The effective use of leisure time in modern times

Back before the industrial revolution, the workday for the vast majority of people, centered around the daylight hours in order to perform agricultural work, hunting, fishing, and the like.  When the industrial revolution came to fore, the hours for the common working person were to a large extent out of their hands, for they own little or nothing, and therefore had to work the hours so required, and did so under the conditions so demanded, in order to receive the compensation, so dictated by their circumstances.   So then, to a certain extent, the industrial revolution for the common worker, effectively meant less leisure time than the agrarian civilization, that came before.

However, when we fast forward to the modern age, labor laws have now been put into place, along with various rules and regulations in regards to acceptable working conditions, overtime, benefits, and wages, so that, though there are many a person that has to still labor for more than forty hours a week in order to make ends meet; we find that for most people forty hours of labor or even less than that constitutes their obligation to the labor market.  Of course, what’s left is not all free time, for people have the time of their commute, childcare obligations, school, and assorted other mandatory things that they must attend to on a regular basis.  Still, at the end of the day, most people have a fair amount of free time, that is available for them, to do whatsoever that they so desire to do within the limitations of their time, budget, and circumstances.

We shouldn’t forget, that a given week has 168 hours, and though we must eat, sleep, work, and do other assorted things, this would seem to provide a fair number of hours being left for a significant amount of people, in which they don’t have any mandatory obligations, and for some of those people, the free time so available is actually quite considerable.  The paradox of those free time hours that people can use in a manner that suits them, is that some of those people, that have the most leisure time, can’t seem to ever come up with an effective usage of such, but instead, fill their days in mindless activities, of alcohol or recreational drug usage, TV watching, internet browsing, or social media activities, and so on and so forth.  On the other hand, some people with fairly busy schedules, have a plan of action in place, of those things that really matter to them, and go about attending to that with their free time.

The thing is, whether time is well spent or pretty much wasted, we do find that time moves relentlessly ever forward, so it would seem to behoove most everyone to want to spend their leisure time in a manner in which they will get the most satisfaction on some level, from it; yet, many people don’t really do that, probably because they undervalue how valuable leisure time really is.  In truth, far more of us, need to actually understand that time stands still for nobody, no matter one’s status or lack thereof, and therefore each day when we do have some free time, we should probably want to consider doing those things that feel significant to us, that is thereby true to our ideals and image, and far less with that, which is mindless and of no real good purpose.

Hepatitis-C and prisoners in America

Hepatitis-C is endemic in American prisons, and of which if not treated or cured, can result in liver malfunction, thereby leading to debilitation, permanent injury, and to death.  Further to the point, hepatitis-C can be readily prevented by stopping its most common transmission point which is primarily done in prisons through the usage of needle sharing so done for intravenous drug usage and/or tattooing.  The fact that intravenous drug usage even occurs in American prisons, along with illicit tattooing is a reflection that those that monitor the inmates, are often part and parcel of the problem, for it is the prison authorities’ corruption, collusion, and complicity that allows most of this illicit activity to occur in the first place.  So too, this is a fair reflection that those that run the prisons are not proactively dealing with the issue of needle sharing, by, for instance, having an adequate supply of clean needles so available for the prisoners.  After all, if the mindset of those that are in charge of the inmates, is pretty much, laissez-faire, when it comes to intravenous drug usage and tattooing, the least that these prison authorities should do is to make sure that there is fair access to clean needles available to the prisoners so that they do not subsequently suffer from hepatitis-C or HIV, or things of that same general bad ilk.

We read in pewtrusts.org, that it is estimated that the hepatitis-C infection rate is in “…state correctional facilities to be about 17 percent, compared to a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent in the general population.”  To the degree that common sense can reduce that hepatitis-C infection rate in the prison population, the powers-to-be should want to exercise such, as the punishment for any crime so committed, should not also include the destruction of a person’s liver, by the deliberate negligence or unconcern of those that have the responsibility to provide humane conditions within the prison environment.  Additionally, the principle point of prisons should be the rehabilitation of those so incarcerated, of which, those that suffer from hepatitis-C are at a significant disadvantage in being able to perform work when they are so released, by virtue of their damaged health so related to that hepatitis-C.

Of course, many people, could care less about prisoners and hepatitis-C; for they think that those that commit crimes or are found guilty of such, should suffer for what they have so done and if as prisoners, they are inclined to use dirty needles, that is therefore their lot to bear the consequences, so of.  The thing is that societies should be fairly judged upon how they deal and interact with the poorest and most vulnerable amongst them.  By definition, those that are incarcerated are not free, and often are quite limited as to what they can or cannot do within the domain that they live in.   So then, when prisoners are treated essentially as disposable, or with contempt, or with anything that devalues their humanity, that which claims to be the beacon of liberty of the world, has besmirched and dim its own light, to its own lasting shame.

Harmony and disharmony

The greatest music ever written and heard, is that music which is harmonious in its effect upon the human psyche.  Each of us is meant to be harmonious, in all that we say and do, and that which is disharmonious is that which is out of tune with that which brings on quietness of the mind, and the subsequent satisfaction to the soul.  For each of us, has an instrument to play or a song to sing, of which, we are meant to play that instrument or sing that song in a manner that is keeping in harmony with the great actuator of this universe; and of which, we are thereby provided with the opportunity to practice our instrument, again and again, through the life experiences that we so have, until we become at some point, proficient at that instrument, and therefore in harmony with the mystic chords of our Creator.

Life does not necessarily need to be as complicated or as dramatic as so many people make it out to be, for so many are so caught up in their day-to-day activities, that they seemingly don’t ever have the time, to calm their mind so as to ask and to subsequently search for the greatest and most important questions that they truly need to see answered, satisfactorily.  Then they wonder why their lives aren’t as peaceful or as harmonious as they so desire, never seeming to comprehend that those that do not understand the why of their existence, are not in the pole position to best figure out where they ought to be and how best to get there.

