sleeping haha. Seriously though, nothing is more important to me than doing the right thing and feeling good about myself and those situations around me while I am alive. Because living life in the good beats everything else except living life in the great. Naturally I will take the greater of the two but my expectations must begin from what is regularly attainable. I have control over what happens in my life regardless of what others do to me. I can't control outside forces, contrary to what many others believe, so I must accept what comes my way either with frustration and demoralization or I can take what comes and fight to make it better all the while being glad in my heart and soul that I am above doing harm to others and instead want to do help. I get to choose the way I react to everything. Anything that instigates out from me is at my mercy. Again, I cannot control what comes in to me but I damn sure can control what leaves me. That is the key to living in the good. Knowing that my thoughts and actions can be what I want them, even if I have to pause a moment to collect my thoughts before responding. Yes, not everything is required to be responded to immediately. Sometimes life is complex and situations are unclear so spending time to do some evaluating and reflecting is wise especially if we want our responses to represent the best of who we are. I will fail some times and that I know because I am imperfect but that doesn't mean I can't get better at limiting my imperfect times.

This is a political war, not just a battle (#1795)

Progressives need to see the big picture here. We cannot just win everything every time we battle over policy direction. For example, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is not the ideal policy that many of us wanted, yet it was a battle we won moving the war closer to ending in a victory. We need to take our baby steps where possible and when possible celebrate larger victories as well. But make no mistake, the war is not over as there are those who are on the wrong side of equality and justice who never give up fighting to destroy what is good and possible for all of us. Although we didn't get our universal single payer health care law, we are just one step away from it in the next evolution of our health care system. Seeing that incremental progress is being made should be comforting to those of us who battle for success. That we don't achieve it all in the same moment is no reason to despair and doubt our goals. We are moving forward instead of backward and remembering that we are is important. Otherwise those who would lessen democracy as a political system would be celebrating the rolling back of previously gained rights and freedoms. Being discouraged about the small gains doesn't take into account what things would be like without even those small gains. We need to keep our perspective about our goals and how we achieve them. We must continue moving progress forward, inch by inch if necessary in order to make more perfect our democracy and to keep the bad actors at bay who would lessen our democracy for their own personal/political/economical gain.

How I see our society (#1794)

I was raised from a tumultuous background. We were many children in a poor middle class environment. Nothing new about that since over half of us can claim that experience. Yet I have seen what not having can do to the spirit of both the children and the parents. As sense of failure on the part of the parents for not being able to give their children even the most basic items for their improvement. And as the child I knew and can still remember the humiliation of having leftovers and hand-me-downs as "new". I knew the shame and embarrassment of not having food for lunch when it came time to eat at school. I knew the shame and embarrassment of not having school supplies when class started. I knew the shame and embarrassment of wearing worn clothes and shoes too big and the look-aways I got from my classmates who noticed. If I wanted to be part of after school activities I mostly had to arrange for my own transportation and somehow hustle up the money that invariably was needed to be included. This is why I am a Democrat with strong progressives views. I have seen the humiliating and desperation filled side of life and no one, I mean no one should ever have to live like that. We need each other to experience the wonder that is life so we also need to make sure that we are not left with feelings that degrade and diminish our worth simply because of whose families we were born into. My greatest attribute is my perseverance, not because I was hardened from the lessons of my hardships, but instead, despite them. I had to live a life that was unnecessary for me to be who I am. That is why none of us should ever have to go begging in a society that honors life instead of mocks it.

Reason, analyze and then conclude (#1793)

Too much of the conversation nowadays is given without any thoughtful reflection on the subject being offered. Not only that but it seems that the third option of choice, after agreeing or disagreeing, is "I don't know". I fall into this category much of the time but when I don't I use a simple rule to justify my positive or negative response. I filter the question or statement through the ideals of equality, respect, honor and justice. If the conversation cannot live up to these ideals then the time wasted on them is lost. That old saying, paraphrased; "I would rather remain silent and thought a fool then to open my mouth and prove it", should be on our minds whenever we enter into conversations that need more of our time to reflect upon before offering an opinion. Too much of the time many would rather just offer someone else's talking point as their own so that they may appear to be more intellectual than they really are. That is a cop out and is not worthy a strategy of any seriously enlightened person. It is okay to say I don't know and then to ask for the opposing arguments on however many sides there are. It is what we do when we don't know a subject. Just because the subject may be known by many others doesn't make us stupid for not knowing that particular one, it just means we give our thoughts to other priorities instead. We can always catch up and then become a part of the conversation when we feel like we have done our reasoning, analysis and then hopefully concluding.

When greed wins, equality loses (#1792)

Such is the struggle in our American politics currently. There is a political party, Democrats who want to best express equality in our society through acts of communal necessity; and then there is another political party, Republicans who would like nothing better than to have greed as the foundation while dismissing equality under the guise of survival of the fittest. What the end result is is that Democrats want democracy for all to be healthy and vibrant while giving capitalism room to effectively and efficiently operate within our democracy, while Republicans want for free and unfettered capitalism to be the dominate ideal while giving equality and fairness minor roles as long as they don't impinge on the greed capitalism can only bring to some. It is a stark difference in policy direction each party realizes and now it is up to the citizens in our country to decide which vision for our society best reflects our ideals. Do we want to be a democracy, where fairness and equality are higher principles than profit making? Or do we want profit making as the greatest principle and subjugate equality and fairness as lesser concerns. Remember, capitalism has only a few winners and the rest are subject to the whims of the successful capitalists. Much like an Oligarchy or Corporatocracy where a cabal of businessmen run our country instead of "we the people". A democracy is what our political system was founded upon and allowing it to be mutated into a system that values greed over equality of opportunity for all is what the fight is all about. No one can escape responsibility for deciding our direction so understand what the two parties are asking of you and act accordingly to your own sense of value for our society.

In the face of death I spit (#1791)

In the face of death I spit. No longer am I a young boy afraid that he won't get to live his life out to an old age. Yes, even back when I was young I thought about dying in some foreign war or some crazy neighborhood test of manhood. Such were the fearful times we lived in and getting through them was more acting tough than being tough. There was always someone bigger and stronger ready to take down anyone who thought they could rise above fear and act without it. Gone are those days and now that I am more mature and understand that no matter what happens in life, if I am not able to stand with courage and determination against it, I don't deserve to live. Simply put. So when I see disrespect and humiliation being perpetrated on those whose only fault is not being seen as equal, I come out of my zone and push back against it. I will not accept a world around me that has prejudice, even in joking, nor degradation in the form of segregation as long as I breathe air. Life is not worth living if I cannot find the courage to stand for what I know is right and good about who we are as a species. I am long past the fear based life I grew up in and now I am one of many who doesn't allow fear to be the universe around me. My power is that I am more than willing to leave this existence in order to maintain a peaceful and respectful environment. As should all of us be willing to sacrifice. If we cannot have the opportunity of our dreams and aspirational desires because we cannot get past fear then what is the point in living? So we must gird up our courage to defend our right to dream the dream of hope in our lives. We must be willing to fight for that hope and if needed take the chance that our lives may be sacrificed in assaulting those forces who would crush our hope.

Another good day to reflect (#1790)

There are certain days during the year that allow me to reflect on what has been and what is going on in my life. Surely the hope of some great event is just around the corner but regardless of whether it does appear I am well satisfied with my life. I cannot change one thing that has happened in it so far but overall the force of me has been a positive one. Same with the people who are in my life, they keep lifting my spirits as I try to do for them as well. The best part of who I am now and what I do is that the drama and self-made turmoil I used to be associated with is no longer present. I don't create chaos so that I can justify myself in some weird way. I just live and do the best I can and when the reflecting times come I am in a good place. That is the peace and happiness I can count on most of all. I have already been out on the road visiting family for the morning Christmas breakfast with Dad, Mom and Sis so visiting while reflecting is another feature for days like today. I have come so far from those early days when I needed some great event to validate myself as a worthy human. How my mind worked back then, it is a wonder I survived all my illogical thoughts and actions. But survive I did and finding my way to being positive, compassionate and forever curious about all things in this existence has elevated me to living a life full of possibilities. My journey is still ongoing but there will be little deviation left for me in it as I am on the right path for living and it starts with me putting everyone else first and then finding my place after that.

