Liquidity Crisis

Those that have money like to put that money to use by buying and investing in such common things as real estate, bonds, and equities, in which, more years than not, these investments appreciate in price, and because most people equate a stock that ends the trading day at $100/share to have the same value, (i.e.  as a $100 bill in their hand), we have a strong tendency to take all of our assets and equate them to their monetary value, believing implicitly that they are worth that amount of money and therefore if we magically had to liquidate our assets, they would be worth their present value in dollars.  While the foregoing certainly makes sense, it definitely would not be true, in times of an intense crisis, which invariably happens, often unexpectedly from time-to-time.

When looking at the stock market, most days for most stocks, there isn't any real news, yet, these same stocks somehow are able to trade up and down each day, as if there is news, still for the most part, on non-event days, most stocks stay within a fairly narrow trading range, which usually is depending upon that particular stocks' typical volatility, within the basic range of the direction of the market that day.  All this serves to sell the illusion that stock prices, as well as bond prices, as well as housing prices, are stable, sensible, and take into account all the information that is available, so the pricing of such is market efficient.

What is often overlooked, is that significant global events can have an incredible impact upon investments, for instance, if North Korea was to drop a nuclear bomb on NYC, there would be a massive crisis, so too, unexpected economic events, such as a major country, for instance, China, were to take its currency and re-evaluate it significantly either up or down against America's dollar, doing so, could easily create financial havoc, which would take a period of time to sort out.  Then again, a catastrophic natural disaster that took out a major city such as Tokyo, would also equate to enormous financial upsets.  Additionally, markets that appear to be humming along naturally can crash, unexpectedly, in just one day, as the Dow Jones crashed just over 22% on October 19th, 1987.

In today's world, interest rates have been at historic lows for a decade, which means, that investors of all stripes have had to find other avenues to make money on their capital, as opposed to parking it in cash instruments such as CDs, with certainly two of the most prominent areas of investment, being real estate and equities.  Additionally, in order to make money on investments, many sophisticated players use leverage, or the borrowing of capital at these same historic low rates, to "boost" their returns on their investments.  In addition, there are ETFs which have been created for the purpose of juicing their returns by advertising that they represent 2x or 3x returns of their underlying asset, such as the S&P 500 index. When everything is going up or is fairly stable, everybody is happy, but things don't always go up, and things can change within very short periods of time.

When, indeed, a crisis occurs, as it invariably will, all those that have leveraged up, are trying to find the exact same exit, and when the selling ratio far exceeds the buying ratio on investments, the new stabilized price of that investment, is akin to catching a falling knife, and thereby those assets, those prices, that people and institutions have assumed are solid, will instead be seen to be far more ethereal than ever imagined or feared.

Labor Productivity v. Wages

America is the world's richest nation, still growing, still getting richer, but the average American might not even notice, or if they do notice, notice that they are falling further and further behind the curve, to wit, as reported by the nytimes.com, the net productivity of the total American economy has since 1948 consistently grown, but the pay for the production/nonsupervisory workers in the private sector which had been essentially in lockstep with that productivity growth, unitl the mid 1970s, has in essence, flat-lined since that time. 

There are many theories as to why this is so as well as explanations as to why this gap is not nearly as steep as reported in the media, for instance, that the wages of employees should take into account those that are of the white collar workforce, which are more educated and hence more skilled and necessary, along with the fact that employees receive benefits in the form of health care which do not directly show up in their wages, which should be considered as a form of compensation and so on and so forth.  But even with these additions, or considerations, wages while increasing somewhat since the 1970s are far below the actual output of the productivity of those workers in total, notwithstanding.

A significant reason why this is so, comes down to the fact, that the globalization of world trade, has taken what use to be labor done in the United States, and outsourced that overseas in which those overseas laborers are compensated at a much lower wage package, while simultaneously eliminating those jobs in America, which reduces both workers, equivalent opportunities, as well as wages paid, domestically, but increases the productivity of those companies.  Additionally, private sector labor unions have been in a steep decline since the 1960s, signifying that labor "negotiations" are more commonly done not by unions against management, but individuals against management, in which, the individual has little strength in numbers or power, whatsoever, to receive fair or appropriate compensation.  Further to the point, productivity and profits are well up for America corporations, indicating that those that control the compensation and hiring practices, are the chief beneficiaries of this increased productivity which they have aggrandized unto themselves with compensation and perks that have never been better, demonstrated by the widening gap between not only the very rich and very poor, but the upper class and the middle class.

In point of fact, in fairness, when labor productivity goes up, which it has been doing year by year, those that labor for it, should see their compensation rise at a similar percentage, but this has not been done over the last two generations, in which, America has regressed back more to the era of robber barons, and thereby the oligarchs control the show, in which they demonstrate this by outsourcing labor whenever and wherever they can to willing nations, that need employment for their people.   Also, corporations work hand-in-hand with the semantics of State "right to work" laws which suppress wages by eliminating or trivializing union membership or activity, in addition to unfair legislative and taxation laws which benefit the mega-corporations and the connected, while burdening the middle class with the actual payment of real taxes.

Those that are in control of capital have an unfair advantage over those that need to labor so as to sustain themselves and their family, and when the government does little or nothing to level the playing field or even actively works against laborers, those that labor will be subject to exploitation, and exploitation is always good for profits, and good profits is always good for Wall Street.

Public Employees and their Lucrative Pensions

Local, city, State, and National governments, have a fiduciary duty to do what is right for the public, that is specifically their taxpayers, but have over time, devolved into simply taking care of their own, for rather that seeing their responsibility to serve their citizenry, instead they see their duty more as milking what they can for themselves, and thereby passing off huge taxpayer liabilities onto future generations.  While just about everyone wants to make a good salary, along with a desire to see their future secure, in reality, with the exception of  the few private sector jobs that have pensions, most private sector employees are not covered by pensions whatsoever, but instead must fund their own retirement through their contributions to a 401K as well as other similar retirement funds which may or may not be matched dollar by dollar, by their employer, along with a portion of their salary being mandated to be paid into the Social Security system, which, will in theory, help provide these retirees with income after age 65 or so, depending upon when they elect to receive their benefits.  So, in short, private sector employees will receive some compensation from Social Security, which they have been compelled to be a part of, in which, as reported by the fool.com, for the average Social Security recipient at age 66 the monthly payment, "averaged $1,404." 