We are meant to make wonderful music, together.  To the degree, that we can be in harmony with one another, that is what we should aspire to do.  Those then, that are disharmonious, should not be seen though as people necessarily to be avoided, at all costs; but rather to the extent that we are able to, we should do our good part to help these out-of-tune others, in the meaningful areas that will serve to help improve their circumstances, so that they can therefore do their good part to be that which they were always created to be.

There are many people that mean to do well, but are somewhat befuddled as to how to accomplish such, or sometimes even where to start.  One should always start at the beginning, of which, at that beginning, we should learn the structure of what does make for good harmony, and therefore having properly learned that harmony, we should then mirror back to that which is mentoring us, our form so correctly learned, and continue to do such, until we have mastered the basics, just right.  Once that is accomplished, of which, there may well be setbacks and obstacles to be faced, we therefore now have the experience and knowhow to properly accomplish our part so as to add to the good harmony of this world.

Those then, that are harmonic in their thoughts, in their subsequent actions, and in the music that they so play in their interactions with others, have through their efforts and concentration, conquered sin; whereas, all those that lack consistency, or strength of character, or simply don’t care, are disharmonious, and this then, is what is also known as sin.

Those that cannot govern well their own private life are not worthy leaders

There are plenty of people interested in public service, of which, a true public servant, is someone that has the best interests of that society foremost in their mind.  Many people believe that those that serve the general public are entitled to the privacy of their family life as well as their personal interests, which certainly feels fair, but only to a certain point.  After all, those that aren’t able to govern their own family and personal interests well, or their own self, for that matter; probably are not going to be the best selection for governance in the whole, of which the general public is probably entitled to some degree of fair accounting of that private life in order to help formulate a more informed decision, so of.

While there are people that believe strongly that what someone does behind closed doors, is their own personal business, that is not always going to be the case in every single instance, for those that are provided with some sort of public faith, have an obligation to be willingly transparent with those that they are working on behalf of.   That is to say, if people are one way in public, and a completely contradictory way in private, that would presuppose that there is a disconnect between who that person really is, and what they are so representing, which can easily be troubling and problematic for those that have been trusted with the public purse in the accomplishing of the most appropriate thing for that public.

Further to the point, when any society appreciatively lacks enough numbers of those of good character interested in public service, and thereby hopes somehow to successfully self-govern itself, that is going to be improbable; for those that can’t properly control or monitor themselves well in their private sphere, are probably not well suited to step up in the public sphere so as to do the right thing, either.  This thus signifies that what does happen in private, does matter, and any country that lacks enough members of good character willing to serve that country is a society that is going to be led not by the good people, themselves; but instead by an entity or an organization or a strong man that knows how to manipulate, use, control and to rule the people, in a manner in which, above all, that governmental leadership receives obedience and compliance from the people.

The bottom line is that governments and societies are made up of people, and those democratic societies that do not have enough qualified men and women of upstanding integrity to properly lead them in self-government, will effectively become a government of opportunists and of those that are the richest and most powerful amongst them.  Those of the people, that sensibly look around, and wonder how it is that very little of substance and value is actually ever accomplished by those in governance, must recognize sooner or later, that what has so happened is that those that are incapable of well governing their own private affairs, will be outplayed and outgunned by those clever enough to take control of those that are conflicted, divided, and incapacitated, so as to have things benefit their implicit interests, at the expense of the people, in whole.

We will always be restless until we re-connect totally with God

Each of us has been gifted by our Creator, with free will, and therefore we are allowed to freely make decisions, whether good or bad, and of which, the outcome so of, is dependent for us upon what we have so done as well as its effect upon others.  The fact that we are provided with free will makes for an interesting dynamic, for the fact of the matter is, that nobody has a real interest in any domain, in which those that we interact with, are always without the free will to determine what they so desire to do, because they are automatons without any desires, and that which has no free will, is something that will not be able to maintain our interest, nor will it ever create a dynamic, in which, there is good and evil, but rather instead it will be just a perpetual neutral.

The greatest gift so provided by God, is our creation so done in a way in which, we are free agents, with the opportunity to do whatsoever that we so desire to try to do, and the consequences, so of, are ours to own.  Yet, when provided with that freedom, the initial rush that we individually felt is susceptible to wearing itself out, not so much because there are not enough positives from having that freedom, but rather the consequences of those freedoms, when they are abused, misused, and mismanaged; of which, we suffer therefore from that hurt that reverberates upon us, because we intuitively know that all that we have done wrong, must somehow, be made right.

Then there are those others, that claim that they are not only free agents, but are pretty much sovereign unto themselves, at their volition.  The problem with this type of mindset, is that those that truly believe that they can forever stand tall, in their own domain, or believing that they are perfectly happy on their own, or with just those that they prefer to be with, will recognize, sooner or much, much later, that nothing is ever stagnant, so that those that are on top or in control aren’t always going to have things go their way, forever; and therefore those that separate themselves from others deliberately, as if they don’t need or want them, are going to eventually realize, how lonely it is when it all begins to fall apart, which it inevitably will, because the foundation it so rests upon, cannot successfully stand the test and vicissitudes of time.

It is imperative to recognize that God is whole and absolutely complete, and all that which has been created by God, ultimately will not be able to find the satisfaction that it needs until it rests in the only domain that will bring such to completion.  It is not conceivable, that those that separate themselves from God, will ever be satisfied with their lot, though satisfaction for a time may well be there; but it must be acknowledged that all those that feel loneliness, lack of love, darkness, hopelessness, and abandonment, are those that have left God for some substitute which cannot last through the skeins of time. 

It is important to remember, that God does not own us, that is, we are actually free; and there is no greater tribute that anyone can provide for that which provided them with such freedom, then at the end of the day, to return to their Creator, having taken the great gifts so provided to them, and bountifully increased them for the glory of His kingdom.

