(#5812) Last post of the year 2024

      I would have liked to give another type of sum up of this year but I will take what we had. Very disappointed in my fellow Americans for being duped by a conman but there are still enough of my fellow Americans to be proud of. More than anything is my hope for our world being on a good footing with how democracy came to the defense of Ukraine against tyrants of Russia and North Korea. Regardless of how trump forces American aid away from Ukraine the European Union and NATO are still very much behind the Ukrainian defense. No one likes a tyrant so putin and un will still have a struggle despite the new isolation strategy of America toward Ukraine with trump expectedly stopping support.
     As to American policies at home I expect life to get harder for the working middle poor class while life gets even easier for the wealthy. It is what is coming and for us to expect anything else is just wishful thinking. The most I hope for is as much obstruction to republican legislation as possible. The republicans will only have a two year window if common sense is ever going to return to America. Even with a faltering education system, the idea that common sense is also faltering does not bode well for a reversal from trump and his republican followers. Yet the pain the working middle poor class will start to feel may well be enough to counteract the loss in intelligence.
     As for myself I have been through this before and although this may well be much worse it won't catch me by surprise. I will self care to the point of keeping myself emotionally and physically evened out. This blog is entitled man of hope so expect me to endure despite the obstacles. So should we all who are like minded about living in an existence that wants all humans to have the basics to survive with and the work ethic/merit/talent to attain more. This isn't that difficult to achieve if we can only get past those who desire power and lust beyond the normalcy of human need. It would also help if our civilization stressed education above entertainment.

(#5811) There will be no easiness about trump and his agenda with republicans

      I am already seeing several signs that what trump wants and what the rank and file republican majority in both houses will give him is not a blank check. Which is encouraging after the election. Things could be much worse if the rest of the republican party just folded and were eager to give trump his dream of being a king. There are not enough moderate republicans left that the far right republicans can easily persuade to be like them and give trump his wish list. With both majorities in Congress very slim, trump is not going to find he can bully his way to all he desires.
     A lot of the coming legislation will be about how democrats can make their case for those moderate republicans to find a safe harbor away from trump. We already know that some republicans are not blindly following trump so ramping up their concerns into a forceful argument will be what saving our democracy will need. There will be some policies where trump will get his way and that unfortunately is the consequence of electing him but curtailing a lot of his destructive agenda has to be our priority. There is another election in two years that hopefully will change the balance of Congress and keep trump at bay until the 2028 election.
     I am starting to feel less certain trump will achieve his ultimate vision of turning America into Russia. The powers in the republican party are not willing as of yet to follow him down that path with unanimity. As long as we the democratic party stick to our vision for America with a willingness to compromise enough to maintain relations with moderate republicans then we have more hope that 2026 will change the balance in Congress to our favor. I don't like that we are on the brink of losing our democracy but it doesn't matter what I like what does matter is how we act going forward to try to preserve it. Nothing strategically logical is off the table as long as it makes our democracy more stable.

(#5810) Another year about to come to a close

      I consider myself fortunate in that I am still kicking around in 2024 and hopefully 2025. I am fine with no discernable health problems so 3 more days until 2025 should be a cakewalk. I have to work today and the next two days to finish this year out so I will be busy and when I am busy time flies. When I was younger I figured there were at least 50 times I exposed myself to death and was agile enough to avoid it. I also lost my biological father when he was 33 so in the back of my head I was worried I wouldn't live past my father's age. Once past that I had thought that if I made it to 55 years I would have had a long exciting life. Well here I am at 69, looking to turn 70 next August.
     My latest mental frailty is that my older brother John lived to 70 years and nearly 6 months. My oldest brother Jim made it 51 years but I didn't have a fear of his passing because my next older brother was still living. Now with me being the oldest sibling I am again in a vacuum as to passing before John's lifespan. I know it is all in my head and is irrelevant to anything logical. Yet I am a human being who is not constantly logical. However my mind plays with my life its existence is not dependent upon my laughable nervousness. I thought about this the other day and as always came to the same conclusion, If I am no longer, nothing will matter about time and space to me anymore. It is all just futile thinking but regardless it is my nonsensical thinking.
     The last three years have been tough in that I lost my Mother Joanne in 2022, my step Father Bill of 60 years in 2023, and my last older brother John in 2024. I am done losing close family members so 2025 needs to put an end to this unfortunate streak. I am getting along in age so there are no guarantees as to who continues to exist and who doesn't. Life is always about getting older and as of yet still impossible to get younger. So logic dictates we prepare ourselves for eventualities while working to keep those finalities in check as much as possible. A rather grim post today but since the Harris defeat I am not feeling light and airy for our new future.

     

(#5809) Buzzkill republicans

      I like being happy about life. I don't think that is being unreasonable. Yet we have a political party in republicans who seem to want some form of unhappiness as a majority of our experiences. I get that they have trouble with imperfect forms of democracy but instead of trying to improve those imperfections the republicans seek to punish those who they deem the root cause of the problem. Of course they never look into the mirror to see their own culpability only the disarray that others are forced to exist in. The republican perspective is flawed but when confronted with it they cry foul and go back to blaming everyone else.
     Here is how I see it. The republican party has been complaining about every real and imagined problem in the Universe so that they can be seen as wise about what we need to do better. The problem has always been with them is that they cannot outline a solution that doesn't involve the whip to the many in the working middle poor class while only offering treats to the wealthy few. Now being a logical person I cannot for the life of me understand how any of that is a solution. Causing pain and suffering is not promoting peace nor happiness. What I do know is that never have a I heard the endgame republicans wish our society to become. I suspect they cannot say because it would complete the loop of their illogical and greedy agenda.
     If republicans were to tell us their goal for our society truly none of the many would be happy about it. Power and control is where republicans want to exist and the rest of us are a threat to that. So tearing us down and decreasing our power is their goal. What is not only shocking but utterly incomprehensible at the same time is that the many of us are incapable of caring or understanding what republicans are about to inflict on us. Much like the frog in the pot slowly heating. We the many are about to be cooked but cannot distinguish the subtle rising of the temperature in the pot to complete the republican task. It isn't too late to jump out of the heating pot but I am not confident we will.