On the other hand, pensions for those in the public sector, can reach up to 70% or more of their previous salary, payable for the rest of their life, with often times, health benefits, and depending upon the State, exclusion from even paying State income taxes.  This means, when discussing how much a particular public sector employee makes, such as $50,000 per annum, that this amount only tells a partial bit of the story, for when you are also entitled to another $25,000 to $35,000 or more a year, depending upon your length of service, with a State such as Arizona, paying a wage replacement rate of 43% for those that have worked 20 years, while maxing out at 73.60% at 32 years, this equates to a very nicepension at age 65, the full retirement age, or, if elected, a smaller percentage if they decide to receive their retirement monies earlier.

The main difference between private sector employees v. public sector employees, is that the private sector employee has to, in most cases, fund their own retirement, with, if they are fortunate, a portion of that being matched by their employer, and even though they have paid into Social Security, those that are of the millennial generation, will be fortunate, to get anything other than their own contribution back plus a reasonable rate of return for their contribution, and in any event, will fall far short of the current public sector generous pensions.  The public sector employee's pension is so generous because private sector companies have an obligation to keep their house in order, while public sector compensation packages, are voted upon, approved by, and granted by public servants or boards that want to take care of their own, and do not much care whether it is viable over the long term or not.

The solution to all of this public sector employee pension nonsense is to eliminate the pensions and replace them with comparable packages that are the equivalency of present day 401K plans as well as Social Security plans, with legislation passed which allows that equivalency.  This might mean that public sector employees would need to be compensated at a present day higher rate, which would be a fairer way of having current taxpayers compensate current public sector employees, rather than burdening future generations with the bill and virtually receiving none of the corresponding service.

There is only one Ultimate Truth

Within every one of us, is an innate desire to find the truth, to find the meaning of life, to find the purpose of it all, for some, this has been drowned out by the cares of their world, or ignored, or cast aside in the pursuit of other things, but none of that can dismiss our innate desire that will not rest till it finds that truth, of which, there are not a multitude of truths, for if that was the case, than they would forever be at war with one another, but just one ultimate truth.  That said, some people will insist that there must be more than one truth to account for different cultures, different religious faiths, different races, different ages in time, and so on and so forth, but again, that is a fundamental error in human reasoning and justification, for there is just that one truth, the same for everyone at every time, now and forevermore.

To find that truth should be the ultimate purpose of life, for all other activities, at best, are something less than the pursuit of that truth and thereby are the mere foreshadowing of such truth; then again for many, they are not even on the right path or of the right mind.  This does not mean, nor does it signify, that for each of us, our greatest duty is to sit in quiet contemplation each day, in our pursuit of our connection to God, though, that most definitely is a worthy thing to do and desire, but that isn't necessarily our calling, or our reason for being.

What we should be doing, through insights granted to us by wise voices, or insights gifted to us by wise books, or through insights we have discovered through our own pursuits, is listening and obeying such voices, which help to direct or to re-direct our efforts in this world.  For the very things, that so many people spend inordinate amounts of time and desire on such as their pursuit for or of: wealth, honor, power, lust, are all transitory, of which none are eternal, and most of these are selfish in their quality and their purpose.  On the other hand, attributes such as: self-control, patience, goodness, joy, peace, generosity, and love are the very things that are long lasting and eternal, for these virtues are those that resonant most within the heart of God, for they are the same characteristics of God.

So often, so many, feel life cannot be better than partying within the moment, but ever single party has not only a beginning but also an end, no matter how grand that party might have been.  In fact, the more that your life is built around satisfying yourself, especially to the exclusion of all others, the more that you will seek the substitutes for real love all in the pursuit of the gratification of your ego, in the mistaken notion that such substitutes will actually be effective over the long term, when they never are. 

The satisfaction that you really need, has not changed from your inception, which is oneness with God, and until you embrace wholeheartedly your Creator, you will fall and fail again and again, for all that is, is God, and while God has no issues with your free desire to play and to enjoy the things that He has created, your forgetfulness of Him, demonstrated by self-aggrandizing behavior, will impede you in your progress and vision, so that the fear, the loneliness, and the unhappiness that you inevitably experience, all come from your inability to embrace the lasting truth of God, for the end of all searches, begins with Him.

The Internet is a Two-Edge Sword

People use the internet all day, every day, through all sorts of devices, such as their computer, laptop, net-book, tablet, or their smart phone, and the internet is a wonderful gift to the consumer of such, for it allows one to communicate, to research, to get directions, to get information, and to engage in all sorts of activities.  That said, there is a general sense for most people that the internet is somewhat similar to a conversation that is between two friends, in which, even if there are other people present, if one modulates their voice or positions themselves just so, that they can still have a real conversation with an absolute minimum amount of that conversation or the substance of it, being compromised.

However, unfortunately, the internet is different, and even those that have taken measures to obscure, anonymize, or to protect their presence, are in actuality up against foreign as well as domestic enemies that have unseemly amounts of money, power, intelligence, knowhow, and desire to obtain whatever that it is that you are doing on the internet.  In addition to those foes, there are "friends" or even neighbors, that are tempted to want to know the activities that you are doing on the internet, and the bottom line is that if all, or the majority of your emails, chats, photos, videos, social media posts, website visits, are being noted, collated, and analyzed, your entire life, as to who and what you actually are, has basically been disclosed, and as information is most certainly a form of power, one has become compromised.

This really means that the most salient thing about the internet is not all the wonderful things it can do for you, but in actuality, to recognize how your sovereign life has, for all intents and purposes, been reduced to living under the constant monitoring of entities that have powers deeper and more intrusive than you could ever conceive of. That said, while it is difficult to turn back the sands of time, that is to say, the prying of the state into the privacy of their citizens, it can be done, if the people along with their representatives, judicial system, and the corporations that currently aid and abet the state in their desires, fight back against the mindset that all are guilty and those that process and collect such data, have the right to do so against their own citizens.

For most people, the internet is so important to them, even if they suspect that most of their data is subject to being monitored, they would continue to utilize it, because it is an integral part of their life, just like breathing.  While on the one hand there are laws that protect citizens from snooping by other citizens, on the other hand, our present-day government seems immune to such laws,  and consequently collects everything on everyone, even though the government is reluctant to admit such, and when pushed to edge calls upon  the egregious excuse of the need to protect and to defend our national security, while in reality, recognizing that such a tool essentially allows the state to monitor and to exploit its population for its benefit, along with the mega conglomerate corporations that enable them in their ways.

We are co-creators with God

God is the First Cause of everything, He is the Alpha and the Omega, of which, each soul on this planet, that is to say each human being on this good earth, was created by God, and gifted by this same God with free will, so as to best engage and conduct their lives per their own choosing.  We are not God's little playthings and God is not our puppeteer with us as His little puppets, as we do indeed have free rein to do anything, without any limitations whatsoever.  However, as in everything that we do, there are consequences, so that, those that believe that there are not consequences for their actions and for their thoughts, will find to their dismay or not, that there most certainly are, and unlike human beings or human institutions, which can be "gamed" or fooled, or tricked and so forth, God knows all, and His knowledge is never to be successfully trifled with.

