The final review

Each of us will come to that day, welcomed or not, in which we will be fairly judged upon the entirety of our life so lived.  One might have a tendency to believe that such a judgment will more or less just go over the deeds and actions that we have done, therefore played for us as something akin to a movie, of which, this life movie will basically consist of our most consequential moments.  While this is true, that is not the whole of it, for such judgments must be based upon the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; so that extenuating circumstances, perspective, and things of that nature will also all be fairly taken into account.  Still, that isn’t the complete picture, either, for we must all remember that no one person is an island, but what one has done and said, has consequences not only for each one of us, individually, but also for those others that we have interacted with.  This so signifies, that part of our judgment, therefore, is seeing how our words and actions, have affected others, for good or for bad, of which, in a lot of cases, we probably were unaware of the degree of that impact, until provided with that window that sees and knows everything.

So then, our actions, just as in a rock so thrown that makes a skip or two across a lake, which thereby creates ripples, ever outward – signifies that our actions and deeds may extend far further out than we ever were cognizant of to begin with.  That is to say, words so spoken, perhaps in jest, perhaps to hurt, could be words that though we have completely forgotten of them, still have lasting impact, for the person so having been singled out for such, who has not forgotten, and the impact of those words, still resonates with them, perhaps even decades later.   So too, this is the same for deeds so done, of which, toes may have been stepped upon, or unfair shortcuts snatched, or credit undeserved taken, which has had impact upon those others.  Additionally, of course, there are all the inspiring words so spoken, and the deeds so done, of which we perhaps thought our impact was negligible at that time, but actually it was not, of which these then, are counted to our credit for their positive contribution so provided to others.

All of the above indicates that our final review, takes into account the outcome of our interactions, previously known as well as unknown, as it rightly should be; for our sacred duty in this world, is to help make society better for our having been a part of it  This signifies that it so follows that most of us need to be far more cognizant of the impact of all that we say and do with others, which presupposes that we need to be more thoughtful and considerate to one another; for what we actually say and do can have a meaningful influence upon others, and we should want that impact to have been beneficial as opposed to having been harmful.

Nobody is perfect, but within that imperfection, those that take the time to improve their character, to exercise self-control, to impart wisdom, to be forgiving, and to be peacemakers, are going to consequently be far less fearful of that final review that all are destined to face.

We are the new domestic pets

It seems pretty amazing that a whole generation of citizens, are voluntarily, though, perhaps unwittingly, pretty much divulging their entire personal lives, as in their financial position, their friends, their habits, their travels, their employment, and their likes and dislikes, by the virtue of their constant interaction with their social media accounts, internet browsing, as well as the usage of their cell phone, of which that smart phone, pretty much sees all and thereby knows all.  All of this seems pretty incredible, especially when we stop to consider that information is absolutely a form of power, and when that information is held in the hands of corporate players as well as governmental agencies of all stripes, then that probably signifies that our negotiating position as well as our independence is seriously compromised.

We live in a time in which a significant amount of Americans are dependent to some degree or another upon their government, for student loans, for housing vouchers or subsidies, for food, for healthcare, for unemployment, and for this and for that, of which, when that government knows an awful lot about a particular individual, then that government can make it their point, to provide what it so provides only to those that play by the rules that the government so demands and therefore those other troubling and bad people will thereby suffer the indignity of losing things of value, for their disobedience; of which this means that, for instance, hanging out with the wrong people as defined by that government is not therefore permitted, or being arrested for civil disobedience will result in the removal of benefits, and so on and so forth.

Further to the point, corporations are in the business of making profits, and as long as a given individual is willing to provide pertinent data about themselves to those corporations, directly or indirectly, then they will get in turn, some sort of perceived benefit from those corporations, but let there come that day, when those people are perceived to have little or no value to those corporations, then such favoritism will so terminate.

We should remember, that when it comes to our relationships with other people, we always have the option to forgive and to forget; but those that are our governmental masters and our corporate overseers, while having such an option, have no good reason to avail themselves of such, because our personal information, is of invaluable assistance to them, so as to therefore mold us, to manipulate us, as well as to monitor us, along with the recognition that embarrassing and inconvenient facts about our personal life, no matter how distant in time, are always there to be used against us or to compromise us.

It is by no means a stretch to believe, that our social media accounts as well as our cell phones, and internet browsing activity, has provided to the government, and corporate companies, all of the information that they could conceivably ever want, all without those entities apparently having had to actually violate any of our Constitutional rights to obtain such.  We have, in short, sold ourselves to them for a very cheap price, and thereby have forsaken our liberty, becoming then, far too vulnerable to that which has the ready capability and capacity of being a very dangerous master to us. 

“Justice is the end of government”

In Federalist Papers No. 51, James Madison, stated that “justice is the end of government,” of which what is meant by that esteem sentiment is that the very purpose of good governance is to bring forth a civil society in which those that are members of it, have the highest degree of their good potential so being fairly achieved, which makes for the betterment of that society.  Unfortunately, in today’s America, there is a massive chasm between those privileged few that are wealthy beyond belief, in contrast to a suffering underclass which is poorly served, ill-educated, and often devoid of opportunity and hope, which is proof positive, that in America, justice has not been served.

This signifies, that fundamentally, that our Constitution as implemented, and despite its lofty words and great purpose, has ultimately failed the people; for far too many of our citizens are devoid of having justice, tranquility, good welfare, and the blessings of liberty, but are instead exploited, dismissed, abused, discriminated against, and caged into ghettos and prisons of despair. 

The main problem with our government and governance at the present time, is it does not serve the people in whole, but serves instead those powerful and well-placed personages and corporations that have co-opted it for their own greed, influence, and their unending lust for ever more wealth.  This government is therefore not of, by, and for the people, but it is anything but that.  That is a most unfortunate condition, for the only entity that has the power to make fair what is foul, is the government; for without the force of government, exerted against those that have corrupted our good Constitutional principles, the battle for justice is futile and is effectively lost.

