The hard in life is doing what is right (#2800)

     Not only hard is it doing what is right but being aware of what is actually right is important. Some people work hard at doing what is wrong and we see that all around us right now. If it isn't equality, fair and just then it is most likely wrong. If it harms it is wrong. Too many times I hear people say that making people hurt is good for them. Like somehow making their lives worse will somehow make them better. What makes them better is a better opportunity, a better fairness and a better equal justice. In the stick or carrot analogy, no amount of the stick will make anyone better and evidence is that the stick makes things worse. So it is the carrot with me in trying to give people a better shake in life.
     But in those carrots are those who wrongfully think they can take shortcuts to get somewhere or something quicker without doing it right. It is right doing that is hard not the shortcut which is less than fair and just. I remember a story a friend told me about his logging company. He was logging trees on one side of a mountain and another larger corporate operation was logging the other side. The larger corporation had 5 times the manpower and equipment but was still beaten by my friends smaller Mom and Pop company in getting the trees harvested. Finally a foreman with the larger corporation came over and asked my friend how in the world he was able to beat them on this job. My friend responded that he did the work right and didn't take any shortcuts, unlike the large corporation process.
     Now not all stories of doing it right win out over the shortcuts but when it is all said and done doing things right never require you to go back and fix whatever the shortcut got wrong. There is pride in how one accomplishes their tasks regardless of what the task is. After some time though doing what is right although hard, becomes second nature and we find that the hard isn't that bad after all.

Aspire to be more (#2799)

     I look around me to see if there is anything out there that I want to be and I am happy to say there is. I want to be knowledgeable in more ways than I presently am. I want to accomplish more in my personal life so that I feel more welcoming. I absolutely wish I were younger so that I could take greater advantage of helping to explore our Universe. I also want to be more available to help with taking care of the humans we have here on our planet, improve their lives so that they can grasp their own opportunities to be more than they are. There is much to be happy to be part of and continue to grow in. I still do aspire to be more than I am even though I am nearer to the end of my life than the beginning.
     Surely I like living simply and taking care of my own routines but routines are not enough for me. I need more and as our existence here in time and space constantly proves nothing stays static. So change is the premise I work from and change to a better me is always the goal. I am not satisfied with just existing. I want to progress not only in life but in our society and my own personal ways. So we as a civilized form of being need to present to ourselves a civilized way for every human being to rise to a greater reality. Once we have established a system wherein all of us are nurtured to have the opportunity to be more while we are preparing to drive our species to greater discoveries beyond our own planet, then we will be settled as to care for ourselves as a species and curiosity for all things unknown to us.
     It is no coincidence that I have arrived at care and curiosity as our two pronged solution to the essence of our society as well as our own personal growth. We are a species that cares and wonders. We cannot change who we are and the sooner we embrace who we are the sooner we will find what is right not only about ourselves but what is right about how we live.

Reality brings us new possibilities (#2798)

     The more we learn the more possibility we have to expand our current knowledge. What I mean by that is that when we give ourselves a chance to understand something we have a greater chance of expanding that something into an even more panoramic paradigm. We take what we know and apply it to whatever and then that whatever starts to take on a more enlightened understanding. For instance, we go from space travel out into the Universe and hopefully by the end of some time we discover how to travel in space far more efficiently than when we first began to travel in space. Let's say we move from physically travelling to learning how to mentally travel. I know it sounds fantastical but that is what could happen given the way we are constantly challenging the laws of physics, time and space.
     From the curiosity of action that appears to defy physics at not only the sub-atomic level; http://yournewswire.com/cern-physics-defying-subatomic-particles-discovered/, but to the greater reaches of our Galaxy where we observe black holes; https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=black%20holes%20in%20space and worm holes: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11360840/Wormhole-to-another-galaxy-may-exist-in-Milky-Way.html. Our science and math at this point in our human evolution is nearly perfect but not quite. Like our utility for mathematics has problems with fractions that go on and on into infinity without a concrete answer.
     What my point is here is that we are a species that is by nature curious so learning should be second nature to us. We should not be finding ways to stop learning due to laziness or comfort. It isn't who we are and will not allow us to advance as we should. From what we know now to what we will know further down the road will come about because we keep learning and we get out into the frontiers that remain to us in order to discover and explore their mysteries. What our reality is now will, by effort and intellect, become just the beginning of what we know centuries from now if we keep to our natures and subject all around us to what is best about our combined will.

The willfully ignorant (#2797)

     Who knew a time would come in the course of a nations growth that the electorate of that democratic nation would choose to forego intelligence and common sense in order to maintain a standard of ignorance that comforts them. I suppose it isn't a shock to me since I have seen a lot of willfully ignorant people over the course of my life but to see it come around during an election and show just how pervasive it is is what has me shaking my head in contemptible amazement. Where principles of equality, justice and fairness are discarded in favor of prejudices and biases. It easier that way I suppose to win some kind of mental satisfaction at the cost of tearing the fabric of our society apart.
     It is beneath the dignity of our ability and yet too many of us are at that precipice. The allure of mediocrity, the call of our antiquated worst natures is what drives too many of us now. I am at loggerheads with the current flow of our vision for our nation. I am one who believes in the best of who we are, all of us. So it is with disgust and disillusionment that I see not enough of us are within that camp. We Americans have become lazy in our sacrifices for a better world. I also suppose that is natural as well since we have been given the best of gifts through blood and tears of others so we don't hold dear to these gifts like we would if we had had to earn them ourselves.
     Ignorance is a choice and it seems to be a popular one. I had always thought that everyone would want to be a wise person in their lives. Wisdom comes from life practice and principled hard work, yet the principled hard work part is so unattractive to so many that wisdom is now more obsolete than at any time I can remember. Living life by skating through it with as little responsibility as possible is the normal now and for that we should be embarrassed. I know I am.