(#5808) The calm before the storm

      I will have to find a way to disengage from the coming chaos of trump and his mindless followers. Right now it is easy because although it is coming it isn't here yet. So I distract myself with music and movies/series of complexity. I am no player of games of chance. I enjoy mental challenges that tax my imagination and logic. I am probably unlike many that way. I would have hoped that we were all like that, needing compelling challenges that moved us not only emotionally but mentally. However given the latest election results I see that I am not like my fellow Americans in a majority way.
     I do have many who are like me around me but we are obviously not enough to feel comfortable about. So instead of commiserating I am disconnecting in many ways. My daily blog will not be full of political posts but instead more life like observations. Even though I see politics as the most life like we as a society can be. The disappointment in my understanding of our species' lack of evolvement is soul crushing to me. In order to survive that I need to be more about other things and less about what we should be. I do not know how to do that but I am going to try through me being me and not concerned as much with how others are being themselves.
     I will never stop trying to help our world become a better place but the sheer disregard for the pain and suffering of others by too many in our society has pummeled me to a point where I feel so weak inside. My heart hurts over this and there is no salve for it. So tuning out for now is all I can think to do. Because right now is when the calm is about and in less than a month the chaos is about to unleash itself on all of us. I am hoping that in my respite, I will have sufficiently healed enough for me to get back into my abrupt demeanor with no mercy for the creators of the coming onslaught. I am a fighter and that will never change but I must find my way back to my greater strength.

(#5807) Finally caught up with the work in the backyard

 The last two days I have been off work and without any appointments so I dedicated myself to fixing my riding lawn mower and getting the spread out leaves gathered for disposal. Both accomplished. The fix on the riding lawn mower was actually very simple. I discovered that the positive power cable had been compromised near the fitting to the battery so I was able to detach the connecting end from the cable, then cut the cable back about half an inch and then reattach the connecting end to the cable. Everything powered up like it was brand new which it hasn't done for years.
     I replenished the gasoline supply this morning after barely mowing my backyard yesterday to take the higher growth down a notch. That was it for yesterday as I was all out of fuel. I got up early this morning to do my weekly grocery shopping along with filling my gas cans. Then I sat down at home and waited for the night to end and the morning to bring out some light. I should have written this blog post then but I was distracted by some other responsibilities so that is why I am at this now. I got outside when the light was good and did my daily curbing of my furry family members. Once completed I needed to rake the boundary areas where the yard sweep I use is not effective.
     It has been four weeks to the day since my carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand so using it to rake was not a problem. Of course I was protective regardless. Having finished raking I got on my riding mower with the yard sweep attached and proceeded to gather most of the massive amount of leaves into a long string of piles. I cleaned up my tools and put them back away for next time. I even had time this morning to work on a leak on one of my front vehicle tires. I look outside at the backyard now and instead of seeing a bit of a jungle I see a much more cared for yard space. It has been a long few months for me to get the leaves off the ground and into piles but that is done and I am well satisfied.

(#5806) If only we were able to be nice to each other every day of the year

      The concept of Christmas is not lost on me. I was once a child who was fully in wonderment over the what I will call the pageantry of the Christmas season. It shaped me in ways that are innumerable. Yet the buildup to the one day arrival was short and not always primarily aimed at the best of who we are as a species. It does however carry a significance. Beyond the belief system attributes there are behavioral characteristics I find important. The lessons of being understanding not only in the thankfulness of our lives but the sharing as well. The month of December is full of moments that are highlighted to promote the buildup to the moment our most unselfish selves.
     That is a worthy time for all who are able to participate. Yet the question has long been with me why we only find one month a year at most to show our compassion and love with such commitment? It is my contention that every day of the year should be lived as if it were Christmas day. I say this because we humans are the ones who are our own masters. We can and should have higher priorities than to burden ourselves with obstacles that to me are inferior. I am no novice about how our world works presently which is why I am writing about this subject. What I find so incomprehensible is that the simple, and I actually mean simple, thought that together we are mighty is not our most foremost principle. Our species is easily a magnificent one yet we seem to shun that proof in order to be lesser.
     Of all the motives that can be attributed to our species being lesser, the ones of fear and greed seem to have the greatest utility. Today is supposed to be about peace on Earth and goodwill to all people. Yet there are those who do not want that but instead they want chaos and death. Logically there should not be any fighting on our planet. Instead there should be acceptance and agreement. A world order that does not dishonor nor disrespect. I am no brilliant mind who has an answer for all but I am smart enough to know that chaos and death is not the answer to our problems. For one day a year many get to forget the problems around us and for them that is a luxury as many others can only dream of such.
     

(#5805) Why do republicans want to make existence worse?

      I don't get it and I don't get why too many vote for the republican agenda of making life harder for everyone but the wealthy? I seriously do not get it! Yet that is out of my control. Each and everyone of us needs to explain to ourselves what it is about existence that makes us want to hurt others who are not otherwise hurting us. When powerful people like muskrat say things that change existing policies that actually help people because he thinks they shouldn't be helped, you have to wonder what kind of person would do that? His philosophy is that suffering is good and aid is bad. He would never make a good medic on the battlefield. Life is much like a battlefield so muskrat to me is illogical, and irrational.
     In case you are wondering, there are few things in life I can do to show my utter disdain for real life people and not capitalizing their names and/or changing their names into some kind of derogation is about that limit, for now. Anyway, making people suffer because they somehow don't deserve to not suffer is as callous and inhumane a personal trait to have as there is short of being a full on psycho/sociopath. How these shells of human beings, like trump and muskrat, can muster followers is an indictment on just where our current American society is intellectually and ethically. We let the worst of who we are guide us while dismissing the best of who we are as something lesser.
     History will eventually describe this particular time with some form of incomprehension. How a society that had been an intellectually evolving one could suddenly reverse itself in favor of hatred and prejudice is beyond me. I expect it is the hard work of respect and care that has come into disfavor even though each and everyone of us demands that from everyone else. The old selfish proposition of "do as I say and not as I do" comes to mind. An arrogance of boorish behavior does not belie its ignorance. Instead it enhances it. My conclusion anyway.