Where there is no justice, there will be no peace, and never will there be peace, no matter how many guns, shackles, and chains are so utilized by that oppressive force to maintain and to augment their own power.   The good people of this country deserve better than the counterfeit governance that they presently have to frustratingly deal with on a daily basis.  Rather, America should be the envy of the world, for its overall wealth, for its Constitution, and for all its great advancements so made, but instead it has squandered what it so has to become instead a grand façade, which fools few, and annoys many.

In so many ways and forms, America has given up on being a meritocratic and egalitarian society, but instead has devolved info factions, all fighting for an ever-decreasing slice of the pie, and thereby going at each other, tooth and nail for their entitlements, while those that are the exploiters of humankind, that have fixed the game so that it always favors them, get ever richer, upon the backs of those that they use and then callously discard to the government, for that government to take care of, when their usefulness to the corporate bottom line has been fully and completely drained away from them. 

The point of good governance is for the betterment of the people, in whole, for this is justice; and all that which hurts the people, or favors the few at the expense of the whole, is unjust.

Lead by example

This world is full of much trouble and tribulation, of which, the only hope for this planet, and societies in general, to become a more harmonious place is especially for those that know better, to behave by their words and by their actions in a manner in which more compassion, more understanding, more empathy, and more forgiveness, is generated one person to another, as contrasted to being small-minded and vengeful, for those wrongs so done against us, real or imagined.   Life is not supposed to be about getting even, but rather life should be about showing kindness to those that have been unkind, love to those that have been unloving, and concern to those that lack concern; in which, by doing so, we hope to lead by our example, to thereby show that there is a way that is a better way.

That which is of most value, is that which we will not willingly give up, easily; which rather than consisting of just material things, should be that which makes for good character, such as patience, persistence, justice, and truth.  Therefore, why should any of us, be quick to relinquish that which is the epitome of goodness through our losing our self-control because of the words and actions of someone else that is not having a good day, and therefore has apparently taken out their anger or frustration upon us.  After all, words so meanly spoken against us, we need not accept, or take to heart, for our righteous judge is not of this world, but rules above such; and those actions taken against us, even that which is harmful to our body, should be seen as being part and parcel of the suffering that each of us most so endure, in order to fairly earn the prize above all prizes.

People, throughout societies, without exception, learn things of import from the deeds of those that they respect; and when those actions by those esteemed others are wrong or in error, those that are in the process of learning, typically will end up making the same sorts of mistakes, as they have previously witnessed – until they at some point develop the wisdom to understand the futility and folly of that which does not bring lasting satisfaction or peace.  Each one of us, by our decisions so made each and every day, and by the thinking that is behind those decisions, have the choice to free ourselves from giving in to our worst impulses and snap decisions, by making it our point, instead, to desire to uphold the highest virtues of civilization, such as integrity, temperance, and charity, by demonstrating to others those very attributes, especially when hard pressed by difficult circumstances to do that very thing.

Many people do not know what they are doing, and many more know what they should be doing but lack the character and judgment to consistently do such; it therefore, falls upon those that are enlightened to illuminate the pathway for those that are lost, confused, misguided, mistaken, lazy, and weak, to thereby encourage them to take the steps so needed upon the right pathway – of which, we get their attention and subsequently help to persuade them to actually do such, by maintaining and expressing our love, when lesser beings would strike back at a wrong with retribution, whereas we, on the other hand, forgive and lend a helping hand.

America does not stand for right or wrong, but rather for obedience or disobedience

The primary principle being of America should be to follow the basic tenets of its Declaration of Independence, and its Constitutional laws; but the reality is that those that run America see virtually every law as being in gradients of gray, signifying that good laws are being daily circumvented through circuitous reasoning, which thereby serves to negate those inconvenient and well-intentioned laws that would interfere with those that run America’s empire; as well as America subverting those laws that annoy America through the outright bastardization of them; so that, in effect, America pretty much does whatever that it so desires to do, and the voice of the people, is effectively ignored, or co-opted by those powers that be. 

Therefore, we thus find that concepts about right or wrong, have been completely thrown out the window in the United States, because America doesn’t need to bother about being right, and does not care a whit if it is wrong, as long as those that run America get their way.  This signifies that more than just being the world’s foremost bully, America is an annoying spoiled brat, of which, none outside of America will dare try to correct this, by, for instance, standing up to America, for they correctly fear retribution by America.  In the present day, the truth is that America doesn’t even care whether other countries are democracies, dictatorships, or something in between, as long as those countries understand explicitly or implicitly that all those that are disobedient to what the American military-industrial-technology complex so desires and wants, will have to pay, sooner or later, directly or indirectly, for that fatal miscalculation.

In America, it is all about controlling the narrative, so that, whatsoever happens, good or bad, America is able to consistently spin such so that their desired viewpoint is accepted as being the most appropriate one.  As for what happens with the interactions between America and other countries, those that appropriately follow the leader, are rewarded with giveaways and favors thereby graciously granted, and those stupid enough or just plain slow and thereby lacking in the understanding of their given place, are punished in a manner, in which they regret their short-sightedness.

Still, it needs to be recognized that many of those that are obedient are reluctantly so, purposely keeping quiet about such, for fear of suffering bad consequences -- thereby signifying that such obedience being displayed typically has attached to it a hidden continual resentment to that which oppresses them, unjustly; of which, it so follows that many that have that aura of obedience, actually have an abiding desire to get even at some future point, and thereby plans are formulated to do that.  So then, some of those that appear to be the most obedient, are instead becoming ever more skilled at playing the game that gives the illusion of one thing, while secretly being an entirely different thing.

Those then, that demand obedience and tribute, without having properly or appropriately earned such, are sowing the seeds of their future comeuppance, for that which is unjust must at some point face the consequences of those actions; which is why in the end, it really does make a difference as to whether or not you stand for right or for wrong, for that which is wrong, will ultimately pay tribute to that which is right.

