An urgent patience (#1462)

An oxymoron if you prefer, however I do have this type of feeling often. It is like I am riding a horse while only just poking along when I really want the horse to run faster than the wind. A controlled movement forward with the anticipation of actually arriving yesterday. lol. I suppose most of us are this way. I know I cannot wait so much of the time but I have learned that if I don't slow down my expectations of change, I will never see anything move toward it. When I was younger I thought that all we had to do as a society was to recognize the simplicity of a solution and we would all garner our efforts toward making the solution a reality. I have learned that despite the fact that most of us see a solution as a logical step forward, many do not want to change. Many reasons are given for not changing but few that actually consider all of us instead of just some or one of us. So be it if that must be how we evolve our society. I understand it and will add that component into my calculations for our betterment. I don't like it but there it is anyway. It still does not change my impulse to make this world better while I am still here and before I leave it in my time. There is the inside look at who I am. A man waiting on time to deliver what should have already been done. As I am human and can reason like the rest of us can, I take what is there to be given and thank the whirligig of time for it. So many before me I am sure suffered through this same dilemma of knowing we are better than what we are but were unable to produce the quick changes to make it so. None of this is difficult, all that is lacking is our will to live in a better society that makes our world a gleaming example of intelligent and compassionate life.

Keep on keeping on (#1461)

I tell myself this quite a bit nowadays since I seem to forever need to hear it. It is not like it is part of my hard wiring. I need to reboot myself quite a lot. Like the Grateful Dead sang "Keep on truckin on", I too need to keep on keeping/trucking on. Just like my blog, today marks the end of four years, while tomorrow will be the beginning of the fifth year, I too must keep moving forward with new imaginings and hopes. It seems the principles of my conscious put to action must not pause but most keep going forward. Such is my destiny or purpose in this particular time and place. I live in a world that has not reached it's potential, even not having reached an agreed upon method for attaining a still yet undefined future. That does sound ominously chaotic but there is some logic to what we now do, we just need to keep on after it to make it come into focus a little or a lot more. I will take whatever we can get as long as it keeps moving to a better world with better outcomes for all of us. We all have passions about many things but for sure we must devote some of our passion toward the betterment of our society and species. We must continue to learn who we are as a species so that we can better judge our best potential for attaining a more perfect life. We are an amazing species with so many characteristics specifically adaptable to what we can do and where we can go out into this Universe that currently contains us. There is no limit to what the future will be just as no one a thousand years ago could have foreseen what we are now, just as we are not able to conceive with any specificity what a thousand years from now will be like. But what is constant is our care for each other, our need to survive and our curiosity to seek the edge of the known to know what the unknown is all about. Therefore we must keep on keeping on.

Hope vanquishes fear (#1460)

There has been no doubt in my mind at all that hope does vanquish fear. When I set my mind to what I want for our world there is no room for fear. Think of it this way, hope is like a light and fear is the darkness. Wherever there is hope fear cannot reside. The same can be said about love vanquishing hatred. What hope does for us is allow us the opportunity to live our lives with some great expression of possibility. I was thinking about this earlier this morning, everything is possible, even those things we think are impossible. Now are they likely, not much but still regardless of what limited thinking our society has reached, there is much more that we don't know and where there is a lack of knowledge there exists possibility. In possibility we can create our hope and as long as hope exists so does the realization of hope. Now I am not saying that knowledge is a barrier to hope but where we cannot apply logic with any absolutism, we still have the mystery of possibility. That is all I am saying here. What we now consider logical may well be irrational in the future as our knowledge base grows. yet for that growth to occur we must dream beyond our current status and place our hope in whatever is better and best from our imaginations. We, as the human species, have always and will continue to be a curious sort. It is even exemplified in other life forms on our planet. Being curious is what we do, otherwise we would not have been given the gift of mobility, our five or more sense gatherers, reason, analysis and concluding. The logical nature of our species is to survive, care for each other and to seek out new and understandable knowledge. We get there by hoping for something more in our lives and applying that hope into action. Fear has no place in our lives except one, and that is as a defense mechanism, not a progressive step toward our future.

Time does heal our souls (#1459)

If there is one thing that does salve and heal my soul it is time. Everyday offers a new adventure even when we have suffered through the loss of someone or thing that has tremendous emotional attachment. We are busy here in life and staying busy is our nature. So even when we succeed or have wonderful relationships we must continue to move forward to more and more great hopes and dreams. Likewise it is with loss. We must continue to move forward as if the loss had not even occurred. Why? Because although we always will have that pain with us it will diminish over time as we continue to create new realities for ourselves. We are made no promises about how our lives will turn out nor are we immune to the harshness life can bring. But what we do have is time to move on and move on is what we will do whether we want to or not. Living with pain is part of how this world operates. When we come to know that death is part of our reality, then any of us who ever love, which if truth be known includes all of us, will feel it's crushing effect. There is no other cure or if not a cure a treatment that will take that pain away unless it is time. By moving on with our lives and continually reaching for the future, we are in essence treating our pain with living life. Our memories will have to be enough for us to keep the magic of love in our hearts for those people and things that have moved outside this reality, and for that we at least have something. This may seem a bit cold and harsh but really the truth is what it is and the sooner we accept the truth of what is before us the sooner we will find that life doesn't stop giving us new opportunities to love again.

