The unclean and evil dead

Not everyone that incarnates in this world, goes on to live a good and fruitful life – for a misguided few become murderers, rapists, terrorists, and things of that bad ilk.  For some of these people, justice for them is served in this world through punishment of some suitable sort, perhaps then also giving those guilty of such heinous crimes a chance to change or to redeem themselves in order to be more properly prepared to meet their Maker.  Then there are those others, that having lived by the sword, thus have died by that same sword, and are duly and swiftly dispatched from this world into the next.  The question then becomes, what happens to those restless, evil, and unclean souls when they leave this physical dimension?

For some people they believe that those that have done evil deeds, basically stick around this earthly plane, for they are fearful of the judgement to come, and thus hope to find a susceptible body to possess for their own purposes, which is why we hear so many tales of demonic possession and the like.   So too, there are those that believe that very bad deeds necessitate the finality of an eternal hell -- as well as also those that believe that the unclean and bad souls must go to some sort of purgatory, in order to work out their karma and mistakes, to thus begin the process of cleansing their souls of its impurity.  The one thing that we can say with an almost certainty, is those that have done and have behaved in exceedingly bad faith in this world, aren’t somehow going to reach the celestial plane as if all is right, when it surely is not.

Those then that have displayed evil propensities on this earthly plane, have reaped a very bitter harvest, which is theirs to work out their karma from – which thus signifies that their soul qualities that are unbecoming, places them into a dimension in which the opportunity to become something of merit is the choice that they can so make.  Because God has provided us with free will, not all of those that have been bad, are wont to change a thing, which thus signifies that those of that stubborn or ill-advised sort will in whatever dimension that they so find themselves in, have to deal with the fact that they have voluntarily become outcasts from the only lasting sanctuary of meaning, which they can never occupy until they have become cleansed.

There are plenty of people, that believe that when they so die, and thus understand who and what they really are, that somehow, all is well, and therefore all is forgiven, and those then that have, for instance, been mortal enemies, will thus become potentially immortal friends.  As nice and convenient as this might be to theorize, that typically isn’t going to be the way that this so works; for even with those that recognize their wrong, they too understand that a mere recognition of error is never the same thing as correcting that error, which has to be accomplished in order to successfully transition from the unclean to the clean.

God cannot ever be tempted to do wrong

Religions, especially in Western nations, often reflect what those in power, desire to see propagated by that religion on behalf of the people.  That is to say, while any religion can be of beneficence to the people, it is also possible to use religion as a way and means to control the population, to make the people fearful, and to therefore keep the people in line.  When it comes to Jesus the Christ, people believe all sorts of things, but the general consensus is that Christ is the “son of God,” meaning that Jesus the Christ is typically represented as a special creation of, or begotten of God, so meant for the salvation of the world.

In other words, Christ is considered to be part of the Holy Trinity as God, the Son, as “begotten, not made,” which essentially means that Christ, as incarnated into this world, was meant to signified, for all practical purposes, Christ as God.  The fundamental problem with this theory is that somehow, there is the belief, that God as incarnated here on earth, could thereby be subject to error, to sin, and to temptation as told to us in the Bible, in which Satan tempted Christ, in the hope that Christ would become not only sinful, but also would be in disharmony with God, of which, this did not occur.  In truth, this story doesn’t make much sense, for to believe that God, could ever become debased, would signify that God is not changeless, of which being changeless is a cardinal definition of the immutable God.

The more appropriate way to look at Jesus the Christ, is to see it from a human perspective, which is that Jesus was just as human as we are, subject then to error, to sin, and to temptation.  In this scenario, as a human being, Jesus could indeed stumble and fall, because each human being is provided with free will to do and to make decisions as that human being best sees fit.  This then does fairly represent that Jesus could be and was indeed tempted in many a time and situation, as well as Jesus also being capable of misjudgment and error – yet, through it all, Jesus proved the point to each of us, as fellow human beings, that if we would only keep our concentration and our fidelity to our one true Father, that everything that Jesus accomplished as the Christ, we too, could also accomplish.  That is to say, the message of Jesus the Christ, is that we are provided with the continual opportunity to do the right thing, and therefore our subsequent actions and thoughts, do matter, for the destiny of our eternal soul as well as for those that we interact with and influence.

In this world, there are going to be real challenges for all of us, which will test our character, and of which, Jesus the Christ, took upon himself to take on those challenges, not as some sort of special invincible creation of God, but as a human being, such as we are.  In that scenario, Jesus the Christ, could well have been compromised by Satan, but was not, because Christ did not give in to that which had foolishly rebelled against God.  That same choice, exists for each one of us, of which, the pathway has already been blazed for us, if only we would faithfully follow such.

