Personal interest expense and business interest expense are not treated the same

Just about nobody, persons or institutions, is eager to pay their fair share in taxes, yet, this nation depends upon tax revenues to take care of needed national matters, in which, it is therefore incumbent upon those individual taxpayers as well as corporate taxpayers that everyone thereby pays their fair share.  The thing is though when the tax code is rewritten and modified so that one entity gets more favorable treatment than another entity, this seems demonstrative of an unfair tax policy.  For instance, individual taxpayers that have taken out personal loans such as done with credit cards, or for a vehicle, are not permitted to utilize that interest expense as a deduction on their taxes.  Yet, a business enterprise is permitted to take out loans and thereby pay interest on their loans, in which, that typically is a deductible expense when it comes to their taxes.  In short, individual taxpayers that have consumer loans are precluded from the interest on those loans being tax deductible; whereas, businesses that take out loans on behalf of that business enterprise have that typically being viewed as tax deductible.

It would just seem logical that interest expense, whether for a consumer or for a business, should essentially be treated the same, because interest expenses, all initiate from the borrowing of money, and although the purpose behind that borrowing of such may be different, that shouldn’t be the relevant point, for interest has been paid and to therefore to determine that certain interest expenses are somehow not deductible; whereas, other interest expenses for businesses or home loans are deductible, is unfair.  It could be fairly argued that interest expense, in whole, should either be fully deductible, or it should not be deductible, at all. Of course, if the tax code were to eliminate interest expense as no longer being deductible for those who own a home and its corresponding mortgage interest expense, there would be some real howling, from homeowners.  So too, businesses that are quite adept in the borrowing of money will do so, because they can utilize that borrowed money, for instance, to buy back their own stock, and are permitted thus to write off that interest expense of what they are paying to borrow that money, so if that was eliminated, they too would howl.

The bottom line is that those who take on consumer debt through a credit card, typically have to pay a very high interest rate to do so, yet, they are precluded from deducting that interest paid on their tax return, which doesn’t make any real good sense, because the fact that they are borrowing that money on unfavorable terms, would strongly imply that their monetary position is not strong.  That is to say, we have a progressive income tax policy in this nation because it is believed that those who earn more, should pay more, but somehow we believe that those who pay a higher percentage of their income through interest on the loans that they have taken, shouldn’t have the right to deduct any of that; whereas, corporations that are worth hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars, are permitted to do so, with impunity.  That doesn’t sound fair or right.

Pensions, 401(k) plans, and the decline of the middle class

When it comes to legislative acts, there are the intended consequences of such an act, but there are also those unintended consequences, as well.  The thing about a society that has so many attorneys is the fact that highly intelligent and ambitious people have an inconvenient habit of taking a particular legislative act that is intended for one thing and utilizing it in a way and manner that it was not really intended for, instead.  That is to say, we read at ssa.gov, that “From 1980 through 2008, the proportion of private wage and salary workers participating in Defined Benefit (DB) pension plans fell from 38 percent to 20 percent.”  This thus begs the question as to what replaced those pension plans, and that is answered by 401(k) plans which came into effect through the 1978 Revenue Act.  The difference between a Defined Benefit pension plan and a 401(k) is the difference between the fact that pensions will provide the employee with a guaranteed lifetime annuity, typically based on years of employment as well as salary; whereas, a 401(k) plan may or may not have had any employer matching, and is basically then the employee’s contribution to their retirement, through the sacrificing of a portion of present salary to be thereby allocated into their retirement fund. In other words, pensions are funded by the employee’s company, and 401(k) plans are funded by the diversion of current salary into a retirement plan to draw upon when so retired.

As might be imagined, monies not being expended for pensions by corporations, thereby provides those same corporations with extra money to be distributed or utilized as they best see fit, of which, it can be said for a certainty, that money won’t be divvied up with regular employees but rather will have a strong tendency to go to stockholders in a form of a dividend, be reinvested into the company, or provided to those that are in upper management, instead.  So then, those who previously would have expected to have received a guaranteed pension in their retirement years, are now essentially responsible for their own retirement income stream, and therefore because of that lack of pension money, are easily susceptible to having a more difficult time in maintaining their status as part of the middle class during their retirement years.

So too, whenever corporations don’t feel a responsibility to take care of those employees who have been loyal and good workers for them, but instead leave them to essentially deal with their retirement on their own, we see that corporate fair play has, in essence, been replaced by greed. Additionally, those other corporations that desire to do the right thing by their employees may find themselves pressed to do the same sort of thing, so as to compete successfully against other companies, and are therefore inclined to suspend or delete their pensions, as well, leaving those that have labored hard for decades, to have to ride out their remaining years, wondering whether or not, they have the necessary funds to continue to have a quality life, along with also questioning if at the end of the day, they got a square deal or not, in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.

Solar noon and daylight savings time

For whatever reason, good or bad, the United States now has its time zones structured in such a way, that the majority of a given year is spent in daylight savings time, as compared to standard time.  While it is true, that humankind, can dictate however that they want to keep track of time, it doesn’t make much logical sense when that is done in a manner that takes us ever further away from what is known as solar noon.  That is to say, solar noon, or what we would typically expect to occur around 12:00 PM, is defined in simple terms as when the sun is at its zenith, of which, the closer that our time zone designates itself as noon thus matches, solar noon, the more true that time has been set. 

As we well know, the United States has considerable landmass, in which the continental United States, has four time zones, of which those that are located on the most eastern edge of that particular time zone, will more appropriately be in agreement with solar noon during standard time, and those then that are located on the most western edge will be most out of sync with such.  This is also further exacerbated when daylight savings time is in effect so that in a city such as Atlanta, solar noon would actually be at 1:36 PM, which isn’t really all that close to what solar noon actually is. So too, there are countries, such as China, which have dictated that all peoples within their borders, must be in the same time zone, so solar noon in some places in China is as late as 3:10 PM.