Purging the hate from America (#1789)

The one constant since we elected our first President of color has been the virulent hate that has exposed itself to the light of day. As long as our Presidents have been white there had been little need for the prejudice to come to the surface but now it has. What is unshakable is the degree by which it is flowing out. I had thought that time would have eased the racial tension our mostly conservative white race held against the other races of color but I am sorely mistaken. Instead of accepting that our country perpetrated a cruel injustice on the black races initially from Africa and the Caribbean white conservatives are instead condescending toward them as if it was their duty to be the servants of the almighty supreme white race (snark). I had to choke that last ironical sentence out since it is one of the biggest lies from hell. This race segregation history we practice here in America is a scourge that shames and blocks out much of the other good our country has accomplished. Since, by law, the conservative white race is no longer able to indenture the other races of color, the white race has tried to change the law in other ways that defeat the founding principles of our country, freedom and liberty. The power of white conservative racists and their few colored Uncle Toms continue to suppress votes, deny jobs and castigate the poor as worthless human dung. The bigotry and hate they express now is no longer hidden behind their white sheets not there ulterior motive driven Republican politicians. This has at least given the rest of us an enemy to stand up to and defeat through logic with honorable principles. Everyone needs to be accountable in this skirmish and the sooner we get to the end of it, and defeat it, the faster we will enrich our nation with it's wonderful melting pot of diversity and tolerance.

Living under a rock or on the mountaintop (#1788)

Well? Which is it? Being the scared little human who can't seem to muster any courage to fight for what is best about we humans seems to be the disappointing trend nowadays. Here is a fact and get it through your thick skulls, we are all going to die! Do you hear me? We are all going to die so the question is are you going to live life in FEAR or are you going to live life like a hero? What is your decision? For me I can't stand another minute living in an existence where most people are allowing themselves to cower when it comes to fighting for what is right and good for all of us. I would rather die than to have shame and cowardice as my defining properties. Where are the principles that should demand courage from all of us? Are we just talking about how we stand for dignity and respect while cowering in the background when the fight for dignity and respect arrives? Our human species has a rich history of battling for our better natures to conquer the worst of others' intents propagated by nefarious souls. Shall we subdue ourselves to the greedy selfish aspects of power? I am profoundly disturbed that we Americans have lost the heritage of our fore-parents who gave everything they had and would have to create a government for us that has us at the heart of it, not some special interest that wants to infiltrate it for the purpose of subjugating us. We need to stop all entities that are currently in the guise of corporations, Republican political party and their cabals whose sole purpose is to undermine democracy in the favor of an unfettered capitalism aimed at segregating us from each other.

When vows and oaths contradict honor and integrity (#1787)

I think back to my youth when I was eager to be part of something that seemed right and good but later found out that not knowing the full impact of what I was vowing to also conflicted with other ideals I held as honorable principles. I saw only what I was told about or wanted to know about without fully engaging all the aspects my vow or oath entailed. Much of that is from being inexperienced and naive about life in general. I am much older now and through trial and error and attentive learning, I have the ability to rationalize the full complexity of any commitment I make upon myself. If I am to be a part of something that something had better reflect all of me and not just some of me. I am in it for all that there is when I commit. Through the years I have found that compromising on my principles is always wrong. I shall and will never deviate from living my life under honorable means whenever I have the choice to do so. So no vow or oath to some illogical group or ideal will be in my present or future. Life is long enough for me to have concluded that my values of who I am are greater than the values others may have of me. It must be so for me since I choose to lead a life that has at it's heart all that is better and best about us humans and the worst of who we are will not have a place in my life. I said earlier that life is long enough to have learned who I am but it is also too short in living it correctly once the realization of how to live who I am comes to fruition. Honor and integrity are too important for me to ever give an oath or a vow to some other concept that is not grounded in them.

Still living life like my youth (#1786)

I may be a much older version of myself from when I was a teenage boy but the hopes and desires I had back then still exist within me. Maybe not at the same levels but still quite a bit. I guess it seems from what I know about myself I will always be that young boy that was full of wonder and excitement. So regardless of what time and space does to my outside appearance, I have changed very little. The innocence and beauty that surrounded me as a child continue to do so today. Surely I am wiser and more experienced through logic and trial and error but the living of life is still magical. I tend to see what is better and best about existence and that the better and best still surround me more than not is truly magnificent. I don't want much out of life, I came into it with nothing and have been given much since I have been here. I have worked for some stability in my life but not to gain riches, power and honors, but instead to just be able to live with the hope for some personal happiness and the satisfaction that my deeds are well received. I may be considered naive by some but that is their view, not mine. Occam's Razor, is effective as a process for me since it only requires the simplest explanation as being the most probable. What you see with me is what you get. I don't live to create complex manipulations nor in an ulterior fashion. I just exist with the view that my happy self should be the priority in my life and that through that I can bring my happiness to others. The hubris of my youth may have less rough edges but the intent of the hubris is alive and well.

Optimist or pessimist, you get to choose (#1785)

It is becoming increasingly clear which political party is optimistic and which political party is pessimistic. The Democrats have within their ranks people who align themselves as liberals and progressives while the Republicans align themselves with conservatives and anti-government forces. While on the face of things it doesn't really present itself as to who is optimistic and who is pessimistic, however, exposing the policies each advocate for does begin to flush out the picture. Democrats are for changing society so that the inequalities and inherent unfairness's associated with current polices are resolved. The advance of science and technology need to be inserted into our laws to reflect the changing dynamics of our evolving society. We are not a status quo type species, we have never been a status quo type species. We continue the long history of our evolution as human beings by changing from what we needed in the past to what we need in the present and hopefully even further into the future. Democrats get this concept and are rallying behind the common sense and justice of it. Republicans on the other hand see our society as having gone too far into change and therefore want to revert back to the myths and superstitions that were utilized in our earlier brutish beginnings. There is a great struggle for the direction of our species, at least here in America and the battle is being waged regardless of whether everyone cares to admit it. It would behoove all of us to recognize our present future is at stake and the tipping point for deciding it is happening as I write this post. 

Spreading lies for money and power (#1784)

Just how low must one go in order for them to rationalize lying for profit is okay? What is sad is that our national media is allowed to lie by law. There is some concept that we will punish those who lie by not buying into their products and the market will force them to dissolve. But that logic doesn't work because of all the hate-mongering that goes with the lies keeps some folks fixed on the lies as truths. This is what capitalism can do when it is allowed unfettered access to those who are not informed. You would think that rational beings in power would put a stop to this type of behavior and change the laws so that lying is not rewarded. Yet there is a conservative Republican party that uses the lies to it's benefit. They have taken their unpopular ideas to their logical extension and have little support for them so to continue to sell them they must rely on lies to persuade those who hate equality, justice and tolerance of those who are not them. The fear mongering and out and out lies are proving effective given that blaming "others", those who are not white, for their problems is easier than telling the truth of the existing powerful not wanting to grow our society. The existing Republican powerful know that their ideas are not popular so in order to keep power they must thwart the truth through any means. Including stifling the vote of their opponents. They know they have a good thing going when there are still those who are hurt by their activities yet continue to enable them. Much work needs to continue to push back against the liars and bring our country forward into a truth telling state of being.

Chasing the perfect (#1783)

Whatever we can imagine to help us fill in the blanks about why we exist is what I am referencing. I have dreams at night that absolutely astonish me. Some are scenarios that have no foundation in reality but are as real and creative as anything possible. Sometimes I truly do understand why people can't grasp reality when our imaginations are so much more. Yet that is the dilemma, we need to understand reality and then compartmentalize our imaginings as only possibilities. I discount no idea that formulates in my head or that comes to me from other sources. But not discounting is not accepting as fact or real. It is only knowing that nothing is impossible in a world that has nothing but possibility. If life has taught me one thing at all it is that life is the greatest gift I will ever know. First being able to rationalize and reason to conclusion is amazing. Logic is the finest open system of thought ever proven. Next is my senses, the taste, touch, smell, hearing and seeing that I have been fortunate to have active in my life. All of my senses are a particularly majestic experience. Then there is my emotional state of being. The sensations my emotions present run the gamut of the sublime to utter despair, which is the nature of what emotional existence provides. Finally then there is my imagination and what could be in a world that is still in flux as to it's possibilities. All of these processes that exist within me are the tools I use to seek out wherever perfect may be hidden. At times I get close to the peace that is part of what perfect is and in that moment I realize that the closer I get to the perfect the less imperfect my life grows. 

Hope opens your mind, fear closes it (#1782)

If we can imagine our society with happiness in it for all then we can begin to model and structure it to fit that perspective. If however we are not able to imagine and instead only want what is best for ourselves personally then we will have what we are more or less experiencing now. A society that fears the future of a better promise to it's citizens will always default to scrambling for what leftovers that are strategically spread by those who have the most. Those who have the most have shown that their interest lies not in advancing principles of equality and fairness but instead they advance principles of survival of the fittest to keep us fighting each other as they escape closer scrutiny. The charlatans that have caused this diversion are not interested in dreaming of a better future, their future is now and they will fight with all the bountiful wealth they have to protect it. Advantage is not easily given away by most the wealthy as they feel a sense of privilege in that they have the wealth and many more don't. It is a form of elitism that has permeated and distorted any chance of them rationalizing existence with any objectivity. Most of all they are afraid of letting slip from them wealth and power that they already hold in an imbalance in their favor. They fear and that is the problem. Fear is what lessens hope when fear is allowed to flourish. Wealth and power have a way of diminishing a normal human being who feels the emotions of life in real time to a dull sense that they are not like the normal and their feelings are less about reality and more about their manipulations.