True wisdom and the whole truth

Somewhat disappointingly, far too many of those of humankind, believe that humans are the measure of all things.  This is the fatal flaw within the human experience, and those that are truly seekers of wisdom and of the whole truth, recognize implicitly that not only is this a serious misconception, but they also recognize the futility of understanding the meaning of life, when one believes that humans are the ultimate arbiter of what is true meaning of such, and what is not.

Each of us is gifted with a mind, as well as having been granted free will, of which it is our highest duty to utilize our mind in the search for the meaning of our existence.  We can be aided in that search by congregating with others that are the same sort of seekers, as well as with those that have successfully made that search and now are represented to us as avatars, that thus permit us to take in their enlightened wisdom, as bequeathed to those that are devotees of true wisdom and truth. 

To live in a day and age, in which “rational” human beings, believe in the veracity that each one of us, is entitled to our own truth, is to live in an age, in which wisdom is at its nadir.  There are not now, and never will there be, multiple truths about that which can only have one eternal truth.  That said, it can be stated, that there can be multiple perspectives in regards to a particular perception, in which each of these perspectives could be fairly considered to be truthful.  So too, the relatively of what we are dealing with, can present a perspective in which there appears to be the illusion of multiple truths, but this is itself, an illusion, and never will represent the whole truth.

Far too many people, banter about words like truth, and thus belittle it, but exclaiming that this is the truth, and nothing but the truth; when in reality, this is often just a personal viewpoint or a strongly held opinion.  The reason that so many people are so firm in their belief that what they are propagating is the truth, is because if they can get others to believe that this is true, or just by their own unwavering belief that such is true, this thus makes it appear that it has more validity, than if it was not described as being inviolable truth.

For those that are truly seeking wisdom, and therefore are dedicated to the truth, it has to be acknowledged that as fallible human beings we are prone to making errors and misjudgments, which is why it is so important to calm one’s mind, so as to become in attunement to that eternal wisdom which is available to all who take the time, and devote the energy to sincerely seek for such.  Those that most desire enlightenment, must first take off the blindfold and the shackles that have previously precluded them from absorbing into their mind that timeless wisdom, that will thus bring to them the overpowering Light of self-realization.

The writing never ends until every story is told

People like to talk or to tell stories for a lot of reasons, some self-serving and some in service to others.  When we take into account human nature, a lot of those stories so told or written seem to be based around that person wanting to say something that means something to them, and therefore they aren’t necessarily looking for constructive criticism, whatsoever, or even necessarily for any feedback, but basically desire to have, more times than not, just an echo chamber, that thus makes them feel better about themselves and their situation.  In other words, a lot of stories that we so hear are meant for us that are the listeners to confirm to the speaker that we are in agreement or in conformance to what they have just said.

Then there are those more meaningful stories, that are really meant to make us think, to ponder, and to discuss seminal points of such, that thus merit our attention.  After all, if each one of us, had already figured out what life in its totality is all about, and knew such cut and dry, then there wouldn’t be that many stories that would could ever possibly pique our interest.  Yet, for the most part, there are almost always opportunities to grow and to learn, which is why some of the stories that we read and hear are of real interest to us, because ultimately they help us to become better as a person, or at least present us with the opportunity to become so.

So too, when we read or hear something of interest that we disagree with, this presents us with the opportunity, to delve into such a subject deeper so as to ascertain whether our initial impression seems to be correct or whether such is in serious need of a re-evaluation.  Those then, that are not totally fixated in their ways and thus have an open mind to at least listen to what others have to say, have the opportunity to thereupon grow, or perhaps,  to bring to the attention of the other, why their thinking may not be correct, and should thereby be re-examined.

We write and we talk to others to not only get our personal point of view across, but also it presents us with the opportunity to shed light into those areas in which perhaps there has been darkness previously.  So too, if everything so previously written or told was considered to be non-debatable, and thus absolute established fact, there wouldn’t then be much of a need to say or write much of anything more.  Yet, it has to be said, that if we take the time to examine our own life, we recognize that there are usually those critical moments in which our thinking about a subject matter of some import, has over a period of time, switched from one side to the other, signifying that there is always validity in questioning the orthodox, and examining the prevailing opinion of the time, as well as the important value of the constant utilization of our mind so as to have our valued say.

