New is not always better

The marketing of products for sale in America, is an industry that does a remarkably effective job in getting people to buy all sorts of things, of which, part of the reason why consumers buy such, is the belief, that something newer, or "improved" has to be better than that which came before, thereafter known as being "old" or being outdated.  Yet, in point of fact, that which is newer is not always going to be better for a lot of valid reasons.  For instance, many good products end up being replaced with something new that notably uses inferior materials of a cheaper construction in order for that manufacturer to stay competitive or to be more profitable or both.  That is to say, for instance, robust toys previously made out of wood or metal, have been replaced in modern times with plastic, not because plastic is superior to wood or metal, for it is not, but rather because plastic is both cheaper and more malleable to utilize.  So too, processed food, is not typically going to be healthier than whole foods; of which the real reason why there is so much more processed food being marketed today, is because processed food, has a far greater shelf life, lends itself to be transported of far greater distances, and is, ultimately, significantly cheaper to manufacture than whole food.

Additionally, one of the things that new products, almost by definition, do not represent, is that they have not yet stood the test of time, of which, sometimes that testing of time, needs to be conducted over a very long period of time, so as to accurately ascertain the long term effects of such, good or bad.  It logically so follows that products that have been created generations ago, which are still relevant, are therefore prime examples of products that have stood the test of time, and are therefore known thoroughly for what they are, hence, such as being marketed and sold represents truth in marketing.  So then, that which is new needs to be far more often weighed fairly against that which has proven its value and merit, and has endured the real world, as compared to the often meek acceptance by the public, that new always somehow trumps over that which is old.

It is often a mistake to simply throw out the old for the new, especially when the cost effectiveness of the old as well as the utility of such, is quite good; of which, anytime such is basically done for no other real reason other than the opportunity for "new" profits to be made by private enterprise; this signifies, in effect, that what has been presently created for the general public is typically a lesser good to replace that which was already functionally sound.  In fact, part of the problem with so many of today's new products, is that those that have created them, have deliberately done so, in an attempt to create and to corner new markets, by thereby patenting something that has been earmarked as being new, though in substance, it really is not; so that additional profits can be extracted from the general public, under the illusion that what is now being sold, is newer and therefore better, when in reality, it is not.

America and the inception of its Tower of Babel

America, is a nation divided, of which incivility and divisiveness is disappointingly high and seems to be rising all that much higher in the 21st century; all of this occurring in this a nation that prides itself upon being a melting pot of different races, creeds, politics, and languages -- as well as having the understanding that each of us has been gifted with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; of which, we the people, are living in a country that has proclaimed itself to be the United States of America, so created to assure our domestic tranquility.  When such a country, founded upon liberty, and that has provided the right of each of its citizens to be represented in its governance through the fair and equal voice that each of its citizens so has, finds itself devolving into a cacophony of voices and actions of its own people making essentially war against one another, signifying that each of us seems to be speaking in a different language, and of which nobody seems to be listening to the other or even really caring to, this thereby leads to even that great beacon of symbolic liberty, our Statue of Liberty, shedding tears upon this celebrated land, in the knowledge that great gifts so given, can be destroyed from within, from carelessness, unconcern, and ignorance.

The seminal document of this nation, is its Declaration of Independence, of which, the correct interpretation of this Declaration is that we, as a people, are meant to join together into one body politic, for the betterment and the advancement of those people, so as to assure the safety and happiness of that people.  To the degree, that any politician, or any legislature representative, or laws so passed, and those institutions so created, have a tendency to exist and thereby to promote the general welfare of the people, then we are thereby living in harmony with that stated Declaration; whereas to the degree, that we live within a construct in which there is enmity expressed wholeheartedly between one people to another, as well as outright hatred and contempt, in which that people spend an inordinate amount of time talking pass one another, and essentially attacking one another, then within that nation, there were will be no peace, no justice, and no equality of opportunity.

There is such a thing as a discussion, or even a reasoned argument, and then there is the divisiveness so expressed by small minded people that have clearly lost touch with the fact that each of us, is equally entitled to the same promises of this land; to wit, we are all equally entitled to have a fair hearing, a fair say, and a fair forum to express such, all done in a manner that encourages civil discourse as opposed to discouraging such.  The very things and issues that seem to divide us and of which so many put such great import into, are often found to be, in calmer waters, something in which common ground and common bonds could be initiated.  So that, those that insist upon dividing us into ever smaller tribes are the very ones that when given enough time and space, will eventually cause us to not be able to understand or to comprehend a word that we each are saying, for it will be, as if we are all senselessly babbling, in a wide and vast ocean filled with fools.

"Love is at the root of everything"

Fred Rodgers, he of the masterful television program, Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood, tells us that, “Love is at the root of everything—all learning, all relationships—love, or the lack of it.”  Of this, Mr. Rodgers is absolutely right, and each of us would do well to remember that what each one of our communities requires more than anything, when it comes to necessary resources, is truly love, first and foremost.  That is to say, as much as we need good parenting, good educational system, good cohesion, fairness, justice, and liberty; at the foundation of all that is good and worthwhile has to be, our expressed love one to another, that we so demonstrate thereby by being a good neighbor, to one another.

Our world is full of an awful lot of sound and fury, of which, it must be said, much material success has come from this; but in reality, though, despite all of the wonderful creations, discoveries, and inventions of this modern day age, those that live in the richest and wealthiest nations in the world, aren't necessarily happier and more fulfilled over those that live within realms of  far more modest means; for material things, no matter how pretty, intricate, or valuable that they may appear to our eyes, ultimately do not bring happiness or love, but rather are far too often, through the lust and greed to obtain such, a source of much disappointment and divisiveness that breaks us apart, and therefore does not bind us into something of lasting meaning and merit.