Hope springs eternal (#1781)

When hope is there then anything is possible. Staying positive about life hinges upon realizing that hope does spring eternal. As long as I can think and reason I will see the world for what it truly could be, a great experience with unlimited possibility. Now what reality is playing out to be, less than joyful most of the time, is the reason we need hope so that our combined realities may offer more fruitful outcomes. Without hope the utter despair we see around us would have no chance for improvement. With hope all things become possible and any thing can happen to make life better. Hope is a lens for which we can see through. It is a magical ideal that raises the specter of what is to become, what could be. Hope is a lot like love, it brings a satisfaction to our lives that is practically indescribable. It opens up a panorama of views that henceforth had not been conceptualized. With that one little word, hope, we begin to see the greatness that we all can become and for that we all are able to continue the amazing advance of humanity through time and space. Nothing in existence changes our sense of what is like hope. Hope is the key to turning all our troubles into solutions. Hope has the quality to it that rectifies and validates the worthiness of our imperfect existence. Although we are imperfect we are also aware that we are, which gives us the opportunity to correct our mistakes as we recognize them. Hope is like that, always looking out for us when we care enough to care about ourselves and those others who inhabit this existence with us.

We should all be dreaming of better (#1780)

I am just beside myself when I hear some people say that paying people $2 an hour is okay if that is what the market will bear. Taking the stance that the market is the all see all of how we humans should exist. For those who hold such thoughts, they simply do not get that economics is not the only factor in how life should be lived. We do economics to be able to barter and trade, not to structure civilization. The idea that although we have government for our laws and government's defense we should not have government for anything else, including matters of economics is wrong-headed. Privatization of necessary societal functions is not efficient nor logically sustainable since privatization requires that all decisions be based upon profit factors. We need government to fulfill many functions necessary for a just and equal society. Not that all should be the same but that we all start from the same opportunities based upon our merit and not our privilege. We should all have the same protections from profit driven industries that would surely provide the least expense, to profit at the greatest ratio. We deserve better than flimsy, unaffordable product choices, too expensive refined natural resources for necessary clothing, shelter and transportation. If Capitalism is left to it's devices without a governmental oversight protection, then who will make sure what choices we citizens have will meet our needs? The market? No, since the market can and is manipulated by the same profit driven forces that devise it's value to the owners and not the customers. The safe institutionalization of oversight for the public good can only come from one source and that is our elected government.

Honesty and truth should supersede convention and custom (#1779)

Life is really too short to have obstacles to understanding being prioritized over facts. I know that there are times for sensitivities when the naked truth needs some time for it's discussion but nevertheless, we will not advance as a species if we keep allowing for falsehoods and myths to be extolled as truths. Life is hard enough to figure out for all of us without us strategically making it less logical. I know there will always be a buffer in how we evaluate the connectivity between our reasoning and our emotions, but the fact that both, care and wonder live simultaneously within us should also be a challenge to us to perfect that bond with the least amount of subterfuge. I posit that compassion and curiosity are two of the three natural instincts within us but the third instinct is survival. For most of us all three are of equal value and should never be subordinate to each other. So if some reality is thought to be so difficult as to express some fear of someone losing their will to live we must be careful in how we deliver the truth, not in diminishing it from it's truth. The delivery must be well thought out, not changing the result. Like I said, at times a period of time must be allowed as a factor but not replacing facts. We endure as a species despite the worst of scenarios that befall us because we know that nothing is horrible all the time. There is always hope within us for our dreams and aspirations regardless of reality. Keeping ourselves at the forefront of what the truth is allows all of us to be in the same understandings without confusion or illusion as distracting factors. The keener we are in knowing the truth of our surroundings and the actions taking place within them the quicker and smarter our decisions to proceed will follow.

The theft of our American Democracy (#1778)

Wealth is stealing our democracy. Those few who control most of the wealth in our country have found a way to steal our rights little by little until we are left with something that doesn't resemble the elements of democracy anymore. Restrictive voting rights, politicians, mostly Republicans, who are controlled by big money to represent them and not all of America are examples. The ongoing attempts of destroying of the social safety net that leaves those without jobs or savings vulnerable to outlaw and black market schemes as an only recourse are other examples. Laws that are being passed at the state level that increasingly punish the poor and out of work in order to fill prisons that are privatized in order to make profit continues the pattern. Capitalism being defended as the only method for commerce and arguments for regulating that capitalism being undermined by the wealthy in order to free up consolidating their monopolizing the markets as a control mechanism as yet another example. We are being subjectively lied to by many right wing outlets of our national media in hopes of quelling any recognition of the overthrow of our democratic principles. Now that the largest religious organization, the Catholic Church, has come out against unfettered capitalism and self-centered idolatry, the attacks on the Catholic Church from the right wing mouthpieces has begun. When we see the erosion of our rights, like wanting to represent our people as politicians become only a possibility that the wealthy can afford we know we are going to get policies that reflect the wealthy agenda and the common person will have little to no representation afforded. We can stop it still but the time is running short and unless we all protect and hold sacred our right to vote and actually vote, we will shortly lose it.

The value of love (#1777)

How is it possible to place a value on love? For me, the only way I can ever say I knew the value of someone or something I loved was when it was permanently taken away from me. That profound sober moment when the realization that a love has been lost forever is when the value becomes clear. I have lost many things in my life and nothing compares to losing love. So in determining what the greatest possession in life is there is only one value that is head and shoulders above all else and that is of course, love. Money and power are addictive and can entice many to devalue love for there illusions. However, they have no warmth to nurture my soul. They have no depth to pique my curiosity and they have no strength to support me when I am less than my stalwart self. The one failing I have in life is my greatest failing, I have not been fortunate to have a love of my life, in my life. I will always have hope for us to somehow find each other but as the days dwindle in the life clock that has been wound for me, the odds slip further and further from possibility. Although that is my greatest regret so far it is not the end of me being a purposeful human being who can find lesser loves to bolster my life. My family and friends serve to keep me positive and knowing of my utility in life. That is enough to keep me focused on the betterment of our society. As an individual human being though there is a hole in my soul that can only be filled by the woman who has that part of me. Love, often cherished for it's existence but only truly measured as to value when it is no longer with us. 

The death of bigotry (#1776)

A fella can dream can't he? Surely bigotry, hate and fear of others, has no place in a civilized society. yet that it does still exist contradicts that our society is civilized. More like our society is on the path of becoming civilized but we are not there yet. As we continue to cycle through the life and death process time demands of us, we inch ourselves ever closer to the point where bigotry will not be a priority for many but instead will be a reminder of who we were before we became better human beings. Our human history is full of how we are still a bigoted society but as we advance with enlightened thinking and scientific facts, we are shedding the skin of intolerant behavior for the panoramic perspective that we are all commonly linked. Our hearts and minds are of the same congruent compounds and complexities which allows for us to know that although we may have different looks about us we are essentially the same set of molecules and reasoning possibilities. We are data gatherers and data processors. It is what humans are. We take what we learn and explore those possibilities. For us to continue to hold bigoted principles is antithetical to logic and common respect of our genetics. Time will eventually filter out the nonsense that allows for bigotry to sustain itself in our society and when that happens we will have evolved to a place where compassion for all and self-interest are melded as one. A society of humans who put society first and foremost in our interactions and aspirations. It is coming folks but likely not soon enough to change our existence any time real soon. I have the hope though that it can happen quickly but not without exposing bigotry for the anti-human trait that it is. 

A prelude to throwing off tyranny (#1775)

I do this with my post numbers occasionally, I use the post number as a date in time, especially here for America. In 1775, not a lot happened as far as coercive acts by the British against the American colonies but rather the simmering of all the coercion and brutality perpetrated against the 13 colonies over the previous two decades had finally come to a boil. The forming of a continental congress has been established, less Georgia, an agreement had been reached to ban all British imports/exports and the slave trade had  been halted by 1775. The British empire was a strong world force but the distance that the British were from America served to help the colonialists decide to fight for our Independence. So as the thoughtful men and women of that colonial time girded their minds around the idea of Independence, there were still those Tories, faithful British subjects living in the colonies, who not only would have no part in overthrowing their King but worked opn his behalf to thwart Independence. Much like what we have here today in 2013 America, a party of people who do not see the better future of their countrymen as a goal but rather the benefit and privilege they receive in the status quo. Well enough of that perspective of similarities between the Tories and today's conservative Republicans, 1775 was more about assimilating the resolve needed to go up against the greatest force on Earth at the time, Britain, and know that there would be a cost that would have to be paid. Yet the will and resolve for the soul of those colonials who were oppressed to break out from that oppression was a greater that benefit far outweighed the cost in life to demand it.  

