Western society and the lure of money, money, money

People have a tendency to forget, that when humankind first walked upon this earth, that there wasn’t any money; of which, then, we so find that the things that human beings really needed in order to sustain themselves, such as food, water, health, societal relationships, work, spiritual communion, and the like did not at that time require money, and to this day, signifies that we should not be overly dependent upon money or its equivalency.  In other words, the unalienable rights that are bestowed upon each one of us, is for each of us, free of charge, which thereupon signifies that the only legitimate governance is that which aids and abets society in maintaining at its foundation, these very unalienable rights, with or without money being integral to such.

All sorts of evil exists because of the humankind’s continual lust for money, as well as its belief, that money is considered often to be the definitive answer for whatever ails or troubles them.  Rather, it would be more appropriate to recognize that when money is placed up upon the mantle, that the end result of any governmental structure which treats money as the be-all and end-all of existence is going to be dissatisfactory in the here and now, as well as in the future.  In western society, never have the people in aggregate had so much, but regrettably because money is treated as the boss commodity to pursue, and of which, the structure of many a western nation, is based upon and is supportive of the most selfish of principles, we do so find that not only is the game unfairly structured and played, but that the end result, clearly reflects that unfairness and selfishness.  This thus signifies that the society that we live in, often doesn’t meet for its most disadvantaged and disabled, the minimum standards that any good and responsible society should represent, and the fault therein, lies in the fact that it is predominately money, as opposed to something of worth as in character, that serves to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Anytime that money serves as the driving force for people to get up to do this or to do that, then that which controls the access to that money, or serves to divvy it out per their proclivity, is the same entity that effectively rules over all others.  It would be far better, in any society, if that civilization would appropriately recognize that the highest priority of that society is to create a structure in which the highest aggregate pursuit of its citizens is the pursuit of justice, equality, peacefulness, hopefulness, and fairness, above all.  We are, after all, what we prioritize in our mindset and in our being; and when the thing that drives more people to go forth and to do stuff, is their need or their belief that they have to have money, then the end result is going to be what we see in many a western nation – a dissatisfaction and a constant nervousness in the present, trending towards an end game which has no interest in helping to make society better for all.

Sublimate your anger

A lot of us, suffer from some periods of anger, mostly having to do with something that appears to our mind to be unjust, unfair, upsetting, disrespectful, or wrong.  In fact, we can probably finds examples of injustices done to us, every single day; but we have to remember that the people that make up this world aren’t perfect, and in particular, that we aren’t perfect, either.  Additionally, life is going to present frustrations to us, because many a person, simply wants what they want, come what may; without necessarily understanding that to get what a person wants, may well necessitate hard work, persistence, patience, or even ultimately come down to just good fortune.

The reason that so many strike out in anger, is that they have a strong tendency to give in to that anger, without having taken the time to think about reasonable alternatives to lashing out in anger.  In other words, anger, for a lot of people, is instinctive, and because it is instinctual, they act out, without really thinking about whether or not, that angry reaction is right or wrong, or even appropriate.  This thus creates the problem, of which, many a person has so suffered from in which by striking out in anger, we almost instantly regret what we have done, because we know that not only is this display of anger typically an overreaction to what is so happening, but that there really isn’t a valid reason for having acted in that way to begin with.

Let’s face it, most of us respect deeply, those people, that have the strength of character, to not react to something that would provoke anger within our being, by these same people remaining in good control of their persona.  We admire them, because we recognize that in the scheme of things, that while they could have reacted in anger, that their reasoned response was the better way.  The reason, then, that some people are able to handle their potential anger issues so much better than us, is not only because they are more thoughtful about such matters, but also because they have made a conscious choice  beforehand to not react stupidly to provocations or situations in which they would be susceptible to losing their way.

To strike back against those that strike against us, is regrettably to forget who and what we really are, in essence; for if all we can do is to match hate with hate we haven’t really gained or learned a thing.  Rather, we need to remind ourselves that not only will perspective put us into a better place, but also that most things that happen to us, on a daily basis, are not worth expressing our vehement anger about.  In other words, while we may well be justified in being angry in a given situation, to give in to that anger, probably is not going to successfully resolve the issues that are in front of us and hence we may well regret such an action.  Instead, we should try our best to readdress our anger in a way and manner in which we can do something constructive with it, as opposed to destructive – which thereby makes us wiser and more civil. 

This government plays favorites in a supposed free market capitalistic system

We read at fiscaldatatreasury.gov, “The federal government spent $6.27 trillion in FY 2022.”  This thus clearly indicates that the federal government spends an incredible amount of funds each and every fiscal year, and of which a significant portion of those funds is earmarked to the corporate world and therefore serves as an extremely lucrative backstop to the capitalistic system as so run in America.  Not only that, the federal government is also the very place that essentially determines as to whether or not when certain corporations are in dire financial straits, that this federal government, will or will not lend a helping hand to them, not only through tax forgiveness, but more importantly through financial loans, of which, these loans are often set at below market interest rates with typically liberal repayment conditions, so of; and finally, we do so find that these favored corporations that this federal government provides aid to, are often further assisted by virtue of the specific business sales so transacted by these corporations to their valued customer, the federal government.  In short, the federal government is wont to financially support particular insolvent institutions or of those trending towards insolvency, that for some reason or other, cannot find a fellow corporation to save them, or a banking institution to lend to them, except for the federal government which selectively does so.

In consideration that capitalism is supposed to be the private or corporate ownership of capital goods, in which these goods are by definition, subject to the vicissitudes of the economic system and the conditions, so of – along with these companies having to constantly compete with other entities, in what is supposed to be a free market – we do so find, that when certain well-positioned corporations are able to thus call upon “Uncle Sam” to specifically aid them as compared to all those forsaken others which are effectively dismissed; that this thus indicates that every other private or corporate ownership of capital goods, that does not have this same available federal outlet, are in essence, clearly competing in a marketplace in which the field is definitely not level, whatsoever. 