(#5804) Hard truth, in 29 days the end of democracy begins

      I expect that those who made sure we have the republicans in control feel good about the last election. How good they feel is probably tenuous though. Sure they are proud of their accomplishment despite not being proud of their hatred, bigotry, and lack of knowledge. At this point I would try to describe the logic of their choice but I am not able to grasp the concept of it. It is a hazy blur to me because it makes no sense. When I listen for them to explain it I don't get anything rational. However the aforementioned hatred, bigotry, and ignorance do jump out at me. For all those who voted for republicans thinking that they were going to do great things for the working middle poor class I can only silently cringe.
     For all those who voted for republicans thinking that they are going to benefit from the republican party leadership I can only shake my head. All along the republicans have made it clear that they do not want to help those Americans who are being left behind by billionaires. The greedy billionaire tactic of turning the working middle poor class into just the working poor class will now begin in earnest. 99% of republican voters will not see help from republicans because the only help coming for republican voters is aimed specifically at the wealthy class. For the rest of republican voters they will slowly feel the same wounding we democrats already know is coming over the next at least 4 years.
     I am not going to delude you or myself this time around. I knew back then that we were lucky to dodge the trump carnage on our democracy and that the lesson learned would never allow him another opportunity at it. Well it seems a different lesson was taught, that being, trusting the American electorate to have enough basic common sense to do what is best for humanity was misplaced. I am no fortune teller nor wizard who can predict or see into the future. But I know this much, trump will not stop until he has what he wants and that is for him to be king of America. What that means for the now working middle poor class is a loss of freedoms and rights. Our democracy will be undercut and trump and his wealthy billionaires will lord over us with only ourselves to blame.

(#5803) Forgetting and remembering

     Apparently I don't have anything of value to post today. All I did was self care. I was also called off work which kind of threw me off my schedule. There is no excuse for not posting a regular post just nothing that came to me or reminded me that I hadn't set down at my computer to write. I expect I am allowed a bit of a lapse now and then when it comes to having something on my mind to post about. I actually feel some remorse for not making sure I put something out into the ether to help with our understanding as human beings. But maybe just not having something important to say is part of being a human being once in a while.
     I know I am changing from a vibrant human being into a more sedate one and that cannot be disputed. I know me and I knew me so the obvious is clear. Yet I am not yet ready to slow down from my current pace. I just need to circumvent a little more in my staid times. Like right now. I was willing a couple of minutes ago to just let it go and not even try to write about my non posting earlier today. But instead I just let my fingers run over the keyboard and start a conversation about one of my occasional inadequacies. I am allowed because I am always hard on myself even when there is no deadline I must follow or some rule I have as to adhere.
     What is still spectacular to me is that when a word comes into my mind it seems to add itself to the flow of my consciousness. Sometimes I stop and reread what I have just written and I find most of the time it actually makes sense. As if I just need to let my mind and my fingers loose to do their thing. I am chuckling to myself now because I notice that the blog for today is about to be written when I had not one thought that would make it come into being. It has written itself around the idea that I forgot to write it this morning. lol. I know it isn't me so much as the Universe doing what it wants whenever it wants. I accept that and will finish now with the thought that this blog is important to me almost like the child I never had.

(#5802) Europe must force trump's hand

      I don't see any other way for Ukraine to continue to block Russian aggression against them other than Europe getting even more focused on defeating putin. If Europe can back Ukraine in ways that will negate the loss of help from the USA then Ukraine will be able to force putin to withdraw from Ukraine and even hopefully force the downfall of putin. With trump in charge in about one month the ally Ukraine had with Joe Biden will disappear. The trump regime will demand that Ukraine cede territory to putin in order to get putin to agree with a ceasefire. Essentially rewarding putin for invading Ukraine.
     If Europe can make up a significant armaments loss from the USA to Ukraine then Russia will find that their invasion will continue to fail in ways they surely never imagined. Over 750,000 Russian young men have already died in the territory of Ukraine with more than one million expected by July. The weapons Russia had in reserve before the invasion of Ukraine are now smoldering heaps in the territory of Ukraine. With their stockpiles of war machines severely curtailed Russia needs a ceasefire in order to save face. The Ukrainian military has shown they are the superior fighting force of the two, and Russia, although a much larger population, is being shown to be a much weaker world threat.
     The problem with the new incoming trump administration is that trump himself is beholden to putin in ways many of us can only guess but beholden to putin he is. So unless Europe can find their collective will to stand behind a united Ukraine then the worst of what is human nature will win out against the freedom and liberty of democracy. Europe, through NATO is a considerable force itself but it must find its will to defeat the fascism represented by putin or putin will be even further emboldened to keep planning on moving further into western Europe. Pay me a lot now or pay me with your life later. The choice is clear and without illogic. Europe must take the step of stopping putin now with whatever it takes even if trump's USA is on the sideline.

(#5801) Finally settling back in at my house

      I am finding that my routines are coming back to me the way I had them previously before I moved away earlier this year. If you don't know this yet your home is like a living organism. It requires constant care in ways that change subtly if left unnoticed. I have been back about 6 months and I am just now getting back to a semblance of regular order. My move then remove over a relatively short time has been a bit of an upheaval in that what was before I left has now altered. I was more rigid in my approach to life here and when I got back my perspective had been softened.
     Although a bit altered I am still who I am and the necessities of life continue. Such is the case with living in my home again. When I left my brother John who lived with me was still alive but had been in the care facility when I left. Being back and not having John alive any longer cast a pall over my return that to this day still lives within me. Yet life goes on for those of us who are still here and although sad thoughts are continuing they are slowly diminishing. When I left I could not take my animals with me as there was no place for them where I went and this home here was always their home. When I got back they pretty quickly realized that I wasn't going away again and they fell back into their routines with me.
     The house itself had its quirks and added a few more in my absence. I was as well caught up in my own personal health issues to deal with in my return home. I have since caught up with the quirks of the house and the issues concerning my health. So my out of balance feeling after returning is now more one in tune with a sense of purposeful calm. I feel like my head is above water and I am not treading water to mark time. My routines are naturally returning as the needs of the house continue. I actually feel like I am looking out ahead instead of just waiting for whatever present need crops up. I am no longer playing catch up with many things and maybe now even looking into how my future may develop. I am starting to feel comfortable again.