We are created in God's image, as we are indeed God's children, and as His children, and having been created in His image, the things that we do, most definitely have meaning, signifying that everything that we accomplished that are fruits of the spirit, such as forbearance, faithfulness, cooperation, charity, and love, these all, as you do them, help to make this world a better place, and for having done so, we have helped to have created a better world, here and now, as well as creating stepping stones for our fellow brothers and sisters to step upon in their path to oneness with He who is everything.

This means that the things that we do, wrong or right, have real meaning and purpose, and while none of us, here on earth, are perfect in our actions and in our thoughts, we nevertheless are either adding to the ineffable goodness of all that has ever been created or we are not.   Those that take wrong paths, will if not already self-evident that their pathway is wrong, have to either turn around and thereby get onto the right path, or fight their way through their mistakes so as to make good on their errors, not because God condemns us, but because those that have not the characteristics of God, cannot fully embrace God, for oil does not mix with the pure natural streams of God, and thereby these pollutants cannot ever reach God's infinite pool of crystal clear water.

On the other hand, each action and thought that you consciously make that are in harmony with God's thoughts, help not only those that you associate with on this plane, but help you to achieve closeness with God, because you are actively behaving in a manner that is after God's pure heart.  This does indeed mean that the right things that you help to create, makes you a true co-creator with God, especially because while given a choice or many choices, you have chosen the better or best one, and this indeed will never be taken away from you. 

God has everything that He could ever desire, God is complete, yet having gifted us with freedom and free will, God's heart yearns for us to return back to Him, and when having voluntarily mastered our tasks, no matter how long, no matter the difficulties, error, and confusion, we will return as His worthy children, co-creators that are delighted to rest ourselves, once again, in complete harmony as part and parcel of God, Himself.

They crucified Christ, so why would you expect better?

While Jesus the Christ represents many different things to many different people, from mythology to the ultimate reality, what nearly everyone agrees upon is that Jesus was a very good person, for he was renowned for healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and His profound incisive wisdom.  Jesus was hardly a rebel, or even a real threat to any of the principle players in Rome, yet, the one thing about Jesus, is that He was never a man to cede ground for the convenience of religious or secular authority.  So too, Jesus paid little attention to the religious or political winds of the day, but went about His business, wherever it might take Him.

However, for both religious and secular authorities, there are often no greater perceived threats than a man that is not subject to being bought or being compromised and Jesus; above all else, was a man of uncommon integrity.  This meant, that the most powerful Jewish leaders, such as the Pharisees, where quite concerned about Jesus and His representation to their people, which because the Pharisees were not only of a sect that had specific religious traits and dogma, they had also made a pact with the Romans that basically allowed the Pharisees to rule their own, without much Roman meddling, and to them, this Jesus distinctly made them quite uneasy, so that they desired strongly to have him silenced, if Jesus would not cooperate with them, in which He did not.  The Romans, on the other hand, cared little for the religious formality of Jews in general, just as long as the Jewish leaders kept their people in order, but a threat to that order, or the proclamation that someone such as Jesus claiming to be a King was not something that would be tolerated by the Romans.  While the "trial" of Jesus was a sham, as well as his conviction, so too, the punishment of crucifixion for Jesus was completely baseless, but Rome was pragmatic, and believed that it was better to kill those that might instigate riots and rebellion than allow such to gain traction and power.

This then meant that Jesus was indeed, beaten, mocked and severely scourged by Roman authorities, before being made to march to his own death by crucifixion, all done within a very short period of time, so as to effectively eliminate any insipient rebellion of an alternate king or rival to Roman power.  The fact that Jesus was crucified, when He was actually innocent of the charges against Him, and had not only preached the good word, but had helped and healed many, was a gross travesty of justice.

Today, we live in more civilized times, or it is said that we do, and many declaim the bad things that are done to them, great or small, unjust, or unfair, or just plain wrong, but even those protesting this most vociferously and with good reason, are often, in one way or another, flawed somewhat or significantly in their character, and my goodness, remember that they beat and crucified Christ, so having done that to Him, what justification do we have to expect any better for us?

This is not to say, that injustice should be our lot in life, as it really should not be, but rather to remind ourselves, that we live in a fallen world, signified by the fact that even those that have come to save us from ourselves, are physically killed, though unbeknownst to many, they do Rise.

Police are Legal Gangs

What is a gang?  According to National Institute of Justice at nij.org, gangs are: "Whose members collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity, which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation," as well as "Whose purpose in part is to engage in criminal activity and which uses violence or intimidation."  While it is true, that the police are actually instruments of the state and thereby are not criminals, by definition, it is also true, that there are police that in their actions and in their behavior, most definitely, are criminals, using both the color of their guard to shield themselves effectively from prosecution, as well as because police are an instrument of the criminal justice system, are in almost all instances, no matter how egregious, no matter how outrageous, protected by that same justice system from retribution or prosecution.  This means, in effect, that police know that whatever that they do, they will in virtually all circumstances, not have to suffer from prosecution for their actions, making them in most cases not legally liable for their behavior, so that, in effect, they are above the law, even though the onus is most definitely on police, at all times, as representatives of the state, to abide by the law, both in spirit, and in fact.

The fact that police officers have virtual immunity from prosecution, signifies that in the streets of this country, safe or not, low income or not, minority or not, that police can go about their business in whatever manner that they so see fit, knowing that the unwritten code, will protect them at all times, no matter the circumstances of what actually occurs.  It would be one thing, if all of this freedom for the police, produced effectively safer communities, with less crime, with less divisiveness, and so on and so forth, but, in fact, when the arm of justice, is allowed to do what it so desires, it breeds contempt by the common man, especially those of lower socio-economic levels, for police, for justice, and for this country that thereby belies the liberty and freedom that America professes so proudly.

Not too surprisingly, when you arm police to the teeth, as well as recruit police from military backgrounds and ranks, you have gotten yourself, an armed militia, extremely well trained in the usage of firepower, in which, in virtually all circumstances, the police will have the highest ground, and their targets, will not.    Further to the point, when the usage of deadly force, or the instigation by police so that their "reasonable" response to such is deadly force, is in actuality, whatever the police deem it to be, than the firing by police upon civilians, armed or not, dangerous or not, necessary or not, has already been written by their active trigger fingers.