The necessity of electing a Democrat as President (#2796)

     The very first thought about having a democrat as president is the US Supreme Court vacancy. Currently we have 4 justices that side almost exclusively on the conservative republican agenda. We also have 4 justices that side exclusively with the liberal democratic agenda. The next supreme court justice to fill the vacancy currently open will tip the balance to either the republicans or the democrats. There has been a nominee selected by President Obama waiting in the wings for a confirmation hearing from the Senate, but the Senate is ruled by the republicans and they refuse to do their constitutional duty and hold hearings on President Obama's nominee.
     So as President Obama's term winds down with the coming election, we have an opening still on the US Supreme Court that republicans hope to fill if their candidate wins the election. So instead of 5 liberals as the majority, it will be 5 conservatives as the majority. So the importance to democrats in this coming election over who is eventually nominated to the court is crucial. If the democrat wins there will be a liberal leaning supreme court that would and could overturn rulings like Citizen's United and the striking down of portions of the civil rights act. The effect of a democrat winning this coming election is monumental in the fight for justice and equality in America.
     I cannot stress how much different life will be with a democratic president and a liberal majority supreme court. The majority of Americans will see their lives and opportunities improve. The majority of Americans will find that their rights as citizens in our nation are not only preserved but enhanced. Our nation will focus more on internal building within our borders to not only help with livable wages and bring new technologies into play but we will also be attacking the causes of global warming while advancing policies that address and improve immigration status and reform. The list of things a liberal leaning supreme court can accomplish for the elderly, women, workers and students is long but very doable.

Trump, the man/child bully boot to the neck candidate (#2795)

     The republican candidate for president this cycle is a man/child who has made it clear that he only cares about himself and how he can get even more wealthy. His tax policies further enrich people like him. His social policies are aimed at cutting services for those who are not rich and funneling that money back to the top wealthy like himself. His economic policies are for less regulation and less taxes again for the wealthy. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, he leads a political party that segregates instead of integrates. He leads a political party that see women as subservient to men. He sees democracy as a hindrance to what he really wants, unlimited power. He is of the nastiest of people when it comes to his right to subject women to his own lascivious desires.
     Trump would rather beat down those who would disagree with him than actually listen to what they are saying. His boot to the neck philosophy is his way of letting everyone know that he is special and everyone else is not. He is like a child who throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way and then stomps his feet when he is ignored. He is the savage in a lord of the flies kind of way. The republican party has become a cesspool by attracting what is worst about America to it's stench. The filth of demeaning Americans and shoving American's concerns aside so that they can rule as they see fit is their agenda.
     Republicans have chosen the poster boy of huckster and conniver as their leader and it is appropriate given their disdain for the principles of democracy. You know, that equality of opportunity, fairness and justice annoyances. The republican party has given us a glimpse into what it is like to be a hateful blood lusting ignoramus. We are seeing it front and center with his continual rhetoric extolling the "virtue" of survival of the fittest and narcissism as a value. I have long said that the republican party has been exposed as the party of the deranged and greedy and we get to see that on a daily basis now until the election when the republican party will be rebuked by a vast majority of voters. Good riddance and better for America with them gone.

July 21st 1969 (#2794)

     An amazing thing happened on this date of July 21st, 1969 (UTC). but one day earlier, on July 20th, 1969, about 6 hours in total, another amazing thing happened. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed the lunar module, Eagle, on the surface of the moon. America had come to it's promise and landed on the Moon. As a child/man, I was one month short of 14, I was as excited and exhilarated as anyone on the planet at that time. I have always known that the stars were the next great frontier for us to discover and explore but it was finally coming to fruition right before my eyes on that black and white television set.
     On July 21st when Neil Armstrong announced his ascent onto the surface with these words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.". He literally and figuratively transformed our simple human race from an Earth bound species to a more complex species capable of moving off our planet and existing on another orb in space. It is as if we were elevated as a species in this one special moment. Our time has come and although it has been nearly fifty years since that step onto another "rock in the sky". Our next step will be coming in a matter of a few years, not decades any more.
     It has been for me a long wait to get past the bureaucracy of small minds more concerned with profit than knowledge but we have finally broken the dam. We have rovers on Mars, probes in space, an amazing space telescope that keeps piquing our interest all over our solar system and beyond and a continuous space station that is ready and able to assist in experiments that cannot logically be done here on Earth. We even have private companies whose purpose is to build colonies wherever feasible in our solar system. We are moving forward now and the next step taken on an orb in our solar system is not only going to be soon but it will not hesitate to continue.

The comforts of our hearts (#2793)

     With me it is pretty simple. I have had some special lives come into my life who brought me a sense of belonging and wanting. A connection that superseded the run of the mill type relationships. A special bond that has the tentacles to it that touch even beyond time and space. I have also had those special lives disappear through death and when they are gone and I have the perspective to think about them and what they meant to me, it is then that I realize a part of me is gone. That special connection part where when in force was extraordinary. What I have now is memory but that memory is not the magic of the life.
     As I have gotten older it is absolute with me that I am more a shell of the man I was in my emotional life. Maybe it has something to do with the loss of the vigor of my youth but for me it feels like the loss of the special is the void that makes for the hollow feeling inside. I cannot just fill that void since the special is so unique and not at all easily replaced. I am not one of those who thinks that I can replace special just through my sheer force of will. Instead I have come to be reflective and honest with myself. I am not one of those who looks to make my own benefits in life above the costs it would have on others. So no fakery nor psuedo attempts to find special due to any fear I may have.
     I never stop looking for a special relationship to add to what years I have left but it will be with a half hearted effort given my already bit of brokenness. I still find comfort in my heart in that many never even get a chance to know what special can do for them before their time is over so no crocodile tears from me. I just know that my life is not the same and it is because my heart is not at home as much as it was in the past. This is not an indictment of anything just what is on my mind at the moment.

