Thieves at the door (#2100)

The current Republican party is not a party of compassion nor care. They have replaced those basic instincts with a callousness to humanity that has it's roots in barbarism. They come across as souls that have the illusion of our interests at heart but their policies are not making the connection. In fact, their policies are anti-democratic. What it says about our public intelligence will soon be shown in the next four days. We have a national general election then and who is allowed to lead our nation will ultimately be decided. Either our President and fellow Democrats or a obstructionist democracy eroding Republican party. It is my hope that generally, common sense and gut intuition will prevail and give the Democrats and our President a Congress sufficiently acquiescent to his vision. On the other hand, the possibility exists for a Republican controlled Congress that will spend the last two years of our President's term not legislating. The idea that we would vote in Republicans who have done little to nothing for our economic recovery as a reward is to me mind boggling. The logic of the dissonance displayed by people voting for Republicans is not comprehensible. I can only conclude that the deep rooted prejudices of racism and fear have infected our society so much so that the evil of it may never be treated and cured. I am at a loss as to how in the world our great nation has been decayed in such a way. Our nation has always tried mightily to stand for equality of opportunity and the liberty for all to participate and for us to fail now is a scourge on our generation to be felt for the lifetime of our history. I keep waiting to wake up from some bad dream that has us pitted against each other in ways so anti-democratic it is a nightmare. I choose to think in four days I will find that we as a collective body will reject the selfishness advocated by Republicans and will help send our President a Congress that wants as much as he does to move our nation back into an honorable leadership role, for our nation and the world at large.

We must protect our democracy (#2099)

The Republican party has traded in our democracy for an elitism that favors the wealthy. No matter how you try to defend republican/conservative policies, they always come back to making life harder for the American working/middle/poor class and making life even easier for the wealthy. I honor democratic principles, so much so that I would with resolve fight on the streets if necessary to defend them from any who would deny us all equal rights under the law, foreign or domestic. It seems we have too many domestically who are just ignorant enough to believe the illogical rhetoric coming from republican/conservative politicians and their wealthy enablers. They are transfixed with the idea of a hierarchy of segregation and a laziness toward defending the harmed and weak. It is astounding to me that our society has been intentionally devolved by the wealthy to create havoc among our working/middle/poor class ranks. How we can be bought off from our own high democratic principles says just as much about our own lack of character as it does about the wealthy's intent in employing such a divisive strategy. I for one will not go quietly into the day or night without remembering a hero from our country's glorious beginnings; "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"-Nathan Hale. It is so that I write these blogs posts as a statement to my undying patriotic duty to our democratic principles and anyone who stands against the democratic principle of equality of opportunity and universal individual respect will feel the brunt of my disdain. All of us have a duty to protect each other as we all have a duty to stay informed as to defending and progressively advancing the principles our forefathers/mothers fought and died to give us.

Vote for your future not your fears (#2098)

It is the time for voting and we must be clear about what we want for our society. Do we want a society that respects and supports each other or do we want a society that only cares about survival of the fittest. Americans are at a crossroads it seems and only our elections will tell us which path we follow. It seems rather unenlightened that these two choices are even up for consideration. Any enlightened person would see that for a society to function in the most efficiently beneficial way for all of it's citizens, respect and opportunity for all would have to be at it's foundation. I have been under the impression all my life that the vast majority of we Americans are an enlightened country. Yet that we are in serious doubt as to whether our country will continue to embrace modernity is a seismic shift in my thinking. A given in my mind is now in jeopardy of becoming just a memory. I am in a state of re-evaluation as to my understanding of our collective conscious. An examination of our collective intelligence, what I thought was common, is now showing itself to be the exception, not the rule. I have aspired for the majority of my life to become more informed and comprehensive in my logical reasoning/analysis and conclusions for the sake of helping our country hold onto it's standing as an intelligent society. What I am currently seeing around me though belies my previous efforts it appears. This election will go a long way toward shaping my new found disappointment in our collective intelligence and although I remain hopeful, I am wearied by the hard work necessary just to keep even, notwithstanding moving forward. I will remain hopeful but a cynical thread has been sown and my calculations about our nation being the vanguard of enlightenment has definitely taken a hit.

What motivates we humans? (#2097)

I will tell you what motivates me. I am motivated by being alive and having the opportunity to explore and understand this existence to which I am a cognitive member. I am motivated by my relationships to like minded and caring individuals and groups who are as willing to fight for their ability to express themselves without bias and prejudice as much as I am. I am literally motivated by democracy which uplifts all souls when democracy is applied in the most fair way possible. I am motivated by justice to all who are harmed. I am motivated by acts of kindness whenever I find them. These are but a few of the paradigms that affect me to move from an inert state to a vigorous one. I live by a psychology that promotes optimism and commitment as a process. This is what  motivates me, living in and then leaving a world that has been proud to call me it's son. I  do this on my own, without some others cracking a whip about me to make me do for them that they choose not to do for themselves. I find no pride in flaunting power or influence over anyone's head. I find no pride in forcing others to act in ways that harm or destroy democratic ideals meant to be protected not undermined. The absolute gift I have been given is being born when I was, into a country so full of enlightened promise and the liberty to keep it so. That is what motivates me, a love and passion for honoring those who fought, suffered and died to give me this gift. I am humbled by my good fortune and smiling most of the time because I have the safety and security of the genius of our amazing American constitution to build from. I am motivated by what may come in the future and the option I have to be part of designing that future. It is awesome to know I feel this motivation within me and further, to know that all I have to do is unleash my inherent motivation at whatever I know is right and good.