Perhaps none of this really matters, because societies can make up their own arbitrary rules about what time it is or is not, but the reality of the situation is that time should actually be sensible, consistent, and logical – of which, daylight savings time, is not a contributor to that so happening.  So too, the arbitrary changing of time does have an adverse effect on our body clocks, because of the inconsistency of what our body feels the time is, as compared to how that time has been mandated to us, in which, the vast majority of people are compelled to answer to the time so imposed upon them to work, to attend school, and pretty much anything that is based around a fixed time schedule.

Additionally, many Americans simply don’t understand what solar noon is, so they believe, somewhat logically, that noon, whether it is daylight savings or not, always represents the sun as being at its zenith, even though that isn’t true.  Indeed, those ancient civilizations who pre-existed us recognized the importance of time and depended upon the signs of the skies to direct what they needed to address in order to live, to grow crops, and to adjust to the various seasons of the year.  Today, we live in a day and age, in which, we can override that sensibility, and replace such with whatever that we want, as if by doing so, we thus prove that we have harnessed the sun to our time directive, though we have not.

The best automobile feature is having good brakes

When it comes to our automobiles, people are going to find all sorts of things that they really like about their car, probably doing with its overall look, its performance, its engine, its heated seats, its sunroof, its navigation system, its push start, its blind spot monitoring, its parking assistance, and pretty much anything that people perceive as being really cool or nice to have.  While there are definitely those people who appreciate features such as the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system which is used to detect a potential collision, as well as to provide a collision warning, and of which will also automatically apply the brakes so as to avoid that collision, this isn’t the feature that most people would list as being their favorite or best automobile feature, but they probably should.  The reason that brakes are so valuable is that it is the ability to brake that prevents us from getting into collisions, and because of those brakes, we thereby have fewer collisions.  So too, we need brakes in order to slow our vehicle down from the very high speeds that cars are capable of, as well as to turn corners, or to come to a complete stop, of which, brakes are fundamentally needed to properly operate a vehicle.

Not only are brakes of immense value, it has to be said to take a vehicle that weighs some 4000 pounds or more and is traveling at 65 miles per hour or greater, has quite obviously got a lot of momentum behind it and the fact that braking systems are so sophisticated and adept at slowing down or stopping a vehicle so competently is highly impressive. Also, we have to consider the fact that the braking system and the brake rotors and pads so utilized to effect that braking, are often capable of going many thousands of driving miles before needing adjustment, replacement, or modification.

Look, it has to be said, that brakes should not be underappreciated, because without reliable brakes, of which those brakes work reliably in all sorts of inclement weather, we would not be able to safely travel at the speeds that we travel at, because we would not have what we so needed to do that very thing.  It is one thing to be able to accelerate a vehicle and it’s another thing to be able to successfully steer such, but without reliable and effective brakes, our driving would be extremely dangerous, at any speed other than something akin to a walking speed. Undeniably, the brilliant engineering that has been part of the process to develop ever more sophisticated braking systems that help then to keep our roads and the drivers of those roads, safer than what they would be, without a good braking system, is a real benefit to society.

Indeed, we know how valuable brakes are, because all of us have been in those situations in which it is because of those brakes that we did not get into a collision, and collisions are not only very bad for the automobile but also extremely bad for those that are humans within that vehicle.  That is why the best automotive feature is good brakes because those brakes do a stellar job of keeping us out of harm and trouble.

Why can’t a baseball game end in a tie?

For whatever reason or reasons, Major League Baseball, does not desire that any of their games in their 162-game regular season should ever end in a tie game, as if somehow, for a game to end in a tie is equated to a crime or an unacceptable result.  The bottom line is that there are many a sport that permits a tie or have permitted a tie to be part and parcel of their sport, so the fact that a given game ends in a tie, shouldn’t be seen as something that is never done, or that shouldn’t be permitted.  Indeed, the basic understanding of why MLB has decided that regular season games should not ever end in a tie is a mystery. That said, it is understood that approximately 9% of the games so being played end up going to extra innings, in which those games previous to the new rule change could go on for many innings, and it was thus decided by MLB to add a feature, in which, each extra inning would start with a runner on second base, to encourage scoring, which is the proximate reason why games previously went on for so many innings because each side of the MLB game wasn’t able to score a run.  The thing is though, that having a ghost runner on 2nd base just seems like a really bad idea, and completely unnecessary, for there is quite obviously a more sensible solution to having too many extra innings, which can be alleviated if MLB permitted regular season games to end in a tie. 

Further to the point, one of the reasons why MLB doesn’t like games that go multiple extra innings is because of travel and because of multiple pitchers having to be used, along with various other reasons, which could all be alleviated, if it was determined that extra-inning games would consist of no more than two innings, or a total of 11 innings in a game, in which, if the game was still tied, the game would be recorded as a tie.  This really shouldn’t be a big deal and would keep the integrity of the game, as opposed to some runner in the extra innings, just somehow appearing on 2nd base, when he hasn’t done anything to earn being on that base to begin with.

Indeed, it is fundamentally wrong for MLB, as compared to College baseball or Minor League Baseball, to make it their point, that the only thing that they seem to care about, is seeing that a given game that goes to extra innings, is over sooner as compared to later.  Well, in consideration that individual games are set for nine innings, except when the game is tied, it doesn’t seem all that difficult to mandate that extra innings, would consist of no more than two innings and thus be done with it.

