Eventually the rock will drop (#1886)

When what is in your head about the ideal is finally exposed to the reality of what is actually happening can we hope that an understanding will occur. As time continues to tick and we continue to get further into our finite lives, the thought should occur that we have to change our realities now. There is a dishonest broker in our politics and for whatever reason, be it disillusion with the process or inability to see the "big picture" or an "I don't care" attitude, Republicans are benefiting from it. Before I rail on about the vote, which is our method for relief from Republican policies, I have to go back a step and remind all of us why we need to vote them out. They are the ones who are blocking the hope for our future. What do I mean by that? Simply put, they don't want us to have a world class education, only one our individual families can afford, which is code for only the wealthy. they don't want our retirement years to be fun and secure, instead they want us to be susceptible to market forces as a crap shoot. Think about it, relying on your retirement from the hands of Wall Street capital managers. Most of us cannot save the kind of money to even gamble on this approach so again, it only MAY work if you are wealthy. They want us to have only health insurance or health care if we can afford it. How inhumane is that? Enough said on that subject! They want us to work in poverty level occupations since they don't want to improve our infrastructure that creates good middle class jobs. For my final example is the one that boils my skin the most, they want to deny us the liberty of voting by restricting it and making it difficult everywhere they can. I didn't even touch on the disrespect they are leveling against our women, veterans and disabled. When the rock drops and your eyes are opened to what this dastardly Republican party is doing to our nation I just hope it is before November when every single vote we have will be needed to upend their strategy and send them home out of work like they have done to most of the rest of us.

Liberation from our fears (#1885)

It's okay to know that you are afraid, it is not okay to stay in the fear once you realize it. I know, easier said than done, but there it is anyway. All of us honest souls eventually find out that anything in life worth having will always be hard so shirking off our fears is just another step in life we take. The importance of finding liberation from our fears is that it allows to be who we are instead of making us be who we are not. Fear is like that, it changes how we think and how we react. It diminishes our confidence and steals from us our courage. Fear does another horrible thing to us, it closes us off from our curiosity as fear most often shuts down our objective panoramic perspective to a shallow acceptance of something far less human in nature. We are not beholden to those who apply fear to our lives and treat us with the disrespect that is inherent within fear. We are all amazing data processors in our own human way and for those who would subject us to limited thoughts and actions I say shame on them and shame on those who allow themselves to be fear-mongered. I have lived in fear that my life would end soon and that I would offend someone who would make me pay for it with physical harm as well as social harm. But I grew up out of that fear and decided that living my life on my terms was more important than any threat I may perceive concerning my freedom to exist on my terms. I still have some fears I am fighting to overcome but the key is that I am fighting to overcome them, not cowering back and accepting my fate as a lesser than.

Segregation by skin color is racism (#1884)

When the "content of their character" is not a higher priority in determining someone's value than the "color of their skin" we have truly failed at being human. Some or even many may not care that equality is being dismantled as long as their fears are soothed, despite the lack of any honorable principle. The quotes above are Martin Luther King's from his "I have a Dream Speech", given in the 1960's. Here we are some 50 years later still struggling to accept the logic of his words. I am dumbfounded by the lack of our society to do the right thing when it is so obviously the correct thing to do. It truly shows a disdain for struggle and a disrespect for those who gave everything to overcome it. It is a pitiful reflection on our American society when segregation is so prevalent after so much has been done to disprove all of segregation's vile arguments. Treating another human being as a lesser is supposed to be in our past and even the conservative Republicans on the US Supreme court have shown a blindness to the existing segregation by cutting down laws that actually protect against segregation. Yet here we are still some 50 years into the future from Dr. King's amazing transformation for our society and little has changed from then. While the public act of segregating has been reduced, it has nonetheless gone to ground and is now festering in the quiet quarters where the light of day is less conspicuous. If some or many want to continue to segregate based upon skin color then be aware that you are choosing to be racist. Yes, you are a racist if you  judge a human being based on a physical appearance and then deny them rights all human beings have a duty to protect for each other.

When cowards call bravery cowardice (#1883)

I have had it up to here with the cowards that dwell among us. Especially those cowards who have profited off of others in nefarious ways and think that their unearned wealth now gives them a voice in how all our lives should be run. I can identify a coward very easily, they say things that harm without any conviction to the harm they cause. They are greedy and selfish with their defining words and their actions. Sadly our nation, America, at the moment, is full of such cretins. They show no duty to the society they have manipulated and they curse those of us who see duty to our nation as a vulnerability to be taken advantage of. They would no further help in a disaster any one but themselves since they only see our society as there for the reaping, not the sowing. I have an anger within me at those who are this way, cowardly egoists with the principles of a psychopath. I could care less about the risk of calling them out since it would be so easy for them to hire someone else to make my life miserable or make my life disappear. I don't care either way since living in a world run by cowards is not worthy of my existence! In the meantime I will continue to call the slimy slugs the cowards that they are and with relentless fortitude I will do it from the rooftops if that is all I have left. Nothing in life is worth living under the thumb of someone who is callous and uncaring enough to disparage bravery when bravery is one of the greatest human sacrifices we can make to each other. I honor bravery in whatever shape or form it takes and it humbles me to see it displayed. I cherish this aspect of our humanity and those who dishonor it will surely answer to me if I ever get a chance to answer.

Doing what is right never goes out of fashion (#1882)

We all know what is right but we tell ourselves whatever we need to hear in order to make putting ourselves first happen. It is wrong of us to keep thinking that if we don't take every advantage that comes our way to enrich ourselves regardless of the cost/benefit, we are somehow missing out. Things really are simple when you consider doing something for others first. Life takes on a whole new meaning and not putting yourself first becomes a badge of courage worn with true humility. It doesn't matter at all what others may think or do in a similar situation, what matters is what we do. I don't have to live in the skin of those who compromise doing right in order to satisfy their own glorification at the expense of others. I have a happy heart and good conscience about my awareness and that my friends is what brings a smile to my face regardless of the circumstance or situation I am facing. Nothing in this world was as scary to me as the first time I realized that others didn't care about whether I lived or died. Nothing! It shocked me and then began to be the basis for my own foundation for living. I will not be like that to others who also know that life is supposed to be an experience that is fulfilling, not demoralizing. I have little in the way of the world's thinking when it comes to materials of value. But what I do have is a heart for life and for all of existence's creations. And that my friends is a value that no one can ever actualize with a price. So have a merry day all and remember that when you do for others as a goal you often find that somehow, someway you find fulfillment returned to you in the most unexpected ways.

Separation of church and state (#1881)

It all boils down to separation. If a church wants to intermingle it's assets into the marketplace then it should expect to be subject to marketplace norms. No one is forcing religious institutions or religious individuals to chase after capital, but when they do they are no different then non religious organizations or folks who likewise chase after capital. Same with politics, if a church wants to express it's desire to influence elections and policy through it's capital, it is subject as well to laws that govern political giving. If a religious institution wants to preach from the pulpit influences that convey their particular desire for how their parishioners vote then they lose their status of solely being a religious organization and the benefits that go with that. Faith in a supernatural being is sacred in our society but so are the laws we have established to not only protect the faiths from government but to protect government from the faiths. The delineation is clear, separate religion from commerce and politics and the rights we give religious institutions is rock solid, however deviate from that separation and then those rights cease to exist. Remember, faith is a belief system, not a universal fact of existence. Given the many religions the world over we should have no trouble at all understanding that faith is more to do with comfort and hope and less to do with fact and logic. Both faith and non belief can co-exist in our society and for many of us a permutation of some sort of this co-existence has been our reality. The question is clear here however about what we do as a functioning society and the laws we live by and the need to find solace in our far from understood existence. 

My spirituality evolves with each new scientific discovery (#1880)

What is so fascinating to me is the knowledge I get to accumulate. I have said here so many times that one of my main natural instincts is to be curious and learning new information is like breathing for me. That said, I am also caring, my other main natural instinct. Which brings me to my spirituality. I have a sense about where and how my caring derives, it is founded upon my feelings of emotion and intuition. I cherish these emotions and intuition because they have brought out in me a satisfaction of being good that is like no other sensation I experience. All of this to segue to my statement in the title, that my spirituality evolves with knowledge. I am not historically a religious person. I had been involved with religion at times in my life but not in the way that dispels any doubt about it. I have come to realize that despite not being bound to a religion, I am nonetheless a spiritual being. I don't hold to dogmas and rituals that enable myths and superstitions as a replacement for the unknown, instead I welcome the unknown as another part of the way I understand my own spirituality. As my mind adds and subtracts opinions, theories and facts, I remain in a constant state of knowing that life, time and space are beyond my own absolute understanding as I am today. This is my truth about this existence and my place within it. There has only been one enlightened idea that I can say with certainty, and that is that my natural instincts are the foundation for who I am and how I live. I must, as the law of being me, continue to learn what I don't know and care about all that exists. That is my spirituality and this life has given me more than I will ever realize in my own mind given the shortness of the time I will have here.