Stay grounded in equality (#2096)

If you find yourself in doubt about anything at all just focus on what is right about equality and your answer to your doubt will become clear. Nothing works like putting us all on the same plane of consideration. I find that no matter what policy that comes from political and social leaders, if equality ins't at the heart of it then the intent of the policies are for less than honorable reasons. The one factor in all of the things in life is that we humans have the same wants and needs. No one is more or less than another so anything that doesn't keep our society level through equality isn't worthy of our effort. Structures in government that uplift society are even more important than structures designed to separate us from each other. We are a merit and means driven society however we are also a society that cannot abide less than honorable intents. The strong and creative among us are not better or more privileged that those who are not. If anything the strong and creative among us owe a duty to our society to lead by honorable examples not by selfish desires. Never, ever forget that our society is like a chain and the weakest link is where we need to focus our attention at strengthening. As it is now we have some who are economically and politically driven to creating weak links throughout our society for their own personal motives. It must be put to a stop and only those who are directly capable of leading through honor should be given that right. Our citizenry are at a crossroads with the decision of our lifetime. Do we appease the existing paradigm of ignoring honor and allowing unfettered deviousness control our futures or do we take our responsibilities and duty to forge ahead with what we citizens know to be right and change what we know to be wrong. if we keep our eyes on the principle of equality we will know what we must do.

Patriotism to democracy (#2095)

If I am patriotic to any one thing it is to democracy. It just so happens that my country of birth and choice is America where democracy has been the hallmark of our society. We have many problems within our democracy but we have been overcoming these problems with progressive and steady solutions. Our nation, generally, has embraced modernity with an eager anticipation and our structural institutions exemplify that. However, we are currently and for a few decades now been under a cloud. There is a philosophy born from faulty logic that has inculcated itself within our overall learning apparatuses. Through political, media and educational means, our society has been pulled rightward with policies that attack the very foundation of our democracy under the guise of moral and/or nationalistic dog whistle propaganda. I fear that too may of us have been exposed too long to this anti-democratic rhetoric and now despite provable logic, we find ourselves splintered into factions that have no qualms with diluting democracy in order to satisfy either a distorted belief system or some unhealthy baser bias. The only recourse as I see it is to continue to convince those who are not yet swayed into any idealistically shuttered camp of the efficacy of our democracy as it was intended. Again, our democracy has been a work in progress over the centuries but the only path forward is to make it more perfect, not undermine it. I feel that my patriotism is embedded with protecting our democracy and any and all subverters of our democracy are my enemies. I love my country but my country has to have it's process of rights and equal protections in order for me to hold it dearly evermore.

Surviving life with compassion and curiosity (#2094)

One does not need to be devoid of common sense nor justification when some enter our lives with ill intent. We can move on from them with a modicum of civility, however those who are intent to take more than they receive need whatever justice we can honorably bring down on their heads. That still changes nothing about our clear aim to putting all the compassion and curiosity we can fit into our lives to action. When I am alone by myself I still have a code of conduct that can easily exist in a crowd of people. I do practice what I preach. I am not perfect nor never will be but I am damn sure trying to be as much as possible. I have an inner force of will like we all do that is just waiting to be let loose to struggle for whatever purpose I aim it at. In this I know, I am not the human being I think and hope to be if I am not fighting for equality and justice at every turn. There is nothing more alive within me than knowing and doing what is right and fair. I have concluded that the struggle of my life is not to find some comfortable place I can sit and watch life go by from, no, instead it is in the fighting to hold inequality and injustice back from overpowering myself or others. As I want to be at the vanguard of progressive destiny, I constantly find myself facing in reverse toward those attacking forces that wish to haul us back into the past broken paradigms. Be that as it may be, it is still worthy a reward to protect what we as a society have gained as much as it is to boldly forward into the unknown to enlighten and process new orders of understanding into effective and efficient societal structures. Whatever end of the spectrum we find ourselves on the premise for living is the same, to fight for our imaginations and innovative creative thought as much as we fight for our right to exist on a planet that should be a shining example for our species progression, not our species inability to conquer our own fears.

It is time for the American citizen to be represented (#2093)

Our national election is in 11 days and early voting and absentee balloting has already begun. Our nation has been stuck for the last 4 years with an opposition party, Republicans, obstructing just about every program and policy our Democrat president and senate has offered. The majority of Americans elected our president twice now on his vision for our country yet the Republicans are not about allowing the majority will to have it's say. Instead Republicans are doing everything in their poser from keeping our nation from advancing and improving by sabotaging legislation aimed at serving the American working/middle/poor class which has been lagging behind recovery efforts already being enjoyed by the wealthy. Since most in the American working/middle/poor class do not support Republican policies of austerity and wealth distribution to the upper 1%, Republicans instead of changing their policies to benefit the majority of Americans have decided to undermine and obstruct the American working/middle/poor class by deliberate attempts to destroy unions, deliberate attempts to reduce government social programs, deliberate attempts to deny a livable minimum wage to our economy. deny voting rights to the poor whom they see as only democrat voters. These are just a few of the intentional practices Republicans have strategically employed to diminish electoral opposition to their goal of controlling our political landscape. They are successful at it by controlling the House of Representatives where the money is allocated for most all laws on the books. They do it through court decisions made by our Supreme Court which currently is a Republican conservative majority and partisan about it. They do it by calling corporations people and money speech thus allowing unlimited cash to flood the airwaves with distorted and confusing attack ads from the wealthy who can afford it. We need a change from all this and in 11 days our nation can vote to not only maintain the senate for Democrats but vote out enough Republicans to give Democrats the minimum 1 seat majority it needs to take the House back from Republicans. let's get this done Americans!