The Ostrich effect (#1458)

It is even more than just denying the facts of a thing, it is being mislead as to what the facts are. There are some old powerful privileged interests in our societies who wish to keep the status quo as it is without disrupting any advantages they may have. So in essence, we have a few wealthy types keeping our societies from progressing into a richer and fuller existence, in order for them to realize their dreams without considering the vast majority of our dreams alongside theirs. Simply, a selfishness at the ultimate macro level. How those few do this is to scare and confuse those who have the power to change the status quo through our democratic process? Misinformation is how. If the electorate can be confused about something, there is a real chance they will not act on any change regardless of it's benefit to most everyone on the planet. I entitled this post the Ostrich effect because many of us do not take the time to understand the simple concepts of logic or science to offset misinformation. We are less concerned about our present and future environment and more concerned about, let's see, how about sporting events with no connection to the quality of our lives. Although our entertainment can be very satisfying, we are left with no tangible effect of it. However on a subject like global warming, and it's current less than prioritized position, if we do not pay attention to it we will have more than enough negative tangible evidence to deal with. We humans are out of whack in our hierarchy of natural concerns and until we realize that the status quo is just a point in time and not the end we all need, we will continue to be the pawns in life a few hope we remain. In case you had any doubts, yes, there are some who control the levers of power, either in public or private, who have no good wish for the majority of us.

Defining our vision (#1457)

Everyone it seems has some idea about some policy or more but for what end purpose? It is one thing to prescribe policies that have an immediate effect on how we all live but for what purpose? What is the end game or the vision that inspires the policy? I don't often hear about how our leaders see the world in their most objective sight and instead I hear about what seems to be convenient policy for some well moneyed interests. It is a sad state of affairs in our current era that politicians are too beholden to moneyed interests as a means for securing their jobs. When the real duty they should have is to a better world for all of us. I suppose that since I don't hear about their visions of society in a perfect world it is because they don't have one. Now it is perfectly reasonable to not have a vision of our combined future, but to act like they do when they don't is just another sign of how little character resides within them. One can serve the public good without a vision if one places the needs of the many over the needs of the few in most situations. it should only be a rare occurrence when the needs of the few would ever demand greater attention than the needs of the many. We are a society built upon all of our mutual consent. In a Democracy, the rule of the majority will that has the principles of virtue instilled within it should be the guiding force toward our future, not some amelioration of compromised benefit to profit some over the many. Whenever I hear some absurd proposal that is defended with confusing logic, I know that the giver of such a proposal is acting in an inherently bad way. Without defining a vision of the future that directly links to the progress of the many, only selfish considerations can come of it. 

Adventure over profit (#1456)

When I was young and starting out in life nothing was easy. Yet I knew that I needed to get out in the world and explore what it was about. I had a yearning to see new things, places and people as a way to understand the world around me. Although I didn't get off the north American continent, I still was sated with new and exciting revelations. I was after adventure, not building a empire for myself. I had come from a meager to modest upbringing and for that I was able to subsist on little and still find happiness. What a powerful perspective I was fortunate to start with. I had already become aware that the world was not about me but instead was about all of us and my little part in it was just that, little. Anyway, as I became aware that although we are all different, we are much more alike than not. The places I saw were no different generally than from where I began. In other words, life in one region of the world isn't much different from another. We are all just trying to find a way to survive with some dignity and respect. That I was able to strike out and travel as much as I did gave me a lot of time to reflect on our world. I knew I was trading for adventure over the best forward to make profit, but in my mind, profit was confining and chaotic, which threatened my principles in ways that turned me away. Adventure on the other hand was real and everyday something either new or moving toward new. I was excited to be out on my own working and living among new people and enjoying the good from all who felt the same. We live one time in our bodies and for me, taking my body out for a test run out in the world was and still is the best recipe for life I could and still do imagine.

My earnest attempt to be good (#1455)

I know enough about and have been on the worst end of bad too many times. I want what is good in life. Not such a inconceivable demand if we would just admit that that is what we want also. I know getting every human to agree to anything is mostly impossible but not all impossible. Well, regardless of what anyone else does I know what I want and will do until I can no longer. Having the time and space to live in good adventures and situations is my goal. I do not allow myself to be dragged into situations that have no boundaries of acceptable behavior. In the past I have done that and that is when I find my life's best principles get compromised. Not much anymore since I have come to the realization that if my principles are not worthy of some to respect then those people need not be in my life. I have a hope for my life that revolves around learning from those who have taught me the better nature of life to actually apply that to my life. I owe it to those that I loved who are no longer with me to carry on the best that they showed me and those around them. Most of all I have a duty to live in the best of what this reality offers and to do that I must modify my behavior to reflect that. I am not giving up what I may do, I am giving up that which I no longer respect when it does not make me and those around me feel the better and best about ourselves. Some things in life demand that we do things that are out beyond our best principles, and at those times some sacrifice is made but not as a willing participant but as one who has an obligation to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness within equality and justice.