The voter is the most powerful citizen on Earth (#2792)

     What do the people in power fear most? The voter. The voter is one who can take what the powerful have done and make it go away if it deserves to be gone. The voter is the one who can shape what our policies will look like despite what the powerful want. It should be no surprise to anyone that the two major parties realize the immense strength that American voters posses. Look at what the republican party has been doing. They are working nonstop to deny and obstruct voting rights to any segment of society they can get away with. Republicans understand that their policies are unpopular with the majority of Americans and not only unpopular but very harmful. So cutting out a large portion of voters that would likely vote against them increases their odds of being elected.
     Democrats on the other hand are trying nonstop to increase voter participation within our electorate. Democrats realize that the policies they advocate are actually meant to improve the lives of all Americans, so involving as many voters as possible is rational. So when thinking about how republicans want to obstruct voting and democrats want to expand voting it becomes clear that republicans are not wanting to practice democracy but instead a form of patriarchy where they decide what is best for us instead of us deciding what is best for us. Democrats are the ones who believe in the concept of democracy and not only that but improving democracy both at home and abroad.
     So when I say that the voter is the most powerful citizen on Earth, I am not just using bombastic rhetoric, I am honestly telling the truth. We of us who are able to vote have the awesome responsibility to weed out those who are anti-democratic and instead install those who serve at our pleasure. We citizens are the heart, soul and mind of America and it is our duty to protect and advance our political body with as much foresight as hindsight.

The essence of democracy (#2791)

     The right for all the citizens to be treated equally and fairly under the law. The right for all citizens to protest against what they see as injustice and inequality. Democracy demands that of us. For if we choose to not protect democratic ideals we will shortly be without our precious democracy. There are forces out there that would prefer that we shirk our democratic duties so that they can weaken and then reverse our democratic ideals. Many in the republican party want to keep citizens they deem unworthy from voting. Many in the republican party want to end the right to protest because it causes them to explain their anti-democratic postures. Many in the republican party want to deny basic human rights to those who are not them.
     Democracy will not stand for it. Democracy will fight to keep equality of opportunity for all. Democracy will not let some few who want to rule over the many of us without our consent. Democracy demands that we participate in our elections and policy legislation as a rule not a convenience. We have to own our democracy if we are to keep it not only for ourselves but for our future generations. When our democracy goes awry either through serendipity or connivance, we must be there to correct it. We cannot own our mistakes by ignoring them and hoping they will change on their own. We have to change our mistakes and we use the tools of democracy to do it.
     We vote to change the political landscape to more democratically friendly politicians. We protest in earnest when we as a society are bearing too heavily on certain segments of society. We continue to call for a fairness in society that has no limitations to who it applies. We defend our right to be citizens of our society for all of us not just some of us. We make our democracy work better so that all of us benefit in ways to find opportunity and our pursuit of happiness. We are not less than a democratic society, we are actually more than one. We have been given the gift of democracy and we had better damn well appreciate and defend that gift with all our might lest we be left without it.

Recapture your innocence, be objective! (#2790)

A primer on objectivity: "Objectivity is a noun that means a lack of bias, judgment, or prejudice. Maintaining one's objectivity is the most important job of a judge." https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/objectivity. The opposite of objectivity is subjectivity, which is: "judgment based on individual personal impressions and feelings and opinions rather than external facts". https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/subjectivity. So to recapture your innocence, you know, that mental paradigm where all is fresh and new, you must be able to look at life with an objective point of view. Where the facts of things are the rule. Whereas there is no innocence when we apply our own personal biases and prejudices whenever we wish. There is so much of the subjective type of judgment out there today because folks feel that what they think regardless of fact is the most accurate way to understand.
     So what we have been taught and what we have inculcated unto ourselves over time, despite much of it being subjective, is easier for us to adapt and become dependent upon despite the fact that it destroys our innocence. Here's the rub, who cares about our innocence? What good is it to us? Well, it is the first thing we have as a human being capable of reasoning. It is ours and we change it for no good reason other than an excuse of convenience. So why would we not want what was ours in the beginning of our lives? Surely we grow and mature from some of the innocence but that type of moving from innocence is progress toward wisdom and that is normal and healthy. What isn't normal and healthy is prejudice and bias from which comes all the ills of society we know today.
     I prefer to be a human being who is not a shell of what we could be. I see no advantage in taking my innocence, a noble and honorable outlook, and cashing it in for some form of disquieting, ill conceived convenience. Our whole species is marshaling against itself in many different ways and the time for that to stop is now. We begin by accepting objectivity as our formula for deciding most all things of social, political and economic consequence. Until we drop the prejudiced, biased subjective outlook we will continue to be a sub species of who we really are.