Do nice guys really finish last?

It has been said that nice guys finish last, and while there can indeed be some truth in that statement, such must also come with some important caveats.  For instance, in general, being civil one to another, is beneficial for societies, as well as in personal relations, for life has enough troubles of its own, that we need not add to it, unless there be some good justification, so of.  Further to the point, when we are considerate one to another, this signifies that our word really is our bond, which thereby makes for interactions that are more conducive to being on-going, because of the implicit trust so created.  Finally, when we are nice to one another, it’s easier to live with ourselves, knowing that we are not the one to have created unnecessary drama and dissension.

It does hurt when someone takes advantage of us, isn’t nice to us, betrays us, cheats us, and all similar things of that ilk; and while it might so appear, at least initially, as if those not so nice people have gotten away with something to our dismay and disadvantage, it is important to note that the full story is not over until it has been completely written.  Those that aren’t nice and are deceptive, may indeed find profit from that mindset, but alas, a cheat has to continually find other credulous people to cheat in order to continue to benefit, and when the well for them runs dry, they are therefore forced to deal with people of which their reputation precedes them, and because these people, though nice, are properly wary, they are then far less likely to fall for that which has worked successfully, previously.  So too, when a cheating person, is left trying to “get over” on those that are cheaters as well, the game becomes a lot more problematic to win at. 

Those that are nice, and give the benefit of the doubt to all people, at least initially, are treating people in the manner that they so desire to be treated.  On the other hand, those that are underhanded and devious, mask who they really are, in order to have success through their deceit, but often find it well-nigh impossible to not be unmasked, themselves, at some point, and once so exposed, life gets a lot harsher for them, for when people have to be constantly on-guard it is exhausting; in addition to the  uncomfortable truth that most people resist being with someone of bad or questionable character, so then, for these not so nice people, good friends are few and far between.

To be nice is not to be a pushover, it is rather a characteristic of those that prefer to live in an environment of mutual respect and mutual aid.  Many people have little or no issue with helping someone down on their luck, that they respect, and many more are quite willing to help and to aid those that are taking their first important steps into the real world, for often those that are perceived as being nice, are also likeable, and those that people like, produce a strong inclination for other people to want to encourage and to do their part to help them, so that these nice people therefore finish the race where they are meant to finish it.

Be very, very afraid of the police

It just doesn’t make much sense, for people, even some of those of the favored race and class, not to at least some of time, fear the police. For instance, in this country, a given person is not even safe in their own home, if the police have an interest in entering it, knock or no-knock, warrant or no warrant; nor are we necessarily safe in our own car, nor any public space, nor are we safe in pretty much just about any private space, for that too often is fair game, as well.  In short, the police in this country, with few exceptions, can do whatever that they want, whenever that they want, to whomever that they want, at anytime that they want, and the powers-to-be aren’t just okay with that, they seemingly actively encourage it.

Those that run this nation, want the population, and certainly the unfavored part of that population to live in fear, because those that live in fear, are far more susceptible to obeying the dictates so demanded of them, for they personally know that disobedience, may inflict upon them, catastrophic consequences.  Of course, the policing arm of the state, doesn’t just assert its power and authority, willy-nilly against all of the citizenry, with no discrimination; for that would be the type of cardinal sin that would necessitate a re-configuration of such.  Rather, they are instructed to protect and to serve those that are their actuators, which primarily are represented by the favored race, “poor white trash” excluded though; as well as to protect and to serve assorted others that have been designated as overcoming their minority or color handicap by virtue of their class status, which though not always obvious, is typically fairly straightforward to ascertain, though mistakes do happen.

Still, even those of the protected class, have to take into vital consideration, that unless they are especially well-connected personages, that their immunity from adverse police action is seldom absolutely secure.  This signifies that those that involuntarily come into contact with the police, are, if they have their wits about them, going to be wary, respectful, and compliant; because they know that if they don’t put their best foot forward, all sorts of very bad things can, could, and possibly will happen to them. After all, those that do not fear those that have the power to take their freedom away, to embarrass them, to incarcerate them, to abuse them, to harm them, and to kill them, don’t have their thinking, right.

The problem with a powerful police force that demonstrates time and time again, that it will use its authorized force against the general public that is most vulnerable to being abused by such, and of which the justice system time and time again, judges that this is appropriate, except in the most egregious violations; signifies clearly that the people that suffer the most from this or are the most vulnerable to it, are definitely not free.  They don’t have liberty, they don’t have security of their property or of their body, they don’t have safety, and their life and the control thereof of it, is sadly not actually in their own hands.

Wars and the actual present-day reality of them

Humankind has been waging war upon one another, seemingly forever.   In most cases, wars so made upon one another, are seldom justified, but rather has a lot more to do with rape, pillage, greed, and conquest.  In other words, those waging war are primarily doing so in order to increase their wealth and assets, at the expense of those that are defeated.  One supposes, that for those that see this world as a zero-sum game, war thereof for those that are its victors, makes sense. 

When it comes to the United States and the wars it wages, there isn’t any doubt that America is quite capable of vanquishing just about any nation or group of nations, and thereupon taking over the reins of such; but the critical thing that America somehow fails to take into proper account, is that the governments that it subsequently tends to prop up after such wars are seldom embraced by its native population, in whole.  This thus means, that America is infrequently seen as a liberator but is more often seen for what they really are, opportunists, as well as illegitimate occupiers of sovereign nations.  This thus is reflected by that population, not willingly working hand-in-glove with America, along with the salient fact that domestic military elements that have been defeated, have not been fully disarmed, signifying that they are often able to be a real annoyance against the occupying force, by being a constant nuisance to that force, knowing that they don’t need to defeat America, but simply need to be a continual thorn in its side. 