Additionally, as bad and unfair as that is, quite frankly, the federal government never wants to come across as being wholly stupid in the decisions it so makes to support this or that company, so in having their actions justified to the general public, as being necessary for the public good, it likes these companies that have been supported by this government then to be successful in righting their respective ship.  So then, what we so find, is that “investments” by the federal government into specific corporations, often has an even more corrupt element, which is that this federal government, will often do what they can, to at least at a minimum, represent to that corporation, themselves, as being the “buyer of last resort,” thus contracting as much work and product buying as is so possible with those corporations that this federal government has determined it must so help. 

In short, while the vast majority of businesses, in America, sink or swim on their own, for better or for worse – those other corporations that are in the most favored positions, don’t really ever have to worry about sinking, because their relationship with the federal government, affords them the luxury of knowing that this government, of, for, and by the people always has their specific back.

Empathy is the foundation of good human relationships

In life, more of us need to place less emphasis on our supposed needs and more emphasis on the understanding that this world never has, and never will, exclusively revolve around our desires or our will.  This thus indicates that for a lot of us, we need to exit our little bubble of protective existence and entitlement, to  understand that in order to become a good member of society, that we must step out and thereby accord to all those other people that make up society, the type of respect and courtesy, that we so want and expect in return, from them.  This thus means that we should endeavor to treat people the way that we wish to be treated, which necessitates consideration of their feelings, being non-judgmental, generous in spirit, as well as being a good listener.

None of the above means that we should ever place ourselves in some sort of abject obeisance to other people, but rather that we should be less individually egotistical and selfish; replacing such with the sure knowledge that everyone here on this planet, have been created by the very same hand, and therefore are inborn with the same unalienable rights that we so have and appreciate.  In other words, we need to be more inclusive in our dealings with others, as well as to understand better that good relationships are built around mutual respect as well as in our continual demonstration of empathy one to the other.

Quite obviously, we don’t all think the same, nor do we all have the same priorities, for we come from different backgrounds and have different thought processes.  After all, if we actually lived in some sort of cookie cutter society, life would be excruciatingly boring, because sameness in everyone pretty much leads to dullness.  Of course, those that we find to be difficult or troubling, may not initially be those that we wish to congregate with or to deal with; but we have to take to heart, that these then are the very same people, that will provide us with the rich opportunity to demonstrate in action that we care enough to try to be of aid and of material help to them; or if not that, then at least to try to take into account, that behind their mask of trouble, still remains that which is in essence, the same substance that we are made of.

The insecurities that so many of us fall victim to, has a lot to do with the lack of harmony that is missing, far too often in our relationships, in modern society.  In order to make progress, then, in overcoming this, it is vital that each one of us, make it our point, no matter how upset or disappointed that we are in someone, that we constantly maintain our focus to see in their eyes, that they are, just as human as we are; so that, we see within them, their validity and inherent worth, which thereby serves to keep us grounded in the sure knowledge that they are us and we are them.

The more outsourcing the more blue collar laborers lose

One might think that corporations that are based in America, and therefore have been part and parcel of what has help create the foundation of success in America, would, by their very nature, thereby be conscious of their obligation to first do right by those that are American citizens, by providing those Americans with good and stable employment opportunities, in the firm belief that Americans come first.  In fact, though there are many corporations that do follow this policy, of being supportive and fair in their domestic employment; we also find that each year more and more of that work that could be done in the United States, is being outsourced to foreign lands primarily because of their cheaper labor conditions, instead.  So then, for many a corporation, their main concern is not about domestic employment, a living wage, stable employment, or any of these types of things, but really they are firmly beholden to money and profit, above all else.

In America, from an employment cost perspective and in consideration that America has specific labor as well as environmental laws, we find that the cost of wages in America vis-à-vis developing nations – in regards to the amount of total compensation for a foreign worker -- that this is indeed considerably less than what that corresponding work would be compensated at within America.  Additionally, there is the very real threat to labor, that if those domestic workers will not give in to corporate demands in regards to wages and work conditions, that this thus means that such work may then be outsourced, which all serves to keep the blue collar laborer down, with not only no negotiating position with corporate management, but also forever in a position of no say and of no power, as well.

We currently live in a construct in which whatever a given corporation of influence wants, they so get; which is beneficial to the bottom line of said corporation, but often devastating to local communities and in particular, the blue collar work force within those communities.  This thus means, in essence, that corporate elites get an ever increasing amount of compensation from their profits that goes into their exclusive hands; leaving the government, then, to provide for those, that would prefer to provide for themselves, but now must count on the government to aid them in their everyday affairs.

The main reason why so many who labor in America, have no pricing wage power or any meaningful influence upon their working conditions, has a lot to do with the fact that their work can often be outsourced, as well as the fact that they will habitually be threatened with such being outsourced, if they don’t comply with management demands.  Clearly, this is exploitation, which benefits mainly corporate elites, and hurts the common man; of which, we see the result of this by not only the ever greater unequalness between those that have as compared to those that have not, but also in the despair and lost of respect, that blue collar workers must suffer through, because they are part of a fixed game, in which, they always lose.

Higher education and the conspiracy against the poor and disadvantaged

If higher education for those that are the most disadvantaged and poor, was really of interest or of concern and thus treated as a meaningful priority of our government, then that government, of, for, and by the people, would take the necessary steps to serve far better those that are the most ill-prepared for higher education, and therefore are also the same ones most in need of governmental assistance and good applicable programs structured specifically for them.

