The despised tax collector as an instrument of the state

Throughout history, tax collectors have been recognized as being some of the most despicable persons within a given nation, and not without good reason.  The most basic reason why tax collectors are so often despised, has a lot to do with the material fact, that few people, actually desire to pay taxes;  however, what makes tax collectors throughout history, to be seen as being such contemptible characters, has an awful lot to do with the quantifiable fact that tax collectors, have historically been collecting taxes so being charged upon the people, as a rather blunt instrument of the state, and further to the point, have themselves exhibited a strong tendency to collect more than they should, so as to pocket the difference, so of, into their own hands.

In today’s modern world, the collection of taxes has become institutionalized, so that the tax collector as an individual is pretty much not ever noticed; and despite the fact that America, saw fit, to initiate a progressive income tax, generations ago, we do so find that in the present age, that never have the superrich had it so good when it comes to taxes, as they do so, now.  This presupposes that the taxing arm of the state, while definitely being in existence, as its own separate governmental entity, has for all practical purposes, apparently been subsumed by that same superrich elite, so as to “game” the system, in a way and manner, in which the general public is left holding the tax bag, and those that have plenty of assets and wealth, already, are therefore not only able to hold on to what they so have, but also to pass a substantial portion of what they have so accumulated throughout their lifetime, onto their progeny and/or other institutions of their preference.

The tax code within America, is unnecessarily complicated, of which, the purpose of that tax code being so convoluted, is so that the superrich, are thereupon able to bend the tax rules in their favor, or delay such for such an extended period of time, that this ends up serving their purpose, just as well.  The fact that the superrich are able to be taxed on their capital gains at a lower rate than the higher progressive tax rates for ordinary income, is proof positive, that the tax collecting arm of the state, is clearly on the side of those that have all of their wealth already accumulated; and is clearly in opposition to those that have to labor for a living.  Further to the point, mega corporations that have profits of billions upon billions of dollars are able to successfully circumvent fair taxation upon their profits, again and again, year after year, by sophisticated and unfair tax avoidance strategies, so structured or countenanced by the taxing arm of the state, to benefit specifically those mega corporations, at the expense of the common man.  Finally, this nation, refuses to implement the most practical of taxing actions, which is to simply collect a small percentage of the accrued wealth of those mega corporations and of those that have high net worth, each and every year – and the reason that this does not happen, is the fact that the historically despised tax collector or its modern day equivalency is still clearly the instrument of the state, and in this case, that state is firmly in the hands of the superrich, the well connected, and the elite.

The bars on one’s windows

Oftentimes, when we think about bars on a given window, we think of prisons, in which those bars serve the functional purpose of being there, in order to preclude escape as well as to buttress confinement.

That said, for the most part when we think of windows, we think of them as representing an outlet for us to see what is going on outside, as well as to let in natural light; of which, we do appreciate windows for providing us with the ability to gaze outdoors as well as to let in fresh air.  We do so find, though, that there are those communities in which most windows have metal bars attached upon them, as well as even some of their doors having an additional steel bar security door attached to its main door.  The purpose of these bars on windows as well as being on doors is to keep intruders out and for the residents, so of, to thereby feel better protected from the possibility of outside elements inflicting damage or burglarizing their home or apartment.

While it is important to feel safe in one’s home, there are those neighborhoods that exact a very heavy price upon those residents that feel constantly unsafe, or feel that they are under constant siege.  The problem is that when residents of a particular neighborhood behave in a manner in which they essentially do not venture our into their own neighborhood, so as to go to the park, or to walk up to the store, or to simply take a walk, or to sit out on their porch, because they are fearful; they then thereby become, in essence, prisoners within their own home. That isn’t healthy for the people that live there, and especially isn’t healthy for those that are young, high-spirited, and that have a strong desire to go out and socialize with their peers and other people, but are not permitted to do so, because of the perceived dangers in doing so.

In any neighborhood, in which the residents of such, confine themselves to their own home, and thereby never venture forth, then the overall community cohesion, as a byproduct, is obviously going to be rather poor.  Further to the point, when the reason behind such, that makes those streets unsafe, are because those streets are essentially under the control of gangs or of a criminal element, and there isn’t any real hope that anything will change for the better anytime soon -- because as bad as the criminal element may be, the policing arm of the state, isn’t in its effect, any better – by virtue of its own inconsistency, as well as by its own tendency to injustice and violence and arbitrariness, then there really isn’t any good solution, in play, for the good people that live there.

The thing about poverty, is that being impoverished, is often punishment enough; but when that poverty is also combined with the fact that there is no vibrant sanctuary in the sense of where a community can come together in order to better themselves, then what we so have, is social isolation, and hopelessness, writ large.

Human guinea pigs

Humankind has an interest in finding solutions to all sorts of medical issues of the time, in which, oftentimes in order to make progress, medical experimentations with real human subjects are preferred and thereby considered to be necessary.  Not too surprisingly, when it comes to things such as radiation, toxic concoctions, medical surgeries of the vanguard, and the like, there is a real tangible risk for those that have “volunteered” to be experimented upon, and therein lies the rub.

What this government has proven, time and time again, is that it richly desires not to be transparent, open, and forthcoming in regards to some of its human experimentations and thereby the purpose behind the research of those experiments -- not only to the general public, who have a right to know, but even worse, to those that are being experimented upon.  Further to the point, it isn’t possible for any human being to give their outright consent to any experiment, that may be of extreme material damage to them, without receiving in return, a full accounting of the dangers, thereof.  Additionally, all those people that are compromised to begin with, as in those that are incarcerated, or of feeble mind, or are monetarily poor, or have been conscripted, or are quite ill, or are considered by that government to be of no real importance, aren’t in a very good position, whatsoever, to provide a true willing consent to any human experiment so being performed upon them.