When America wages war, it needs to know what it is really trying to achieve, before it ever goes to war.  Those nations that have different religions, different traditions, different cultures, and different this and different that, probably aren’t going to be the type of nation that desires to be re-envisioned or re-configured by America, for essentially the grand purpose and benefit of America.  Further to the point, America’s go-to solution to such, of putting into power, those that appear to be legitimate representatives of that country, but are in reality, puppets of America, aren’t going to be a good short-term, let alone long-term solution, because as dumb and credulous as America likes to think other nation’s people are, they aren’t really that dumb or that credulous.

Therefore, the problem that America has in its wars, is really not in the basic defeating of the other nation’s armed forces, but really comes down to knowing the appropriate and meaningful steps to accomplish next; which will therefore ultimately result in a country that will firstly, be a good trade partner for America as well as exploitable, and secondly with its new governance as approved by America, will improve the lot of the people that live within it or if not that, at least keep the people there, basically quiescent. 

What America seems slow to learn, is that defeating a nation’s armed forces, does not necessarily equate to winning those people over, and when those people aren’t won over, and further aren’t going to be won over, then that is something of real importance that hasn’t been resolved by that war, which should have definitely been taken into consideration before the first shot was fired or even first contemplated.

Locked in and also locked out

America as a nation, is an absolute mess, full of contradictions, hypocrisy, and basically living up to absolutely none of its noble tenets, despite its proclamation that it is the last great hope of humankind.  A case in point, is the fact, that so many are unnecessarily incarcerated and are therefore part of the carceral system and remain such for often extended periods of time.  Somehow, America feels not the need to actually investigate why it has so much crime and criminals as compared to other western nations, or the reason why it insists that the best solution to such, is a punitive imprisonment system, which resolves not a thing.  Basically, America seems to follow the tenet that out of sight is out of mind, which though true to a certain extent, reflects poorly on a nation that claims it is the fair bastion of liberty, freedom, and justice.

America locks up criminal after criminal, in which, the vast majority of these criminals, have not even been convicted by a jury of their peers, nor have had their fair say in a court of law, but instead have been coerced, pressured, tricked, intimidated, or compelled into a plea bargain to avoid an even more dire fate.  It would be one thing, if the resources of those that are the prosecuting arm of the state, were somehow equivalent to those that are its defendants, but the contest is not ever fair, for those making up the prisons of America, are predominately the ill-educated, the poor, the downtrodden, minorities, and pretty much those that have nobody of power to champion their cause.  

Yet, those that are locked into prisons and the carceral state, are only a portion of what ails America.  For the other portion, so of, is all those that are effectively locked out of a good homelife, a good environment, good infrastructure, good schools, good neighbors, and good justice.  These then, who have committed no crime, find themselves victimized from systemic racism, segregation, discrimination, manipulation, and the blatant unfairness of a society that does not play square by the rules, it so created in the first place.

In America, there are all sorts of laws, rules, and legislation that express great sentiments of fairness, opportunity, and hope for all; but in reality, these words on paper, are hardly ever lived to either the letter of the law or the spirit so of, but are merely seen as something to be taken into consideration at some future time, or some future place, but never ever effectively in the present.

There are two basic ways to keep specific people down, one of which is to lock them up, and the other is to lock them out.  Either of these is effective, and when both are put in play, it is devastatingly effective; for those that are its victims, have no real good opportunity to find themselves ever to enjoy their fair share of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.  Instead, they have been provided with a counterfeit nation, full of counterfeit sentiments, in which the end for them is known from the beginning, for they never had a chance, because those that are the actuators of this nation, want it just like that.

Eight men and half the world

We read at Oxfam.org, that “Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity,” which is an absolutely astonishing fact and to the discredit of those that somehow believe or propagandize that we live in a world, of fairness, equality, and meritocracy.  The fact of the matter is, as most people are quite aware of, is that money matters, and further to the point, that money is a source of power, as well as the salient fact that the concentration of too much money into too few hands is disastrous for humankind, for governments, for democracies, and for the people actually having a true say of what so happens within their community, in general.

Additionally, these eight mega-rich men, owe the bulk of their riches to their corporate wealth, which signifies that corporations, which are artificial creations authorized by the state, are themselves getting ever more concentrated in which the governments the world over, seem to acquiesce left and right to whatever these corporate behemoths so want, thereby giving these mega-corporations undue influence upon property zoning, pollution, taxation, labor laws and unions, corporate mergers and buy-outs; in addition, to really pretty much permitting or acquiescing to everything that these corporations so desire that is germane within their corporate domain.

The more power and money so concentrated in corporate and the private hands of those that run these mega-corporations, the more the world bends to their dictates and to their demands; of which, the general masses of people therefore are mainly seen by them as a resource to exploit, as well as people to extract extra profit and revenue from, so as to continually feed the corporate machine so that it gets ever more powerful and ever richer, until the end of time.

Back in the day, of all-powerful kings and queens, those that were the royalty, owned pretty much it all, though they shared what they needed to share with religious authorities, military muscle, and assorted extras so needed to keep that royalty in continual power.  That which became the United States, was created out of an entirely different cloth, as a new vision, along with it being the birth of a new freedom; but none would know this at the present time, for the very concentrated wealth so of, has made this a nation of the very, very few which have everything, thereby overpowering its middle class which is under constant stress, not to mention the forgotten and suffering underclass who are deprived of any semblance of a good life in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.

Who are these eight men, that they can stand off 3.6 billion people, forever?  How is this right?  Why is this permitted?  The answer to these above questions is pretty much the same, these eight men, have effectively through their corporate power and connections, co-opted pretty much the entire world, so that everything is thereby tilted to their favor and as long as they take good care of the “muscle”, so to speak, along with the governance of those nations that matter, they will continue to get their way, until such a time, as the people recognize the truth that only in the deliberate destruction of that which impairs them along with the corresponding creation of that which fairly improves their lot, will there be any real and meaningful change for the better.