Compassion trumps hate (#1774)

Although the war between hate and compassion is far from over, the destiny of compassion overcoming hate is getting nearer. How do I know? Because we are an inquisitive species and the more we learn and then know about ourselves the closer we get to accepting each other for who we are. What fuels hatred is ignorance and ignorance is being combated in every corner. That we have to battle to eliminate ignorance is where the fight is being waged, not just in the actions/inaction by our foes but in the idea spectrum as well. There are too many who see life not as a compassionate/curious thing but as an existence where we could and should dominate each other. They have somehow come upon the mantra that privilege and self deserving is greater than respect. It behooves them to stifle intelligence and logic in order to maintain a superiority over those who they seek to dominate. Showing them that you can reason, analyze and conclude on your own makes them want to minimize you so that you do not become an example for others to follow. Anyone who has given of themselves to learn and understand complexities in life are marginalized as outsiders who have lost their way from the true path of life. The hate crowd does not believe in equality, community or enlightened thinking. They have but one sole purpose, to luxuriate themselves beyond all their own imaginings while having servants and subordinates around to grant their every wish. The haters are the demigods who see the grabbing of the brass ring as the proof that no one else deserves what they deserve so equality will never and should never be allowed.

Steely Dan wrote a song entitled, "Pretzel Logic" (#1773)

I don't know for sure what the group Steely Dan meant by their song title, I will look it up later, but for now it reminds me of those people who find it somehow in their priority to twist and bend logic to make it fit their narrative. It is that they have a conclusion already and are out to make it appear logical through any means possible, despite their conclusion being illogical. It is one thing to show a young mind how to think for themselves through the usage of logic and common sense but it is quite another thing to try to show someone how to think when thinking with logic and common sense is not their process. They have their view and nothing short of their own personal "catastrophe" will teach them otherwise. They have taken whatever subjective anecdotal information they are impressed by and calling it the objective reasoning we all should be flattered that they are supplying us with. For them to learn any different from us is antithetical to who they are and what they think we are. The process by which they employ their understanding is not fixed but moves from point to point without ever being grounded in a solid fact. Much like a ship on sea trying to measure plumb with a plumb bob. Never reaching the point of absolute but only just coming close when luck intervenes. Eventually all of us will quit giving the illogical ones the attention they crave in order to facilitate their nonsense and they can go back to being Don Quixote and flailing at windmills, which by today's standards pretty much sums up their offerings.

The cycle of life (#1772)

Every day matters! Nothing we do is guaranteed to be make us live to be immortal. We are finite and unable to know the days we have to spend here in this existence. We knew nothing of what came before us when we were born and we will know nothing that will be after we are gone. The only thing we can know for sure is what we are while we are alive. So living our lives in the best way we can is all that really matters. Making our lives matter so that when our time to depart comes we won't be thought of as negatively insignificant nor overly brutish. I for one have nothing on my life agenda that would cause anyone harm. That is goal number one, if I do nothing at all in my life in a positive way at least I won't have done anything negative. That is my baseline. So now all I have to do is try to do something positive and I will have made an impact on life that can be held in some honorable esteem. Life isn't about me controlling or ruling some or all around me, instead it is about me making a positive difference in others' lives. That is all of our purpose in life. Sure we have our passions and our aspirational dreams to help us make the world we live in a better place for those who follow us but number one is to do better by others. We need each other in our lives. There is nothing we can do without each other so logically and emotionally we have to have "we" at the center of "I". Many know this already but many others have not yet realized the higher conscious plane of care we share with each other. There are too many out there who think selfish is their number one priority and I am here to shatter that illusion for them. 

Political trolls and their need to disrupt logic (#1771)

This is a subject I feel a need to address because it is about how I try to be a part of our world. I am on a couple of Facebook pages that have a conservative/liberal debate format to them. yet not so much debate as conservatives trying to deny or blame everyone else for their perceived harms. It gets to the point where offering objective information is overrun with opinion and assumption as a response. That is not how debate works by the way. Debate is the offering of facts and conclusions based upon research that is validated and verifiable. Not just some political pundits opinion based upon his philosophical outlook. Just because someone has a platform such as radio or television to give their opinions on the issues of the day does not make their information valid or correct. Debate is unique in that it allows for research to delve into issues with a sense of grounding that leads the discussion where it naturally should go and not where someone tries to manipulate it. What I have found in my limited conversations on these political pages is little information coming from the conservatives, albeit a little is still something, while as a progressive liberal offering much in the way of factual information for them to digest and either accept or offer rebuttal. What I get instead is either a total ignoring of my point or some diversion from what the fact of the point relates. I am often reminded of the "throwing pearls at swine" biblical metaphor. It has been quite sometime since I have been able to debate a conservative who truly can defend conservatism in it's current form. Maybe that is the point, conservatism in it's current form cannot be defended so other means of distraction and obfuscation are employed instead of the natural understanding of a losing position.

My lost house slipper (#1770)

A bit of an unusual post this morning but it has been nagging on me for the last 24 hours. I put my slippers in the same spot every morning when I change to step outside for some chores. When I got back after a good hot shower, I found that one of them was missing. So naturally I looked all around in the surrounding area making sure to inspect around, under and in each piece of furniture. Nothing! So then I started to doubt myself. Which is natural with age because sometimes I do some things that I forget to remember. lol. So off I went looking everywhere I had been, retracing my steps. Nothing! Okay, I have a cat, who is as wily as they come and a little long haired chihuahua who has never touched any shoe of mine yet in the almost 11 months we have been together. So naturally since I couldn't find the slipper in due course of my searching I began to suspect some foul play, you know either the cat and dog collaborated in hiding my slipper from me or one of them was up to no good. So out into the back yard I went to search if one or both of them, they get along famously by the way, had some fun at my expense. Nothing after a thorough search. So now I am scrambled a bit in my thinking because how could the slipper have disappeared without me knowing or me finding the animals' hiding spot? If you know me at all I gave the search all I had in order to solve this mystery. Still nothing! I am a bit consumed by the thought now that someone came into the house specifically to take away my slipper in order to make me confounded. lol. Anyway, the slipper is still missing and I haven't a clue as to where it might be so now maybe I can just give up and set my mind to more important things. Maybe anyway. Update: I found it. I figure the dog went scurrying and his paw sent my slipper flying into a corner hidden by the record player. 

The lies I tell myself to remain valid (#1769)

The lies I tell myself in order for my own particular illogical point of view to make sense to me. I have to lie to myself in order to overcome logic which destroys my illusions if I let it. In every sense of the word I are at war with logic because logic cannot be as wise as my own mind's way of thinking. "I'm right when I'm right and I'm right when I'm wrong" is my mantra and nothing will ever change that, at least that is what I stick with. My problems are not my own it is just that everyone else doesn't think exactly like I do. Everyone else is responsible for all the problems in the world because if they would just listen to me they would be perfectly happy like me. If only everyone would just stop and do what I say they would then know that what I think is better for them than anything else they could ever imagine. Okay, I cannot continue on this line of nonsense but for people like me who realize that logic does have the foundation for our reasoning there are just as many who don't. The rationalization of a cognitive dissonance is pervasive in our society. People feel that although they have conflicting viewpoints, they don't need to work them out. They can at the same time hold two contradictory opinions without sensing a conflict. Just like they are living in an existence that doesn't recognize their oxymoron condition. To use a mathematical metaphor, they are living in a self-made illogical subset of the real larger logical set and can travel between the two when it suits their purpose. Much to the chagrin of those of us who choose just to remain in the only real logical set.

No compromise with destroyers of democracy (#1768)

I have and will remain against any political party that works to subvert democracy. I have made my stand and even in the face of family and friends I will not relent. Some of them argue that both parties need to compromise and I say never will I compromise with a party that seeks to destroy democracy instead of build on it. As long as Republicans continue to dismantle hard won rights and moral promises I will crush their attempts when they encounter me. As well as shout from the bottom of my lungs their despicable attempts to segregate and deny our rights through political, economic, religious and social class. I will never stop in my quest to expose their nefarious policies hidden behind false memes and lies. Democracy is the only political solution to expanding rights for all. There is no other system that puts all of us on the same footing. Although democracy can be chipped away at to allow privilege to foster, it can also expose those policies and wipe them away. Democracy is the solution for our future and the sooner we come together as a species and practice democracy the better our society will operate. Advantage from past paradigms have stubbornly attached themselves like a leech to our system of democratic governance and must still be purged once we are all able to pinpoint them at their source with unequivocal clarity. Power, greed and ego are our enemies when they are combined with obscene wealth. Those factors morph a normal person into demigod type and that is where the trouble lies, and the solution begins by practicing equality in all our opportunities. 