Most Republican Governors deny their citizens Medicaid expansion (#1879)

For the first 3 years of the medicaid expansion under PPACA, (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), otherwise termed "Obamacare" states pay nothing as the federal government picks up the tab. Going forward after those first 3 years the government pays 90% of the cost of the expansion. Historically, Medicaid has been able to pay doctors less than what they have been getting from Medicare, but under this new law, Medicaid payments have been raised to match Medicare payments. This is the upside to the law, the payouts increase for Medicaid while the social benefit to millions of citizens is critical. Not only are uninsured costs in emergency room visits passed on to the insured in the form of higher premiums without the expansion, but the ability of the uninsured to get insured through medicaid expansion allows for them to get preventive diagnosis which reduce costs overall. That is a cost benefit analysis but the human factor is much more important. We improve the health of our citizenry who otherwise could not afford health insurance by expanding the coverage to include those 138% above the poverty line, by insuring them through medicaid expansion. We give citizens the ability to lead more productive lives when they have solutions to the ailments we all experience. So in summary, the cost/benefit analysis favoring Medicaid expansion is supported primarily through the federal government, leaving states little fiscal responsibility for insuring 10's of thousands in each state. There is also the cost states will be liable for in not expanding medicaid and it is the higher cost of care they must pay for their uninsured citizens who use emergency room services. The social benefit is enormous as a healthier society is a much more happier and productive society. Republican Governors, quit blocking Medicaid expansion to your citizens!

http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacares-medicaid-expansion.php

The intellectual dishonesty Republicans further as policy (#1878)

Until the Republican party is crushed into little more than a memory, I will have plenty to write about in their continuing quest to destroy the rise and growth of the American middle class. How can it be that a political party can have any relevance when the majority of Americans identify with the middle class as a station in life or a hoped for place to exist? The answer is simple, they turn us against ourselves by playing to our fears and by leaving little on the table so that we must fight against each other to get a share of it. The reason they are able to do this is because the long history of the Republican party has come to be a part of the fabric of American life. Though if we looked at the political makeup of the Republican party during the times of great achievements we would find that either liberals or progressives were the makeup of the Republicans during those times of success. Conservatives have practically no record of defense and growth aimed at the middle class but somehow they have manipulated too many into believing they are their champions. What makes all of this even harder on our ability to distinguish the "good guys" from the "bad" is our first amendment to the constitution that has not been refined enough through judicial discretion to eliminate willful misrepresentation. We protect the right to "lie" as a value. Consider that for a moment, it is legal to lie to folks as a right guaranteed by our constitution. US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has been a conservative champion of construing the constitution strictly which the conservatives have embraced when it benefits their agenda. Since conservatives have a slim majority on the court at this time, we will not see any change to the "lying" aspect of free speech anytime soon.

Republicans help cause pain and suffering and then ask us to die defending it (#1877)

I have no other conclusion I can draw. Not only are Republicans against anything that structures a civilized society but they like to involve us in wars when their ego's get bruised. The problem is that Republicans don't like to fight wars themselves, they want the "dirty masses" to do that horrible detail for them. The thing is that Republicans are people who were hopeful children at one time who didn't want people to hurt. Somewhere along the way they bought into the idea that it is okay to trample and stomp others if it meant an advantage for them. The survival of the fittest unenlightened mindset that allows for greed and lust to fill them with a foundation. Well, I can only hope that they turn back into people who care about other people but I won't hold my breath. We have to get them out of power as fast as possible in order to turn around the damage they have done to several generations in a row. I am sick and tired of the media treating them with respect when the inverse from them is not to be found. The Republican party has become a wasteland of incoherence and harm and should not be tolerated any longer. They only want to keep themselves in power for the sake of using our country for their own benefit. Republicans talk about everyone having a shot at the American dream but they have so rigged the process that it is only an illusion coming from their deceptive mouths. My blog postings have turned form talking about the nature of humanity to focus instead on the lack of humanity Republicans endear.

Republicans are about to let as many as 17,104 people die under their "leadership". (#1876)

(1) "Predicted national-level consequences of states opting out of Medicaid expansion are displayed in Exhibit 2. We estimate the number of deaths attributable to the lack of Medicaid expansion in opt-out states at between 7,115 and 17,104". It astounds me the callousness these Republican politicians have toward those of their constituents they deem unworthy of living. In contrast, Republicans rail against our President for the tragedy at Benghazi that he had little to no influence to change and 4 deaths occurred. Yet now, These Republican politicians, who with as simple an act of a stroke of a pen in most cases, could stop thousands of American deaths right here in our own country. They have not been willing to sign into law medicaid expansion that is being offered to them because they have an ideological difference of opinion about whether health care is a right or a privilege. Well I have had enough of the Republican "game playing" with my fellow citizens lives in this gravely serious respect. Not only will I continue to devote this blog to highlighting the tragedy Republicans are forcing Americans to suffer but I will also continue to highlight their hypocrisy when they try to blame our President for their inept and life crushing decisions. I am utterly, and I damn well mean utterly, shocked that these Republican politicians are not being run out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered. The American people deserve to have politicians who are working on their behalf, and instead what we have with Republican politicians is a disdain for all their constituents in order to service only those citizens in their jurisdictions who "pay for play". Enough! This November let us vote every Republican out of office who is running! 

(1)  http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/01/30/opting-out-of-medicaid-expansion-the-health-and-financial-impacts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=opting-out-of-medicaid-expansion-the-health-and-financial-impacts.

Knowledge trumps riches (#1875)

When will our American wealthy brethren finally figure it out that wealth is not the answer in life? Knowledge Is! We have within us a need to know not a need to to be greed driven. Our desire to accumulate is based upon the unknown not the lust of glitter and gold! Why is it that we would readily hurt ourselves and others with a false illusion of grandeur? It is because we are not being instilled with our own true sense of worth. This consumerist society we have created should never be the means to our end. It is just a method for modernity to evolve, nothing more. We should all be participating in the remarkableness of the ingenuity mankind is continually discovering. We are a team against all other unknowns that surely will be discovered in time if we can survive our own internal cancerous behavior. That the bigger picture is not being taught as a primer is to our species' detriment. We act as if we are secure in our species' safety when we could not be further from deluding ourselves on this point. Yes, we try to guard against devastation from attacks within our own species against ourselves, but that is just indicative of our own failings to each other, not to the bigger picture of our overall species survival. What we have now is the idea that most don't care about the future in the sense that outside of our own sphere of living little else matters. Now I am not saying that most in their hearts don't want what is best for our future generations but what I am saying is that we don't care enough to actually do something about it!

Taking our place (#1874)

Every one of us has a place in life to occupy and no amount of distraction, denial or utter disdain for reality will keep us from being defined one way or another. Shall we instead define who we are to others so that they then will need to question their own values? I am one who would rather laugh in the face of time and space since time and space are the parameters that allow me to exist. Surely I am reverential for having a life but the odd thing is that this life has little meaning unless I make it so. I have two dynamics that define me to myself. I am curious as all get out and I am happy through humor or just being positive because I care. That is who I am and all my thoughts and actions will convey those influential qualities. I have learned over some time that I am not in the herd in the normal sense of the thought. Yes, I am human and I do believe in a communal society that interacts and shares in thought and deed. However I am in my own space, and convention, although necessary for some foundational activities, is not my hallmark. I was rightly accused of being a contrarian on many occasions not out of some sense of generally being disagreeable, but because I have different ideas about the foundations that we accept as life pathways. I usually want to tip convention on it's ear and approach how our civilization has evolved with a skeptical eye generated by our allowing uneven policies of behavior to guide our progress. "Occam's Razor" for me. I want to establish a living of life paradigm that has essential justices, equalities and opportunities as the foundation, not the haphazard system we have accepted through mainly ulterior motive manipulation. To take our place we must all take our stand and decide how we will be defined..

Exposing the liars (#1873)

I have seen so much lately coming from Republicans about how they are reaching out to women, seniors and minorities, with just those words while their actions are completely the opposite. This is why I call them liars. It is a harsh term to use but nonetheless accurate. With all the advertising the wealthy can do it is quite certain that their lying deceptive statements will resonate with many who are otherwise ill informed to the real intent of the Republican party. They have denied extended unemployment benefits to over 2,000,000 million previously working Americans and their family members leaving this class of folks with no income and little prospect of work. The reason being is that Republicans have also blocked all efforts by the Obama administration to create work such as opportunities for veterans and much needed infrastructure work. Republicans have also denied women the right to equal pay for equal work. A fact that has kept women in a financial second class system. Republicans have blocked all efforts to raise the minimum wage which effects women more than any class of people. Republicans have cut education to the point where minorities are effected more by their actions since minorities have had a harder time climbing the ladder of success. Republicans have decided that the still unequal society we currently live in needs to give no further aid to those who are still struggling. I won't even go into the broken promises Republicans have decided to break with our veterans who served their country and upon returning home have found the Republican party unwilling to serve them for their duty.