After all, the purity and integrity would be better represented if MLB would simply allow games that are tied after 11 innings to end in a tie, as opposed to deliberately creating a rule that makes it easier for either team to score, as if the most important thing for the MLB in a tie game, is for that game to simply be over.

The supreme importance of immortal truth

We live in a day and age in which an appreciable amount of people in Western nations, seem to clearly be descending into confusion and self-delusion in the belief that somehow there are multiple truths in this world, all of which are legitimate, and therefore all of which, is therefore true.  Besides the quite obvious fact that this is utter nonsense, we have to keep in mind that those who will not take the time to discover the one Truth are the very same who will not progress in their development but will undoubtedly be subject to regressing in such.

In life, each of us has a solemn duty to find what it is that actually actuates our true being, and in that finding, we will not only become enlightened, but we will know the truth.  That said, to know the truth of our existence and our purpose therefore, is not though enough for us to become what we were always meant to become, but this though does provide us with the required pathway to circumvent the imprisonment of sin, by recognizing that only in truth is it conceivable that a conscious being can truly be free.  In other words, those who know and live Truth, are not going to be sinful and will not be in error, for by knowing Truth, they are aware that it is that truth that sets them free from the errors and the ignorance that others have fallen prey to.

Indeed, how much time is wasted by those who expend their efforts upon not only that which serves no good purpose but also on that, which is counter to God’s good laws.  For certain there are many a person who believe that they know what is really going on, but in actuality, haven’t a solid clue, and because they are devoting their time and energy to a false construct, they end up making little or no progress to achieving something of merit.  It has to be said, there is no higher devotion that any person can perform than to seek out the truth of their existence, and once that they know that, to be harmonious with that truth.  After all, there are plenty of people and entities, that actually know the truth, but do not use that knowledge for good, but prefer instead to stir up trouble.

Undeniably, all those who sin and commit error are those who either do not know the truth or have deliberately chosen to defy such to their own detriment.  While one might think that to be free, is to have freedom of choice, to do good or to do bad, this miscasts freedom as a pathway that diverts from truth and cannot then therefore be right.  Instead, those that are free, are only those that are without sin, because being without sin, they are thus intimately connected to Truth, and immortal Truth is that which provides us with the sure knowledge that we are no longer suffering from that which diverts us from the only Entity that provides us with not only eternal sanctuary but also the immortal love of that absolute Truth.

Lording over others

Indeed, there is a natural tendency for many a person to fall into the rather bad habit of lording it over others, as if they and they alone, know what is best, and if they and they alone, know who is more important and of value.  The salient problem with lording it over others is not only the fact that those that are being dominated or belittled or going to be resentful of such, but also that one person has thus made themselves superior to the other so that there is never going to then be a true meeting of equals in that type of scenario.  Further to the point, those that lord it over the other, have a very strong inclination to believe that what they are so doing to the other, is basically right, because they contend that this is the natural course that events have taken, and they simply are following through on that.

No doubt, people are not the same the world over, for we come from different backgrounds, different parenting, different schooling, and so on and so forth, of which, those who believe that the milieu that they are a part of, is somehow superior to the other, will have no real difficulty in acting the part, if they do not seemingly possess the capability to reflect that all human beings are created equally and of which, each human, is thereby entitled to the same unalienable rights.  Rather, those who believe that they are superior find it rather easy sleighing to dismiss those that they consider to be inferior as therefore being less than they are, and hence exist to be subservient to that which is superior.

In life, the things that we do, day by day, make us believe that therefore what it is that we are accomplishing is always thus within the natural order of things, because if we did not believe that, this would create a constant conflict within us which thereby would trouble our mind.  Our preference, especially for those who are doing well and of which their life is on a preferential course, is to believe that our actions so taken with others are thus consistent with the regular order of things.  This signifies that for those who are dominant, and therefore content with the status quo, that they aren’t typically considering changing much of anything, because all is good for them.

Certainly, it is always easier to keep doing what we are doing, if we believe that this is the natural order of things, especially when what is so occurring, is favorable to our position.  In fact, there are many a person, who can cite all sorts of reasons, as well as even Scripture, that support their position, because they have no interest in keeping their mind open that perhaps their viewpoint is debatable, or even wrong.  For those who lord it over others, the biggest crime that they commit, isn’t really their behavior, though that is wrong, but rather the inconvenient fact that for them, they don’t consider what they are doing to actually be wrong.

To be outlawed

When we think of the word outlaw, most people pretty much associate it with basically being a criminal, but the reality of being outlawed is something significantly different than just being a criminal.  That is to say, to be outlawed, is by the definition of the time, to be somebody that has been declared to be by the state, as a person that is outside the protection of the law.  This thus signifies that to be outlawed, meant that somebody that has it “in” for that person so outlawed, can exact whatever form of “justice” that they so desire upon that person, for that person as an outlaw, has not the protection of the law, nor can that person avail themselves of the law or the justice of the law.  So then, to be outlawed is to be forsaken by society, and further to the point, to have no place of sanctuary to run to, except to distance themselves as far as possible from those that would exact their vengeance or their form of justice upon them.

Each of us lives within a society, of which, that society expects those that are the members of such, to be good to that society.  Whenever, societal members break the law, or work at cross purposes as to the good of that society, there are laws so legislated that will bring that person to justice.  Yet, back in the day, especially in frontier towns, and during the westward expansion of the United States, there wasn’t always time to effectively have due process and to deal with those that were inimical to society in a way and manner that would be conducive for the betterment of society, except then to ban that particular person from being a good member of that society, by labeling such, as an outlaw.