Diversity is the arc that justice is bending towards (#2789)

     No more segregating due to the color of one's skin. No more segregating due to the gender one identifies as. No more segregating due to any factor that has to do with being human. I see all the rigmarole of our current society and the anguish it is having upon those who believe in a purity of race and sex. They are in the last throes of lashing out to salvage what they hope is their solution of others being quashed. Instead of embracing diversity and the tolerance it takes to achieve that, they instead are fighting to maintain an archaic paradigm of exclusion. Somehow they have been convinced that humans are not equal and that their branch of humanity is the one being "diluted".
     First of all, anyone who would think that humans are not equal are by default an inferior lot. Science, logic, common sense and finally fact have proven them wrong. So in effect they are the ones who are trying to "dilute" the rest of us. How ironic right? Then of course there are those who just love power and any avenue available for them to take and acquire said power. They don't really believe that skin color or sex is a variant in the determining of inferiority, But they will use it if it gets them what they want. So again, another sector of our society that would stoop to devious underhanded lies to achieve their goal also show us that they are the ones "diluting" the rest of us. Anyone who would claim that we are not all worthy of equal opportunity and the liberty to be ourselves are the ones who would make us lesser as a whole.
     The origin of America is the example that we need to heed. America became the melting pot of cultures as our beginning. We came from everywhere to start a new society that allowed for us under imperfect but evolving laws to have the same pursuit of happiness. America is the future of the world. We will all come together as one species, human being, and from there our future resides out into the stars. Together as one species claiming our right to our differences and sameness as one force from Earth. No amount of the current thrashing about by the illogical and sick minded will stop the inevitableness of our pursuit of justice, equality of opportunity and fairness for all.
     

Getting beyond our own stubborness (#2788)

     I had one family member tell me that they have always voted republican and that is how they vote. I tried to reason with her that her always vote for republicans mantra was a cop out and it had nothing to do with reality. It was just her figuring that she hadn't been wrong all this time. She fought hard against the arguments for why she should consider voting for democrats despite the fact that she works in the social services field and will be dependent upon social services when she retires. The idea that her particular sect of the family has been republican and wrong is not a concept she will logically consider. So naturally I disassociate from her. I am an equal opportunity friend and family member, if you decide to not use logic you will find I am not in your life anymore.
     It is the one thing I can control. My time with whom I want. I have no loyalties to family and friends if they are going to work against what is best for 100's of millions of Americans. I have no loyalties to family and friends if they choose to ignore and disrespect facts and truths. I am not an unconditional family first guy. I am a science and logic guy first and those who practice science and logic are my family and friends. It may seem cold hearted and shallow for me to dismiss a lifetime of acquaintance based upon on how we vote but it is that simply understood. You are either working to make society and our citizenry better or you are working to make society and our citizenry worse. My toleration level is defined by how we vote.
     I only live once and for me to have a blind allegiance to anything is not rational. There is that logic thing again. I am in constant flux to support that which is a benefit to all of us. Now some paradigms may stay the same over time and that is convenient but not essential. So whenever I hear someone say that they have always done something a particular way despite change I am immediately alarmed and wary. I stay a liberal in my politics because the liberal cause has not deviated from equality, fairness and opportunity in any substantial way during my lifetime, unlike conservatives and their republican party which has now become the party of division and hate. So to keep voting for republicans out of some blind loyalty is to not know me in your life any longer.

Good Karma (#2787)

     I like the good Karma. There is bad Karma and that happens to people more often than not who are doing bad things. Bad Karma happens to people who are doing good things too but not as often as with people who are doing bad things. So my rule of thumb is very simple, do good things and more than likely good things will come around to you. Plus, the good you do usually benefits someone else who needs some good Karma too. It really is a win/win scenario. Now unfortunately we live in a world where some bad people steal the good Karma of others and it seems like they always get away with it. But I am here to say that what they don't realize in their simple stealing of Karma is that Karma is complex and it will come back at them in ways they never imagined.
     I find satisfaction in that as a reprisal for their greedy selfish behavior. I don't like that some are left with nothing when their good Karma has been stolen but even they will receive something more profound later as a make-up for the earlier theft. Karma is like that. It can always outmaneuver any thought we may have as to our own rationalizations. The moral here is to not take Karma lightly. Always be on your best behavior so that when the good Karma comes around you are actually worthy of receiving it. Serendipity, coincidence whatever, these terms apply in some way as a reminder that things are going on around us that we are not fully receptive to yet. So it is always best to understand the effect while we are working out the cause.
     What we do know so far though is that good usually does cause good Karma. So although our solution is not without faults it is the best we have so far and should be utilized as such until we can understand it better. We live in an awesomely immense Universe that is full of unknowns to us. We should tread lightly and respect the outcomes that we can reasonably assume will occur. Leaving ourselves open to good Karma is one such assumption we can make as long as we keep doing good and not expecting a reward every time.

The republican paradigm of their modern day slavery (#2786)

     You tell me if what republicans are doing is not working to institute a modern day slave society. They want to get rid of social programs, social security and medicare/medicaid, which would end many seniors of their lives and be helpful for republicans in their efforts to "take out that used up trash". They want to make it hard for our children to be educated in the sciences and arts. They want to keep or lower the minimum wage so that low wage workers are in plenty of supply fighting over the few jobs left that provide wages that actually allow a person, let alone a family to live properly. They want a military that is larger than anything heretofore seen in history and by keeping our young, less intelligent, and hungry for work children, who would naturally be perfect candidates for unlimited military service to what end we can only surmise as never-ending service.
     Republicans are against voting rights for all as we have seen with all the republican laws that have passed restricting voting wherever and however they are able. These vote restricting laws are targeted at the poor, seniors and most specifically people of color. http://correctrecord.org/the-2016-gop-record-on-voting-rights/. By wanting to repeal the fourteenth amendment, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-good-chunk-of-gop-field-wants-to-repeal-the-14th-amendment_us_55d24915e4b055a6dab12015, republicans would then be able to justify their desire to keep people of color from voting and returning to a real estate owner as a minimum requirement for having the privilege to vote. Republicans believe that they are the adults of the world and the rest of us are children needing their guidance and their survival of the fittest ideology.
     What the republican party has come to be recognized as is a selfish entity that sacrifices others for their own personal gain. The majority of the population is just their cannon fodder to attain what they want when they want it. Democracy is not what republicans strive for instead it is a form of oligarchy where the wealthy and privileged are the ones who rule while the rest of us lick their boots for their pleasure. You tell me if I am wrong?

