Greed and materialism

For those that believe that the only world that we live in, is indeed a material world, which,  by definition, must then have material limitations of the products so being available -- then such a belief as that, especially when the society, at large, believes fervently in the exact same thing, is going to lead to conflict, and therefore to the expression of individual greed, writ large.  In other words, it has to be acknowledged that there is only so much material goods in any society, to go around, and of which, what a given person so desires to have, can conceivably be limitless, thereby leading to all sorts of ensuing trouble.

There are plenty of people, that believe that they have a right to have whatever material good that they so desire to have, especially when they have the monetary funds to purchase such, and it is thus exclusively their business what they so spend their monies upon.  Indeed, that seems to be the nature of the capitalistic society that we live in, but that doesn’t mean that each of us, needs to buy into such a philosophy, for to do so, entraps us into a construct which will not end well.

In actuality, it is a loser’s game, for all those that insist upon playing that game, which is built around who has or has not the most “toys.”  Rather, a healthy society is one that is not overly materially conscious, and certainly isn’t in a race to get things that they insist that they really need, when in reality, by any true definition, they don’t really “need” those things.  Instead, societies, should well understand and to acknowledge that each of us does have a need for good health, for proper sustenance, for shelter, for schooling, for opportunity and for employment – as well as it also must be recognized that we need love, friendship, safety, security, and purpose.  This thus signifies that the best societies are always those that create a structure that provides a material floor, for each individual, so that the things that they thus need are theirs for the taking, in exchange, for their being an integral part and cog of that society.

On the other hand, those societies that are most ill, are those societies that are overly focused upon the achieving for their own self, material success, above all; of which, nothing is worse, than those that insist upon measuring their worth, based not upon their character, or upon their good deeds, but rather upon their material possessions.  It is that greed for more, and that belief that lifelong satisfaction can only exist, based upon having the appropriate material symbols of success, which leads to unresolvable conflict with others, for all those that are captured and enraptured by that mindset.  Those then, that insist that their happiness comes primarily from what they so possess, are often the very same people, that abandon their good ethics, to get what they insist that they must have, never seeming to realize that they have traded for that which is temporal and limited, over that which is eternal and limitless.

“Mankind must put an end to war--or war will put an end to mankind”

The above quotation comes from President Kennedy in his address of September 25, 1961, to the UN General Assembly.  Yet, in America, today, the military-industrial-technology complex, believes wholeheartedly, by its very actions, that the way to peace, must come through the sword.  Indeed, this is the very opposite of what President Kennedy was expressing, for Kennedy rightfully feared that this world, if it continued to try to resolve issues with warfare, could end up with this world, totally annihilated through nuclear conflagration.

It is exceedingly dangerous for this nation, as well as many other nations, to continue to build up their respective armaments, without seeming to understand that all these resources devoted to such armaments, will either essentially be a total waste of those funds, or will end up being utilized for the wanton destruction of infrastructure, as well as the brutal killing of other human beings.  Those that will not learn the lessons of the past, or choose to ignore such, are going to continue to make the very same mistakes that they have been making, for generation after generation, in which, warfare in this day and age, cannot be, and should not be seen as being the sensible solution to the problems and disputes that confront us.

In consideration, that Americas’ military budget, exceeds the next ten countries combined, this reflects fairly that America believes that might makes right.  Such a belief as that, is consistent with a nation that doesn’t believe in or adhere to the spirit of its own Constitution, and does not believe that diplomacy or treaties or arms control, has any real legitimacy, anymore.  This is why the world continues to have so much warfare, and further why there is no hope for any lasting peace throughout the world, whatsoever.  It is extremely disappointing that the so-called “leader of the free world” leads not by diplomacy, leads not by democracy, leads not by justice, but leads, first and foremost, by war or the constant threatening of such.

The question that is seldom asked, but yet needs to be asked, is what is all the fighting about?  The second question that needs to be asked, is why is it that America needs to insist upon being involved in every dispute that one nation has against another, or that one peoples have against another peoples, in which, rather than playing the role of peacemaker, America prefers to choose a side and then conduct its warfare, directly or indirectly, through proxy or not. 

It is so disappointing that through all of these wars, society never really finds itself coming ever closer to peace, but rather, one war needs to the next war, and then the next, ad nauseam.    There isn’t any real good reason why Kennedy’s words need to be prophetic, but the trajectory that this superpower nation is on, is clearly that, in which, it can only end in the annihilation of mankind.  And for what? For indeed, the intelligence, the knowhow, and the capacity for a lasting peace, is ours for the taking, which would make for a better, fairer, and more just world, if only we would exert our efforts for that very thing.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards

The above scripture comes from (Song of Solomon 2: 15), and should be a word of warning for all of us, not then to find ourselves committing the type of “little” sins that impugn our own character, by, for instance, being envious of others, by being prideful, and by all the other little things that we so do day by day, that are of no good and are harmful.  That is to say, most everyone, acknowledges that exceedingly bad acts, such as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and murder are the types of crimes, that deserve severe punishment of some sort, as an appropriate form of justice.  Yet, how few, especially when it pertains to their own being, are willing to face the music, when it comes to their “little crimes,” of being hateful to others, of undercutting others, of backbiting, and of purposely being a thorn in another’s side.

We are meant to do good to one another, and further to the point, we are meant to be willing the good of the other – and especially to those that we love and respect.  Unfortunately, we live in a world, that seems to be, more times than not, competitive rather than collaborative, of which, there is many a person that believes that there is only so much material goods to go around; or for that matter, only so much love to be had.  Those then, that feel that they are not getting what they so desire, but do not wish to recognize that perhaps what is so happening to them is in the scheme of things, actually fair, are going to be susceptible to taking then those actions that will enable them to steal undeserved credit from another, or to damage another, unjustifiably, in order to take what is not rightfully theirs, away from the other.