Our imaginations (#1454)

I really cannot speak to all of your imaginings but mine are spectacular. With little doubt however I can assume that we all have this ability. We are mostly all made up of the same building blocks of life so that generally, what one person is able to do another is as well. When it comes to my own imaginings though, I can readily speak of them. When I am awake I find that I have fewer wild variations of reality as those I have when I am sleep, and again nothing new here as to others as well. Yet my imagination astounds me. It takes me to other dimensions as if I were born to them in such ways as to allow me full and complete interaction in some other universe as if it were as natural as the one I was born into. Not only do I have my curiosity on full display but my emotional well being is keenly fine tuned. I find myself in places I have never been being who I am in quite natural ways. It is as if the best of me is complimented with the best of others as well. it is probably why I see the world with such hopeful eyes. I see what can be when I dream and not so much what we have become. This is not only a vision of how we can all live, but a necessity for us to find for all of us. When my imagination is not at the front of my mind, I am less the person and less the visionary I hope to be so in deference to the malaise of struggling reality, I rather would like our world to reflect what I know can be instead of what is being right now. My point here is that we cannot restrict our values to just what we know while we are emotionally and logically awake, we must also allow ourselves to experience our imaginations and judge whether those more unlimited mental creations have answers for us there as well.

Choosing our attitude (#1453)

There are not that many major paradigms about life that we have direct control over but for certain our attitudes is one. Remember this, our perspective is only one of many yet we often project out our version of it as the only one. Not that sometimes we aren't far more right than wrong, yet that there are other ways at looking things should be our first presumption. So I have found that if I can find the control of my initial emotions to very sensible responses, I have more time for objective judgement. I am not saying to hide how I feel or how others feel, I am just saying that it isn't just about me. This leads me directly to how I convey my attitudes about life's situations and consequences. I can control how I react with my emotions to the point of finding the positive in most any scenario. I do not have to be the cynic who can find fault while offering punishing verdicts to those around me. I am not the conscious of humanity, rather I am just another part of it. It seems that many find comfort in pointing out others' failings while offering little hope. I suppose it is because most of us are products of our environments, as we were raised in a certain guiding fashion often accompanied with attitudes of disappointment. However, what was expressed to us in our formative years does not have to be the chain that cannot be broken. We can change how we react. Do we know this and do we even care if we do? Generally, yes we know and no we don't seem to care to change. It would be to our, and our world's benefit if we did change to make our attitudes about life much more grateful about actually existing, while not taking that part of it for granted or as some privilege especially bestowed upon us.

We living humans (#1452)

We humans that are alive and have the ability of conscious are fortunate in so many ways. We have life right now and nothing that we know of is greater than that. However, we are also the caretakers of what is and what has happened in our lives. We are an emotional species whose actions often reflect our emotions more so than our logical calculations. What we are also privileged with is our memory and all the ramifications that has on our well being. I not only carry the hopes and dreams of our and my life with me but also the worst of what experiences I have lived through. I am reminded that the road to searching for and attaining happiness is often paved with unspeakable personal sorrow. So there it is, the life we may live as the tremendous gift that it is along side the tragedy that is instilled in how we live life. A duality of dimensions that often intersect when we least of all wish they would. This tempering of our existence serves some purpose but for the life of me I cannot justify why. But that it does happen is all that matters and any amelioration of it is the goal, at least for me and a few others. Talk about having a purpose in your life, how about finding any way to make it better. Some see the making it better as only better for them and theirs, not in a way that inches forward better for all of us. I often rail against those whose selfishness is perfunctory to them and as such is a lifestyle by default. What we all should remember is that all possibilities exist and those who cannot or will not join in trying to advance the betterment of society through themselves, have given the rest of us just that much more work to do.

Those who need us (#1451)

This world is amazing with it's varieties of life forms and varied levels of co-habitation. Like most of us humans, we mostly give ourselves a chance to live through our combined efforts to nurture our species, but not always and not enough. However that is not the point of this post, rather the point of this post is about the other life forms we we share this planet with. Many of us have taken on the responsibility of caring and raising them as if they were of our species and even some as if they were more important than some other humans. The politics aside from our wide-ranging efforts of care, is the foundational scope of our desire to see to the needs of those species whose very existence is in danger if we didn't express our care toward them. We have the free will to determine whether our world will remain in a state of unforgiving chaos or whether we should intervene and thrust our will on outcomes as if we have a conscious right to do so. Lacking any other guidance, it should be obvious that we are the caretakers of this planet without any other "being" directing our thoughts and actions. We take what we know of life and what we believe about life and apply it to our everyday activities. Such is the revealing aspect I wish to discuss, our care for those living things that without our care would experience massive harm. In our human souls we have concluded that a few of our best emotions; love, joy and happiness outweigh any non regard for the health and safety of those life forms less able to defend their right to exist. In this we humans show majesty and nobility that can only be admired by any who would look within our society and critique the essence of humanity.