On my Parents computer (#1872)

Today is an odd day in that I am at my parents place typing out this blog on their computer. I am fortunate because my sister is reworking my computer trying to get it operational and I am without a computer. I write this blog post everyday and not writing it today because of the problem I am having was eating at me. I am surely tied to writing about some subject everyday as a necessary compulsion and I was definitely going through some real physical trauma. lol. But here I am writing my daily post and feeling the anxiety slip away. Not having my Internet has shaken me in the sense that I couldn't sleep last night trying to rationalize some way to fix my computer or find some way to purchase another as fast as possible. I have come to know that not being on the Internet has caused me to realize that I have come to be attached in a very personal way. I am no longer satisfied in life not having information at my fingertips. I feel like when I am not able to access information when I want I am somehow hollowed by the lacking. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am not in my normal zone for writing my blog but happy that during this interim period of not having my own computer to write on is possible. Enough for now and I hope to see you all on my own computer tomorrow. :)

When arrogance leads to ignorance (#1871)

More common than not is my view. Arrogance rarely is right. Yet we have so many who cannot dazzle with brilliance so they try very hard to baffle with bullshit! Mainly this is in our media now since our media is the next best thing to being a neighbor to millions of folks without actually having to be a neighbor. When one talks with confidence, about a subject regardless of whether they know much about it at all, it does come across as an unimpeachable fact. yet when we research these claims we find that they are spoon fed propaganda orchestrated by those who have an ulterior agenda to achieve. It is much easier to distort and falsify facts in order to get your way especially if your presenter of information comes across as trustworthy or believable. Why we have such a society today is a scourge on our overlapping generations. We are continually stuck with the egoists who have little communal pride and instead they are prone to delving into the sake of their own pocketbook. Their propaganda presenters are also lacking in authenticity and critical understanding so they more than make up for their "lacking" deficit through illusion and their willingness to be controlled like puppets. We all lose when the inability to think critically and justify conclusions through logic, common sense and honest, imaginative intuitiveness is lacking. It isn't hard to be an elitist who defies the principles of equality, justice and fairness, but it isn't right either and although we have these dynamics now we don't have to have them in our future. The first step to rectifying our current paradigm of damaging media incoherence is to recognize it as such.

The continuum of time and space (#1870)

One of my most regrettable moments will be when I am no longer here in existence. I don't mean to be depressing with this post but rather I am coming to grips with the idea that I won't be able to see and experience how our human life sorts itself out in the far distant future should our species survive our immediate future. Just being a part of the little bit of life I am allowed has only temporarily sated my thirst for more. I want to have the experience of living far into the future just to satisfy my own insatiable curiosity about what is and what isn't. It will not be so however and coming to grips with that is a lifelong enduring realization for me. I suppose by the time my time comes to an end here in existence I will have settled it with myself at least that is my hope. From wherever if anywhere I came from to get here, and to wherever if anywhere I go afterwards, I won't be here for the duration of our species' survival and that is too bad. I want to push every boundary that exists to see where the next boundary is or if there is another boundary beyond our existing boundaries. I want to spend all my time being fascinated by what I don't know and captivated by what I do learn. It is a shame that we all have a sovereign that rules us, it being time. Time will not allow me to remain in this complex mix of logic and emotion that extracts from me every sensation born within me. Time will not allow me to bathe in all of space to my desires, and for that I am truly saddened. I will take what little this existence allows me, but know this, it will never be enough for my curiosity is greater than the time and space given to me.

Making life hard and blaming the victim (#1869)

My Republican rant! It is spurious that Republican politicians and their mouth pieces have been railing against the poor and those who are struggling mightily to stay out of poverty all the while making it hard for any of these folks to improve their lives. It seems Republicans have no shame or are borderline sociopathic. Not only are they advancing the greedy desires of their wealthy donors but they are also baffling the electorate with their dishonest messaging. They also employ a sometimes subtle and sometimes not subtle message of division centered on race distinction. They are playing to the electorates trumped up fear, another Republican strategy, of each other in ways that destroy the American idea of a melting pot in favor of division. This keeps them from having to expose the real intent of their policies and keeps voters favoring them over others who want to unite our country with the truth of things. This blaming the victim technique is a tried and true method for those who cannot stand in the light of day with the exposure of their policies for all to see. I try to expose them to people and family I know but all I get back from some of them are the talking points the Republicans have supplied to divert and deny the truth. I shake my head and walk away frustrated that some people in my life would rather allow themselves to be racists or haters of others for the sake of their own cowardly fear. It is disheartening to watch Republicans harming our country and our countrymen standing up for them. As if doing harm is now a virtue and not the disgrace it should be penalized and punished for doing. I hope someday in the near future liars are not held in esteem and truth tellers are elevated to being the heroes they truly are.

Ignorance, fear and selfishness (#1868)

When combined, these three outcomes present everyone who experiences them a disservice. There is no hope for truth, honor and respect to flourish. the key here is the ignorance dynamic. Why we allow ourselves to become pawns to others because we can't find our way to research and develop our own opinions is an individual colossal failing. It is so easy nowadays to look up arguments on both sides of a question and then derive what may be the best outcome on our own without prejudice or ulterior motive. Fear is the next in line to deny us the ability to recognize what is honorable in our society. When we are made to be so afraid too even consider what is making us fearful then our ability to challenge the fear within us and stand tall for a redeeming option that has more honor than not, we have succumbed to fear as a default without ever putting up a fight for honor. We have given over our right and duty to fight for honor with justice at our backs. It is cowardly to give in to the pressure some would strategically put upon us for their gain. Remember, we live one life and if living it is in fear then what does that say about our character? Then there is selfishness. When ignorance and fear are our closest allies what we do within our psyche is justify a flawed character trait that assuages our conscious with the idea that doing right by ourselves is always good regardless of whether in the big picture the "right" we are doing is harming us overall. As long as we remain ignorant and full of fear, we might as well focus on the selfishness of our own gain without worrying about the expense it costs everyone else. The problem is that being a cowardly patsy and settling for greed is not a legacy any of us would ever be proud to exhibit to eternity.

The struggle is hard (#1867)

There is so much truth to the saying that anything worth doing is going to be hard. Especially when there are those out there who don't want anything worth doing, done. I have had my share of setbacks and disappointments. They started when I was young, from the assassination of the greatest hope of my young lifetime, President Kennedy, to less than a year later the death of my biological father. It continued with the loss of my two permanent front teeth in a neighborhood rock fight, onward to the assassinations of Martin Luther King then two short months later to assassination of Robert Kennedy. The continued fighting in Vietnam to many more disappointments that continue to this day. I have so many times wanted to chuck it all in and just ignore reality and live out my life without caring, I did for a spell of time until I finally realized that regardless of my ignoring reality, it still came back up to bite me in the ass. A turning point finally registered with me that I was part of the problem because I wasn't part of the solution. I have since vocalized my participation to dedicate myself to the great ideals the great assassinated men of my youth espoused. Regardless of the setbacks that are inevitable and that hurt my physical self as well as my soul I continue to persevere. The struggle is hard and when I see us so close to capturing the day in the struggle to redeem our best instincts and then see it slip away I am crushed but not defeated. I don't do what I do for me, instead I do what I do for all of us. Because that is who I am.

The truth does set you free (#1866)

In my early history, my childhood, I felt the need to lie so that I didn't have to feel embarrassed about whatever it was that I was either doing or was being done to me. Most all of us have had the experience surely. When I got into my teen years I lied in order to get something or get out of doing something, again, nothing new here. When I became an adult I lied because telling the truth all the time was not instilled in me as a principle and thus my false pretenses turned me into a partially hollow person. It wasn't until I decided that my life needed a foundation from which not to go below that I realized that telling the truth to the best of my ability was my new pathway forward. In that simple decision I have found myself again and filled in those previous hollow spots. Living a principled life. Now don't misunderstand me, I am still a work in progress and rough around the edges of civilized behavior, but I am not intentionally prone to being devious or dishonest. I am otherwise prone to being open and honest about all aspects of my life that have some possibility to be helpful for others. I am also willing to learn something different from what I already know and when I am wrong I am willing to admit it and apologize to others where appropriate. I am okay with being human, which is making mistakes, but I am more than okay with improving from my mistakes wherever and however they come to me. The benefit I get from this is that I don't begrudge others who have the good fortune to get those things that are beyond my reach. I have found peace within my soul and from that peace I am able to stand and fight for the better and best we should all experience out of life.