The lies of those that lead us

The very first thing that any legitimate government should be about, is truth.  That is to say, while secrecy and discretion has its place, that which is propagated to the people, should be the whole truth of the matter, and therefore lying and deceit should not be part of the message to the people.  After all, the only true government is that government which is in its existence, makes sure that what it so does and performs on behalf of the people is for the overall beneficence of those same people.   Yet, how few, believe that their government is first of all, one of integrity, and further to the point, is not self-serving to the very politicians that represent such, as well as to the powerful agencies behind the scenes, that apparently seem to run such.

Any government that expects its people to respect its governance, when those people know for a certainty that their government consistently and deliberately lies to them, again and again – as well as cheats them out of their honest labor that they have performed in order to make a living, has clearly got it all wrong.  That said, governments know of their behavior and therefore rather than to amend such for the betterment of the people, prefer instead, to use the policing arm of the state, in conjunction with its justice department, to exert continuous pressure to put the people in their place.  That is one of the seminal reasons why there is so much unease, incivility, disrespect, and chaos within this nation, because the governance of such, leads by its very poor example, which the people then respond to, in a defiant way.

That said, within this country, there are good people, even including good politicians, as well as good laws so enacted, but all of this are overwhelmed by those that have the real power and have no intention of voluntarily relinquishing such or amending their ways.  Indeed, those that governed with an unfair and unjust hand, will meet their comeuppance, sooner or later; for to believe that which is wrong, can ultimately triumph over that which is right, is a fatal misconception.  For a certainty, there will be that time of reckoning, in which falsehood will be replaced by truthfulness, and the spirit of evil and selfishness overcome by the spirit of good and self-sacrifice.

Regrettably, as it stands, we are led by liars, who are supported by those that don’t necessarily believe in those lies, but that certainly believe that their status, their income, and their security, necessitates that they do what they so do in order to protect such as their own, to the detriment of the people, in whole.  Still, every minute of every day, those that have built their edifice upon lies, deceit, and power wrongfully utilized, know that there will come that time, when they or their cohorts will have to face the consequences of their actions, and of which, in that time and space, those then that have been previously held down, will know for the very first time, that they are truly entitled to the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Deep, deep poverty

There are a number of positive words that can be used to describe the United States, such as great, free, opportunity, as well as of liberty and justice for all.  Indeed, there are plenty of superlatives that can be fairly addressed about the United States, of which, there are plenty of people both inside and outside of America, that believe that this nation represents the best of all worlds; for it is not only the most powerful nation in the world, it is also the richest, and it would seem to appear to have all the necessary ingredients to also be the happiest.

To a very large extent, what we so believe about a given person or nation, has a lot to do with the narrative propagated to us, along with pertinent examples of such, that we are duly shown, day by day.  When it comes to America, this country desires that the world believe that it has not only a vibrant middle class, that should be the envy of the world, but also that it does a commendable job in seeing that the least amongst its citizens, is well taken care of.  As they say, therein lies the rub.

It has to be said, that many people are aware of the fact that America does have its poverty issues, but few within America, are cognizant of how deep that poverty line does run for so many.  For instance, we read at poverty/ucdavis.edu that “According to the Census Bureau, 20.03 million people lived in deep poverty in 2021,” of which deep poverty is defined “as living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of its poverty threshold.”  Further, to the point, “In 2021, 7.2 percent of all children lived in deep poverty.”

Perhaps in a nation that believes so fervently in capitalism, the amount of deep poverty in America, is a fair reflection that successfully demonstrates that those that will not work, for whatever reason or circumstance, deserve to reap what they have sowed.  So too, perhaps those children that live in deep poverty, deserve to be in that position, because they failed to have selected better parents or to live geographically in a place in which the poverty rate is low.

In truth, America should be absolutely ashamed of how millions upon millions of its own citizens live in abject poverty, of which a significant amount of those so living in that deep poverty, are vulnerable children, who deserve not that fate.  To believe, somehow, that Americans should be okay with the deep poverty of its own people, on a such a huge scale, is a fair reflection that American governance as well as many of its people have no heart, and clearly then have not their priorities set correctly.  To be the richest nation that the world has ever known, but to have 20 million of its own people existing in deep poverty, is a clear reflection, that the American dream is truly an American nightmare, for way too many people.  As it has been said, a nation should be judged upon what it does or does not do, for those that are its most vulnerable.  So then, America needs to look closely at who and what is really is; for, in reality, it has fallen far short of what it was meant and promised to be.