Magic, mystery and myth? (#1450)

No one alive can say what all things are about, whether something that we cannot understand exists or doesn't with absolute certainty. No one. Which is why we have so many who believe different things. Belief in something is a luxury we have found for ourselves in a world that at first glance can be harsh and uncaring. We find within ourselves a place in our minds that justifies what is good within us as possible in whatever dimension we have some semblance of hope. Why not? Most of are not subject to regal or royal birth rites. We are born into an existence that all too often confuses us with conflicting ethical standards. Some are left at the mercy of fate while others know no such despair. We need to know within ourselves that life is not some punishment for some unknown reason, instead we build scenarios where life is just our proving ground which instills within us a greater will to survive. We add to it our sense of decency and respect combined with principles of moral justice and then we have our vision of a belief. More than anything we hope that some sovereign being or creator has a control on destiny to such a degree that no matter how terrible our lives are they will someday be much better. Who is to say that this is real and who is to say it isn't. There is enough magic, mystery and myth in our world to always leave some tiny amount of doubt about what is really real and what isn't. However the case may be in the end we all will know but not until then so what I suggest is to leave every door ajar enough so that no door is ever closed to us. If anything is possible then all is possible.

Liars cheat us all (#1449)

Liars do only one thing good, they make those who tell the truth that much more honorable. How has it gotten that those who tell lies maintain such influence over the rest of us? How is it that our society has sunk so low that we can only find heroic figures in fallacy? When we do find men and women of honorable character, we seem to dismiss their accomplishments in retrospect to the less honorable undeserving. Our psyches have been found out, we are a species who place the improbable over doing the right thing. What I mean is that the everyday effort many of us make to telling truth in a constant and comprehensive way, ends up subordinate to those who spew untruths of fantastical proportions. We seem to give undue deference to those whose claims somewhat align with our own over the truth of the reality. Now it appears that we do this because we are uninformed as to the complexity of all of the factors, however there is also a stream of consciousness about validating our perspectives, even if we must cheat on the veracity of those perspectives. A society of short cutters. We would rather do everything easy and even lie about the consequences of these strategies than honor the noble endeavor of facing the truth at every turn. The truth is fact, not theory nor a manipulated mind set. When we honor those who have the forthright ability to see what truth is there and to act on truth without trying to game truth, then we are going in the right direction. Our society is chaotic on this subject of living in the truth. Too many of us are too willing to lie and cheat if it does something for our ego and our ill-informed sense of reality, instead of choosing to honor those who don't lie and cheat as a guiding principle.

Logic without humanity is wrong (#1448)

There seems to be many who can tell me what needs to be done in the most simplified way about all the problems we face as a society. And in the sterile setting of words and numbers, these "solutions" appear to be understandable, however, anything that makes a conclusion about humans has to have more to it than a plan that doesn't consider the fallacies humans represent. We are not all immune to our mistakes or our inabilities. We are, for lack of a better phrase, a species dependent upon trial and error as our way forward. So any process that doesn't allow for mistakes to be made and rectification also, is doomed to failure, like so many other great ideas that aren't based upon humanity and it's frailties. We are not automatons, we are a living breathing species in a constant state of evolution and therefore change. We also have a natural capacity for curiosity which leads us to acquiring knowledge and applying it so in unusual and often contradictory ways. Such is the nature of the human. There must always be more than just the logical configuring of cold facts when a formulaic policy that affects humans is devised toward an implementation. Certainly we humans need absolute boundaries in some areas of our lives. We have proven that if given absolute unrestricted access to the liberty of thought and action, we can abuse ourselves and others most egregiously. But boundaries are not policies of logic that define the how we should think and act within the boundary we are given to live within. They are just the edge to which we can preserve our liberties. As a society we need to know where we cannot go, but with that we should not be told where to go within the boundaries we must all accept.

The hopeless romantic realist (#1447)

Yes, you can be both at the same time. lol. However it is not the best of situations. Fairy tales do come true for some and that is where the hopeless romantic part of us resides. If it is possible then why not for me is how the thinking goes. Yet we also have the part of us that realizes we have had many opportunities to be with our best match and have not known we were letting it pass. I think of all the times I was too busy doing the illusion of something important all the while not seeing the great hope of my life. Who can say as to if I have already missed what was my perfect world. Being the realist, I look at the statistics, like my age and the opportunities I have moved through without paying attention to the one area in my life I hold most dear. But then again, maybe my time hasn't come yet and now that I am the vigilant soul I need to be, my world may still brighten as I would hope it could. A man who has lost some semblance of hope but not really. A truly confusing and less admirable position in time I have allowed myself to reach. Much of this may seem a bit superficial and fluffy but to me it is the essence of my emotion and hoped for fate. I am a romantic and in that I am fulfilling part of me that is not dictated by the logic of curiosity. Rather, it is dictated by the core of my caring. I will continue to move through time and space in search of my own personal path and in that searching maybe, just maybe I still have time to fulfill the last great hope I have for my life. If not then the journey itself will have to suffice, since in all true honesty, I have reaped what I have sown. 