At the present time, higher education has never been of more relevancy to the material success of a given individual, and while it must be stated that higher education is not for all; of which, those that do not gravitate to higher education, may so find that trade schools and the like would probably be more suitable or of benefit to them; we do so find though, that those that are left behind by poor educational facilities, unmotivated teachers, and the constant lack of necessary school structure and resources, that this has further serve to compound the injustice to all those that attend these unqualified schools, leaving these students with virtually none of the attributes so needed to be a successful student at some future point, should they be inclined to try their hand at higher education.

One might think that any legitimate government that was actually worth its salt, would demonstrate in principle that the very best thing that they could do for those that live in enclaves of poverty and hopelessness, is to provide to these children with what would amount to be the best avenue to successfully generate the escape velocity so needed, so as to raise themselves up, which would be the proper education of those that are born with hope, but typically find such hope being inexorably sucked away from their person, day after day.

The argument could be made, and should be made, that this nation, has made it its point and principle, to preclude those that are the most disadvantaged amongst us from achieving any hope of success through higher education by denying them the structure, the aid, and thereby the tools that would permit this to successfully occur.  So then, the only fair conclusion, that a reasonable person could perceive from this is that quite obviously this government clearly desires that it have and that it maintain a permanent underclass, so created for the purpose of these un-championed people being exploited for the benefit of primarily businesses, which find it very profitable to have a labor class that is compelled to work in areas of poor remuneration, without union representation, and without a voice, so as to make a good profit off of their personal sweat, blood, and tears.

After all, it is only the lower class that can be consistently fooled and taken advantage of, because that is the only class in America, which has basically nobody to represent their interests, in addition to these people being the least educated and astute.  That is to say, those that are the elite of America, recognize well that as long as there are distractions to keep the lower class occupied, as well as a strong policing arm to intimidate them, then, these corporate elites indeed have a good exploitable labor base that will do what they so demand and thus remain forever in their place.

“Blessed are they who are not held by possessions, for they shall be free”

The above quotation comes from the insightful mind of Kahlil Gibran, and certainly seems at odds to those that are enthralled to the western world and of western values – for we find there that far too many people are either held by their possessions or of their desire for more possessions, believing that these possessions are thereby the key to both their security as well as to their happiness.

The thing about possessions is that it takes a strong mind and the firm control of such, to understand that our value in life does not come from what we so have and own; but rather from what we so do to help make society a better place for our being a participant in it.  When it comes to possessions, each one of us knows for a certainty, that we can take nothing material with us to the world beyond; and while it certainly seems prudent to desire to leave into the hands of those that we respect and love, some material contribution to their welfare, that shouldn’t be the main driving force of our being; for a far better legacy and of more meaning for them is to leave for those that we care for, our living example of good character, sound morals, and valued community service.

Those that are overly enamored of what they so have and further have a desire to add more to their treasure chest, are obviously beholden to that craving, which perhaps unbeknownst to them, can become the primary driving force of the decisions that they so make.  That is to say, those that are materially oriented, typically find that they are never quite ever satisfied, and because of that lack of satisfaction, or perhaps because that satisfaction never seems to last for a long enough period of time, they keep coming back to their supposed need to collect even more of what they so have.  Further to the point, the desire for material goods, if not tempered by good character, can set some people upon a path in which they will do whatsoever that they have to do to get such, which thereupon distorts their moral compass as well as their values.

Those of us that live in what appears to be a very material world, do not need to buy into whatsoever is up for sale.  Each of us, has been gifted with freewill and thereupon our own consciousness to do whatever that it is, that we set out mind upon.  In other words, we are the masters of our own fate, and thereupon how we approach the world.  Those then, that value freedom, must understand that freedom necessitates to the degree so possible, the release of unnecessary desires as well as unnecessary possessions which serve more to enchain us to them, and almost never to free us because of them.  To be wise, is to understand that our good interactions with one another and our good works, is of far more meaning than our possessions; for that which is temporal in substance, should never rule over that which is eternal.

The camera does lie

Most everyone has heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant, of which, the object lesson to be learned from this story is that when we are, for example, limited to how we define something by just our touch, and further are only touching part of the object, than our conclusion, thereof, though honest, will be fundamentally wrong, because we have only touched part of the object, and have viewed none of it.  In our modern age, we do so find as, for instance, in soccer, that when a play is video reviewed for a possible foul, necessitating a penalty kick, that multiple angles of the incident are available, to be reviewed and of which, because there are multiple angles, this thus allows the referee to come to a conclusion that is going to be far more accurate, as opposed to just one view and one perspective.

Another thing, about videos so captured or pictures so taken, is that we as a people, are three-dimensional, whereas videos and pictures are primarily view in just two-dimensions, signifying that because of the lack of that third-dimension, we don’t ever truly have the definitive perspective in our sight.  Additionally, videos and pictures can be distorted, simply because of the viewing angle so taken, in which the perspective so perceived by our eyes, is actually out of scale to what the object really is, making it therefore more difficult for our mind to appropriately compensate for that distortion.

In short, though we might think that pictures and videos that have never been edited, are in their form, always true; but that isn’t necessarily the case, because the perspective makes a material difference to the conclusions that we may so draw.  This signifies that when judging the accuracy of any media in regards to a lawsuit or of a trial, that the media so being presented is going to have within it, an implied perspective bias, which is often difficult for most people to overcome in their processing of that information.

While it is true that pictures and videos do provide us with material information, it is also true, that to take such at always face value is probably a mistake.  This indicates that even when we have irrefutable video evidence, that such evidence, can be legitimately interpreted by different people in different ways.  For instance, who hasn’t seen a video of a vociferous crowd gathering in which it appears that there are a whole multitude of people, excited about this or that; but when the camera subsequently pans back, we find that in actuality, it isn’t really all that much of a crowd at all.  In other words, pictures and videos taken, can be done in a selective way which distorts the truth of the story so being told so as to favor one viewpoint over another.