While to be outlawed in a legal sense, is no longer a part of our society, formal or informal, there is on a certain level, a sort of Biblical justice to the concept of being able to label a particularly troublesome and uncivil sort as an outlaw, of which, this thus places that outlawed person in the unenviable position of living outside society, as their due punishment for being a bad person, and therefore their continual survival is dependent upon their acumen and dexterity in making their way in the world, with the sure knowledge that should they come across a person or a mob that knows who they really are, that the result for that outlaw, would not be good.

Indeed, it could be said, that for some of those so incarcerated, if it was not for their incarceration, because of their heinous crimes, the people would desire to exact their form of justice upon them, and would willingly do so, when they believed that this wicked person was not protected by the laws of that society.  While, justice taken in the hands of the people, is hardly ever fair justice, there are those times when the people’s blood is up, and therefore they feel justified in the actions that are thus carried out, against those who have been outlawed or should have been.

Our sinless God

There are a lot of people who truly have not spent much time pondering upon the question as to how our immaculate and sinless God, of which we are the creations of that same God, seems somehow to have made some sort of fundamental error because of the salient fact that humankind is quite obviously sinful in many an area.  The best way to answer that question is the recognition that firstly there cannot ever be any sin contained within God, nor is God ever capable of sinning; yet, God’s created beings, seemingly do sin.  So, in furtherance to the answer, it has to be recognized that what we call sin, is better adjudged to be human error, committed by those that have apparently lost track of who and what they are in essence, and because of that, along with the free will that they have been gifted with, humans have thoughts and corresponding actions which are not in accordance to the good attributes of God.  These errors then, are considered to be sinful, because they are unharmonious with God’s ever-perfect qualities.

So then, another way for human beings to look upon the errors that they make is to recognize that every error so made, is capable of being rectified, and will be in the skeins of time, rectified, so that our God can be made fully whole – for until that time happens in which all of the sheep have returned to God’s fold, God will never rest, because there will not ever be any permanently lost sheep.  That which God created, is good, and all that is good will return to the good, for that is God’s law, and cannot be violated or overturned.  It is then our solemn duty to first of all, look upon our behavior and the thoughts that construct that behavior so as to understand whether or not we are performing actions that are in accordance with God’s law, and to the degree that we are not, we need to make amends for that, for not to do so, is an error, which is considered to be sinful.

The physical body that so many of us are prone to overly identify with, is provided to us so as to live on earth. Still, that body is not the be-all and end-all of our existence, for that could never be correctly represented by the body, but rather this is represented by our soul.  Those who are too bodily focused, upon bodily needs are the very same that get lost and therefore are sinful.  So too, those who are overly focused on feeding their human ego have done so to the detriment of their soul.  The objective of the exercise here on earth is to do our good part to not only become enlightened ourselves but to help enlighten others so that we not only will get back on the only pathway that matters but also aid others in their return to that pathway, as well.  The sinfulness that we participate in, is that born of error, ignorance, and willful disobedience to that which is right – which will be overcome when our right thinking, creates the right behavior, and we liberate ourselves therefore from sin by embracing that which is forever sinless, instead.

Understanding salvation

There are all sorts of people that have a basic idea about salvation, mainly having to do with the salient fact, that salvation is a very good and a necessary attribute to achieve, but seemingly don’t know the process to achieve salvation, except to believe it comes from the outside, in which, because of our devotion or our catechism, we are thereby blessed by God, and thus achieve salvation.  Perhaps this is the way that salvation works, but if we examine such, more closely, and understand better the mission of Christ, as well as other insightful avatars we will recognize that the very point of Christ when he was amongst us here on earth, was not really for Him to bring salvation to the people, though He did, but rather to awaken people to the fact that the salvation that they so richly desired, was possessed within their being, to begin with, and therefore it was up to them, to actuate such, to bring thus the necessary enlightenment and lasting salvation to their soul.

That is to say, everything that we need to have in order to have a successful and fruitful life is contained within us, and it is our obligation to do our fair part to activate such, by the conscious recognition that the salvation that we so seek is ours for the taking, if only we would make the consistent and constant effort to obtain such.  After all, Christ was only here upon earth for a very limited time, of which His mission, wasn’t really to hold our respective hands until we crossed the finish line, but was instead to provide us with the necessary tools to find our way back to that sacred place to where we always have belonged.  It is, in our effort, that we earn our way to salvation, as opposed to it being something that is just granted to us, simply because of our devotion.  Indeed, it is vital to be devoted. Still, we also need to have the wherewithal to utilize that devotion to accomplish something of merit, or else, we haven’t truly done what we could have done, to make not only our life more meaningful and of purpose but to help make society better for our participation in it.

It is our duty to awaken our slumbering soul, to recognize that we are not just some sort of physical body, but are in actuality, a spiritual being, eternal in nature, of which, it is this soul, that has been created in the image of God. Therefore, it is through that eternal soul, that we must find our salvation, or else remain in ignorance and semi-darkness.  All of the drama of this world should be properly seen as the opportunity to live and to learn from all that happens and surrounds us so that ultimately we understand that the purpose of our mission is to help one another comprehend that the prime objective of our existence here is to obtain salvation not just for our self, but also to do our good part to help others become enlightened, as well, because until we do that, we are not free, but are instead in chains of our own egotistical making.

From the invisible comes the visible

The very first thing that humankind gets wrong is to somehow believe that the visible creates the visible when this could never conceivably be true, because as in anything, there has to be a first cause, of which, that first cause could not have ever been visible.  Rather, it is the invisible that is the master of the visible, and it is thus our solemn duty to understand that the actuator of our life in this world is not only invisible to us but also represents that which will help provide us with the insight to understand better what life on this planet is all about.