All that we are, and all that we ever will be, is summed by the actions and deeds that we have done, day-by-day, one to another, and when those actions and deeds are nothing much more than an unrelenting course of gratifying our own selfish desires, come what may, then the end result of such is always going to be a construct that lacks love and empathy for the other and this world.  On the other hand, when we take the time to truly comprehend that we are all equally created and are thereby equally valued by our Creator, and that each one of us has the very same unalienable rights, of which, therefore this thereby signifies that we are all one big global interrelated family, which thereby does not define itself by the limitations of creed, race or sex;  then it becomes far easier to picture, that doing right and performing good deeds, one to another, is going to be conducive to a more loving and caring world, along with it being the only way forward to make such, sustainable and of true value, now and into the future.

Those that do not value love, are those that have lost sight of the only thing that truly matters; for a life without love, is a life which has turned away from the illuminating Light of God, to the darkness of utter despair.  All of us need to be more loving, for our very creation was an act of divine love, meant to give us the opportunity as free-will beings to freely express that love from one to another, and therefore as united beings to reflect in devotion our love back to that Perfect Being that first created us.

We all need friends and love

Some people think that they don't necessarily need friends, or that they don't necessarily need love, or pretty much don't believe in either one, because friends and love can disappoint a person, and even worse can hurt a person, so typically after having suffered so, they thereby emotionally remove themselves from others, so as to not be hurt or damaged, ever again.  In point of fact, life without love or friends is not going to be a wonderful life, because human beings are meant to share their joy with others, and further are meant to be friendly, neighborly, and loving one to another.

This thus signifies, that we actually do need friends and love, of which, no doubt, in order to have these valuable things, necessitates commitment on our part to others, as well as the taking on of risk, and thereby exposing some degree of vulnerability one to another.  Far too many people are far too concerned, with protecting their feelings from ever getting hurt, that they do not give themselves a fair chance, to take in the friendliness and love of another person, because they fear that by doing so, that they will be subsequently hurt and therefore they are therefore overly guarded with their feelings. 

No doubt, some friends will disappoint us, at least from time-to-time, and no doubt, some that profess their love for us will be false in what they have professed to us, but that doesn't mean, that we should thereby shut the door on all others, because of the faults and the mistakes of the few.  Further to the point, each one of us, is regrettably, an imperfect human being, filled with human frailties and error, of which, because it is so difficult to self-evaluate oneself, we often do not recognize that part of the issues that we have with others in regards to love and friendliness, lies really at our own feet, and therefore with our own errors and mistakes, which we honestly have not completely own up to.

Those that wish to live within a construct, in which every friend is true, no matter what comes; and everyone that represents love to us, expresses that love unconditionally, and with no expectation in return, are clearly desiring what so represents the ideal friendliness and love.  To therefore only accept that and none other, will surely represent a lonely life, for few, if any, are able to demonstrate such, on an irrevocable basis, one to another.  Rather, we should be far more accommodating of all those that are friendly and loving, and should be that way also in return; in the recognition that though we might well desire perfect friends and perfect love, that it is in the trying, that we still are able to find good friends, and by being a good friend in return, makes for a better life that is well worth living. 

Those that truly want joy in their life, have to find someone and something outside of their own ego, that they are able to appreciate and to accept as they are.  From that, all sorts of good thereby occurs, in which, by being good one to another, we become that which we were meant to become, when we were first created, by Love.

Towards mandatory national service

It was not all that long ago, when President Kennedy, proclaimed: "… ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."  Yet, we find that very few people feel compelled whatsoever to do anything at all for their country, specifically, in service to it, but rather prefer to appreciate the benefits of this land of liberty, freedom, and opportunity, as if these very things all have come to us without some real sacrifice having been made, especially from those that have preceded us.  Regrettably, those that don't appreciate what has cost so many, so much, aren't going to be the best guardians of what America at its best, so represents, if they never have skin in the game of their country, and care not to change that.

As it has been said, freedom is not free, but what we find is that millions of Americans apparently don't believe that, because they are only too willing, rich or poor, to believe that they need not do a thing in order to contribute their part to the betterment of this country.   So that, in order to change that entitled mindset, it would behoove America, to pass a national legislative act, that mandates that each American is required to serve their country for a period of ninety days, within the ages of eighteen to twenty-six, which would seem thereof to be a small enough length of time, that it would not disrupt those that are set to go to college, or to other activities, so planned, or anticipated; yet, a long enough period of time that some good service to that country would be made.

It almost goes without saying, that there is plenty of work that needs to be done throughout this country in regards to its infrastructure and its people, of which, that work thereby being performed, would be a material aid to that country, and would be of material benefit to its people.  Those that have never been mandated to make a sacrifice, should feel what actual sacrifice consists of; so that, they would thereby have a better understanding of that which they have previously pledged their sacred allegiance to.

The dysfunction and trouble that we see so much of in present day America, is part and parcel of a country and its countrymen that are not united in much of anything; and a country of which its people are not united in their collective purpose and in their belief, is not going to be a country that will forever stand; for an unstable structure that fails to take the steps so needed to stabilize itself and to properly take whatever precautions and actions that are so needed to strengthen itself, is that country which will unravel to its own destruction.

If our present day generation will not buy into mandatory national service, then it is not thereby possible to call those young people, patriotic.  For united we stand, and divided we fall; of which, the least anyone that is a citizen of this country should do, is to willingly provide some degree of service to that country, or if not, ask nothing of that country, for having done nothing for it, that country surely owes that individual, nothing in return.

Gratitude

For any one of us to show gratitude is something that typically doesn't cost us a thing, except the voluntary effort to do so, and of which, the person showing that gratitude, has done this deed as a form of appreciation to the person of whom that gratitude is given to.  We read in Holy Scripture in Luke 11 that ten lepers approached the Messiah, desiring to be cleansed of such, of which, Jesus the Christ, dutifully healed them all. And then we read "He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan.  Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine?" (Luke 11: 16-17)  This so signifies that what had occurred is that though all ten lepers had been healed, only one of them had bothered to return and to thank Jesus the Christ who healed him; whereas the other nine, for whatever reason or reasons, did not bother to take the time to give that same thankfulness, in person.