Water into wine

We read in Holy Scripture that: “When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn’t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom” (John 2: 9), of which, we had previously read that Jesus was solicited by his mother, to provide wine for that wedding feast, because this wedding celebration had sadly through ill preparedness or similar run out of such, and thereupon Jesus miraculously did produce water into wine, and created not just any wine but “good wine.”   While it is true that we can look upon this miracle and thereby simply accept it at its face value, it is of far greater value to understand it at a much deeper and more meaningful level.

That is to say, Holy Scripture has a multitude of passages involving water, and specifically the value of water, of which water is important because in order for humans as well as other animals to survive and to thrive, a good, clean, and reliable source of water is absolutely necessary for one’s continual good health.  So then, anytime we read of good water being utilized, found, or appearing as in a miracle, this represents the truth that we as humans need that good water and that further we are led to understand that on a deeper level, this water represents the worldly wisdom that is required for humankind to successfully evolve and for society to advance.  Additionally, Holy Scripture has many passages, addressing the positive value of the drinking of wine, which signifies that this drinking of good wine, will often provide the necessary means for the transformation of humankind, so as to thereby successfully rise about worldly wisdom into divine wisdom.

The point therefore of water being transformed into wine, through the hands of Jesus, is for us to clearly understand, that Jesus the Christ, is our bridge from that which is worldly into that which is divine; and further that this is the good wine that is necessary for us to imbibe of, and therefore should not be seen as that other wine which serves to intoxicate us and thereby for us to stumble our feet upon.   While good water most definitely has its place, that place is ultimately constrained by the limits so imposed by this worldly dimension; whereas those that break through the self-limiting constraints of believing that they are material objects and nothing more, are able to drink in thoroughly through that liberating wine that they are first and foremost, eternal beings, meant to exist, side by side, with their Creator, and that any existence other than that, is not our natural state.

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Each of us, has necessary steps that we must take in order to become that which we were always meant to be; and Jesus the Christ lifts us up from that which is counterfeit, into that which is truth, itself.  Whether or not we drink that good wine, is a decision left to our free will and thereby our volition; of which, those that do not drink that good wine out of fear, ignorance, ego or similar, are those that are stuck in that endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; whereas those that imbibe of that liberating wine have become enlightened and awake.

Disrespect should not be a crime

Police have specific job duties, of which, one of the main reasons of having a police force is to successfully address criminal activities, as well as to provide the service of maintaining public safety – signifying that police are supposed to protect and to serve the general public.  To the degree that these above duties are done in a professional and fair manner, all is to the good; however, not too surprisingly, in consideration that police officers are human beings, thereby subject to human frailties, this has led to some of those police officers succumbing far too easily to misjudgment and to the lures of the power that they possess of so being able to wrest freedom from those that they do not like, do not respect, have prejudice against, or simply because they as a police officer are intolerant.

Most citizens do not wish to voluntarily engage in a confrontation with any police officer, because they know that police officers have not only the power to arrest them, to handcuff them, and to mistreat them, but they are also quite capable of killing them.  That said, though, each citizen of the United States, has exactly the same Constitutional rights as any other citizen, which presupposes that citizens should not and should never be compelled to behave in a manner in which they are intimidated or coerced into having to display respect to a police officer, while that police officer, need not show any sort of respect, in turn.  That is to say, respect should always be a two-way street, and those that are disrespected by being treated as something akin to trash, or scum, or less than human, should not suffer the indignity of being arrested for disorderly conduct, especially when the police officer has been the primary instigator of such so occurring.

Police officers, have an absolute duty to show appropriate restraint to all those that they are sworn to protect and to serve, and those police officers that do not do so, are derelict in their duty.  Sure, police officers are subject to stress and all of the common emotions and frustrations that life under trying circumstances so entails, but that does not excuse the fact that police officers are not entitled to be abusive to citizens and should not overstep their domain by taking the law into their own hands; for citizens are entitled to their right to stand for that which is right and to voice their viewpoint, so thereby to arrest those that police officers do not care for, with dubious charges such as disorderly conduct, is an abuse of power.

Anytime that the state sanctions the behavior of its policing arm to silence those that they find to be a nuisance or an inconvenience, or annoying, by arresting them through unjustified charges such as disorderly conduct and the like, so as to effectively put down the opposition, then they are upholding what is, in fact, a violation of Constitutional law.  The truth of matter is that police officers, in general, get way more respect than they have rightfully earned, mainly because people are fearful of police officers; so then, those that have the courage or boldness to actually confront a police officer and to have a civil disagreement with such, should be able to have their fair say, or else, those citizens are not actually free.

The importance of habeas corpus

Those so arrested by the policing arm of the state, seldom wish to be arrested, and therefore the arresting of virtually anyone, is essentially an act of the state of taking away one’s freedom, against that person’s will.  This thus indicates that when one’s very freedom is wrested away from them, that the state has not only the obligation to justify its actions but must be held accountable for such; for the natural state of humankind in the United States, is for people to be of liberty and thereby free to pursue what they so desire to do, per their own volition.

Habeas corpus is a Latin phrase, and is typically defined as “you have the body,” so meaning that the policing arm of the state is required by law to produce the “body” to a judge or appropriate court so as to determine as to whether or not the person so being held, against their will, is thereby considered to be legally appropriate or not.   This signifies that the state must subsequently produce the evidence that the charge against the person so being held against their will must be made to that court of law so that it can be properly investigated, and thereby a determination by that court is made as to the legitimacy of such.  That is to say, when the state is allowed or permitted to imprisoned anybody for any reason that it so desires, and is thereby not required by a court of law or writ to produce that person to be properly examined by an independent arbiter, then the state, for all intents and purposes, is functionally a police state, in which one’s freedom is determined solely by the powers that be.