Witchcraft covens and unjust persecutions

At the present time, witchcraft or things of that general ilk, aren’t something that most people see as being some sort of a real menace that thus needs to be dealt with.  In fact, when most people think of witchcraft, they picture this as something that happened a long, long time ago, in which, apparently within certain communities, there was a general hysteria, that led to those that were perceived as being a danger, or of not conforming to societal norms, to be targeted as aiders and abettors of witchcraft, or to be witches, themselves.

Further to the point, when witchcraft was being persecuted, it was never really about targeting just one particular person as the witch; but rather, the structure of such societal targeting, led to the general understanding that there was never just one witch, and hence never just one bad apple, but instead there must be an assembly of witches, or a coven, with these witches enacting secret codes and exhibiting certain behaviors while also instigating specific evil spells against innocent people, that necessitated that society, in order to protect itself from this menace, must vigorously then prosecute to the death these alleged witches and therefore their coven.

However, when we dig deeper, there are several rather disturbing things about this persecution of witchcraft covens that tends to be forgotten or overlooked.  The very first thing to acknowledge, is that when a coven of witches are executed, this means that their material assets, will be distributed, and most likely distributed to those that are in authority, and hence these well-positioned people have something to gain, as well as typically being also the very same people that were often the leaders of such persecution.  Additionally, to the point, for those that desire to get rid of a rival, there is seldom a better way to do so, then to label that rival, as being a clear and present danger to the society, as in witchcraft, which thus serves to provide the person or entity instigating such a charge with the benefit of no longer having to deal with that disgraced and discarded rival.  Finally, most of those that were charged with witchcraft, were females, of which, in patriarchal societies, there is a strong inclination from those patriarchs to keep a tight grip upon that power, and thus to make sure that anything or anybody that might challenge that power, be dealt in a way and manner that anyone else, would seriously have to think twice about doing so.

Basically, we find that there are often plenty of people within societies, that are the leaders of such, who when they discern that they may well be successfully challenged by another, will do whatever that they have to do, to not only stop that opponent or other entity, but also to take from the other their land, their position, their assets, and claim it thus as their own, when they are consequently successful in accomplishing their persecution of the other.   In other words, when it comes to witchcraft, or other labels of this sort, which are structured to separate society into an “us v. them” type of mindset, the objective is twofold, the first is to eliminate the opponent, and the second is to take what was theirs as one’s own.

Corporate tax abatement and the cheating of public schooling

Good public schooling, which is so necessary in order to have a continual well-informed and well-educated population, is obviously something in which the proper funding of, as well as the requisite infrastructure of, will pay significant dividends in the future, for thus having a literate as well as an engaged public, who clearly then understand the importance and value of civic virtue.  This would seem to strongly suggest that all activities that promote as well as to provide valued funds to those public schools are a net benefit to society; whereas, those activities and decisions which unfairly take away from the funding of public schools should be seen as a tragedy for that schooling.

It has been said, that property taxes typically provide about 60% of the funding for public schools – which signifies that because property taxes are of such importance to those schools getting the funding that they so need, that anything that unfairly reduces the burden for some, such as corporations, and then removes that funding from ever reaching the public schools, because those corporations have received favorable tax abatement, should be not only actively discouraged, but in every single case, be very closely examined as to whether or not there is any tangible worth in even doing so.

Those entities that control the purse, in the sense that they are the ones that offer meaningful employment to the citizens of a given community, know that the lure of those jobs, and of that economic activity, is going to be of a real enticement to any community’s governance and the decisions, so made, thereof.  After all, most communities have a strong desire to not only be vibrant and hence be a desirable place to live for their denizens, but they are also future oriented, and thus are longing to see that their community is not only competitive in regards to other nearby communities, but also has a plan in place, that demonstrates true vision and purpose.  That is why, those corporations that promise all sorts of jobs, and all sorts of benefits, that only want in return, some favorable property tax abatement, as well as some necessary infrastructure improvements, often seem to be, in whole, a fair bargain.

The thing about corporations, and especially those corporations that are highly successful, with a core of very intelligent and adept professionals that know their business and their objectives through and through, is that this is never going to be a fair negotiation between that successful corporation against those that are the civil servants of that community, who typically are not well versed in this general type of negotiation, and often fail to do a thorough due diligence about not only the terms and conditions of the deal, but also to take into full account the overall impact of favorable property tax abatement for those said corporations.  Indeed, what seems to be lacking from the equation is that whenever corporations don’t pay their fair share of property taxes, this then is going to present a situation in which the school budget will get ever tighter or lower, to the probable adverse effect of the education of those students.  In sum, it seems a real shame, that for-profit corporations that receive favorable property tax abatement, will often leave public schools stressed and hurting, and their students then with a real raw deal.