After all, most of the trouble that humankind gets into is believing that this world represents the be-all and end-all of our existence, and for those that have that type of wrong mindset, this lends itself to desiring all sorts of material things, or that which aggrandizes our personal position, at the expense thereof of other people and their personal desires, leading to all sorts of conflict, injustice, and war.  That is to say, far too many people and the societies that they are a part of are hellbent on getting as much as they can, of what they feel that they have to have, and care little or nothing about who and what they have to trample upon to get theirs.

Look, a far better way and also a more accurate way to look upon this world, is to see those that are the players within it, as having their role to play in this drama of life, of which, the upshot of that role is how well we do in consideration of what we have to work with.  Those then, that get so entwined within this material life so as to believe that nothing much matters other than what feeds their ego or improves their position vis-à-vis other people are the very same that seemingly don’t understand that nothing of this world, ever lasts, and the more that we try to hold onto that which cannot be eternally held onto, the more that we buy into the delusion that only this world matters, as opposed to seeing it, as a proving ground, to best develop our character so as to properly graduate from the visible back into the invisible.

Remember this well, our thoughts are not visible, but it is our thoughts and then our subsequent actions that define us, so that, we know intuitively that there is much more than the visible that is part of our being, and therefore it is our responsibility to prioritize what we should concentrate our efforts upon, and those that are unable to reason correctly to therefore do proper homage to their eternal essence, have made a very poor choice.  Our Creator is the master creator of it all, and those who best recognize this, understand well that we are meant to better ourselves by doing that which is consistent with God’s good attributes, proven by our thoughts and actions in this realm, above all.

Constant surveillance and the lack of privacy

There aren’t that many people who believe that it is Constitutional, let alone right, for the government to know everything about us, such as the places that we go to, where we congregate, as well as our social interactions with others, but this indeed is the state-of-the-art at the present day, because our cell phones, in conjunction with our social media posts pretty much gives up the ghost to the government, whenever that government chooses to access that data, which they are quite adept at accomplishing.  It has to be recognized that the average citizen, would not sign up for, nor agree to, to carry upon themselves an extremely accurate location device, such as an ankle monitoring bracelet that serves to keep track of their exact location, or would we allow ourselves to have a listening device that is subject to being constantly on within our house, but modern day smartphones, reliably track where we are, at all times, though its GPS functioning, and also because cell phones are voice-activated, they are quite capable then of being able to listen in on our conversations without us being able to wholly control or counteract that.  So then, we live in a day and age, in which, any of us, can be surveilled, essentially without our expressed permission or our knowledge, which is certainly a violation of our privacy and should be seen then as an infringement upon our Constitutional rights.

It would be one thing if our government behaved as a good parent, who was thereby concerned about our well-being and specifically desired to monitor us, as an extra protection device, meant to protect us from harm, or from those that would harbor ill intentions towards us.  Regrettably, this government is not a good parent, whatsoever, and further to the point, has zero of the qualities of what would be the attributes of a good parent, for this government doesn’t seem to really care about our welfare, or our sovereignty, or our dignity, or our freedom, but desires instead to monitor us for its own impenetrable purposes, which are often at cross-purposes to what it means for us to have life, liberty, and happiness.

This is indeed a dangerous surveillance age, because the more actionable information that the government has about us, the more that this can be utilized by that government as a cudgel to suppress those that are unorthodox or are considered to be outside the norm, or troublesome.  When it comes to many a government, what they so desire from the average citizen, besides productivity, is obedience to the state, and thereby they aren’t interested in hearing of or having to deal with dissent.  Those who know everything about us, are quite capable of using that as a pressure point to get us to acquiesce to whatever it is that the government wants, or those of private enterprise that work hand-in-glove with that government, desires from us, and the price of disobedience to that is at a minimum to possibly expose our private life in the worse way possible, in order then to embarrass us, or to humiliate us, as well as an object lesson for all others, to learn from.

A better idea for the EPL final matchday of the season

There is always room for improvement when it comes to any sport, in regards to its rules and also how fans of the sport engage with it.  In regards to the English Premier League (EPL), this is not only the most successful sport in all of Europe, but it also is the most watched, so therefore, whatever can be done that would be better for the fans as well as increasing the revenue from such a sport, should be seriously contemplated upon.  At present, the final weekend games of the season are played at the same time for all teams, under the impression that this is the fairest and therefore the right thing to do.  But is it?  After all, many of the fans of soccer (aka football) are the type of fans that have an interest in seeing not only their favorite team play but also want to watch the most meaningful games, and when these conflict, this poses a problem for them.  So too, the more eyeballs watching games, the better it is for those that broadcast these games.

A far better way to look at the last day of the season is to understand that all can still be fair, with a staggered playing time, when there is a set of priorities that are faithfully followed.  For instance, when it comes to the EPL, that priority should be prioritized first as to who will be the EPL champion, next would be the relegation battle, followed by those fighting for qualification to the Champions League, then for those playing for qualification for Europa League, and finally by those fighting for qualification to Europa  Conference League.  That is to say, the final game of the year should be prioritized in a way and manner that would be fair but also would allow fans to watch the most important games without necessarily having all of the games being played simultaneously. 