Regrets and mercy (#1767)

Regrets are not something I spend a lot of time dwelling upon since they are not changeable commissions or omissions. However I do reflect upon them to see how better I could be in similar situations. I am no outlaw nor do I have outlaw tendencies yet I am capable of harming without intent. I have harmed without intent and for that I have my regrets, but with my regrets I have mercy. I know I am a human being who is not perfect although I expect perfection from myself as much as possible. It is those times when perfection is not attained by me and I do or say something that has a negative impact on myself or more likely others is what I am referencing. My life has been one long string of trials and errors with more than enough of both to fill an average quota. If I let all those missteps and stumbles accumulate upon my head I would be a basket case by now. I could never look upon a new day as something worthy of living if I could not find a way to let go of my mistakes and not carry them around like the burden my conscious knows they are. But what my conscious also knows is that despite all those mistakes I have made real successes out of my life. Again, I am not one who intentionally does harm, it is only out of not planning carefully enough that I do. So I plan more carefully today than I did when I was younger and because of that my mistakes have dwindled in amount and effect. I let them go from me as well. I know we all make mistakes and if making mistakes were the yardstick by which we measured our worth none of us would be worthy. So move forward established in honorable principles and keep your intent at the front of your life and life will be better.

If you cannot help solve the problem then... (#1766)

It gets so boring when people who cannot add to the equation, when trying to solve a problem, won't stop interfering with the process. That their own minds cannot focus enough on the larger picture seems to be the reason they must continue to meddle in advancing common sense logic. They would rather defend the status quo over any acknowledgement that the status quo has become illogical as a solution. These folks who have no vision outside their own predetermined belief or idea of wrong, that they will not allow the natural assimilation of facts and scientific truths to come to the fore of either political or economical discussion. I am hardened to their theories of magic and myth yet so many others are more fearful of their guile. It is not as if some master strategy on their part is being employed, it is just always a fall back default position that leaves their status quo intact. They choose not to change with reality, instead they choose to change reality to fit their illusion. The comfort and safety of control is what they hope to maintain, yet that they think they have control over what nature produces or logic dictates is more an "Ostrich effect". However, while they continue to put up obstacles to progressing forward with care and wonder, we all suffer the fate of not having the real change we all deserve. Power and fear will always be formidable forces we encounter and when greed is in the mix it is even more formidable. Yet we cannot relent to those who would "gum up the works" because it is not in the best interest of our human destiny.

What moves us emotionally (#1765)

The triumph of the human spirit is what moves us. The strength and courage of those who have little to move beyond the despair they have been dealt. I had a friend who used to say that no matter what happened to him in life, such as having nothing but his underwear walking down the road he knew he would be okay. Such a self assurance is profound and worthy of note since the mental picture of that does help to keep me in my perspective that regardless the turmoil or challenge, we will persevere. I have always considered myself a strong man who was better suited helping others instead of seeking help for myself. Yet there are times I am completely and utterly humbled by some who on first sight have much less granted to them in life shoulder great burdens and perform amazing acts of kindness to others. My perspective gets a wake up call and I realize just how perfect each and everyone of us really is. None of us has the greater ability or the greater sense of worth over another. We are all equally gifted with a beauty inside us that dwarfs our own imaginings. The longer I live in this sphere of existence the more I get to see just how fortunate I am for taking the time to notice what is happening around me. I mean really notice more than just the motion but the purpose for the motion. It makes me understand that we all have a path we travel that rises to the level of appreciation and justification. Surely some of us have lost our way and are more harmful in our lives to others than we should be, but the vast majority of us are purposed with a gift that when seen by others shines out brightly and inspires us to our own grateful furtherance. 

Wrong is unacceptable (#1764)

Most of us are clear headed enough to recognize wrong when we see, feel, and hear it. We may not always be able to describe or define it and/or conclude a solution to it but nonetheless we are able to recognize it. Now, how do we react then? Do we just allow the wrong to exist and continue on as if nothing can change the wrong? Or do we expose the wrong and take the time to try to understand it in order to stop the wrong from being our reality? If all we are doing on this planet during our existence is just going with the flow of whatever is, then we will continually find ourselves confronted with wrongs that help some and hurt many more. If however we find that living in this existence is a challenge to our sense of honor and justice then we will confront the wrongs we find and make an effort to alleviate or reverse them. I argue on this blog site that we are a compassionate, curious and surviving species. That is the foundation of my view of the human species and if I am correct then the idea of us changing wrongs into rights is a smooth adherence to who we are. We are not some latent species content to exist at the whim of our surroundings, instead we are a demanding and intellectual species whose destiny is worthy of us to fight for. If that is true then accepting those things that hurt and harm as normal is antithetical to our nature. We must understand who we are so that when the time for reason, analysis and conclusion arrives, we always start from the same premise. 

The poorest among us (#1763)

As the poorest among us just had to find out, food for them was cut by the Republican party because the Republican party thinks that they are mooching off the government system. While the Republicans continue to give billions of dollars to the wealthiest in our American society. Today is our traditional Thanksgiving feast to honor the coming to America and the bounty we discovered here. Yet I cannot feel comforted by my own meager advantages when I know that many millions of children, women, seniors and armed services members will have less to eat. How can it be that we allow a political party that makes the poor and underpaid suffer insults and actual hunger while they greedily defend their vision to give massive amounts of government money to the wealthy? I feel no sense of pride about how our American citizens continue to vote these inhumane Republican politicians into office. Our country is at a dis-ease as we go about the matter of celebrating a feast that has little to offer the poor. I am ashamed by my participation in a society where a Republican party continues to receive votes enough to be elected and then continues to crush the spirit and hope of the middle class, especially the poor. Can we all just recognize that demeaning and subjugating purposeful hardship on ourselves is not progress nor growth, instead it is just a petty and contemptible demoralization that has no value in representing our nation's conspicuous place in the world.

Eleanor Roosevelt (#1762)

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."-Eleanor Roosevelt. One can just sit back and ponder on this quote for a little while and get so much from it when we apply it to ourselves. Granted that we all discuss ideas, events and people to some degree but it is to the degree that differentiates us from one another. Personally I like ideas and events in that order since building a better existence for our species is my main focus. But occasionally I do get into conversations about people, especially when they are either of the two extremes. On the dangerous extreme I do like to warn others and on the magnificent extreme I do like to congratulate and illuminate their efforts. But for me it is all about new ideas for making positive impacts on our citizenry, all of other life and our planet on whole. Our place in the Universe is unique and unprecedented as far as our history explains. We are the most capable of species in existence and therefore our upside is the most open to exploration. We are at just the beginning of a new paradigm for ourselves. Building and expanding technology and innovation at record pace. Surely we are about to jump into the cosmos within the next century and what we do beyond is incumbent upon our progress being expanded to all walks of life. The days of a sedentary lifestyle contented upon dismissing our curiosity have passed. We are now able to dream of possibilities that have a real chance of coming to fruition. When we focus on the ideas we have that can change our current events into something much greater, we are better for being the species whose current status in our universe is unparalleled.

Letting go of the obsession (#1761)

There are some things in life being obsessive is a good thing. Being obsessively compassionate and curious do more often than not benefit ourselves and those whose lives we touch. Yet as good as some obsessions can be, many more are not as helpful. We can easily allow ourselves to become fixated on subjects and people in such a way as to become overbearing and devoid of an objective perspective. I often find myself falling into the trap of obsession in the things that entertain me. A simple acknowledgement that some fun and skill tests can be seductive to the point of moderation. I have learned not to be obsessive about relationships the hard way, by losing them and then understanding what I was doing wrong. Sad for me and no doubt others like me. I do hope to find a relationship in my life that will benefit from all that I have learned not to do but in that paradigm, the search continues. However, my other less noticeable areas of attention do have some more work to accomplish. As I busy myself with interests I recognize an insatiability to over moderate and immerse myself within it. Nothing great like research and development of some positive societal utility, just me staying out of trouble. lol. Yet in the boring mundanity of my life I can easily allow myself to lose perspective in the name of compulsion. I can easily fixate on that which I find beneficial to the detriment of other more important things I find beneficial. So the lesson here for me is to recognize what the irrelevant obsession I find myself immersed in as quickly as possible and remember that "marking time" here in this existence is more about losing time not taking positive advantage of it.

An honorable mind practices honorable actions (#1760)

There cannot be a disconnect between the essence of honor in the understanding of it and the actual active behavior of it. In other words, I cannot know what honor is and then not put it into practice for some reason. That is abjectly wrong. Although I may hope for some scenario to evolve and flourish, I cannot change the dynamic of the scenario if it is based upon a false premise. It is nothing new to me as I have had this going on in my life in a few personal areas since puberty. But even beyond the personal is the professional and social life I know to be the best for me. I cannot either accept less than enticing practices in that their outcome leaves me with a disgust in myself regardless of the advantage. Now I can justify in my mind and through today's generally low standard of acceptable practices, but I know in my soul when I have taken the low road for the sake of some overall pitiful accomplishment. As much as I like to think that I control the outcomes of things I put into motion, I know for a fact that the only thing I can control is my next choice in whatever I choose to do. What I have learned the hard way over the years is that thinking about what is the next honorable thing to do and then giving my best to actually doing the next honorable thing is the only true course I can follow regardless of the outcome. The outcome is not on me, in that I can only do my part of whatever process is in motion and that is what I have to accept. If I continue to be the honorable man and stick to my noble principles then my life will have accomplished what my mind and actions most desire, despite the outcome.