While it certainly makes sense that the medical profession should want to try their best to resolve problems of long standing, in regards to things such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and the like; it has to be first of all, well noted, that not everything that the medical profession suggests, actually has the best interests of the patient in mind; for in America, those that have a heavy influence upon that medical profession, such as the military, the government, or those institutions fixated upon a profit, have their significant say.  In other words, some experiments, are conducted on human persons, as a way and means for the military to know how to, for example, best counteract the ill effects of radiation, or of poisonous or non-poisonous gas, or of various chemicals known to be harmful to the human body, and so on and so forth.

A significant amount of Americans believe in the virtue of making some sort of sacrifice for their nation, when called upon, in those times of need and trouble.  That said, not every human experiment, so devised, actually has the best interests of humans in mind, for rather there are those experiments that will attempt to determine the tolerance of human beings to various agents which are known or strongly suspected to be toxic or dangerous to humans. Further to the point, not every medical procedure, or medicine so being tested, is the type of procedure or newfound drug, in which there is actually a reasonable chance of success of it being of lasting benefit for humans; for rather there is often immense managerial pressure put upon the medical profession to come up with some sort of “magic bullet”, no matter how unreasonable, such appears to sound minds.

In short, the greatest disservice so done by this government, on many an occasion, is to take advantage of the poor, the uneducated, the disadvantaged, the trapped, and the forsaken, so as to pretend to these very people, that what is so being done to them, is for their expressed benefit, when in reality, they are often being victimized by their own government, under false pretenses.

“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”

There is no such thing as “the war to end all wars,” and never will be.  So too, it is fundamentally incorrect to believe that anything that is negative, evil, or wrong, could ever be vanquished and thereby removed from the human experience by a more powerful combination of that which is in its essence, negative, evil, or wrong.  In order to right a wrong, in order to bring light to darkness, in order to bring love to hate, in order to bring tolerance to intolerance, in order to bring justice to injustice, it takes an unrelenting commitment by those that have the right belief as well as the moral integrity to stand up to that which is wrong, and to not relinquish their stand, come what may.

The above headline quotation came from the inestimable, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and those that know of King, know that he died as a martyr for his cause; of which his cause, is our cause, until such a time that the arc of the moral universe completes its bend to justice.  Humankind has consistently believed by its actions that might makes right, but that is a false belief; of which, this is especially disappointing to see because it signifies that humankind in many ways, has despite having impressive mental powers and the innate capacity for goodness, prefers far too often to deal with one another, as if we are mere animals, thereby protecting our own turf or territory, or trying to aggrandize such, until the end of time.

Each of us has been created with free will, by our Creator.  That free will, is ours to do with, whatsoever that we so desire; but it has to be recognized that decisions so made, and actions so taken, typically done through the thoughts that we have acted upon – always have consequences, good or bad.  Those then that recognize the disappointing status of our world, today, and of our society, must so acknowledge that this a fair reflection of what so occurs by wrongful and selfish actions, by lying, by cheating, by fighting, by hating, and by insisting that it has to be our way, or no way.

Humankind has proven, again and again, that though it may indeed be book smart, and able to therefore to come up with wonderful inventions, that have been of material benefit to humankind; that it hasn’t yet fully grasped the true purpose and the why thereof, of life and its meaning.   Recognize this well, and never forget this; this world is a proving ground, and therefore each one of us will be tested as to whether or not we are true to the eternal good principles of our creation, or whether we are false to such.  This signifies that we must take to heart, that each one of us, needs to do our good part, to help make this world a better place, by our participation in it; and that therefore the very first step in doing so, is to recognize that we each have a hallowed commitment to do good onto others, demonstrated by our consistent acts to others of forgiveness, patience, generosity, humility, appreciation, steadfastness, and love.

Vehicle registration fees should be reformulated

Each State sets its own criteria in regards to how much or how little it will cost the vehicle owner to register their vehicle each year.  While the basic criteria so used does vary from State to State, we typically so find that what is taken into consideration consists of factors such as the weight of the vehicle, the value of the vehicle, the age of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, as well as it being in some States, just a simple flat rate so being charged upon the vehicle. 

The thing is that all the vehicles so being driven in America, utilize the roads of America; in addition to the salient fact, that the weight of the vehicle as well as the fuel so being used to power the vehicle, makes a material difference in the amount of pollution or damage so being generated from that vehicle; and finally, the amount of vehicles that are on the road at any given time makes a difference in regards to the efficiency or inefficiency of those roads so being driven upon, as well as idling time of said vehicles.

As it stands currently, no State takes into account the amount of mileage driven or not driven on an annual basis.  In other words, all things being equal, those that drive a lot are going to pay the same annual registration fee as those that drive considerably less; in which, logic clearly tells us that there is a direct correlation, depending upon the vehicle, in regards to the more miles that a given vehicle is driven, in conjunction with the wear and tear upon the roads so being driven upon, as well as the pollution so being generated by that vehicle.  This would seem to signify that those that drive a lot of miles, should fairly pay more in their annual vehicle registration fees than someone that does not.

In most States, though not all, the vehicle owner is required to pass an emissions test each year, in which, at that emissions test, the odometer mileage on that vehicle can easily be recorded; thereby signifying that if the governance of that State, or the Federal government, for that matter, desires to impose an additional registration fee, for having driven more than some allocated amount of miles, that imposing such, and thereby invoicing for such, would not be a difficult hurdle to accomplish.

While those that drive a lot, might well complain about the additional fees that would be imposed upon them, and with some degree of correctness, point out that the monies so being spent by them on fuel contributes to road upkeep and repair; the bottom line is that there isn’t any real good reason why those that drive much more than other drivers, shouldn’t pay a higher registration fee, as a reflection of the fact that their usage is above whatever norm has been determined by that State.  Further to the point, the less mileage so being driven by vehicles, corresponds to not only less wear and tear on roads, but also less pollution, and in addition, less vehicle accidents.