The ramblings of the incoherent (#2092)

I normally associate ramblings of the incoherent to those who are down and out with some disorder that makes their reality suffer a lack of clarity. Yesterday I was allowed to see another situation where not necessarily ramblings exposed themselves but something close to it. I had the misfortune to once again be reminded why I don't normally engage in a debate environment with those who will not listen nor learn. I spent way too much time trying to explain how reality and commerce work to a disciple of Laissez Faire economics. The problem is that he would not admit that his "belief" was what is described in the dictionary as a deregulated and untaxed system. We could never get off the fact that the description of his "belief" could be defined by similar policies that have been shown to fail. However, the subject of our discussion isn't my topic here, his failure to stipulate to what he was arguing for is. This is why I must always remember to stay away from political, religious and economic arguments unless they are grounded in both of us agreeing to understand what the other is forwarding. I am an amateur at many things and so because of that I research much in order to get a better understanding of the subject matter. I don't pretend to know it all or to form a conclusion based upon my limited knowledge even after researching as much as I am able. I do however start to form an opinion based upon what I gather and with who I am debating with. Often I am swayed to reach different opinions based upon a real exchange of ideas. It is how life should be. But when, and it is all too often with the right wing conservatives. I don't get objective information, instead I either get subjective opinion or a subtle change of the subject. Either way I find out early enough that whomever it is I am "debating" with has no good intent other than to force an opinion as if it were a fact. More to condescension than to pride in one's explainable understanding. I do keep trying from time to time to have that elusive objective debate but it is not forthcoming as much anymore, sadly.

We only have one life, live it well (#2091)

From our birth to our death we have the time within that space to determine what we can do with what we know. Now some of us could care less about such a philosophical equation and most only only focus on what pleasure and gratification we can produce for ourselves. We currently live in a society that has far too few options of pleasure and gratification built into it to make our own efforts at being more selfish difficult to resist. As a society we are still coming out of a hard and callous era of survival tactics. That we are taking so long to move from an antiquated destiny of power and accumulation, is our dilemma. Those that have gained through misadventure or creative innovation, the problem of change is still the obstacle. The old paradigm of survival of the fittest, which served manifest destiny in our previous millennium has no more utility. As the age of enlightenment has shown us, our intellectual acumen is our greatest value and being able to capitalize on it's power is our burgeoning new frontier. How we live our lives within the next few generations will either accelerate the rushing in of our new efficient future or either slow or derail it. I have found personally in my own life that change is hard but once I change I find that the hard part was letting go of old familiar thoughts and behaviors. The new change I accept then becomes my new trusted ally and friend. I embrace my change and celebrate that as far as my destiny goes there is no anchor left to keep me attached to the fear of losing something less important than the gain I receive for letting go. Living my life well is accepting that we all have something to offer existence and with humility, being grateful for the brilliance humanity continues to share, notwithstanding those who cannot nor will not change from the past. 

The illogical Republican vision (#2090)

Republicans have this idea that if you take away most everything that government provides to it's citizens in the form of social programs then you are actually helping the poor and needy. It does seems to be the opposite of reality. But they think that if you quit "enabling" folks who have little, it will spur them to provide for themselves as a last alternative. Republicans think that there are plenty of opportunities out there for folks to achieve success but they need the incentive of desperation to move them to act. That's seems to be their thinking although I have heard none of them explicitly say so to this point. The problem arises with their philosophy in that most if not all have already tried to be successful with what little they have had and were faced with the stark reality of being crushed by unfair market forces and a greedy psychology of survival of the fittest. The fact that privilege and advantage are hallmarks of the wealthy also makes being honestly successful difficult if not impossible for most everyone who starts out at an economic disadvantage. Republicans also seem to be fine with a winnowing of our population through survival of the fittest calculations. Since they see little to no role for social programs, most who are not able to compete for a livable wage are left to fend for themselves not much different than becoming scavengers for those who can make it. Democrats on the other hand have a different vision. We see that a foundation of social programs to help all come out of poverty and into opportunity as the beginning. Education from the beginning of life to the creation of jobs for everyone who would and could be employed. We Democrats, liberal/progressives, understand that the weakest among us is where our attention needs to be in order to strengthen the whole of us. We are in existence together, not as enemies or competitors, but as family and partners in making our societies more humane.

Face the truth, don't lie to yourself (#2089)

In my past I had problems with alcohol and drugs. I couldn't keep the addictive properties of them from influencing my decisions in ways that were harmful. So I took steps to remedy the problem by stopping the usage of them. I remembered back to the days when I was young and unfamiliar with alcohol and drugs and re-incorporated that lifestyle of enjoying life as an adventure of discovery over the pitfalls that I had found myself trapped within. It worked and to this day I have not looked back on those struggling days except to use as examples of what not to do. It all started though with me looking in the mirror and applying the knowledge I knew about my unwelcome behavior. I had to be honest with myself. No more could I disassociate reality as a way to justify my thoughts and actions. I could no longer be in a state of cognitive dissonance where contradiction was allowed to exist in my life as if it didn't apply to me. I could no longer think that the laws of physics and logic could be bent to my own personal will. I had to stop being arrogantly stubborn about my own selfish will over the effects my selfishness were causing. I had to be honest with myself no matter what the reality challenged me to change in my life. I succumbed to becoming honest one fine morning and since I have never been a more alive human being. No more do I lose arguments based upon fallacy since I will not allow myself to defend the illogical. No more do I fear my previous actions committed without me having the benefit of my full awareness. No more do I hide from anyone over omissions of responsibility. I am now able to recognize the truth in so many subjects because I have discarded my previous subjective beliefs for honest objective possibilities. In one life changing morning moment I validated my life to me and all I quit doing was lie to myself.