We are defined by what we learn and how we apply that knowledge (#1759)

This is the reason why I still am learning about who I am. I am not done learning new things to me. So my surmise is that I will never truly know who I am since I will never stop learning. But I can get a glimpse of myself through what I have already applied through my actions. The comprehensiveness of what I have learned continues to grow within me and is the final output of my thoughts and actions. I am not saying that I am a well run organism, as obviously I am not. However for the most part the accumulation of my knowledge to this point does indicate who I am becoming. My foundational understandings, for the most part, have been established. Nothing that has come along for some many years has shaken nor made me doubt how I perceive what is better or best about how I perceive our species and the planet that houses us and all other life. Yet, there is a universe beyond my limited scope and it has yet to be discovered. The idea I came up with to start this overall blog and to begin my journey forward from a base of understanding is in understanding our species' nature. We are caring and curious with a will to survive. From this base I can then delve into the complexities of how we interact and for what purpose we decide to civilize ourselves. When I state that we are also organic data processors with the capacity to reason, analyze and conclude I refer to our senses and what we decipher from them. All this together tells me that the restlessness of our natures lies in the fact that we need to continue to find information where it is and at the moment the vast amount of unknown information lies out beyond the restrictive nature this planet of ours contains.

Stealing our hope (#1758)

Republicans in the House of Representatives have done we American working/middle/poor class of citizens a huge disservice. They have not let the will of our electorate effectuate policies we voted to have produced. The intransigence of Republicans, much like a tantrum child who owns the only ball that all are playing with, taking it home and leaving the rest of us without. What we need to do is find someone else who has a ball and keep playing. That someone else is a new House Democratic leadership team voted into office in 2014. For the last several days we have, as a country, been marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of a dear and progressive President Kennedy. As an 8 year old sitting in my 3rd grade classroom and hearing of his death over the class intercom, I immediately felt my heart sink. Our family were and still are Democrats and the shock of it was real and disheartening. I got home that day from school and my mother was crying profusely over the ongoing television coverage. What I most remember from that still vivid day was how my heart felt. I was crushed inside that a great hope in our lives had been cut from us in a permanent way. The profound effect that moment had on me was a watershed experience since it destroyed within me the idea that right and good was greater than wrong and bad. Although, over time, I did find my way back to the best of who we are despite losing so much of myself in between that I am very fortunate that I survived to recover. Much is the same now with our current President Obama. He offers us a more progressive path to rebuild our hope and all the Republicans in the House of Representatives can do is nothing and obstruct. I will never allow anything, including a despicable political party, to steal my hope away again!

A penalty for not voting (#1757)

We have tried luring citizens to take part in our elections since the founding of our government, although at the beginning it was a lot more restrictive. However over the years we have broadened voting rights to all law abiding citizens and that is what we should do in our democracy. Yet we still have less than stellar voting turnout. We need all Americans eligible to vote, to actually take the time to generally understand the policies being offered and then cast a ballot. We spend billions of dollars on trying to get out the vote when it now seems logical to save that expense and require our eligible voters to vote or otherwise pay a fine for non-participation. It may seem a bit compulsory but there are few things in life as important than shaping the society we all participate in. The actual act of voting is simple when not restrictive. We do have some problems currently with the Republican party in our country here in America where they feel that only some should have the vote and not all. We need to establish that not only are the Republicans wrong in denying the vote but that the opposite, requiring everyone to vote makes for a better democratic republic. No doubt we also need to inform our citizenry of the issues we face without the lies, confusion and chaos we currently allow through media. There must be a truth in news law that harshly penalizes those who would defy the law. Since we are having so much trouble attracting our citizens to vote it is well past time that we forced them to participate if they are to be involved in the outcomes of our elections. 

Find your vibration (#1756)

Existence is made up of waves, seen and not seen. A vibration is something that waves it's way through us either to consequence or not. It is the waves that are of consequence that lift me. I find most of my vibrations through sound and most of those are through music. I know what reaches my soul in ways that other vibrations don't and I know what doesn't. It is the ones that do that make my existence just that much more exciting and happy. I get lost in the sensation and for that little else reasonably compares. The magic that is accorded us through our sound receptors and through the vibrations they emanate in our very matter is incredible and truly one of the great wonders of our creation. Our planet and atmosphere has given us some of these sounds and vibrations but the majority of them are created through our appreciation for artistic curiosity. We define what we know into categories and then expand on those categories ever widening the scope of their boundaries. The beauty and power of music has captured so many varied individuals together into one huge massive audience of appreciation. I think of the concerts we attend and how they can bring us together in ways that can only be attained through shared experience. Not only do our agreed vibrations have a soulful affect on us but we can carry messages within them that stir us to even greater fulfillment. The absolute power of vibrations in our lives can and should be recognized as what unites us to greater joy and appreciation of how that joy should be spread.

We are a community of human beings! (#1755)

For those who advocate for the sole responsibility of individualism I say this, that if we truly were only individuals how would we have ever been born and then grown up? If not our parents raising us then family or friends or community did. Do we just ignore that our nurture to adulthood did not happen? Are we to assume that we were all sprouted to life as adults with all the necessary knowledge and common sense magically within us? Those that espouse individualism as an instinct are clueless to reality and have an ulterior agenda that somehow is justified if we would only believe their nonsense. Surely we are individuals in the sense that we are only one person, however we are not individuals when it comes to the growth and living of our lives. We all inhabit this orb we call Earth which is finite and has at the moment a concrete restriction to remain here regardless of our wishes to be on some other planet. Time in the future may change that sooner than later however we are not isolated from one another on our current planet. Even still it takes two forms of humans, woman and man to make the necessary formula for life to birth. Nothing in our history nor of our understanding of our instincts leads us to believe for one second that we are purely separate and without the need to have other human contact through the entirety of our lives. We are a communal being, surviving as a species against the chaos this existence presents. All facets of our lives are connected and that is how it should be since it is the heritage of our species' survival.

The dumbing down of our media (#1754)

The point of having media is to be informed. It is so vital to a democracy that it is unofficially termed the "fourth estate" because of it's high priority along with the executive, legislative and judicial functions of our government. The function of journalism is to bring information to the public that both informs and explains rudimentary understandings. What we have lost here is the rudimentary explanations that give the information context. We hear many soundbites by those who push agendas of self interest but few simple explanations that define those parameters. Our media is failing us because of a recent statement by a prominent reporter who said, paraphrased; it is not my job to verify the truth of the news, but just to report it. This lackadaisical approach to journalism does all of us a disservice since the truth is held in such low esteem by many who manipulate it to forward their own agenda. Who is left to call out the propaganda that is spread out to the uninformed, who are hoping to learn from a trusted source? The media is and has lost the trust of the populace because it is well proven that journalists would rather be a part of a story that has sensationalism to it than do the hard work of disproving comments created solely for spreading confusion and out and out lies. Journalists have a duty to our democracy that is sacred and not for compromise or to be given over for personal benefit. If the media continues to sell itself to eager buyers of it's soul then the only victors will be those who would knock down democracy for the sake of their own agenda.

We imperfect human beings (#1753)

I occasionally catch myself making some of the simplest mistakes. I wonder sometimes where I let my brain go when I should be focusing on what I am doing. When I focus I am right on with my actions but when I am somewhere else mentally and think I can go on some kind of auto pilot, I often and I mean often find that I am unable to comprehend any deviation that comes before me. I somehow think that by rote I can accomplish things regardless of their complexity. Again, this morning I did something without thinking and now it is biting my backside for my lack of focus. Nothing real important but enough of something that I am realigning my leg so that I may proceed to begin kicking my own backside. lol. It just helps illustrate that no matter who we are and when it will happen, we will always fall short of perfection. Even in the things we have complete control over. So what I am saying is that I don't have complete control over my own simple actions. There is a tendency of my mind to wander to other things when I believe no real focus is needed, otherwise I wouldn't allow it to happen. So as an abject lesson from all this I know now not to be too critical of people who make obvious mistakes. However owing up to those mistakes is important because they serve to remind us that we are not all we think we are in the here and now. Because reality is not perfect despite what our allusions may tell us. 