I laugh at the liars (#1865)

I guess it is because since I have matured into a strong minded soul with a strong physical form that I do have the ease of laughing at those who would try to take advantage of me. I don't necessarily get angry but instead try to shame the liars when they expose themselves. It saves them from my wrath and saves me from a court appointment. lol. Another neat trick is to laugh and then ignore them as if they are invisible. That one works really well since most liars crave attention. Obviously they need an audience since they have intentionally and strategically set about with their lies in order to con someone to their advantage. What is most important here is to know when you are being lied to. In order for me to stay ahead of the liars, I need to be informed of not only the current events of the day but of the recent and distant past as well. I need to keep myself aware of the world around me and accept nothing at face value unless it is something I am quite informed about. I don't take shortcuts with knowledge. Surely I do draw wrong conclusions from time to time but never do I disregard the criticism or correcting when it comes and believe me when I am wrong the correcting comes at me quickly. I am decent enough a human being to humble myself to my mistake, correct it and move on. Remember, trial and error is a form of learning but should not be the primary way of learning. Liars are everywhere in life since they have figured out how to make money and receive power by being successful at it. But here is the deal, we don't have to let them cheat us, we can take our own responsibility to know into our own hands and then expose and laugh at them as we will.

The hardest thing in life (#1864)

The hardest thing in my life has been to experience loss of life. My heart still breaks and tears well up in my eyes when certain lives are remembered. It is so hard to find ones who are willing to share life with you and give you unconditional love as a free gift. The longer I live the more I will experience this hardest thing in life. I have been blessed with friendships and family that have inspired me to be who I am because of the precious examples they have set. If one needs to wonder how I am structured with respect to my principles look no further than the outcome of beauty and wisdom that have been shared with me. Is there any wonder why I fight so hard to keep them in my thoughts and their motivations as my catalyst for action? I am the sum of those who have gone on before me along with my own sense of care and wonder. I have often said here in this blog that life is not about personal aggrandizement, it is about communal aggrandizement and that is my impetus for living. Nothing more is required for me. Think about that. The love we have within us cannot logically be given to ourselves, it must be given to others. For that love to have any significant effect, it must be real, so that the ones receiving it know it's validity. The only way I know for sure how to give love to others is to remember how love was given to me and pass that along the same way. This is so hard to write for me because I am experiencing the emotion it is bringing out in me. I should also remember that I have been loved and shared life with some amazing souls. That they are gone is not as unhappy with me now because I do get to remember them and what they gifted to me.

Are we stronger than hate? (#1863)

Time will tell on this one in our current era. Here in America we have as a whole become less involved in our society's structure and more involved in our own concept of self-gratification. We do this at our peril since there are forces out there who are not modern nor are they reasonably civilized. They have a thirst for power and control that cannot be sated. I will tell you here that these abominable forces are embedded within the Republican party and they are pushing their agenda through such deception that even some who pay attention cannot comprehend their subtle power play against us. By us I mean regular ordinary American folks who not only want better for our own lives but for the next generations that follow. All of us need to stop thinking about our own situations so much and start thinking about the big picture of our society. We cannot just trust that leaders in our country are fighting for us. A lot of them are instead fighting for a small faction of wealthy people who wish to subvert our democracy in favor of their "cure" for our lives. They have the added sense of privilege that sustains their efforts whereas all we have is our voice and our vote. But if we activate our voices and our vote we can combat their hatred for democracy in favor of a privileged plutocracy. Have no doubt that the good we feel inside us is not shared by their smiling faces with a metaphorical knife behind their backs, waiting to attack us. They would promote division through their own hatred to divide and conquer us but will we let them? That is the question of our age and it has yet to be determined.

The egotistical ignorant (#1862)

What a shame that so many of our citizenry are arrogant in their limited view of reality. I am both heartsick and angry as hell about too many people who can only see into their pocketbook and nothing beyond. They conveniently ignore the misery all around them and instead complain about not having enough! They focus on their own little world of pleasures and diversions as an example of how we should live while the world all around them is crumbling. They have no empathy toward others where they have built this paradigm of blame that suits and justifies their taking. For them it is about living life to their fullest as their own self, not as a part of a larger whole. They find that their knowledge has reached it's end about who we are as a people and how we should all act within their idea of society. Nothing anyone can say will move them that has an opposing view to their arrived at understanding regardless if it destroys the logic of their arrived at understanding. It all boils down to who really has a heart and soul for reality and who would rather not consider such things. I continue to divest myself of such ones as a measure to control my own sanity. I will not associate with those who see differences in folks based upon nothing more than all of our current dilemmas. It is a shame for our country to be seen as a caring and giving country while our citizens reflect the very opposite of that. I know I live up to that ideal and continue to apologize to the Universe for my fellow citizens' thoughts and actions but I will not let them steal from me the identity I know is right and good. Our self determination requires that we relentlessly study the facts of reality, not change them to fit our own narrative of reality.

American slavery of Africans (#1861)

I like to title my posts after the running number of my posts when it seems like a significant date, this is one of those. 1861 brought us the first fighting between the North and the South. Upon President Lincoln's election in November 1860, he had declared that "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free...". (1) With his election and subsequent intent to free America from slavery, the South rose up and declared a secession from our Federal Government and thus began 11 southern states fighting for a Confederacy while 21 Northern states fight to keep the whole union intact. (2) The fighting that started nearly four years to the day is finished in 1865 when the South surrenders. Less than a week later President Lincoln is assassinated. (3) All this to break the fever of slavery and an intent to return all men to the dignity of self-determination. The past behavior of our nation should serve as a reminder that the struggle to self-determination has been hard fought with lost life and limb as it's vessel. Those who still see the concept of slavery as a means for production have not given up the ghost in that area but instead have tweaked their ambitions toward lesser forms of slavery that still serve their greedy and lustful purposes. Although the war between the North and South ended with a Northern victory, the South has not been easily weaned from it's intent to treat some as less or more than others. The South may be a more common example of this but let's be clear, everywhere there are some who think the notion that race is still unequal in it's privilege. However, what I will say is that there are more who think that what Martin Luther King Junior said in his "I have a dream" speech is still the morally correct ethic: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

(1), (2), (3) http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/

When politicians embrace the losing logical argument (#1860)

I have been shaking my head for years now at the Republican party. Not that the Democratic party is perfect, but that the Republican party is just so bad! Like I state in my title, When politicians embrace the losing side of the argument as the way forward I again am dumbfounded. Surely these politicians, most all in the Republican party are not illogical human beings. So what is it that makes them follow an illogical path? I can only surmise that they are driven by some wildly complicated theory that requires destroying society as we know it or that they are being manipulated by someone else or they have sold out. Either way they have it wrong!!!!! Now that is one part of the problem, the other part are the voters who continue to elect them into office. What is their motivation for tearing down what has been built over centuries to be replaced by what? And, why don't they instead want to build on what we have to make things even better? Surely I could go back to education being the problem or some generational prejudices being forwarded through culture but even those seem incomplete in explaining why too many want what is worse over what is better since we all have to live in the time we share? The only general conclusion I can come up with that explains most of this is that in America we don't have laws against news organizations telling lies. We have what is supposed to be the deterrent to lying called the market place, yet lies can be so subtle that the market place isn't enough to stop the dishonor. We need to have strong laws that punish lies in media, while protecting truthful first amendment rights of free speech, and then maybe we will all get the truth from which to decide to follow the winning logical arguments.

Life should be fun (#1859)

I don't care about those moral ethicists who think that hard work is the only way we should be living our lives. I do care about everyone having as much fun out of life as possible. All these ethical equivalencies with work and denial is archaic and disheartening to our spirits. I am saying that work, hard work is good for us to accomplish things but work is the means to an end, not an end unto itself. "Nose to the grindstone" is not a way of life but a necessity at times within life. What is a necessity in life is having and enjoying the fun in life. We live for a very short average time, with many who live even shorter than average. What we do in that time will register very little in the overall scheme of things but in our own lives will register mightily. The best of life is in the joy of having fun. I will not be like so many puritanical souls who find the solace of self denial as a model for living, while I also will not find being a court jester with no conscious acceptable either. There is middle ground between staying busy with our time and making that time productive in our lives through having fun. We do this already as we try to vacation with our families or just spend quality time when doing ordinary things together. However we must not let the concept of work dominate our time as a requirement of society, but only as a requirement based upon our own sense of how to create fun opportunities. Fun is my goal and work is my way of making fun more enjoyable. So let's stop being so severe on ourselves about material things and start being proactive in establishing more opportunities for ourselves to have fun.