It isn't so much that the other nine, were wrong for not showing that gratitude, but it certainly can be said, that they ended up not bothering to do so, perhaps because of their excitement, or perhaps because of their astonishment; and thereby were unable to find the wherewithal, to give appropriate thanks to He who healed them, though, undoubtedly they were thankful.  Again, that doesn't make them wrong for their apparent lack of visible gratitude, but it certainly doesn't make them look good, either.  Still, how many of us, who have been provided with a gift, large or small, have also failed to show our gratitude to that person, or organization that aided and abetted us?  Fortunately, gifts so made by the giver, in order to be a true gift, are done without the need or even the expectation that such will be reciprocated, or even necessarily appreciated, for those that give, get their joy from knowing that they did the right thing at the right time, to make things right for that person so receiving that gift.

Returning though to that one leper, that did take the time to turn back and to show his humble appreciation to Jesus, one must give him credit for his recognition that those that receive great gifts, have much to be thankful for.  And it is the people such as that, that keeps those that are the gift givers, in sync with the continuation of that giving, because each time that a gift is so recognized, it recharges the batteries of those givers, to keep them doing what they are doing, in the treasured knowledge that we are all on this good earth, together -- with therefore an obligation to be a good neighbor, one to another, with the implicit understanding that by doing so, we all will get to where we really need to get to, a whole lot quicker, when we are united in our purpose, then  when we are separated by our divisiveness.

So then, each of us needs to be more appreciative of the good, especially that unearned good that comes our way, and rather than keeping those thankful thoughts to ourselves, we should, as best as we can, show our gratitude to those that have done right by us, and then go out and do likewise.

Judicial fiat and Amendments to the Constitution

The United States Constitution was ratified in 1788, and since that time, only 27 Amendments have been made to it.  Perhaps that is a good thing, perhaps that is not, but it certainly demonstrates that making Amendments to that Constitution, is fairly prohibitive.  Yet, during all of those ensuing years, all sorts of meaningful changes have been made to the real world application of that Constitution in regards to its citizens, of which a significant amount of those changes have been made by essentially judicial fiat.  That is to say, rather than amending the Constitution to cover such salient things such as the legal definition of marriage, or of abortion, or of many other important issues, the Supreme Court has rendered their decision upon questions of great merit, that subsequently takes on the aura of Constitutional law, without said Amendment apparently ever being required or necessary.

The most fundamental problem with any activist court, is that when that tribunal believes it has the power to effectively amend the Constitution, through its own interpretation of such, then the law so created, has more to do with the opinions and viewpoints of that time, and less to do with what has been written down, legislated, and certified to be the highest law of this land.  In other words, it is the responsibility of legislatures to enact laws, and of the judicial courts to determine the Constitutionality of such laws, but what has effectively occurred, in recent times, is that the judicial branch has by their court decisions, effectively enacted laws, without legislative oversight or approval, and all of this is occurring, without the people having a true voice or say upon the matter, of which this government theoretically derives its just powers, from the consent of those so governed.

The more activist any court is, and the more that court simply does what it so desires to do, with the notion that they are essentially making new law, with the incumbent belief that they are performing their duties in a positive way, the less that Constitution as written is relevant to the law as it is effectively exercised upon the people that are subject to it.  So that, what we find that occurs is that rather than the people being governed by Constitutional law, the people are governed instead by a tribunal that interprets however that it so desires that Constitution to be interpreted, of which the net result is to favor some at the expense of the many; and to invariably favor those that are the actuators of those eminent judicial personages.

There is a Constitution, of which, as the highest law of this land, it can be utilized as the law; or it can be circumvented by those that through their judicial opinions become in essence, the new living law.  Further to the point, the more laws that are created by the judicial branch, through the proclivities of that branch, thereby creates what is effectively an alternate constitution, of which that constitution, becomes in effect, whatever that judicial branch, so desires it to be, so that equality under the law, equally applied, has morphed instead into specific favoritism for those that have influence, at the expense of all those, that do not.

God's parental love

We are all children of the same God, of which, God loves all of us as the perfect parent, for God is inerrable perfection.  This thus signifies that when it comes to God's justice for each one of us, that such justice as exercised is done so in a manner for the betterment of us; and any punishment so exercised through God, is done with the objective of helping to correct us from the error of our ways, and never as a means for God to exact some sort of vindictive harm upon us.

So then, those that believe that there exists some simplistic dimension in which some are granted access to Heaven, whereas others are consigned to an eternal hell, have it fundamentally wrong, for those actions so done by us that are wrong and in error, would never necessitate a God that would exact an unending chastisement upon us, for the very objective of any punishment so issued is for the correction of, the learning of, and the betterment of the individual so involved, and nothing else.

This thus signifies that it is more appropriate to see God as a parent that knows what is best for us, wishes good upon us, and will do whatever that can be done without infringing upon our free will so as to re-direct us onto a path that will produce a far more satisfying and productive life for us.  That is to say, the decisions that we make and therefore the consequences so of, are solely ours to own, and of which, because God cares for us, avenues are thereby always available for us, to extricate ourselves from what we have done, so as to provide fair and lasting sanctuary for us.  Nevertheless, sins and errors so made, need to, in the skeins of time, be made good upon, for every wrong step so taken, must be amended by a right step so made, or else, that which is just, no longer fully represents that justice with complete integrity.

There is nothing better to draw upon, than wise parental advise; subsequently listened to attentively and then acted upon with wholesale obedience.  The trouble that mankind gets into, is the trouble of their own making, and of which, such bad decisions, can be compounded by those others, friend or foe, that do not have our best interests in mind, as well as those that unwittingly have us to lean into the direction that we need not enter.    Yet, through it all, good or bad, rich or poor, God stands by our side, and thereby pings our conscience, again and again, so as to bring to our mind, that our best purpose in life is to make this world a better place for our having been here; and therefore such disciplining so involved, is made to awaken our conscience to the comprehension that justice cannot ever be circumvented, but must always be met forthrightly and fairly.

