Sensory happiness never fully lasts

Most everyone likes to be happy, and most of us, are able to find parts of our day, or areas of our life, which will make us happy, most of the time.  The thing is that in order to be happier, far more often, and feel far better about having that happiness, people need to gravitate more to those activities that are more fulfilling and of more lasting meaning, as compared to something or other that just deals almost exclusively with sense pleasures, such as eating, or sexuality.

That is to say, while many of us get great joy from eating delicious food, or from the pleasure of good sexuality, each of these activities, are subject to having a peak period of that happiness, invariably followed by an eventual return to our basic baseline.  In other words, the sensory experience that we are receiving in the present might well make us feel fantastic, but it does not last; and our remembrance of it, won't be able to bring us back to the peak feelings that we had in and of that moment in time.

So then, as much as we might delight in the wonderful sensory experiences of various activities, each of those things ultimately are transitory in nature and basically requires us to repeat such, in order to retrieve again those happy feelings; and even when repeated, the happiness that we are desiring to get, may not be at the level of the past, or even really hitting the level that we were hoping for.

On the other hand, there is a different sort of happiness that lies beyond mere sensory gratification, in which, that happiness requires a more giving attitude and the relating of ourselves to other people, of which, by risking something of value, such as our reputation or our personality with another, we put ourselves in the open position to gain something in return from them, because having valued them as a whole person, we thereby recognize that by connecting deeply with one another, that each of us can thereby help the other to benefit in tangible as well as intangible ways.

That is why we want to be with other people, because with those other people, they can help us to expand our limited horizons as well as to aid and augment us in learning those things that have lasting attributes, so that we are better able to adapt and to grow in this world.  So too, the interplay with one trusting person to another, allows us to play and to experiment with them in a manner in which stifling judgment has been accorded a backseat, so that the trying out of new things and new avenues, can be attempted.

Additionally, lasting happiness, unlike sensory happiness, is only possible, by finding things of merit and worth, that lie outside of our control, and which necessitates our interaction with other people, perhaps in the pursuit of a noble objective, that benefits society in a manner that could not have happened without our necessary contribution, of which, the joy and satisfaction that we helped to create, mirrors back to our own self. So that, happiness isn't really about what happens to you, rather, it is more about what you do, that helps to create happiness for another, and that thereby makes us feel happy for our voluntary involvement and contribution to accomplishing exactly that.

Your country needs you

It is absolutely remarkable that the United States had not had a draft or conscription since 1973.  While the uninitiated and unenlightened might believe that this is so, because Americans are natural born patriots, the truth of the matter is far more illuminating.  For instance, while there will always be myriad reasons as to why individuals sign up to serve their country, it should first be noted, that because America is the preeminent military power in the world, and hence is the country that has no peer in regards to the violence and destruction it dishes out, and thereby suffers few causalities and damages, itself, means that America is a winner, no matter the result of any one war or engagement.  This means, that soldiers in America's armed forces, while being respectful that they could well suffer harm and even death in their duty, recognize that it is always the other guy that will do most of the suffering and most of the dying, because America's military might and muscle is shockingly frightening in its power and its awesome impact.

So that, quite obviously, being on the winning team helps a great deal in the enlistment and recruitment of inductees.  So too, does the fact that America is a country which has a very high income disparity, so that therefore there is an abundance of young individuals that come from nothing, have nothing, and desire to have something of value.  This thus means, that the armed forces have a real attraction to all those that intuitively recognize that in order to get out of their current predicament, this is going to necessitate an institution that can provide them a real opportunity.  Fortunately, for these potential recruits, the armed forces, through the generosity of its government, does indeed put together a very competitive package for those that are in need of good health benefits, subsidized housing, valuable pension benefits, steady and reliable income, along with those educational discounts. 

So too, because in general, those that are in the armed forces are accorded a very decent respect from the general public, this signifies that those that come from humble, disadvantaged, troubling, or areas of the country that seem to be anachronistic in nature, are able to now find something that may well provide them with the desirable accouterments of esteem, and therefore in its own way, a real piece of the American dream.

Of course, for all this to work in a way in which these soldiers are actually competent and skilled in their performance of their duties, this necessitates strict and exacting discipline, teamwork, molding, propaganda, repetition, peer pressure, and relentless demands by those that are in charge and have responsibility that these volunteers become formed into one cohesive unit that will perform their duties without equivocation or hesitation.  After all, there must be instilled a belief in these soldiers that they are now an integral part of their country, and thereby they need to believe that what their country needs from them, that they must therefore do, which will be dutifully done in faithful service to that country, signifying that those that serve such have now bought into the belief, that this is their country, right or wrong.

Make me happy

Most people deeply desire to be happy, and while they may well recognize that to be happy 100% of the time, isn't ever going to happen, they still desire to be happy, as much as can be conceivable in their lives.  Somewhat regrettably, the world does not revolve around each one of us, and neither has it been created by any one of us, so that, as much as we might desire to be happy, and to have happy things happen for us and around us, it doesn't actually work out that way, because we don't have the ability to control everything or to bend everything to our desires.  Further, it would seem that there are people and circumstances that conspire against us having all the happiness that we want, or believe that we deserve, making us therefore, unhappy.

So then, in order to become happy, some people believe that a prudent way to do so, is to find someone that will aid and abet them in being and becoming happy, more times than not.  For some people, they do find that special someone that does help them greatly in their happiness and that is indeed a very good thing.  For other people, though things might well start off quite favorably, they often find to their dismay that the someone that they have selected to increase their happiness, ends up, instead, not only not increasing their happiness, but actually making them far less happy and far less satisfied then they were previously.

Perhaps an audacious solution to all of this is that rather than trying to find someone that will make you happy, it might actually make more sense to find someone or perhaps some activity that you desire to do; in which by devoting yourself to that person or activity, you end up feeling the delight of bringing happiness to another, and hence have the inner satisfaction in accomplishing, something of real value and merit.