The suffering servant

There aren’t all that many people that truly want to be servants to another, or if they do, certainly then not on a permanent or on a consistent basis.  In fact, a lot of people look down on those that serve as being, in a strong sense, beneath them.  Further to the point, a lot of people put forth the concerted effort to thus place themselves into a position in which they do not have to serve others; signifying for them, that they will thus be in the pole position to be basically served by others, because of their position or their wealth .  So then, it would seem, that when it comes to both serving as well as being the suffering servant, there are few that feel that they are called to be that type of servant, ever – thereby, suggesting for a lot of folks, that those that are the suffering servants, are there, because of their innate failure or perhaps bad fortune or some inexplicable reason.

As might be expected, in any construct in which the belief is that what we so have as our status, or our achievements, is ours to own – it thus makes it rather straightforward to see those that are in servile positions, as being in a place then of primarily their own making.  This basically then also signifies that when it comes to power, to listening, and to the governance of a given society, that the people that make the decisions, are pretty much going to come from a place of success, or of accomplishments.  That is to say, the pundits on TV, the politicians that we deal with, are almost exclusively going to be people that have the accouterments of success, and therefore will perceive the world in a way that fits the status of their own life as well as those that they primarily congregate with.

This thus presents us with a world in which the suffering servant not only does not have a voice, but is effectively seen as an entity that deserves no voice.  Regrettably, this creates a situation, in which there is seldom room for improvement, because that which needs to be improved upon, is effectively being dismissed and ignored.  In truth, each of us deserves a voice, and those that are the most suffering amongst us, deserve such a voice, more than most, because they are so often, unheard.  It is those then, that take the time to listen to the un-championed, the forsaken, the forgotten, and the ignored, that are taking then the very first necessary steps to engage that which needs to be engaged; for what has been forgotten by society, is that the suffering that is part of society, which we care not to see, is often a fair reflection of the errors, injustice, and unfairness contained within that society.  That is to say, the suffering servant, exists and will continue to exist, until their story becomes part and parcel of the fabric of the society that we are an integral part of; signifying that it is our duty to not only pay attention and to give time to those so suffering, but also to do our part to relieve such, by correcting that which fundamentally gives credence to the belief that it is okay not to be our brother’s keeper.

The body does not give us life, for we are all immortal souls

A lot of problems that humankind have to deal with, can be accorded to their failure to properly understand that the physical body is not the real you – it never has been and it never will be.  Each of us, whether we so desire to believe such or to not believe such, have as our essence, our respective immortal souls.  This thus signifies that in reality, there is no birth and there is no death, and never will there be for any one of us.  That said, because so many of us seem to almost exclusively identify so closely to our body, there is a general belief that we are our body, and therefore for many a person, their main concern is paying homage to their own body, above virtually everything else.

When it comes to the truth, as well as to our priorities, it has to be recognized that for all those that do not understand their true nature, that they are going to, more times than not, concentrate more often upon those things and activities that probably do not represent the best usage of their time or of their mind.  In other words, those that think wrong, are going to be far more inclined to do things that are damaging to not only their own soul growth, but also damaging to those that they congregate and interact with, throughout life.  After all, those that have not taken the time to examine their own life, or care not to, are basically going through life with a misunderstanding of what life on this planet, represents.

In this world, each of us is going to be thoroughly tested, so as to give us the fair opportunity to determine as to whether we so desire to primarily concentrate upon that which represents selfishness, injustice, and self-centeredness, or whether, on the other hand, we desire to do our fair part to make this world a better place for our participation in it.  Because each one of us has been gifted with free will, what we do or do not decide to do, is at our volition.  Those then, that consistently listen and then comply  to that still, small voice, within, are going to be in a far better position to make the type of meaningful decisions and corresponding actions which will truly reflect that we are all in this together, as opposed to those, that listen only to their own ego and its desires.

There are many things, and many stages that our individual bodies will go through, in this experience of life on earth.  Indeed, some of those things that happen to us will be hurtful, hateful, tragic, and damaging to our body as well as to our psyche.  Yet, through it all, our soul survives and will ever survive, because the nature of our being is immortal.   So then, fear not, for we are not the body, but rather, we are the immortal soul, temporarily encased within a physical body for a finite amount of time.