There are a lot of countries that do not have habeas corpus, though, some of those countries have something that serves the same type of purpose; but there are many other countries, that simply do not have habeas corpus or its equivalency, for those countries know that the power to arrest anybody at anytime and thereby not have to ever produce that person again, or any evidence against that person, provides them with the power to effectively control, intimidate, manipulate, and to thereby essentially silence those that the government considers to be a danger to them, or that they consider to be a menace to their rule. 

The natural state of humankind is to be free, and the unnatural state therefore is to be subject to having that freedom taken away, arbitrarily; signifying that any state entity that takes away one’s freedom, must be held accountable to an independent court of law, that fairly adjudicates the appropriateness of such action so having been taken. That is why habeas corpus is so important, for the policing arm of the state must be held accountable to the Constitution of the state, and when that policing arm of the state has overstepped its bounds, wittingly or not, such needs to be rectified for the good of the people of that state; for this country was created to secure the blessings of liberty for its people as opposed to having such capriciously taken away.

Home of the unfree

America has all sorts of mottos, sentiments, great speeches and the like, but as they say, the proof is in the eating of the pudding.  The United States likes to toot its own horn about how great it is, first in this and first in that, but seems to not be so proud of the inconvenient fact that no country has more of its own citizens, incarcerated than America so does.  To wit, despite China having over four times the amount of people in its population, America has more people incarcerated in total; and despite the fact that India has over four times the amount of people in its population, America actually has over four times as many of its own people in comparison to India, incarcerated.  It would be one thing if all of this incarceration, made America the safest, most free, and most secure nation in the world, but it has not.  It would be another thing if all this incarceration was so done through a speedy and public trial, with the verdict so being decided by an impartial jury of one’s peers, but that isn’t the case either; as the overwhelming amount of people so incarcerated have often been coerced or pressured into their pleas, without ever having their actual say in a court of law.

America isn’t free and has no intention in the near future, of ever changing that.  The main reason why this is so can be attributed to the great disparity of wealth and income that the elite and privilege so have, as compared to a wide swath of the population that have nothing, are often ill-educated, exploited, used, and segregated into zones of utter poverty, despair and hopelessness.  American thereby finds it to its benefit to abuse, intimidate, and incarcerate all those that have the temerity to try to make something out of their own lives by the means so available to them, so as to in perpetuity keep those people in their place, and to serve notice to those just above them, that America will utilize whatever policing actions that are necessary to keep the population down and compliant, so that the superrich can live their lives in the lap of luxury at the expense of the people, in whole.

That which is actually the land of the free and the home of the brave, would make it their policy to show their courage and their foresightedness by demonstrating in action, that this country, knows how to take care of their own, by its forgiveness, its generosity, its care, its concern, its giving, its justice, its fairness, and its persistence in fighting the noble fight against all of that which is wrong and mistaken.  That which is actually the land of the unfree and the home of the cowards, would do all that it could possibly conceive of to do, to silence those that they will not kowtow to the power of that nation, and would demonstrate time and time again, its injustice, its unfairness, its corruption, its bullying, and its wickedness by oppressing in particular, all those that are weak and vulnerable, while also always being mindful to keep its heavy boot upon the prone necks of those that will not pay total obeisance to that state.

While America should be the land of liberty, and a liberating beacon of illuminating light for all other nations to follow; it is instead, no more than a mirage of such, and in reality, for many of those so oppressed, a literal hell on earth.

More corporate profit at the expense of domestic employment

It is one thing to trade goods from one country to another, but it is an entirely different thing, when those that are biggest and most influential corporations, make it their point, as much as possible, to outsource employment that could be conducted domestically, to overseas’ facilities.  It almost goes without saying, that the labor cost, in America, is going to be appreciably higher than such labor cost so represents in virtually all developing nations, of which, because corporations are always interested in making a greater profit, as well as the fact that they compete, we find that such a savings in labor is going to be a pretty straightforward decision by a lot of these corporations, especially when there are no or little governmental or taxation restraints in doing this.

The fact that cheaper labor is used overseas by these corporations, is thereby completely unsurprising; what is surprising, though, is that to a very great extent, those in charge of the governance of this nation, apparently don’t care to do much of anything meaningful to protect and to ameliorate domestic jobs so lost to foreign labor.  There are, after all, many avenues that the government can avail itself of in order to be of assistance to domestic labor, both directly and indirectly; of which, for instance, foreign labor so utilized, should have as a matter of course, some sort of tariff or tax associated to that labor, of which the purpose of that tariff or tax would be to be of assistance to those now domestically unemployed or those so employed but now at a reduction in their wages or hours.  Further, the higher the percentage of foreign labor so utilized by corporations, the corresponding higher percentage their corporate tax rate should be.  The bottom line is that in one form or another, the government needs to appropriately taxed these corporations so as to reclaim a portion of profits so made upon the backs of cheap foreign laborers, at the expense of domestic labor.  If this is not done, then we see what is currently so occurring, which is, the ever more concentration of capital into ever fewer hands, thereby leaving good citizens of this country, with less and less.

While corporations can decry that they need cheap foreign labor in order to compete; these very same corporations have a responsibility to do right by their fellow countrymen.  Additionally, that government of, for, and by the people needs to do far more to subsidize or to reconfigure its tax system so as to support and to aid those companies that make it a point to hire domestically, and correspondingly to tax at a much higher rate those that behave in a manner, that outsources domestic employment, as their go-to preference.

In consideration, that the price of labor in developing nations is often appreciably cheaper than in the United States, corporations are obviously going to gravitate to that lower cost, so as to remain both competitive and more profitable.  Yet, when those corporations are not held accountable to their obligation to take care of their own, first; then they have a done a grand disservice to their fellow citizens.  In order to help level, the playing field, appropriate taxation as well as subsidies, as necessary, need to be implemented by the government, or else, this country will become one of ever greater disparity in its wealth.