So then, while it is true that eye witnesses to a particular crime or event can themselves remember such an event in a manner which isn’t consistent to the known facts of that event; we also do find that cameras and videos are themselves subject to recording events in such a way that the story so being told isn’t a true reflection of what so occurred in totality– or in other words the camera can and does lie.

The fuel surcharge scam

The price of fuel is an important component in just about any business, but it certainly is never the only component in a given business, and never will be.   It does seem somewhat strange and unfair that companies such as those that are in the sanitation business, grocery and food delivery business, ride sharing business, airline business, as well as assorted other businesses, will from time-to-time add on to their prices a fuel surcharge, of which, the consumer of these businesses, doesn’t have any option other than to pay the price of that fuel surcharge, and often is not even aware of the amount that they will be so charged, or the terms and conditions that permitted such a charge to be foisted upon them, in the first place.

Not too surprisingly, those companies that tack on the fuel surcharge, typically do so, when consumers are feeling the pinch, themselves, from fuel costs having gone up; and in which, in virtually no cases, whatsoever, are those consumers in their own given employment, so receiving from their employer, for instance, some sort of extra pay on their paycheck, reflecting something like “employee fuel surcharge compensation,” or similar.  This thus presents the scenario in which it is the consumers that suffer first from having themselves to pay higher fuel costs for their own vehicles, and then, somehow, and for some reason, also to pay a fuel surcharge to businesses, as if they should be the ones to carry the burden for those businesses having to endure a higher fuel cost.

Another thing, which is hardly pointed out by any pundit, whatsoever, is that these invoices and bills with fuel surcharges so attached, and of which the consumer cannot successfully opt out of – is that what we never ever see, is a subsequent invoice or bill, reflecting a fuel discount to the consumer, when those fuel prices, unexpectedly drop.  After all, fuel prices historically have never gone just straight up, up, up – but rather they fluctuate in cycles of increases as well as of decreases; so then, if indeed, fuel prices are such a critical component to these businesses, in which they feel the pressing need to add such onto an invoice for a consumer – it makes eminent sense then that when those prices are decreasing for those businesses, quite obviously they should provide to those same customers, in fairness, a fuel discount to their invoice.

The truth of the matter is, that fuel surcharges have always been a scam and always will be a scam.  Indeed, in any business, there are risks, in which, there are myriad ways to mitigate those risks; signifying that all those that in an underhanded way tack on a fuel surcharge onto a given bill are primarily doing so, not because business conditions actually necessitate such, but rather as a “clever” way to extract extra money from customers, with what appears to be a somewhat plausible story, when in actuality, those companies are taking advantage of a situation in order to cheat the consumer, so as to extract unfairly extra money from them, which is, in essence, a con.

Violent thoughts and violent words, often lead to violence

For all those that believe that this world is far too violent, the only possible solution to such, is never going to be through more violence – whether this represents so-called righteous violence or not; but only through the right type of thinking and thus the right type of acting, which has to in its actions be always in conformance with non-violence.  That is to say, you cannot conceivably end violence with violence, ever.

Further to the point, how we think, has an awful lot to do with our subsequent actions so taken, and thus when our thoughts tend to vengeful payback when we have been wronged, or to vehement anger because we are upset, or to hostile revenge when we have been disrespected; then, each one of these responses are going to ratchet up potential violence, not diminish it.  Instead, we need to look at the world with a fresh pair of eyes and thus to recognize that violence in answer to violence or a perceived wrong is not the right path going forward and never will be.

Those nations that make it a part of their national identity to celebrate formally those acts taken that are violent in nature, are clearly celebrating the wrong thing.  So too, those nations that have entertainment choices, including sports, that essentially celebrate violent acts as somehow being expressions that should be glorified or countenanced, have it oh so wrong.  That is to say, the very first act in order to get off of this endless cycle of violence begetting violence, is to recognize that only non-violence will successfully resolve such.

That said, the first step though, to overcoming all of the violence and the glorification of such, is to change the mindset of the people that make up our societies to reflect then that violence is not the correct answer to resolving problems, and further to the point, that violence is not in harmony with what the better angels of our nature expect of us.  This thus indicates that as in anything that requires change, that change first must come through our own persona, and because we are the masters of what we think, say, and do, it is therefore up to us, to begin that change within our own person.  So then, whenever we find ourselves thinking violent thoughts, or using violent words, or seeking to respond with violence to that which is bothering us, then we need to pause, so as to therefore come up with a more responsible response, instead.

The pathway to non-violence is not ever going to be easy, and for a certainty, this thus requires eternal diligence and strength of character, in order to stay upon the narrow pathway that we need to remain upon.  After all, the temptation to give in to violence is all around us, for when our mind too often dwells upon violence as an appropriate answer, or we respond to provocations with hateful words, then we are at a minimum, violent in our mind, which is not far removed from taking violent actions.  Instead, we need to maintain the course, and when we find ourselves drifting into thinking the wrong thoughts, we need to show the strength of character and the self-discipline to not give in to that which is inimical to those that have been created for something far, far better.

Safe drinking water and good hygiene are prerequisites for good health

Those that do not have fair access to safe drinking water, or that fail to practice good hygiene are because of that scenario, susceptible to all the diseases that contaminated water and poor hygiene can so bring, such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid, and polio.  One might think in today’s modern world, that the places on this planet that thus lack safe drinking water, as well as those areas not commonly practicing good hygiene, would be few and far between, but alas this isn’t true, at all.  We read at unicef.org, that “2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water.”  In consideration, then, that we know for a certainty the value of safe drinking water and therefore all the benefits that come along with such, it thereby indicates that the international effort made to date to provide as well as to sustain safe drinking water for all the people of this world, has not been treated at the level of urgency that it so necessitates and deserves; which is why so many people suffer the ill effects from that lack of safe drinking water and will continue to suffer until this has been successfully resolved.