Still further to go (#1446)

I reach plateaus in my life but never end points where I can say I have done all that can be done. That is a never-ending, completely humbling aspect to my life. I know I can always get more out of myself if I push just a bit harder. It is fantastic that I know this. You will never hear me say that I did all I could do because deep down inside me I know I have more I could have given if I would have focused harder on whatever task I was involved in. What is so important here is that I never "arrive", which is the fallacy for many who think to themselves that they are "all that". No one is the superior to perfect, no one! Yet in our society we have the puffed up Peacocks who present themselves as such. If it wasn't so serious I would laugh but there is the problem, those that have the power and authority to continue to grow our society, display such disdain for the rest of us out or their own vain glory. We continue to muddle in mediocrity, while they continue to exist in fantasy. Yet for understandable reasons, our society of individuals continue to elect persons into leadership who are not qualified to be leaders. I say understandable reasons because I do understand why they are elected. They are presented as something they are not. Just because I understand this does not make it right. The lies and omissions of truth are a strategy for the powers behind these inadequate publicly elected officials. If ever you wanted to know if a candidate for a leadership role in our society is legitimate, just look to who donates to their election campaigns. Also look to their previous voting records and public stances on the policies of the day. Much more to be done fellow citizens.

Mortality as it is (#1445)

I am getting older and so are all of us, some of us are just starting out and getting older is something to look forward to. Most of us are already past our youthful prime and we are not so enthusiastic about getting older. Some of us are, because the cycle of life is understood and to be in a position of getting older is not a guarantee. Many who are not with us surely would rather be getting older. Perspective about this is important. The one thing that hasn't changed in my life's progression is my consciousness. I am still the young version of myself in my head. I know far more than I did then but the same inquisitiveness prevails today. My emotions have not withered either. I still long for happiness and love just as much as I had when I was first aware of these feelings within me. The only real change in me is of course my physical appearance and as well the knowledge I have about the universe around me. I am still the youthful child of my memories and in that I think I will never relinquish. But as time and space continue to move around me I am ever more conscious of my mortality. The longer I live the closer I get to not living. It is just what it is. A logical fact based on a constant observance of our biological natures. I am almost cavalier about my impending ending, not so much dismissive but what I reason within myself is that I have a good soul that has reflected the best intent of it. There is some satisfaction in my mind and spirit that has found ease and comfort in the knowledge that my life has been less dishonorable and more honorable. I base my honor on virtuous principles, you know the kind that look out to others more than that look inward toward myself. Come what may as to my end time, regretting my life until then will not be part of it.

Superstition, intuition and logic (#1444)

My mental acuity is honed by at least all three of these paradigms. First, let me tackle superstition. Surely everything that has to do with believing in something falls into this category. Not that everything in this category is right just as not everything in this category is wrong. Many of our belief systems have qualities to them that are foundational in our living principles so distinguishing between their rightness or wrongness can be quite complex. Next is intuition. A feeling I have about something that is either right, wrong or somewhere in between. I don't seek empiricism for it's validity, but something inside me like a "gut" feeling or an overall subconscious evaluation has been performed in my soul giving me direction. Intuition is the hardest of these three paradigms to define, but simply, I just know. How often intuition is right or wrong I have no clue but there it is anyway. Then there is logic, which by most accounts is the cold dry study of the science of words and actions, in sentences and in activity. What we communicate through our understandings, must adhere to certain formulas that all of us can objectively agree upon as sequentially comprehensive. Point A to Point B is the likely path and any deviation of that must be defined with verifiable properties that allow for the deviation. Logic is my favorite process for most all things which even includes some matters of the heart. Although I am not a calculating person who places a rationale on emotion. Yet in matters that involve love, I tread with trepidation since my emotions can be an impressively chaotic force. All of this is to help others, especially though myself, understand that all of us are made up of such dynamic moving parts that to try to define us is to restrict us. We have it within us these three dynamics and untold more I did not get into in this post. 

Our policies reflect our values (#1443)

When we have programs that help the poor, elderly, children, veterans of the military and the infirmed, we are showing the world that we have the basic values of caring for the weakest within our society as well as those who defend our society. That is how we express our concern and gratitude, through real life structures built and maintained within our societal fabric as foundational. We cherish and improve them as time progresses because they are the sacred expressions of who we are as humans. We have this within us and to keep our promise of these core values, we establish them as the ground from which we begin everything we do. For those who would tear them out by the root from our society reminds me of a dissociative mindset hellbent on tearing down the established humanity we all share. It is an unconscionable act to me that some would rather distribute the necessary care and welfare of our most vulnerable in society toward the most secure and protected. An allocation of society's benefits from the little that goes toward the most needy and instead toward the most greedy. I say greedy because I do not see enough of the most well off stopping the nonsense that some do on their behalf. Society functions on the soil of the Earth to help keep us civilized, otherwise what is the point of having a society if it is just a manipulation by some to the detriment of the many? None of us is any more special than anyone else regardless of who's ego might otherwise demand greater privilege. Enough of this outrageous separation by income class, we are all duty bound to create a society that reflects our values, not our personal lusts or our machinations that elevate us to the condescending role of an uncaring, unenlightened, gluttonous pack of sociopaths. 