Understanding politics (#2785)

     Politics is very little to do with the person holding the office except when it comes to the virtue of that person. For the most part the candidates for public office hold theories as their guides for voting and introducing bills. So most every candidate that runs as a democrat or a republican pretty much follows the party platform that is established at the nominating convention. Democrats hold these policies as their vision: https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Democratic-Party-Platform-7.21.16-no-lines.pdf. The summary of which seeks to use government to improve the lives of all Americans, yes, everyone including the impoverished, the wealthy and all in between.
     Republicans on the other hand have a different vision: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-the-republican-partys-official-platform/. A much more extreme version of dividing us and catering to the wealthy. We now can see how each party leader will govern our nation if elected. So beyond the personalities of the candidates is where the policies take their effect. If we elect a democrat to office we can count on social security remaining and actually growing, we can count on a constantly improving health care system. We can count on tuition free college as a final goal. We can count on equality being legislated into our laws. We can count on an immigration policy that will make America stronger through greater legal participation. We can count on our individual right to vote to be protected and the usage of it much more convenient. etc...
     With republicans we can count on FEWER students being able to go on to higher education. We can count on the minimum wage being stalled where it is at or even eliminated. We can count on social security being trimmed so fewer will have the benefits at retirement everyone before them enjoyed. We can count on the elimination of health care as we know it. We can count on voting rights being further disenfranchised. We can count on those who think building a wall is better than finding a solution. Remember, the candidate we choose is important but the party they represent is much much more important.

Idiocy versus intelligence (#2784)

     Idiocy, Donald Trump versus intelligence, Hillary Clinton. It is less than 8 weeks now until our national US election and in the final analysis has an idiot man/child running against an intelligent experienced woman. Our US media has made it possible for this to actually be a close race because of the light they choose to portray the candidates in. They make Trump the idiot look like he is wise while reversing that on Clinton and making her seem dishonest. It is a neat trick to pull when the electorate is as out of touch with reality as ours is. The carnival barkers can consistently fool us if we are already fools.
     So in a very short time we will find out if the charade that is the republican party will win out against fact, logic, science and common sense. I am already profoundly embarrassed by all of this as the rest of the world is seeing first hand just how ridiculous and ill informed we Americans are seemingly showing ourselves. The votes have not been cast yet so there could be a wave of intelligence that surfaces and puts things to right despite the media obfuscation. The arc of history may still be bending toward justice but it will take several more weeks for us to know for sure.
     I am getting older and less vigorous in my vigil against the ignorant and selfish so this battle will eventually fall to others younger than myself to carry. My future is more in the present than in the future so despite my sirens of warning to those younger than me to follow my and others' lead and end the republican party in public elections, I am less likely to feel the sting of them continuing since my time is closer to being over. Regardless though I still have the fight in me to battle until my final breath and hopefully enough will follow the lead I and so many others like me are charting. We do it because we believe in democracy above all other political and social/economic systems. Time will tell though and when the voting time comes the result will be facing all of us.

Our compassion makes us extraordinary (#2783)

     The emotions we have within us are not common. Surely others in the animal kingdom have emotion and it is brilliant that they do. However the level of their emotions is not on scale with we human beings. We have larger cerebral cortex's and more complex central nervous systems. It is one of the things that separates us from all that is in existence. How utterly unique we are. We need to be told of our place in existence early on and in never ending loops. We cannot shrug off our status, since we are what we are. It is our nature to be all that we are capable of being. That we can differentiate our possibilities makes it incumbent upon us to fulfill as much promise as possible. We often wonder what our purpose in life is and many have spent countless moments trying to figure that out.
     Simply put we are all starting at nothing and then moving toward something. Our hearts and minds tell us what that something will be and how we are to work at getting there. I think of myself and my miserable attempts to be the best I am. In my somewhat weak defense I was not told that I was special enough to know that I actually was. All of us need to be told we are special and the future may be incredible because of us. Each of us has the possibility of accomplishing or creating a whole new way to see how we all need to exist together. An exquisite example of just one of us being the link to a future that may well be absolutely amazing. Yet we all need to be part of the search. Our curiosity is the key and if we are all given the same amount of respect to begin then the who cares who gets credit for discovering more happiness for all of us? Our compassion is what brings us together and our curiosity will lead us to our more perfect existence.
     

Everyone deserves to be treated special (#2782)

     The fact that we were born and live(d) automatically qualifies us to be treated special. Let me explain. We did not create ourselves yet here we are through the process of birthing. We were not picked off a shelf or predetermined to be who we are/were by our parents. We come into existence through a biological process but nothing in the Universe is as magnificent in it's capabilities or possibilities. We are biological data processors with an ability to reason, analyze and conclude. Our memories allow us to be comprehensive in our knowledge. We also have the physical capabilities to survive quite easily on this planet.
     Our natures of compassion and curiosity allow us to form relationships that enlighten and allay our fears while our curiosity is the engine that drives us to greater and greater intellectual paradigms. We have already sent men to the Moon and have several probes on Mars. Our future is one of our doing if we give ourselves the chance to follow a courageous and bold approach. Yet we do not treat each other as the magnificent beings we are. Instead too many of us want to stifle what is great about each of us by denigrating our physical differences in order to establish class systems. It is a conscience effort to subjugate and subordinate for greedy and selfish motives.
     I look at my own life to see what could have been. I have failed miserably at being the best of who I can be but it is not all on me. There were several intentional roadblocks used at critical times to thwart my efforts so that others could have an easier time moving along. That any of us should be stopped from moving ahead with the best of who we are is abominable and the reason I fight so adamantly against the republican party. They are the ones who wish to keep us from fulfilling each of our greatest potentials so that they themselves can maintain advantage and privilege where the rest of us are lacking. At least we democrats believe in democracy and it's principles of equality and fairness with opportunity for all to be treated special so that none of us fails because others conspired to make it so.