So then, it could be stated, that the pursuit of happiness, need not necessarily mean that you need to find someone to make you happy, but rather you can be happy and satisfied when finding someone that by helping to make them happy, brings happiness also to your inner being.  This signifies that those times when you have devoted yourself to another, in which, while it might well have appeared to have been a personal sacrifice of both time and effort that this, somehow, has brought immense joy to your being, for in that giving, you feel both honored and valued.

The pathway to happiness is going to be different for each one of us, and such can change depending upon where we are in our life at that stage.  However, those that take the time to really reflect as to when they are the most happiest and satisfied, will often find, that it is in those times, when they have voluntarily given to another, without a real expectation of receiving any gain in return, that they feel an inner peace, and a happiness, that makes them know that they are highly regarded and truly appreciated.  

Seeking pleasure, above all

While there is something to be said about desiring pleasure in the sense that those things that make us feel good have their place; so too, there is that false lure of believing that pleasure, above all, should be the motivating force in our lives.  That is to say, those that purposely avoid all those important things, inconvenient things, and responsibilities that would distract oneself or would stymie oneself in the pursuit of a certain pleasure, because to recognize such, would mean the rightful acknowledgement that we each have obligations and responsibilities to others, have taken this particular view, because they desire not to willingly give up that particular pleasure.

So that, pleasure seeking for some, becomes something that supersedes their appropriate responsibilities and obligations that they have to others.  As misguided to pursue as that may be, what is even more troubling, is those that in order to get their pleasure, compromise their own ethics, and even worse, compromise other people's values, in order to get that pleasure, no matter the real cost.  Therefore, the pleasure principle overrides considerations of good conscience, of doing the right thing, and of keeping things in perspective; because that pleasure, for that moment, rules their mind, and therefore those others that they need in order to have their pleasure, become thereby objectified for that pleasure.

Again, it isn't that desiring pleasure is so wrong, it is only when the pursuit of pleasure, overrides our good conscience that such is wrong; and this is especially deplorable when such is done in an underhanded way against others, all for our selfish benefit, and without fully taking into account, that other people, have not been created, to personally satisfy what our particular cravings may be.  This would indicate that pleasure seeking, without reasonable constraints and without the necessary consent by the other, is clearly selfish; whereas pleasure seeking, in which both parties are voluntarily on the same page, has its dutiful place.

The fact that we often feel good when doing certain pleasurable things provides the apparent reinforcement that such must be okay.  To the extent, that we still feel the same way in hindsight, afterwards, would again seem to indicate that such is okay.  On the other hand, if in order to obtain that general good feeling, we are at first obligated to addle our mind through drugs, drink, or something similar, then this would strongly imply that our good conscience is troubled by what we are doing and the very contemplation of such, which is why we therefore turn to those substances to basically suppress our good mind.

When we discount our good conscience, in order to have that pleasure, such may typically become classified as a "guilty pleasure," because ultimately we are not completely comfortable with that activity that occurred.  To then, ignore those pricks to our good conscience, or to drown such out by drugs or drink, is indicative that our pursuit of that particular pleasure is fundamentally not right.  This would clearly indicate, that our pursuit of pleasure should be constrained within a window that takes into account, that responsibilities and obligations left behind to pursue such pleasures, are going to eventually exact a price from us, that we probably will not ultimately desire to have to pay.

The pursuit of profit, above all

We live in a capitalistic society, of which, businesses are created in order to sell product so that the manufacturer or the distributor of such, can make a profit.  In the scheme of things, most people and most consumers do not ever begrudge a company that plays fairly by the rules of making a fair profit. On the other hand, most people and most consumers do have an issue with companies that price gouge their consumers or that cheat consumers by selling products that purport to be one thing but are really not, or purport to be of a certain quality and are not, and further that cheat the employees out of fair wages in the creation of those products so being sold.

Again and again, to the degree that executives are taught, that the pursuit of profit, is the only thing that matters, no matter what; then the slippery slope so created for a significant amount of companies is inevitably going to be the exploitation of labor, the doctoring of products to some degree, and deliberate deceit of the consumer base so buying.  No doubt, there are laws upon laws, to deal with these very things, but when the corporations have the money to buy the best legal minds available, as well as to lobby and to unfairly influence legislators to see things the corporate way, then those laws will not ever be robust in their actual application, and thereby will be successfully subverted in such a way, so that all appears well, though in actuality, all is not.

While individuals can cheat other individuals in many ways, the degree that corporations can cheat individuals is at a much higher and invasive level, because when a given person is personally liable for what they do, say, and act, they are in the natural, going to be more circumspect.  As for those groups of individuals that merge into a corporate entity, in which by virtue of that corporate entity those individuals are thereby protected from ever being in danger of personal liability, this thus allows corporations to behave in a manner that is far more aggressive in that pursuit of profit, because those corporate individuals know that they are not ever going to personally suffer for their bad actions, but rather it will be the corporate entity, if it even comes to that which will have to face the music, instead.

All of the above essentially means that more laws will not ever correct those corporations that behave in a manner that is unethical, but rather that the mindset of those corporations has to be corrected, instead.  Which therefore means that while corporations are entitled to make what profit that they can fairly make; that they also have an incumbent societal responsibility to do so in a manner in which labor is paid a fair wage, and in which the work conditions within the corporate sphere are safe, along with adhering to the practice that corporations should be good corporate citizens in all that they enact, say and do.

Those that believe that corporations are entitled to make as much money as possible are basically saying that the pursuit of money trumps any and all social responsibility and duty that corporations have to their country of origin, and that people should therefore take the backseat to that corporate pursuit of money.