Too many crimes and too many misdemeanors

When people think of crime, that is, real crime, things such as rape, murder, kidnapping, and arson come to mind; and when one thinks of misdemeanor crime, things such as shoplifting, trespassing, drug possession, resisting arrest, and public intoxication would all be common representatives of such.  As it is, it makes sense to have different categories of crime, but the problem with the way misdemeanor crimes currently are dealt with comes down to the sheer number of misdemeanors, of which in the book, Punishment Without Crime, we read that on a yearly basis, “13 million misdemeanors make up the vast majority, around 80 percent of the nation's criminal docket;” which is the prevailing reason why so many misdemeanor cases are actually resolved through the reduction of charges, the dismissal of such, or through plea bargaining, as compared to an actual trial, all because our justice system has not the capacity to handle that sort of massive volume.  This would presuppose that in fairness to those so accused of misdemeanor crimes, and of a justice system, which is supposed to provide a speedy and public trial, with an impartial jury, that the very nature of the misdemeanor classification of crimes needs to be seriously re-evaluated.

After all, it is estimated that less than 5% of all misdemeanor crimes ever go to trial; thereby, signifying that the vast majority of these misdemeanor crimes are dealt with in a manner in which the envisioned justice system as propagated by the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, is basically circumvented for the convenience of the state.  A far better solution to the dilemma of dealing with this massive quantity of misdemeanor crimes, is to reduce considerably those crimes currently classified as misdemeanors and replace such with infractions, instead; or in those cases of minor criminal activity or “victimless crimes” to take into fair consideration the actual removing of such as a crime or infraction, therewith.   In point of fact, more behaviors and actions that are currently defined by law as a crime or even an infraction, do not necessarily equate to having a fairer or a safer society, but really should be rightly seen as oppression by the state for the purposes of control, manipulation, and intimidation.

Serious crimes, such as murder and rape, should be dealt with in a serious manner; and that which is far less serious, should be dealt with in a manner of which, a monetary infraction is imposed, or counseling, or some other reasonable means that deal with the issue at hand by taking into consideration that the objective should be to correct or to ameliorate misbehavior, as compared to punishment without fair accounting of the circumstances so involved.  The United States spends an inordinate amount of time, arresting its citizens, and then doesn’t even provide a fair opportunity for most of those so arrested, to actually have their say in a court of law with a jury of their peers, but rather allows the prosecuting arm of the state to, often times, coerce a plea bargain from someone who is typically vulnerable and weak.  

There are all sorts of things that occur on a given day that the state has classified as a misdemeanor crime, of which that state is quick to arrest, but then fails to do its part in allowing those so arrested to be examined in an open forum by their peers, because the state doesn’t care about fair justice, but rather cares only to enforce its power upon those that are typically powerless.

Greed, inequality and the lure of socialism

As reported in inequality.org, in regards to income, the “richest 0.1% take in 196 times as much as bottom 90%,” which is an absolutely astonishing fact, and is reflective that the vast majority of Americans simply don’t have all that much of the income or wealth that America so ably represents.   Not too surprisingly, in any nation in which there is a monstrous amount of inequality, of which a very, very few are able to have the absolute best of everything and in spades; of which, a huge swath of the population have little or nothing, and with little opportunity to ever obtain anything of meaningful significance, there is going to be a desire to see by many citizens of that country that there be a more noteworthy balancing of the wealth of the nation, which is the reason why so many find that the lures of a more socialistic society, seems to make sense, and appears to be fairer to the people, in whole.

Those that decry against socialism, are mainly made up of those that are the “haves” in society, as well as all those that truly believe in the opportunity and egalitarianism that America so represents at its best; whereas those that find socialism to be of merit, are pretty much, the forgotten, the oppressed, the indebted, the vulnerable. and the “have nots”.  The bottom line is that because of America’s gross inequality in wealth and income which is progressively getting ever worse in the United States, so exacerbated by the injustice displayed in so many different aspects in everyday life which especially hurts the most vulnerable, and of which the game so being played is if not fixed, heavily tilted to those of privilege and favored circumstances, people are ultimately going to logically gravitate to that which they perceive to be as fairer, equal, of opportunity, as well as providing some sort of reasonable baseline to live a decent life of some significance.  Whether or not, socialism is the answer, is of less importance, than the fact, that it is that greed and inequality of the elite, which sensibly pushes a significant portion of the people into the direction of desiring something that represents a meaningful and positive impact for their own lives, as well as their progeny.

The majority of good people of America, want a fair deal, and if provided with the accouterments, that will permit them to have that fair deal, those that press for socialism will find that its siren song, resonates less and less with the people, because those that can get a seat at the table of prosperity, hope, and opportunity in this land of such enormous wealth, will have received their appropriate share.  Basically, the appeal of socialism really comes down to the fact, that when the lion’s share of the wealth of a nation, is ever more concentrated, then the people, in whole, will become uneasy at the perceived unfairness of it all.  This signifies, that the point of good governance is to impress upon those that have so much, their reasonable obligation to return some of those monies through appropriate taxation to those that have not been given a fair deal or fair chance, and it so follows that it is thereby the obligation of that government that none should ever labor that are not paid a fair and living wage.  If that be so done, all will be well.

Accept the challenge

There are an awful lot of people that don’t want to face a real challenge, of which, in some situations this is justified, and in many cases, it is not.   Some of the prudent reasons of why not to accept a given challenge, is that we are not ready for it, or prepared for it, or capable of optimistically resolving such in a successful manner.  Some of the rather poor reasons to not accept a given challenge is that we are simply too lazy, too comfortable, too passive, too complacent, or simply don’t care to because we feel that we don’t have to. 

The thing about challenges, is that more times than not, we do need to accept at least of some of them -- for instance, in order to grow, or so as to gain experience, or to advance to the next level in our own development.  Further to the point, the evolution of humankind, could not conceivably have occurred, if those that made up humankind, were the type of people that avoided challenges at all costs because they simply didn’t have an interest, or were too scared, or didn’t care to learn, or preferred not to bother with such.  After all, it is wise to acknowledge, that the vast majority of benefits that we are able to avail ourselves of in modern times, comes forth primarily from people, that would not accept or tolerate the way things are, and thereby went out to secure something better, even at times, at great personal risk or cost.