The demoralization that defines addiction (#1752)

Mostly my comments here today will be concerning chemical addiction(s) but do not be fooled into thinking that economic, political, religious and social addictions are not excluded from the summary of this post. Chemical addiction(s) is one where the next consumption of the preferred chemical outweighs all other priorities. Surely we go about our daily procedures acting on behalf of our responsibilities but the all consuming mindset to set up the next chemical consuming event is at the top of our agenda. Eventually we find that keeping our promise to our addiction(s) and keeping our promise to our responsibilities collide. What happens next is the crossroad where most fail to objectively see that our addiction(s) has an advantage over us greater than the logically moral choice. I say this because in our own set of principles we divine as our life force, we dismiss in the face of denying our addiction. Our addiction(s) take on a life of their own within our minds. Our addiction(s) tell us that it is okay to put ourselves first over being responsible to our previous obligations and hopes for the future. Our addiction(s) compel us to see everything through the lens of satisfying our accompanying craving. When the line in the sand between our responsibilities and our addiction(s) has been passed then crossing that line again is easily done without the self conscious condemnation that followed the first crossing. Our addiction(s) define our rationale and we are subject to it not the other way around. Escaping the grip of our addiction(s) is done through the recognizing that we gave control to our chemicals and we are it's servant and not the other way around. 

The bonds of society (#1751)

Equality under the law is the backbone of a high functioning society. If we cannot agree that we all share in our responsibilities at the most basic function then we cannot have peace within our civilization. Why on Earth would any of us join into a contract that benefited some and not all? We have to have at the barest of minimums respect for all of human life if we are ever to flourish and solve our other pressing problems. As it is now we have one political party here in America that is not about equality for all and instead is about a hierarchy of rights established by their unjust conceptions. I am referring to the Republican party and it's offshoots, the Tea Party and the Libertarian Party. There is a mighty struggle going on now for the soul of America and the choices are diversity and tolerance through equality and justice offered by Democrats as the way forward for America's society or the ancient paradigm of class and race distinctions that promote segregation and injustice with little function for community of people's offered by Republicans and their cohorts. This is a real dynamic playing out in our politics and our economy and the sooner that all we Americans become aware of the polar opposite choices being offered the quicker we can expose this crucial battle so all can be aware of the side they choose. So much confusion exists today that loyalty to one side or the other is more dominant than actually knowing the purpose of either party. An awareness must be made to all so that we can wrest this battle to the ground and declare the absolute winner. I can only imagine that we are better than we are worse so the Democrats in this battle will prevail.

Courage in the face of fear (#1750)

When we are not completely sure we can make our best effort prevail is when we must make our best effort and then see the outcome. Thinking that we may fail before we even try can impose a freeze upon us that is self defeating. What we must not do is quit before we try. It is in the trying that we find out our potential, not in the guessing of how we will perform. True leaders have the understanding to trust what their honorable principles are telling them and to act on them with a fierceness that matches one's own survival instinct. If we know that we are putting ourselves on the line then we had better not hold anything back since we are the ones who control how we will perform. I try to always give my best since I know I am not the greatest nor the best at anything in particular. So if I have any chance of succeeding in sticking my neck out for something very important, than I had better give every ounce of energy and focus I have to it if I am going to have a chance to succeed. Courage is one of the greatest motivators in my life since it does fulfill within me what I perceive as truth under fire. I don't use courage to game something or for an ulterior motive since honor is too important to me as a life living principle. For me, being on the side of right and good has always been an edge for me and anything less than that doesn't have the pure intent of my abilities. I am not a gambling man per se, however every time I risk myself in some detrimental way to myself, you can be assured that I will be giving every thing I have to overcoming.

Broken hearts mend (#1749)

I have had a broken heart most of my conscious life based upon the tragedy of life I have witnessed and learned of. Life should be about joy but it is not at this time in existence. Maybe someday we people will find it within us to express what is best about us and not haphazardly what is worst. But over time I have become inured to this too often despicable and painful reality. Mainly though because I trudge onward with the hope that I can somehow make a better life out of existence with my puny little efforts. Hope is my lifeline and although I am insignificant I am not worthless. As to broken hearts mending I know this to be true. I have had my heart gut punched enough and lived with that pain everyday for what seemed like forever, but over some time that gut punched broken heart healed up and beat strongly again. It says much about our species that although we can't see any plausible answers to our dilemmas we won't allow our will to survive to be threatened and instead we reinforce our selves with the possibility that a hope in the future may materialize. Although we are vulnerable to our conscious thoughts we nonetheless progress forward with steely resolve. The endurance of our souls has a limit as some have shown and at times some cannot go forward. However, our species is much more than some of us, it is all of us and as we continue to march through time and space with no apparent knowledge of why existence exists, yet we show existence that our caring, wondering and will to survive are not to be broken and discarded, but to be mended and continued.

Understand who you are and then define that to others (#1748)

Find out who you are first. And if you are still in the process of finding out who you are then say you don't know yet but you are working on it. It is okay to know a few minor things about yourself that are right and true but be careful how you describe those minor things so that no one comes away with the impression that you are a just a limited mindful person. Always add the caveat that you are learning about yourself in a comprehensive way and that always takes a bit of time and experience. But know this, the quicker you can rationalize what you hold in your heart, mind and soul about your own dreams aspirations and wishes the better you will be at making some of your hopes come to fruition. I personally wasted a lot of time being selfish and uncaring when I was younger and that has come to be my greatest regret. At the time I thought I was just living my life but in essence I was living an illusion. I had to force myself to learn more than I knew so that my perspective could grow in panoramic ways. I began to see that the conventions and standard practices I took for foundations were merely cop outs for making my life simple and free from having a say about my own true liberty and the liberty of those who were just like me. It was much like the health care problem now with those who want to keep old worthless health insurance policies without knowing that they could and will do much better under the new health care law. I had to move out of my comfort zone and allow for new thoughts to enter my head that didn't fit the cookie cutter model I had accepted as the only safe course. As I have moved past that immaturity I am now in a place where I know who I am and whatever comes my way I have reason and analysis to back up my conclusions on the matter.

The joys in life (#1747)

It is at times when I notice my smile has erupted upon my face that I know there is so much joy in life. Sometimes it is as simple as someone smiling that takes me from whatever mundane activity I am involved with to a higher, happier plane of consciousness. I am a nose to the grindstone kind of guy, I do seem to be obsessed with whatever particular project I am focused on at the time and when I get interrupted by a singular joyful moment, my demeanor changes and my outlook brightens. You see my obsessions are not aimed at the happiness in life but rather at the despair and how I can expose it and hopefully make it better. Not the place where joy is prevalent instead it is a place of unhappiness and exasperation. How fortunate I am to have some in my life that contribute to the beauty in life and find time to share that beauty with others and myself. Truly the end result of all of our struggles is for a big wide smile to envelope us without our consciously knowing it. Joy is like that sometimes, it just happens when we least expect it. My humble self is stirred to regenerate my passion for the daily struggles I find myself in by them. The necessity of having joy find us is what we should allow for ourselves to happen. It is what makes all things worthy of our efforts regardless if those efforts aren't directly tied to the presenting joy. If we keep enough diversity in our lives and show enough respect to others to allow them to flourish in our presence then joy will find us no matter how preoccupied we are with other less happy struggles.

Atlas holding up the world (#1746)

Some days it just feels like it. The shifting dynamics of those who keep so much weight on my shoulders just makes me want to scream the most primal scream I have within me and then I realize that they cannot take from me my will and onward I go. Regardless of the power petty men and women utilize to make my life a very bad dream, I refuse to let the smile slip from my mind. They waste their time on me since they want so badly to break me and you and so many like us. Instead of helping us create a world where the beauty and majesty of being human is prioritized, they continue toward a world where the pressure and depression of their illogical lusts burdens those of us who have higher ideals. We have greater plans for our species and they include all of humanity, yes, even those who would destroy us. The breaking of their fevered illusion is our goal so that we all together can see the panorama of possibilities they currently have no means to view. So as they continue their onslaught against the wisdom of wonderment, we fight to stay even or from falling behind. I am not complaining so much since over time the progress from utter despair has been replaced with a greater hope for high ideals, yet I am but just one link in a long line of links and the time I have in this existence isn't being utilized to my desired effectiveness. How selfish of me for wanting our world to be something we can all be proud of instead of something we have to continue to fight to make that pride a reality for all.

The truth finds a way (#1745)

There is no doubt in my mind that over time the truth of things reveal themselves. What many don't understand is that though things may be hidden, the actions that precipitated them leave an imprint on what follows. If a thing is done right and openly the actions that follow are congruent with it. When things are done of a nefarious ulterior nature those actions will be revealed by what rightly didn't follow. The omission of actions reveal the commission of actions regardless of how carefully hidden they were. Many do not know how to see the bigger picture and because of that they fall into the same scenario of doing wrong and thinking they got away with it. Any careful observation by an objective reasoned person can follow the timeline of actions and sense the presence of wrong. None of us is too smart for the rest of us. So it is with all levels of complexity. If new and innovative scientific methods for detection are not the tool for discovery, then sociological/psychological advances fill the void. It does make me wonder why anyone would stray from the path of truth since truth is our best and most agreeable form of understanding. Those who would use deception and and illusion as their strategy are obviously not able to comprehend that any short term gain for themselves or their cohorts doesn't outweigh the damage they do to society and to the character of their lives. I will say this again for the sake of us knowing who we are. We are biological data processors living in a world of logical matter. The quicker we all assume our rightful heirship of functioning as such with facts and truths as our objective the quicker we get to the known/unknown unlimited possibilities that await us. 