Privatization and the theft of our natural public resources (#2088)

I am all for having private businesses that serve a thriving and diverse community such as ours here in America. What I am all against is the privatization of our country's natural resources by a few wealthy souls who do not take into consideration the comprehensive necessity these resources give us. It is destructive for our government officials to sell off natural resource rights to private entities for the sake of profit instead of holding onto our natural resources and collectively apportioning them out based upon the need of our society. Government does have a role in protecting the value of our natural resources which underpin our national economy. We have little to no control when private entities base their decisions on profit concerning the handling of our finite natural resources as opposed to not allowing private enterprises the option. We can as a society protect these valuable, public resources for our own creative utility without harming ourselves and keep control of how they are utilized in a much more efficient manner. Private enterprise should continue to innovate in profitable ways but not as the owners of our public raw natural resources. Private enterprise can contract with our government to buy from our government what natural resources they need to manufacture their products but the extraction and ownership should be left to protocols that we establish through a national resource allocation board. Our public minerals should not be for sale at the source. Private enterprise has proven that they cannot provide for safe extraction of our more toxic minerals while also showing that they cannot clean up or dispose of waste properly in ways that keep our environment safe. There is plenty of evidence of pollution in the air, water and land to rationalize my concerns here and stop the sale of our natural resources at the source. Our government is here to protect us from each other and this is just another example of that necessity.

We need to quit punishing ourselves (#2087)

No one is harder on us than we are on ourselves. Well most of us with a conscious that is, which is still the vast majority of us. Our current political and economic systems are flawed in offering equality of opportunity as a given. Which makes many of us frustrated that we cannot seem to fix the problems that make it so. Understanding what the problems are is even more difficult given some of the absurd definitions our freedom of speech allow. But if we all just boil down to what we know is the difference between right and wrong, we can work backwards from there. All of us should be able to achieve the same opportunities that all others have. Some will excel from that starting point and others will choose not to. As long as we all have the opportunity to start from the same place, we will have achieved the beginning of fairness. Regardless of our choice of what to do with our lives we must have a quality of life that is reasonable and respectable. No one should be forced into poverty for not being successful. We all deserve a quality of life that has a minimum standard that reflects the care we share for ourselves and our families. Otherwise what is the point of civilization and society? Why bother being part of a community if we are discarded based upon the current factors that weigh more heavily toward success for those with many resources and far less toward those who have few resources. It is like agreeing to live a nonsensical controlled chaos that fails most all who cannot afford it. Republicans offer society a survival of the fittest philosophy which allows the markets to determine the value of our lives. This is why I fight so hard against the current conservative Republicans who cannot for the life of any of us see that not only are the markets rigged by the wealthy to their favor but life is not quantifiable through economic principles. We can live within a better society but we must first replace the old ideas of survival of the fittest with the new idea of equality of opportunity.

Warning! Life should be easier than this! (#2086)

I know I spend too much of my time on stuff that shouldn't be a controversy. Living better lives should be something we all strive for, not have to battle just to maintain it. If I am not fighting to make some non-controversial policy better, I am fighting to keep some non-controversial policy from being taken away. Fighting the battle on both ends of my life doesn't say much about the efficacy of our current polity. Instead of enjoying our lives within reasonableness and logic, we are instead having to justify reasonableness and logic on the most basic level. It is mind numbing that a great nation like ours is so inept at practicing our democracy against forces that would undermine that democracy, are in real play. Mind numbing is the word and the physical effect of a transition from democracy to some form of plutocracy would reduce liberty and justice to a wealthy and privileged few. It will come about if a majority of we the people continue to ignore our duty and responsibility to engage in our own governance. The warnings have been issued and the evidence is as clear as a summer day. yet the priority of the warnings and evidence doesn't seem to be enough to muster action on behalf of most of us. We continue to wander through our days with a cavalier attitude that everything will be alright whether we pay attention or not. This isn't like that at all! Maybe in the past when politicians were more concerned about preserving our democracy than they were anything else, but now a mindset is prevalent within the Republican party that the masses are not to be equated with the wealthy and the wealthy are the only ones worthy of power and privilege. The time for turning back this ugly anti-democratic mindset is now and if we don't steel our spines and reject the Republican party's attempts to dismantle democracy we will lose our right to be part of the making of our own destiny.

No quarter for the intentional deceivers (#2085)

The only consistent way someone learns how to change their bad behavior is to not only quit rewarding them for it but to actually cause them discomfort for their choice. I am of the sound mindset of forgiving people who have done wrong but with that forgiveness comes a punishment. No one should be allowed to intentionally harm one or many and not have to suffer for it. It is not democratic nor fair. Such is the state of our politics though. We allow too many who have caused irreparable harm to way too many yet we continue to let them have positions that continue the practice. There are too many good people who have no bad behavior nor bad intent who are much more capable of being leaders in our politics. We must give these folks a chance to show their mettle and root out those who have nothing good left to offer. Merit should be our calculations on who deserves the privilege of guiding our societies, not prestige, nepotism nor some sense of entitlement. Why we all don't practice this is a discredit to our educational system, which doesn't properly inform our citizenry and our judicial system for allowing laws that allow untruths as protected speech. The infection of deserves within our society is complex and cannot be wiped away in a generation. There is much work to be done but it must start at the time of our elections and with as much a groundswell of momentum as we can muster we need to start the process of voting for leadership that is honest and genuine. We have that chance to begin when November 4th comes about and focusing on what could be instead of the same old same old, we can make a huge dent in how we let our country go forward. No quarter for the dishonest deceivers who have so far been more about themselves and their donors than they have been about the majority of our citizenry.