The following table below is from the 2022-23 EPL Season, with the standings as they were at the end of Match Week 37.  In regards to the EPL champion, that has already been determined, so the next priority is for the relegation struggle of which three teams are fighting not to be relegated, which are Leeds United, Leicester City, and Everton FC.  The next step is to look at the final day schedule for these three clubs, which would consist of Everton FC v. AFC Bournemouth, Leeds United v. Tottenham Hotspur, and Leicester City v. West Ham United.  This would indicate that the other seven games would take place earlier in the day, and these three games for the fight to not be regulated would be played after, subject to other priorities yet to be looked at.  So then, before we conclude that our business is done, we need to look at Champions League qualification to see if any of those games need also be scheduled at a different time, but the Champions League qualification has already been determined.  We then take a look at Europa League qualification, but this also has been settled.  Finally, we look at the Europa Conference League qualification and we see that three teams are in the running for that: Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and Brentford FC.  This signifies then that Aston Villa v. Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as Brentford FC v. Manchester City, must also be played at the same time with the three relegation games because Tottenham Hotspur is scheduled to play Leeds United in a relegation game.

So, what has occurred is rather than having all ten games starting at the same time, we have instead, five games starting later for the relegation battle, as well as the Europa Conference League qualification, which provides those that are the biggest fans with earlier games to watch or attend, followed by picking which one of the other relevant games, most interests them.

4/7/24

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Team

M.

W

D

L

goals

Dif.

Pt.

1

Manchester City

37

28

5

4

94:32

62

89

2

Arsenal FC

37

25

6

6

83:43

40

81

3

Manchester United

37

22

6

9

56:42

14

72

4

Newcastle United

37

19

13

5

67:32

35

70

5

Liverpool FC

37

19

9

9

71:43

28

66

6

Brighton & Hove Albion

37

18

8

11

71:51

20

62

7

Aston Villa

37

17

7

13

49:45

4

58

8

Tottenham Hotspur

37

17

6

14

66:62

4

57

9

Brentford FC

37

14

14

9

57:46

11

56

10

Fulham FC

37

15

7

15

54:51

3

52

11

Crystal Palace

37

11

11

15

39:48

-9

44

12

Chelsea FC

37

11

10

16

37:46

-9

43

13

Wolverhampton Wanderers

37

11

8

18

31:53

-22

41

14

West Ham United

37

11

7

19

41:53

-12

40

15

AFC Bournemouth

37

11

6

20

37:70

-33

39

16

Nottingham Forest

37

9

10

18

37:67

-30

37

17

Everton FC

37

7

12

18

33:57

-24

33

18

Leicester City

37

8

7

22

49:67

-18

31

19

Leeds United

37

7

10

20

47:74

-27

31

20

Southampton FC

37

6

6

25

32:69

-37

24

Champions League

Europa League

Relegation

https://www.worldfootball.net/schedule/eng-premier-league-2022-2023-spieltag/37/

Deo vindice

One can learn a lot about what matters to an individual or to a nation by examining the motto that they believe best reflects what they are about or trying to achieve.  We find that the Confederacy had as their motto, Deo vindice, which translates to  “with God as our defender.”  Indeed, those who invoke God as their defender, best hope that what they claim God is defending is actually consistent with the attributes of that God, and to somehow sincerely believe that God accepts that mankind should enslave other mankind, or be authorized to do so as sanctioned by God, because of skin color, or because of religious affiliation, or because might is right, is to fundamentally miscast God, as unjust, prejudicial, and bigoted.

Those of the Confederacy met the only fate that they so deserved, for when they invoked God as their defender, what they really invoked was for God to defend what is wrong over what is right, and seeing that the Confederacy was wrong, they paid the justified price for their unjust war, so waged upon their fellow Americans.  Undeniably, those who dare to believe that what they are doing is so being done on behalf of God had better make sure that this is true, for the penalty for bringing God into the fold is always going to be much higher than those who do not, because God is a God that will not be mocked, and to use God to persuade others that they are on the right side of God when they are surely not, is a very bad place to be.

There are all sorts of people and nations that in order to emphasize their point, desire to bring God into the equation so that what they are proselyting to others, seems to come from the very authority of that God.  That may well be effective for many a person and perhaps should be, but when those words conflict with what God truly represents, then those who have spoken those words and claim to believe in those words, are going to have to pay a very heavy price for having stated as a truth, what is not true.

In this world, we do find, that many a person doesn’t feel that the words that they are speaking will carry enough authority to persuade others, so then some of those very same people find themselves inclined to utilize an authority figure, such as God, and of which, that God, is supposedly then on their side, to thereby make their point so as to thus have more impact and influence upon others.  The problem though with drawing upon God for those who are committing actions that are inconsistent with God is that the error being made is compounded, and therefore the subsequent price to be paid will be significantly higher.  All those who invoke God as their defender should best make sure that God will be their righteous defender, for if not, their calling upon God, will result in a serious consequence,  which will not be to their liking, though it will be just.

Towards a High School “Practical Living” class

There was a time when High Schools had a class known as “Home Economics.’  This class was primarily for females and was designed to teach women the basics about cooking, sewing, budgeting, and childcare, and pretty much the things that a wife ought to know to develop thus the necessary social skills to become a good housekeeper and parent.  Sure, the times have changed and the expectations for females are obviously quite broader than they were back in the day, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is that those who are soon to become young adults truly do need assistance in the navigation of the real world.  That is to say, all High School students should be mandated to take a course entitled, “Practical Living,” which would cover the whole gamut of bills, insurance, good nutrition, apartment rentals, scams, online social media dangers, student loans, credit cards as well as credit reports, financing, interest rates, taxes, budgeting, as well as any other items of this general ilk that would be of interest.  In other words, while it isn’t so much that High School students are “thrown to the wolves” upon their graduation, it is fair to state, that there are plenty of things that they need to know so that they will be better able to adeptly deal with real life and the consequences, so of.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that there are plenty of High School students, even very intelligent ones, who truly aren’t prepared for how they are going to be marketed to and are susceptible then to being taken advantage of when they haven’t developed yet the necessary preparation skills to defend themselves from being manipulated, and taken advantage of.  After all, in this capitalistic society, those who are selling goods of all types, typically don’t care about whether or not the person they are trying to sell their goods or services to, really understands the financing or their commitment to such. Instead, they mainly care about making that sell, and the responsibility of paying for this is thus left to the consumer.