Those that declaim about how much we need the police, because it is the police that keeps us safe, that they are the true blue line separating us from outright anarchy, and so on and so forth, usually do so, because they come from a place in which police do not target them, nor their families, nor their friends, nor their socio-economic level, but come the day, when the police roam their neighborhoods and their schools, with guns-a-blazing at them, they will live to rue their narrow-minded bigotry. 

In point of fact, country upon country, that are similar to America in GDP and its justice system, have police forces that do not shoot, that do not kill, and that do not target their own citizens with lethal force.  For instance, as reported by theguardian.com, the combination of England and Wales had a total of 55 fatal police shootings in the last 24 years, which equates to just over two per year.  Additionally, Finland had six bullets fired by their police in total for the entire year of 2013.  The difference between these countries and America demonstrates an incredibly deep divide and is proof positive that America police are insanely aggressive and violent in their behavior toward those that they have sworn "to protect and to serve".

Finally, as reported by mappingpoliceviolence.com, "Police killed at least 102 unarmed black people in 2015", in which, "Only 10 of the 102 cases in 2015 where an unarmed black person was killed by police resulted in officer(s) being charged with a crime, and only 2 of these deaths …resulted in convictions of officers involve." This signifies that over 90% of the time, police are "justified" in killing unarmed black civilians, this, in an era, when it has never been easier for police through cameras, through hi-technology assistance, through contacts, and through surveillance, to already know or presume who the likely unarmed civilian is before he is fired upon, meaning that there isn't any real exigent need to take final "justice" into their own hands, yet they do it, again and again.

Our Natural State is Spirit, not Physicality

We live in a material world with specific natural laws that go along with living in that world, so too, with our physical features, many people engage the world, believing that through their physical senses, that is all that there is, however, intuitively we know that the physical never has been, and never will be, and could never be, the be-all and end-all of existence.  This would signify, that those that devote all of their time, energy, and thought to the physical realm, have veered off of the straight and narrow path, and are instead in their devotion to the laws that govern mortal life, trapped into the mistaken belief, that the satisfaction and happiness that they desire so badly, can be achieved within their mortal frame. 

In point of fact, which cannot be emphasized enough, we are spirit, encased within the physical, for a short and finite period of time, so that those that recognize such, will look upon earthly life as something fundamentally different than those that can not engage or comprehend this concept.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong with embracing your physical being and its attributes in a manner in which you are dedicated to maximizing your efforts to make this world better for your having been here, for having worked hard and thereby accomplished good things while also being selfless and charitable in your efforts, there are many more that don't really have a conscious clue.

While there are many errors that mankind makes, the greatest error, starts with the self, and often that error fundamentally comes from a belief, that our own aggrandizement, in all of the attributes that are reflected in this: such as honor, wealth, lust, gluttony, selfishness, and power,  are what we must achieve in order to have lasting happiness, but that happiness, no matter how long we are able to remain on top, is both transient and certainly finite; to wit, upon our physical death, when we are stripped of our physicality and exposed for what we really are, which is our natural state of spirit, we will recognize to our eternal dismay, that having spent our time and energy on selfish pursuits and selfish desires, that we have indeed built our house upon sand, and such a foundation, has no lasting power, in addition to the harm that has been done to others, all of which we cannot escape from when we are exposed fully to He who is Truth, Justice, and Love.

Each person upon this earth, has a responsibility innate within them, to search for the Truth, and that Truth will indeed set you free, for there is not an infinite amount of truths, or a relative concept of truth, but just one Truth, and those that believe not in this, will be reminded of that which they already knew, intuitively, that we all are of the same substance of one Truth, one Spirit, one Family, one Being, with one inclusive God.  

We are immortal, therefore we cannot be our physical body, for the physical comes and the physical goes, instead, we are what we have always been, pure spirit, formed by our Creator, it is our natural state, it is what we truly are, therefore we are indeed created equally, and this earthly existence, is our proving ground, in which each day by our actions and by our thoughts, we decide who and whom we shall serve, for we do indeed reap what we do sow

The Failure of Nuremberg

Most people are familiar with Nuremberg, not for having seen or read about the trials themselves, but from the very famous and well received motion picture, "Judgment at Nuremberg," which itself was adapted from the television drama of the same name.  The basic premise of Nuremberg is that the Germans, specifically, prominent German military  personnel as well as prominent  German political figures from the losing side of World War II, were tried at Nuremberg, by the Allies after the war had ended.  Not too surprisingly, when the victorious side is prosecuting the defeated side, such a trial, no matter how fair it actually is or how fair it is perceived, is almost by definition, not going to be fair, and further to the point, resolves little or nothing, as the deeds each of these specific men were accused of and/or convicted of, to a large extent, were essentially convictions of "ex post facto" laws,  well meaning or not, legitimate or not, with the intended result of death or imprisonment for those that a cynic might simply state, were being convicted for being on the losing side of a war in which both sides committed atrocities, but only one side were tried and convicted for it.

At best, the Nuremberg trials, or the Nuremberg show trials, was a step forward in progress, signifying that manmade laws within a sovereign nation or during times of war or civil strife, are not necessarily legitimate, no matter how they are written, constructed or exercised, if they violate fundamental human rights of the individuals or groups of people subjected to them.  This would indicate than that those that conduct violations of fundamental human rights, cannot then hide behind their country's sovereignty, their country's laws, their uniforms, their obedience to orders or directives, or expedient circumstances to exculpate themselves, though, they might try.  This, in short, would be a very important and fundamental step in seeing that basic fundamental human rights could not be violated, and should they be, would be subject to appropriate prosecution.

Since, the Nuremberg trials, all sorts of international tribunals have been passed and agreed to, some in which virtually every nation participates, some in which a majority of nations agree to, and so on and so forth, however, any document so created is only as good as its enactment in the real world, and when one exists in a world in which there is one more equal than others, that is one superpower, and there are none to oppose such, no treaty, no international tribunal, no international justice, and no international law, will be effective, without that country participating wholly and without special considerations or set asides for that superpower. 

So that, despite organizations such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), if the United States does not ratify to it, which it has not and thereby cannot be held accountable to its conditions and rules, then this document is unjust in its application and thereby wholly ineffective on an international scale.  A world in which one country, or a group of countries, is never held accountable for war crimes, because they are above the law, means that trials such as Nuremberg, are virtually empty of moral value or moral suasion, for essentially what Nuremberg proves above all else, is that that those in power, that those that hold the strings, are held accountable to nobody and no one on this good earth, for the strong preach the word, but run riot in what they do.