Irrelevancy of an illegitimate argument (#2084)

I refuse to allow myself to be part of conversations that have little to nothing to do with reality or logic. I have been wasting valuable hours and days of my life trying to convince some people the necessity of starting from a factual foundation. It is frustrating and aggravating to have to convince people to be logical about their thinking. I just refuse to be part of it anymore. I will however continue to try to start a debate on a subject from a factually logical point in time but after that I will not continue if the factually logical point is ignored. Some folks seem to think they can debate an issue without being informed as to the subject's cause and effect. How is it that we are so consumed with our own unfailing ability to be smarter than the subject's experts? It is an arrogance of birth or privilege that seems to have a place among some of our citizens. They want to come across as being smart on a subject without doing the hard tedious research necessary to be in command of a subject. They hear talking points from some subjectively opinionated outlet and then claim them as their own original thought. It is so much easier to try to come across as smart than to actually be smart. The old shortcut through life protocol, baffling people with bullshit instead of dazzling them with brilliance. I know this because when I was younger and less informed I tried it myself. I also felt the sting of being found out and the shame that came with it. So instead of starting over with a new form of a con, I went back to school and did the hard work of researching the premises of the the arguments I wanted to be informed about. I learned both sides of the argument so that when the debate time comes, I have a firm grasp on which side is the most compelling in presenting the best evidence to sway others to the same conclusion I have formed. The relevancy of arguments in a professional debate have one thing in common, both sides are legitimate in their defense but only one side can be the most persuasive.

Struggling to make life better (#2083)

In our current society struggling to make ends meet very much takes up most of our time. We have little energy left after fulfilling our daily responsibilities to our work and our families. It doesn't leave much time for our passions and causes. Work seems to be the biggest culprit when it comes to the quantity and quality of our focus which leaves less time for the adventures and growth experiences our families are constantly experiencing with and without us. It should not be so that we have to choose between living a life and sustaining one. Something has to break in order for us to have both quality of life in our work and in our private lives. There are many proposals and ideas about how to effectively integrate work, family and the pursuit of happiness into being but that is an argument for another time. What is needed now is the awareness that regardless of how hard it is to make ends meet we must continue to strive forward with all the effort we can muster to demand change within reason. Like all things that are complicated, progress must come in steps, some large steps but usually many smaller ones first. We must be able to comprehensively see how our lives are being lived without the emotions of anger and frustration dominating those thoughts. We have to be coldly calculative about our realities and accept whatever fate we are currently experiencing. That does not mean we have to accept that fate as our final destination, but instead only as a starting point to move to another. Once we are firmly grounded in where we are, we may then chart a course to where we want to be. What little time we have to work at changing our lives to the better is well spent when we are efficient about how we use it. To be absolutely clear, I am not talking about manipulating one bad idea into something better for ourselves, I am talking about formulating and concluding greater creative possibilities and then fighting like all get out to make them come into reality. What we fight for is as important as what we work and live for.

The satisfaction in a job well done (#2082)

I do believe this, that there is no job that if done right is not honorable. From being a street sweeper to being a hero like a firefighter, if done successfully, the level of satisfaction is correlative. Of course one job has a higher priority of value based upon our morality, but regardless, they offer the same satisfaction when well accomplished. So it is with our passions and our perceived necessary priorities. There is no honor in quitting if quitting doesn't accomplish our goal to begin with. Having to settle for less or to compromise away the value of the job is also much less satisfying. When we focus all our attention and effort into attaining completion of a job and then see it through to the end, we can then know the true sense of accomplishment. When the job is done and there is nothing left but the memory of it's completion is when we can rest or relax in the knowledge that our efforts have created a worthy accomplishment. Many of my accomplishments are fleeting, such as the day I meticulously raked the lawn of all the leaves and then within hours the lawn was covered again from newly fallen leaves. However for that one brief moment there was a real satisfaction that permeated my being. Then there are jobs that take months and even years to accomplish and when they are done there is hopefully not only satisfaction, but often, a sense of loss. Having spent so much time and energy accomplishing the job had created a dependency in making the completion come about. I found I missed that which I was striving to accomplish when it was done. But the ironic beauty of life is that there is still so much that continues to need improving. So the job that comes next will have my time and energy no less than the previous jobs. I guess what I am saying here is that whatever we do, regardless of perceived value, there is a level of satisfaction in doing it well and good.

Merit, endeavor and sacrifice (#2081)

Imagine for a moment a world where you are the leader and everyone looks to you for guidance. What would you do to reshape what is now into what should be? What changes would you make to instill your idea of justice and fairness? In reality I will never know what this is like but I do have a vision for the future that if I could implement I would. Our society would be based upon values, not profits. We would honor dedication, innovation and creativity only as far as is healthy for our economy, our society and our environment. No one would be without a foundation from which to begin an equal opportunity path toward knowledge, health and self sufficiency. No more would privilege, nepotism and advantage be ingredients in deciding who gets to do what. Merit, endeavor and sacrifice would be the order of determining hierarchies within leadership roles. Equality without harm would rule the land and those who would devise to diminish democracy as a political structure would be subject to swift and severe penalties that no one escapes. Power and justice will always lay in the hands of the whole of us. I can see where those who have the idea for improving society actually have a voice in speaking it to the rest of us. Where our shared goal of curiosity about our surrounding environment and out beyond that, are prioritized as more important than satisfying our own private desires. I see us coming together as a species with an ethic to promote the wisest among us before the greediest among us. Where no matter where we are born or who we are born to does not factor into how we can best fit into where our destiny lies within our society. those who have the genius of thought and motivation should be our leaders and those of us who are not as gifted in those areas can still follow them while leading in our own way in other paradigms. Jealousy has no home in our society, just gratitude that life is a gift and being in it regardless of our talent is much more magnificent when we all get an equal shot at being the best of who we uniquely are, together.