Republicans only want themselves to do well (#2781)

     When your conservative policies have no carrot but only a stick it becomes clear that punishing people for not conforming or achieving at the standards you place on them is your only solution. The republican party has become the de facto conscience for every one of us except that they always seem to fall short of what they expect the rest of us to do. A do as I say and not as I do approach. How utterly arrogant of them to tell anyone but themselves what to do. We are all free will thinking human beings capable of managing our own lives without their unwanted and unsolicited advice.
     Republicans would be far batter off as a political party if they just suggested ideas and then let the democratic process of voting by the American citizenry decide, but they cannot do that, they want to sidestep democracy and force us to take their bitter unsuccessful pill. If clarity were the goal in the media we would see the republican agenda for what it is, but clarity in the media is not the case so we the American electorate cannot see the different illusory and hypocritical masks republicans continue to wear as an ulterior motive, devious method to confuse and control how we think. Which is why it should be obvious to anyone who subscribes to being an objective human being that the goal of the republican party is to hold control over how we think and live.
     Our democracy allows for us to choose our own fate together, not be forced to accept it because a few have the power and persuasion to trick and deceive us into believing that their way of hardship for the masses and ease for the privileged is the only way forward. The deception that the media is collaborating to thrust upon us is despicable and a challenge to the rest of us to make them pay a price. It seems that taking money from their bottom line is an effective way to make those that are doing harm instead of raising the level of principled living a beginning to breaking their partnership with the republican ideology of pain and suffering as a rule.

Cowering from the cowards (#2780)

     The phenomenon of cowering from cowards is evident today in our American politics. The republican nominee is a bully and an egoist who has a following because he plays on people's fears. Not only does he bring out the worst of our human natures but he works to scare folks if they don't elect him president. Now I never considered our nation to be full of weaklings but it appears I am mistaken. There are enough who follow the bully from the republican party so that the election is not a sure thing despite the fact that we have a strong democratic candidate.
     Now I know our democratic candidate is far from perfect but her credentials are steeped in public service. that she has to continue to fight a battle for votes against an arrogant bully who's only accomplishments are unsavory business tactics is revealing. Obviously he is not still in the race because he has the gravitas to lead our nation, no, it is because he plays on fears and works to divide our nation against itself. If those who support him do not or cannot see this for what it is then they have already decided that being afraid and using fear is what it takes to be a leader. They cower when they are faced with a decision to be courageous. They would rather live their lives in a world where they do not have to fight for what is right regardless of what that becomes.
     It is embarrassing and a shameful paradigm that exists today in our nation. We were a beacon for democracy and human rights but have abdicated that position so that too many of us can live like they are better than others. An infectious cowardice that has gripped too many and turned them into lackeys and minions. The lick spittle crowd is showing itself and it is not what we know as democracy. We are unfortunately quickly becoming the laughingstock of the world. Our inability to be honorable and live with a modicum of nobility in our thoughts and actions is showing that bullies can cower too many of us and turn our lives into shameful cowardly existences.

Peace can only come about through strength (#2779)

     There are too many unsavory characters in this world to expect that we will all respect and honor each other. I cannot expect that everyone will live a principled life despite all the advantages that brings to each of us. There are just too many still out in life that have no conscience about treating others like property or like expendables. So I must stand tall and hard so that peace can be my goal. I have to fight when I am pushed to fight or when I see someone else being bullied. I cannot nor will not be a pacifist in the face of wrong or danger. Yet in my heart and soul I am a peaceful man. I want peace but until we can figure out a way for everyone else to want peace we must fight for peace.
     There is line between being strong to protect what is good about us and being strong so that we ourselves can unfairly benefit from the weakness of others. Our intent is the rule, which is why I started this blog. I continue to hope to explain that we humans are compassionate and curious as our true natures. From this compassion and curiosity we build our societies to advantage what is best about us and not what we can take from each other. We are no longer the unsophisticated survival of the fittest animals of our past. We are an enlightened species that can evaluate the difference between what is moral and ethical and what is brutish and harmful. We have chosen democracy as our political and social structure because we know in our hearts of hearts that we are all truly equal human beings in our possibilities.
     However there are those who have not the intent to better our society through opportunities. They believe that they are the ones who should think and define our lives for us without a by your leave from us. These are the ones I stand against and will continue to fight until my dying breath or they are completely defeated in the ill of their psychopathology before I die. We must remain strong and keep a vigil that never sleeps. There can only be peace through strength and the more hands helping the easier the load for us.

Where there is arrogance there is no humility (#2778)

     How disturbing that there is a political contest involving a person, Donald Trump, who cannot nor will not exhibit a fraction of humility in his push to control the rest of our' destiny. It is absolutely incredulous to me that there are enough Americans out there who are bedazzled by his arrogance. Somehow they equate his obnoxious behavior to wisdom. I am troubled by the state of our educational system if this is what our future holds. Not only are we not leading the world in overall intelligence as a nation, but we are tied for 23rd place with 8 other countries, https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country. So where does the arrogance come from? It apparently doesn't come from our own efforts.
     Living off of the efforts of our foreparents seems to be our modus operandi. So we are arrogant because our recent ancestors accomplished a lot. The fact that we are a nation that justifies privilege and advantage fits right into this explanation. Merit is just an after thought that must be accepted grudgingly by those who want greater status based upon heritage and not self accomplishment. I say that where there is arrogance there is no humility because humility is what is missing on our society in general. We place so much emphasis on competing against each other that winning at all costs has now become our rallying cry.
     It isn't enough to just win but we must do whatever it takes to win. Our less learned citizenry is having a hard time telling the difference between an honorable person and a dishonorable one who would step on your neck if they felt they could get an advantage. I highlight humility as a priority because it is the genesis of our intent. When we are humbled by our good fortune or success from our efforts it expresses humanity at it's best, not the skulduggery of selfishness and narcissism. Until our educational system improves and humility is our reflection back to the world we will continue down the road of becoming a lesser society.