(#5800) Not letting trump live "rent free" in my head

     This is a saying about freeing oneself from thoughts that are out of our control. Why sit and worry or fret over things that cannot be changed by me. What I need to do instead is adapt to whatever comes so that my sanity and values remain intact. I tried to insulate us from what is about to hit us but I and millions of others failed. So now we must survive with whatever process we can muster to continue on. I don't have to stay and work to change things back to somewhat a civil society but I will because I care about what we humans are to become. I want the best for us not just some semblance of what is best for only a few of us.
     That in a nutshell is the difference in what just happened in the last election. We all lost out on an opportunity to change the whole world for the better. What we got instead will be the whole world changing for the worse. Some will have better lives but the vast majority of us will not. I do not live life just for my own ambitions, I live life for all our ambitions to have an equal footing to begin from. An inclusive successful society is one where happiness is abundant and despair the exception. Sadly that is not the order about to come. Despair will be the rule while happiness the exception. Why do I say that? Because we have elected a man who has no respect for life outside his own skin.
     So many think of trump as some kind of savior on Earth. Well in short order he will begin to crush that concept. His greed and lust for power will be on full display because he is now in a position where he doesn't need to keep lying in order to attain power. He has it and will not stop trying to keep it should he survive the next 4 years. Most of those he convinced to back and vote for him will now be shunted away as what they truly were to him, useful idiots. Those who could not see that trump admires dictators and strives to be one himself will now be able to see it should they choose to lift their cowering heads from below the sand.

(#5799) The next four years are not going to be kind

      It isn't rocket science we are talking about here. It is going to be a wonderful time for the psychopaths who are wealthy. They normally don't feel any remorse for their soul crushing actions and now will feel even less as their actions will increase because of trump. Their opportunities to take from the poor and give to themselves will be so great that they may just wet themselves with greed. Joe Biden was able to reverse a lot of the problems trump created from his first shot at the presidency but now those actions by Biden will be dwarfed by the insanity about to happen in about a month.
     The wrecking of progress for equality and human rights is about to begin and the lust for profit will replace it. If the working middle poor class has thought about how bad it is for them now the next few years are going to be devastating. There won't be a savior for us. However there will be a darkness and suffering. The wealthy are about to wrest control of our nation from our democratic values and turn us into an oligarchy with a tyrant at the head. The concepts of free speech and the right to protest will become increasingly difficult to express. The tyrant trump is sensitive and will not allow dissent against him or his policies. He is a vengeful tyrant and vengeance is his default position.
     As a refresher, I tried to bring back into my consciousness the last time trump was in office and the only real memory of a positive nature was the fact that he didn't win a second term. Now that second term is upon us and I can only assume that as bad as the first term was the second term will be much worse. We will see what damage he does to our future as a democracy but I don't like our chances of surviving. There is one silver lining though. If we can survive until the next midterm election we have a chance of electing enough to Congress to stifle his attempts to run roughshod over our constitution. Even then that is no guarantee because he and his wealthy cohorts are not above going outside the bounds of our constitution to change it.

(#5798) Don't be afraid of enlightenment

     My own journey into enlightenment has been one of a curiosity and caution. Naturally I want to know things but I also am cautious because what I learn may fundamentally change me to something beyond my own acceptability. It appears to me that we each have a somewhat safe harbor we like to reside in that gives us comfort and confidence. I know what that is like and accept that as normal. Yet the progress of enlightenment through knowledge will move forward whether we participate in it or not. So participate I do. What I find challenges me at my core but that does not deter me because I will not let fear dictate any response I have toward enlightenment.
     What I find for myself is acceptance of what others have found for themselves. What I find is acceptance of what I find for myself. There is one thing I have known my whole life and it has never been static, that being me. So as I adapt to enlightenment, I also see where my own initial principles and thoughts have mostly remained intact. I am the modeler of my own destiny and being objective about that is my process. Enlightenment doesn't scare me instead it informs me. I stay current in knowledge, awareness, and understanding because of enlightenment. I embrace enlightenment as my pathway toward not only wisdom but discovery.
     Enlightenment is the paradigm of bold considerations. I do not bury my head in the sand because of thoughts and questions. I rationalize thoughts and evenly debate questions. I do not ignore them because of fear or irrational motives. Enlightenment is the key to our future in a Universe that is starting to share its secrets. To accumulate and acquire advances we must grasp and hold tightly enlightenment and allow it to guide us with a trust that we are its masters and we will use enlightenment to build toward a greater understanding of our human being presence in existence. Hold enlightenment dear and let it fill our minds and souls with its possibilities.

(#5797) Do not compromise with terror

      I see too many who are willing to let the bullies win because they are tired of fighting back against them. What does that say about us? They would rather grovel for whatever is left after the bully takes from us than continue to put push to put the bully in his place. There is no peace to be had when we quit fighting against the evil that would rule us. We have pride in our species right now but only if we keep fighting against those who would turn our pride into cowardice. It will only get harder to reverse a bully victory if we quit now. We have to ask ourselves is living as a cowering individual greater than fighting and possibly dying to keep our dignity and the dignity of our children?
     I know that fear plays a big part in how we react in life and those who have something they do not want to put in jeopardy will struggle to want to lose it. Yet what in life is worth keeping if you find that your principles are gone and you live at the whim of someone else's bidding? The only thing worth keeping is your dignity and the power that represents. If you think living in a world where equality and freedom are no more is going to be joyful and happy then you are not very wise. There is nothing bullies can bring us in life that will keep them from always wanting more from us. We will always lose more and more of ourselves when we let the bullies have their way.
     We are still strong now and would be wise to use our strength to fight while we still can, We have taken a setback in the last month but only a setback if we muster our will back to being ready when the shit truly starts to hitting the fan. Because it will with bullies. They know their best shot now to win for generations is to step on us now real hard while our spirits are down. We cannot let them step on us with impunity. We must make their efforts to annihilate us as difficult as possible so that we can over some short time turn the tables on them. We don't know yet what our strategy will be because we are waiting to see how the bullies will attack us. But we do know it is coming and we had better not fail this next time.