Hebrews 13:8

We read in Holy Scripture the following from Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever," which clearly makes the statement that Jesus Christ is immutable, just as God is immutable, that is to say, God is not changing over time, and neither is Jesus Christ.  Yet, Jesus came to this good earth as a babe, and there is not a doubt, that as all humans that are born into the flesh, he did change, from a swaddling babe to an adult man over a period of normal time, so too, his attributes, his intelligence, his gifts, if not changed, if not developed, were not for a certainly held inert in the power of a helpless babe, thus it could be strongly argued that they were developed, and that they were learned, so how can me make sense of this particular Biblical passage?

The best way to look upon this is to understand that because we live in a physical body, and that body changes, is that when this passage states that Jesus Christ is the same, always, it cannot possibly be referring to the body, whatsoever.  So then, what must it be referring to?  In this case, it can only be referring to the Christ, the power animating Jesus, and it is this consciousness which is at one with the Father, at one with our Creator, that Jesus is attuned with, so that there is no error in his behavior, there is no wrong in his actions, because Jesus has become part and parcel of the Holy Trinity, of the Son as the representation of Jesus on earth, the Father as the Alpha and Omega, and the Holy Spirit, which quickens the physical body on earth as well as being in principle the mind of that being.

If this interpretation of Hebrews 13:8, is correct, it makes it far easier to understand not only the meaning of immutability of Jesus Christ, but also opens up the very door that each of us has been gifted with, which is that each of us has the capacity to attune ourselves with the Godhead, so that we too can "do all things through Christ...", and so that we too are indeed children of the Most High God.  The confusion that so many make, is to see the body as the be-all and end-all of humanity, when in fact, the true nucleus of our physical body is not the physicality of it, but the mind, which is activated by the Holy Spirit, which does indeed come from our Creator who is immutable.

The pattern that Jesus shows us, is that those that get wrapped up in the flesh, will miss the forest for the trees, that indeed,   they get caught up in the tragedy of life, of its beginnings and of its endings, of its justice and its injustice, of its evil and its good, never once comprehending, that as real as that might seem to them in the flesh, it is just a shadow of a play of a testing of our own choosing.  Jesus the body was crucified, and that body did die, but Christ rose from the dead, to awaken us from our own mindless mortal slumber in the hopes that we would see Christ for what Christ really is, unchangeable, immortal, all knowing, and beyond time and space, for there never was a time when Christ was not, and there will never be a time when Christ will not be.

Education and Opportunity for Women makes countries better

Women have fought very hard and against great odds over extended periods of time to achieve equality of opportunity, in regards to just about everything, from employment to education, to voting, to having to overcome being considered chattel to self-determination, so that in all of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, females now have in many instances equal opportunity with men, though, vestiges of male chauvinism still exist and are in play. 

The achievements of females in higher education have been quite impressive, so that as reported by economist.com, in 32 out of the 34 OECD countries, more females than males are college graduates, and in aggregate, it isn't really even close, as 58% of college graduates within these countries are currently female.  Not too surprisingly, the countries with the highest degree of post-secondary educational achievement are countries such as Brazil, Canada, United States, France, and Japan, which are amongst the richest nations in the world as well as the most freest.  On the other hand, nations such as Afghanistan, Chad, Tanzania, Benin, and Pakistan, have post-secondary graduation rates for females at some of the lowest levels in the world, as well as being relatively poor countries that are generally considered to be both oppressive and undesirable to live in.

In point of fact, societies that are essentially only inclusive to one sex to the exclusion of the other sex, are less competitive, less free, less open, less educated, and typically less rich than other nations, for if you treat females as if they are born to be protected, or to be servants, or under the thumb or control of the male sex, than the productivity of that country will be considerably less for half of the population is essentially in thrall to the other half.  In addition, countries that hear but one voice, that is the male voice, in the decisions that are made, in the justice and the legislation of that country, will by nature, not reach the same decisions that would be made if there was more equality in the voice of that country, for most feminine priorities and concerns are not typically in lockstep with the masculine desires.

While the obvious can be stated that females, in general, are physically the weaker sex, this is mitigated by the fact that society has modernized and thereby now uses less and less true brute manpower, but rather this has been replaced with machine-power, hi-technology, and brainpower,  so that the days of the need for the physical to rule all, as it is done within the animalkingdom, has been replaced by civilized society, in which communication, coordination, coalition, and cooperation have become paramount.

This means that the lack of educational opportunities for females in some of the most repressive regimes in the world, ultimately boils down to the ruling male party, desiring to dominate females so that they serve and are dependent upon the male, however that they might dress it up with rhetoric to make it palatable to their people.  No matter, the injustice of this to begin with, the most vital point cannot be denied, if you deny people their rightful potential, than they will effectively become wards of the state, and a very present drag upon its structure, its institutions, and ultimately its ability to sustain itself.

The Courtesy that Everyone Owes

America likes to consider itself a meritorious country, and to a certain degree, it really is, as many people have proven in their own generation, let alone future generations, that they can become something far surpassing what their circumstances might have presupposed for them and theirs.  So too, there are those that are extremely gracious in their thanking and appreciation of those that have helped them to achieve their goals and dreams, which is all to the good, and certainly demonstrates their understanding that none are able to get to where they are, without having received aid or help from the shoulders of giants that have preceded them in one way or another.

Yet, as good as this may be, and justified as it should be, there is a First Cause for everything, and that First Cause should be the One that we owe our highest duty to, and our highest appreciation of, for none of us, not a single one, could exist without our Creator, nor, could any of us, in any way, achieve anything without the very tools that have animated us onto this good earth. 

Sure, there are plenty of people, that dismiss this as a fairy tale, or a myth, but all those that do so, do so because they feel the need or feel justified to glorify themselves or their viewpoint; believing, somewhat reasonably, that all that they have accomplished, all that they are, have come from their effort, their mind, their hard work, and their hard dedication.  But missing from their self-justification and arrogance, is the answer to this very simple question, where did all this intelligence originate from in the very first place, for certainly even the most obtuse, recognize, that they did not create this world, themselves, and it cannot be emphasize enough, ex nihilo nihil fit.

It would be much fairer to postulate, the truth, and that truth is that all that we have, comes not from ourselves as the source of it, but from God, and the good things that we accomplish and create, come forth from the very powers that have been gifted to us by God.  This signifies, that we have an obligation to give thanks and to pay homage to the One that is omniscient, omnipresent, and immutable, for by God we were created, and further all were granted free will so as to express ourselves, thereby to do what we so desire, good or evil, by choice.