The real reason why so many people are not up for a given challenge that they really do need to accept, comes down to the salient fact, that they are either scared to do so, or they are overly risk averse, or both.  Now, no doubt, there are times to be rightly scared or to be risk averse, of which, some challenges are going to consist of such; however, there are many a challenge in which people imagine all sorts of negative outcomes, which simply are not realistic, and typically reflect a certain cowardice, or lack of initiative, or both. 

The point of life is really not to only do those things which are “sure things” or to seek to find a comfortable and cozy place to just relax upon; but rather life should represent a place in which we find something of interest to champion so as to bring forth positive change, and therefore for each one of us to do our fair part in making the world better for our having been a part of it.  It should be acknowledged, that none of us are going to have the exact same challenges in life, but all of us, in some aspect or another, are going to be challenged to do something of merit, and those that rise up and at least give it their best, time and time again, even if they so nobly fail more times than not, are leagues ahead of those, that will not even lift a finger to do much of anything.

History is written by the those that do, as compared to those that do not.  All of us are born for a reason, and for a purpose, of which, those that find that reason and find that purpose, and subsequently do something constructive about such, have accepted the challenge; and all those that do not, have not.

What it means to be created equally

The fact that each and every human being has been created equally by the very hand of God, should tell each one of us, the very same thing, which is that none, is superior to another, for we are all equal in our creation.  This does not mean that each one of us has equal skills, or equal intelligence, or equal this or equal that, but that our intrinsic worth, is equal, one to another.  Further, this presupposes that governments, whether national, or regional, should see themselves as being representatives of that equality, rather than far too often aggrandizing onto themselves powers that serves to make themselves and their favored peoples and organizations superior, and thereby all others, inferior.

What seems to occur, more often than it should, is that people forget that they by being created equally, are in essence, no better or no worse than any other person.  This thus signifies, that all those that use their power and influence to denigrate others for being of a certain unfavored race, or creed, or social class, so as to be considered therefore less than another, are serving the interests of those that are not only divisive, but are functionally in their distorted outlook, wrong.  Every person of any sensibility, should recognize that we are all united via the fact that we are all created equally; of which, the diversity that we see, for example, from one person to another, is all part and parcel of the experience of life on this earthly plane, of which that variety helps to make our experiences, more interesting, less dull, as well as being, also, at times, challenging.

So too, because we have been created equally, it so follows that those that are in leadership positions, have a sacred responsibility, to recognize that as a given leader, they need to be responsible and to thereby do right by all those that they govern; as opposed to placing themselves into a position in which they abuse, use, take advantage of, or insist upon being served, by those that are actually their equals, and of which that governance, is supposed to dutifully serve the beneficence of the people.

Each one of us, as declared in our Declaration of Independence, have the exact same unalienable rights, and that which is legitimate, is only that which affirms by its actions and by its laws, that very principle.  So too, it is the responsibility of everyone, to conduct their lives in a way and manner that reflects our inherent created equality, and to thereby stand firmly against all those that would take away or negate our unalienable rights or equality, especially by propagating that which is a bastardization of who and what each one of us, actually is, by birth.

We are, one, because we are all made of the exact same substance; and thereby our collective goal should be to do our fair part in bringing harmony to that which is disharmony, and to therefore do all that is reasonably possible to bring to realization that those that are so equally created are thereby equally entitled to their seat at that eternal table of unification.

Corporate savings supersede household savings

America is a very wealthy nation, but that wealth is not evenly distributed, and in fact in recent decades the disparity between those that have that wealth, has increased substantially over those that do not; which is something that one would expect from corrupt, developing nations, as opposed to a nation that ostensibly is a country of, for, and by the people.  Further, a significant portion of that wealth so generated is not even held in the hands of individuals, but represents, instead the enormous amount of wealth so saved by the biggest and most influential American corporations.

We read at nber.org that “As a share of global GDP, household saving dropped by nearly 6 percent between 1980 and 2013, when corporate saving increased by slightly less.”  Further, corporate savings is generally considered to be defined as “profits less dividend payments to shareholders.”       So, while these corporations have gotten ever more profitable, what they have not done, is re-distribute those profits through greater compensation for those that are employed by these corporations, or distribute such through dividends to their stockholders, or pay a more appropriate share to the government in taxation.  In short, corporations have been getting ever richer, while people, in whole, have been drawing down upon their savings.  That, would seem to imply, that this government isn’t really run by the people at all, but seems instead to have become co-opted by corporate power, of which because corporations, exist in perpetuity, creates a real conundrum for the good of our society.

So too, it must be recognized that those that do the saving are the very same entities that perform the loaning of their savings to borrowers and the like, therefore making those entities the ones that call the shots.  Additionally, those that are savers, are also those that determine where best to invest their money, providing those entities with even more influence as to what things and businesses are or are not developed and invested upon, within a nation.  The fact that so much money, is retained within the hands of corporations that are aptly skilled at both minimizing their tax liability as well as circumventing or amending community obligations, makes them extremely powerful and persuasive.

Quite frankly, when it comes to corporations and people, it isn’t a fair fight, because corporations can draw upon a seemingly endless amount of money to influence taxation policies, legislative laws, the interpretation of such, along with being able to delay justice, seemingly forever, when it is perceived to be to their benefit, along with the fact that the largest corporations can outspend a given individual or groups of individuals by incredible ratios, because of the massive wealth that they have already retained.  This signifies, that to a very large extent, what corporations believe to be of benefit to their businesses, is what America legislators, far too often, oblige them with, without taking into fair consideration, often enough, their obligations to the people, in whole.