While there are all sorts of hurdles that need to be addressed from a human rights perspective, in regards to democracy, opportunity, economic fairness, gross income disparity, justice, and the like; the bottom line is that at a minimum, no matter what governance a given nation so has, it needs to provide the basic necessities that the human body requires in order for that body to sustain itself and to therefore be in good health.  This thus indicates, that more needs to be done in regards to the logistics and infrastructure so required to be provided to the people, of safe drinking water, along with a stronger emphasis upon the importance of good hygiene, in order to form the proper basis of good health.

So then, in consideration that all of the tools that are required in order to provide safe drinking water at a sustainable level for everyone, are already in existence; this thus indicates that a lot more needs to be done to make this a much higher priority so as to successfully resolve such for the world, at large.  Great nations have proven that they can accomplish all sorts of seemingly impossible tasks, when the necessary resources, dedication, and persistence are joined together in a common cause for the greater good.  Yet, we so find, that despite the knowledge that safe drinking water is a prerequisite for good health, we still have so many people that unfairly lack that necessary resource, as if the problem is intractable, when it is not. 

There are, in the scheme of things, lots and lots of things that governments can spend their money upon, and of which, some of that money is wisely spent and some, for a certainty, is not.  In the end, we should be fairly judged upon what we did or didn’t do, and any nation that has the audacity to believe in the fundamental truth that we are our brother’s keeper, but won’t even do what needs to be done so as to provide safe drinking water for all, has shown their true colors to their lasting shame.

Bodycam and perspective

We live in what is becoming more and more a surveillance state, and quite obviously, there are some advantages to the general population of being able to draw upon that surveillance in the sense that people are probably safer, when those that would be their instigators know that they are being recorded; and further to the point, the actual camera footage of an incident is of immense value in the eventual pursuit of the perpetrator and ultimately of justice.  Of course, there are disadvantages to being constantly surveilled, which has a lot to do with the erosion of privacy in the public sphere, along with the fact that often, the answer to the question, “who is watching the watchers,” does not appear to be satisfactorily answered.

The one thing, that people and institutions are missing though about all these cameras being utilized to record interactions and activities, is that the perspective of that camera actually makes a material difference in how an independent party will view an event that has so occurred.  In truth, it has to be remembered that there are two basic types of cameras that record events, of which the most prevalent one is the camera which is located in a fixed location, such as a corner light pole or a camera such as a dashcam which though it’s in a fixed location within the vehicle, will however, take in different scenes whenever that vehicle is moving.  Then there is the type of camera such as a bodycam that a police officer will wear, along with other cameras so available that attached to a person’s helmet and so on.

The thing about bodycams, is that we read at insight.kellogg.northwestern.ed, that when people view footage from the perspective of a given bodycam that they “were less likely to believe that the person instigating that action did it on purpose, as compared to people who saw the same interaction filmed by a dash cam.”  The most probable reason why this is so, is because whenever we as a viewer, are seeing a video through the eyes of another person, we have a strong tendency to, as if in a video game that we have the controller of, identify and thus bond with that person and therefore of the perspective that they are seeing, as if it is our own.  In other words, not all footage so captured through video, is going to be treated the same by our mind, of which, that footage captured which is from a neutral perspective, such as from a dashcam, or from a fixed spot off of a lamp pole, is not going to be viewed the same, as a bodycam, which lends itself to us seeing such in a first person point of view.

This signifies, that though what we are seeing via a dashcam or a bodycam is absolutely real, the perspective of such is different enough, that it thus becomes more difficult to establish the non-bias truth and therefore the full story of an encounter when the only camera capturing the incident is a bodycam, as compared to there being multiple cameras and therefore multiple angles that would provide to us, a more complete and comprehensive story.  That is to say, whenever the police bodycam is the sole video so taken in a given incident, the scale of justice is not in balance, because what we are critically missing is the bodycam of the other person, as well, and therein lies the rub.

The why of greed

Most people simply can’t fathom how much wealth, is represented by those that have a net worth of a two hundred million dollars or more – and further to the point, why anyone would ever need such a staggering massive amount of wealth to begin with.  Yet, the lust for money, is something that seems to be on the rise; even though we live in a society in which seemingly never have so many had so excessive much, in regards to housing, vehicles, toys, leisure time, and so on and so forth.  This would seem to indicate then that no matter how much a given person has, or how much a given person desires, there seems to be for a huge swath of people, an enduring desire to have even more.

The thing about greed is it seems to represent for so many people that are caught up within that greed cycle, something that never seems to be satiated.  That isn’t too surprising, in consideration that envy and a near-constant desire to compare oneself to others, seems to motivate those that are enthralled to greed, to get ever more, even when in all sensibility, they already have far more than enough to last them, forever.

It seems to be that the driving force behind greed, consists of two basic things, of which, the first one is the ever constant fear of losing what a given greedy person already has – such as their status, their wealth, their respect, and their security.  The other thing that drives greed is the basic knowledge that the more that one has, typically represents also the more power, or potential power that a person has, as well.  So too, for those that are greedy and have thus achieved a certain status of having made their mark in society; the very fact that they have these things has marketable value to other people that don’t have such – therefore these other people without such accouterments thus have a strong desire to service those that have -- in order for them to get something of real value in return.