The wealthy that do not labor

One of the objectives of working is to obviously earn an income, which is necessary in order for each of us to purchase those things such as food, shelter, transportation, water, and so on and so forth that we need in order to properly function and to remain solvent.  So that, it is fair to say, that though we might well labor for a lot of reasons, one of the more practical reasons is so as to earn money, which thereby permits us to appreciate or to have the necessary things for ourselves as well as for those that we are connected to.  Additionally, ideally we labor in order to be of practical benefit to others in the work so created that thereupon helps our communities, and furthers the advancement of mankind.

There are, presently, a fair amount of people that have wealth, in which they did not labor for that wealth.  For instance, most parents, desire greatly to pass on an inheritance for their offspring, of which, besides their wealth of knowledge and advice, one of those things so being gifted to their progeny, is the material wealth so accumulated during their lifetimes.  To the degree, that this wealth helps to stabilize a given household, or augments the income of a household, or aids and abets in the education of, or the fair ability to advance in society, as a good member of it, such has its rightful place.  On the other hand, to the degree that inherited wealth makes it so the person or household receiving such, need not ever labor, or becomes a foolish spendthrift, such is questionable in its value, or even its rightfulness.

That is to say, there is a massive principled chasm between those that have wealth, and have rightfully earned it by their fair labor and by their dedication to their craft; as compared to those that have the same amount of wealth, but have nary lifted a finger to acquire such, for the psyche of those minds so involved, are almost always, fundamentally different.  So that, those that labor for their money, often think about and stress about what they need to do and to accomplish, both in the short-term and in the long-term, and they are most definitely in the arena of the world in which their decisions and throughput has real consequences for themselves as well as for others.  On the other hand, those that simply have wealth don't need to and often don't care to be concerned about everyday life for others that are not of the same non-laboring milieu, but rather spend their time, only in consideration as to how to make the money that they currently have, last even longer, or grow, and little else.

Those that labor for their wealth, concern themselves with the continuance of their career and the making of good decisions.  Those that do not labor, concern themselves primarily with protecting what they have, from being taken from their hands, for they greatly fear losing what gives them their power and meaning in life, knowing that without that wealth, they would be surely lost, for their idle hands know not what to do, if all that money was to slip through their fat and feeble fingers. 

Dodge v. Ford Motor Co

Henry Ford is famous for raising the wage of those assembling the automobiles for Ford Motor Company, to a minimum wage of $5/day in 1914, as long as other requirements were met, back when wages for Ford's newly hired assembly workers, were previously only about $2.30/day.  In which, seemingly this wage increase was done by Ford out of altruistic purposes.  In truth, Henry Ford, recognized the wisdom of providing his employees with a "living wage", which would reduce considerably employee turnover and thereby make for a significant reduction in the training of such; in addition to increasing the work quality and actual cost efficiency of the automobiles so being produced; while also providing the ready means to increase market share, by the good will and middle incomes generated, allowing that working class to purchase the vehicles so being manufactured.

Somewhat incredibly, the Ford Motor Company, was sued by two of its largest shareholders, the Dodge brothers, for Ford's seemingly overly generous pay to its employees, that the Dodge brothers believed was a fiduciary mistake in regards to compensation for those employees, which should rather have seen monies paid out instead, in dividends to those shareholders.  Further, the Dodge brothers did not believe that the Ford Motor Company was wise in reducing the price of the automobiles so being produced, when the market seemingly allowed Ford Motor Company to sell such at a higher price point, and thereby would have meant a higher profit per unit of those automobiles being sold.

Additionally, Henry Ford, had stated that one of his driving forces, in regards to his employees, was to "… to help them build up their lives and their homes."  The Dodge brothers believed that Ford's duty to its shareholders was simply to pursue profits to the best of his ability, and that anything beyond this specific goal, was inimical to those shareholders.  That is to say, the pursuit of money and profit was to be above everything else, and therefore those employers that were not compelled by law or other salient conditions to pay more than they needed to pay for the labor assembling those automobiles, were essentially cheating the shareholders of Ford Motor Company from the rightful monies so due to them in the form of higher dividends and/or a higher share price.

The result of this lawsuit was that though the court admitted that the duty of Ford Motor Company was to make money for its shareholders, it also stated, that it was not within the court's jurisdiction to question or to interfere in the business practices of Ford Motor Company in regards to either salaries so being paid or the price of the products so being sold, as well as the expansion of the business as best determined by the corporate officers of the Ford Motor Company.  This meant, that Henry Ford had the right to increase the wages of its employees, as well as the right to reduce the price of the automobiles so being produced, and would not be mandated by that court to do otherwise. 

So too, this indicated that hiding almost in plain sight, is the belief, by at least some of the representatives of this  capitalistic system,  that money and the pursuit of profit, should always be of primary importance, and therefore that pursuit should rightfully be above any requirement or desire that those being employed, are entitled to a "living wage".

No government will stand the test of time if it is not just

Governments come and governments go; even those governments that have written Constitutions and have stood the test of time for more than two hundred years. For no government is immune to suffering the fate of its own demise, even when such governing words as written and propagated are exceeding wise and of immense value for the people.

The very first problem that any government that so desires to be of the benefit to the union of the people, is when the governing representatives of that country are not true to the words of its governing principles, in practice and in its effective operation.  After all, when a country states that all are equal before the law, and that all are equally created, in which each of its compatriots are entitled to fair opportunity, liberty, and their pursuit of that which brings them satisfaction; in which, none of these things are actually occurring in the here and now for that union of people, then that country is obviously not true to its governing principles and that country is not just to the very people that it claims to legitimately represent.

So then, in the governmental compact, that has been voluntarily agreed upon, in which the words and ideals so being disseminated, are not being aided and abetted in principle by the actions and activities of that government, in which, in actuality some of the people are clearly being benefited in an unfair and dishonorable manner, whereas a significant swath of that constituency is  suffering the ill effects of things such as discrimination, unfairness, and injustice; then that government cannot be, a government of, for, and by the people, but rather this represents a government that serves a specific some at the expense of the impotent many.