Indeed, there are plenty of young adults, who learned their lessons the hard way when they first entered into society no longer having their parental safety net, and thus regret that they had to pay a price by being taken advantage of, in the learning of those lessons.  It need not be that way if as part of our educational system, we did more to educate our students with the practicalities of how best to not only protect themselves but to navigate through life in a manner that would be of better service to them, and at least this then would give them the chance of being able to hold their own against those that are trying to get over on them.  That is why, we need to do more to take the theory of education and distill it into practical lessons that correlate well with real life, so that young adults, will become more adept in understanding the value of knowing mathematics, as well as in reading comprehension, and in those areas that they have trouble in, requesting then the aid of trusted friends or family.

Verbal words and the tone of those words

In this modern era, there are a multitude of ways to convey our messages to others, instead of always verballing expressing what it is that we desire to say, we can utilize email, texting, and the written word, of which, oftentimes we are compelled to do so, for ease of communication purposes as well as convenience. The thing about each of these communication avenues is the fact that the written word is subject to more easily being misinterpreted by the other because what is missing from that written word, is the body language, and the tone, so of.  In other words, when we get most in trouble when it comes to miscommunication with others, is typically not when we are talking face-to-face, but rather it is the written word, which can be interpreted ironically, sarcastically, critically, and all sorts of other gradations and interpretations that we may not have been trying to convey.

Indeed, when we speak, we find that the words themselves can be of far less importance, than the tone and the manner that we are speaking to the other.  In other words, while words do matter, how we express those words, such as angrily, or with sarcasm in our voice, will certainly make a difference in how they are interpreted.  That is to say, the very same words, but with different emphasis and different tonality, combined with different facial expressions, will be interpreted differently, and should be, because though the words are the same, the intent behind the words is different.

So then, it has to be acknowledged that words spoken, will have a different meaning, depending upon how the voice expressing those words is coming across to those that are its intended audience.  We know this, by our own experiences in our communication with others, in which, certain words spoken in a certain way, can lead to an actual physical fight; whereas, the very same words spoken in an endearing or friendly way, can lead to a friendly exchange.

Undeniably, it is fair to say, that the combination of verbal words, body language, tonality, as well as the pitch and inflection of the voice, along with our knowledge of the person so speaking, will typically permit us to correctly interpret the meaning of those words so being spoken, quite accurately.  However, those very same words, written down in a text or an email, can easily be subject to misinterpretation, even though the words are the same, because, without a good understanding of the context of those words, we may not well understand them.  That is why, the best way to communicate to others, in regards to those areas of high importance, is always going to be through the verbal word, because not only does it provide an opportunity for the other to speak in response, but also because we read each other’s body language, the person so speaking will often adjust their tonality, their volume and the pace that they are so speaking, to better reflect the idea behind the words that they are saying, because they want to convey their message accurately and thereby to best have it understood, without error.

The need to know what is really going on

There are those times when we definitely need to know the why of what is so happening to us, and our inability to know that why can easily lead then to a whole lot of frustration as well as confusion.  That is why those who have the annoying habit of simply giving orders and then expecting such to be obeyed without objection, or discussion, need to understand that orders are more likely to be obeyed when those who are supposed to obey those orders, understand the reasoning behind such.

In life, we are going to invariably be placed in those situations in which our voice does not matter and of which it is expected of us to do what we have been given to do, but it has to be understood that human beings are thinking beings, and because we are thinking beings this signifies that we have an inherent interest in knowing why we are being told to do certain things, and therefore to know the purpose, so of. While it has to be said, that there are times when that information cannot be prudently disseminated, that clearly also means there are plenty of times when that information could be provided, but for whatever reason, it is withheld from us.

Those who desire to develop loyalty from other people have got to recognize that the price of that loyalty involves the need to get successfully across to them what the big picture is and to make sure therefore that this is understood well by those who are an integral part of getting that result to so occur.  That is to say, when people know what they are working towards and believe in the principle behind such, then they often do not need to know all of the details or minutia to do their good part to get this actualized, but without that information, dissent and willful disobedience may well occur.

There are plenty of people who desire to do their fair part to get good results on behalf of those who employ them, or who teach them, but are resentful of leaders who have a bad habit of essentially just desiring to boss them, without any real explanation of why this has to be the way that it is.  Those who feel that they are being used and that therefore their viewpoint either doesn’t matter or has no relevance, are going to be prone to not only feelings of frustration, which can lead to anger, but this can even become a situation in which they then desire to undercut the whole process.

In regards to any objective of which a particular person or entity is in charge of achieving a certain goal, and of which it is necessary to join hands with others to accomplish that given task, then it would behoove those that are in charge of those matters to take the time to explain not only the purpose of what is so occurring but also of its importance, which when done correctly, would make for a better and more coherent team that thus would do their good part to help achieve that very thing.

Christ: the fruit of redemption

It would seem that as written in Holy Scripture, when Adam and Eve first walked upon this good earth, all was well, until they made their fateful decision of disobedience to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which thus changed their dynamic, dramatically.  In other words, before they ate of the tree of good and evil, they knew not sin, nor were they capable of behaving in a manner that would create sin, but once they became knowledgeable, it thus meant that they were now free agents, capable of making their own decisions, good or bad, and therefore to suffer the appropriate consequences, so of.