God is our great parent, and because God knows for a certainty, what is right and what is wrong, then as our parent, God has a moral obligation to do what can be done to help us to improve our character, so that the better angels of our nature, can come to full fruition, and thereby make us better, so that we thereby fairly become what we were always meant to be.

A government, of, by, and for the middle class

There are all sorts of governments instituted amongst mankind, of which the most common throughout history are those that are aristocratic, monarchical, dictatorial, communistic, republican, democratic, or some sort of basic combination of these.  Yet, even the most cursory of digging through the practical governmental policies of virtually any country in this world, unearths the plain truth, that governments are primarily run by the rich, well positioned, well armed, and privileged at the expense of all those that are outside that entitled elite.  In other words, despite what governmental form so enacted through written constitutions or similar, and the voting so made on issues of import, as well as legislation so passed and the legislatures so of, the end result is that those that effectively run a given nation, are the few and powerful, and that therefore the democratic choices so given to the population at large, are often no real choice, signifying the tangible lack of the offering of any fundamental change for the people at all -- that would be of expressed benefit to the people.

The bottom line is that those that are at the highest echelons of power, often have no real intention of sharing such power with the people, and to the contrary, often work hard and long, to consolidate within their own elite hands, even more of that power.  As for the poor, ill-educated, and disenfranchised, they lack any of the necessary accouterments or meaningful activism to actually make any sort of impact upon government policy, whatsoever; and have not the wherewithal, in addition to essentially being far short of the necessary wisdom and experience, that even if they were to be somehow provided with the opportunity to obtain such power to conceivably take -- would lack the ready capacity to do anything of real merit or of benefit for the people, with it.

The only class of people that could ever effectively administer government policy in a fair and even handed manner, are those that are the hard working and dedicated middle class, that by their sound education and hard labor have thereby achieved a foothold upon those accouterments that they have fairly earned and are so necessary to becoming established in any given country;  which consists of accomplishments such as home ownership, successful small business enterprises, as well as having a good stake and a meaningful involvement in the community that they live in.  The reason that the middle class is so relevant to good governance, is that unlike those born with a silver spoon in their mouth, the middle class have had to exert and to apply themselves to the tasks at hand to rightly become what they are.  Further, because they lack all of the excess material goods of the privileged, as well as the dissipation that excess wealth so often represents, and all the other unearned privileges so granted to those of the highest class; they have, on the other hand, remained grounded in their comprehension of what the common man actually really needs and of what makes for a land of true domestic tranquility.

The best government is that which is consistently equable, fair, and just and thereby no respecter of persons, of which in order for that government to successfully exist, those that are leaders of such need to be those that have fairly toiled to earn by their equity sweat, the bread of their means.

Teamwork and problem solving

Far too many movies and books, for that matter, emphasize courageous individual achievement over the most daunting of odds, and while it may well resonate with certain people, that it so follows that each of us, on our own, has the capability to overcome that which is causing us and the world thereof, trouble; what seems to be forgotten is that we are all fellow sojourners upon this world, of which, it is our moral responsibility to not just to save our own self and our own interests, but also to be of an ever present aid in helping to save others.  That is to say, to look upon the world as only a series of individual endeavors to thereby overcome that of which hinders us, personally and nothing else, is to read the world and its problems, incorrectly.

In point of fact, mankind has always been a social creature, and forever always will be, so that our objective, then, is to demonstrate the wherewithal to work well with others, despite our apparent differences, so that each of us, in our own way, has a good opportunity to be part of the process of overcoming those problems which need to be successfully resolved.  This thus signifies, that it often is a very poor usage of time as well as a wrong mindset, when we see a given problem, as being essentially of one person against another, rather than taking the time to really fundamentally understand the nature of the problem of which, many a time, the tables can be turned in such a way, so that the problem is more appropriately understood to necessitate people joining together against the problem, and thereby our duty becomes to overcome such, together as a team.

Because this world is far too complicated for any one person to deal with, it does not lend itself to its being broken down into a series of just individual acts to address such, and therefore through that sheer individual effort resolving successfully the biggest challenges of our age.  Instead, we need to draw upon the skill-sets of those that we congregate with, of which, by doing so, we join together into one body politic, in order to form a more perfect union, and thereby to resolve successfully that which must be resolved, so that we as a people, are therefore able to more forward and to actually live lives that reflect our unalienable rights of liberty, and positive self-determination.

The whole point of why there are problems in the first place is for us as a people, to rise up and to conquer them; and thereby to prove to our Creator, that we have successfully used our God-given capacity to do so, in tribute to that which has actuated our being, in the first place.  When we correctly look upon problems as really being a test so given to us from Above and thereby a worthy proving ground of who and what we really are, we have then taken the most vital step in confronting and thereby overcoming such, of which, the lesson to be learned is that we are not all supposed to be "lone wolves," but rather we are a tribe of people, united in our quest to safely find our way back to that sanctuary of sanctuaries, and rest ourselves in that which forever cradles us.

The highest good for science is truth revealed

Mankind has developed the good ability to understand its own world, and continues to make progress along those lines, throughout the skeins of time.  To the degree that scientific knowledge and scientific knowhow can help to explain the nature of this world, both of the seen and the unseen, the more that this can be to the benefit of mankind, for knowledge properly utilized, is most definitely one of those essential building blocks that makes for the betterment and further enlightenment of mankind.