When we look at somebody else’s vineyard, and see that theirs is clearly superior to our own, those that cannot control their emotions, will allow envy to override their good judgment, leading them to take from the other’s vineyard, what is not rightfully theirs.  So too, those that believe that the best judge of who and what they really are, is in the comparison of their own achievements against those that have the same sort of general background, are going to be dismayed whenever that they so find that they are coming up well short, in that comparison, for that hurts their pride, which can lead then to some form of retribution, directly or indirectly, so as to retake the status that they believe they should rightfully have.

The thing about the character of a fox, is that a fox knows that in order to accomplish its particular mission, it will need to be sneaky, to be stealthy, and to be strategic, for it wants what it so wants, and in order to do such, understands the value of the cover of darkness, of deception, and of misdirection.  Indeed, those little foxes that are most successful, can take prideful solace in having accomplished their objective, but it must also be acknowledged, that having plundered the other, that when it comes for their day of reckoning, it will come, for those little foxes, like a thief in the night.

The right determination

There are those that are absolutely determined to reach their goals that they have set before themselves, and many of those people, either eventually achieve those goals, or else achieve something else of significance, which they thus take suitable satisfaction from.  It would seem that there isn’t anything much better than outlining a plan in life, and then succeeding in executing that very same plan.  However, in truth, not all those that succeed in their goals, actually find a lasting satisfaction, from such; for perhaps, when they compare themselves to other people, and look closely at their accomplishments, they aren’t then so impressed with their own personal results.  Even worse, are those that having achieved their goals, recognize, that in the end, the goals that they had set before them, that they thought were so important, actually served no great purpose, except perhaps to satisfy their own vanity.

It is good to have determination, for it is that drive that helps us to get things done – but, it is even better to have the right determination, in which, what we are so trying to accomplish, will not only bring us personal satisfaction, but also will help to serve our society, as well as our God.  That is to say, for all those that have examined their life, they then know for a certainty that life has a true purpose to it – and hence our determination should be, first and foremost, to do those proper things that will make our lives to be purposeful and therefore of meaningful merit for the greater good.

There are plenty of people that are determined to chase after their dreams, good or perhaps not so good, and spend little or no time, then, chasing after their Creator.  These then, that care not for God, or fail to express thankfulness for the beneficence that God has in God’s wisdom, bestowed upon each one of us, as our unalienable rights in this world, have taken for granted that which should not be taken for granted.  This then is why so many, despite material success, despite high educational achievements, despite the appreciation and respect of their peers, and despite good friends and family, find themselves, in those moments of absolute honesty and candor, to feel that they have not done what they could and should have done, despite having within their makeup, the right stuff.

Perhaps, for some of us, we weren’t trained right as a child, as, for instance, where the best use of our talents should have been directed -- or perhaps we had mentors that though meaning well, directed us in a way and manner that ultimately took us, off course.  That said, there does come that time when we are fully responsible for who and what we really are, of which, that thus gives us the opportunity to change our direction, to reset, and to re-evaluate where we are and who we have become, of which, those that have the right determination will make adjustments, as needed, that will thus take them then to where they really ought to be, and those without that right determination will stay the present course that they have set, for better or for worse.

The government should regulate online pornography

The inconsistencies of United States law and how it is applied, is disappointing.  While, on the one hand, minors are not permitted to legally purchase alcohol or marijuana or cigarettes, all legislated for the supposed benefit of those minors – for some reason, when it comes to online pornography, for those that are desiring to peruse such, the only barrier to entry through the dominant leaders of this industry, is apparently the “trust” system, in which a person, just needs to affirm that they are of age to consume and to watch such material, even if they are not, in actuality, of age.

It would appear the battle about pornography, and its ubiquity in an online format, has essentially been fought and seemingly lost.  Yet, for all the hue and cry about the protection of minors, this would seem to be a definite area in need of a serious reboot and relook, especially considering how pernicious and objectifying pornography is, and potentially quite damaging, for all those that have not reached the age of maturity.  It certainly seems not only a reasonable thing, but just plain common sense, that online pornography in any of its various forms, should not be readily available to minors, and that to somehow believe that internet “parental controls” will take care of effectively precluding such, is both insipid and naïve.

When it comes to rogue and undesirable websites, this government has proven that it has not only the capacity to seize those websites so as to therefore make them to be un-operational, but that it also has shown that it will demonetize content that it does not approve of, whenever it considers such to be a menace to society, at large.  In regards to any business, there are going to be dominant players, and the online pornography business, is not an exception, to such; in which, the best way to regulate online pornography, then, is to contact those that are the biggest players within that industry, and have then put into place, the new regulations which must be adhered to, so as to preclude minors from accessing these types of sites -- so accomplished, in all probability, with those that want to watch porn, having to provide a form of legal identification, in conjunction with webcam facial recognition, to prove that they are of age, or something similar to those general guidelines.

So too, all those that provide online pornography content, should be held to account, as to whether such content, has the expressed permission of all the participants to such, that those that are the participants are of age, and further that those participants were not impaired during the filming of their actions, and so forth.  In other words, online pornography purveyors, should be legislated to have proof that they have the right to disseminate their content, through the documentation that supports such, without any equivocation.  As it currently stands, the laissez faire type of governmental approach to online pornography, does little or nothing to protect those that are caught up in or are the actual participants in such, and leaves those that are not of legal age, carte blanche to watch as much pernicious content as they so desire.