Middle class home ownership is their major asset

We read at brookings.edu, that “For households in the three middle-income quintiles, home equity is the largest single financial asset, representing between 50% and 70% of net wealth.”  Further, we read at pewtrusts.org, that in 2021, “Investors bought 24% of all single-family houses sold nationwide.”  What this basically signifies is that in America, in which home ownership for the middle class is considered to be the single most important asset to own and thereby to pass on as an inheritance to their progeny or else to utilize as equity as people age, is that there is clearly a changing of the guard, in which more and more investors, whether they be outside individuals, or Limited Liability Corporations, or consortiums of such are thereby making major purchases of single family homes and apartment complexes in America.  In fact, we find that individual home ownership peaked in 2004 at 69.2% according to ipropertymanagement.com, and is of 2021, now at 65.5%.

When it comes to home ownership the trend that we are seeing should be something that we need to pay attention to, and in an era, in which, Americans in their retirement age, pretty much have to hope that their own individually financed retirement plans such as their 401Ks, as well as the monies so designated for them by Social Security will keep them whole; we find that in their retirement years, this well could be problematic for them, depending upon whether or not they own their own home.  The important thing to know, is that for a significant swath of Americans so reaching retirement, in many of those cases, they have successfully paid off their 30-year mortgage, thereby signifying that they truly own the home that they reside in, and further to the point, no longer are making monthly mortgage payments, which from a budgetary perspective, is of a very high importance, for the payment of mortgages, is often one of the biggest, if not the biggest expense, that most people have to make on a monthly basis, for those that are home owners.

On the other hand, there are all those other middle class folks, that haven’t come close to paying off their mortgage; yet, find that their retirement is just around the corner for them; or even more problematic, don’t own a home, thereby signifying for these folks, that the largest expense that they have to contend with, which is their mortgage, or else their rental payment, is something that is not going to go away, anytime soon, if ever.  These people, then, that are in the middle class, but lacking in home equity or are just plain renters, are in more cases than not, going to find that their retirement years are going to be a constant struggle for them, because their bills will continue to have a mortgage payment or a rental payment, that is due, rain or shine, month in and month out.

In summary, it would behoove this nation to do more to benefit those individuals that desire to own their own home; and do a lot less to benefit those that want to speculate in home ownership; under the basic understanding that home ownership is for those of the middle class, their main material asset, and thereby of extreme importance for them to have, or else, it could be said, that though these middle class people have lived and died in America, that more and more of them, never were able to successfully secure a foothold into the American dream.

Super low interest rates

Pretty much everyone knows that if you so desire to borrow money, that there is going to be a corresponding cost to the borrowing of that money, depending upon the amount so requested, as well as your credit worthiness, your status, your business acumen, and your legitimate need for such.  In western nations, the basic cost for such borrowing of money, is charged through an interest rate, usually stated on an annual basis.  So then, when interest rates so being charged to the consumer and businesses are super low, this thereby makes the decision to borrow money for those borrowers a heck of a lot different, then when such a cost, including inflation, is more along the historic norm or even higher than such.  in fact, super low interest rates, can effectively be so low, that the actual cost to the borrower, in the consideration that money now is almost always worth more than money later, can be for all practical purposes, negligible or even favorable for that borrower.

The above signifies, that super low interest rates, are by their structure, going to have winners and losers, which will be materially different than when those interest rates are more in accordance with historic norms.  By far, the biggest loser, of super low interest rates, are those that are net savers; for their ability to make interest on their monetary assets, has been slashed so low, that they effectively aren’t making any money at all, and in all probability, when taking into account inflation, are essentially losing money on an annual basis.   The biggest winners, are going to be those that borrow money when those interest rates are super low, whether needed or not, in order to invest into what they so believe to be enterprises that will provide them with a superior return to the cost of the money so being borrowed, or to invest in their own business, in order to expand such, or for basic sound speculation purposes.  In other words, when interest rates are super low, the hurdle to make money for those that are willing to take on some degree of risk, is going to be a lot lower, then when those interest rates are higher.  This thus signifies, that super low interest rates, especially when such exists for a considerable period of time, is almost for a certainty, going to increase the speculative interest of people and businesses; thereby, signifying that when those super low interest rates, cease to exist, there is going to be a reckoning which could readily be destabilizing to the economy, in whole.

After all, people and businesses are forever trying to look for a bargain; and super low interest rates are the type of thing that certainly looks like a bargain; of which, it could be said, that this is true, as long as those super low interest rates remain in existence.  The problem though lies in the fact that super low interest rates, are typically in existence because of some serious systemic problem with  the underlying economic system or its activity, so of, which necessitates those very low rates; and of which, this is not meant to be the natural order of things, so that, at some point something has to give and when that pivot so happens, those that are not so fleet of foot, may well find that something that looked to be too good to be true, really was. 

Absolute power corrupts

In life, there are those situations in which one person or one institution holds pretty much all of the power over the other person.  We find these types of situations, for instance, in some of the interactions between, the general public and the policing arm of the state; in addition, we also find this scenario occurring in those situations in which a person without a lot of options for gainful employment, find themselves placed in the unenviable position of which they have to basically accept the conditions of that employment without having an effective voice, perhaps because they are an undocumented person or similar.  In these types of cases, the person or institution with the authority and power, are thereby able to exert their will, almost exclusively, without any reasonable fear of any sort of retribution or negative consequences so coming back to haunt them, for their actions, so taken.

Most people, are properly fearful and therefore respectful of the police; for they know for a certainty that police officers, have the power to take away their freedom by their arresting of them, or even to take violence against them, in which, in a lot of cases, the person so being involved in this type of scenario, doesn’t have a lot of good options, available to them to turn to, at all.  Therefore, not too surprisingly, since police officers know their authority and their power, they basically expect that they will be respected by the general population; and those people that don’t show those officers proper respect, have place themselves, perhaps unwittingly, into a possibly precarious situation, in which the end result for them, could be rather catastrophic.  While, logic tells us that respect should always be a two-way street; our innate sensibility tells us that anytime that we are dealing with a superior force, that to hold those with that superior force, to that sort of construct, is probably going to be unwise.  Therefore, it behooves us, to often swallow our pride and our tongue, or else, be prepared to suffer the consequences, so of.