(#5796) Our American society is out of balance

      Far too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck. We have little ability to adjust our budgets to help the needy when we are, it seems, always in need ourselves. That cannot be a sustaining dynamic. For those of us who are not interested in being nothing but capitalists all the time we find our lives have been reduced to a sense of frustration at not being able to live peacefully without the constant pressure to make money. The drive of capitalism is exhausting! Especially when it leaves everyone else out in the cold for not being "all in". Capitalism is just a function to help with bartering. It is necessary to barter as our society sees needs that have to be met when we decide to contract with each other under rules of law.
     However life isn't just about financial drive. Many like myself just want enough to live decently without being extravagant or ostentatious. Simplicity in life allows others and myself an ease to approach what we find useful and purposeful. Gaining monetary fortune is not a value to me. Gaining time to be what I am and like to do is a value to me. Yet, it seems that those who are greedy and lustful for more have made life harder for those of us who just want more of a simplicity of ease. Their rat race world concept has put the rest of us into a bind if we want to survive in their forced reality. Instead of enjoying life we the many must endure it. All to make the wealthy feel better about their illogical concepts that don't include how a society finds its happiness.
     I get the need to produce so that peace and harmony can be defended but when the balance of the one overwhelms the other it is a catastrophe in the making. Work and peace can live together in harmony but not when one is dominating the other. We need work to make our society strong but that strength must not crush the peace within our souls. It would be the same with peace. If peace at all costs were the dynamic then we would find ourselves vulnerable to those who would force peace from us for their own devices. Which is why a balance of both work and peace must cohabitate in our lives. Peace through strength is the ideal and for us to get to that the work must be a fulfilling paradigm that we all understand gives us the peace to live within our hopes and dreams.

(#5795) Living is more than just routine

      Even at my advancing age of 69 I realize that just staying alive is not enough. There is more than safety and security to manage. I need to keep learning and experiencing what is happening because there is nothing after I am not alive anymore. So whatever I can do to entertain or enlighten is my goal. I do have other purposes like being an example of what is positive and good. But that is not enough for what I need to stay engaged with my life. I have to keep my senses attuned to the harmonies of life and my mind surrounded by the as yet unknown. I have made it clear throughout this blog that caring for all life forms and being curious about everything else are the dominant natures of our species.
     Without either care or wonder our species would be nothing of any account. But we are with care and wonder and the difference is amazing. We tend to ourselves with a priority and we learn from what we have in our existence. Not only has our species flourished we have moved beyond our origin. We have stepped upon the Moon and soon will do the same on our neighboring planet Mars. Our curiosity has also allowed us to examine knowledge with logic and wisdom to create methods and treatments to sustain our bodies beyond our own individual ability to heal ourselves. Our care is advancing with the aid of our curiosity.
     Not only have we advanced the care for ourselves we have advanced care for other life forms in this incredible ecosystem we call Earth. We have come to understand the delicate balance of all the paradigms of life that exist all around us with the need for them to remain viable. The interconnectedness has not been lost on us. We humans may not all be on the same page as to a manifest destiny but we have at least a foundational concept of mortality. We will only live once in our human form so actually experiencing life while we have it is fundamental to actually being alive. I need more than just the mundane breathing to live. I need purpose and challenge to fulfill my personal destiny.

(#5794) I can live with myself because I keep making the correct choices

      When I was younger and less disciplined I would always struggle when things did not go my way. Anger and disappointment fueled my rather bad choices more often than not. My childish years extended well into my adulthood. Throwing tantrums of various types was more my modus operandi than thoughtful reflection and a recommitment to another determined approach. During that less than fruitful time I was my own worst enemy. Sabotaging myself because I didn't care to not sabotage myself. A stubborn anger is my recollection and it was feisty.
     I was fortunate in that I began to see the damage of my behavior and I didn't like it. Still though I was unmoved. I get that axiom now about denial, of doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. But back when I was not as keen in my understanding, I didn't get that. There was no great revelation or light bulb moment. I just slowly began to realize that I was getting nowhere and time was moving on. So I finally learned that anger and disappointment were not my friend. They were clues that things were not working. So instead of embracing my anger and disappointment I let them go and tried new approaches that eventually allowed me to move forward in time with more positive satisfaction.
     What dawned on me was to stop taking shortcuts to rush through when taking the time to do things correctly predominately ended with success. As well I learned that it was doing the little things in life that make the bigger outcomes in life bend toward my goals. I just needed to make the correct choices in every aspect of my life. So no shortcuts and doing all things to my best ability has found me with a presence worthy of living. Nothing remarkable here but significant nonetheless. I got off track back when I was young and in a hurry to live. I have found that living will happen whether I hurry or not. So now I choose to do the correct things, correctly, in my life  and enjoy the benefits of my efforts.

(#5793) The failure of putin!