It would be one thing if greed, was something more akin to someone simply having the desire to do extremely well; but in reality, greed, has a strong tendency to take people that may be initially of good character, and turned them inside out; so that, for these people, they thus desire to have what they must have, no matter the cost or the discarding of morals, involved.  This then is the crux of the problem for those that are greedy, for in their lust to fulfill what they must have and in their inability to never be satisfied, all sorts of ills and troubles are thus created and foisted upon society, at large.  Further, those that are greedy, are seemingly not ever secure, for they fear, for instance, of being exposed for who they really are, and therefore of suffering the penalty for such – which makes them uneasy, and thus encourages them all the more to get even more  of what they already have so as to enhance and to thus, they believe, lock down their elite place, securely. 

Soldier uniforms and the reason why

There is a high degree of formality within the military service, thus necessitating certain orthodox conduct, as well as adherence to a specific code of honor -- so meant then to instill respect by recruits to military authority, but also respect to one another, in addition to self-respect.  Those that are part of the military are understood to know that they are part of the same team, with the same basic mission, and as part of that team, they are responsible for not only their given duties so assigned to them, but also to do right by their fellow soldiers, as well.  Not too surprisingly, soldiers have uniforms so created not only as a form of identification but also as a form of team bonding, in the conscious recognition that they are together a band of brothers, united in the basic cause of resolutely defending their nation.

We live in a day and age, in which many a person is first judged by their outward appearance, and because of that, the military profession, recognizes the supreme importance of discipline, cleanliness, uniformity, respect, and obedience, as being part and parcel of what they so desire to see reflected from those that are its soldiers.  That said, even though, soldiers may well be fighting to preserve freedom and democracy, the actual structure of their given military unit is never a democracy, for when an order from the commanding officer is given, it is expected to be obeyed without debate, and further to the point, each soldier knows their inherent responsibility to the other and thereby abides by it.

As much as individual liberty is celebrated, and as much as we know that we are sovereign as individuals; this philosophy for those that have on their soldier uniforms must always take a back seat to their duty to the state.  That is a significant reason why, soldiers are indoctrinated into seeing themselves as being one part of a complete whole, and of which, each trained soldier is necessary for that whole to work correctly and efficiently.  So, though soldiers come in all sizes, colors, and shapes, it is to be expected that once a soldier puts on the particular color of their uniform, that they will subsume their individuality to their military unit, at all times.  This thus signifies why uniforms are one of the most important accouterments of what is required as a prerequisite in order to have an efficient and effective fighting force, and further to the point, why soldiers are trained to identify explicitly with the unit that they are an integral part of.

The fact that soldiers in a given unit wear the same uniform colors -- is most definitely a form of identification but also represents respect to those that are in authority, while also providing to those individuals a certain self-respect, for knowing that they are considered to be qualified to not only wear the colors of their unit, but to have as part of that deal, a band of brothers, to thus bond with.  So then, in seeing all those others that have on the same uniform, each soldier knows that they are never alone, but instead are united together for the good of the cause, so entrusted to them.

America’s central bank plays favorites

The central bank of America, is known as the Federal Reserve (Fed), which specifically is tasked with the agenda to maximize employment as well as to keep prices stable so as to minimize monetary inflation.  While those two goals are of significant importance in and of themselves, we do so find that the Fed, because of its immense monetary power, is an institution in which some entities are going to be far more benefited than others through its policies.  For instance, the Fed essentially sets the interest rate policy for the United States, which means, in effect, the lending rate or the cost of money, for those so borrowing such; in which, in short, when interest rates are low or trending lower, this encourages business investment as well as business expansion, whereas when interest rates are high or are being raised, this serves to put a damper on business expansion and typically forces corporations to tighten their belts, because the cost of money and its overall availability serves to make a material difference to the bottom line for business enterprises.

Another of the functions that the Fed involves itself in, is the supply of money within the economy, and thereby the velocity of such; in which, basically the less supply of such money and the slower the turnover of such, the more this has a strong tendency to reduce business activity – as compared to when the supply of money is robust and turnover is thus quicker, which thereby encourages businesses to expand. So too, the Fed is seen as a lender of last resort, so setup in particular to seemingly benefit those that are its most favored institutions, though this is done ostensibly for the stability of the nation, and thereby a way for those businesses that have found themselves somehow to be in a rather precarious financial condition, to be provided with a helping financial hand in order to right their fiscal ship.  Additionally, the Fed will also buy up certain company’s corporate bonds, which obviously helps to stabilize and backstop those particular companies, in regards to their specific needs for timely financial infusions, so of.

The bottom line is that the Fed, as the central bank of America, has the capacity, to play favorites, as well as to punish those that are out of favor, and of which, recent history has definitely told us, that the Fed does indeed play favorites, all of the time.  This essentially means that our private enterprise system which serves as the backbone of our capitalistic financial system, is clearly not a level playing field.  Additionally, and further to the point, those that know what the Fed is going to or not going to do, ahead of time, have immense advantages over all those that do not have that sort of actionable information. 

As much as the Fed desires to manage the economy of America, we do so find, that there have been and continue to be, periods of time, of economic high inflation, high unemployment, and of recessions.  This signifies, that business enterprises are for a certainty, susceptible to being really hurt when economic conditions thus turn against them, for whatever reasons, and those than that are aided and abetted by the Fed are quite obviously those that are going to be in a whole lot better place, then those others that the Fed has turned their back upon, or simply just ignored.

Citizens and the Right to Know

Each one of us, as a citizen, is subject thus to the laws and rules of their government, and of which, some of these governments perform their functions heroically; whereas many a government most distinctly does not.  The best structure of any government is one in which the citizens, themselves, have a meaningful voice within that governance; in addition to that government never superseding the unalienable rights of any of that population. 