Build more underground

There are a multitude of ways to travel from one place to another, of which, to a very large extent most traveling, with the exception of some very dense cities, is done above-ground, so done through walking, biking, vehicles, buses, waterways, airplanes, and things of that ilk.  While there are many advantages to traveling above-ground, there are also some major disadvantages, as well.  For instance, that which is built above-ground is typically going to have to deal with all the complexities of other people so being in the same general vicinity, in addition to all the other forms of transportation in the area, as well as buildings that occupy space, and then there is the infrastructure of all sorts, which thus in total, lends itself to all the delays, interference, and collisions that can occur when all of these various things, are compelled to interact with one another.  Further to the point, that which is built above-ground must also deal with the weather, which can, in and of itself, create dangerous and damaging conditions.

The first convenience of having a given structure being built underground, is that, we do so find that pretty much for the most part, that weather is a non-factor; in addition to the salient fact that the natural insulating properties of the earth, lends itself to a temperature that is neither too hot or too cold.  Additionally, when it comes to a form of travel, those that build things underground, have the ability to tunnel under rivers, or to tunnel under or through mountains, and basically also to not be overly concern about interfering with any of those structures that have built above-ground.  So too, though structures for habitation or for storage or for security can also be built underground, for the most part, a lot of that which is currently underground is specifically built as a way and means to transport people readily from one place to another, such as through a subway, a tube, a metro, or an underground railway system, which because these forms of transportation don’t have to worry about pedestrians crossing their pathway, or weather-related events, or of any of the basic obstacles that we so find above-ground, makes for a very efficient means of transportation.

It seems that we are so used to building above-ground, that society has somehow failed to recognize that buildings aren’t limited to having to be built above-ground, but can at least have a meaningful portion of such be built underground.  So too,  far more infrastructure of all types  could be engineered from the get-go to be structured underground, as well as also prioritizing that more transportation be built underground.  Also, in consideration, that each year we see more and more people moving from rural or backward areas into megacities of all types, it thus behooves society, in general, to take into fair consideration that a ready solution to accommodate all these peoples in a more efficient way, is the better way to go, of which, more underground usage of all types thus needs to be planned and subsequently accomplished for our transportation and logistical needs.  In short, we should build more underground, which will make for a better and more efficient usage of all the space that we so have.   

One life, one experience, think again

Western nations are guilty of all sorts of sins, of which, way too often, the people within those nations desire to see life broken down into binary bits; such as, good and evil, life and death, heaven and hell, and so on and so forth.  In this dynamic, many people really do believe that upon our physical death, we either go to heaven for eternity or go to hell.  Further to the point, those that don’t believe that humankind has a soul, simply believe that death is the annihilation of the person.  In short, it’s absolutely pathetic how many believe these delusions, which is a reflection of how spiritually lazy, far too many of those in western nations are; for apparently many a person does not care to contemplate the actual meaning of life, by devoting the worthwhile effort to ponder upon such.

It seems somewhat incredible, that humankind, from a scientific level, believes that there is such a thing as evolution, for fauna as well as for flora – but somehow are also able to believe, that each individual human life, consists of just one span of, 85 good years, if we are so fortunate, or thereabouts.   The problem with this mindset, in which there is an orthodox belief that we have just one life and therefore just one experience on this good earth, is that, quite frankly, this can’t possibly be correct. After all, look at all the advantages that some people are so fortunate to be born with or to have, and correspondingly, look at all the disadvantages that so many suffer from.  Further to the point, clearly, this isn’t a level playing field, and therefore because it isn’t a level playing field, it just doesn’t seem fair that some people are obviously going to be birthed into situations in which a very favorable outcome for them is in the cards, whereas so many others are left with the short end of the stick.

As much as people desire to believe that we go to heaven, or by our actions are sent to hell – the truth of the matter is that we grow to heaven, and therefore this signifies that we get opportunity after opportunity, incarnation after incarnation, to prove our mettle so as to get to where we are destined to be.  That is to say, life is not just one experience, but rather consists of a cycle, within this earthly plane, of birth, death, and then rebirth…  This thus signifies, that the death of our physical body, relieves us from being overly fixated upon our physical confinement, to recognize that our actual being is the consciousness that we have been gifted with by the very hand of God.  It is this consciousness that we subsequently take from one life to the next, from one dimension to the next, which is in its essence, eternal, and therefore not subject to a beginning or to an end.