All of this, makes very clear, that when those that are our governmental representatives, have the audacity to claim that they are supporting justice, fairness, and equality but are none of those very things themselves; then the people have been cheated from their rightful place and position within that sacred compact of those people joining together into one body politic for the benefit of the people.  So that, where there is no justice, there will be no lasting peace; and where there is no fairness, there will be no tranquility; and where there is no equality there will be no fair opportunity.

Those that believe that mere governmental edicts, and laws upon laws, will somehow bring peace, fairness, and prosperity for all are grossly mistaken.  Rather, good governance requires an active government, of which those representatives as well as the enactors and makers of the laws, are by their actions and activities, always open and transparent with the people; in which the abiding principle of that government, is that no one individual is ever above the law, but rather that all are to be held equally accountable to good Constitutional law, so as to provide to each of those people, a fair chance to benefit from that union of the people, for the betterment of the people, and be therefore the land that truly embodies justice for all.

The global economy

So many of the common products that we utilize in our lives, come either directly from foreign nations, or contain some components or input from foreign nations.  So too, significant markets of many of our biggest corporations are foreign, and those products being sold are in many instances, containing components that are foreign in origin and/or foreign in some aspect of the manufacturing process. 

All of the above basically means that mankind has recognized the wisdom of utilizing people and materials that are available for such, all over the world, which makes for a far more efficient and effective way to bring products that people desire to the market; of which, some of these products would not be able to be manufactured or created, without that ability to utilize foreign involvement. 

As might be expected, when it comes in particular to businesses, that once any company becomes dependent upon things such as cheap foreign labor being available, or the need for the sourcing of product to come from foreign nations, or any these various forms in combination, of which, to lose that access, would thereby leave these corporations quite vulnerable to having their ability to create profitable product, reduced or truncated, than those companies will as a matter of course, want to be in the position, to the degree that such is possible, to prevent these very things from happening.  Additionally, once market doors are open so that exports can be made into foreign countries, corporations have a strong vested interest that those doors shall ever remain open, and that they not be barred ever, especially by unexpected or unwarranted tariffs, or unanticipated foreign governmental actions, of which if any of these adverse things should occur, corporations would thereupon have a strong desire of wanting to see such, overturned.

The fact that so much trade is global both in its sourcing as well as in the selling of such, would appear to be one of those things that is beneficial for all parties involved; for consumers become the beneficiaries of products that are of more value to them at a cheaper price point, as well as corporations are able to sell more product and typically do so at a higher gross margin.  On the negative side, though, is the fact that domestic industries that utilize a labor component in which that labor element is not competitive in contrast to foreign nations, puts not only intense pressure upon those domestic wages being maintained, let alone increased, but also intense pressure upon the continuance of even gainful employment.  Further, those corporations that are dependent upon sales to foreign nations and/or foreign sourced components and cheap labor, will not look kindly to seeing such, disrupted.

This thus means that on the one hand while global connections makes for nation-states realizing the obvious benefits of trade routes being continuously open, it would also be indicative that strong and powerful corporations prefer to work almost exclusively within domains in which once a deal is structured, it is held inviolable, and are not terribly interested in democratic institutions that could possibly upset that status quo.  Additionally, major corporations also find especially pernicious, a given country’s revolutionary actions, unless such is instigated or sponsored by the nation-state the corporation is located in.

So that, a world filled with global trade and global connections, is a world that probably cedes more control to corporations and their profit interests than is prudent, which may not be as benign as it might initially appear, for money and the lust for ever increasing profit and sales, tends to lead to decisions that favor the few and connected over the many.

The ties that bind us

We all have ties to other people and principles, some of which are stronger than others, of which these ties are created so that we bond, for instance, with our family, our friends, our fellow laborers, our community, our fellow church members, and our country.  To the degree that these bonds are in conformance one with another, all is good; but, to the degree that these bonds are not compatible with each other or in conflict one with another, such thereby determines which of those bonds actually is of more significance and often of more merit.

After all, each of us has a responsibility to uphold the integrity of whom and what we really are, and what it is that we are thereby representing.  So that, when one bond conflicts with another bond, a determination must be made as to what we will be true to; in which, therefore, there must be a hierarchy of where each of those bonds resides within our given psyche.

The true test of anybody’s faith, belief, or ties one with another, is when that faith is tested by something else that is tugging upon the conscience or commitment of that person.  So that, as it has been said, a house divided, will not stand; for each of us must either be wholly one thing or wholly another, or else our integrity will not only be called into question, but such will vacillate from time-to-time and day-to-day, making us, at best, a fair weather friend, that stays true only to the direction that the prevailing wind is blowing at that moment.

This signifies that each of us must take a thorough inventory of who and what we really are, in the recognition that we will be tested in the real world, and that in acknowledgment that those that are prepared fare far better than those that are not, we thereby prepare ourselves.  For if we are not true to that which means the most to us, than our lack of courage and integrity reflects that we are not in reality, the type of person that honors their most important bonds.

The ties that bind us most closely to others are those ties that we stand by, come what may.  This means that the decisions that we reach and the actions that we subsequently take, should be in harmony with those ties that are of utmost value to us.  So that, we are consistent that our beliefs and thereby our actions, are true and inviolable.

Those ties that bind us most intimately to one another, are those ties that when combined with similar believers, makes those bonds appreciably higher than they ever could be, separately.  This indicates that the very best communities and families are those communities and families that have found a common cause, typically that is beyond their own self-serving interests, that benefits the collective in whole, in which, those that have joined together into one body politic, will not break; for that which has bound them one to another, has made them wholly one.