We are all worthy (#1858)

Often times when I was growing up I felt that I wasn't as worthy as others. Like I was less because of things I thought or were part of or didn't stop from happening. I thought it was just me who was incapable of being a model citizen. What I learned over time is that I am not alone in this fearful unworthiness thinking. We all go through times in our lives when we feel less than we should have been. We all make mistakes, even when at the time, the mistakes weren't apparent. It is the nature of our species to learn through trial and error when we cannot reason out or are not given the solution to so many choices we have to make. Thus like all of us at some or many times in our lives we realize and humbly accept our regret for not being what we wish we had been instead of being who we were at the time. I cannot go back and change anything about myself but what I can do is accept that I am worthy of being alive and in that make a better effort to be a better person. It is my choice to be a better person, no one else has the right or the duty but me. All the influences around me cannot make me choose, only I can choose and live with the results of my choice. That is where I am now and the difference in now as opposed to back then is that I live through my principles. I have embraced a right and correct way of rationalization onto action that serves me in not only how I feel about what I think and do but sets an example for others to follow should they so desire. I was worthy of life then, even when I was wrong about some things, because like all of we humans, making mistakes is one way we get to learn. In many ways how we actually learn from those mistakes and devise a rationale for not making mistakes in defining who we are is where we hopefully will end up.

The price of ignorance (#1857)

So you don't care about what is going on around you because your experience has been that nothing much changes. Well that is correct if you don't know what you have. Being ignorant to how our system of government operates and it's purpose is probably the most destructive failing in our society. If all you do is occasionally listen to what others tell you about what the "facts" are you are really doing a disservice to yourself and those whom you come into contact with. Even listening to me here tell you that being ignorant to politics has a price, should require you to question my hypothesis and inform yourself as to whether I am right or wrong. Generally though you should be able to understand that being uninformed allows for things to happen to you that you don't have a say in. I am not saying you need to be an expert on every subject out there in politics but I am saying that you need to know the basic facts of policies that have a direct impact on your life. Don't you want to be part of what effects you? Of course you do but you have to pay a price for it. Yes, you have to take some of your valuable time and spend it on learning the logic of why our society exists. What is a democracy and what should it accomplish in this day and age? Simple enough to start and you will curiously find that this stuff is interesting and it also allows you to talk with other folks who are interested also. We have a commonality of purpose beyond our goal of living life in a carefree way that sates our appetites. We have to live in this world well beyond our youth and what kind of policies we understand and support will carry forward with us throughout our lives.

Civilization or barbarism (#1856)

For me, the coming election here in America this coming November will define which type of society we want, either to build or tear down toward. It is simple really, some want us to have the barbaric days before we first started coming together in which each individual or group would call it's own shots about all things in life. A vision that relies totally on self reliance without regard to circumstance or frailty. This type of world view has at it's core the idea that selfishness is a virtue and should be protected at all costs to which one can afford. A strategic idea that pits us against each other for the coveted slot of actual king of the hill. Now the winners in this type of society will always trumpet that they deserve their exalted place in society as they outworked or outsmarted everyone else. This would be true if everyone started out from the same place but that is not the case so anyone who does say that they are entitled to their accomplishments above others is making a false analogy. Now the other side of the upcoming reality will be whether civilization is valued above the gunslinging ideas of barbarism. Civilization requires rational thoughts with generally acceptable reasoning to decide how we include all in our policies. Which is why democracy works so well. When democracy is applied equally we find that policies must allow for opportunities to be fundamental. We carve out exceptions to help those who are unable to participate equally, but for the most part we design our policies to effect as many as possible without regard to prejudice or privilege. Civilization will not build itself forward into our existence's changing time and space, that is our responsibility. So this coming November will tell much about the psyche of the American voter and our overall vision for the future.

Wake up people! (#1855)

There is a real war for the soul of the American people going on in politics right now and most people seem to be unaware of it. Republicans are blatantly trying to wrest the levers of power and finance from the American people and most of us are just too busy in our lives to either want to know or to care at all. Why is that? Are we a stupid group of Americans? Don't we care about the quality of life we should be living? We have one of the most transformative Presidents in decades trying his heart out to keep our country from falling into economic ruin due to many previous Republican policies but he is also trying his best to lift our country out of an economic, via income inequality, calamity continuing to happen. Yet most people are disinterested or would rather just get their talking points from dishonest Republican politicians and their "news" outlets. I am so ashamed of our American people for being so lazy about the truth and the facts of the reality we all live in. I will continue to scream the truthful facts of things from the top of my lungs and stand ready to fight anyone who deliberately lies in order to destroy the democracy we all share. I know we are better than what we have shown so far and it is not too late to turn from the mindless distractions we occupy ourselves with and take the little time needed to ask questions about why we can't have what most the rest of the world are now already enjoying. Why can't we be the leader in good things for our people instead of the followers of Republican disciples who have nothing but gloom and doom for our citizens unless they are wealthy? Most of us are not wealthy but what we do want is to be happy and we can do that by waking up to the truth of what is going on around us and voting accordingly.

A beautiful mind indeed! (#1854)

I will never understand the power of my own mind. Although I was born into an existence that both piqued my curiosity and frightened me at the same time, I have been able to handle it somehow. Thanks to the power of my mind. What my mind does for me is impossible to completely relate, but here goes. My mind allows for me to see perspectives that are different from just one view. My mind allows me to comprehensively understand the significance of change. My mind allows me to remember the best of what life has given me. My mind is indispensable to me being able to function in a congruent manner with both my principles and my hopes. My soul has it's emotional connection with my mind and of course both are as prized as the other, but my mind helps me to realize the beauty of my soul and it's desires. Without the magic my mind does with interpreting all the impulses I am bombarded with through my senses I would be a walking mass of interconnectedness. So it is with my hopes and dreams, they are simplified through my mind and offered to my understanding soul as desire and possible formative action. My mind is the grand central station of my existence and my own self awareness. Everything is cleared through my mind and that my mind has my best intentions at the core of it, is my humbled good fortune. This existence is strange and wonderful to every degree imaginable. Yet my mind allows me to find a zone of comfort within existence while giving me hope for some good something yet to occur.

Dismissing the irrational (#1853)

Life is too short to be fooling around with illogic. I have come to the point of recognizing that most people truly do understand positive thinking and policies and when they disregard positive thinking and policies it is because they have an agenda and a strategy to stop the positive thinking and policies. So I don't waste time on them anymore. I keep moving forward and turn their rhetorical nonsense down to a quiet abstraction. Again, life is too short and not doing right by all of us only continues pain and suffering, both physical and mental, to those who are continually being left behind due to strategic obstruction by those who have only their own values as priorities, instead of everyone's necessity. I have been accused of being stubborn about not taking illogic as a value but in defense of my stance, I don't accept that illogic has value. Too many of these illogic souls try so hard to fit reason into their concept regardless of whether the reason is correct. They have come to a conclusion and now try to create premises to make their arguments winnable. The problem, like all attempts at using logic, need to be built from the premises on up to a conclusion, not the other way around. Surely there are times when a conclusion can be made and then premises given within a logical equation to prove the conclusion, but the process begins at the premise level and then the conclusion becomes what is logically proven from the premises. I use logic with common sense as my gateway to debating arguments and nothing else is worthy of me wasting my time on. Life is too short to waste on irrationality and hoped for disproved conclusions.

If you are eligible to vote then vote! (#1852)

It is most irritating that folks who are eligible to vote in elections refuse to do so because they don't care enough about what is going on or they don't think their vote matters. Both excuses are wrong. For one not to care about what elections mean is for one to abdicate that what matters in life is only for others to decide. Which is wrong headed since we are all affected by the outcomes of elections. Especially in today's reality where a very polarized religious right crowd would subdue our democracy so that they could install a theocracy. Yes, a theocracy based upon biblical scriptures instead of being based upon democracy which promotes freedom, liberty, justice and equality. If you think that not caring about your franchise to vote is a solution then remember this, the same crowd that wants a theocracy over a democracy also wants to restrict your right to vote. Yes, your right to vote may no longer exist if these right wing conservatives win in the upcoming election. Maybe you think that your one vote is not worth all the time and effort it takes to actually learn the policies and cast a vote. Well, if life has proven one thing to me it is that remaining ignorant and not involving myself in the issues of the day leave me vulnerable to others who would try to define how my life is lived. The beauty of living in our democracy is that we all get to say what our lives could be like if we participate in our elections. If however we choose to let others think and act for us then don't complain when you find out that others have taken your rights and restricted your possibilities.