      The powers that be within the kremlin and the oligarchs must be very nervous about now. Not only is the Ukrainian war going badly for them but their candidate trump is not cozying up to putin like many thought he would. It seems that trump is riding high on his victory and is in no hurry to remain putin's lap dog. Another factor is the ousting of the ally to putin the criminal assad who just lost Syria to anti-putin rebels. If putin were to be boasting about how good he is for the Russian people he would be doing it with some real bravado. What in reality is happening is that old man putin is being left behind with his dream of world domination.
     The fight in Ukraine is not going as he thought it would. Instead the fight inside Ukraine is spilling out into Russia itself. With Ukraine controlling a not insignificant area within Russia but are also attacking Russian command and troop centers along with energy and military infrastructure depots inside Russia. What was supposed to be a 3 day to 2 week invasion is now about to hit the 3 year mark in February with more than 750,000 dead Russian soldiers. This was not what putin sold to his handlers nor is it something they would have agreed to with foresight. Not only are Russian resources being depleted but sanctions on their commerce is wreaking havoc on their economy.
     The wealthy in Russia are being used and spent at this juncture and are hard pressed to see what is in it for them by continuing to support the false putin narrative. That putin promised them the resource rich nation of Ukraine to rape and pillage is not unfolding. Instead an alliance between Democratic European nations is burgeoning. Russia is dwindling and they must know that putin despite his best efforts to use brute force cannot continue much longer. I would never be surprised to see a coup in Russia over this galactic failure of putin and for me it is just a matter of how much more the kremlin and the oligarchs are willing to stomach before they pull the plug on putin.

(#5792) Stand by values, or lay down and quit!

      The time for voting for personalities was never here. Yet it seems that too many believe it was last month. What values do the new president elect instill as important? Segregation, emigration, inequality, unfairness and injustice. Tell me and take your time, am I wrong here? He wants to separate us on so many levels that it is difficult to find a paradigm where he doesn't except maybe in donating to his personal coffers. He wants the hard working migrant community who has been coming north of the border for centuries to work the fields and provide food, shelter, and clothing to our society and their families to return south and never again come across our borders.
     He wants the men of the America and let me be more specific, the white men of our country, to have greater opportunities and rights than the other men who are not white. He wants the women, and he means all women, to have fewer rights than men. His idea of a woman is not one of equality but of servitude to men. Women, to the president elect, are more aligned with property and commerce than equal partners in life. He wants to be like a king, who may break any law he wishes while not allowing others the same privilege he demands for himself. If justice does exist in his reality it is only for him under his definition. He is devoid of truths and facts when they aim at his pride and behavior.
     My values and the lack thereof within trump are two polar concepts. When dignity and respect are present trump is nowhere to be found. When injustice and inequality is present trump is standing atop the wreckage of that pile. Where humility and honor are flowing like the breeze on a summer's day, trump is shaking his fist in the dark cursing the very concept of any idol greater than he. What compassion and curiosity exist in our world is degraded and spat upon by trump as foolish and irrelevant. My values started out from wanting to be a hero type; trump values came from stealing into his father's wallet and not getting caught.

(#5791) Wisdom comes from enlightenment, not brute force!

      All of my life I have admired wisdom when I have encountered it. I may not have always liked the conclusion of wisdom but I at least respected it's veracity. Mostly though I have liked wisdom because it gave a conclusion to problems that were perplexing to my mind anyway. So most all of my life I have strived to reach that plateau where wisdom starts to form in my own mind. For me it was working to understand philosophy. The records of our western civilization's greatest philosophers have been available and easy enough to attain. One book I would recommend is by Bertrand Russell-The History of Western Civilization. In his compilation there are many who can give us insights into what life should be all about.
     In the title of this blog I say that enlightenment is the path forward toward wisdom and doing no harm are the bricks that pave that path. I also say in the title of this blog that brute force is not how we get to wisdom. We cannot force wisdom to grow from the bed of pain and suffering. Wisdom by my account is a complexity that is maneuvered into a simplicity. Taking all the various factors into account and finding one simple solution for all of them is a perfect example of how wisdom is derived. As another example think of it this way. Wisdom is the bigger picture from all the little pictures we have. An overview that coincides with the better and best of who we are.
     At this juncture I would like to make a point about fear. Often times fear has a way of taking our minds from logic and supplanting it with an illusion of safety. Our decision has left us with hope instead of normalcy. When we disregard logic and common sense for an illusion that makes us feel safer we are actually less safe than we would have been. Much like appeasement to aggression will always end with worse subjugation and harm. Life is this simple if you would condone my indulgence. We have to fight for peace to have peace otherwise there will never be peace. The wisdom it takes to know that strength guarantees peace is what I am hoping will come from this posting.

(#5790) I am on a journey to find my serenity

      The molecules of my mind and body have been interrupted and stirred to a chaos of assemblance. The uneasiness is tentatively unsettling. So to reclaim the ease at which I had before the election I am trying to dig deep into my reality so as to find a safe harbor so to speak to cling on to. It isn't easy for me since I had put all my chips in on the outcome of the election as I suspected the majority of us who believe in democratic values would do. My suspicion was inaccurate obviously and now I am left with pretty much a blank slate of serenity to fall back on. My disappointment is beyond comprehensible since I am of the hero type who sees all of us as in need of equality and happiness, not just some of us!
     So after picking myself up from the heavy blow the election applied to my full being I have been in an utter state of numbness. Moving about with little thought to the motion of it. I have responsibilities to perform and dutifully I served their demands. Yet my life has no real connection to them other than their importance in the daily scheme of things. What I seek now is the fuel my soul once burned brightly from. I had thought we were all together in the fire of my flame with no extinguishing logical. Yet I am in the dark now looking to see the way forward. My other senses keep me from harm but keeping from harm is not my purpose in life. Having a vision of boldness and truth is my purpose and now finding that paradigm again with a true conviction for it is my what seems like impossible burden.
     Yet, given the uphill climb, of which I am no stranger, I suspect I will find my way back to the thrust of boldness and truth. Being the sharp end of the stick may not be in my future but being a sturdy part of the stick is my resolve. It has only been a month since the dreaded election but I am already sensing a lessening of the metaphorical gut punch effect. The realization that I am trying to regain my serenity is a clue that I am now recovering. The nearly mortal mental and physical blow has been endured and instead of still feeling in critical need of care I am charting courses for my recovery into a form that is both healthy and productive. I am now on my journey to serenity and it is empowering.