One of the most important functions within any government, is the freedom of the people to express themselves, via the written word or verbally, so done through all of the modern means that a given individual can avail themselves of.  Those governments that have a vibrant and robust freedom of the press and speech, clearly are those governments, which do not fear the people having an active voice, and actually will encourage it, even in those times that it might well be inconvenient for that government, because such is properly seen by the astute within that government as being healthy for that society at large.  On the other hand, many a government wants to control the narrative of what is or isn’t going to be said or printed; and more to the point, believe in the type of control, which often necessitates rather heavy penalties for all those that will not adhere to the orthodox point of view, so disseminated by that government.

When it comes to freedom of speech as well as of the press, there is a corollary to this, which is that those freedoms are dependent upon the population having the right to know what their government is or is not doing on behalf of them.  That is to say, governments that make it their point to be overly secretive, or deceptive, or outright liars to the people, especially in those areas of most concern to the people, are by definition, inimical to the people; for by the people not knowing, and further to the point, not having the actionable right to know what needs to be known, thereby makes it well-nigh impossible for that citizenry to really know what is or is not going on by that government, in their name.

So then, it thus makes a lot of common sense that the best government is never one that has layer upon layer of secrecy, and/or that monitors its people by an intrusive and obtrusive surveillance state; but rather is a government that is, to the degree so possible, open, transparent, forthcoming, and a firm believer that the public that it has been formed to served, is served in a fair and just manner.  This thus signifies that in order for the public to be assured that all is well, there needs to be a robust forum which provides those citizens with the information and the details of governmental actions so taken, of which, the Freedom of Information Act, is a good example of such.

In sum, the general public should and must have the Right to Know what their government is or is not doing on their supposed behalf; for when this information is unjustly withheld, this is akin to having freedom of speech and of the press, being compromised in such a way that it is the equivalency of the collective citizenry having one hand tied behind their back.

Non-violence and peaceful civil disobedience

There are a myriad amount of ways for the general public to protest against those actions so taken or encouraged by the government or of private enterprise that the protestors do not approve of, or that they see as being detrimental to the people, in whole.  In regards to those avenues of protest, as might be expected, there is a rather big dividing line between physical protests so made that have a strong tendency to lend itself to adverse actions being taken by that government or of private enterprise which thereby can lead to violence so being enacted against the protestors which can often escalate into mayhem; as compared to those non-violent protestations, which are far more civil in structure and if there is violence, it will be enacted only by those that are representatives of that government or of private enterprise but never by those so protesting.

The main issue with any physical protest in which the protestors are antagonistic in nature, is that this can easily lead to events degenerating into a showdown, between those two parties, in which one of those parties is typically quite prepared to do battle knowing that they have governmental or private enterprise auspices backstopping their actions.  On the other hand, peaceful protestors that have been trained in a manner in which they will not ever be the aggressor against those that they are protesting against, and of which, the abiding point of their protest is to have their say and to try to take to task the error of the other entity, so as to possibly effect change, or at least at a minimum, to raise awareness of what the dispute issue is all about, is the type of alternative path that might well be able to appeal eventually to the better angels of the opposition’s nature.

Additionally, when it comes to protesting, one of the alternative pathways to achieve change, is to create a protest that will impact in a negative way, the economics of a given business or of a governmental enterprise.  In other words, when businesses or governments hear only whining from the general public, but never have to suffer from a specific boycott against a given target, then to a large degree they probably aren’t going to make any of the changes so desired by the protestors.  On the other hand, any protest, that impacts the bottom line of a business enterprise, will for a certainty, get some sort of response, and if that boycott stays the course, will probably effect a positive change.

So too, just because a government states that the general public must do a certain something, does not mean that it must so be done; for if there are enough people within the general public that will not participate into being coerced into that which they do not approve of, believing that they as citizens, have unalienable rights, which supersede a misdirected given government directive and further that they are willing to pay the price for that civil disobedience, then that is their prerogative. 

Governments and businesses have a strong desire, whether they are in the right or in the wrong, for their citizens to simply obey them; but not every directive so made by that respective entity is necessarily moral or right; of which, the best response by those that do not agree with such, is to collectively and to peacefully not to consent to that which they don’t agree with through a systematic and dedicated manner with the sure knowledge that by always maintaining the moral high ground that this choice is the correct one.

Surnames, identification, taxation, and service

In today’s modern world, surnames have essentially become normalized, and therefore most people don’t pay much attention to the reason or of the need for surnames to have been created in the first place – but perhaps they should.  As might be mentioned, back in the day when humanity lived in significantly smaller enclaves, such as in villages, we find that those communities were small in number, signifying therefore that each resident of such a village, pretty much knew everybody else; of which, this also meant that people were identified by their given birthname, which would primarily just be their first name, though perhaps they also would be additionally labeled by others as being the son or daughter of so and so, or perhaps appended to their birthname would be their specific village, or of their profession.  In other words, back in a day and age, in which the vast majority of people were familiar with one another, they were simply known by their birthname, and therefore it wasn’t necessary to have a formal last name, at all.

As time moved on, and life became ever more modernized, so that some of those villages morphed into towns, and then some of those towns became cities, this thus lead to the formation of formal governments to monitor the people so being governed, of which, those same governments had a great desire to know their people, via through a census and other things of that sort so as to thus properly tax their citizens, to identify those citizens, and also to utilize those citizens for the service of that country in times of war and the like. This thus meant, that some general form of identification was needed, that went beyond a mere first name, leading therefore to not only surnames being created and subsequently mandated by the state, but also the beginning of each citizen essentially becoming identified with not just a legal name, but also an address, as well as a formal identity card.