I am so humbled to be a good human being (#2080)

I feel like I have attained a status that is awesome. I am able to recognize values in others that I honor and respect. In doing so I realize that I have those same values working inside me. I attract to people with open and objective minds about subjects and objects. I attract to people who stand up and sacrifice of themselves without a care to a cost/benefit analysis. In recognizing these values in them I know I have them within me. I am able to be an example of these traits as well. It is what I call being a good human being. There are too many examples of people who care not nor understand how to be a good human being so spotting a good human being is rather easy as they do tend to stand out in a crowd. Not by calling attention to themselves but quite the opposite, they stay in the background for the most part so that their good deeds are not interrupted by any vain glory. No one is perfect so keeping ourselves focused on our strengths is critical. My whole life, since childhood, I knew that good and right were the normal, not the exception. I began life seeing the possibilities and then lived life finding out that what should be was not what was. I stumbled and became part of the problem by being cynical and unproductive in the values department. I lived selfishly and self-centered, but even that eroded over time and depression came into being for me. I finally realized that if I didn't start changing my outlook back to being hopeful about possibilities I wouldn't be much longer on this amazing orb. Now I am a fierce advocate for those who fight and claw for the better and best in life for all of us. I consider myself another front line soldier in the fight to protect our democratic ideals and a vision of those ideals and turns them into living policy. Just by being a good person have I found the secret to my life. I get to live in honor, courage and self respect. Any wonder I am so humbled by this amazing transformation?

Know our world (#2079)

We don't just don't live in our family circles. We don't just live in our towns or our states or our nation. We live in this world and whether we want to face it or not, our world needs us to understand this and what it means. We are on this planet together, not separate, together. Sure we don't mix with each other often since we have societies and borders that are erected to keep us from each other but regardless, we are not isolated from each other either. Soon, some day we will be able to conquer boundaries that now inhibit us but until then we must understand that enlightened thinking is here to stay and it's innovative creativity is on a constant march. Those forces that would take enlightenment from us are in the death throes of power and eventually they too will no longer make a viable obstacle to our knowledge evolution. Being just, good and efficient within our ever increasing knowledge base is our goal. Allowing our curiosity to expand out beyond our planet is our next manifest destiny. The fear of ourselves and our surroundings are being exposed as myths and boogeymen as our knowledge grows out from all of our contributions. We are learning from each other that none of us are greater or lesser, therefore we all have a contribution to make. The value we place on our ability to recognize that our world needs us to be comprehensive in our care for it is critical. Beyond our own personal self sustaining ambitions is the need to protect and enhance our shared environment through civilized procedures and policies. We can only do this by being informed as to what risks our environment is facing through natural and human controlled behaviors. As important is our ability to apply the current and cutting edge knowledge we are gathering toward exploring the space outside our planet. It may not be long before events outside and inside our control forces us to be prepared for the worst that may befall our ecosystem. Our current struggle against our past fears is not advancing us it is holding us back from moving forward with our destiny.

Protecting the vision of our forefathers/mothers (#2078)

I have a duty as an American citizen to protect our great democracy from all threats, both foreign and domestic. I am not some official agent of the state, I am just a citizen who admires and respects our democracy. "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." is the preamble to our Constitution and worthy of the intent of why we were founded as a country. This is what I fight for everyday because some of our less patriotic citizenry would have our democracy become a privilege for some and a burden for others. That is not promoting the general welfare nor establishing justice. Regardless, these powerful wealthy forces of special interests groups and individuals would like to take our democracy and parse it to themselves while leaving the rest of us to do their bidding. Do we want to have to ask these powerful forces for a "by your leave" every time we want to exercise our liberty? We are coming to a point in our politics where the very real choice is coming to a decision. Our right to vote is being challenged by these powerful wealthy forces and if we are not ready to repel them this election, more of us will lose their right to vote. It will come down to only those who pledge allegiance to corporate control and survival of the fittest mentalities who will have the privilege to vote. Our democracy is being assailed through force by anti-democratic ideologies that have infiltrated our judicial and political structures. Our current Supreme Court is less beholden to democracy then they are to their own definition of corporate and religious principles. Our Congress is not yet in majorities in both houses under Republicans but that could happen this election cycle. The only office that is now standing for sure after November 4th in opposition to the dissolution of our democracy is our Democratic President. So it is left up to us, the remaining eligible voters, to turn back the anti democracy forces and re-establish the vision of our fore parents.    