The necessary war tax

The United States seems to be involved perpetually in war after war after war, all around the world, year after year after year.  Perhaps there are good reasons for the American involvement in those wars, perhaps not.  What has to be recognized, though, is that the wars of today do not directly impact in any real way or form, most American citizens.  That is to say, the United States has no conscription, it has no curfew so imposed, in regards to its present day wars, and it does not have rationing either, because of those wars.  This thus signifies that because these wars are being fought overseas, those that are not part of that struggle, because they are not the actual soldiers on the field, typically don’t overly concern themselves about war or its effect, or even necessarily the cost of that war, financially as well as ethically.

In consideration, that this nation runs massive yearly federal deficits and apparently has no intention of this ever ending in the foreseeable future, in which, the national defense budget is now approaching an astonishing one trillion dollars on an annual basis, there is a need then, for those that are the people of these United States, to pay a war tax, in order to do their good part to help finance these wars, which, in theory, the American people, would seem to support, since the politicians that are elected are either the actuators or the enablers of these wars. 

The war tax, should be something reasonable, something akin to the current Medicare tax, which is currently pegged at 1.45% per employee, and a matching 1.45% for the employer.  Additionally, the war tax should also apply to those that have yearly capital gains of $40,000 and above, at that same 1.45% rate.  This would thus take the American public, and make them to have a vested interest in not only the monies so being allocated from their pockets to our various war efforts, but also to make them to realize that perhaps they should consider, when it comes to politics and budgets, that they are the ones that are essentially made to pay the piper, for those wars and budgets, directly or indirectly.

After all, if you really want to know how somebody feels about something, make their involvement be one in which it makes a difference to their pocketbook or to their livelihood or even to their life.  Indeed, if conscription was mandated for these foreign wars, and rationing and curfews were so imposed, the American public, would not be so eager to see Americans participate in these wars.  Yet, because current Americans are not being directly taxed for those wars, leaving such for future unborn generations to have to deal with, that seems to be not only unfair, but also not right.  This proposed war tax should be imposed upon the American taxpayer as soon as possible, in which, perhaps, there will be some hew and cry, or perhaps not.  In any event, a war tax, would be fair price to pay, for those that want war, but desire not to personally fight in such.

To see the real, you

There are lots of people that basically live their lives in such a way, that they believe that only that which is seen, is to be believed – never, seeming to come to grips with all sorts of things, which we cannot see, such as gravity or wind or love; nor bothering to contemplate why it is that we are drawn to that which is beyond our physical senses, so often.  Those then that will not pay much attention to anything other than the physical, are quite obviously living within a construct, in which, their physical birth, must then end with the annihilation of their physical self, which for them, essentially represents a tragedy, which cannot be avoided.  In other words, those that are unable to get beyond being earthbound, believing in nothing other than what this physical world so offers us, are going to forlornly have to face the music that there will come that time when their existence will meet its inevitable end.

Then there are those that understand that we are not just the physical, but rather we are actually eternal in structure, because that which is our soul, lives beyond this world, and always will.  That is to say, we incarnate into this world, in order to do our best to make this world a better place, for our participation in it – recognizing that our physical presence here, is temporal, for our actual being is beyond both time and space.  Those then, that recognize that truth, are the same type of people who see their incarnation here, as the fair opportunity, to grow themselves, so that they will have the proper spiritual and wisdom accouterments to be of aid and of assistance to deal with that struggle of the illusions and delusions, that preclude these other souls and people, from the proper recognition, that we are meant for better things than merely being earth grounded in our persona.  Indeed, we are our brother’s keeper, for all those then that are able to redirect misguided souls and people into the recognition that we are all in this together, are thus doing their good part to bring needed enlightenment to this world.

Each of us is provided with free will, which is a powerful intoxicant in the wrong hands, and a great gift, for those that wisely use such.  Those that use their free will for their exclusive benefit, are going to reap the whirlwind, within that next dimension that all must so face, upon their physical death.  That then, is truly the tragedy of a life gone wrong, for each of is provided with the fair opportunity to do the best with the gifts and circumstances that we are meant to utilize and to face.  In truth, how we live our life in this world, reflects in what so happens to our soul, in the world to come.  This world is indeed, a proving ground, and for all those that aren’t able to progress or even worse, do regress, they then will have to cycle back again and again until they eventually get it right – whereas, those that know who and what they really are and therefore are true to that which is eternally good by their respective actions so accomplished here on earth, will reap an exceedingly rich harvest.

To escape from the reality of your life situation

Not all of us are blessed with a good and satisfying life.  For some, though they have to deal with that which represents some degree of despair and frustration, this is soon overcome or ameliorated, by other good events, or by the help of good friends.  Then there are those others, in which, it seems that every day is a day of frustration, difficulty, humiliation, and the awareness that their life is not in order, and certainly not where they so desired that it should be.  For those, that seemingly have intractable problems, there are a multitude of sensible ways to deal with such; as in, seeking the advice and aid of esteemed others, working on the crux of the problem that is disturbing and bothering them, as well as basically doing those types of activities that will permit them to make progress in the overcoming of those obstacles that are hindering their advancement and their balance of mind.  Unfortunately, far too many people, either make a few attempts to fix such and then abandon such when their efforts seem to be of no effect; or they take what appears to be the easy avenue of escape, so done through various mindless activities, such as playing video games, endless browsing of social media posts, listless daydreaming, or via the intoxication of drugs, licit or illicit.

There is the personal reality of life, of which, some people see that reality and deal with it, as it is so represented in a positive and proactive way so as to have a satisfying and fulfilling life.  Then there are those others, that cannot handle the reality of their life, and wish only to escape from such, which thus lends many a person, such as that, to the lure of intoxicants and addictions of all types, that will thus serve to permit them to escape the reality that they believe cannot be handled, through sober and sound mind.  The unfortunate thing about “escaping” our problems, is that this escape does nothing to resolve those problems, whatsoever.  In other words, whatever that we escape to, is not going to represent a solution to what is ailing us, because it represents a failure to direct our efforts upon that which needs to be dealt with, forthrightly.  That is why, so many of those so attempting to escape what they seemingly cannot handle, have to return, again and again, to their escape mechanism, such as alcohol, drugs, or mindless entertainment of all sorts.