Those that will not pay their fair share in taxes are not good for their country

There aren't a lot of people or corporations that are eager or delighted to pay their hard earned money via taxes; yet, in consideration that governments, need taxes in order to perform necessary and structural governmental functions for the benefit of the people, such taxes need then be paid.  Further to the point, the more that taxes are straightforward and compulsory, without options, loopholes, and avoidances, the more that the public and corporations will hold accountable those that are our representatives in government, so that the budgets so proposed and subsequently enacted, are budgets that consist of needful things for those members that make up the republic.

Obviously, based on the fact that America in the 21st century, has consistently run massive national deficits, of which, there does not currently appear to be a pathway for America, becoming fiscally sound anytime soon, it can only be reasonably concluded that, first, those that are supposed to pay their fair share of taxes are not doing so; and secondly, those creating governmental budgets for the expenditures of monies that are not scheduled to be collected in harmony with such a budget, are not being fiscally responsible.  After all, when governmental expenses consistently run higher than the revenues that are being collected, this then is not a sustainable model for a given country, for as deficits and thereby debts grow ever larger, these are inimical to the fiscal soundness of that country.

According to the thebalance.com it is anticipated that income taxes will contribute about 50% of taxes so collected by the national government in fiscal year 2021, in comparison to corporate taxes that are estimated to represent just 7%.  To place such a great burden upon the laborers of the corporate products so created, while allowing corporations to pay an appreciably smaller burden is hardly fair or appropriate.  This present situation isn't terribly surprising, since corporations have billions upon billions of dollars at their disposal to influence all sorts of governmental policies, including, in particular, taxing policies, of which, quite clearly they have been quite effective at such.  In fact, as reported by americansfortaxfairness.org, corporations back in the 1950s actually paid about 33% of the federal tax revenue collected at that time as compared to the current projection of just 7% for 2021.  Further to the point, the richest of the rich, are paying less in individual taxes than they did in the 1950s, and their estates are also being taxed today at a lesser rate, than they were in the 1950s.

The bottom line when it comes to taxation, is that this country and its present day policies, focus far more than they really should on getting ordinary Americans to carry far more taxation weight than they need to; as compared to concentrating on collecting a lot more money from those corporations and select individuals that already have more than enough money than they really need.  The reason that this is occurring is because our feckless governmental representatives are unwilling and seemingly unable to enact fair and transparent taxing policies that will tax those that have way more than enough, thereby placing an unfair burden on ordinary Americans and an unnecessary burden on those future Americans, not yet born.

Only the Master Controller, has no fear

The fear of lost, of abandonment, of health, of employment, of wealth, of security and so many other things are part and parcel of most people's lives.  We fear these things not only because losing such could seemingly cost us everything, but mainly we fear them greatly because in many instances, we do not have the power or the inherent ability to completely stop or to fully control that which fears us excessively; and lacking that power, means that we are vulnerable, and being vulnerable means that we apparently are not the master controller of our lives or our destiny.

In point of fact, only that which is the Creator of it all, of which that Creator is immutable, invincible, and unassailable, never knows fear; for nothing, not now, and not ever, can ever take what is rightfully in the domain of the Creator from that omnipotent Creator.  On the other hand, we as fallible human beings, should recognize at a very early age, that because we are fallible, and further that within this incarnate experience here on earth, being that we are beholden to the laws and limitations that our physical body presents to us, as well as the complications of integrating with others that have different minds, different priorities, and are free agents, themselves; that we as much as we might try or wish, cannot control others, or even to a certain degree, control our own life as it relates to our desires for our self.

This thus signifies that those that cannot control the outcomes that they so deeply desire, or are ever fearful of what they have at the present time and do greatly value, such as good health, a good family, or a good job, are worried that what they do currently have is something that try as they might, they won't be able to forever hold onto.  To a very large extent, this is true, for everything that relates to this planet and our physical presence upon it, is only ours for a finite amount of time, no matter, how long we battle or how determined that we are that such will be different.

So then, logically, to be fearful or afraid of that which cannot ever be ours on a permanent basis is to worry about something that need not be worried about, for it could never be fully ours, to begin with.  So too, an enormous amount of time and resources are spent in the vain hope that we, at some future point, will be able to control that which is not in our control, and never will be in our control.  Even those, that intuitively recognize this truth, will somehow still believe that if they store up enough goods in their inviolable storehouse, that all will be well, but earthy treasures are susceptible to not only the ravages of time, but to the vagaries of life, which can be quite sudden and very sure.

We fear that which we believe we own, being wrested away from us, but that which we truly own, cannot ever be taken away from us.  So that, only those attributes which are eternal and good such as love, justice, and truth -- only these are eternal, and these are the very building blocks that drive out fear, for fear only lives in that which lacks these very characteristics.

Punishment certainty and punishment severity

According to Wikipedia.org, "In September 2013, the incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world at 716 per 100,000 of the national population."  This indicates that America is a prime believer that those that commit criminal acts need to be certainly punished.  Or does it?  The reason why there appears to be some legitimate debate about this, is the fact that the American jurisprudence allows, for certain crimes, notorious or not, a multitude of ways to petition the courts, so as to delay judicial actions within courts, so that justice is delayed again and again; or else through negotiation between lawyers and the court, decisions are thereby molded and subsequently rendered; or through plea bargains; so that the effect is that what may appear to be certain as in the law as written, does not nearly appear to be so certain, as the law so exercised.

The reason that this matters is because, those that believe, that the illegal actions that they are taking are subject to being interpreted in a manner in which those lawbreakers will not personally have to suffer, or suffer much because they are, for whatever reason, effectively above the law to the degree that the law will not impact them negatively as it would for someone of lesser stature or position, then there clearly is no punishment certainty in that case, which therefore makes the punishment severity of the law so written, pretty much irrelevant.   Further to the point, when those that have a lot of influence and/or money, are able to buy time by that influence and money, so as to delay justice, in which, while such justice is pending, they are able to thereby live their lives as if they weren't even charge of a crime, then any punishment certainty or punishment severity have taken a backseat to the fact that the wheels of justice are not even in motion, and those that are able to buy time in the justice world, are often those that are able to buy an acceptable result to that justice, when such is eventually rendered.  Finally, there are those that are protected in regards to their illegal actions by virtue of such being done through the means of a corporate entity, so that that whatever punishment is finally determined, will not hold anyone personally accountable, but rather will be a decision that will involve a corporate, but not a personal, penalty.