Since America is considered to be the land of opportunity; and of which, there are many other nations that are quite unsafe and full of peril, we do so find that many a person wishes to make the journey to what they so consider to be the promise land.  While, most of those people, so immigrating, know that the situation in America, probably isn’t going to be ideal for them, they often don’t recognize, how lowdown and dirty things can conceivably get.  After all, when an employee works hard for their employer, but gets cheated out of their pay, or are force to work in unsafe working conditions, or to labor for extra hours at no compensation, or a basic combination of those things; they know that they have been cheated, but in consideration, that they are not legal residents of this nation, they also know it’s problematic for them to get justice.

Indeed, absolute power corrupts, and in reality, the only way to temper down some of the worse abuses to such; is to see that first and foremost, that those that are the most vulnerable, have in place, protections to their unalienable rights, which can be asserted in a fair court of law, against those that have transgressed against them.  For, in truth, there are plenty of people and institutions that get a perverse joy in doing all of the punching, but when the other side is entitled to punch back, quickly change their tune.

The Berlin conference of 1884-1885

As they say, history is written by the victors; and further to the point, some parts of history are seldom written about at all.  The question that people should want to know the answer to, is how is it that the continent of Africa ever became colonized?  The answer to that seminal question is contained within that Berlin conference.  At the conference, fourteen European nations, as well as the United States, got together to discuss, the necessary “civilization” of the African continent, as well as the intended successful exploitation of that same continent for the benefit of those that would be colonizers of such.  In other words, Africa became colonized on behalf of those European nations, in which, the African people themselves had absolutely no say in the matter, and no seat at the table; and of which, by the sword, if so necessary, those Africans would be held perpetually subservient to those that claimed the right to take what they considered to be of value from those same Africans.

In those types of situations, in which, a people, do not have the proper war materials, structure, or the resources to defend themselves, and of which the only powers in play in the world, are the very ones deciding one’s fate, then there are really no viable options available to those people, which will not result in the wholesale destruction of one’s society, other than to basically comply with the demands, so being imposed by those conquering nations.  The Berlin conference was an especially heavy blow for Africa to suffer from, for though Africa had been exploited for the white man’s benefit for centuries, it wasn’t until this conference and thereby its aftermath, that the Europeans went beyond the coasts and ports of Africa and thereby into the wholesale interior of this continent. 

It must be remembered, that in an era, in which, it was believed that civilization must be defined by European proclivities and beliefs, this thus meant for indigenous Africans, that their culture, their language, their governance, their laws, and their religions, must thereby be subsumed by European preferences, on behalf of what those Europeans believed to be the accouterments of what it meant to be civilized.  So too, in the lust for profit and the great natural resources that Africa so represented, the lives of Africans were for the most part, considered to be expendable, if there were not suitably compliant to the demands so being imposed upon them.

Not too surprisingly, at a time, in which we had those not of African descent in power, and also  that were not particularly concerned about the identities or the historic background of the denizens of that continent or its indigenous institutions, so of; that therefore those that were in charge and therefore in control of those that were so being colonized, subsequently created artificial country boundaries that served to divide the African continent per the preferences of those that were its conquerors, in a way and manner that perhaps made sense to those Europeans and none else.  This thus meant, that a lot of the ills that plague Africa today in the sense of intra-country tribal and religious conflict, can be laid at the feet of those Europeans; along with the fact that since in order for this colonization to work effectively for those Europeans, they also made it their point, to structure the governance of those nations in an authoritarian manner in which, democracy or even the hint of such, was effectively snuffed out.

Your neighbor as yourself

We read in Holy Scripture, that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 39).  Yet, how many people having read this, and sort of understanding it, have simply forgotten its true significance; or perhaps have never really understood its significance, or taken thereby these words to heart.  When it comes to this scripture, the very first thing to recognize, is how much we really love our own self; for it is that love for our own self, that drives many a person, to work hard, to study hard, to achieve something of note, and to keep on keeping on, when battling though those times that are tough, because we want to accomplish that which we need to accomplish, so as to benefit our self, in the honest belief that in doing so, we will thereby be able to better benefit others.

The reality is that most of us, really do love ourselves a lot; and while we may express disappointment in some of the things that we so do, as well as regret, so of; the bottom line is that we are usually quite quick to forgive ourselves, and truly believe that  we are almost always basically good, at heart.  Whether or not, this is literally true or not, doesn’t much matter; for the bigger picture is that as much as we might express our love for others, even those that we are very close to; we have a strong tendency to believe that at the end of the day, that about the only love that we can always count on, in return, no matter what, is our own love for our own self; along, of course, with God’s unconditional love for us.

So then, in consideration, that we love ourselves so much, and that self-love is seemingly with us all of time; in fact, it must be said, that we typically still love ourselves, even when we know that we have done something rather rotten; we thus find that when we take an honest re-look at Matthew 22: 39, we thereby recognize that the hurdle to love our neighbor as our own self, is indeed, an incredibly big hurdle, to overcome; but overcome it, we must so do.  To accomplish such a mission, necessitates our taking account of who and what we really are; and in furtherance of that cause, to recognize that perhaps our neighbor, though appearing different than our own self, or seeming to have characteristics not in line with some of our most cherished beliefs, may, on the other hand, actually represent someone that in a unique way, is perhaps our better self, thus encased within a different body.

After all, God never intended to make carbon copies of each human form so created; for that would be pretty pointless.  Further to the point, the most valuable treasures have always been those treasures that are hidden or obscure, which is thereby part of what makes them so valued.  So then, just as when we go into the funhouse at the carnival, in which we stand in front of different distorting mirrors, in which, crazy and distorted reflections thus appear in front of us; we never though get confused that somehow we have changed into that image.  So too, our neighbor, good or bad, reflects back to us, the distortions of what we see this world to be, and when we are thus able to cut through all of the nonsense, we will finally see, as if for the very first time, that each person so created by God, is in actuality, a fair reflection of God’s undivided love.