It then follows that it is our choice whether we wish to show that thankfulness to God, as well as it is our choice whether to pursue after our Creator with the appropriate vigor and devotion, for the very source of the goodness that we hold so dear.  For this good earth is a proving ground, in which we are tested each day, as to whether we wish to take the positive steps to embrace the warm bosom of God's love and thereby perform virtuous acts in our interactions with others, or whether we shall remain oblivious to the obvious, and do whatever, good or bad. 

Those that sincerely and diligently search for God will ultimately find God, and that discovery, will lead to your reunion with our Creator, and thereby the completion of our most supreme duty which is oneness with the Word.

The New Top Four

As of the end of the first quarter of 2017, the largest market capitalization of the largest companies that are headquartered in the United States were in order: Apple, Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, and Amazon.  All of these companies are of fairly recent vintage, of which, for many Americans, upon their birth, these companies did not even exist.  This signifies that in the last generation, hi-technology represents the new "go-go" companies of the present age, and while things do change and the future is unknown, they certainly seem poised to continue their dominance for a lot of reasons.

For instance, each of these behemoths dominates its particular niche within the hi-technology field, to wit, as reported by ibtimes.com in regards to Apple that its iphone share represents: "…93 percent of the handset industry’s total measurable profits."  As for Alphabet, as reported by searchenginejournal.com, Google's desktop search percentage is at an incredible 79.88%.  In Microsoft's case, as reported by extremetech.com, Microsoft has "…89.23% of the OS market."  In regards to Amazon, as reported by digitalcommerce360.com, Amazon accounts for: "…43% of all U.S. online retail purchases last year occurred on Amazon-owned sites."  All of the above, indicates, that each of these companies aren't just large in the amount of their respective market capitalization, but their footprint upon the business world, here and abroad, is absolutely massive, to which, while we can accord their management team, their sales force, and their personnel, plenty of well-deserved kudos, at the same time, one must really wonder, is there any force out there, whatsoever, that can ever knocked them off of their respective perches.

Another thing, probably quite troubling, about each of these hi-tech companies, is that their growth and their market share, has not been solely based upon their organic growth, in fact, each of these corporations, are serial purchasers and acquirers of companies that they either bought out for the synergy of the deal, for the talent, or to co-opt a competitor.  As reported by Wikipedia.com, Apple has made 83 acquisitions, including Beats Electronics and Quattro Wireless; Alphabet has made over 100 acquisitions, including Android and YouTube; Microsoft has made 202 acquisitions, including Skype and Hotmail; and Amazon has made over 50 acquisitions, including Audible and Zappos.

A very strong argument could be made, and should be made, that since each of these respective companies, represent the four largest market capitalizations in America, that further acquisitions should not be permitted, unless under the most scrupulous and stringent conditions, as they are each already big enough, and their influence is already far reaching enough.  When you are as large as Apple, et al, you already have in your employment the best and the brightest, including the best lawyers, the best accountants, the best deal markers, and the best lobbyists, with the only people holding out against you, being those that relish being independent from big corporations, or simply haven't been discovered by any of these massive corporations yet.

The thing is that while there are absolutely legitimate and sensible reasons as to why larger corporations buy out smaller ones, there are also reasons that are not beneficial to the public and the marketplace, such as the acquisition of competitors so as to stamp out that competition,  the "buying" of new talent, the need to jettison growth, the desire to reduce spending money on research and development, the urgency to gain access to critical copyrights, the desire to improve distribution, as well as to lower overhead, and finally the compulsion to please and placate investment bankers and venture capitalists.

What's good for these companies isn't necessarily good for the public, because less choice, often equates to some sort of premium being paid to purchase or use such from these mega-corporations.  Not only that, these four mega-corporations, have a combined market cap of over $2 trillion dollars, which equates to an inordinate influence upon the government, upon local and State politics, upon just about every aspect of life that you can think of, for money is a form of power, and concentrated money essentially means that democracy takes a back seat to plutocracy.

Equal Public Education Denied

There are plenty of things that are necessary for children in order for them to have a true and fair opportunity of success in this world, in which, one of the most crucial, is the sheer amount of time that they spend outside of their homes, particularly at school, Monday through Friday, for five or six hours or so, during the school year.  Each citizen of these United States are entitled, by law, to attend a free public school, that will, in theory, educate them so that they will be able to read, write, do arithmetic, and many other things that makes these students literate and functional in society, as well as giving them the opportunity to take this foundation and accomplishments onward to college and higher education.

The importance of schooling in today's hi-technology world is paramount, for the jobs of old, that paid well those of the blue-collar mentality, while still existing, have been in a steep decline for the last two generations and show no signs whatsoever of making a comeback within this nation.  In addition, those that have limited educational skills, little real knowledge as well as questionable maturity, are at an extreme disadvantage in everything that they engage with on a daily basis, so that they, much more than others of better schooling, are both exploitable by the unscrupulous as well as vulnerable to all sorts of bad things.

Further to schooling, America has an absolute obligation to take care of those that were denied equal opportunities, by virtue of the fact that their schools were of substantially less quality on a substantially less budget with teachers and tools of lesser skills, but have failed in actuality to have adequately addressed these very things, despite legislation and judicial decisions that have mandated such. 

It is one thing, when we lived in a society that sold the lie of "separate, but equal", in which the separation part was certainly true, but the equal part was a total and complete lie, yet still somehow many years later the school quality depending upon where you reside is today extremely unequal, and the separation between the races, along with between incomes, is growing year by year, so that those that are of the lowest socio-economic level, as compared to those of the highest socio-economic level, are attending schools, that are so far apart in the quality and purpose of that education, that the best schools teach with the best teachers and best infrastructure, while the worse schools, have teachers that are often just trying to endure, with students that are disinterested and disengaged.  In this type of tremendous divide, these students of these lesser schools have no chance, and no opportunity, so consequently they basically fail to develop even the rudimentary skills necessary to place them in the catbird seat of real opportunity of achieving much of anything in regards to their future higher education pursuits and subsequently jobs of real substance and high quality.

The greatest tragedy of them all, however, is that those of earlier generations that suffered through being treated as second class citizens, if even that, have discovered, that their grandchildren are in most circumstances, in no better place than they were, for they are in schools that are unequal, dysfunctional, pathetic, and destructive to their inner aspirations and dreams.  So that, it can be said, in America, despite the poetic words and meaningful legislation mandating public education in a fair and equal manner, basically all of those at the lowest socio-economic levelare born into this country, with their dreams drained out of them and with lives that are brutal, short, and tragic.