From fear to freedom (#1744)

A goal in all our of lives should be to move further away from fear and closer to freedom throughout the span of our lives. Fear is what restrains us from boldly exploring that which we don't know. Being afraid that somehow we will change is ridiculously contrarian in that we are who we are and if we don't want to know what that is then we should remain afraid. Our society has somehow reversed the idea that our curiosity is a bad thing and our suppressing it is the right thing to do. How absurd! We are a blank canvas when we begin our lives and we add shapes and forms to that canvas as we discover the wonders of life around us. This process continues throughout our lives never ceasing since we can never live long enough to have discovered all. Fear is used by many to control their inability to grasp that we are not all the same, which is perfectly normal for us to be different. Although we are all of the same species we have different perspectives on what our species can achieve. So finding a way to free ourselves from the bonds of fear is the first order of business for us if we truly want to experience freedom. It is only through freedom that we can actually find happiness so the more we find we bind ourselves to fear the less we will ever find true happiness. It really all boils down to how we see ourselves. If we want to be something we are not then we will live in fear to protect that illusion. If however we are not afraid of being who we discover we are then the liberty of that freedom will elevate our lives to a confidence that will attract other like minded liberated souls. I know what I am and I know what I am not, only because I wasn't afraid to limit my perspective.

Equality for all regardless of difference (#1743)

We all need to be busy doing something on this planet otherwise we would all go rightly insane. Some type of busy work is needed for us to pass the time and achieve some sanity. How we direct our busy work is up to us and so far we seem to have survived our earliest inclinations not to go into an insane chaos. Good for us but we must dig deep into why we work. We work as a means to barter. It seems that exchanging work for other goods has a dual good effect, first it keeps us busy and second we can achieve exchanges that satisfy our sense of curiosity. We create things through work that spark the imaginations of others and add to the innovation and progress of our society. Again, good stuff. Yet that we work to stay busy and achieve things, that is still not enough. We must focus our work on not just the passing of time but on ideas and imaginings that advance our species and our planet's other species into the greater area by which we are enveloped. Our work has to advance our society as a smart configuration to where we want our species to become. Just having make work ideas are good for the short term so that many may find work and be a part of what we are hoping to build but our make work must also reflect our vision for our species' future. We humans are all of the same species, and anything that divides us lessens our value as a species. Moving forward into a rational expectation of ourselves requires the logic of common sense and the quicker we get there the better off our next generations will be.

Keeping our love above our hate (#1742)

This is one touchy subject for so many folks. It seems that hate is regarded as at least an equal or greater than love for way too many people. I can only guess that it comes from frustration at not being able to control others the way we would like to. Which begs the question, what the heck are we doing trying to control others? As much as we hate to be controlled cannot we also see that others wish no one to control them as well? Regardless of reason however is the idea that hate has a place within our hierarchy of opinions. Now the hate is not usually manifested in a frothing rage of pitchforks and bonfires, but it is still allowed to exist in a subtle display of attitudes and actions. We have learned to be civilized haters and for that we are truly damned. There is not much worse that someone who pretends to be acceptable to new paradigms all the while plotting the demise of the same. I would much rather express my dislike through debate and then let the facts flush out the idea. I am a thinking man who doesn't follow the logic of others as my only source for conclusions. I have my own life experiences and where I need to find more technical detail I go to other proven sources. The key word here is proven. Proofs are the end result of logical equations that help us verify facts. If we spent more time in the honest rigor of understanding and less time in the arena of subjective bombast we would find that hate has no place in our opinions or our vision for the future. 

A duty to honor requires one to have a conscious (#1741)

What was I the moment I was born? I was at the mercy of everything in this existence. I was not born with the skill to survive on my own from my first breath. I was completely and utterly defenseless. If not for laws and the protection of my parents and immediate family I would have been subject to the whims of nature or at the mercy of some otherworldly imagination. Yet I wasn't. I was nurtured and cared for until maturity and have since been the diviner of my own legacy. I respect the society and the nature of people who gave me such protections from my initial complete dependency. As such I know in my heart and soul that I owe a duty to protect the ideals that established such processes. I owe my life to civilization based upon enlightenment and for that I have an eternal gratitude for being able to live after my birth while adding to the growth of knowledge. It is the same sense of duty I owe to improve our society anyway I can for those who follow me in this dimension. I have no sense of privilege owed to me just a duty owed to society. I do not forget that I am one of the lucky ones who has survived the many pitfalls others have so unfortunately not been able. In my mind there is only room for moving forward with my gift of life and nothing I do for myself will ever measure up to what I do for how we get to define our future generations ability to improve their futures lot as well. I am not one who would put himself into pain for the sake of some irrelevant circumstance, but I am one who would sacrifice of himself to see benefit reach others. It is how I perceive each life that comes to fruition and for that I am humbled. 

My anger does have a boundary (#1740)

It usually shows up when I get truly frustrated and aggravated. I hear and see enough lies from liars that I start to simmer an attitude that gets short and curt. I often just take a breath and then find something to make me smile and I am fine but sometimes that is not enough. During the "not enough" times it takes me longer to recapture my sunny outlook as the intensity of the insanity around me is almost overwhelming. Yet I do despite the ridiculousness of the provoking circumstance. By nature I am a mellow fellow who has little time for the violent swings of emotion life can bring but because I do not exhibit wild variations I am also prone to building up emotions and then letting them top out over some insignificant matter. A tipping point if you will. I know this about myself and have found a remedy for it as I know that nothing is worth spilling out anger. So taking a deep breath and pausing long enough to remember that my intelligence is my best defense against any provocation of an emotional nature. I am no different than anyone else who has a passion for life and a real care and wonder about it. We all have a degree to which we hit the boiling point but what separates us is whether we have a default response to our out of control instinct. To vent is natural and normal but what shape that venting takes is a choice and I try so very hard the choice of allowing that heated moment to dissipate not through screaming and shouting to no one in particular but instead to quietly allow myself to absorb my own frustrations internally and then let them go as if by flight of a bird. 

Common decency on the wane... (#1739)

When our society pits us against ourselves the most civil of actions are the first ones to go. We are funneled toward an existence where the old paradigm of survival of the fittest is only logical choice. This is a strategy being employed by the Republican party as a way to capture power where they cannot in a decent society. So change the society into an indecent one and regain power to satisfy their lust over honor. We must remain aware of the dirty tricks Republicans are eager to employ since they see no sovereign to over rule them. They consider themselves the sovereign and the rest of us their lackeys. We Americans are in the great struggle of our lifetimes to keep our democratic society from being turned into a plutocracy, ruled by the wealthy and powerful instead of by one person one vote. As the corporations continue to gain in rights as individuals and individuals continue to lose voting rights the trajectory of my premise is already well underway. Many of us see this and make the clarion call to awareness of it but our citizenry is being distracted by the overwhelming difficulties our bought and corporate paid for austerity driven politicians in the Republican party continue to advance. Republicans turn us against ourselves by taking democratic principles out of context to make us fear each other and disrespect each other whenever an illusory opportunity allows for it. The media is controlled by many of these same nefarious conservative powers and continue the drum beat of their power lust. However, we are not as blinded to their activities as they had hoped and a bulwark against them is being fortified.

A good policy is like... (#1738)

For me a good policy is one that alleviates more harm than it creates. A policy that is not good creates more harm than it alleviates. There are also balance issues, are all walks of society sharing in the opportunity to have happiness in their lives or are only some having opportunities to have happiness in their lives? A way to find out is, especially at the low economic end, to try to live on the income and see if your needs are being met. I can tell you now that the needs at the low end are not only not being met but the needs are increasing. That our policy makers are further and further from being at the low economic end does shine some light on why they fail to see this. It is not the only reason as we have political parties that allow for politicians to much more easily gain the alluring notoriety of being elected representatives, but in doing so the parties also control what policies are generally forwarded. In the current Republican party they have built a wall around their ideal that the less well off in our country are to blame for their lot, while they contrarily continue to block any legislation to help those same less well off with opportunities to better themselves. Let me say that again, Republicans blame the less well off for not improving themselves, while at the same time Republicans continue to block any legislation that would actually help the less well off better themselves. This leaves the rest of us with a real clear choice for elections this next political cycle, vote every Republican out of office everywhere. If a political party is not going to stand up for the majority of Americans then we need to replace them with the political party that will. Vote Democrat!