“A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”

The above quotation comes forth from our only four-term President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.  What is basically meant by this insightful saying is that those that desire to simply lead an easy life, and to thereby never be challenged meaningfully in any material way, are not ever going to be able to acquire the necessary skills, to thereby successfully deal with, if so comes, the turmoil and vicissitudes of life -- for they have not obtained those skills so needed in order to effectively do so.  Further to the point, those that are content, to never venture forth, because they are comfortable where they are at; will be ill-prepared to handle the storms of life, when they so come.

We are meant to be here on this good earth, in order to achieve something of note; and those that talk about how they “always win,” and how they “never lose,” are always those that have not been truly tested; for only in the dusty and clamorous arena of life, in which, there is something at stake for all of those so involved, in which, winning and losing, has real consequences, will we so develop the wherewithal to become that which will permit us to make our legitimate good mark in this world.

So too, those that have never known defeat or disappointment, are thus incapable of therefore developing the empathy, so needed, to understand what life so represents, for the vast majority of us.  Each of us, needs to have dealt with those circumstances in which we have been humbled, vanquished, or defeated on at least, a temporary level or in a moment of time; in which we subsequently thereby determine to do what so needs to be done to be better prepared to be victorious in the future, when that opportunity so arises for us, again.  It is, in the overcoming of that which seems impossible or of great difficulty, that great character is created; for only in the cauldrons of the hottest fire, does the strongest steel come forth.

We should note, that the thing about the ocean is not only how vast it is, but also how we so find that unexpected or unanticipated storms can rise up, with little or no notice, and those then that have developed the skillset to handle such a storm will find that when that storm is vanquished and thereby so passes (and they all do eventually pass) that because of their skill that they are thus able to enjoy the return of the smoothness and rhythm of the sea, when such returns to its norm. 

So then, when everything goes our way, we have a tendency to become complacent; and when everything goes against us, we have a tendency to become discontented or worse.  For most of us, though, life is a mixture of both; of which, the point of our existence is to do our good part, to break through the barriers that are precluding us from fulfilling our fair destination; and the best way to get to where we need to get to, is to have developed the requisite character, so tested through adversity and our overcoming of such, so that in our final test, we will successfully slay the dragon that stands menacingly in the way of the treasure that we have always been yearning for, and is ours for the taking.

Matthew 5: 8

We read in Holy Scripture, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” which is certainly a very good thing to have happen to any one of us.  That said, from the same Holy Scripture, the incomparable, Kahlil Gibran, encourages us, with his translation, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be one with God.”

What does it mean to be pure of heart?  To be pure of heart, is to find deep within our psyche the resourcefulness and the moral integrity to control and to master our personal ego, and thereby to replace ingrained selfishness and the concept of “me, me, me” with the overriding mindset that each one of us is part of a greater whole, and it is that whole, or the One, that we owe our total commitment and loyalty to.  In other words, to live a life in which we are bounded or enthralled to our own personal desires and wishes, is to always live a life in which we will to some degree, and perhaps to a very large degree, do what we have to do to get what we think we so desire and want.  That therefore doesn’t represent a person that is pure of heart, but represents someone instead, who has forsaken their pureness of heart, for that which is temporal, at best.

Because we have been gifted by our Creator, with free will, the choice of what we do or don’t do in our actions is in our hands.  Those then, that are pure in heart or are indeed making it their principle to become that, are truly blessed, for they have sacrificed personal ego gratification, for something that is bigger than their own individual self, and thereby are well on the way to becoming one with God.  After all, those that do not have the necessary characteristics that are in harmony with God, are going to find it problematic to find oneness with God, because of their inability to be in accordance with the very core principles of our omnipotent and eternal God.

While, it must be said, it isn’t easy to be pure of heart, we should, as devoted students to our God, at least want to make the attempt to be pure of heart.  It may seem a very difficult thing to give up our selfish and self-serving desires; but it has to be recognized and validated within our being, that God, does not have and never will have selfish or self-serving desires, and yet does not lack a thing.  In this world, we have, far too often, become besotted by the temptations of this planet, never seeming to realize that even those things that we believe will bring us the most lasting happiness, are in almost every case, ultimately found to be counterfeit.

Our hearts long to rest in the only sanctuary that will ever completely satisfy our most inner needs – which can only be fulfilled when we become pure in heart and thereby one with God.  The road back to God, is fraught with perils, but those obstacles and difficulties, are meant to be a test of the purity of our faith; and those that thereby rise up and accomplish their noble tasks, are those that are truly pure in heart, and thereby one with God.

English as the language of the elites

It has been said that there are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world; but for the most part, we so find, that there is only one language that pretty much rules them all, and that is English.  There are some significant things that make English, unusual, of which, the first is that there are actually more non-native English speakers than there are that are native born English speakers; which signifies that English, alone amongst every other major language known in the world, is universal in its importance and in its application, worldwide.  Secondly, we find that especially in European countries, that those that go on to University, or desire or have a need to write scientific papers, or to be in a diplomatic employment position, or to rise up to a high business position, or desire to be an air traffic controller, are almost always required to be proficient in English or else they will not have the same status or opportunity in comparison to all those that do speak English.  In other words, those that are proficient in English, and, in particular, in those foreign lands that are not native English- language based, are by their ability to successfully navigate and to use English proficiently, essentially set apart from all those others of the general population, that have only a rudimentary understanding of English, or are ignorant of such.