It is not an easy thing to deal with pain, with disappointment, and the frustration of a life which has seriously veered off course.  Yet, to try to escape from that reality, by forgoing being direct and constructive in dealing with the issue at hand -- by instead determining that the best defense is to escape from the reality of our situation through drugs, alcohol, or other misguided behaviors, doesn’t do much of anything of merit for us.  To escape is almost always not going to be the correct response to what we have to deal with – rather, what we need to deal with, should be dealt with, directly and with courage, for we are meant to go forward, and not to endlessly cycle through that which gets us nowhere.

There is no perfect government for there are no perfect people

It could be said that the form of our governance is a fair reflection of the people that make up that population which is so governed.  That is to say, whenever the people, are themselves no paragons of virtue, or of dedication, or of hard work, or of vision, or of drive, then we should not be all that surprised that our government, isn’t going to be much of those things, either.  Further to the point, when our government leaders are found so often to be, corrupt, greedy, liars, and self-serving -- this would seem to fairly reflect that we get as our leaders, those that are in harmony with our very own selfish tendencies.

There isn’t any real reason why we should believe that as flawed peoples, that our government, is not itself, going to be equally as flawed.  This would seem to signify that we as a people, need to do more as a people, to be good and productive citizens, which might very well then be reflected in a better governance, so received.  Additionally, while our government most definitely should be held to account, for all its actions done so in our name; we need to understand, though, that in reciprocity we should be held to account for our respective actions, good, bad, or indifferent.

In fairness, we get the government, that reflects who we are as a people, and when that people consistently cheats the other, or our corporations, are themselves, deceptive, underhanded, exploitive, and driven by an obsessional determination that profit, above all, is the only thing that really matters – then the end result is going to be the type of continual inequality, unfairness, and injustice, that so many suffer from, in this, the richest nation that the world has ever known. 

None of us can escape our destiny, and in order, therefore, to change our destiny, we need to develop the characteristics which actually reflect, good citizenship and engaged sociability with others.  Those that are our elected representatives in government, need to be the type of people, that are both practical as well as being visionaries, whose expressed purpose should be to see that the people, in whole, are presented with a seat at the table of our collective prosperity.

So too, it has to be recognized that the more secretive a government is, and the less transparent that it so becomes, has got to be a signal to the people, that not all is right – for a government that will not be forthcoming with its own people, is a government, that clearly has some things of importance, that it so desires to hide.  The best government is that government, which does not lie to or is deceptive to its own people, but willingly admits to its flaws, while also reassuring the public that it serves, that it will take the necessary steps to amend its ways for the betterment of those same people.  We, as a people, do not expect our government to be perfect, for we are not perfect; but we do expect our government to be responsible, to do the right thing, and to be that light of liberty so as to overcome the darkness of humankind’s worse intentions.

The failure of immigration policies

The United States should take pride in the knowledge, that this land is considered to be the mecca of opportunity – though not necessarily always the ideal conditions for the first generation so coming here;  it is though typically represented as a sanctuary and land of opportunity for the next generation that are thus born within the American border.  The fact that the United States is such a desirable land to come to, for so many, would seem to necessitate that those that are in charge of our immigration policies and the enforcement, thereof, would want to be selective as to exactly whom is permitted to enter this country, and further to the point, would logically desire to see that undesirable illegal immigration be reduced, considerably.

We read at migrationpolicy.org, that it is estimated that there is a bit over 11 million of unauthorized immigrants within America, of which, 67% of those are from Mexico and Central America, primarily because of its proximity to America.  No doubt, the border between Mexico and America, is a very long border, but to believe that in the 21st century that America somehow does not have the good capability to do a far better job in securing that border from illegal immigration seems to be unfathomable.  This would imply that there are forces within America, including policing, border control, and corporate entities, that have a vested interest in illegal immigrants coming into America, as long as they get in return, a piece of that action, or, in regards to those that employ those immigrants, an opportunity to thus fill jobs for wages that are considered to be typically, exploitative of that illegal immigrant labor.

This thus signifies, that one way to reduce illegal immigration is to come to a better understanding of who and what employers of illegal immigrants are looking for, in regards to the employment of these specific people, and then provide a pathway in which a restricted visa can be issued to those that meet not only the general requirements of those employers, but also permits this government to interview and to thus go through an immigration process, before these immigrants are issued a limited visa, and then permitted to enter this country, legally, on a temporary basis, with a tracking system in place, to know of their whereabouts.

As long as there is a need for illegal immigrants within this country, then that need is going to be filled, one way or another, with middlemen taking their share, and unfortunately, some of these immigrants, will thereby suffer not only financial harm, but physical harm, even to death, as well.  After all, it has to be recognized that people desiring to immigrant here, wouldn’t be doing so, if this country did not have any real employment opportunities for them; so then, in recognition, that there are jobs for them, it would behoove this nation to provide an avenue in which this is acknowledged as being factual, and hence then, of having a formal policy which thus legitimizes that immigration.  The bottom line is that there are effective ways that have existed for decades, for immigrants to cross the border, without authorization, in which, one fundamental way to reduce such, is to provide a formal pathway for that immigration, with specific restrictive covenants that have to be adhered to, which are thereby monitored and controlled by appropriate governmental agencies.