The theoretically wrong "right" (#1851)

I refuse to be sucked into the black hole that is the current conservative movement here in the United States of America. It makes no sense unless you consider what their policies aim to do. They want the overwhelming majority of Americans to fight and struggle over an ever shrinking piece of the American dream, of hard work and dedication to our hopes, on the more difficult chance that we can succeed in mighty ways. They are trying to rig the system even more so that those who have the sociopathy to put their own greed before community good can continue to live in the moment without regard to our collective futures. Conservatives have allowed their prejudices and their egos to dismiss reality to those who are not them with the excuse that those "others" are lazy and worthless "subhumans". As goes the Republican party so goes the idea that the "elite" are privileged with rules outside the law when it comes to their shortcomings while the rest of us are not. The conservative movement here in the US is not only stagnant but it is compulsively selective about it's backward thinking. From denying science in general to any policy that discounts capitalism over democracy. Conservatives are for religious teachings only if the religious teachings are beneficial toward the idea that individualism is sacred and community is an evil. How they pretzel themselves with their words to create the impression that they are righteous all the while destroying the very foundation of righteous living. Loving their brothers and sisters is not to be borne when the act of loving their brothers and sisters requires them to sacrifice anything they have "earned".

Democracy is the only legitimate power for rule (#1850)

There is no other political power structure in existence that compares to what democracy offers. All the other structured standards for rule have not the will of the people at it's core. We are all the people, not just the people who have the most wealth and resources. How our economy has operated over the last several millenniums has been less than equal, so any structure that allows for privilege based on wealth and resource is biased at best and manipulative at worst. So eliminating governing models based on economic values leaves us with religious and moral models to inspect. We have had religious models of rule over the course of our human history and although inspirational in thought, they lack absolute inclusion and as well degrade into authoritarianism. Any other moral structure also leaves many on the outside and cannot be sustained since the idea of morality has always been somewhat fluid in our civilization and therefore cannot be a foundation. The only structured political concept ever proven to work is a democratic model. Where all the people get a say in how our presents and futures are valued. The protection of our democracy therefore is prioritized above all other paradigms. What democracy gives us is a floor from which to propel our better and best ideas. We all get a chance to affect our civilization as best we can. Some will have great ideas and others will not but we all get to decide what and if those ideas are allowed to come to fruition. It is our duty to be involved in our democracy and should be a crime if not utilized in basic ways. Yes, we should feel a punishment for not protecting our democracy through participation. As well we should also feel a benefit from participation as a means to encourage participation.

What could we humans become? (#1849)

The thought of us not being like who we are now is rarely brought up in normal discussions but just how cool would it be for us to imagine what we could become like? Now most of us free thinking individuals of an enlightened persuasion believe that we humans have evolved over time to become who we are now. But if the same amount of were to elapse what would we humans appear to be and what abilities would we have? With all the technology and scientific advancements being discovered, we surely won't be like who we are now. The advancement of biological genetics along with artificially intelligent robotics, one could easily imagine themselves with a hybrid human body capable of extended longevity and increased durability. Now the ethics and morality of such thinking must of course have it's argument and surely that is proper and correct, but the advancing of time and discovery will not be placated. So in conjunction with the best of our natures our bodies may become much more applicable to living in this earthly existence and any other existence that awaits us in the Universe. Of course there will be religious objections about how we were created as we are and no one should "mess" with that, but religious objections of this nature cannot stand the scrutiny of facts and logic. I do appreciate the caution that religion forwards but not the grounds for it's foundation. We can achieve a greater "post" human species without losing the principles by which we live. Finding the good and the great about our caring and our wondering is still at the heart of whatever modified human species we could and I may say here, should become.

The falsity of privilege (#1848)

It is to our eternal shame that too many of our societies nurture and protect the concept of privilege. By doing so we continue to subjugate those who are not privileged as lesser than and all that goes with that. Notwithstanding the hateful and cowardly comments of Republican spokesman Ted Nugent describing our President as a mongrel, a lesser species than himself, we continue to breed the nonsensical idea that equality is only for those who deserve it. Only the petty and fearful are capable of living in a paradigm where they must protect themselves from equality. No one human is better or worse than another human being unless of course we are comparing thoughts and actions. We are all the same based upon science and biology. So anyone or any organization that separates out humans from other humans based solely upon prejudice and fear, is false and not worthy of recognition. The absurdity of allowing equality to some while denying that same equality to another is an example of privilege as it is being practiced far too much. When it all boils down to whom is denying and allowing privilege, it is clear that like protects like, so when differences are observed based upon nothing more than appearance, like denies different. The only way to subdue and eliminate privilege is to order a system that has only simple rules to follow. Where all have a voice without constraint and all have opportunity without restriction. Privilege is a by-product of institutionalized fear and the dismantling of that same institutionalized fear is required through courage and force of will.

Rebooting my spirit (#1847)

Everyday I wake up is a new reboot to my life and that is not new, but when I am not feeling my best during my waking hours I have found a way to "dump the funk" and start afresh. I do this through listening to the music that has touched my soul from the beginning of my life until now and beyond. There is something about harmonic waves that have a soothing and invigorating genesis on my spirit. I know I am not the only one since my experiences in life have shown me this, as well as helping me it does help others also. It is like music is a salve to whatever ails us for the most part. I would be remiss if I also didn't mention that being selfless also helps reboot me but for all the little annoyances in life that cannot always be easily cured through selflessness, there is always some music close enough to bring me out of whatever has temporarily sunk my spirit. It is as if the waves generated by the sounds of the music speak to my soul and allows my spirit to respond in a way that releases the angst and gives my being a refreshing. I interchange soul and spirit often since for me they seem to be "joined at the hip" with little distinction between them. I suppose my soul has a deep conscious for all things while my spirit is the effervescence of my distinct individualism. Regardless, they both have the responsibility of satisfying the care and wonder that make up who I am. So staying on top of my best nature is my goal and getting to the point of beginning to be my best is served well by the foundation of welcome music. 

Simple minded arrogant people (#1846)

It is as if many people cannot see the forest for the trees. The bigger picture seems to get lost when all some will do is make their life better regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately we have many just like that as our political leaders. Many from the Republican party but also a few from the Democrats. I am a Democrat because fortunately, Democrats for the most part, are able to see the bigger picture about how our society should be a pleasure and a privilege to be part of instead of like Republicans who can only see the uneven scrambling of the survival of the fittest rationale. To be simple minded and arrogant is a hopeless and dangerous combination that has no good outcome coming forward. I cannot say this enough, our political leaders must put humility first in their reasoning to forward our society's ambitions. Yet what we find instead in too many of our political leaders is a sense of entitlement and privilege that does not extend to those who have voted for them and those who are at their mercy. The service of public office is not some coronation of power consolidation with greed and lust at it's core. It is a humbling and soul searching responsibility to tackle the ills and misadventures our society still is encountering from nefarious policies and twisted mental acceptances of our past. Our leaders should inspire courage as well as set an example that all can admire and respect. We people need leaders who place themselves last before their constituents and seek humility in all their decisions that would and should improve our lives in intelligent and caring fashions.

Intermittent moments of brillance (#1845)

I can say this much about how my mind works, it is sporadic when it comes to a light bulb going off in my head. I had an example of it this morning. I have been putting up with a start up issue on my computer for many months and although it was a minor issue, it was like a small sliver in my hand, it bothered me. Well this morning I had a thought, and through following that thought I fixed the minor start up problem and it is no more. Funny how after many months of an irritation, I was able to spend about 10 minutes of my time to rectify it. Why didn't that thought of how to fix it come to me earlier? Like I said, my moments of brilliance are intermittent. What I do take from this is that if I am patient long enough a problem does eventually receive a solution. The moral is comforting although not efficient. What I also take from this is that my mind locks into a perspective and is not quickly movable. In other words, I stay in a mental block on how to address a problem with my own convenience at stake far too long. I can't say that I am as mind blocked on issues that effect the rest of us but for myself I seem to give little mental effort to challenge my own dimensions where my own efficiency is concerned. That is okay though since I have learned to live with my self frustrations my whole life and again I have the fortune to learn the lesson of patience. Someday though I hope I can elevate my mind to solve, eventually simple and workable solutions that are easily applicable to my own personal problems. 

When money is more important than people (#1844)

We know this dilemma all too well. It seems that obtaining money, either through work or loan, the cost is high for we humans without and low for those who already have it. Somehow our laws and thinking on this makes it acceptable to treat people as worthless and money as everything. Now I know it isn't that extreme on either side but it feels like it. The utility of money is an exchange for barter only but we have changed and added to that definition. Now we treat money as some status of worth which we place on other humans. It is the greed for money and our own low self esteem that has allowed this paradigm to exist. It is fostered by those who have an advantage and the privilege of controlling our political/economical power structure. I am but just one voice among a few who would like to see money devalued to it's original intent of just being currency used for exchange. For me, each human has an unlimited potential for value and as such each individual human should be allocated some monetary sum to begin life with. Think about this, we are all just living on this planet for a while and hopefully we will move on to other planets as a purposeful priority. We are not here just to accumulate money and hoard it for our pleasure. Our society of humans must recognize that all of us living humans deserve the dignity of life we claim so vigilantly for ourselves. So our political and economical system must reflect our reality. The days of survival of the fittest should be behind us and the age of enlightened thinking and respectful living should be before us.