I am still me (#1442)

No doubt, no doubt all of us have entertained the thought about what life would have been like if earlier in our lives we had made a different decision at a pivotal time in our lives. The many hours I have given to thinking about this is probably no different than the rest of you out there. I often find a way to glorify my life in some way that denigrates to some extent the decision I did make. However, that is just my imaginings I have come to conclude, because regardless of any different path I would have followed, I am still just me. Maybe the style of life I have lived would have been better but maybe it would have been worse. What we all must remember, especially me, is that the thought about the pivotal event is the only real choice we had some control over, everything after that would have been left to fate, out of our control. What would have happened the very next moment is not an ability for anyone with any certainty to know for sure. That is the logic that always brings me back to where I am today. I didn't choose another path and yet here I am writing about what could have been. It does seem quite silly of me to be reminiscing about a past that I cannot verify to it's veracity, but I guess, haha, that is the point of an illusion, it is all about guessing. I am well satisfied with my life today just as it is, but I know that it could have been better had I chosen differently. But again, it could also have been worse and for that I am grateful that my perspective accounts for objectivity, or in other words, both the good and bad of what could have been. The choices I made got me here and for that I am fortunate. None of us can control the whirligig of life outside our limited controls so thank you destiny for where I am today.

Principles over influence (#1441)

I suppose most of us who have had little in our lives could easily be swayed by the allure of something that makes us compromise our principles. It has happened to me when I did not understand how important my principles were, but nonetheless, I traded something of myself for the illusion of some fantasy, real or imagined. I do regret my past mistakes and I do feel the remorse of them, however, forgiving myself and allowing others to forgive me as well has allowed me to turn to a new chapter in my life where I can stand tall with my principles and not be drawn in by the sirens of the demeaning. I do not count myself in the crowd that places material shiny flashy things as some ultimate goal. I instead focus on what is good about we humans and try as hard as I can to emulate that positive karma. None of us knows the reason for our being here in this existence, some of us prevail upon others our beliefs but none of us is a God who is responsible for this reality. While I am on the subject of God, I do wish to apologize for not being a God otherwise I would fix all that is wrong in life and never allow anything that makes anyone unhappy. That being said, I will continue on about how our society has lifted the fancy in life to a manipulation, even to degradation of the human spirit and the will to survive. We use each other in ways that places shame on us, like no other species on this planet lowers themselves toward. There is hope for us but it all begins with our own personal decision to be responsible for our own principles and never letting the masquerade of others influence them. When we do, and realize what has happened, we must correct ourselves and never allow it to happen again as an intent.

No need for an imprimatur (#1440)

Now of course we are bounded by our own sense of morality, ethics, justice and equality etcetera, however with little sanction from a sovereign, we can express ourselves as we hope we are and can become. Taking the high road in life is emblematic of caring about what our destiny should and could look like to someone outside the reality we current reside within. I am not making any conclusion as to whether other realities exist, but if they do, it might be motivation enough for us to consider our actions even when no one is observing us. In that regard, we are self-monitoring our own behavior as our own enlightened sovereign. Every one of us has the right and the ability to live a life worthy of examination. We are all made of the same mixtures of what a human is and by grasping that and holding on tight, none of us is to be disregarded. There are levels of understanding that we are differentiated by but only because some have had greater access to information than others. The capacity to learn is often the subjective design of how we are forced to live within a society that cannot fulfill justice and equality at every turn. Advantages and privileges of some far exceed those of the many, which does add to the drift between our citizens. That is not the process of a society that can flourish in it's entirety. We are currently broken when it comes to respecting all of life by our actions and until that basic premise of knowing and expressing respect to each other can be understood, we will continue to dangle on the edge of uncertainty. That is why it is so crucial for all of us to find our voices, and not just for making noise but for demanding honorable principles in thought be actually honorable principles in action. We must, every one of us, claim our natural and enlightened human inheritance of expecting greater from ourselves as a baseline.