Basically, then, surnames are part and parcel, along with identity papers, of how the government is best able to monitor its people, and quite obviously, are of no real benefit to people that know each other by sight, and call each other by their respective first names.  It must be said that with all of the thousands upon thousands of people living in cities, or hundreds of thousands in mega-cities, that no government would be able to properly administer to its citizens or to be of assistance to them, without reams and reams of documentation, containing formal first and last names, along with a specific system so setup to identify people by their own unique attributes, in regards to their birthdate, identification number, and a governmental approved picture associated with each citizen, so of.

Although by definition, each and every one of us is a unique individual, present day governments, make it a point to formalize such, and of which, this thus gives a significant amount of informational power to that government to then be of notable assistance to their population, or such can be abused in a fashion in which the people are oppressed or suffer even worse.

Mexico, France, and the Monroe Doctrine

The thing about European powers back in the time of their pinnacle of such power, is that the major players in Europe made it their point, to rule over other foreign lands in a manner in which essentially “tribute” was paid by these foreign countries to their respective European masters, as thereby the necessary price that they had to pay in order to have some sort of semblance of at least a modicum of control of their destiny and sovereignty.  After all, those countries that did not have the required armaments to successfully defend themselves, had little choice but to accept the terms so dictated to them.

There was a time when France owned significant portions of North America, of which some of that land subsequently became a part of Canada; whereas, other parts of that land were subsequently purchased by the United States as in the Louisiana Purchase.  Yet, we do so find that France in the 19th century, through Napoleon III, believed that it was still strategically important to have a footprint in the Americas, and thus thought that during America’s bloody civil war, that the time was ripe to therefore insert their own Monarchy into Mexico, through the usage of the Austrian archduke Maximilian and the Belgian princess Carlota to be the King and Queen, respectively, of Mexico.  So, despite the fact that Mexico had its own republic, France brought 30,000 French troops from overseas in order to accomplish their mission to conquer Mexico and therefore to claim such for their newly installed King, via the protection and strength of those French troops.

While the whole event to takeover Mexico through the aegis of France, under the noses of the divided United States, and to thus push aside and squash any Mexican resistance, might have seem to most sensible people, to be fanciful and imprudent – France went ahead and did this very thing.  While it is true that France did not actually conquer Mexico, it did lay claim to its biggest and most vital city, that being Mexico City, and did, in fact, get some native support from those Mexicans believing that the Monarchy as structured by France, would be of benefit to them.  However, for the vast majority of Mexicans, such was seen for what it was, an invasion; and therefore, in such a large country, 30,000 French troops would never be enough force to pacify and to thus conquer Mexico, completely.  Additionally, there was the problem that the United States had not forsaken and had no intention of forsaking its Monroe Doctrine, and therefore had absolutely no intention of permitting France to involve itself in the sphere of what America considered to be its own exclusive influence.  However, history tells us, that a showdown between a combination of Mexico and the United States v. France did not occur, because Napoleon III, being a practical Emperor, realized that an all-out war between France and the United States, would not end well for France, and thereby, subsequently withdrew his troops from Mexico, which thereby left King Maximilian to his ultimate fate of execution and the end of his short reign.

So then, by declaring and subsequently enforcing its Monroe Doctrine in 1823, the United States placed itself in the position in which ultimately neither of its two contiguous countries were thereby controlled by foreign interests and of which, we so find that each of these respective countries, are presently on excellent terms with America

Neglect

Life presents its challenges to each one of us; but within the construct of a nation that is so unequal between the haves and the have nots, there is a diametrical difference between the needs of those that are the forsaken as compared to those that lack little or nothing from a monetary and security point of view.  In order to sustain ourselves satisfactorily and to have thus a life that is worth living, it is important that we develop vital relationships and have in place a sound infrastructure, that is constructive and beneficial for our good development, which thereby helps to assure us of our sustainability within society.  Yet, for a large subset of Americans, that are personally challenged on so many levels, when it comes to their security, health, education, hope, and opportunity, we do find that their lives are often so fundamentally precarious that simply surviving, seems to be the first order of the day for them.

The point of good governance is to provide the necessary structure that will help those that are the most vulnerable in society; so that, by doing so, these people will develop into good and vibrant citizens for the commonwealth.  The best way to do that, is to make sure that in the most neglected areas of society, that the government, so provides to these people, some sort of sanctuary within their community, that the denizens of, can thus rally around.  Examples of this, would be good education facilities, that would provide not only the tools so needed to develop a sound mind, but also would provide nutritional meals for the development of a good body, as well as educational guidance for those so needing that helping hand, in addition to a good study area and extended daycare.  Additionally, so needed and desired within that community, would be public spheres so represented as in a park, in which, people could safely meet up and congregate, throughout the day; in conjunction, also, with the necessary infrastructure that people could avail themselves of, such as in healthcare, employment, shopping, a community center, and grocery stores.

Instead, what we so find in America, is pockets of absolute and abysmal poverty, in which the people so living within these zones, are treated by outside forces, such as the policing arm of the state, as an area deserving of the constant intimidation of what amounts to an occupying force.  The people then that live in those areas in which their educational facilities are absolutely substandard, and of which, there aren’t any safe havens within such, is thereby obviously detrimental to that community being able to ever successfully come together as a people, united in a cause, for they lack the necessary structure and tools that would encourage cohesiveness between them.

There are a lot of bad things that are permitted by this uncaring governance to happen in our most neglected zones of poverty, which should be properly seen as being a crime against humanity.  That is to say, when the richest nation that the world has ever known, sees fit to ignore and to disregard those that are the most impoverished amongst them, then for a certainty that country does not truly represent liberty and justice for all; but rather it actually represents a nation that believes that to neglect the people’s needs is somehow acceptable, when it surely is not.