All those that are scientists have, first and foremost, the utmost obligation to their field and to society to follow the trail that is before them, and to prudently reveal such that is discovered in a forthright manner, of which, that which has become fully known, should and must be fully disclosed.  Unfortunately, what occurs, more times than it ever should, is that in the field of science, as in so many other fields, that which does not fit well into the conventional standards of that time, or is not consistent with those that are the financiers of those institutions or are the powers-to-be behind such, oftentimes are precluded from a fair disclosure and find what they have discovered is earmarked as an inconvenient truth, and therefore that which has been revealed to scientists in truth, is subsequently distorted in service to those other purposes and principalities.

Every scientist has a moral duty to stand first for truth, and thereby to disclose such truth; for those that do not do so, are then aiders and abettors to that which is false.  This has absolutely nothing to do with theories so made, or theorems surmised, then end up being false in some construct, of which, the very process of discovery is typically going to be a road in which mistakes and misinterpretations will be made, of which, the duty of that good scientist is to make adjustments to that which was thought to be sound, and thereby to correct such to fairly reflect the truth of the matter, as such is learned or experienced.

The scientific search that each scientist must be true to is the knowing that the primary objective of science is ultimately to see that truth previously unknown or undiscovered be revealed in a manner in which such is done for the overall benefit and in the service to their fellow sojourners upon this earth.  That is to say, knowledge so known can be dangerous, and therefore that knowledge must be handled in a manner in which it is sensibly kept out of the hands of those that would abuse such, for the giving of knowledge to those that have evil intent or are not worthy of such, serves no good purpose, whatsoever.  

Nevertheless, while discretion with scientific truth has its place, outright deception and misdirection, seldom does.  This is why those that are our superiors or that are in positions of power, must themselves be held to account for what they do and say on behalf of all those that they are obligated to represent, of which, their lack of integrity in doing so, wreaks havoc upon those meaningful revelations so made, by good scientists that have done their principled part as well as their moral duty.

Everyone is equal in God's eyes

Mankind wishes to judge one another, and proves such, nearly every day of the week, by judgments so rendered, formally or not; and further to the point, mankind is often way too impressed over worthy accomplishments of other people, believing thereof, that these people of those accomplishments, are by their actions, better than they are. Additionally, there are plenty of people that judge their own self, in a manner in which they purposefully compare themselves to someone of poor character, and thereby declare themselves to be, superior to such.  In general, mankind spends an inordinate amount of time working on their personal place in the pecking order of life, never seeming to realize that in actuality, everyone so created, was equally created by God, and that such equality cannot ever be subsequently divided into castes, and therefore to believe so, is fundamentally flawed.

So too, many people believe wrongly that they have to "earn" God's respect and to win over God so that God will thereby love them.  In point of fact, we read in Holy Scripture, "…Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons," (Acts 10: 34).  This doesn't imply or mean that God doesn’t care about what we do and accomplish, but rather that God does not play favorites; for God values each of His children so created, exactly the same.  Those that are of a high ethical character may very well conduct their lives in such a manner as to be of good service to their fellow compatriots, of which, by doing so, they are helping to make this world a better place for their good deeds, and of which, they will surely reap their appropriate award for so doing; but that reward is not more love from God, or a special status with God, for all that they so desire from God, is already theirs for the asking, if only they would have the faith and the belief to accept this.

There are plenty of people in this world, that get up on their high horse, perhaps with justification, perhaps not; of which, that type of behavior works, when it works, only within this earthly plane, and has no place and is given no sanction, whatsoever, before the throne of our God, for in truth, God's throne is ultimately the one and only throne that so matters.  This so signifies, that lowly or high, evil or good, hard working or not, everyone is accorded the exact same respect and is counted the exact same way in God's presence.

If more people would take fully to heart, that we are all equally created by our God, and that our equality one to another is permanent, and unchangeable -- recognizing then therefore the importance of thereby putting forth the effort to live in good faith with our fellow brothers and sisters on this good earth, then for a certainty, this world would be a far better place to live and to breathe upon.  Therefore, do not make the error of either discounting others, or paying a premium for some, for each of us is made of the exact same substance, and not one of us, no matter the length of time so measured by mankind, will ever be left behind.

Interstate banking should be banned

In the present day, the United States has huge banking behemoths that collectively control or manage a significant amount of the assets of this great country, of which prior to the 1980s, this situation simply didn't exist; because legislation so previously passed, was done so as to limit banking institutions to their State of residency, thereof, and further that these financial institutions were not permitted to bank beyond the borders of their State of residency.  The primary reason why interstate banking is a grave mistake is the fact that when that government of, by, and for the people, does not restrict banks from crossing State borders, then inevitably what occurs, is that these banks become too large and cumbersome, and do thereof accumulate many ill and non-performing investments, that subsequently get labeled as being "too big to fail," and when that ensuing financial crisis does come, what thereby occurs is that those banks end up being supported and bailed out explicitly by the taxpayer's money, so that in effect, in good times, banks profit upon the citizen's backs, and in bad times, those same citizens make good on that banking greed gone so horribly wrong.

The United States of America is the richest nation in the world, and banks were created to be a depository of the people's money, for the expressed benefit of those people in regards to prudent loans and investments being so made; but what has occurred through today's interstate banking is that a significant amount of interstate banking institutions have made it quite clear that they are beholden to just one thing, which is the making of money for that bank, above all, and the people, thereof, be damned.  So too, when banks are restricted to just local communities, cities thereof, and their specific State, those banks typically make it a point to utilize their assets in conjunction with those communities, so that those monies so being deposited therein, are recycled within those communities.  On the other hand, interstate banking institutions, are national in structure, signifying that some communities thereof are quite obviously going to be net losers to those monies so being earned, deposited and dispersed, whereas others will be net winners; and of which typically the result of such, is the greater overall concentration of wealth into fewer and fewer hands and institutions, thereby making a very few being benefited and wealthier, at the expense of the many who are the losers, and thereby poorer.