Seeing the bigger picture (#2077)

Instead of railing at people who have little knowledge and continue to display unenlightened thought and actions, rail at an education system that failed them along the way. Instead of railing at people who are unemployed and in need of assistance, rail at the politicians who will do nothing to help create jobs. Instead of railing at people who are impoverished and overweight, rail the lack of options for healthy living standards and healthy affordable dietary options. Most of us seem to miss the point on the cause and effect principle. Quit harping on the effect of bad policies or no policies and start working to change bad policy and no policy into good and effective policy. We have politicians who are supposed to be our leaders in devising policies that actually benefit us to strengthen our lives and opportunities, not to keep our lives in despair and futility. An ideology is only as good as what it can provide as it's purpose. If the ideology has only limited benefit, and that benefit is focused solely on those who need it the least then it is time to dismiss the ideology in support of a better ideology that is all inclusive. None of us deserves any less representation than another so if politicians are inclined to segregate our representation based upon factors such as wealth and privilege we must resist them with all we have in order to support politicians who are equal, fair and just in their motive. We can only move forward in our society if we begin to treat each other with respect. An alternative being forwarded by Republicans seems to think that a survival of the fittest paradigm, where power and selfishness are considered values, should control how our society operates. A gleaning of the masses in order to dismiss social programs. I am being subtle in my representation of the effect of such a paradigm, but be assured a brutish and cruel future is it's outcome. It is time for an end to this type of thinking and action so that our society may again start to lift up our citizenry with greater opportunities for all of us to live our lives honoring and respecting each other.

Defining my next existence through scientific innovation (#2076)

I am reminded that my mortal self will have an expiration date sometime between the very near future or much further into the future. Either way it will happen. So what do I know that gives me some control over the remains of my carbon based self? I know that my body will decay into an array of atoms and molecules whatever happens to me. The conventional thing to do is to be buried in a plot of ground where a marker can be placed to signify that I once existed to those who had known and to the broader future of those who never knew me. That is one way of allowing my remains to disintegrate back into existence. Or I can allow myself to be cremated in order to facilitate my new molecular makeup for dispersal back into our environment. It is in this second method, cremation, that a variety of options to direct my remains to a well considered purpose is now available. My cremated remains can now be processed as an ingredient directly into a life sustaining enterprise. I can become a tree in a sense. With my atoms and molecules as an ingredient to a mixture that would sprout forward a tree, I can effectively and satisfyingly know while I am still alive that I can be something I admire and respect after I am gone. How cool is it that instead of just taking up space in the ground with a marker, I can be part of something that filters our atmosphere of carbon dioxide to make oxygen. Giving back to life that will come after me is a pleasant thought in that I if only for this one act will have served a purpose with my life. We all are always looking for signs in our lives that validate our existence. Mine has been that if I am gifted with a consciousness and the ability to process information then there must be a purpose for my abilities. What I have learned is that the joy of actually being alive with these abilities that most panoramically and comprehensively magnify my caring and curiosity is the purpose, and enjoying this purpose is what makes me and by extension, us, uniquely human. By furthering the human and other animal environments, at minimum, I have one distinct way of validating my life.

From the poorest to the richest (#2075)

It is a choice to be an honorable person. No one knows for sure if someone else is not since we cannot see into the each others intent. We are the only ones who can judge that for ourselves. We can ask for advice about our uncertainties but we are the ones who decide whether or not we are acting with honor or living within honor. I know this well from my own experiences. In my past I have put on the mask of being honorable while in my heart and mind I knew I wasn't. I was playing a game that I thought everyone else was playing. What I came to find out is that only a few of us were actually playing at being honorable and the rest of us were not. I will say this again here as I have said it previously, we generally live two lives, the one we learn our sometimes easy and other times hard knock basics with and the one we live after knowing what is right and wrong. Some of us never get to the second life of living in knowing and remain in the never ending cycle of having to learn the same lessons over and over. Either way though, we have a choice to accept a personal code of ethical principles to guide our decisions. This is where honor comes to the forefront. When we choose to live and love with humility and a duty to express those paradigms with respect and selflessness, we can begin to understand the power and dignity of honor. Being honorable is a sacrifice of our own frailties for something much better. There is no guarantee of notice by anyone else but more important there is notice by ourselves. I get my confidence from doing what is right and good. Nowhere else have I found confidence in anything that is dishonorable. I would rather go without than to compromise my integrity or my word. For me the saying of "my word is my bond" is true. I am the only one who knows all of my commitments by my word and that is fine since I am not looking to satisfy the validity of my existence on this planet through peer approval, I am only trying to express my example of living correctly. The poorest person on this planet has just as much a right to be here as the richest person on this planet and until we all "get that" I will continue to focus my attention on reminding everyone of the need of "getting it".

Wanting a better life is progressive (#2074)

Don't over think what you want. Keep it simple so that it always makes sense. It is in the making sense that we can find our purpose. Too many powerful people try to tell us that things can't change because some disaster or some greater harm will come to us if we do. That is fine and well with them since things staying the same always seems to benefit them and continue to harm us. No one is entitled an unlimited benefit at the expense of others. New ideas about our society are needing to be implemented on a consistent basis despite those who try to keep us from progressing with a better future. The response to them should always be no. A big fat no! Their selfishness at our expense cannot be tolerated. Not only should we demand a better future for ourselves but even more important is a better future for our children. Their future has to be the greatest priority in our lives. We must then move from obsolete and harmful illogical practices and instead create more efficient and enlightened process that work within the innovative mechanisms of our society. What always holds us back are the wealthy who control the reins of the current outdated processes that cause more harm than good. We, collectively, must force them to the change that the rest of us see as inevitable for the health and welfare of our citizens and our great nation. Capitalists serve a function within our society and their motivation is admirable to a point. But once the point has been achieved, if capitalism doesn't adapt, it then becomes a drag on progress since it is much too resistant to change. It focuses far too much on profit margins and doesn't focus much at all on adaptation to new realities. Since capitalists feel less need to protect the progress of our society, it becomes incumbent upon the majority of us who then need to force capitalists to modify and adapt at the risk of their own failure. Our democracy gives us that right and our right needs to be exercised through our vote.