Thrust ourselves into greatness (#2777)

     We can only be ready to accept the challenge of doing great things when we have secured our own core principles as unwavering. If we are not solid as to our base thoughts and acts then we will not succeed in our efforts to make our world better. No one likes a phony and no phony can get past most people's bullshit meter. It is like the republican nominee Donald Trump. He is a con artist and it is obvious to all rational human beings. He will try to take his soul crushing republican political party into the White House but he will fail because he never established honored principles at his core. So his thrust out into an attempt to be great will fall well short.
     The survival of the fittest paradigm that too many embrace is not an honored principle. It is a down and dirty struggle to beat into submission all challengers. This is not who we are as an intellectual species. It is a remnant of our ancient past that the lazy and willfully unlearned have grasped onto as their easy way to success for themselves. So when they try to leap into public service on the basis of their behaviors we see that for what it is and can reject the anti-democratic nature of their efforts. We all have the ability to shine out the best of who we are but we must first understand and strengthen that inner nobility.
     It is through merit that we separate ourselves from one another and that merit has a core. It is the best of who we are in action. I have alluded to a superhero complex several times in this blog but it is apt and doable. We get to choose who we are. No one else has that power over us. No one! So when the choosing time comes it is important to know how to be who we want to be. We build our principles through action and thought. We force ourselves into a melding of the best of who we are and dismiss that which falls short. It is how we thrust ourselves into greatness. We springboard off of our proven core and move out from it to show everyone that we are who we say we are.

My magnificent dreams (#2776)

     I dreamed last night of a wild and adventurous opportunity I had. Of course I was the focus point of my dream and it was about saving that reality and getting the girl. All came out well in the saving of that reality and then there was the final struggle of getting the girl. Once I finally kissed her she fell in love with me instantly and then of course I woke up. I have mentioned this before in a post or two, it seems that I live two lives, one in my real life and one in my dream world. Often I am so tired from my dreams that I wake up exhausted. Instead of the other way around. This helps explain a lot about me. In my dreams I am the hero who is capable of doing anything physically imaginable while holding myself to the highest of moral and ethical principles.
     The ease of my mind in it all in my dreams along with the physical battles I am in involved in makes for a strange cooperation. I easily conclude what must be done while doing fantastical things to accomplish them. It gives me the hope that nothing is impossible but then again, nothing is impossible in my dreams is more accurate. Anyway, my dreams of wild adventure and winning the heart of the woman in it that I love is truly a gift for me. I can do nothing near as physical in reality although winning the girl's heart is not far from what it is like in reality. In reality we go about things far more subtly because we are not gifted with extraordinary physical talents. But as to winning a woman to our hearts is universal even extending to our dreams.
     Finding a woman who we are drawn toward, finding ways to be in her life, showing and giving of ourselves to her as our way of expressing our interest. These are the efforts we make in real life and in my dream world, although much more action and emotion is being lived, it isn't any different. The ending I had last night culminating with giving her a passionate kiss was probably not usual but it was what happened and we fell into each other as one. Very rewarding dream and a precursor for my yet unfinished real life I hope.

You may find comfort in your subjective denials but... (#2775)

     ...you will stop growing as an objective human being as a result. Is the price worth paying? Are our own biases and personal opinions greater than our human and democratic principles? If they are then you will stay in your biases and personal opinions as a foundation for the rest of your life. You will forego wisdom and respect from your peers and instead will be mired in doubt and suspicion. It is a tragedy that too many folks have allowed themselves to find solutions where there are none. For the rest of us it is in the none that we begin. When there is no solution then we get to work on finding one. Why are so many intolerant of rolling up their sleeves and putting their metaphorical shoulder to the wheel?
     Surely we know that sitting back in some convenient philosophy or belief system is much more pleasant when it doesn't involve us having to admit that we don't know. It is easier to dispense a hoped for solution to problems instead of actually having to do the work of figuring one out. Is that it? It is easier? I am not a simpleton nor will I ever aspire to be one. I will not be defeated by the obstacles in my life nor will I pretend they don't exist. I am a complex human being who has the mental acuity to tackle anything I set my mind toward. Our society has built up a wide array of knowledge and in that massive knowing, somewhere there is a beginning to find any solution.
     I will not let my biases nor my laziness guide my reality. I truly do only have one life to live and I will not live it in compromise to "easy" or "peer pressure". I am not one who is afraid or disinterested in the truth of reality. I do not concoct fantasies that comfort me when I cannot or will not try to learn a better or correct way. All my living is done here between the time of my birth and the time of my death. Anything beyond that is not of value to me. Reality is my perspective and there is a panoramic abundance of it that takes up all my time.