So too, when it comes to punishment and the severity of such, those that suffer the most from this severity are those that are the poorest and least able to vigorously and competently defend themselves in a court of law.  The fact that so many are incarcerated for so long in America, indicates that severity does not stop criminal activity, although it does do a very good job, of severely punishing those that have no influence, no status, and no hope.

If, American concentrated far less on punishment severity and far more on punishment certainty, in which, connections, money, influence, and the protection of corporate entities were not permitted to play a part in American jurisprudence then this could very well impact the amount of crimes so committed in this country, for when people that commit crimes, know for a certainty, that should they be caught, that justice for them would be sure, swift, equal, just and fair; of which no appeals would be permitted, then that certainty would make them far more guarded in what they do, or contemplate so doing, for when criminals know that there is no legitimate way out for what they have committed, the price that they pay has become appreciably higher.

The sin we create

The sin and wrong that we do in our lives, happen for a lot of various reasons, of which, some of those sins and wrongs are done by ignorance, though, in truth, not many; and most of those sins and wrongs are done through our own volition, though many often blame others or circumstances for such occurring, as if that blame, will somehow make each of us, less culpable, individually. 

The far better perspective to take about sin and wrong deeds, is to first recognize the truth that we are each responsible for what we do, say, and become.  To believe, that somehow that we are not, presupposes that we do not have free will, and while there very well may be circumstances in which our free will is circumscribed, there are always choices to be made, and by our subsequent actions, this is what we must answer for in life.

It must be fairly recognized, that how we are brought up, how we are taught, and the people that we congregate with, are all absolutely germane in our understanding of society and of life; of which, those that are deceived, such as being taught that wrong is right, are going to have to make up quite some distance in order to get back onto the right side of seeing and doing things, correctly.  That is why it is of critical importance to everyone, to understand that their thoughts and their mind are their own property, and none else; so that therefore they need to take responsibility and thereby own that awesome personal power, as soon as they are able, in recognition that they are sovereign agents, and hence responsible, for what they say and do.

So then, the sin and wrongs that we do, often comes down to not comprehending correctly who and what we really are; of which, those that are taught at a very young age, the truth of who and what they truly are, are quite fortunate for being gifted with this profound knowledge, for those that know the truth, are more inclined to be adherents to that truth, because they are cognizant that to not do so, is detrimental to them as well as to society, at large.

This signifies that fundamentally there must be an acknowledgment within each one of us, that we are gifted by our Creator with free will, and by that gift, this thereby signifies that we are individually responsible for all that we say and do; of which, unlike justice in this world, which can often be bought, or circumvented for some, or suffered unjustly by many; the only justice that truly matters is the one that each one of us will face, which is always fairly and equally applied. 

So then, sin is created, every time that we do something wrong; of which, in short, we knew better, but we did not do better.  This means, that within each one of us, is the power to sin, or to not sin, and that our choices do so matter.  So that, our society, and the world that we live in, represents the sin and wrongs that collectively we are; of which, the change that so many people talk about or desire to have, is now and always has been, collectively in our hands, indicative of those free will acts that we make each and every day; of which, those that know the truth of who and what they are, should not only lead by example, but need to do more to help and to show others the way.

The streaming of commercial TV should be free

Before there was cable, fiber optics, and the internet, in order for the general population to watch television, they utilized an outdoor antenna to thus bring into their living rooms, television programs.  This meant that back in the day, people watched television for free, and since it obviously cost money for the broadcasters of those television programs, to not only setup the infrastructure in order to provide those programs to the population, but also for the costs so associated with the content of those programs; they then, in order to make their profit, meant that those broadcasters needed the revenue that they could collect from commercial advertisers, which were delighted for the opportunity to advertise their wares to a captive audience as well as on a large scale.  Such a business model, worked out quite well for the likes of ABC, CBS, and NBC, of which, these three major networks still are quite strong and are still relevant in the 21st century.

To be clear, even today, those that have modern day antennas or their equivalency can still access the commercial broadcast content for free, as opposed to having to get such from the cable providers or via streaming.  However, there are a multitude of people that prefer the convenience of accessing television programs via streaming such onto their smart phones or tablets.  Some of the content so streamed, costs the consumer of such, money; and some of what is streamed, is free.  It would seem, especially in consideration that commercial broadcasters have the economies of scale in their favor, that as long as they are receiving the bulk of their revenue through commercial advertising, that it would be in their best interests, to the degree possible, to concentrate more on increasing their viewership, in lieu of charging for such content accessed through streaming devices, which very well might decrease viewership, especially of those of the younger generation.

When it comes to commercial advertisers, the more actionable information that a given market can provide to them and the more specificity about that information so obtained, the more that this is of interest to them, for advertisers are in the business of soliciting in particular those that match the demographics that they find to be most desirable.  So that, when those that stream commercial television onto their smart device, are required to register with that commercial television broadcaster, in which, that broadcaster, knows the gender of, the age of, the location of, along with all sorts of other data points, and in particular, what content this person is watching, then this would seem to be of immense value for those that are advertisers. 

Commercial television has been around since 1941, and those that first staring watching television, do not watch commercial television in the same way as our present day youth.  This signifies that in an age in which it never has been cheaper or easier to accumulate very specific information about individuals and their viewing habits, that those that are commercial broadcasters, should want to, as much as they have in their control, to increase their viewership in every way possible, and therefore, should be far less inclined to desire to actual charge for their content.