Coerced confessions are absolutely wrong

Any confession that is not free and voluntary is a confession of no real value, which does a grave injustice to the person so confessing as well as a massive disservice to the general public, because they have been cheated of having justice equally and fairly applied to all.  To obtain a false confession from someone, is not all that difficult, especially when that person so confessing has been placed into the unenviable position of fatigue, handcuffs, freedom revoked, pressure, coercion, pain, intimidation, trickery, lying, and the lack of finality without that confession so coming forth.

Anytime, anyone is separated from that which is normality for them, and placed into a situation in which they lack freedom of movement, and are restricted to what they can or cannot do or say, of which, the authority so in charge of this, is pressuring the person so arrested to agree to this or to that, and then everything will go back to normality; then some sort of confession is much easier to achieve, for those in authority have absolute control of that domain, and the arrested person knows this.

There are plenty of people that claim that under no circumstances, whatsoever, would they ever confess to a crime or to some activity that happened, that they did not do.  That is quite easy to say, and far harder to live to; when in fact, that person is placed into a situation in which they have no say upon anything that is happening to them, and the power to stop such is held in the hands of the authority that simply wants in return a signature to some words so being written that will, for a time at least, end the current misery that this arrested person is so undergoing.

All of the above signifies that these coerced confessions, or even confessions in general, should be questionable evidence in any legitimate court of law.  In truth, those that confess on paper, should be the exact same people that should voluntarily in a court of law, confess the very same thing, that they so-called confessed without being coerced to begin with, or if they are unable to do so, then these “confessions” should be dismissed as an irrelevancy to the trial in question, and the trial should be conducted instead upon the evidence and witnesses, so of.

For those that are lazy or intent that convictions above all, is the objective always of any legal criminal investigation, then American justice should stay on the same corrupt course that it currently rides upon.  If, though, on the other hand, America wants to be fair and to pursue justice as to what it fairly owes to those that are the citizens of this great nation, than confessions, however so colored, are something that should be seen as something that only exists in those nations that wish to circumvent what the representation of true justice is at its best. 

In reality, confessions have no place in a court of law, and they should not be objective of police interrogations; they should instead take a back seat always to the pursuit of the truth of any criminal investigation; of which, these investigations should be built upon the foundation of facts and evidence, not conjectures, and never words so scripted by those in authority.

To be human is to be a special creation

As human beings have become more knowledgeable and made more advances within societies, some of the more intelligent of these human beings, have decided that God, spirit, and the like, are really nothing more than myths and that instead humankind has evolved from its previous ape-like existence over the millenniums to become the human beings that we so know today.  That simply isn’t true, for humankind is a special creation with special unalienable powers so vested in them by God, and there is therefore no other animal in this world, of that same creation and to believe somehow that present-day apes or some other animal, will over time, become akin to a human being is a delusion of the highest order.

So too, as human beings have become more and more adept at harnessing the earth’s powers and mysteries so as to thereby create machinery to alleviate humankind from beastlike drudgery; we find that they have also designed machines so taken to the next level and subsequently have made that machinery to be not only a critical aid to humankind, but in some respects to surpass the mind of human beings in specific computational and repetitional tasks as designed and envisioned by those human beings. This thus leads to some people somehow believing that perhaps one day machines will be dominant over human beings, or that it is our destiny to be merged with a machine, thereby taking the advantages of each in order to create a superhuman cyborg or similar.  This too is misguided, though, in truth, machines, robotics, and humans working together is sensible for some tasks and duties; of which, in some cases having human beings enhanced by machinery, because of some catastrophic body or mind failure, does indeed have its proper place.

There are many things about human beings in regards to their thinking, their emotions, and their spirit, that makes them absolutely unique to any other creation or machine.  To begin with, the human mind is able to ponder upon the past, the present, as well as the future.  So too, human beings encompass the whole gamut of emotions of hate, love, jealousy, compassion, meanness, caring, and so on and so forth.  Further, human beings are capable of, calming their mind so as to contemplate as to the greater purpose of what life and its meaning so represents, by connecting to that which is the absolute wisdom of this or any other dimension.

The point of this world, seems beyond so many, but should best be seen as a “proving ground” so provided to each and every human being to demonstrate in action, as to whether or not, they will answer to that which makes for a just and good society; or whether, entrapped within their physical shell, they will forget the eternal and pay homage primarily to their temporal physical, or perhaps to the cleverness of their mind, seemingly forgetting that to forsake that which is unalienable for that which is alienable is the very reason why this earth is so troubling for so many.

This world has been created for human beings, so that they can be dutifully refined by its fire, becoming truly worthy therefore, in essence, to become one of the golden pillars in God’s magnificent mansion. 

The combination of money with political power corrupts democracies

Those that have political power are basically in charge of creating the laws of the land through legislation, judging the constitutionality of those laws, and executing those laws as legislated and judged.  In order for politicians to be able to accomplish that which they have legislated upon, judged upon, and are in the constant process of executing upon, they are able to call upon the necessary power of the policing force and all its adjutants that answers to that government, on behalf of the people.  Make no mistake about it, government is force, and those that are part of the “muscle”, so to speak, of that government, are almost always loyal to that government, above all.

There is, though, another source of power in societies, and that is the power of the purse.  Those that have wealth, and especially those that have combined that wealth with the production of necessary or desired goods or services, along with the employment of citizens that comes with such, are part of the economic engine that drives societies and enriches people and organizations.   Not too surprisingly, those that have obtained or earned economic power, are always in danger of having this power restricted, controlled, regulated, compromised, or negated in whole or in part by the government that makes and enforces the rules of the road.  This signifies, that economic power recognizes that whenever it can successfully co-opt or control political power, it therefore places itself in the catbird seat of having its way, by firstly having that government change the rules in a way that not only favors and protects them, unduly; and secondly often so done in a way that also hurts those that would compete against them.