Before English became the most important language in the world, we had Latin; and though Latin still exists, it pretty much is not utilized today in any scientific papers so being written, or speeches so being spoken, and really the last dying breath of Latin as some sort of language of import, died, when the Catholic church, no longer required its priests to say mass in Latin.  Before that all came about, though, Latin, in its day was most definitely the language of scholars, along with it often being also the language of the advisors to the Latin speaking rich and powerful, of which, these personages so represented the elites of that day.  It has to be recognized, that when those that are of the highest power, whether that be secular or of the religious persuasion, or both, are able to communicate readily in a language in which the common people, do not typically understand such, then therefore those that are commoners are by their lack of knowledge of that language, are by default, branded as being of lower status, who will then find themselves hard pressed therefore to build up a coalition that will ever be able to successfully supplant those that are its rulers, or get a seat at the table, with such.

In today’s world, English is the Latin of its day, and those that are ambitious or are desirous of being perceived as having skills that can easily navigate across borders and nations, or through the internet, recognize that the language that they need to know is English, and of which, English will not soon be supplanted in its universal significance by any other language.  This so signifies that for foreigners of just about any nation of note, those that do not comprehend English are going to almost invariably be those that are going to fall into the category of being the exploited; whereas, those that do speak English well, are while not necessarily being the exploiters, will certainly be in the pole position to achieve the type of material and credential success, which will often put them in a very satisfying place.

American fascism

When it comes to fascism, most people are totally against such; but then again, most of those same people can’t seem to be able to define what fascism is – except to vaguely believe that it has something to go with Germany, Hitler, World War II, and Nazism.  In truth, a fascist state is a nation in which its governance is authoritarian or dictatorial in nature, it is heavily militarized, and it also has structured its judicial laws to suppress individual interests so that the people will thereby be properly subservient to the collective good of the nation -- so represented in fascism by the combination or the coordination of corporate interests and governmental power into one joint entity.

When we look upon America, it may well have a liberal Constitution, but as in many a case, words so written don’t count for much, when they are superseded by the structure of how that country so operates in actuality.  For, we so find, that civil disobedience, and civil petitions to the government for redress of grievances, are systematically being put down through, oftentimes, the militarized police; and of which, there is a strong conservative current of those that believe that what this nation needs more of, is law and order, which in its implementation, always supports the status quo and those that actuate those actions, against the common people, in whole.  So too, though the United States, has executive, legislative, and judicial branches, it is becoming rather obvious that the workaround to recalcitrant legislatures, is for the executive office to issue executive orders, and when those orders are subsequently upheld by a majority of the nine Supreme Court justices, then effectively this republican democracy is becoming more authoritarian by the day.

We also find that the disturbing thing about Americas’ rise of awesome corporate power, is the fact that these corporations as currently structured are perpetual in nature; and of which, those that run those corporations are forever after more growth, less taxation, and more profit, by whatsoever means that they can accomplish such.  Our present day government does not mind this corporate preference in the least, and therefore has little or no interest in the breaking up of corporate behemoths, but actually encourages by its policies or by its benign non-interest, more corporate mergers; thereby signifying that this government prefers to deal with large mega-corporations, that control huge market share via a monopoly, duopoly, or consortium of like-mined corporations, because each side of this equation then finds that this benefits best their interests – which can essentially be summarized as the exploitation of the people for the benefit of the elites.

America is far down the road of fascism, of which, our duly elected representatives have too often been aiders and abettors to such – though, as always, there are exceptions to this general rule.  For those that care or are concerned, and thereby want to know the future – that unfolding story is best told through the rise or the fall of American unions, for it is in those unions, that the common people are thereby able to joined together into one body politic to see that they are properly compensated with a fair wage, job security, benefits, and a pathway to advancement or not.  For, it can be said, that unions are, and forever will be, an anathema to any fascist state.

All must face physical death

To be born into this world, necessitates our eventual departure from this world.  Some of us, leave unexpectedly and suddenly; whereas others of us depart in the sure knowledge that since our body can no longer sustain itself, that it is thereby time for us to relinquish ourselves from that bondage.   However, it so comes, painful or not, unexpected or not, unwarranted or not, unwelcomed or not, the hand of death reaches out to every one of us, and each one of us knows this.

While it is good to expend time and energy embracing life in this world, and thereby trying to get the most out of this experience; it would seem to behoove societies in general, to expend more time and energy, in the sure acknowledgement that our journey here and our existence here, is only temporary, and not permanent.  This would seem to fairly indicate that a meaningful portion of that which we need to learn, should be about our acceptance of our inevitable physical death, and thereby what this properly represents.  After all, how is it conceivable that we can live a good life, if we don’t comprehend what death truly entails.

First off, we can learn a lot about life from studying nature; in which, each year, we so see that there are four seasons that nature duly cycles through.  Each of those seasons has its purpose and those that are close to the earth, in the sense that they are farmers, or are appreciative of the great outdoors and its  mysteries, recognize that in nature we can learn by observing; in which a plant in order to flower, for instance, goes first thru the stage of the germination of its seed, followed by its growth and eventual flowering, and then its reproduction so done thru pollination or similar, before at its final stage as it reaches its individual demise or dormancy, it spreads forth its seeds.  So too, in the animal world, we see the same stages repeat itself, in the sense of the birth of a given animal, its growth into maturity, and then its reproductive mating, followed by giving forth new birth and then ultimately to its own individual demise; in which, the next generation, so created, keeps the species ever present. 

When we are young and strong, our thoughts about death may be ever fleeting; because we see ourselves as ever alive, and typically are quite busy with the many concerns and challenges that our life so presents to us that we need to successfully deal with.  Yet, at a minimum, in the back of our mind, if not more present, we recognize that the pathway that we are on and that we cannot get off of, inevitably involves that we too, will have to face our own physical death.  That is why, it is important to conduct ourselves in the manner in which we recognize that our life here, is finite, and that nothing material in this world can we ever carry onward upon our departure from it; thereby signifying that our own legacy that will remain on this plane, is represented primarily by the things that we have done that live on in the memories of those still living, as well as in the advice and good deeds that we have done as an exemplar to those others, in the hope that what we have passed on to them, ever continues because of its worth and its merit.