In a country in which some of the States thereof, are so productive and wealthy, that if they were classified as a separate country, they would rank as high as fifth in the world, in terms of the size of its respective economy, has no ready need to expand its banking beyond the borders of that State.  It is proper to recognize that this country is a voluntary union of States, of which, each State has its own separate Constitution, for the express purpose to benefit those State residents; and therefore it so follows that regulated State banking institutions will therefore, more times than not, do what is best for those State residents; whereas national banking institutions, will, as a matter of course, do what is best for their bottom line, foremost, and care not a whit about anything else.

The lie of the "Lost Cause"

It has been said that the victors write the history; but that is only true, when that victory is absolutely total and those that are the defeated, effectively thereby have had their voice silenced, once and for all.  While there may be many things that those that made up the Confederacy so represented, one of those things that they for a certainty believed and of which was patently false on every level, was their fatally misguided belief that the Southern cause was noble and just, and that the Federal government was therefore the unjustified oppressors of those Southerners that took up arms against that Federal government; so done after the Southern States had lost a fair democratic election, so that such a belief then that the Southern cause was noble and upright is a great lie, and a primary example of why those that delude themselves into thinking wrong, subsequently have actions which reflect that wrong.

In point of fact, the South had nothing really to worry about when it came to their peculiar institution, of enslaving fellow human beings, within those States in which such was long established and legal, of which, the President-elect had made it vividly clear that he did not believe that he had the Constitutional right to interfere in such; yet, the South took the problematic position that to be precluded in the extension of that slavery within territories subsequently added as States to this Union, would bring the death knell of said institution, though even that belief, was fundamentally flawed as being unnecessarily too fatalistic.

The South, through its own arrogance and lack of foresight, took the words as spoken by President Lincoln that in regards to the voluntary and inviolable Union of States that he had a solemn obligation to "preserve, protect, and defend it;" as being the words of an oppressive dictator and further believed that Lincoln and that Union of loyal States would not successfully take up arms against their own compatriots, and therefore that the South would be able to secede from that Union, with nary a shot fired, or perhaps through a short war, in which the North would after being bloodied a bit, simply give up and just let the South be.

Instead, the South became the aggressors in a war that need not have occurred, and compounded that error by not taking in the reality that they were severely outgunned, outnumbered, and without a legitimate cause that European countries would support them in.  So then, that Confederacy of States, who took battle upon that loyal Union of States, did so, for no other real reason, other than their bigoted belief that the natural state of those that were of a darker complexion, was to be perpetually enslaved to the Southern white man, for the exploitation and benefit of that white man.

There are still some that reside in this country today, that believe somehow that the South was right and thereby justified in their cause, without seeming to understand that those that lose at the ballot, and thereby take up arms against those that are the victors thereof, have no moral ground to stand upon; and further that all those that abuse, exploit, and enslave their fellow human beings, are by definition, immoral, unpatriotic, and at odds with the eternal justice of God, which will not be forever denied.

Most people's understanding of freedom is fundamentally flawed

It would seem that in America, that this country prides itself upon freedom, of which, the concept held by so many people appears to be that true freedom, is one's ability to do whatever that they so desire to do, subject to some degree of reasonable laws, that thereby precludes doing stupid things that infringe upon other people's freedom, such as, for instance, gunning another person down in cold blood.  So basically, a whole lot of people believe that freedom consists in doing whatever that they will to do, and whatever that they feel like doing, and to just basically keep doing that.  That's freedom -- or is it?

In point of fact, in any situation consisting of a country of people, that believe wholeheartedly that they are entitled to do whatever that they want to do, is going to be a country in which there will be, indisputably, also a whole lot of conflict, because in that world in which each party believes that they are each equally permitted to that sort of freedom will inevitably stir up that trouble of conflicting and entitled desires colliding against one another; and of which typically such is eventually resolved in an unfair manner, of favoring almost exclusively those that are the rich, powerful, and influential who thereby dictate to all those that are not, the full measure of those laws enacted thereof, being applied unequally and unfairly to those that lack the wherewithal to preclude such.

In truth, freedom is never going to be and ought never considered to be, something in which it is a free-for-all for everybody, because that simply does not work; of which, we see the reality of that construct in countries such as America, which while preaching freedom, incarcerates its own citizens at exceedingly high and unprecedented levels.  Rather, freedom should be properly seen as an unalienable right that has been gifted to us by our God, for the express purpose of providing us with the choice of thereby using our freedom to perform good deeds for others, in accordance to the wise guidance of God.  In other words, those that have free will and freedom, should understand that it is in our ability to do right and to be good on behalf of God and therefore to be of aid to those that we congregate and associate with, that so represents true freedom, for that signifies that those so created by God, have paid the highest homage so possible to God, by voluntarily being godly in all that they say and do.

All those then, that take their freedom and decide selfishly that they do not desire to do the will of God, as per their free choice, have by that action, created sin -- and that which is sin, is not now and never will be in harmony with the good attributes of God.  Therefore, those that freely do wrong have essentially traded that which was freely gifted to them, for a false construct in which they profess to believe that they are entitled to those free actions, and yet, somehow can't come to grips that they have by so doing, traded their freedom so as to take into their hands instead, their free passageway into the very gates of hell.

More than 100 years of race riots

Some people may very well think that racial riots in America are of somewhat recent vintage, such as we saw in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charlotte in recent years; but before that, there were also riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after the acquittals of the police officers in regard to the Rodney King beating; and well back in the 1960s, there were riots in many cities, including Detroit, Newark, as well as Los Angeles, again.  Though many people are familiar with those riots, it must be said, that these were not the first racial riots in America, for there were also some very violent racial riots in 1919.

During America's entrance into World War I, plenty of white as well as black soldiers were deployed overseas in order to fight that war, of which, blacks overseas though segregated from their own fellow countrymen of the white race, nobly fought and supported their allies in those battles; of which, blacks found that in many cases, the animus of whites towards blacks often displayed back home, was in many cases notably reduced, and that the European attitude towards those of color, was far more progressive than the narrow-minded bigotry so often suffered at home.