The thing about political power and all those that believe that somehow politicians are above the fray, of money and its influence; is the salient fact that politicians almost always need donations from well placed individuals and corporations in order to run their race, successfully, and without good access to that money, that race is often lost.  This thus indicates that for all intents and purposes, politicians don’t really answer to the people so much, or to Constitution that is the highest law of the land, but rather are often obeisance to the money that provides them with their political position, thus handicapping them from doing the right or the appropriate thing for the general public, for they do not wish to bite the hand that not only feeds them but also essentially empowers them.

Look closely at America, and recognize that the biggest mega-corporations in this country, continue to grow impressively and to therefore do more business year after year, because this government, of, for, and by the people, really isn’t  about the people at all; for those that are its politicians permit these mega-corporations, way more than not, to have carte blanche, so that they can destroy or buy our their competitors, while also having these politicians move mountains for them again and again, so as to provide them with whatever material aid that they need for infrastructure, taxation, zoning, and the like.  So then, those that have the vote, seem little to know, that their vote is typically counterfeited by this unseemly combination of money and political power, which serves to enrich the few, at the terrible expense of the many.

Rent burdened

As reported by pewtrusts.org, 17 percent of renter households, are severely rent burdened; which is so defined as “…spending 50 percent or more of monthly income on rent.”  In an era, in which home prices have increased substantially in recent years, and of which there is a general shortage of rental units to begin with, this so indicates that those landlords that rent out properties are able to do so, at rental price targets that are rising much higher than the general increase of most people’s income.  So too, the more money so devoted by households to the paying of rent, means less money so remaining to be utilized for other bills, as well as vital items such as food, clothing, insurance, and the like.

The thing about a residence is that living in a home or an apartment is pretty much a requirement in order to have some semblance of a normal life.  Those without the funds to purchase their own home, are left with having to pay the piper; of which, because of the lack of cheap and affordable housing, good and practical choices are few and far between.  When securing a place to rent, this only serves to solve the problem of actually having a place to stay; for it must be kept in mind that when the monetary budget for that rental has been exceeded, and possibly exceeded by a significant amount, then the renter is placed in the unenviable position of being vulnerable to all sorts of troubles that could realistically occur, if unexpected expenses come up, or employment is lost or employment hours reduced, or if one’s physical health goes south.

In all truth, rent control is probably not going to be the catch-all solution for those that are rent burdened, for a lot of reasons, including the fact that the home rental business, is very fragmented, and further to the point, that one size does not fit all.  This signifies that in absence of better income distribution so being purposefully redirected to those of the lower and middle class, that government agencies need to step in, so as to provide material assistance for those so trying to maintain a reasonable status in society with governmental direct or indirect renter aid. After all, those that are gainfully employed, or have worked for a significant number of years and are now in retirement, should be accorded some consideration from this government, of, for, and by the people.

Those that believe that those that are rent burdened, are somehow going to be able to realistically get themselves out from under, are incorrect, for without the necessary income or wealth, it is not mathematically or reasonably possible.  Further to the point, unfortunate and unexpected events happen at some degree of regularity to people; so, all those that are in precarious situations are not safe, and will not ever become safe, until their income or their expenses change in a favorable direction; or they are provided with a helping hand so that they can have a fair chance to live a decent life in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.

Listening and obedience

We read in Holy Scripture: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?” (Luke 6: 46). In life, it must be stated, that all those that know what they should do, and fail to do so, have done so to their own destruction.  To know wisdom, but then to ignore that wisdom, for whatever reason or because of weakness, is foolish.  It might be, though, that part of the problem, for many people, is that despite their knowing what they should do, they aren’t able to actually demonstrate the strength of character so as to do it; but they don’t seem to realize that until they do what they should do, they will continue to have to face this same test, over and over again, until they do what they have to do.

It is always disappointing for any good teacher, when one’s students, hear the message, and seemingly understand the message, but aren’t able to fulfill the message in action.  This so signifies that when the students fail the teacher, and there comes that time when the teacher subsequently dies, then what has so been taught, though known, has sadly not been applied; which thereby means it has not provided the benefit it was designed to bring.  So too, those that claim that they fully respect someone, of which, that is belied by their poor actions so made; have then, in reality, not been respectful.

Not everything that we should and ought to do, is going to be easy.  In fact, the road ahead may be very, very tough, but that road must be traveled, in order to successfully accomplish those tasks which should and ought to be done.  In such, we find, that there are those, of little or no character, who thereupon simply just give up, despite knowing what they are supposed to do.  Others though, may give it a go, so to speak, but at the first sign of trouble, also give it up, relatively easily.  So too, there are those others, that put forth a real effort, but after suffering defeat or troubles, time and time again, eventually call it a day.  Finally, there are those few, who are true to their calling, and no matter how long and arduous the road may be, they keep their eyes focused upon the prize, and will not relent upon their mission, until they successfully reach their destination.  

The whole purpose of learning anything of merit, is to apply that knowledge for the expressed benefit of humankind.  Those that don’t do that, or misapply such, have clearly taken the wrong path.  So too, those so selected to listen to “special or secret teaching” or wisdom of that sort, and then fail to live up to what is expected of them, reflect poorly on their teacher, for this signifies that the teacher apparently was not prescient in the selection of those so selected for their teaching.  This is why any good teacher, must hold their students accountable; for the object of the exercise is to make this world a better place, and knowledge unapplied is not all that dissimilar from ignorance, for neither provides the benefit, so necessary for humankind’s good evolvement.

God, government, and good governance

Far too many governments aren’t really interested in liberty, freedom, dissension, or debate; but rather they are far more interested in their citizenry obeying, without issue, what that government believes that those citizens should be doing on behalf or in assistance to that government.  While that is indeed many a government’s desire, this doesn’t necessarily mean that this actually occurs in the real world.  Still, governments are prone to keep on trying to get that obedience from their citizens, of which, in order for this to more successfully occur, those governments often see the value in co-opting God for their own purposes, above all else. 