White privilege and systemic favoritism

The color of American citizens is most definitely changing, in which, never have there been so many colors, bi-colors, multi-colors, races, creeds, and national origins, then we do so see, today.    This is good for America, especially since it takes pride in being the “melting pot” of the world, as well as believing in the core values of equality, egalitarianism, opportunity, liberty, and justice for all.  Yet, despite all the noble words so written, good and progressive legislative acts so enacted, and sound judicial decisions so rendered; the fact of the matter is that white people, just by virtue of being white, have immense inborn advantages over every other race; because in America we are seldom appropriately judged by our character, but rather are often judged first by the color of our skin.

Though the prism of America is changing, the fact of the matter is, that prism, is often still the prism still mainly seen through the lens of white people, of which, not too surprisingly, those that are white, have a strong tendency, whether implicit or explicit, to favor their own kind, first.  While progress is being made in getting more white Americans to recognize their inherent advantages that permits them to be just about whatever that they want to be, as well as to get the benefit of the doubt in the doing of whatever that they so do; the wheels of change are slowly and inexorably grinding progressively forward, and thereby there is clearly becoming a divide between those whites that will not give an inch back of their privilege, which they grip tightly onto as a highly valued heirloom, as compared to all those other whites that recognize that being born white, should not accord them respect or privilege, that they have not fairly earned.

What many white people don’t seem to comprehend, is that in this country, simply being white, permits those of that white race, to go about their business in which they need not take into serious consideration, that the general perception of other people is ever going to be that they are, for instance, stupid, ignorant, criminals, dangerous, violent, indolent, or deserving to be despised or disrespected.  To be white, is to have a perpetual free pass, that permits white people to have all of the advantages, and basically none of the disadvantages; unless those white people prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are trailer trash, drunks, drug addicts, or damaged in some other obvious way.

So then, what we so find, is that the people that cry out the loudest for more law and order, are primarily white people; because these white people know that when law and order comes with their heavy boots, it isn’t going to come for them.  So too, the people that we often find that want less governmental services, less governmental interference, and to pay less in taxes, are white people, because they have all the assets and material goods that they really need, so that they don’t require governmental social services and they sure don’t want to pay more in taxes, because they want to keep as much as they earn or have, as they can.  In short, to be white, is to be on the side of the rulers, and to be anything else than white, is to be on the side of the ruled.

Matthew 5:7

We read in Holy Scripture, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”  Yet, this same scripture can be interpreted in more than one way, of which, the incomparable Kahlil Gibran, has found inspiration in: “Blessed are the kindly, for they shall be consoled by their own kindliness.”

For many of us, when we take a close look at our own life, it is in those acts of received kindness at those timely moments that we take a great deal of solace in; especially when such has been done, when we were feeling particularly dejected, low, or abandoned.  Those that say the right words at the right time, or that help us to get back up, when we are down, are performing an act of kindness, that in its effect, benefits both parties, and thereby helps to make our lives better.

Each day, we are provided with the opportunity to simply be kind to one another, an act that can thus be fulfilled by us or an act that we can effectively ignore.  After all, to be kind, requires some degree of commitment to the other person, in which in order to accomplish such, we need to make the effort to demonstrate that act of kindness, whether that be by taking some time out of our day to help someone deal with an issue that is bothering them, or by lending a helping hand to another on a project, or by visiting someone, that is in need.  There isn’t any real limit to things that we can perform that are kind, of which, those acts can come forth from the littlest of us, to the biggest; or from the youngest of us to the oldest.

To be considerate to one another, demonstrates that we are able to successfully break out of the mold of self-centeredness to recognize that each one of us, has validity, and further to the point, to recognize that everyone has vulnerabilities, that we can help to alleviate, by our act of thoughtfulness to them.  For each person that we so meet, we do not know all of that of which they are dealing with; but we can certainly say with foreknowledge, that everyone has something on their mind, or a deed so done, that troubles them, at least, from time-to-time, and when we are considerate to them, this thus provides them with comfort, knowing that they are accepted, just as they are.

So too, while a given act of kindness, provides consolation to the person so receiving such; it must also be said, that by being kind, the giver of such, receives consolation, as well; for in that act of kindness, we so often feel a true reflection of such, in return.  That is to say, the more that we give, the more that we get, in compensation; for good acts, are often echoed back to us, again and again.    So then, by being kind to another, we benefit not only the other person, but we also benefit ourselves, because in that act of generosity is the implicit understanding, that the kinder that we are, the more that we are open to feel kindness in return.

To be ignorant is to be in chains

There are a whole lot of people, that if they only applied themselves to the tasks at hand, would know a lot more about the things that are of material importance to know; but for whatever reason, such as intellectual laziness, fear, bad habits, bad environment, and the like; we see so represented in today’s modern world, an incredible amount of people that somehow are basically okay with being ignorant about a lot of things of value, that consequently ends up making their life, typically, a lot more problematic than it need be.

It is important to note, that somebody that cannot comprehend words, or the context of those words, is in a really bad place, which is basically akin to being in a foreign land and not knowing how to successfully communicate, one with another.  So too, those that do not have the sound ability to read the written word, so that they are therefore dependent upon someone else to read to them, better be sure that the words so being spoken to them match the words that have been written, or else they will most likely come out with the short end of the stick. So too, those that cannot do basic arithmetic, are absolutely dependent upon those that know that basic arithmetic, and must therefore hope that they are not subsequently cheated by virtue of having that ignorance.  Finally, those that don’t understand the importance of good ethics and morals, are susceptible to falling into all sorts of vices and errors, because of their inability to discern the proper value of such.