To truly honor truth, you must thereby live up to truth in all that you do

The highest aspiration of a good life, is to seek truth, above all else; for if that is not a person's given goal, then they for a certainty are living a life of deceit, of which, the only concern would then be whether that life of deceit is solely their own personal cross to bear, or rather whether it is something, that they, more than likely, have also passed onto others of its baleful influence, directly or indirectly.  This thus signifies that anyone that deliberately and knowingly espouses information that purports to be true, but that is actually false, has done a great disservice to themselves as well as to others.

So too, there are many a person that desires to know the truth, or aspires to live their lives in a truthful manner, until such a time, as they are tested by trying circumstances in which, if they continue to faithfully stand by the truth, they believe that this will surely cost them something of real value; which may be their status, or their livelihood, or something else of immense significance. If then, when put to the test, and thereby given the opportunity to testify and to uphold the truth, a given person, fails in that task, then surely it must be stated, that they have dishonored truth, by that failure.

Those that know the truth, but in their actions and by their words, deny that same truth, are obviously divided in their being, and that which is at war within itself, cannot ever find lasting peace.  So that, the more that any person or any community or any country, for that matter, fails to live up to honoring truth in all that they do and say, the more division and disharmony there will be.  Those that believe, that somehow it's okay to not be truthful, or to not acknowledge truth, from time-to-time, because of a particular circumstance or a special condition, believe therefore that fixed ethical and moral rules, aren't actually fixed, but are actually flexible and thereby changeable in regards to those particular circumstances and special conditions.  To really believe such, is to believe that there are times when truth must thereby take a back seat to expediency and to actually believe such, is an exceedingly dangerous slippery slope.

Know this; you cannot properly honor that which you dishonor, by not living up to the standards that are required to demonstrate that honor.  This means that to honor truth, you must live up to the truth, in all circumstances and in all conditions, for those that do not, desire only a cheap truth, that bends and conforms to whatever one's ego so demands.  Rather, to demonstrate real honor, you must be willing to do whatever that it takes to maintain that honor, no matter how arduous and how difficult that road may be, for anything that is of immense value, demands that sacrifices be made, and those that will not pay homage to the price that truth demands, are dishonoring truth, by their self-serving deceit.

Unprincipled politicians

The politicians that represent us and thereupon have influence upon public policy and the like are democratically elected by the people and subsequently take their place in the public square as representatives of the people, with the commitment to faithfully do right by those people.  To the degree that these elected representatives are transparent, open, in conformance to, and honest with the people in all that they do and say in regards to politics so made and the corresponding decisions so reached, they thereby represent the interests of the people quite well, and consequently these politicians are almost surely being of benefit to the people.  On the other hand, to the degree that these politicians are evasive, opaque, in non-conformance to, and  dishonest with the people, in which what they are really doing, thinking, saying, and accomplishing is often or primarily done behind closed doors and such is done in a manner in which if the people were aware of what was really going on, this would change their perceptions thereof; than these politicians are almost surely selling short the people that they represent, and often are doing so, in order for them or certain well positioned people or institutions, to benefit, at the expense of those people.

First and foremost, politicians are the representatives of the people, and thereby their highest duty is to serve those people, as if they, our representatives, were the very embodiment of the people, to the extent that such is possible.  No doubt, in the world of politics, compromises will have to be made, and deals will have be struck, but none of this should ever be done in a manner in which the people are somehow left always with the short end of the stick.

Those that run for office and thereupon win that office, have a moral and ethical duty to serve those that have elected them in a responsible and competent manner, by utilizing their political power and influence in a way that benefits the people; in contrast to doing such, in a manner in which a few are benefited, or even just that one being benefited.  It is one thing to make an honest mistake, or to be outmaneuvered or even outplayed, for this happens to even the best of us; but, it is an entirely different thing for politicians to deliberately and with aforethought strike deals that are inimical to the public at large, and especially loathsome, when done to benefit that politician, personally.

When our politicians are dishonest, greedy, two-faced, and the like; it is then no wonder why the public follows thereby in suit, by cheating on their taxes, by failing to volunteer for civic duties, and by turning their back upon the legitimate needs of their own community.  A politician that is principled and dedicated to the proposition that all of mankind is equal, and thereby deserving of fair opportunity, fair justice, and fair dealings, embodies in spirit, the greatness of what these United States was created to be.  Whereas, a politician that is unprincipled, represents an instigator and perpetrator of the force that would divide this very house, to such an extent, that it will not stand, and mighty will be its fall.

Economic warfare v. conventional warfare

The United States is an empire, and for whatever reasons, good or bad, insists upon having its imprint upon just about every facet of significance where it can do so, throughout the world.  Not too surprisingly, and very disappointedly, America far too often reaches for the military option, and therefore has military engagements in far too many conflicts throughout the world, of which, whatever its objectives may be, or reasons thereof, seems in recent times to hardly ever get it right. 

When it comes to disagreements, there isn't any doubt, that considering that America is the preeminent military power in the world, of which there is no single country, or even consortium of countries that could ever hope to stand up against that American power; still leaves us with the rather puzzling result that the majority of those military entanglements clearly indicates that such adventures or misadventures haven't been satisfactory in the outcome so obtained.  This would strongly imply that rather than continuing to demonstrate its misguided quick trigger response to different hot spots throughout the world, that America would be far better served, if it would more often consider that there is more than one way to deal with conflict, other than that straight military muscle.

For instance, the world has become considerably smaller over the last few decades, in which, one would be hard pressed to list any major country that doesn't have some sort of major involvement in regards to the economic necessity of the importing and exporting of certain goods, of which, those goods have not only a material effect upon that country, but are often of utmost importance to that country.  Further to the point, the transfer of monies from buyer to seller, or vice versa, is typically done via electronic means, so that, funds of nation-states aren't typically held interior to that country in some sort of lock safe which contains gold bullion or similar, but rather assets of countries are held electronically within banks or banking like instruments, that are often international in scale.