Learn to be a better listener

It seems like most everyone likes to do most of the talking and not so much of the listening.  This means that far too often when we are having what we believe to be a “conversation,” it really isn’t a conversation at all, but rather, more typically, represents each person talking pass the other person.  The reason why so many of us like to talk, and not so much to listen, has an awful lot to do with our belief that what we have to say, is obviously of much more importance than what the other person might have to say.  In some cases, this is going to be true, but it certainly isn’t true all of the time, and further to the point, it represents the talker as taking upon their self, the essential belief that they are superior and hence of more value than the other.

For all those that know everything, and therefore couldn’t possibly learn anything else, then it certainly makes sense for those people to do most of the talking – but, the reality of the situation is that we don’t know it all, even when we think that we do.  So too, when we reflect upon who we really are, we have got to recognize that whatever got us to the point where we got to be so wise and smart, has fundamentally been because we listened to others that were wise and smart, and therefore learned from them.  In fact, wisdom comes in many guises, for there are plenty of people that aren’t all that book-smart, but are, in their own way, quite incisive about certain matters that should concern us.  That is to say, wisdom and good advice can indeed come from unexpected sources.

Also, it has to be acknowledged that common courtesy would necessitate that a civil society, needs to provide to each person, some semblance of having a voice that matters; because when those that have no voice and are never listened to, because their voice is considered to be of little merit or relevancy -- what then inevitably happens is that those that perceive that they are not being heard, will find a way, to make themselves heard, by instigating, for example, uncivil actions as a way of asserting their voice.

A good conversation, necessitates both parties having a fair opportunity to have their say, and for each of those parties to actually listen to that say, by demonstrating in their response, that they have heard the other.  This does not mean that we have to agree with one another, but rather that we have an obligation to hear the other person out, especially when what they are conveying seems to be of importance to them.

Finally, when it comes to our own lives and the goals that we so have, it is important that we take the time to actually be still and to listen to our own inner voice, for in all the cacophony of modern day life, we may well fail to comprehend that by listening to that small still voice, as well as by listening to esteemed wise people with a certain depth of experience, that we are provided with the good opportunity then to grow and to mature into successfully expanding our mind, as compared to the closing or contracting of such.

Needs, wants and material things

All of us has both their needful things, as well as their desires or wants.  It is important for each one of us, to not get confused about where our priorities should lie when it comes to our needs and wants.  In truth, the needs that we should so desire are when correctly categorized, really come down from a material perspective of having a decent job, a safe neighborhood, sound health, practical education, and acceptable food and shelter.  In other words, what people really need comes down to the basics of successfully obtaining what would consider to be the marks of a satisfactory civilized life within a western nation. On the other hand, when it comes to our wants, these could be, and actually are, for some people, almost limitless.  The thing about our desires, is that while it certainly is fine to desire this or to desire that, within some realm of reasonableness, it is a mistake, though, to somehow make our wants the be-all and end-all of our existence and purpose.

Those that believe that their happiness can only come about when they obtain this or obtain that, surely must recognize, that even when the most desirable of material possessions is in their hands, that the lasting satisfaction that they get from it, is ultimately, not completely satisfactory.  In other words, those material possessions that we get, seem to be never enough to satiate us, whatsoever.  There is, for many a person, frequently yet another object that must be obtained or possessed, and then another, and another, and this continues ad nauseam.  Indeed, through it all, those that are seeing their desires and wants being met, even in the best of cases, are never completely happy or satisfied.  As for those, that are unable to obtain their desires and wants, at least on the level that they so dearly desire, they then are often left feeling bereft and despondent, for their lack of material success.

It is regretful that in western nations, never have so many, been so dissatisfied with their lives, despite the fact, that never have so many, have in their possession, wonderful accouterments that simply didn’t exist for even kings or queens, back in the day.  Far too many of us, get caught up in the “rat race,” or in “keeping up with the Joneses,” which does  little or nothing of worth to our character, or to our good purpose in life.  To somehow believe that eternal happiness comes from material possessions which we never can take with us, upon our departure from this world, is indicative of people that have their priorities, upside down.  Rather, what we take from this world, and thereupon pass onto our closest friends and family members, is the exemplar that we have been to others, so demonstrated through our charitable and caring actions, which helps to make this world a better place for our participation in it.  Though, each of us, is indeed born free and has unalienable rights, we do so tragically find, that those that live for their possessions, their wants, and their desires, forge the chains of their bondage that keeps them from realizing that finite things can never trump the blissfulness of achieving our best purpose.

Overcoming struggle and difficulties makes us a better and a more complete person

There are plenty of people that simply want to have an easy life, and thus for everything to just then to go their way, effortlessly.  What those people don’t seem to recognize is that when life becomes one of endless ease, then that life soon becomes one of dullness and boredom.  In other words, if there is nothing to struggle for, or to measure ourselves against, then there is a strong tendency for many a person, to thereupon not put forth much of an effort, at all – and should then that person be put to the test, because of some sort of emergency or crisis, they probably will not be able to exhibit the proper wherewithal or energy to resolve such, satisfactorily.

Those that do not wish for struggles and difficulties, have for the most part, decided that they are not made of the “right stuff” to thereupon conquer that which needs to be overcome, in order to prove their worth, and to thus create good character.  The whole purpose of all the tests that we so have to take when we are students in our respective classrooms, is to properly measure as to whether or not we are correctly learning and therefore absorbing the knowledge that we need to know, so as to be a more complete and better person.  This thus signifies, that the difficulties that we will inevitably encounter in life, are meant not to be obstacles that will forever keep us down, but rather should be seen as an opportunity to test our mettle and when successfully met, to obtain fairly that prize of meaningful accomplishment.