For a certainty ignorance is not bliss, it never has been, and it never will be.  Rather, we so find, that those that lack knowledge in those areas of vital or of fundamental importance, are almost always in the thrall of those that have successfully obtained that knowledge; of which, it is the knowledgeable that are forever the masters of those that know little or nothing.  There are, regrettably, plenty of people, for their own self-serving reasons, that prefer to deal with ignorant people, for an ignorant person is someone far easier to control, manipulate, and to take advantage of, as opposed to someone else of fair knowledge and of a sensible moral code. 

Each of us has been gifted with a free will, of which, the best value for that free will, is to thereby make it our point to obtain useful knowledge that will help to make our lives better and of more satisfaction.  After all, those that search for truth and thereby find that truth, are going to be in the catbird seat in comparison to all those others that blithely don’t care, are lazy, hopelessly behind, or are unthinking.  So too, those that know the ins and outs of what is and what is not of value, are the type of people, that are going to be set up well to make better life decisions, than those that lack that same solid foundation.  In short, ignorance is a form of enslavement, in which because we know little or nothing of value, we place ourselves in the position of being led by others, for better or for worse, and with the hope, that these leaders will have our best interests in mind, even though, they may well not.

Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West

Most Americans are very familiar with Ellis Island, which served the purpose for decades as the immigration point for Europeans to enter into the United States.  In fact, we read at history.com, that “More than 12 million immigrants…” passed through Ellis Island on their way to mainland America, having thus successfully obtained their citizenship.  Of course, in America, there is also the west coast, and on the west coast, an immigration island was eventually also set up, known as Angel island, which is located in close proximity to San Francisco.  The immigration process for those thus arriving on the west coast that were Caucasian, typically didn’t even necessitate a stop at Angel Island, but rather they were usually able to disembark directly at San Francisco and to thus obtain citizenship, there.  On the other hand, for those that were Asian, they were compelled to stay aboard and to eventually disembark on Angel Island, instead; in which, their ability to successfully immigrate into the United States, was something that could take an extended period of time, of weeks, months, or would not ever occur, at all.

The problem that Asians had to deal with, was something that Europeans so immigrating to America, did not have to deal with – which is that the government of the United States had sought fit to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act which thereby precluded those of Asian background from legally entering the United States, unless they were highly educated and thereby in a profession that was considered to be of material benefit to the United States, or if they were able to convince the United States immigration authorities that they were children of Asians that were currently citizens of the United States.  Not too surprisingly, for those having taken the journey to get to America, Asians were quite adept at being able to convince immigration authorities in America, that they were, in fact, children of American citizens, by having memorized names, addresses, and professions of those that were legal citizens of America, in order to, if necessary, game the system and thereupon gain for themselves, legal entry and citizenship.

Indeed, the experience of immigration on the west coast, was materially different than the east coast, simply because those so coming to America from the west, had a very strong makeup of those that were primarily of Asian heritage as compared to there being almost exclusively Caucasian heritage for those disembarking on Ellis island.  Yet, the thing that makes Americans out of any race, creed, or color is the pluck and determination of those so trying to immigrate to America.  That is to say, once a decision has been made to come to America, those people having made that decision, are going to go through whatever that they have to go through, in order to reach that promise land; because in their minds, America so represents for them, the land of liberty and opportunity, of which, they will not quit, until they reach their destination of choice.  So, though, Angel Island, processed considerably fewer immigrants through its island, it has to be noted that they did so process through a significant amount of Asians, of at least 200,000 peoples and probably well more, at a time, in which, Asians were not typically overtly welcomed, in America, and thereby were subsequently treated as second-class citizens or less, but that did not stop those Asians, from subsequently giving forth their best, once they so arrived upon this mainland.

As for your habits, learn to ask the question, “What do I get out of it?”

Each of us, are creatures of habit; be they good habits or bad, of which, we typically so find, that we are a mixture of both.  The thing about habits is that surprisingly a fair amount of people don’t ever bother to look closely at their habits and thereby to examine them as to whether or not, a particular habit is beneficial or detrimental to their being; and then once determining so, doing something of meaning to correct such that needs to be corrected.  Those others, though, that do look at their habits, recognize that it is sensible to want to keep those habits which are good and beneficial, and to at a minimum, see what can be done to at least ameliorate those habits which are destructive and inimical to one’s good character.

A lot of the trouble that besets us is really of our own making; in which, the mistakes that we make through bad judgment or bad habits has put us into some uncomfortable or trying circumstances, that simply would not exist, if we had exhibited better control and better judgment over those things that are under our volition.  This thus signifies that when there are those times when we wake up with regret, or feel regret when we do something that we wish that we had not done; that it so behooves us to right what needs to be righted, in which, a lot of the time, the guilty party is that bad habit which we have let take control of our free will, and thereby we need to exert our dominion, of.

When it comes to habits, the longer a habit has been with us, the harder it typically is to break free from that habit; which signifies that just as “Rome was not built in one day,” that to thus break a particularly noisome habit is something that is going to take a whole lot of effort, concentration, and persistence; in addition to the fact that this is probably going to be a habit that will still continue to trip us up, from time-to-time, as well.  This means, that we have to be on-guard to do our best to overcome such, and in recognition that it is often easier to fight a battle when we have like-minded companions of the same mindset with us, it is therefore important then to reduce our time considerably with those people that encourage us in our bad habits or are the instigators of such; and spend more time instead with those that are more disciplined, positive, compassionate, empathetic, and virtuous, instead.

For those that are confused or on the fence about a particular habit, it is vital to keep asking the question, as to “what do I get out of it?”  The point of our asking that question about a habit, is for us, to sit down and to provide to ourself an honest answer to such.  For those that have bad habits, a typical answer might be that the reason for that habit is to escape, for a time, from some trouble or some circumstance, but since this escape, by definition, can only last a finite amount of time, then like a dog returning to its own vomit, we so return to that same bad habit, again and again, which means that the trouble so bothering us has not been resolved; and it is that trouble that needs to be resolved, which when done so, thereby opens up the pathway to best correct that bad habit.