Those then that will not learn the truth of who and what we really are, or care not to learn, or are simply hard-headed, will thereby place themselves into a seemingly endless cycle of living life after life after life, without graduating to the level that they need to be on.  The point of this life, is not only to live it well by being of service to our fellow human beings, but also to acknowledge the bountifulness of God, and finally to develop the wisdom that will thus generate for us, the escape velocity to break free of our earthly bounds.

Self-incrimination should never be admissible in a court of law

Whether or not the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, as well as the adjudicated Miranda warning, effectively means that self-incrimination or a confession is thus always permitted per United States law, has been previously determined by a multitude of court cases, which thus demonstrates that self-incrimination or a confession, made under the appropriate circumstances as outlined by the 5th Amendment in conjunction with the Miranda warning are, in fact, admissible in a court of law.  That is to say, those that confess to a given crime, whether or not this is factually true, or self-incriminate themselves, whether or not this is factually true, will typically be subject to having that incriminating statement or confession, be an integral part of their court case.

Perhaps this is the way that it should be; but what has to be admitted is that, to begin with, not every nation sees self-incrimination or a confession in the same way.  In fact, historical Jewish law, bans self-incrimination and confessions from being admissible evidence, thereby proving the point that in certain countries, that there is an inherent belief that self-incrimination and confessions have no legitimate role to play in a criminal trial.  After all, the world is full of situations in which many a person will confess to their guilt, because their mind is not right, or because they have been coerced, or because they have been intimidated or tortured, or because they are clinically depressed, or because they desire notoriety, or because they are in an untenable situation, or because they are forsaken, or even for the notoriety of such.

That said, there are an awful lot of people, that believe that anyone that incriminates themselves or confesses to a crime, should most definitely be held accountable to that crime in a court of law for having made that admission.  Yet, recognize that there are multitude of ways that an incrimination can occur, or a confession be made; of which, none of these ways can be, in absence of supporting evidence, be determined to be actually the whole truth, of which, a criminal trial should always have as it basis, a determination to get to truth and fact.  That is to say, there are those people that claim that they are God or Christ, or some other senseless nonsense, of which, these claims are typically relatively easy to prove as being false.  So too, not everything so stated by anyone, should be believed, without suitable questioning and evidence behind such, so as to ascertain then its veracity.

Further to the point, any criminal trial, in which the guilt of the defendant is primarily built around that defendant’s confession, isn’t really a trial, at all; but basically, this is a “show trial”, so meant to get the result so desired in accord with the public perception of what has occurred, without the true facts of the case, getting a fair shake, whatsoever.  Remember this well, not all that glitters is gold, and not everyone that confesses to a crime or admits to this or that, has actually done so; for they may have been coerced into saying such, or they might be hopelessly confused  or inept– which is why criminal trials should always be about the search for truth and to determine facts, and thus not to be reliant upon confessions, whatsoever.

The rich don’t ever pay their fair share in taxes

It can be said, that just about nobody desires to pay their taxes, especially when the perception is that the tax edifice is unfair, uneven, and clearly favorably applied to those that are the most powerful well-placed individuals as well as also the same consideration being in place for well-heeled corporations.  The very first thing to say about taxation is that if any government truly desires to collect the taxes that it so needs to function properly on behalf of the people, then that government needs to make it their point to tax those entities that have the ready capacity to not only pay those taxes, but also that government needs to make sure that the tax code does not permit then those that are the richest and most powerful to somehow escape their fair tax liabilities.

For instance, we read at propublica.org that “The 25 richest Americans paid an effective federal income tax rate of 3.4% between 2014 and 2018.”  Further to the point, think about all of the multinational corporations that have profits in the billions upon billions of dollars, but seldom come even close to paying the relatively modest corporate tax rate, let along paying any semblance of what they really should be paying; despite the fact that corporations, are artificial constructions of the state, so meant to have been given legitimate permission to incorporate for not just the purpose to make profit, but also ultimately to provide tangible benefits to that society, which permitted their perpetual existence, in the first place.

The proximate reason why superrich individuals and corporate entities of all types do not pay their fair share of the tax freight, really comes down to the fact that these people and organizations have an undue influence upon those that are not only the policy makers but also the policy enforcers of those tax policies.  In other words, those that are very powerful are going to have a very strong tendency to do what needs to be done, in order for them to thus pay far less to the government in taxes than what they really should, so that they can thereby keep far more of the profits that they have so made.  The problem though with this sort of mindset and thus undesirable societal outcome is that those entities that can most readily afford to pay their fair share in taxes, have deliberately and with foreknowledge placed the tax burden instead upon those that represent the core of Americans, along with also burdening those of future generations with unpaid governmental deficits that one day, will have to be paid.