The most meaningful thing about God, is that most people have respect for God, admitted to or not, and conveniently most of those people, don’t actually have a real good understanding of the true attributes of God.  This thus signifies that clever governments can basically use God in such a way, that God can kind of do their dirty work for them; so that, in effect, God can be utilized as the way and means to help prop up governmental laws by backing such with God’s moral law as interpreted and propagated by that government.

This signifies that the government, essentially sees the value of working in conjunction with God, as the logical process to put the fear of God or the fear of government, or both, as thereby the effective force that will keep the people in line.  Governments aren’t really interested in all the expense and trouble of having and maintaining a police state, but would strongly prefer that God plays the “heavy,” and that with the laws of God, as interpreted by that government, and subsequently judged by that government, this thereby serves to encourage that population to become more obedient to that government, by obeying God’s moral laws, which thereby makes for a compliant citizen.

To illuminate this in a different way, recognize that young children can be rather difficult for parents to control, of which, many a parent thereby has learned to lean upon a righteous God, as their tool to keep recalcitrant children in their place, by emphasizing that bad behavior, as seen by an all-knowing and an all-seeing God, will result in a just punishment, every single time, unless such behavior is changed to a different tune, and done so, right away.

The combination of government and God, as typically and corruptly so done, is the worst of all worlds, for citizens are caught between a rock and a hard place, of which they get no fair rest in this world, and apparently no fair rest in the world beyond, unless they properly behave and are obedient.  This is why, God is so often invoked in governmental places that one wouldn’t think such would be necessary; such as when a person is solemnly sworn into a court of law, as if the mere threat of governmental punishment, is not a firm enough hand, to make a given person, speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

Regrettably, the governmental co-opting of God, can create a type of unintended blowback, of turning thereby some good people against both God and government; of which, one of those parties may well deserve withering criticism, and the other, properly understood, never does

Food, profit, and safety

The physical body requires food in order to sustain itself; of which, it would so appear, that never has so much food, and so many food choices, been so readily available for so many people.  The fact that food is abundant as well as typically being reasonably priced is a great benefit to humankind; however, as might be expected in any business that has to deal with the logistics of obtaining that food and then the distribution so of, there are going to be tendencies to take shortcuts or to “game” the system, so as to favor those that are trying to make a consistent profit at the unfortunate expense of the public, in whole.

For instance, fresh food, even if properly cared for, has a finite life and therefore does not last forever, for it begins to decay and eventually that food will reach the point where it is subsequently not fit for human consumption.  To this point, is the salient fact that the producers of food goods, have a clear vested interest in producing food goods that have a strong shelf life, and that can therefore withstand reasonable periods of time, without that food becoming stale, rancid, or unsafe.  There are many means for food producers to avail themselves of so as to extend food shelf life or to add to the profit of a given item, of which not all of these are legal or sound, such as the deliberate adulteration of a product, in which, some cheaper substance replaces a more expensive substance, but still sold to the public as if this has not occurred.  Additionally, processed foods are frequently subject to an incredible array of chemicals so added for necessary things such as the coloring of, or for the extension of shelf life, or for palatable taste, as well as for appearance.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating the food industry.  However, when that department is susceptible to being co-opted by the very industry that it so regulates, by virtue of the “revolving door” between private enterprise and government regulation, then it is the general public that therefore ends up with the short end of the stick.   So too, the sheer amount of chemicals being added to food items, in conjunction with the fair and comprehensive testing of such, is one of those areas in which no shortcuts to thorough testing should ever be permitted.  The issue with chemicals so being utilized in the food industry, is that chemicals, such as those that are meant to extend and to preserve shelf life, may or may not be something that the human body is able to always successfully assimilate and to therefore break down appropriately in the digestive tract; so then, good discretion is the better part of valor and should therefore never take the back seat to that which is harmful.

All those people that do not have the means to afford anything other than primarily eating processed foods should not be placed into a situation in which those foods have been prepared in a way in which the continual and consistent usage of eating those foods are harmful to them; of which, therefore it is up to the FDA to make sure that the producers are always held accountable to the safety of their foods, as contrasted to those producers being permitted to prioritize profits and outright greed over appropriate food safety.

Segregation, the favored race, and vested interest

While there are myriad reasons why segregation exists and continues to persist, for generation after generation, the main reason why segregation exists, and continues to exist, despite there being laws mandating integration in all aspects of American life, is that the favored race finds it much easier to exploit, to manipulate, to control, and to discriminate when those that are unfavored are segregated away from the mainstream favored population; for then what so happens in those segregated areas, is effectively known only by those of the favored race that have entered into the segregated areas, and as long as the narrative is thereby successfully controlled by that favored race, what happens there, stays there.

On the other hand, wherever segregation does not exist in communities, or ceases to exist; while this doesn’t necessarily equate to complete harmony and friendship amongst all the people there, progress of meaningful inclusion often typically will be made, though alas this progress will be mixed with still significant issues that must be attended to – of which, what we do so often find though is that when people of different backgrounds, different cultures, and different colors, actually end up congregating together, that in a lot of instances, prejudices and tensions are reduced, fundamentally because of the eventual enlightenment of the recognition that we each have a lot in common with one another, after all.  That is very important, for not until the favored race buys into the reality that racism and other discriminatory acts are pernicious and wrong, will the monolithic favored race majority become divided into those that have risen above prejudicial attitudes and those that have not.