So then, for recalcitrant countries, a means to bring them to heel, so to speak, is to impact both their importing and exporting, as well as to freeze or to divert funds that are earmarked for those nations.  None of this should be done without first giving fair warning to those countries, of which, the conditions to be met, should have previously been discussed on an international scale, and the decisions so reached should be an agreement between a confederacy of countries, as opposed to it simply being the unilateral action of one country, for if a country such as America, cannot convince its allies and other respected countries, that its proposed actions are both right and proper, then America needs to rethink or reargue as to whether its proposed actions are actually justified.

While it must be said that economic sanctions take more time to have impact than direct military action, they will, given enough time, be effective.  For, when a country does not have the ready means to buy or no longer has the credit to import the items so needed; as well as having their export markets suddenly dry up, they will feel that economic envelopment in the most uncomfortable way, and thereby as their lifeblood slowly drains out of their body, often find a way to come to a reasonable agreement, sooner or later.

Population matters: Europe v. China

The amount of square miles of land occupied by all of Europe in comparison to China is about the same, with Europe having about 6% more land than China in square miles.  In regards to the population between China and Europe, in 1950, the population of both areas was also about the same with China having a small edge in population of 554,419,268 peoples in comparison to Europe's 549,328,858.  It is estimated that in 2020, China's population as reported by worldometers.info is 1,439,323,776; whereas Europe's population is 747,636,026, or a near doubling of peoples in China as in comparison to Europe. 

When it comes to the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 1950, this was just a paltry $614; whereas France's GDP in 1950 was $5,221 or more than eight times the amount of China.  However, in 2018, China's per capita GDP had increased to $9,580, in comparison to France, which though much higher at $42,953 was now just four and a half times the amount of China.  In aggregate, however, all of Europe has a GDP as of 2018 of $18.7 billion, in comparison to China, which is at$13.4 billion, in which the GDP of Europe is approximately 40% bigger than China, though the gap is projected to continue to decrease over the ensuing years.

All of this surely indicates that China is on course to soon match and to thereby surpass all of Europe in its GDP, which indicates that China in many important respects will thereby carry far more weight and influence upon world affairs then it did back in 1950, when the populations of Europe and China were about the same.  This clearly is indicative that the world is changing and that western civilization and especially Europe must now recognize, if it has not already done so, that the powers to be, cannot be solely western but must be shared with other nations, such as China, Japan, India, Russia, and others.

So too, the productivity of any nation rests upon many factors and facets, of which one of the most salient has to be, the sheer number of peoples contained with a given nation.  So that, population matters and if Europe which is slightly bigger in land mass than China in aggregate, had been able to keep their population growth on or around the same trajectory as China achieved over the last seventy odd years, then undoubtedly, the world stage, would be leaning far more to Europe then it does at the present time, of which this path will not easily change in the years to come.

So then, countries that do a poor job in growing their population must surely recognize that nations that do not replace their productive members with additional productive members, no matter their country of origin -- are societies which will inevitably decline.  This signifies that those that insist upon closed borders and thereby the exclusion of motivated peoples that wish to immigrate into their countries are in imminent danger of increasing their decline at a more precipitous rate, because the numbers of people contained with a given country, are part and parcel of whether such a nation or confederation of nations, will continue to be relevant or will instead cede their historic place and value to those that are the up and comers.

The right credit and the wrong credit

The United States economy, and so much of the world today runs on credit, rather than just the cash or assets that a given company, banking institution, or country has at their ready disposal, in which some of that credit provided is secured against assets, and some of that credit provided, is simply provided based on the perceived credit worthiness and stability of that institution, so that having the ready access to monetary credit, allows such the opportunity to maintain, sustain, and to expand their economic growth.  To the degree that credit is provided to institutions, in which that credit is thereby utilized to employ people as well as to expand businesses and the products so produced, such is more than likely to be good, and a contributing factor to the expansion and growth of a given country's gross national product. 

So too, through student loans, credit card loans, mortgages, car loans, and the like, credit is extended to individuals, based on their credit worthiness as well as their income.  Those loans so provided to consumers, allows those consumers to purchase in the here and now, items that they have a need of, or a desire for, as opposed to having to wait until their monetary assets equals exactly those things that they desire to purchase.  When that credit is provided to consumers in which they have the prudent means or the projected prudent means to pay such back in a timely and reliable manner, such is beneficial for the consumption of items so produced in a given country; whereas, on the other hand, when that credit is provided to those that are suspect in their capacity to maintain their credit standing, or the price of that credit is too high or too onerous, that credit so extended, perpetuates a greater and greater divide between those that have and those that have not.

Specifically, in regards to credit being extended to corporations, it must be noted, that corporations that thereupon utilize credit obtained merely to take such monies and thereby purchase their own stock, in stock buybacks, or thereby to park their money into treasury bonds, or the stock market, or things that do not directly grow the business, nor add to the employment of people, nor increase the growth of that company or the gross national product, is credit that has been provided, which does not serve the people, in whole, well.

So too, credit provided to institutions as well as to individuals, which rather than being spent or utilized in the creation of things and objects that are of material worth to the general public or to the infrastructure, when utilized instead for endless speculation of financial instruments, or for chicanery to make or to extract money from others, is surely a zero-sum game, which does not benefit the country or its people, in whole.  So that, the right credit so issued should be defined as credit that is utilized in a manner in which economies expand through the production of goods of value, and that consumers of such, willingly purchase or utilize, for it brings value to them or to the infrastructure that they are an integral part of.  This stands in contrast to the wrong credit so issued in which those institutions and individuals utilized such, mainly for the purpose of selfishly making money from money, primarily for their own aggrandizement, however that they can do so, without creating anything of value, and caring not for their fellow citizens, which typically have been the ones so exploited, or taken advantage of.