Wormwood (#1439)

This goes out to my friend Geri Andrus, who reminded me of this term yesterday. A play within a play. Shakespeare brought this out in his famous stage play of Hamlet. I won't go into those details for they are evident if you read, hear or see the play. However the point he made back then is as relevant, like my friend Geri said yesterday, as it is today. In Washington DC, where our politicians go to become some absurd form of who they convinced us to vote for is where our current drama is playing out. I have no doubt this happens on the state level as well with all the shenanigans pulled by Republicans since the 2010 election happened, however the thrust of this post is aimed particularly at the national level. To clarify, what we have out in our country is a real lack of good work that provides decent, family raising incomes. Yet when you hear the Republican politicians in Washington talking, they tell us our big problem is deficits and debts and that only by cutting spending, will our country flourish. In other words, destroy much of what is left of good paying work in order to create good paying work, by the way, that seems like the nuclear option to me. Now, if that were the only option then maybe we all would need to consider their proposal, however it isn't the only option. The far less savage and much more enlightened and helpful process is to increase efficient spending, despite the current deficits and debt, in order to create more good paying jobs. In that way the good paying jobs will create greater revenue for the government through taxes while also creating more spending, which is the absolute true way to create jobs. Which way should we choose, austerity and hope that within a decade or so our economy will regrow, or build upon what we already have and supplement it's higher growth with proven methods? The drama in Washington is much too great and complicated to fully define in my little daily blog post here, but this is just one important example.

The necessity of education to combat illogic (#1438)

I am at the precipice of my patience with some for their continued use of irrational philosophy for their personal and public idealism. In other words, persons who only see simple solutions to complex problems as absolutes. Even further, they do not think out ahead as to outcomes of their convenient solutions, or if they do they are either demeaning or ego-driven in their visions. If ego-driven then they still might be subject to rational logic, if demeaning, then they are soulless in their character and brutish in their behavior. The single greatest constant that may allow for comprehensive understanding of where we have been, where we are and where we are going is education. We must never stop the process of teaching what we know about ourselves and what we conceive because of who we are. Our future and the health of our species demands that we remain objective and raise the standard of understanding to all of our citizens. Too many of those who have influence in the shaping of our society have been afflicted with other concerns in their lives than education. They have instead gone the route of bartering as the greatest achievement society can prevail upon itself. As if the ability to exchange goods and services is to be prioritized over all of our senses. They point to the accumulation of wealth as it's goal, yet for more than 90% of us this is only an illusion. Yet the trick works because it promises a chance to "improve" oneself. They would be wrong! The act of education is the greatest achievement our species on whole needs to prioritize to the top. When we know of what we think and speak as greater than of what may fill our wallets, it is then that wisdom and intuitive creativity may fill our minds instead. We do not need leaders who can only see into their wallets instead of into a progressing enlightened future.

Sentient and intelligent (#1437)

Mostly this is true of humans but that is not what this posting is about. I am referring to lives of different species. Certainly there is some case for it with our aqueous dwelling Earthly cohabitants. Dolphins are at the top of the list but by no means the only species of underwater living that displays signs of intellect, feeling and survival. Just as I premise here in my blog, we have the same caring, curiosity and will to survive that most of the life here on Earth displays. We may do it differently in action but the similarities in effect mirror one another. We have the birds in the sky that also are sentient and intelligent and no one in their right mind could ever dispute that birds, in general, are not as survival driven as any other species, including us. Then we have the terra firma dwellers, of which we humans currently dominate. We humans have honed our senses to the point of expressing them in language and written word so that our thoughts and insights, for what they are worth, can be recorded and passed down through generations for all of our species to learn, in theory that is. It seems that our other land species' are not as elaborate in obvious intelligence but to dismiss that they are not intelligent is an arrogance on our part that will always be a weak spot in our ability to defend our own species survival. Adaptation is the hallmark of a species or even a class of humans to survive and if that is not a pure sign of intelligence then I live in an alternate Universe. That they care for each other within their species is obvious as they nurture their young as we do. Many cases of extraordinary behavior between classes of species has me convinced that although they do not communicate in the easiest of ways for us to understand, there is some effort on their part to do just that. 

Power should be used for good (#1436)

I have seen the best of intentions get sidetracked, when it comes to politics. It seems that just holding the power to affect people and their lives in real meaningful ways has distorted many into thinking beyond doing good, and instead toward less honorable actions. As if the sacred privilege of representing the majority of us is somehow a personal vindication of the elected's own privileged ego. It isn't as obvious up close as the person's demeanor comes across as sincere and thoughtful, however in the display of policy progression and the votes on which the policies dictate, we see the real disconnect between those who are truly champions of the people, and their general health and welfare, and those who have been feigned into supporting the special interests who continue to, with ulterior motives, bolster their ego's. That these duplicitous politicians are able to manipulate their re-elections through falsehood and deception is a bane on our society and makes us a laughingstock outside our own country. There are several examples of how government and it's politicians should think and act yet we here in America have for some reason less time to learn from others and more time to ignore what damage we are allowing to ourselves. An arrogance of privilege births privilege and that is the cocoon we have built around ourselves. We have abdicated our critical thinking to those who pull the strings of friendly faces. This too will pass but in the meantime we will all suffer the regression and omission of progress on a scale that will eventually lead to us asking how we got in this mess. The answer is clear, think critically about what possibilities our future holds and do we want to be the ones who lead the world into it or just remain captive to those whose main goal is to protect what they have at the expense of a just society and a healthy planet?