My goodbye for posterity (#1843)

No, I am not going anywhere that I know of. However before I do leave this existence it is prudent of me to share that I will miss this existence. It is not a perfect existence nor has it been without mighty struggles at times, yet overall, I am glad I had a life here on Earth despite all my faults and the faults within our civilization. I wish I could have learned more about our Universe since it seems that exploring space outside our planet has come to no immediate priority for our species at the end of my life cycle, yet what I have learned is remarkable and has quenched my curiosity somewhat. I have enjoyed my youth and all the tumultuous emotions that experience afforded me. I have loved and I have hated to some degree as real feelings within me. Although the hated part is not recommended, the loved part is. I have found and experienced my passion for some people and for a few causes which served to define to myself who I am and what I am capable of. I still do carry many of my passions for others and for principles that soar my spirit. What I will miss are the sights and sounds this planet has offered. I will miss the taste of sweets and sours of all varieties and I will miss the touch and smell of the women who found themselves in my arms. What I will miss most of all though is my mind. I will miss the imaginations and creations of my inner thoughts that could have been more. While my body continues to fade from it's once sturdy frame, my mind keeps me as it always has, a young boy who found himself living in a world with unlimited possibilities if only it would be.

Everything starts from within us (#1842)

I am not a mixture of conundrums, I actually have an idea about who I am and what I want to accomplish in life. It took me a while to figure that out but once I realized that I have control over who I am, despite the struggle I have with my own shortcomings, I was able to define to myself what my goals in life are and will be going forward. I "found myself" such as it is. Instead of molding myself to the whims of society, I found that honorable principles should and do guide my life. I gave up being selfish, such as I am able, and instead focused my energy on keeping positive while doing good things for others. Now most of the time a side effect of doing good things for others actually ends up being good for me but that is an effect not the cause. Although I will say that I know that when I can do something from me out to others I am always left with a satisfaction that brings me a joyful peace. It reminds me of how sublimity might be. The radiance that emanates from my soul after being selfless is so enjoyable that I can't but help to want more and more. They say that money can't buy everything and that is hard to imagine given how our society worships at it's greedy altar, but for sure money cannot buy inner peace that radiates from the inside out. Like all things we want to own for ourselves or at least control the thoughts and actions of coming from within us, it takes courage to accept that the buck stops with each of us. We have to have the strength of conviction and the principled perseverance to allow ourselves the dignity of our own individualism within our contract of community.

Why we celebrate (#1841)

Our lives are so complicated these days so it is necessary for us to have special calender days to celebrate the events in life that we can show the world. Given our own devices for remembering what is important to us many of us would likely fail on a consistent basis. That life is hard enough just getting from the beginning of one day to the end of that same day, it is good that we are reminded of why we strive so hard to make our lives better. So today is another of those days where we can honor our good fortune. When something good is attained or achieved it is of great value to share that with those who care enough to appreciate the success. We often lose sight of our values attained, but in keeping with a great tradition, we are afforded an opportunity to express our good fortune through a marked day to remember. These days that are set aside to celebrate what is best about our society are vital in that we in common can say to existence that despite the chaos and uncertainty of our futures, we appreciate the benefits we can assimilate now. These marked calender days highlight the natural instinct of our care for each other in special ways that spur our imaginations to even greater appreciation. When we have some special calender day for all that we value then we shall have achieved a bountiful life that demands to be known by all the world. The better and best of who we are continue to be the most purposeful way to live our lives and acknowledging those purposeful events is how we pass on our values for those who follow us to live by example or improve upon.

The absurdity of intentionally sabotaging the good (#1840)

Some people have to be right so badly that they are willing to destroy everything around them in order to find an excuse that justifies them. They are incapable of changing with the evidence and instead attack the messenger or the process of logic from whence the evidence is derived as a means to continue with their absurdity. Why is it that some of us can only see the world through a narrow field of view? It has a lot to do with their own sense of insecurity and their hold on to whatever they consider to be wisdom. No one likes to have their foundational beliefs questioned and then proven wrong, no one! However, it happens all the time to the best of us and although it is painful to realize that we are mistaken, it is far better to know as soon as possible so that we can make adjustments and continue moving forward. No one thinks less of a person who has learned a new concept to add to their overall perspective, but we do think less of those who refuse to learn for the sake of pride or misplaced faith. For those who choose to live in intransigence on the facts of reality, there is a consequence the rest of us must bear. We are all in this together and when some of us are not rationalizing through common sense and logic then the rest of us are stuck with nonsense and irrationality mixed with our progressive modernity. We all need to be pulling our proverbial oars in the right direction. When we don't the direction we are rowing becomes chaotic at best. One thing all of us need to remember and remember well, we are not the voice or mind of perfection. We are not the one and only in life. We are just a cog in the stream of life that has endured before us and will endure after we are gone.

Fear is not be our motivator, curiosity is (#1839)

The Republicans think that if we all are in fear of our lives we would be a better society. Their logic goes somewhat like this; if we have no social safety net then we will work harder to make sure we have what we need to survive. In a perfect societal structure this logic is still wrong. Some don't have the mental stability to take care of themselves and others are too old, too young, too weak and too infirmed to take care of their own needs. Now we don't live in a perfect world so it is even harder because right now there are not enough job opportunities to go around for everyone. Not only that the ones who control the currency are not in a sharing mood unless we know someone or are willing to mortgage everything we have in order to secure a loan. Now those who already have currency can surely get more easily, but the many who don't are less fortunate in trying to start a venture. So although Republicans like to think in the abstract that fear is a great motivator, what fear is in reality, is quite different. It is a depressing, soul crushing experience when being felt in conjunction with no solution. We Democrats have a different perspective on what motivates our citizens best to build better lives and that is education. When we release the curiosity within ourselves we begin to change our outlook on what is possible not only for ourselves but for those around us. Our imaginations are expanded which not only serves to create new ideas about our current society but also about our future one. Fear is a tactic of those who cannot envision the possible, instead it is their way of maintaining their own sense of status quo. Well we are not about marking time, we are about advancing into time and space with all the care and curiosity we can generate.

Build up the good or tear down the good; a tale of two political parties (#1838)

Naturally it is all in what is defined as good so let me give just a few examples. Social Security/healthcare for our elders, disabled and poor; unemployment for our out of work; treating women equally and voting rights for all citizens. The Democrats, who want to build on the good have been striving hard to make that happen while the Republicans, who want to tear down the good, have been striving equally hard to keep any progress on the good coming to fruition. In fact, the Republicans have been busy as well weakening what exists now with the good. It is their overall strategy to destroy government care for those most vulnerable while restricting rights to women and voters. Somehow they have gotten the notion in their heads that only some deserve guaranteed rights while many "others" do not. Democrats see the situation much differently. They see the world as a union of humans who are interconnected. That we all have a voice, a vote and the right to be treated equally regardless of any "other" difference. Democrats see each human as a human, not like Republicans, who see each human as a subset of what they think humanity should be. All rights are established at the concept of human and need no further calculation, excepting limitations for harm we impose on all of ourselves. The Republicans and their go-it-alone strategy for society only rewards those who are willing to put greed, lust or power ahead of honor, duty and humility. We humans are naturally caring and curious about our existence and the idea that Republicans and their nasty brutish concept of humanity is worth following is delusional as well as ruthless.

Knowing our numbers and letters gives us freedom (#1837)

Mastering the basics of numbers and letters is the first step toward self sufficiency. When we can do equations and create sentences of our own, we have become independent from those who would calculate for us and think for us. Life on Earth is remarkable and some basic understanding of life's function within our understanding is vital to our being able to enjoy the total life experience. Too many of us are always eager to avoid learning when we can otherwise take a shortcut and use someone else's conclusions for our own. What is important is not that the conclusion may satisfy some need within our psyche, but more important is the thought process that gets us to that conclusion. Too many of us reach our conclusions without understanding the premises that built it. If we did we would surely come to a different conclusion more often. What has happened is we have become lazy about logic and it's significance to our own independence. When we can calculate numbers in ways that give us insight into what our possibilities are we then start from a place where we know we factually are. When we can follow the logic of words and their meanings to simple and complex rationales we also become independent from those who use our need for them to benefit themselves. This all starts from the idea that any shortcut is a good shortcut. Life is not about taking shortcuts, it is about living to the fullest within every step we take. Not giving away a single minute of our life to others who have no idea the intent of our own personal being. We all need to force ourselves to begin from the beginning if necessary in order to master our numbers and letters.