Never stop fighting for our rights (#2774)

     It doesn't seem to matter to many republican voters that our guaranteed rights are being dwindled through republican politicians and their wealthy backers. I know that political philosophy is an emotional paradigm and we all fight for our vision of our democracy, but not at the expense of diminishing our democracy at the core level. Let's use the current legislative activity of republicans and their insatiable thirst to deny voters their franchise. Instead of republican voters telling their leaders that denying the right to vote to any segment of our American society is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, they instead remain silent and continue to support their republican candidates.
     It is a shameful behavior by them and it further exemplifies the core anti-democratic actions on the part of republicans and their voters. By remaining not only silent but quietly approving, republicans and their voters are united in their attempts to tear down our democratic society. Republicans long ago made their intent known as to denying equity when equity was so obviously needed but to go to the heart of equality and deny that as well speaks of some psychological disorder on the level with not having a conscience. It is embarrassing to be linked to these types of lesser human beings but at present there is no escaping it. I call it out when it is in my purview and I make known my stance against any strategy aimed at diminishing our democracy instead of enhancing it.
     Thus the never stop fighting for our rights title. This isn't just some fluff piece this morning it is a legitimate accusation aimed at the republican party and especially now at their voters. There is no ignorance that can be claimed here. If you continue to support the republican party and vote based upon that support then you are the problem, instead of being a solution and kicking out of office those politicians that dishonor our nation, I will fight you and your republican party with every breath I have because morally, ethically, spiritually and physically you are wrong!

Too many do not see the big picture of equality and equity (#2773)

     If this election season has taught me one thing it is that too many folks out there do not see the big picture of how our society operates and what democracy means. It is as if they filter everything through their own wants and prejudices without considering to sacrifice. Sacrifice is bigger than ourselves. It is the ability to act on our care for others. It truly is what democracy is all about. Not just all of us enjoying equality but also equity, http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/. The common decency of being a civilized human is under attack by those who selfishly claim that they deserve and others don't.
     Their problem is that they cannot accept progress despite the alternative of not only no progress but of actual regression. It is baffling to me that one or two steps forward is not to be allowed but going backwards is. I know that making great leaps forward is preferable to many including me but when that is not possible then we take the next best opportunity. Why is that so hard to understand? Is disappointment so hard and unfathomable that we cannot accept anything less when it is the only option? Soon none of this will matter to me since I am getting older and have less time to live in the choices we make. Yet I have a duty to reality to make it better in any way I can while I am alive so doing less when we are able to do more is not an option for me.
     The big picture is progress. Whether great or small keeping the act of progressing forward is the purpose. Not allowing for forces to overtake our efforts because we are not in harmony with this simple understanding. No amount of punishing ourselves for not doing better is worth the pain of going backwards and harming many in the process. Always the calculation. The zero sum game is more real than hypothetical. We must always advance regardless of how big the step is and never lose sight of that. I always hope to make great strides but making any stride is still victory.

The republican party is a joke but the media won't say that (#2772)

     The US media is a world wide embarrassment. Long ago when the media sold out to it's bottom line over being fair and honest, we Americans lost our way. The problem, and it is always a problem, is that when capitalism is the greatest value to a society, society loses because making money is more important than democratic principles. This is what has happened to our American media. Too many so called journalists have become beholden to their bosses and the ideology of the media they represent. They go after reports of wrong doing by democratic candidates with a fervor but do not do the same with not only reports of republican candidates wrong doing but actual fact of republican wrong doing. It is a visible and atrocious double standard.
     President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have been vilified by the press for every little sleight the republicans can imagine but when a candidate like Donald Trump is not vilified for much worse behavior we see the double standard vividly. Michelle Obama shows her arms in a photo and is crucified by right wing Christian republicans through the media but there is nothing but silence from the media when Donald Trump's wife has a past history of exposing her whole body in actual non Christian like ways. The media, which is owned by capitalists out to profit from that ownership, have decided that the best way to make money is to make both our candidates for president, Clinton and Trump seem as equals as to merit, which is destroying any hope we Americans have of being an informed and respected nation.
     The media will continue to find ways to keep both candidates as viable as possible even though only the democratic candidate, through trial and error and a lifetime of public service, is worthy of being our next leader. The republican party nominated a carnival barker as it's presidential candidate and this particular carnival barker is nefarious for his despicable financial dealings. Yet the media keeps portraying both candidates as worthy. I cannot remember the last time I was this embarrassed by the American media and as it stands now it may get much worse before we can rectify the status quo through more effective truth in reporting laws.

Turning my anger into resolve (#2771)

     In the past getting physical was the natural outlet for my anger when it got to it's boiling point. I learned this from those around me when I was growing up so I never knew I was doing it wrong. But I was. Instead of thrashing about until I was worn out on whomever or whatever was in my path, I have found that a pause and then a determination was a correct response. I am not perfect and always one must fight when the fighting time comes but I am not the one initiating these fights anymore. They are thrust upon me when they do come about. But when I am gritting my teeth over an issue or action that is devoid of compassion or curiosity then is when I find that resolving to solve the problem instead of flaring it up is the correct avenue to take.
     Instead of inflaming the situation or circumstance I approach it with a steely eyed determination to rectify it. I either call it out through logic or I dismiss it with humor as illogical. Either way I put the onus back on the propagator of the scenario and away from me. I try very hard to diffuse my own anger into action that is actually helpful for others to observe. My life must make sense and being out of control regardless of how right it may feel to explode upon whatever, is not appropriate to how I want to live my life. There are enough bully types in the world and I don't need to act like one in any sense. All of our behaviors are learned. We are born with a curiosity and a care for each other but all the rest is trial and error.
     I am my own master and in that vein I must be able to apply who I am to every situation and circumstance that comes along. It is my job to make sure I am operating correctly. I wish more people would be so inclined instead of trying to dictate how others should master their own lives. I offer opinions freely, and advice when asked, but each of us needs to answer to who we are and who we want to be. Peer pressure is not a solution for resolving issues. Having the courage to have our own voice and stand up for it is the beginning of becoming who we truly are.