We are in this world, not simply to tread water, or perhaps to lazily lie upon the seashore; but rather, to grow and to thereby become what we were placed upon this earth to be.  Those that will not meet what needs to be met, have not only done society a disservice, but they have done so to their own detriment, as well.  When we go to the movies, or read a novel, we do so find, that what provides us with a compelling interest in the show or storyline, is seeing our hero, overcome seemingly impossible obstacles and difficulties so as to conquer what stands in their way, of individual and merited triumph.

Alas, there is no triumph for any one of us, if we aren’t actually trying to endeavor or to accomplish something in which such is challenging to us.  Those then that cannot find a challenge are clearly not looking hard enough; whereas, those that seem to have too many challenges, just need to try to break down what is precluding them from overcoming into smaller sizes, so that the task ahead becomes more manageable and less intimidating or formidable. 

In life, we will be tested, willingly or not; and there then will be struggles that must be successfully met.  The objective for all of us, is to do our level best to overcome what is in front of us, for those that are resolute, will more times than not, make that necessary progress to get ever closer to that which is rightfully theirs, for the taking.

The Senate is fundamentally flawed

When this nation was successful in asserting its independence from Great Britain through revolutionary war, it soon recognized that in order for this nation to remain long a nation, it needed to create a form of governance which would be of lasting benefit to the people of those Colonies of what became the United States of America.  Subsequently, a Constitution was written and created, of which, in order for this to occur and thus be passed by each State so as to become ratified, there had to be compromises made at that convention, so that this nation would have a governing document, which though, not perfect, would serve to be quite functional in its application, so of.

At the time of that Constitution, it was important for those small States, to believe that they would have some semblance of a meaningful vote within the Congressional body, which did so occur, by virtue of setting up a bicameral legislature, in which one congressional body with its representatives would be determined by the population of a given State; whereas, the other body would be specifically structured with two Senators per State, no more and no less, no matter the population of that State. 

At the time of the inception of our Constitution, Virginia had the largest population of free peoples, and Delaware had the smallest, of which, the ratio between Viriginia to Delaware of those free peoples was a bit over 9:1.  While that difference was quite large, it holds not a candle to the current highest ratio, of which, California has a 67:1 ratio of more people than our smallest State, which is Wyoming.  In fact, California, has so many people, that the twenty-two smallest States basically equate to the population of California, which means that when it comes to the Senate, those that are the peoples of California, are represented by just two Senators, or 2% of the Senate body; in comparison, to those twenty-two States being represented by forty-four Senators, or 44% of the Senate body.  This is clearly, undemocratic, and there doesn’t seem to be any real valid point, why this should continue to be so, except for the fact that this is how our Constitution is so written, at the present time.

It doesn’t make any good sense that on a national basis, the smallest States are permitted to have an outsized influence upon national legislative interests when they are clearly the runts of the litter.  It is because of this skewing of permitting those States with so few people, to have such an immense influence upon national legislature of all types, that this nation, doesn’t seem to know how to direct its efforts in the best way to be of beneficence to the greatest amount of people.  As it stands, the current Senate structure is in need of a serious reboot, of which, there should be some sort of middle ground, that would allow those bigger States to have a bigger voice, and for those smaller States, to still have a voice, but smaller than what we so presently see.  One way to accomplish this, is for the bigger States to divide themselves into smaller States, so as to get additional representation.  Another way, would be for a Constitutional Amendment which would see the Senate reconstructed by taking into its numerical accounts the distribution of the population of each State, of which, perhaps a reasonable compromise would be that the largest States would be permitted to have up to four Senators, and the smallest States, no fewer than one.

In summary, what we so have today, is undemocratic, for it provides a greater voice to the few, at the expense of the many. 

Civil rights and incarceration wrongs

The modern day civil rights era came of age in the 1960s, which would seem to thus indicate that for those that have historically been oppressed and taken advantage of, that we would logically expect that with these vital civil rights thereby secured, that the conditions for blacks as well as others minorities, in regards to opportunity, employment, education, housing, and healthcare -- in addition to incarceration rates, that these all would show definitive signs of improvement.  After all, a society that makes it their point, to improve the lot of those that have been disadvantaged for so long, must for a certainty, produce positive results.

As in just about anything of some controversy, there are arguments that could be made to prove that, in fact, conditions for blacks and other minorities, have materially improved, but there are also valid counterarguments to that supposition.  In fact, when it comes to fundamental concerns such as poverty, educational standards, neighborhoods, employment, health, and wealth, the civil rights era while bringing substantial improvement for some, has also continued to leave behind a very disappointing amount of so many.  Further to our interests, when it comes to the policing arm of the state, what we so find, in regards to how minorities have fared, since the inception of the modern civil rights era, leaves something to be desired.  That is to say, pewresearch.org, tells us that the incarceration rate for black males in 1960 was 1,313 per 100,000 United States residents, and the Hispanic incarceration rate in 1960 for males was 601 per 100,000 United States residents. Yet, in 2010, the incarceration rate for black males was a staggering 4,347 per 100,000 United States residents, and the Hispanic incarceration rate in 2010 for males was a sky-high 1,775 per 100,000 United States residents.  These numbers are astonishing increases, which fairly reflects that there seems to be a tradeoff between those civil rights obtained, in relationship to the incarceration of minorities, so of.  In other words, those that believe that minorities are an ever present source of trouble for this nation, have in this modern age of civil rights and of supposed equality for all, made it their point and principle to essentially criminalize more and more minorities, apparently, so as to maintain their control and intimidation over them.

So too, the point of incarcerating so many minorities at such a high rate, while failing to deal with the systemic problems and issues that contribute to criminal activity, is done so as to maintain the narrative, that minorities, or at least a meaningful portion of them, are incorrigible; and thus, they only respect the whip as wielded by the policing arm of the state, in which, then, they thereupon know their place.  This then is the disgrace of the United States, for, if in fact, had modern day civil rights corrected all the wrongs and injustices that had been in place for generations, then we would expect to see, far less incarceration, rather than what has so occurred, which is a substantial amount more of minorities so having been incarcerated. 