The Progressive Sales Tax

Americans have to deal with all sorts of taxes from property taxes, to local taxes, to State taxes, to gasoline taxes, to hotel taxes, as well as to Federal taxes, and probably a few more.  When it comes to paying our State and Federal taxes, those rates are progressive, in the general sense, that the more that you earn, the more that is required to be paid in taxes, whereas for those that earn very little, the less or the elimination of a tax burden will be incurred.  While there are many, many ways that progressive taxes aren't so progressive, because of all the various means to reduce or eliminate personal taxation, through special and specific tax code legislation, favoring one group or class of citizens over another, in point of fact, when it is all said and done, those that earn more, do indeed carry more of the load of paying proportionally more in taxes.

The thing about taxes, is that currently the progressive tax is set up specifically on only taxing progressively the amount of monies earned, not spent.  That is to say, in short, the more that you earn, the more that you pay in taxes, because the tax rates are tiered in structure, so that as you reach each respective tier, your percentage of what you owe in taxes, increases.  On the other hand, for monies spent, our tax system can be considered flat, that is to say, each person, no matter their wealth, no matter their income, pays the exact same sales tax rate as anybody else.  Not only is the sales tax rate, flat, but also, by definition, sales taxes are regressive, in the sense that those that have considerably less, spend considerable more on a sales tax proportionally to their worth, as well as to their income. Further, it must be said, that there is no easy fix so as to ascertain the worth, or the income, of the person purchasing a given item, nevertheless, sales tax rates, could be structured in a manner, that would be progressive in their effect.

Fortunately, we live in a hi-technology world, in which, adjusting the sales tax rate, depending upon the category of the consumer goods, such as whether it is, for instance, a cell phone, or an automobile, or furniture or whatever, makes it fairly straightforward to create separate sales tax rates for separate categories of goods.  Additionally, within those categories, price tiers, could easily be setup so that, for instance, automobiles that are price at $20,000 or below, have a sales tax rate of 4%, those at $20,001 to $30,000 are at 5% with the first $20,000 of such car at 4%, and so on and so forth.  This would mean in substance that governmental authorities could first make a determination as to whether certain categories of goods, such as your basic toiletries and groceries, be taxed at a very low or even zero rate, whereas luxury goods, such as speed boats or hi-end artifacts, be taxed at a very high progressive rate.

The bottom line is that those that have more money should pay a higher sales tax than those that have less money, and this can be done in a manner that first segregates items that are necessary to purchase in order to live a basic ordinary life at a much lower sales tax rate, and items that are considered basically to be luxuries or discretionary, especially hi-end items of such, should be taxed at both a higher sales tax rate and more progressively.

When Crime is not crime

The United States arrests and locks up scores of people, in fact, as reported by prisonpolicy.org, "a staggering 11 million people," cycle through the jail system, each and every year, from being arrested, to being incarcerated, to being in jail pending bail, for being held for trial, to violating probationary or parole terms and so forth, signifying that the jail and prison systems are used like an assembly line of allegedly bad people being put behind bars for some period of time, taking away freedom from millions.  The very first problem with the criminal justice's treatment of those accused of breaking the law, besides all the convoluted, arbitrary, prejudicial and misapplied laws is the fact that for the masses, just about any offense against the state, results in some form of being put behind bars and thereby having to come up with some amount of money via bail, in order to release themselves from being in jail, and that is just the beginning of their troubles. 

In point of fact, minor property based crime (such as petty theft, larceny) and victimless crime (prostitution, drugs), which doesn't involved violence or coercion, should be treated more akin to a traffic ticket, and should not necessitate the physical arrest and placement of the alleged perpetrator into jail.  The basic point is the whole incarceration system should be significantly changed so as to go after violent criminals that are a true menace to society, and other criminals that are extracting large amounts of money through theft and robbery, whereas all the relatively minor stuff, or nuisances, should be treated in a manner commensurate with their so-called crimes.

What is really unfortunate about America, is that there is a huge division, between those that are on the street, committing various property and violent crimes, which are dealt with severely by the criminal justice system, and then there are crimes that are committed at truly astonishing levels of thought, corruption, gall, and the sheer amount of property stolen from the people which is all done under the cover and protection of the corporate flag, which, if dealt with, or if it is even discovered, entails typically no criminal time or criminal charges whatsoever, bargained monetary fines, and special under-the-table prosecutorial agreements, in which, the public is not privy to the true details of the deal, or even privy to exactly what transpired between the corporation and the crime that was committed which has seen been commuted to a monetary fine.

The biggest problem with allowing the people that run corporations, to hide their personal illegal anddisreputable actions behind the corporate entity, is that, knowing that they will never have to personally suffer the penalty for  what they do, they are basically given carte blanche to do whatever that they are inclined to do,  so as to increase profits, to "inadvertently" contaminate the environment, to obfuscate whatever, for they know that the worse case, is that they will pay a fine, and often the fine is less than the money that has been illegally extracted in the first place. 

There are those that think fining corporations for their egregious bad behavior is enough, and the amounts as reported by the pliant press do appear to be huge, but there are two basic problems with this simplistic outlook; the first is that corporations state all of the time that raising their tax rate is pointless for all that means, in effect, is that they must raise their prices to recover that money lost, so that monetary fines, can be looked upon the same way, that it's simply the cost of doing business, and that rather than the corporations paying the fine, it's really the people that buy or utilize their products that do.  The second thing is, there is an economic cost to crime, and millions of individuals go through that process each year, of which that negative economic impact to society is considerably less than the amount that is wrested away from the unsuspecting public by corporations fleecing them and knowing that even if they are caught, that the sanctions imposed upon them will be no worse than paying off the right prosecutorial authorities.

Basically, if you have larceny in your heart, but you're an individual and on the streets, if you get caught, you will do time, but if you work for a multi-billion dollar company, you will instead earn lots of money, promotions, bonuses, awards, and if you get caught, suffer a fine, akin to a ticket, and you will walk away, never having to appear in any form of the criminal justice system whatsoever.

To Love and be loved

In looking at birthrates in America, specifically in regards to income and also by educational level, there is an inverse relationship between one's birthrate and one's income, and also an inverse relationship between one's birthrate and one's educational achievement.  While it might be concluded that such exists, because those that are getting educated are too busy to have children, or that those that are making good money, don't have the time for children, that is contradicted by the fact that in today's city-based world, children are very expensive to have and to rear, along with the attendant responsibilities that childrearing demands , indicating that those with the most money, as well as best futures, are the most viable candidates to have children, but in point of fact, they do not have them at the same rate as those that have less. 