(#5789) Well over three quarter of a million dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

     Milestones are part of how we see the reality in front of us. With 3/4 million dead Russian young men soldiers from the invasion of Ukraine, a consideration is due. The price for taking the land of others is very high in this case. A whole generation of young men of Russian affiliation are no more. With a population near 150 million overall in Russia 3/4 million doesn't seem like a lot in the big picture that putin is obviously in tunnel vision with. Yet these 3/4 million are the young men that would have started families and supplied many millions more to the population of Russia.
     Their loss is what is now going to start the Russian population to decrease over the next several years. Starting with the dead who are no longer around but also their now impossible future offspring. Meanwhile many more than a 1000 Russian young men are dying everyday in Ukraine with little to no gain to show for it. All because a tyrant named putin cannot stop his blood lust to control the world through death and destruction. To me there has always been a simpler solution to this and that has been for the Russian mothers and fathers of their now dead children to confront and stop putin. Their grief must go somewhere so why not aim it as resolve at putin and make him stop or bravely try.
     Russia has spent the last almost 3 years destroying their own military in a vain attempt to capture Ukraine. They cannot conquer it as long as Ukraine refuses to surrender. Which is not going to happen. Ukraine has made it clear that there will be no capitulation to putin. So now we wait for the next milestone to hit which at this rate will be in the summer of 2025, when dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine will reach one million. With Assad falling in Syria, a putin ally, and the death toll continuously climbing the end time for putin may well happen before many more months. The barbarian putin and his disregard for Russian life when it comes to his own bloodlust may finally be catching up to him.

(#5788) Keep your political sensitivities close to your vest

      In a new era of uncertainty when it comes to our privacy being our own it is best for now to be careful in how you and I express ourselves when not actually needed. A reserve for now until we get the lay of the land with the new trump cabal. We know trump is into retribution because he seems to like fealty to himself and anyone not bending their knee to him are his mortal enemy. Well we are mostly not his mortal enemies but certainly many of us do not like his form of rule when it involves destroying our American democracy. His arrogance and inability to comprehend outside his own limited experiences is intolerable and will never get my acceptance.
     So being still for now on posts that could be construed as controversial by the broken mind of trump is wise. What I do is stay informed but not necessarily in a publicly acknowledged way. I do think some of our retrenchment is unnecessary but for now understandable. Many of us are now into a survival mode with an eye to rebuilding our individual  personal defenses for a future that has a greater chance of success. We are withdrawing from our personal and public advocacies for democratic values, at least in our rhetoric and volume. We are not losing our foundation but we are not making it obvious until we are sure retaliation isn't a willy nilly jackboot reality.
     My obstruction of tyrannical advancement is not in question and if need be will be activated regardless of personal security issues. It is just defensive positioning that gives us the best chance to have a strategy for our coming near future. A good defensive strategy is a start for us to then move to more offensive actions of advocacy for democracy. Silence as a strategy now for a chance to be loud when being loud is the best way forward. I am not quitting anything here but I am reserving what I think will be my best contribution to the safety and security of equal human rights to all people regardless of race or gender.

(#5787) The next midterms

      In about 700 days we will all find out if trump has succeeded in destroying our democracy or not. If we mount enough resistance to his ambitions of becoming a king, by November 2026, we will have a chance to further stop him from doing any more harm before the next election should we be so fortunate to have. As of last months humiliating defeat in the election we the American people are not exactly innocent in our self determination to undermine ourselves. But we do need to find a way to change that when it becomes painfully clear our choice is about to become a nightmare.
     Our ignorance is not an excuse. Each and every one of us has the ability to think for themself and act accordingly. That too many of us are not exercising that ability is no one else's fault. Yet an opportunity will be available if our collective consciousness finds a way to distinguish fact from fiction. I know we Americans have been a huge disappointment to the world recently but still there is hope for that ignominy to reverse itself. However we have made this task much more difficult by electing someone who has not the ability to care for others as much as he cares for himself. Yet, as hopeless it may seem at this moment we have a route to follow that will bring us back from the brink.
     We cannot change who sits in the White House but we can reshape the majorities that republicans now hold in Congress. By recapturing both the Senate and House we will have a buttress against the desires of trump that supersede constitutional restraints. How can we do this? It will be a monumental lift of will by each and every individual who discovers that the world will change from freedom and liberty to servitude and bondage without our democracy. If things hold from the last election we will not be able to count on the major media outlets. We will have to rely mostly on grassroots efforts that include marching in the streets and other civil activities that join us to our democracy saving cause.

(#5786) Our flourishing as a species is on hold, for now...

      It has been nearly a month since we found out that our world is less intellectual than we had thought. We who are not afraid of existence seem to be outnumbered in the moment by those who are. I must admit that it caught me by surprise that so many of us are not worthy of being bold leaders. Instead we are more akin to being meek followers. Our understanding of existence is not up to speed with what knowledge we have gathered that is as close to factual as possible. However logic and common sense work to inform us the process of recognition is not in abundance. A sad report indeed.
     I know a majority of us learn when under great stress. When our backs are against the wall is when we find our attention to understanding is at its greatest opportunity. Unfortunately being between a rock and a hard place is not enough for the majority of us to learn important principles and truths as a constant. Too many of us cannot utilize learning anything other than our own desires despite the good that comes from a collective consideration. We as the human being species don't seem to put value on other human being lives unless it is some value of trade or ownership. It was very hard for me to say that about my species but the evidence of it cannot be denied.
     Instead of we humans treating each other as amazing individuals, we seem to be stuck in the old ways of treating each other as commerce. It is indicative to our overall evolution to this point in time. Enlightened thinking is not being a genius or being brilliant. It is just recognizing that we are all amazing and everything that governs our all being amazing should reflect that. Our species is stuck in a way of thinking that to now prohibits us from focusing our efforts on creating a society that reflects our amazingness to instead remain in a society that uses us unequally and without respect. A change must come if we humans are to thrive, otherwise the alternative will fester instead of flourish.