In sum, to live in the wrong type of neighborhood, with a skin color that is non-white, and to have limited resources to ever amount any sort of meaningful  defense of one’s character or potential, signifies, that civil rights or not, those that are of the unfavored races, are in worse shape, today, then they were back then.

Jealousy and the reason why

There are all sorts of negative emotions that many people suffer from, of which, one of the most pernicious, is jealousy.  The thing about envy is basically nobody would ever be very envious if they concentrated primarily upon their own skill-set and thus their own plate of what they have in front of them and therefore dealt with directly the priorities and objectives that best represented for them,  what they were trying to achieve in life, as opposed to looking aside at the other person’s skill-set and what they appear to have as if it somehow it was supposed to be one’s own.

It must be acknowledged, that nobody actually knows for a certainty how a particular person is really feeling, nor do we know for a certainty how joyful or sad a given person actually is.  There is this belief, for many a person, that somehow the grass is always greener on the other side, but this simply is not so.  Further to the point, whenever we waste countless hours, grinding and gnashing our teeth, about how this or that person has so much more than we do, and that it all appears to be so unfair, or wrong, this does absolutely nothing of substance to meaningfully address the pertinent things that we should really devote our time and energies upon.  So too, those that are so caught up in their own self, are pretty much failing to understand, that life does not and never will revolve around our exclusive interests and our desires, but that life is a combination of all sorts of people congregating together, of which, our purpose in life, should be to do more to help make this world a better place for our participation in it.  In other words, we would be less prone to be jealous, if we spent more time being of aid to others, which would therefore make us more appreciative of all the gifts that we so have, that we often thus take for granted.

Those that are most jealous, are those that feel that they lack the wherewithal, or the capacity, to ever be what they perceive that the other person that they are jealous of, has.  So then, we are jealous, because we feel inferior to the other, and do not believe that we can ever successfully place ourselves in a position of equality, or of superiority, to them.  But this sort of comparison to the other, does not serve any good or great purpose.  After all, each of us has our own race to run, of which, the object of the exercise, is to run the best race that we can personally run, so done, with us focused upon staying within our own lane.  In life, each of us has our own calling, and if we insist upon ignoring that calling, because we are envious of the other, and can’t seem to get the other out of our mind, then we will not be able to make the necessary and positive progress that is ours for the taking in this life.  So then, those that are overly jealous, are essentially wasting their lives away, pining for that which is not theirs, never seeming to comprehend that life is not a competition, but should rather be a collaboration.

Take up your cross

There are hundreds of millions of those peoples that have declared that they are Christian.  That might seem to indicate that because so many believe in the vital worth of that religion, and hence as seeing Jesus the Christ as their redeeming Messiah, that this world, for a certainty, is a better place for having all those Christians amongst us – as well as also those of other religious faiths, that recognize the importance and value of spiritual values that help to make them, not only better people, but better on behalf of the society that they are an integral part of.

We read in Holy Scripture, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  (Matthew 16: 24).  This is the type of scripture, that many people are quite aware of, but don’t in actuality, pay personal attention to what it so signifies.  That is to say, for a certainty, Christ took up His cross, and for His trouble, was crucified to physical death.  Not only was Christ crucified, but Christ had to endure all sorts of injustice and injury to who and what He really was.  So then, taking up one’s cross, does not mean that one will therefore receive accolades or appreciation from the people, but rather it means that one will unjustly suffer on behalf of those people, in the hope that by doing so, it will awaken those that have their priorities wrong, to what then is truly right and righteous.

The way of the cross, therefore, is not an easy road, but instead requires bravery, fortitude, commitment, selflessness, and endurance.  Which thus signifies for all those that like to think that they are good people, Christian in nature, and good to others, is that perhaps the road that they are personally on, is one more structured for those that do not have the heart to actually put much of anything of theirs at personal risk.  That, in a nutshell, is why this world, despite, Christ having incarnated here and having provided us with the wisdom and hence that pathway to follow, remains so unjust, so unfair, so wrong, and so sinful, far too often.

The thing about evil, is that evil cannot hold a candle to those that by their actions are consistently good in accomplishing things of merit.  Evil cannot handle the Light, for evil resides in the darkness and the ignorance of humankind’s hearts, and if only more people would take up their cross in order to combat and to battle against the forces of evil, then the ensuing result would make for a world that would be ever getting closer to enlightenment, rather than this world and its people cycling through the same errors and mishaps, generation after generation, as if those so gifted with a good and sound mind, have little real interest in devoting themselves to the overall beneficence of humankind.  In truth, each of us needs to take to heart and to well remember that the cross precedes the crown, and those that will not willingly take up the cross, will not soon get the crown.

We are all the prodigal son

The prodigal son as told to us in Holy Scripture, is one of those stories that resonates for so many of us, as being what we would wish to have subsequently have occurred for us to our lasting benefit, if we ourselves had gone astray; to which, despite things going horribly wrong through our selfishness and stupidity, we humbly though found our way safely back to our sanctuary home – in which, we were incredibly not only forgiven, but actually fully accepted and thus warmly welcomed back by our Heavenly Father, as if we had never left Him, on bad terms. 

While there are plenty of people, that don’t believe that the prodigal son could ever be who they are or ever could be, for they believe that they are good people, that seldom have strayed into doing ego-driven mistakes – it has to be taken into full account that none of us are perfect in our constitution, in our thoughts, or in our subsequent actions.  What the prodigal son so represents is what happens when we by our own volition walk away from the sanctuary and love of God, taking what we believe to be our portion of our inheritance as rightfully ours, in order to thereby indulge in sense pleasures of all types; as if this, somehow, would fairly represent the be-all and end-all of our existence and therefore our purpose in life, when this could never be.