The struggle of life is natural (#1836)

There is some debate going on about whether it is more humane to end the life of an animal than to let it survive on it's own. This is a hard fact of reality that some animals are tortured by their existence and that mercy may better be applied to ending it's life instead of letting it continue to suffer. That is a solution but a solution without a prevention. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is an axiom that can be applied to most anything we can imagine. So instead of "solving" our wounded consciousnesses with a mercy killing, we may better put our time toward policies that actually lead to helping these cursed beings in ways that reduce their suffering for the crime of existing. We are the dominant species at this time on this planet and although we have many problems to sort through as to our own humanity, we must be able to multi-task on behalf of our sacred animal kingdom as well. As it is natural for we humans to struggle to survive I see no difference in our lesser animals having the same prodigious nature. My own pierced emotions about the mighty struggle some of our lesser animal friends endure is not to be soothed by committing a mercy death when other options are available. Surely when an animal is wounded severely without hope of restoration then a merciful death is humane. But only in that extreme circumstance is it humane to do so. Killing off animals who we think are struggling to survive in our cement, metal and plastic world because it offends our dignity, is not enough of a reason to end the life of a being. I am not to allow my sense of dominion to ease my own consciousness because I see the indignity we place upon the lesser animals and find that eliminating them is my only conscious salve.

We are all spiritual (#1835)

This is incontrovertible. All of us have some form of spiritualism that helps us to understand our connectivity to existence and possibly beyond. It comes from our conscious recognition and the one word we all subscribe to, why? "I think therefore I am"-Rene Descartes; is a concept that is not an absolute valid proof, as we could just be imagining we exist and that we can reason only in our imagining. However, it is sufficient for us to consider that we do exist and it then allows us to build from that. Within all of us is a soul, an entity that is not visible nor identifiable as to any part of our body, yet we know it is there within us. Our soul acts as our emotional compass, giving us joy and suffering in doses great and small. It is also that part of us that recognizes compatibility. We have each other to comfort and share with that our soul recognizes as necessary to our well being. There is a peaceful commonality to the knowledge that we are not alone in our existence. As our species continues to ask why, we start to understand that we were not just placed here on this planet out of nowhere. We are part of what is happening in the Universe and as well made up of the same energy that exists in the Universe. As such, we find that not only are we connected to each other through similarity and genetic code, we are also connected to existence through atoms and molecules. This is where our shared spirituality comes in. Now some of us transfer our spirituality into a form that resembles many religions of the world, and some others transfer their spirituality into a mixture of cosmic "stew", while still others consider no transference at all and instead refuse to identify any knowable understanding for their spirituality. Despite whether we interpret our spirituality or not, it is there within all of us doing what we need it to do to get through all the why's of this existence.

The Superhero in all of us (#1834)

We all have this instinct within us to save the day and bring about something special. I know I live for moments when my thoughts or actions might create an outcome that gives me a sense of kinship with the heroic figures of all time. I know for me that I need to be on the right of humanity when I choose to take up the defense or promotion of an ideal or cause. I have to know in my soul that what I am doing is right and good. It is the genesis of who I am and that was a choice I made long ago. I want to feel alive in what I do, even when I lose at my battles. It is far better than winning at something wrong and feeling that dead feeling inside for all the advantage I might have gained at others' expense. Life as a hero is a goal everyone should experience even if being the hero is in small ways every day. I don't know why we are alive or for that matter why any of us exist other than serendipity, but I do know what it feels like to be a heroic figure, even if for only a moment, and nothing much in existence compares to it. I know we get caught up in theoretical posturing on how our society should operate but while we are debating the issues of the day we must never forget that we are alive only for a short time and that life truly is about the living of it, not the theory of it. What we do and think matters and if our thoughts and actions aren't funneled toward demonstrating life in real time with real tangible results then we are just playing at life as spectators and not experiencing it. I choose to try to be a heroic figure because it displays what is best about our species and for that I am privileged to every once in awhile experience that magnificent sense of understanding.

Welcoming principles and firm conviction (#1833)

That which is within me. I know what is right and good and I don't falter in defending what is right and good. I love my life as me, however, most everything outside me is less than love worthy. So it is with resolve that I must not allow the less to become acceptable when a sure fire solution is available. Life really can be simple if we just trust our better natures to lead us to the truth of things. Now our better natures are the starting point and from there we need to research and learn how to make our better natures efficiently productive. What we all must do as well is take into consideration everyone, not just ourselves or our own view of who is worthy or not. There can be no prejudice in our better natures. All of life is unique and therefore beyond any judgement me may personally want to apply to it. That is why I titled this post with the term "welcoming principles". If we can only see beyond our own fears we would see a dynamic universe of life just waiting to experience this existence with their full potential. Any and all applications of societal structure that discounts that simple logic needs to be removed. We are the masters of our own reality despite the fears of those who see change as a danger to themselves. When the best of who we are is exposed to the light of day all of us are then uplifted to a new reality that only rewards the good we do. How can fear exist when the good is all we celebrate? Surely defining good within a society takes extraordinary determination and the conviction of our wills to give all of us the beginnings in life that we all expect for ourselves in a truly free and opportunity-filled society. Extraordinary determination and conviction of our wills aside, defining good is more simply done when we all pull together to help instead of hurt.

The intentional deceitful (#1832)

The case of too many of us not being informed enough about many subjects so we instead defer to sources or people who we have put some faith in without knowing for sure if they are intellectually honest. I am guilty of this many times over the course of my life. I choose to take someone else's position because somehow it fit the narrative of what I thought should be correct without knowing all the factors involved. A short cut if you will allow me to describe it as. I found that sounding smart sometimes actually took the place of being smart. Think of all the time I saved not having to actually research the arguments for and against some policies. Well that kind of thinking came back to shame me when I tried it against people who had actually learned the subject of our discussion. So instead of sounding important and knowledgeable I came off as someone who was ill prepared and not worthy of respect. I learned my lesson those many years ago and now I try my best to actually know what I am talking about before I talk about it. Or I admit right at the beginning that I am not sure since I didn't or don't know all the factors involved. It is truth that saved me and is now my guiding principle in matters of thought and practice. I actually don't mind admitting when I am proven wrong and even more I change my outlook based upon better information. I am not glued to any one idea of truth if that very same truth can be enlightened to a greater truth. Such is my life now, I don't try to impress anyone with my ability to be right, instead I just try to pass along information to help anyone who may realize it helps them. I have my positions on certain policies but not because I took someone else's position but because I actually learned mine through the proper research. 

Would've should've could've (#1831)

No this isn't a grammar lesson, it is a sense of loss about what might have been. All morning I have been remembering a shared love affair with a girl I had about 40 years ago. She and I were split apart by her grandmother with a threat to me in no uncertain terms at all. Her Grandmother's threat to ruin my life, her granddaughter being 17 and me being 19 was real enough to work given the law and the grandmother's resources, would have been especially unkind to me, and sufficiently ended the bond of two young souls who had found in each other such exceeding comfort and care. We were easily separated since I was committed to where I was and the grandmother whisked the daughter away from any chance of ever seeing me again. A common enough tale I think but what eats at me is that despite my physical strength and resolved love for my girl, I couldn't stop the will and the wealthy power the grandmother moved against me. Why the grandmother had to do what she did surely was justified in her own mind. I could only think that our economic class status had everything to do with it. What the grandmother failed to realize is that both my girl and myself  saw no differences with each other. We only wanted to start out our lives together and bring forth whatever we hoped and dreamed for. I have had so many life lessons while I have been here on this planet and this is just another that has shaped the person I have become. I am not bitter toward the grandmother, however I do now defend against her type of actions wherever I see them. While we both moved on from our relationship, I know I have had the occasional reflection of what might have been. Maybe some day we will cross paths again and this time we won't have some meddling parent to destroy us. 

Humble pie (#1830)

Tastes so good when I know it is the right thing to eat. lol. I am in a constant mode of being reminded that life isn't about what I want but it is about what is right and good. The two with me are not joined at the hip so I have to be diligent about what I think and say and what upon reflection I end up doing differently. It is okay to admit when I am wrong, in fact it is how I best learn about my own thought process and what is truly a better way of thinking. I don't care about being humbled in that I have been humbled so many times in my life that it is more second nature than the exception. The intent of my actions will undoubtedly always come to the fore when I am questioned about my choices in life but regardless of any ego that may still cling to my psyche, I will get where I need to be as to what is right and good. What is even more exceptional is that I have Internet friends who will call me out on choices I make with unbiased interest while being kind enough not to smoke my ass as an incompetent. lol. The idea of community is never stronger than when many of us share our own knowledge with others with only the intent to improve our lives. It is always incumbent upon me to recognize the selfishness of my own position and regulate it toward a more inclusive outcome. Even when it only concerns choices I make for myself. I need to be an example of all the battles for good out there not just the ones that pique my own personal interest. Anyway, this morning has been good for my soul since I find that getting to be a better person is always more acceptable than demanding to be a lesser one.