Beginning in and around 1916, blacks in southern States, recognizing the futility of their being forever second class citizens of those States, began their great migration up north, of which, because of the necessity of gearing up for World War I there were plenty of industrial jobs so needed for people, even those of color, within those factories, and once provided with the opportunity to work, blacks proved their able worth, day-by-day.  So too, upon the armistice so being signed and thereby ending World War I, the soldiers so deployed overseas, returned back to their homeland.  Those soldiers, especially of color, expected to be greeted with some degree of respect and appreciation by their homeland, but found instead, in many cases, the same historic disrespect that thereby discounted their sacrifice and their value, this of which the accepting of such was found to be a bitter pill that they no longer would be so acquiescent in swallowing.  Further exacerbating the situation, white soldiers returning home, were dismayed that jobs that they once held, were being labored upon by black hands, and further compounding their consternation, the wages that they were expecting, were being undercut by this new color labor, and tensions did so rise.

In the summer of 1919, a black teenager who was swimming, was stoned and thereupon drowned after violating the unwritten rule of segregation on Lake Michigan.  This thereby served as the tinderbox, for the racial riots in Chicago to be stoked and thereby fully enflamed into a conflagration, and of which, these riots soon spread to Washington DC, Knoxville, Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska.  As might be expected, in an era in which blacks had no power, no justice, no guns, and were vastly outnumbered by those whites that had all of those very things in abundance, the results thereof from those riots were blacks doing most of the bleeding, most of the dying, and having their homes do most of the burning down.  In the end, there wasn't any fair justice served back in 1919, and there still sure isn't much fair justice being served here, 100 years later.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

The United States is a nation that conducts a whole lot of business, not only domestically, but also internationally, of which, to get products from one location to another, requires infrastructure and transportation to do so; of which in the present day, a lot of products are moved from one locale to another, through semi-trucks barreling along our interstate highways.  However, back in the 19th century, freight items and goods, typically moved through our efficient railroads, which was an integral part of the progress of these United States.   Not too surprisingly, railroads required a lot of labor to load and unload these freight cars, in which, one might think that honest labor for something of such vital importance, would subsequently be fairly paid.

In truth, as might be expected within a capitalistic structure with minimum government interference, those railroad barons typically didn't actually pay a fair wage, and in 1877, after cutting railroad wages for those laborers, yet again, those that were laboring, began their strike, which started in West Virginia and quickly spread throughout major railroad lines in this great nation.  The response by those railroad moguls was not to subsequently meet at the negotiating table and thereby come to a fair resolution, but rather to reach for their guns, and to thereby utilize the local militias to put down those that were striking, of which a violent conflict so ensued. 

Soon though, those railroad barons recognized that local militias would not be able to, on their own, successfully stymie this wildcat strike, so they thereupon turned to the Federal government and its federal forces, to save the day for them.  The fact that those federal forces, did answer the call, and answered specifically to the call of those railroad moguls, is a reflection that at the end of the day, whenever that government, of, by, and for the people, actually sides with those that have power, resources, and money to influence that government for their exclusive benefit; that what this country actually represents, in whole, is the few, at the expense of the many.

Thereupon, now with overwhelming fire power as well as the professionalism and training of actual United States troops turned against its own citizenry, the result that came to be was pretty much always going to be a foregone conclusion.  Those that were striking, thereof, were soon shot down with estimates of more than one hundred dead, by their own nation's armed forces; of which, the wages that they were legitimately striking about, therefore took a back seat to the demands of those that were the barons of the railroad; signifying that those that were simply trying to receive a somewhat reasonable wage for an honest day's work, received in return by their government, a belly fully of lead.

Yet, despite their defeat, those that did strike against the railroad moguls, were able to through their brave sacrifice, enlighten their fellow citizens, of the grave injustice of their being denied what should actually be a fair right for all citizens; especially in consideration for all those that were only too willing to work diligently in order to provide for their family.  Soon thereof, a national labor union movement arose from the ashes of this railroad strike being forcefully put down, helped along by sympathetic good people as well as with the aid of that Federal government bringing forth a more progressive agenda.  Alas, though, labor unions in America peaked in 1954, and have been in precipitous decline every since then; which is why the common man is still fighting for that respect, not so given back in 1877, of being paid a fair and living wage.

Exhaustion, real or imagined

Some people get tired or even more than tired and are thereby suffering varying degrees of fatigue, on a near constant basis, of which, undoubtedly, some of these people are suffering from something of a biological or of a mental origin which is creating or contributing to that debilitating condition.  Yet, not everyone that is exhausted or fatigued, actually is genuinely in that condition, per an explainable or plausible medical condition.  In other words, for some people, even unwittingly, their feelings of fatigue or exhaustion are part and parcel of something that they believe has a biological origin, or something involving some sort of brain malfunction or chemical imbalance, or in any event that has a reasonable explanation, but as in many things, that is not always the case.  Additionally, there is also all those people that logically become exhausted or fatigued when they are overworked, stressed out, or sleeping poorly.

Then there are those other situations, in which people seem to be absolutely exhausted, but somehow, when an unexpected phone call comes in, or an unexpected visitor comes by, or there is some sort of outstanding news, suddenly those that appeared to have no energy, become quite exhilarated and alert.  This reaction primarily occurs because life often consists of a lot of ordinary moments, in which living in a same day in and same day out routine has a tendency to become exceedingly dull and enervating, so then when something unexpected occurs, and especially when that unexpected event is something that is highly desirable, people awaken sharply from their slumber, and that dullness, so exhibited by their fatigue and exhaustion, simply vanishes away.