It is vital to remember that humans, whether they want to visibly acknowledge it or not, have an innate desire to love and to be loved, so that, a contributing reason as to why the birthrate for children is so much higher for those that are undereducated and poor, than those that are not, is seldom because the poor do not comprehend birth control, but more that those without material assets and bright futures, find solace in creating a child that is their own, that they can thereby love, and that will subsequently love them back.  It is this love, the taking care of others, that drives women to take on the immense responsibilities of motherhood, in the hopes that such, will take care of the emptiness and loneliness of lives that often lack consistently meaningful tactile touch and the soothing comfort brought forth from interactions with other human beings that truly care for them.

This lack of love, or the feeling of receiving of love, or a suitable substitute for this lack, often drives woman to do all sorts of things, of which, the desire to have something of their own, something to love and to cherish, is perhaps the supreme wish of them all.  The fact that those lacking in education as well as in income, over and above maturity, family, and other emotional issues, are the most fertile of all American groups, reflects that those that have not, desire to have, and that they express that desire in having children, under ideal or less than ideal circumstances.

The thing about life for those that have what appears to be limited horizons and limited futures, is that it is their belief, that even though their life has typically not been one of joy and happiness, that through the creation of new life, that their child may have the opportunity to reap what has been denied to them.  This is why they take great joy in the birth of their child, for from that birth, is created the opportunity for their child's freedom, and for their child's pursuit of happiness, that is theoretically gifted to all, but achieved by far fewer, in which those who have had their dreams denied by the lack of caring, love, affection, and concern, will their progeny to make good and to be good to others.

Apartment Consolidation

The home ownership rate in America has declined significantly since the housing crisis of 2007-2009, currently resting at its lowest rate since 1965, with a material contributing factor being that millennial home ownership rate is very low, of which there are many reasons, the two most significant being: student loan overhang, and lack of income/assets.  All of this combined, means that in a nation that increases its population each and every year, that more people than ever are renting homes, renting apartments, or renting basements, in order to have a place to live.

Those that rent out property range from individual investors, to REITs, to non-profits, to limited liability partnerships as well as limited liability companies, and because apartment complexes of more than 100 units cost a lot of money, the biggest apartment complexes are typically owned by limited liability partnerships or limited liability companies, to more readily have access to the appropriate amount of money to buy as well as to maintain these behemoth apartment complexes.

In this apartment business, growth can come organically, by building new apartment complexes, or by modifying or re-invigorating what is already own; or conversely by outright buying apartment complexes from those that are looking to sell, for whatever reason, of which, one of them may be, lack of the means or desire to effectively compete against rising competition.  Because the cost of borrowing money from banking institutions are low, as well as the fact that vacancy rates are historically low, in a business that appears fundamentally sound, the access to money for those that have pristine credit, pristine balance sheets, and well constructed business plans is excellent.  This means that in the last decade, the opportunity to buy out, merge, occupy, or acquire apartment complexes has increased significantly in the apartment business.

On the one hand, renters that live in complexes, in which the owners have deep pockets, long-term plans, and run an efficient operation, would seem to be beneficiaries of such consolidation and organization, yet, on the other hand, apartment owners are wont to charge at some point for the material improvements, along with bells and whistles, added to their apartments, so as to recover monies spent or invested in improving them, therefore, for every upgrade, the renter will sooner or later, end up paying for it. 

So too, when apartment complexes are bought out from one owner to another, it the price is high, the immediate beneficiary is the previous owner, but the new owner, that has paid perhaps a bit above market for such a property, has already anticipated that they will recover such in the coming years, by increasing the rental price in order to make the numbers work effectively for them.  Additionally, those in the business of apartment management have organizations that they are members of, in which, rather than seeing their competitors or fellow owners, as opponents, see them more akin to investors in the same sort of game, in which, that game is to maximize their investment and profits, and not necessarily to undercut each other.

In point of fact, as large apartment complexes become consolidated into fewer and fewer hands in which the demand for their product is high, those owners have every incentive to want to have "friendly" relations with each other so as to improve their collective bottom lines, and as owners they own the product, in which, the renters of such, don't have a lot of good viable options, and certainly don't have the power to change the game to their favor, leaving them to have to pay the man just a few dollars more.

Your Best Investment

In this world of obligations, people work hard to earn money and many having done so, after taking care of necessary obligations and bills, are interested in taking the money left over that they have earned and investing it in some way or another, to increase their income and thereby make larger their nest egg.  The above goal certainly make sense and those that manage and handle money successfully can make their lives better for having done so, as material comforts, as well as the ability to pass on assets to family, friends, and organizations is certainly a worthy objective.

Unfortunately, the world that we live in, as stable as it may appear to be in a country such as America, isn't nearly as stable as perceived, nor is it stable in many nations around the world, so that, things that we have worked hard to achieve, things that we believe we have earned and that our ours, can be taken away from us, in the blink of an eye, through governmental oppression, natural disasters, unexpected health issues, bankruptcies of financial organizations, outright fraud, and the collapse of monetary systems.  To go through such a thing, to suffer from such, is often devastating to most people, depending upon many other intrinsic and  extrinsic factors, as it does serve notice that the foundations that we believe so firmly are solid, may not be as secure as we have previously imagined and believed.

The preceding certainly doesn’t mean that we shouldn't work hard, or that we shouldn’t make sound investments, and so forth, but instead is vivid proof that things as they are aren't necessarily things that we can count on, especially in times of trouble, or in times of turmoil.  That, in itself, is rather disturbing, for the true test of any faith, the true test of anything that we believe in and firmly have faith in, is how it behaves, how it holds its value, in unexpected and unanticipated events.  So that, if such, does rather poorly, and behaves as if its foundation is on shifting sands, a reasonable person, should conclude that a reliance on such a thing isn't logical or even sensible, because things that aren't going to stand up to trouble, are akin to fair weather friends, and in truth, we really need friends that stick with us, through the good times or bad, and though feast or famine.

This means, that we should probably spend more time, thinking about getting involved in activities, that cannot be taken away from us, no matter what may come, in which, many people, might conclude that there isn't anything of that sort around.  This would be true, if we looked upon the world as strictly material, strictly filled with objects, but in actuality, the world consists of our interaction and influence that we have with others, which are not material, but consists of non-material things that break though the glass ceiling of materiality. 

For in actuality, whether we have it or not in our hands, upon our demise, we cannot take it with us, though we can try to pass our material things onto others, but in that undiscovered country that we depart to, we live without it.  However, there is a gift that we have left behind, intentionally or not, and this gift is the good advice, the good deeds, and the good actions, that we have taken and accomplished that have influenced people in positive ways, so that this has help to make them better people, and this is the gift that keeps on giving, this is in actuality, our legacy, and this is, in fact, our best investment, as its dividends compound and continue onward, without end.