(#5785) America is a whipped country

      I can only surmise that we have gotten to the point in our evolution where we have lost our will to do the better and best with our lives. Of course I am speaking collectively not each and every one of us individually. Yet too many have either given up because they are afraid or because they have too many dirty little secrets to overcome and shy away from attention. Either way there is little hope for those who find themselves whimpering instead of fighting. I get it. If one is too tired to fight anymore that is natural although not advisable because when we stop fighting no matter how tired we are the victor will not be us.
     If because our shame for who we let ourselves become is too high a hurdle for us to overcome then it may be true we are not worthy. Yet I disagree with that. We live life to figure it out and how we learn is not how we live afterwards. I am no god person who only has a chance because of some forgiveness option. I am just a human being who knows he makes mistakes but regardless improves from those mistakes to advance to a better existence. My journey has been one wrought with remorse and guilt but those things do not define me. The better and best of who I am does and that is how I move past my own frailties and absurdities.
     How I am now is because I didn't quit on myself because I failed at being a perfect human being. I am who I am because I learned my lessons from failure and improved to a better person. This is real easy to understand here folks. Just because we could not achieve before does not mean we cannot change how we approach another way to succeed. My life is a testament to that. My heart has been pure since my innocence yet it got sidetracked by misinformation and callous disregard for others. I learned my approach was wrong and set out to forge a new approach where we all share in the bounty of life. We all deserve a chance to change who we are and move past our own guilt and apathy. Begin again today with a new resolve to succeed in life despite our own self reflected personal inadequacies.

(#5784) My hope is our better natures prevail

      I know this much. Our lives together were going to be so much better had not so many fallen for the bullshit of trump. Yet that they fell for it does tell me that we as a society are not ready for leadership in the world. Our moment has been left behind as we were not wise enough to grasp it. Instead our future is laden with pitfalls and ambushes that will not only diminish our current upward trajectory but will put us on a pathway heading to collapse. Other nations of intellectual appreciation will have to endure the leadership shouldering we here in America found ourselves incapable of handling.
     There are a handful of regrets I can point to in my lifetime that were self inflicted wounds but this one was as unnecessary as any, much like in 2016. I had hoped that the momentum built up to advance society for all Americans would have been more than enough reason to continue but instead we find ourselves facing down the barrel of a sick individual who does not believe in equality or the sanctity of life. His future could have been one of togetherness but his diseased mind cannot fathom that concept. He has grown to be such an ogre of soul and spirit. Even though he has had many collaborators he is not the end all persona he would like to think he is which gives all of us some little hope.
     What we know of the mental ineptitude of trump is that it is not contagious. Of course he does attract like minded individuals who have a similarly deranged psychopathy, but certainly not as forlornly miserable as trump's. I am seeing even some in his inner circle have more common sense and dignity, albeit only slightly more than he. Which when it comes to destroying our democracy may hinder them in their lust for their share of devilishness. Our nation has not been a smoldering cauldron of traitors nor majority insurrectionists. The next 2 years will be our truth and what we do and/or are able to do will likely hinge on some crumb of decency from those trump installs to intentionally darken our future.

(#5783) Wrist update

      My right wrist took a bit of a beating yesterday at work but overall it wasn't too bad an experience. I think fortunately though I get the next two days off to rest again before starting back to work. I didn't do anything ridiculous to aggravate my surgery but the accumulative effect most likely is causing a bit of discomfort. I slept well last night and my wrist feels much better this morning. It has only been 5 days since surgery but I cannot adhere to the best advice from the surgeon because like most people I cannot take time off from my life. So I have to calculate the best way forward to get close to the medical advice I have been given.
     In nine days I will get the the bandages removed and the stitches out. I will still be very limited in what I can do but at least I should be past the stage where the surgery cuts could become infected. My strength returning in my right arm as far as normal function will take several months but at least I will be on the road to that goal. Just how quickly I may achieve my normal strength is incumbent upon me being careful yet unrestrained. I will push the limits of what is possible while paying keen attention to how that effect will inform me. Pain is my friend in this case but too much is not. I have all the recommendations I need to exercise and stretch my wrist repair and with that I am satisfied I can heal up quickly.
     We will see how it goes and that will be informative since I will do the other wrist in very short order. Learn from the right wrist and apply that lesson to the left wrist. All I know is that both wrists are going to go through a transformation to help them improve. It will be a few months but time has a way of moving along even when it seems like it is dragging. Soon I will be able to use my hands the way I have always used them up until this last little bit of time. When I get the bandages off in 9 days I will send a picture out on my social media platform of what before and after actually look like.

(#5782) Understanding the hate we use to justify ourselves

      I see the anger coming from many who do not know why they hate other than it sounds like the right thing for them to do. They are told something is bad for them and they take that being told at face value. Without knowing the why of it. This is why knowledge is so important! If you understand the meaning and/or the purpose of a thing you may then make up your own mind based upon premises that support your conclusion. What we have too much of today is too many who let others think for them because they don't want to take the time to think for themselves. A very sad fact when you consider that none of us is worthy of being everyone else's thinker.
     When we allow our individual selves to know what is objectively correct we then start to master our own lives. We become the gauge we use to understand what we want out of life not someone else who will always have another agenda for giving us our opinion to defend. Everyone must realize that there are no good deeds being done out there where we abdicate our rights to someone else and expect an equally good value in return. We all are responsible for how we learn and decide. Not to give that choice to someone else who has their own ulterior agenda. The reason I am for and/or against policies is because I have studied them to see if they fit within the principles of democracy. If so then yes, if not then no!
     I am only me. Nothing more which is why I write this daily blog. So that I can define who I am in real time in a public way. I am not trying to hide any motive for what I do and/or am. I just look at things I either know or that I need to learn and then look to see if democracy is being upheld by whatever decision I come to make. There is no emotion to my decisions as to a default. Logic and common sense will guide my thinking so emotionally hating or loving something that causes intentional harm to someone else will not occur in the simple formula of doing no harm I use to uphold democracy. Would I harm myself for being true to who I am and what I hold dear like our democracy? No. Will I do the same to anyone else? Again, no!