The fact that corporations are getting ever more gifted at increasing their savings rate, is also indicative that labor unions in America are moribund.  The bottom line is that those that control the employment opportunities are able to far too often successfully negotiate the pay rate and benefits of those so employed in a manner in which they end up compensating their employees less than what fairness would so dictate, demonstrated in recent years by these corporations increasing their savings rate, while those so employed are having theirs depleted.

Tax the rich, subsidize the poor

There are those that truly believe that the state that we should live in should be a dog-eat-dog world, of which those that are the most successful and/or ruthless, rule the roost.  Then there are those that dial it down a bit, and simply believe that those companies and people that fairly earn their money, should be able to keep virtually all of it, as the fair fruits of that labor.  Additionally, there are those that believe, that there should be some sort of reasonable, measured, and effective taxation policy put in place of which, those that make more, pay more in taxes, so as to thereby help those in need, and especially in consideration that we have a community obligation to do something of merit for others, in particular, so as to address those of unfavorable circumstances as well as to do our part in maintaining and building a sound infrastructure that benefits the population in whole.

As much money as a given individual might earn, or make, or have, the wealth of this nation, is to a very large extent held in the hands of corporations.  To get a better perspective of how large some of these corporations really are, recognize that as reported by macrumors.com, “Apple posted revenue of $89.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $23.6 billion,” in their quarter ending April 28, 2021.   It is difficult for the average person to fathom, how much even a billion dollars really represents, and the fact that in just one quarter, Apple was able to have a profit of $23.6 billion is simply astonishing.  Further, we read via csimonitor.com, that Apple’s effective tax rate was just 14.34%, therefore signifying that the vast majority of those profits so made, still rests in the hands of Apple, and of which, in contrast, the highest effective Federal tax rate for individual taxpayers is 37% and that kicks in for single taxpayers at an income of $518,401.  This thus signifies, that individual taxpayers pay a higher percentage of their money so earned in taxes, then many corporations do; of which, those said corporations are in the present day, perpetual in status, which is indicative that they will apparently never have to face an estate tax.

The most obvious reason why companies such as Apple, pay so little in taxes, has to do primarily with the fact that money is a quite clearly a form of power; signifying that when a given company can buy the best legal minds, the best accounting minds, and the most effective lobbyists, that those that legislate the laws are often going to be amendable to what that money so requests of them and the result is that fair taxation of the richest and the wealthiest corporations does not occur. 

The end result of our current inability to tax fairly the wealthiest and the most powerful of corporations, is seen in the massive wealth disparity that is ever increasing, between those that have the lion’s share of riches in this nation, as compared to those that have virtually nothing.  This signifies that the tax policies of a given nation, makes a material difference in regards to the living conditions of the people of that nation; and the result is that this nation unduly suffers from far too many of its people that are ill-educated, poorly housed, lacking good healthcare, and devoid of both opportunity and hope, because those that have everything, have made a conscious choice to maximize their net profit -- so as to therefore give as little as legally possible, back.

There will be justice and the law of karma

All the things that happen on this earth, even with those that are the most pleasant of people, does not always consist of beauty, justice, and love.  Instead, there are disagreements, misunderstandings, and confusion, as well as those unsolicited and undesired situations that end up being far, far worse.  Regrettably, all the good that we wish would happen each and every day, doesn’t typically happen the way that we might have so expected or desired, of which, in fairness the blame for such may not even originate within our own self.  Further to the point, life is complicated, providing each one of us with challenges, of which these challenges are meant to define us as to who and what we really are.  While, no doubt, there is always a place for a personal apology, sorrow, and even regret, the fact of the matter is that which is wrong, needs to be replaced and rectified with that which is right, and hence the law of karma, is necessary, in order for justice to prevail, of which that justice can never be eternally denied.

In this world, all sorts of games are played, some fair, some not, but while each one of us is capable of fooling someone else, in the end, the one that has been fooled, is all those that did the fooling.  There are, after all, absolutely no shortcuts to heaven, as well as their being no shortcuts to justice, and all that is in error, needs to be corrected, for that which is wrong, is not right.  The reason that we feel pain, when we, for example, touch a stove that is burning hot, is to protect our body, from further damage that ignoring that pain signal would present.  So too, the reason that our conscience bothers us when we do something wrong, is meant for us to correct that behavior, by forthrightly correcting that wrong.

God is ever patient, and loves us unconditionally, but when we ourselves have failed to uphold our end of the bargain by adherence to those commandments so made for our enlightenment, then we subsequently will find ourselves unable to successfully cross over the line to become re-united with God, because we know that we haven’t done enough on our part to have been patient, loving, forgiving, as well as being good to others.  What we do sow, we do so reap, and therefore the harvest so made, is our harvest to own, for that harvest fairly represents all that we have done and been.

The karma that we must meet, is meant only for our betterment; and the sooner that we awaken to the fact, that dedicated, disciplined, and concentrated effort is required to rise up to get to where we need to go, the sooner that we will arrive at the place that has always been ours for the taking; if only we would demonstrate the strength of character and the ceaseless desire to be that which we were always meant to be by being obedient to that which is forever true, just, and loving.

The grand illusion

One must admit, that upon our physical death, if we were to find out, that all that we so believed about our material existence, was in fact an elaborate illusion, essentially representing a testing or proving ground for us, then we would then so comprehend, far too late, the tragic error of our ways, and of that we so stumbled badly upon.    Yet, God does not try to fool us, for it is our own ignorance, or our own turning away from that which would enlighten us, or our obedience to our own ego that has blinded us to that which is the only truth that eternally stands bright thru the eons of time.

All the material lusts that humankind insists that they must have, which are well beyond that so needed for a sensible life, are a complete waste; and while it may well make sense to desire to leave a material legacy to one’s progeny, or to good friends, or to those institutions of lasting value; the greatest gift to beget to our society and those closest to us, is actually practical sound advice, wisdom, and the good example that we have so led in our own life.