Yet, there are also those other situations in which people express exhaustion and fatigue, but there doesn't appear to be a valid reason why this is so; of which these situations often have a lot to do with a given person's position within a family dynamic or something similar, in which those that are expressing fatigue, are doing so not really because they are actually physically fatigued, but rather as a way to fight back against their perceived powerlessness against whomever or whatever seems to be bossing them around.  In other words, for instance, those that are in subservient positions, in which they know for a certainty that they will never have the upper hand, find that the only conceivable way that they can fight back, is to feign that they are too weak, and too tried, to do any more than what they are currently doing, and thereby do less of what they do not wish to do.

So what we find then, is that in this world, not everything always appears as it really is, for people react to the world as it is perceived by them -- the injustice of it, or the unfairness of such; all of which can thereby be manifested through the emotions so displayed.  We are therefore not just what we feel that we are in our body and our mind, but we reflect also in our mannerisms our take upon how we see the world and our situation.  Therefore, those that are in what they consider to be helpless, hopeless, or downtrodden positions, may well find themselves feeling exhausted and quite fatigued, because that is their preferred way of dealing with being oppressed.

Lies, damned lies, and the people that lie

People lie.  That is the truth of the matter and there are virtually no exceptions to this general rule.  While there are all sorts of reasons why people lie, and continue to lie, the most basic reason why people lie, is because they do not desire to own up to the truth of the matter; and thereby their lying is their way to escape punishment as well as fair justice so deserved by their having lied to protect their own self. 

The thing about lying is that even when those that lie, know for a certainty that they have been caught in a lie, they have a strong tendency, more times than not, to lie even further to defend and to protect what they were lying about in the first place, by concocting even more lies, whenever they are being directly confronted by someone that knows that they are lying.  Behavior like that, is toxic for relationships because obviously when a person has been knowingly caught in a lie, and thereby weaves even more lies in a futile attempt to either deflect from the culpability of the first lie, or to mitigate such, it makes for a distinct form of disrespect and a clear form of someone that represents dishonesty.

So too, when people lie about things that are relatively trivial, or at least not that big of a deal, the only proper conclusion that the offended party can come away with, is that the person so lying about this particular small matter, must thereby feel, for whatever reason, that they cannot willingly admit their lie, perhaps because they believe it reflects poorly on their character or is some source of embarrassment, never seeming to realize that by not testifying to the truth that their character is further tarnished, all the more, by failing to  own up to that smallish lie, thereby signifying for a certainty that they surely won't own up to a big one.

Then there are those people, that do sort of, or appear to, own up to their lies, but insist upon re-categorizing such as not so much a lie, but rather as something more akin to an error in judgment or an inadvertent mistake and thereupon come up with all sorts of reasons, excuses, and basically lies, to concoct a story that subsequently changes the facts or the circumstances of such, that it thereupon appears to be not so much a lie, but just some sort of misunderstanding.   The problem with this, though, is that those that actually make an error or have made a mistake, and have such honestly and without judgment pointed out to them, usually have little hesitation in owning up to such, and almost always thereby sincerely apologize to the other person for that error or mistake; whereas someone that is liar, doesn't bother to apologize for such, at all.

It wouldn't be so bad, if people that lied, did so primarily because they desired so strongly to be seen always as a paragon of virtue, but rather the fact is, those that lie the most, and lie at those times when to admit truth would subject them to some sort of punishment or admonishment, are people of weak character; that typically also insist that the other party always be honest with them, while they on the other hand, are conveniently dishonest when it so suits them.  The thing about habitual liars is that besides the fact that they lie, is that at the end of the day, they do not want to put forth the effort so needed to change their heart, but would rather prefer to lie about such a change of heart, instead.

Good, does not necessitate evil

In this world, we are confronted to varying degrees with those forces that are evil in nature.  For good people, the world over, the fact that there is so much evil being conducted within this world, is often quite distressing, and especially this is so for those that have great faith in God; for it seems as if this world, has separated itself from God, or even that God somehow lacks fully the omnipotence and omniscience so attributed to his Being.

The truth of the matter is that God is always good, and of God, there is no evil and no error, whatsoever; and because God is both immutable as well as being eternal, this thus signifies that all is well.  Yet, for those that are here upon this planet, all is not well, and clearly there is an abundance of things so occurring and happening, which is wrong, false, and evil; thereby making a lot of the faithful and true, quite nervous and clearly distressed.

It is wise to remember, that the rules of incarnation upon this dimension are not the same as what it is when we are outside of our bodily form; which thereby lacks such distortion, whenever we have returned to becoming pure spirit.  This planet, represents in so many ways, the desire of those that have been created by their God, to be, for whatever reason or reasons, separated from that which is perfection so as to thereby experience a form of life, in which, that separation has created all of the duality that we thereby come across, day-by-day. That is to say, encased within a physical form, thereby forms within our being, the duality of existing as being physical, yet, also as spiritual; and to the degree that we lose sight of the fact that we are in actuality immortal and in essence a spiritual being we thereby often find ourselves getting more encased into the physicality and therefore the dilemma so represented by our present material dimension. 

Further to the point, our body has innate demands that require food, warmth, shelter, sleep, and so on, of which because we need these things, as well as our being fearful of other things, creates the need or the desire to often do what we believe we have to do in order to get those self-sustaining things; thereby materially contributing to a persona of our giving in to our desires and because those desires will inevitably conflict with other people and their particular desires, this thereby becomes the most salient reason of why evil, so of, is subsequently created.

In other words, when our desires meet another person's desires, in which, each of those people, sees the other as someone that is not equally worthy or entitled to such, then that discord, thereby creates all the trouble thereof.  This is why we subsequently see this world as representing a perpetual war between the forces of good versus that of evil; of which, the reality is that evil could not exist, and in fact, does not exist, except within that dimension which has turned its back, so to speak, upon God's eternal law, in the fruitless attempt to somehow disbelieve in God's existence and relevancy.  All those that separate themselves from God, therefore live within a space in which they essentially are doing battle with their own self, believing wholeheartedly that this is a fight to the death; when in reality it is a fight to re-discover who and what we truly are.