You reap what you sow (#1435)

I like this sentence since it does seem to be a maxim that holds forth. Sometimes when I do something worthy of a prize I am left without but for the most part I do get some reward. Just as sometimes when I do a bad thing I am not punished for said indiscretion. All in all it seems that things do even out over time. In my experience it is better for me and those around me when I give of myself and not try to take from others. I will accept help from others when it is offered but I don't just take from them without their approval. The karma thing about what comes around goes around is just like the reaping and sowing thing, very prophetic. Another very important lesson I have learned in life is that when I am at my most happy self it is when I am doing the best of myself. Actually putting into action my honor and those principles that represent that. There is a sanctifying feeling when I look back at what I have just done and there is nothing I wouldn't do different given the same circumstances. Living in the right now and doing the right thing in the right now. It works for me and not with a selfish intent. I do things for myself but not at the expense of someone else, at my own expense. Maybe none of this seems like it fits your life but it does fit mine. I had been selfish and made myself ignorant to what harm my actions caused. Not anymore because I want to feel right about every minute of my life without unnecessarily causing myself not to. I will have enough struggles and anguishes to come regardless of what I do so me not making anymore of them for myself is the better course for me.

The art of compromise (#1434)

This post is a reflection of a conversation I had yesterday with a friend. The idea that compromise is necessary when two different set of processes that get at the same value should be sought is logical and wise. However when two opposite values are being forwarded the idea that compromise is the solution is not subject to negotiation. What is appropriate is a conversation on the differences between the two values and then a choice must be made between them. Here is a simple example, we should die or we should all live. I won't compromise for a solution on this, instead I will fight with everything to protect living. There are just core issues we have that are not subject to negotiation, lest a species ending event is on the immediate horizon. No species ending event is known therefore continuing to advance our proper and just values should have no compromise to them. Only in the area of improving our values should we sit down and consider alternatives. There is another form of creating argument that I absolutely find disingenuous and nefarious. That would be hostage taking in order to coerce, under duress, a less than honorable solution. When the lack of reason and common sense are the mainstays of one's values, then no negotiation toward compromise is allowable. yet we have some in our politics on the state and national stage who think nothing of using blackmail as a tool to reach their otherwise unworthy and damaging agenda. You may ask why some humans would do such a thing and the answer is that some of us have not attained the understanding that selfishness as a goal is a detriment not only to the selfish person but to the rest of us as well. 

The cold calculations of an emotionless heart (#1433)

There is no one being that exists in the fullness of a cold calculating emotionless heart, but there are those who live in that state far too much without connecting the fact that they are human. They have somehow devised a reality around them that elevates them above humanity and which I refer to as being a demigod without the emotion. A cold calculating being who thinks that by their misguided virtue, they are somehow advancing our society in the most efficient way. As if the actual experiences of those who have to live with the outcome of their ill-devised policies are better off for it. An awkward understanding if you are the one who feels the very real effect that denies basic necessities as a gift from them. No doubt in their own lives they see themselves as compassionate and caring to a fault, however the disconnect, the real implications are non-sequiturs. Giving of oneself to those close to one, is not the same as taking from another as a means to help them. There are complexities in this world that are not easily placed in a policy that effects millions. No, as a solution, cannot be the right one for so many without hope. The loss of humanity by those who claim to defend the principles of humanity is the most absurd logic ever thrust upon people dependent upon their leaders to protect and defend them. A maternal/paternalistic approach to leadership is logic without wisdom. Teaching and guiding those who need it to understand the values and knowledge necessary for proper functioning within an advancing society is much more needed than someone(s) trying to tell their charges how to think and when to think it.

Lucky or unlucky number 13 (#1432)

The year is now 2013 in the Gregorian calender. For me the number 13 has had the suspicious moniker of being unlucky, but my own personal force of will actually celebrates this number as the reverse, as being lucky. Now I am not a superstitious person, which is why I am so contrary to accepted folklore, however like all things in this existence an ounce of doubt comes with everything. lol. So I begin this new year with an eye on outcomes for what this year holds. By the end of it I should have a pretty good understanding of just how lucky or unlucky we actually were based on things that I become aware of. There are always those things that happen beyond the public's purview but like in all years those are somewhat a constant in general anyway. So discounting those in favor of evaluating only those things that we do know of will be my criteria for deciding. We all have things happen to us and our understanding of reality so whatever I think may be good or bad is relative to my perspective and mostly irrelevant to most others. Yet I will keep my perspective focused on local, national and international events with as an objective eye as possible. We are primed here in America for many things to happen with our national elections just finished at the end of the previous year so politics aside, policies should be the main foundation for how we interpret whether our shared year will be lucky or unlucky. Hopefully all of this superstition about numbers will have no direct or indirect effect on our lives but just in case I will watch with a keen eye. We make our own luck and time and space will have it's way regardless of what we do but we are human and imaginative enough to make ourselves more important than not, so here's to our superstitions and our good fortune. :)