The cycle of life that we so observe on this good earth is indicative that nothing so born onto this planet, will materially last forever, but will invariably, itself, go through that cycle of life and death, that none can ever hope to extricate themselves from.  This should therefore properly be seen as the sign that material life, is an elaborate mirage -- made for our schooling and for lessons to be so learned, as well as to pricked our conscience so as to ultimately have us contemplate upon that which is everlasting and eternal, above all.

After all, to spend an inordinate amount of time upon those material things and escapades that are temporal in nature, is truly a fool’s errand; yet, so many people do exactly that, and then wonder why their life has so often appeared to be without purpose or meaning.  On the other hand, those that rightly see that they are not the physical, but are instead, eternal beings, co-creators with God of all that is so manifested or contemplated upon, are able to thereby have the appropriate perspective to take in the beauty of that which they interact with, as well as to see the drama and tragedy that entraps so many, as all part of an adventure that is worth the price of admission, but not much more than that.

It must be taken to heart, that all that we see that has a known beginning as well as a known end, should not now and never should be seen as anything other than a grand illusion; of which, though such has rules within that illusion, does not ever result in the destruction or the removal of that which is eternal, but only of that which is temporal.  This should indicate that all those that get caught up in that grand illusion, have become entrapped in that which was meant for their edification, their enlightenment, their improvement, as well as their expression of free will, but never was it meant to be viewed as something superseding that which is eternal, true, and just.

The unrestrained maximization of profit

The capitalistic system as practiced in the United States, as well as other countries, certainly has its place; of which one of the signal features for many of these corporations that practice such, is that constant lust for ever more money, ever more growth, and ever more market share; of which, those that run these corporations, recognize that the more powerful and the more dominant that they so become, the more that they are able to exert and to monetize that power in ways that are very positive for their bottom line.

No doubt, money is a great motivator for the people that make up these corporations, and this will continue to be so, because money and the access to money brings material benefits, that few once they get a taste of it, voluntarily wish to relinquish, except, perhaps on the most favorable of terms.  Fortunately, governments have been created, that while being the legal actuators of these corporate behemoths, also have within their hands the power to restrain those corporations from the worse that unrestrained capitalism can represent, and to do such for the benefit of the people, as a whole.  The problem, for the people that the government so represents, is when that government of, for, and by the people, will not act in a responsible and forthright manner on behalf of those people; for when governments will not restrain what needs to be so restrained, then corporations will do what they feel that they have to do, which often consists of finding the cheapest non-union and pliable labor source wherever it may be found throughout the globe; as well as exploiting the land, where such land matches the needs of that corporation,  in which the sustainability, environmental concerns, and common sense usage of the resources of that land all typically take the backseat to profit.

Those that  believe, somehow, that corporations will behave in a conscientious and caring manner, in which, those corporations will subdue their lust for profit; thereby ignoring the pressure for ever more profit from their stockholders, their investors, their Board of Directors, and their own upper management, probably aren’t correct in this assessment, for the only real constraint that can reliably hold back the maximization of profit, above all else, is the government; for only the government has the power and the resources to effectively do so.

All those that want to make money, should be permitted to make that money, but often need to be constrained in doing so, by reasonable governmental rules and regulations, so enacted for the betterment of the people, as a whole.  To ignore the wisdom and the appropriateness of such governance, means what our eyes plainly see, that the rich will get ever richer, the poor will get ever poorer, and the middle class will excessively suffer from the pressure of being squeezed between those that have and those that have not.

By all means, profit has its place, for profit is a great motivator; but to fail to comprehend or to recognize that checks and balances are necessary to restrain that profit, or to redistribute such, will result in the decay of the general welfare for the people, justice silenced, and liberty, betrayed.

Treat people the way that you would really like to be treated

Life is unnecessarily filled with far more trouble, disharmony, ill feelings, lack of respect, and mistreatment than is really necessary or appropriate.  While there are many reasons for why this is so, the reality is that if more people treated others in a manner in which they honestly so wished to be treated, and thereby took the time to try to see the other persons’ viewpoint, there would be a whole lot less disharmony and trouble in our communities and in our world.

The very first thing to acknowledge, is that the world does not and never will revolve exclusively around our own personal desires and wants; but rather, we must learn to successfully share the world with others; so then, it follows that we need to recognize that each person, is entitled to the same unalienable rights that all of us are entitled to, no more and no less.  While this might be a difficult concept for some people to wrap their head around, it is fundamentally a concept that must be accepted as being the truth.  That is to say, most of the problems so created by humankind, can easily be considered to lay at the feet, of those that believe, wrongly, that they are exclusively entitled to certain rights, privileges and immunities for whatever reason, and that those others have merely a subset of such. 

Once we begin to see that each and every person has the same validity that we are entitled to, then it becomes a far easier path to recognize that because we are all equally valid, that it so follows that we should treat people in a manner that is consistent with that belief; thereby signifying that we should treat people the same way that we desire to be treated, which therefore makes us consistent, and not hypocritical.  None of the foregoing, signifies that we are all mere cookie-cutter replicas with the same this or same that, but rather reflects that though we may differ in a lot of aspects and backgrounds, we are similar in our constitution and that is what really matters.

In this world there is far too much hatred and divisiveness of which those who wish to add to such, are misguided at best, as well as also being clearly wrong in their destructive behavior.  The world does not need more people that know how to destroy, hurt, or to be vengeful, but rather it needs more people that desire to repair, fix, and to be accommodating.  No doubt, it isn’t easy at times to hold our tongue, or to not strike back against someone that has badly hurt us, but to retaliate against another, especially without thinking it through, seldom resolves the real issues at hand; whereas those that are in command of knowing who and what they really are, are best able to utilize the appropriate discretion and wisdom so needed in trying situations, especially when they consider that to err and to be mistaken, are part and parcel of the human experience.

It is important for each one of us, to find a way with others to be more forgiving, more understanding, and less judgmental, in conscious recognition that the same laws, just or unjust, that we wish to have utilized against another, are fairly to be the same laws that will be applicable to our own selves in our own life.