Once significant numbers of the favored race have woken up so as to clearly recognize injustice, unfairness, and inequality, and therefore to understand that it is fundamentally wrong whenever any people are judged by something other than the content of their character, then their vested interest in seeing that this is rectified in a responsible fashion becomes engaged.  This means that those that believe that each of us is truly born with unalienable rights will actually feel a responsibility to do their part to see that this is lived for everybody, as compared to just a select few.  Further to the point, when those members of the favored race, intuitively recognize that prejudices based on surface judgments such as creed, or color, or background, are unfair and mistaken, they will do their part to see that this is overcome by sensibility as well as good law, properly applied.

It is always much more difficult to maintain one’s illogical prejudices, whenever a fair and equal chance has been provided for those that historically have been oppressed; in which, as a matter of course, integration between those different cultures, different races, and different backgrounds also becomes part and parcel of that given community.   After all, hate and prejudice have an awful lot in common with demonizing other people, so as to dehumanize them as something less than human; and when those that have been unfairly subjugated are subsequently given a fair opportunity to prove their mettle, things change for the better.  The best part of integration, is it gives the favored race a true opportunity to make amends for what they have historically done wrong, which thereby uplifts them from the poverty of their spirit, and in turn, helps to uplift those so held down, by the removal of their chains.

Those that fail the test of a promise made

Each and every day, people make promises one to another, some are personal, some are professional, and some are coerced.  Those that make promises, have different intents, depending upon the circumstances so of; in which, some promises made by the person so promising, they have absolutely no intent on keeping, but they make the promise anyway, typically, simply to buy the peace, for at least some period of time.  Then there are those promises that some people are pressured into making, though having no real intention or any real commitment to make good on the promise, but simply agreeing to such, as simply being the cost of doing business on that day.  Finally, there are real promises so made of which the person making that promise has done so voluntarily with aforethought and with the real intent of keeping that promise.  Those then, are the types of promises that are the truly the ones that count in regards to a given person’s true character.

The thing about promises so being made, is that most of time, even almost all of the time, many promises are pretty easy to keep, mainly because nothing of conflict or of true testing ever comes into play, so until the time that actually occurs, pretty much everything is just fine.  Alas, life is full of tests, of which, some of those tests are going to be tough, and it is in those tough tests, that determines the integrity or lack thereof of the person so involved.  So then, an intentional promise made is supposed to be a promise kept, and those that are unable to keep their promises, have failed the test; though, of course, there may well be mitigating circumstances, excuses, and all sorts of reasons why; some legit, some not, but still, when it is all said and done, that promise has been broken.

While there are myriad reasons why promises are broken, the two biggest reasons why promises are typically broken are first of all, because some people are just too weak to keep their promises, and then when push comes to shove, they will not even admit to breaking their promises, for they know that they can’t handle the shame, the embarrassment, or the lost of face, if they do so admit, so they end up lying and don’t own up to it, hoping to never to be found out, though, most times they do get found out. The other main type of promise that is broken, is when it is to the promise-breaker’s immense advantage to break the promise, because something that they value more, or think they value more, is right there in front of them, and they will not let go of that opportunity, come what may, so the breaking of the promise so made apparently represents no meaningful value to them.

When it comes to promises, one must give credit to where credit is due, and for all those good people that keep their promises through thick and thin, they are of sound and good character, especially those so taken to the absolute testing limit of a given promise, perhaps even more than once, and yet they did not give in to that temptation, no matter how alluring, for they would not break that promise; so then, these fine individuals have run their race well -- it is therefore these few that deserve our credit and our accolades, for they truly have kept their promise, which means that they have successfully kept their word.

Gentrification and the recovering of….

That which is known as gentrification is pretty much the taking over and the purchasing of by people and organizations with power, money, vision, and connections of specific neighborhoods or certain portions of those neighborhoods, of which these neighborhoods typically have an abundance of low-income or limited-income residents, and the homes are often somewhat dilapidated, and somewhat neglected; in which, as part of this process is the deliberate and purposeful displacing of those that are currently residents of that area, through whatever means that are most effective for the accomplishment of that task.

This thus means that the upshot of gentrification is the removal of those that were once part of that neighborhood, with the replacement by those that are now the new owners and new residents to it.

To the extent that gentrification rehabilitates neighborhoods, makes material improvements within those neighborhoods, improves the infrastructure in and around that neighborhood, and basically injects “new blood” into a given neighborhood, one could readily see this as being beneficial.  Of course, as might be expected, those benefits have a tendency to incur to those that are the new residents of such, and less so to those that have been displaced, depending upon whether those so displaced, received anything of real benefit from such displacement.

Nobody should be real surprised by the existence of gentrification, for the thing about real estate is that it is always about location, location, and location; so that those that see a desirable area of which the prices of the real estate contained within that area, is significantly undervalued as compared to what comparable areas would be priced at, is the type of dynamic that is going to appeal to those that have the gumption to take a foresighted and calculated risk that will enable them a fair chance to make a good investment.

What often is not considered in regards to those properties, so taken over by gentrification, is how it came to be, that those of today’s limited income, or the lower middle class, were able to secure those desirable properties in the first place.  The answer to that question has an awful lot to do with historic prejudices within societies, of which, white flight, such as back in the 1950s, from very nice residential areas, having been purchased at a “princely” sum by those of color in order to buy into those neighborhoods, and of which, by their purchasing of such, this often resulted in the consequence that the value of that neighborhood soon thereof, went down in value, though the mortgage obligation did not.  Yet, fundamentally the location of the neighborhood, the infrastructure, and the homes themselves, were all quite good at the time of the purchase; but therein lies the rub, for once the infrastructure begins to decay or to leave, along with the personal income being somewhat problematic in regards to the good upkeep of the home and property, some of these once nice neighborhoods were invariably going to go into a spiral of decline.

So then, what has occurred, is that those that once flew the coop, so to speak, are now back.  They are back, because they recognize the intrinsic quality of that location, and the second time around, white flight, has been replaced instead by white greed, so that the favored race is once again back in the saddle, taking back and recovering what they believe to be rightfully theirs, though in truth, it is not.