Those that insist upon indulging in those areas and things which have no lasting discernible benefit, and are selfish in their attitude and demeanor, have got to recognize that the main reason why adversity will eventually strike someone of that sort, isn’t so much because they are sinning, but really represents a ways and means to awaken them from the delusion that the pinnacle of life, is somehow selfish indulgence.  This then is why so many of us will at some point in our lives, duly suffer from some adversity that will through that suffering, serve to hopefully to rouse us from the error of our ways to recognize then that each of us is called to action for a much higher purpose, than self-serving self-indulgence.

In point of fact, when we take a careful look at people’s lives, it has to be recognized, that for a significant amount of people, what compels those that are somewhat confused about their purpose and point of life, is the type of adversity, which forces them to their knees, in the acknowledgment that they don’t know or have all of the answers, at all.  Those that are lethargic, or exceeding selfish, often need to have a forceful reminder imposed upon them, that the direction of their life is not correct, which is why, as a poke to our conscience, we end up in a situation in which we are suffering.  It is that suffering, that provides the impetus to thereby become a better person; though, not all answer to such a call, for humankind can be rather stubborn in its ways, until it eventually recognizes, sooner or much later, that there is indeed not only a better way, but that way is actually the only way.

The essential value of integrity

There may well be all sorts of things that we don’t presently have in this life, of which, some of those very things we may strongly wish that we had in our possession.  That said, the one thing that is fully ours, is the integrity that we so present to others as well as to our own being.  So then, the pathway a given person will take or not take, to obtain something that is highly desirable is up to that individual – along with the salient fact as to whether or not that person will have to compromise themselves in order to get what they so highly desire.  Those that are of integrity, know that the decisions that they ultimately make, reflect upon who and what they really are, in actuality; and will then, when tempted to impugn upon their own integrity and reputation, will not do so.  Then there are all those others, whether consciously or not, wittingly or perhaps somewhat unwittingly, will, almost without hesitation, do what they feel has to be done to get what they insist that they have to have, by all means, so necessary.

We have relationships with all sorts of people, of which, some of those relationships are healthier than others.  The types of relationships that are the healthiest are those in which both parties respect one another, validate one another, and care enough about one another, that they will consistently do the right thing when it comes to their interactions with one another.  Then there are those other relationships, including those that are the most toxic, in which each party seems to be trying to “get over” on the other party, or we so find that one person is consistently being taken advantage of.  These are examples of unhealthy relationships, which are either mutually bad for one another, or parasitic in structure.  To the degree, that we can avoid these interactions, we should – to the degree that we willingly continue in these types of relationships, we should, if we are of  good character, at least acknowledge to ourself that these types of relationships are seldom of any real merit.

In life, there are those social situations and work situations, in which we have to deal with what is in front of us as it is – which means that when we are engaged with those that are essentially corrupt in mind and action, that we need to do our level best to not degrade our own character, but rather, to do our upmost to maintain our integrity and core ethics.  Then there are the friends that we have chosen or that have chosen us, in which, when we look upon our friendships, we need to periodically to ask ourselves the question as to whether or not this is a person of integrity; for those then that are our friends that have consistently displayed to us or to others, dishonesty and deceit, cannot in the scheme of things, be relied upon to ever be a true friend in our most deepest need -- which is why, we should seek to make friends with those of integrity and to also make sure that we ourselves are paragons of that same integrity.

In the land of the blind

There is this belief that upon our death that we suddenly becoming all-knowing and all-wise.  While it is true that our perspective does indeed change, because we are no longer a material incarnation as we no longer identify with our physical body, for it has no life in it – what has to be also acknowledged though is that those that have spent their entire lives doing all sorts of stupid and self-serving things aren’t going to have that “aha” moment when they suddenly transform thereby into an enlightened soul.  Rather, those that were blind in this world to the reality of their true essence and therefore have ignored such, will essentially be blind in the next dimension, because of their having willfully failed to develop the characteristics of love, compassion, empathy, and giving.

In other words, consider this possibility, that someone very close to us, has departed from this world, of which, because we miss them so much, we then desire to be able to contact them in some way or manner.  Should, for whatever reason, we be successful in doing so, such as through a legitimate séance or similar, it has to be taken into fair consideration, that the soul that we would be communicating with, would still be limited to who and what they so actually represented in the world that they had so recently departed from.  In other words, if our good friend that has died, was someone that didn’t have all that many positive or wise characteristics, the wisdom that they would subsequently then try to impart to us, would in all probability, be not only of minimal value, but might even be detrimental to us.

Indeed, there isn’t any real valid reason to believe that people that were incorrigible in this world, are somehow going to magically transform themselves into angels, when they so depart us.  Rather, they are who they really are, perhaps now comprehending their errors, perhaps not – for consider this, just about everyone knows what is right as compared to what is wrong, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will consistently and always do the right thing, for people have their own selfish motives and desires that can trump not only common sense, but are often done knowingly because that is what they so wish to do.

All those that have departed us, that lacked the discipline and strength of character to do the right thing in this world, are for a certainty, going to have to work on those very same things in order to grow their soul to where it really ought to be.  So, in this world or in the next, if we wish to ask for meaningful advice, if we are smart, we should consider the source; for that which is God, is God, and has no error -- and that which is flawed, will not be flawless.  In truth, then, there isn’t any real good reason to seek advice from a source, that we cannot fully trust the value of, no matter our affection for them – for everything that we really need to know, we intuitively know, and for all those that need a reminder of such, then they should listen to that still, sensible, small voice, within.