Do not be distracted! (#2073)

It is election time again and of course the Republican party that has done little to nothing to help the American working/middle/poor class is busy distracting us from the harm they are causing us. They do it by controlling narratives that have nothing to do with policy but instead everything to do with controversy. While we are busy arguing over irrelevancies they are quietly biding their time waiting for the voting season to be over. What they accomplish is not being blamed for their recklessness aimed at us. We allow it by falling for their distractions without pinning them down and making them say "uncle" for their wrongfulness. I see strong minded democrats inadvertently falling for the bait of Republican nonsense. It chafes me to no end when I see too many of us spending our valuable time on subjects Republicans are manipulating to the forefront of our discussions and not enough time on the obvious harmful policies they are advocating. The old "look over there" diversion while in front of us the bald nakedness of their harm is being ignored. I ignore any meme that Republicans attempt to use to either equate both parties with harm or that blatantly call out the Democrats for harms that Republicans cause. I instead focus on the real life harms Republicans cause and break them down for others to see the bad intent Republicans have for our democracy and civilized way of life. A perfect example is playing out right now. The rather small Ebola virus danger is being portrayed by Republicans as the greatest threat known to man by Republicans while in Wisconsin, thousands of previously legal voters are being denied their right to vote through a new Republican law that makes their voting franchise almost impossible to attain. The new law is aimed at low income voters who are traditional Democrat voters so any nonsense about trying to solve a problem with voter fraud, which in all practicality doesn't exist, is exposed as a farce. But instead here is all the media attention on Ebola while democracy is being stolen from our citizenry.

The death of the politics of hate (#2072)

Hate is not smart or trendy, it is ugly and brutish. For hate to rule we must not care for ourselves or others as human beings. We have to dissociate from reality and think of ourselves as monsters. Yet we are getting the politics of hate from the Republican party. They are working feverishly to turn us against ourselves. Think about that, instead of working to build bridges within our society Republicans are destroying them. How is it that this Republican party can exist in an enlightened society? It can't, at least not for long. Like all emotional appeals, they eventually grow less feverish with time. Time will prove the death of the politics of hate. Evidence and logic will be the weapons that kills off it's life process. Eventually we will see that we are all too similar and alike despite our minor differences and come to see that hating each other is just an excuse to hate ourselves. I don't like a lot of things about myself but to transfer that over to my unhealthy perceived dislike of others, for my own gratification, is absurd. Not only absurd but counter productive. While the Republican party is manipulating us to hate ourselves, they are making off with the spoils of our conflict. We are being used as a distraction so that they can obtain power and control over our rights. It is a smart strategy for those who are conniving and petty. What the Republican party and it's acolytes don't yet get is that time works against them. Most of us are not given to making the same mistake over and over again when our interests are being pilfered from us. We are not all just one track minded. We will learn that being in this together is far more productive than tearing each other down. Republicans have cast their lot with hate and it will be hate that they have to cling to when they find that there is no one left to care about them.

The folly of hate (#2071)

My passions are better served on the enlightened, not the ignorant. I can control how I think about whatever happens in life, regardless of it's nature. I don't have to fall back into old paradigms of self-centered consciousness, instead I can focus on the new paradigms of all inclusive species possibilities as innovation and technology through knowledge continue to be revealed. I know that my enlightened viewpoint is a gift for me as I see all around me others who cannot or will not struggle for a more comprehensive understanding. I don't hold a grudge, hate or belittle their inability to grasp their own future with both hands. It is not a favorable application of my time nor my inner peace. Instead, what I try to do is continue my own comprehensive journey through time and space with as much passion for learning about what I know/don't know to the best of my abilities, while clumsily hoping that what I think and say will have an impact on those who are not me. It is all on me to be the best me that I can be and not my duty to be anyone else. I cannot hold resentment nor negative emotional feelings about anyone who does not help themselves with their own journey. It is on them but I can be as wise and example driven as possible. If I didn't care about our species none of this would matter so don't think that I have some ulterior motive for wanting to see everyone succeed with their gifts in life. I have a passion for our species to attain a level of living that reflects the best of our behaviors without the inverse proportionality of our worse behaviors. I don't know why I would care other than the foundation of my blog in general, that we all have two distinct natures. We care and we wonder. I think I spend most every waking second of my life either caring about something/someone or wondering about everything else I either know or don't know. It is who I am and if others are as similar to me as I think, then others spend approximately the same amount of time doing as much. There is no time for hate since it does nothing to help us along in life.

Putting words to action (#2070)

Once we live the part of our lives we are learning through most of it, we then begin to live our lives where we put into action what we have learned. Some of us say what is right and good to do but fail to act on that because it always seems inconvenient or because we truly don't believe what we know deep down within us is right. I use myself as an example since I have had so many different permutations of combining thought with/without action. I am in a better stage in my life where putting into action my words is precious enough to me that I almost always follow through. I am not perfect here and neither is anyone else. My intent is always to do the best most right thing possible but like all humans before and after me I will fail at some of them. Regardless, my imperfection aside, when I do act upon the principles of right and good I am well satisfied in my soul. What I may have perceived as an inconvenience to begin with most always ends up being a proud moment in my life. A memorable one that stays with me for all my time here. It is usually the case that our most amazing moments started out being a choice to do something that we could otherwise have easily shirked. I know this lesson as I have been guilty of it. But that was back when my life had no purpose nor clear direction. I am past those days and now when I see something that must be done, I pause long enough to remember that the not doing is worse than the doing. No more will I ache in my soul for being the cause of letting choices slip from me because I was not enough of a human being to care. No more of that for me. I don't care so much about my own discomfort as I have lived a generous amount of comfortable time in comparison to those who have not, so taking the time to do what is right is now more important to me than anything else.