That is to say, each of us who are here in this present domain has been provided with the power and therefore the free will to make our own decisions, and if so determined to do so, to defy God or our fellow humankind.  The problem though with being willfully disobedient to God’s good Commandments is not that we are disallowed from doing so, but rather the issue is that there are consequences to be paid, for those who make decisions that are detrimental to their soul, as well as often being harmful to others, which must be corrected, because God, our God, is both just and inerrant.

That said, our God, is a God that desires the best for us, which means that when we are troubled, misguided, or confused, there is always going to be a pathway that will bring enlightenment to us if only we would dutifully follow it.  That pathway is best represented by our Messiah, the Christ, who came here to liberate us from the delusions and mistakes that so often we are prone to suffer from.  Indeed, whereupon there was once that tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we find that God has provided us with a new fruit from a different tree, which is the fruit that Christ so represents.  So then, our option is to take and eat that fruit of Christ, and hence find redemption or to ignore such to our detriment, as per our inclination and free choice.  Those though, that are sincere about finding their way back to God, and of their salvation, therein, are the very same that eat that fruit, in the recognition that by doing so they will find that eternal sanctuary that thus far has eluded them.

It must be said, that when we ponder upon God and the justice that God so represents, we have to take into fair consideration that God desires each one of us to return to the fold, and God will not rest until that so happens, which is why Christ came amongst us, to provide us with what we need to know to accomplish that very task.  Those then, that eat the fruit of Christ, are the same that have been redeemed, and in that redemption, their eyes will be re-opened, knowing the important difference between good and evil, and have thereby sworn themselves to the good, forevermore.

True humility

There are a fair amount of people who truly believe that they are humble, and yet contradict that belief, by wanting to be recognized by others as being humble.  So too, some believe that they are the epitome of humility because they abase themselves in some visible form or another  -- somehow not recognizing that purposely drawing attention to oneself as an act of debasement deliberately done to be perceived as being humiliating, is not then being humble.  Look, humility, really does mean letting go of our ego attachment of desiring to be recognized by others as being the person who thereby deserves recognition for whatever good deed that has been accomplished.  Those who are faithfully practicing humility, are the very same, who derive satisfaction from having performed their good deeds and that alone, and hence do not need or expect to receive attention for what they believe they felt they needed to do. In other words, we should get our satisfaction from having done the right thing, and should not then feel the need to be visibly recognized for such, for the recognition that we need, is actualized by the good actions that we have done.

It isn’t easy to be humble, because human beings have a strong inclination to desire to be validated by those of their peers, which is perfectly acceptable.  Those then that are being validated, do not though deserve to be seen as being humble for they are being recognized by their peers for the work that they have done.  On the other hand, those anonymous people or unsung people who perform good deeds, but are not recognized, though they could seek such, are people who are truly practicing humility. 

Additionally, there is a tendency for those who perform good deeds to believe that somehow they are therefore better people than all those who do not do the same, and hence, they take on the aura that they are essentially worth more than the other.  Indeed, while having such an attitude like that is no crime, it does though represent someone who has permitted their ego to take a degree of precedence over the good that they have done.  In actuality, those who are humble are the type of people who concentrate on just getting done what needs to get done and are unconcern as to whether or not they receive accolades for having accomplished such.

To be humble is to identify less with the egotistical self, and thereby identify more with the bigger picture, that we are all created by the same God and equally valued by that God, who shines His light upon the just and unjust, alike.    We are meant to do our best in this world by the decisions and the acts that we address, of which, we therefore take responsibility for those acts.  Indeed, the only prize that truly matters is not of this world, and those who concentrate on the obtainment of that prize are the very humble ones, for they do not permit themselves to get sidetracked by this or that in this material world, but rather they keep their eyes focused exclusively upon that eternal prize.

John 10:16

We read in Holy Scripture: “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.” (John 10: 16)  This particular passage should be seen as to what it so richly represents, which is Christ did not come to us with a sword in His hand, but rather came to us, in peace and in justice, to remind us that each of us has been created by the very same hand of God, that therefore we are equal in the eyes of God, and hence our singular purpose is to thereby recognize that we are all meant to join together as One, and if we are unable to do that, we have thus failed to become that One flock answering to that One Shepherd.

Indeed, way too much time and energy is spent by human beings in conflict and division, and way more time should be spent by humanity in harmony and unity with one another.  The greatest task for all of us is to recognize the universality of the message that Christ brought to us, which is meant for the entire human race, and when we ignore such, we do this to our spiritual detriment and damnation.  While it is never going to be easy to join hand-in-hand with everyone, this though should be an important part of what we duly owe one another in society, and should be the prevailing challenge for all of us in this day and age.  After all, if we cannot be harmonious in this world, then we surely cannot be harmonious in the dimension beyond this.

Life on this planet is a proving ground, so we will be tested, and those who cannot learn from their mistakes are the very same who will have to keep trying and trying until they successfully overcome what needs to be overcome.  We are meant to be One, and we are provided therefore with the Great Shepherd to aid those who are lost so that they can fruitfully find their way back to the only destination that matters.  So then, each of us is responsible for doing our good part to help bring this about, and to the degree, that we do so, we are being of benefit to not only ourselves but to the society that we are an integral member of.

The wars and rumors of wars that we hear about or are a part of are a reflection that humankind does not seem to want to work together, and further, that nation-states seem to still believe that the most appropriate way to resolve differences is through might, as compared to diplomacy or through the interaction in which each party has its say, and the overriding desire thereof is for fairness and consideration of the other.   We do so find that humankind despite what it claims or wants to believe, does not readily hear the true voice of God, nor do they listen and obey that Good Shepherd, and because this is the case, we still represent the many, who have not done enough to even come close to ever becoming united wholly into the One.