There are very few people in politics and in governmental positions that have the strength of character to stand up against those that are the richest and most powerful institutions in America; of which, when these representatives will not make such a stand, than the people, in whole, are damaged and hurt by such.  The rich don’t pay their fair share in taxes, primarily because they have co-opted our governance, or even worse, are themselves, in effect, the shadow government, that runs the show for principally their exclusive benefit.

To be the living poor and to be Christian

It would seem that in western nations to be poor is almost the equivalency of being a loser.  This seems to be the impression so made upon people, in which, for many a person and organization the overriding drive of their lives is to make and to have money.  Yet, for those that profess to be Christian and have actually examined the life of Christ as well as his disciples, those that have wealth seem to be on the opposite side of what Christ and Christianity represent and was always meant to represent.  After all, Christ, himself, had no material assets, and never desired or needed to have any.  Further to the point, Christ made it his point that the “Great Commission” is not a commission to achieve material wealth, but rather is a commission so structured to make disciples of many nations and peoples.

What might surprise some people is how powerful the orthodox Church, of many Christian faiths, did so become in the Christian era, in which, the church often joined hands with the prevailing political institution to thus have their corresponding power and control over the people – and seldom then were they in true service to the people.  Additionally, how is that any Christian edifice would ever desire to achieve or to acquire great material assets as if this somehow is in harmony with what Christ so characterized.  That is to say, Christ owned nothing; yet, the Christian church has billions upon billions of dollars of assets, of which, there are hundreds and hundreds of millions of people that are suffering and are continuing to suffer, each and every day, because of the lack of aid and help so reaching them.

The mission of any Christian church, should be first and foremost, to be a great shepherd to their flock.  So then, to the degree that a church needs monetary assets in order to provide that service, this most definitely has its place; but the optics of what that church has and what it truly does, should be consistent to that which believes that in Christ, we have everything that we could ever need.  So then, those churches, peoples, and institutions that have great monetary and physical assets need to do a far better job of putting those assets to work in the helping of the living poor, and far less in trying to maintain their own wealth and power.

In truth, Christ took on a vow of poverty, but so many that profess to be Christian and also have wealth, have absolutely no intention of taking a vow of poverty, themselves.  This would seem to presuppose that today’s Christian is quite good at mouthing platitudes and not so good in actually living a life of material poverty and thus having no material assets.  Perhaps this is the way that it should be, of which, each of us is fairly entitled to the wages that we have so earned or have been gifted, which is therefore ours to keep and to thereby expend as per our discretion.  Perhaps though, Christ was right, and those that permit mammon to take precedence over God, are at best, lukewarm, and thus vomited out of our Savior’s mouth.

The Libertarian party will never become a major party

There are only two major political parties in the United States, the Republican party and the Democratic party.  While there are a lot of Americans that identify as “Independent”, there is no actual political party that is the Independent party, so for all practical purposes, those that claim to be Independent, are going to end up voting typically for either the Republican candidate or the Democratic one.  There are, once one gets pass the major parties, a whole slew of Third parties, of which, the biggest of these is the Libertarian party.  Yet, the Libertarian party has so few members, in total, that with the exception of some local elections, those that run under the Libertarian party banner are primarily running as a protest vote against the two major parties.

The Libertarian party platform is contained within the saying that it desires “as much liberty as possible” and “as little government as necessary.”  One might think that with a general sentiment as being all for liberty and less for governmental interference that this would resonate most visibly with people that are successful, educated, and well-placed.  Indeed, the makeup of the Libertarian party does reflect these types of people, along with those on the pathway to that sort of perceived independent success.  After all, when we look at successful people that believe wholeheartedly that their success is built upon their effort, or their astuteness, or things akin to this, they then may well be susceptible to believing that they shouldn’t need to really pay much of anything in taxes, or to be interfered with in regards to the liberties that they feel that they are fairly entitled to.  That sort of position, has its logic, but as in many a thing, there is also the unfortunate forgetting that few of us, actually get to where we get, without having been provided some sort of assistance by other people, governmental programs, or just the basic infrastructure of this nation which permits such success to be more readily generated.

In life, there is only so far that a person that is all about their own self, and hence is self-centered and selfish, can go, without feeling some degree of pushback from other people that are members of that same society.  In other words, while we should give credit to those that are highly intelligent, motivated, clever, and that exert themselves with a good and concentrated effort upon their given goals – it has to be recognized that not everyone has the same innate capabilities or abilities within their skillset.  So that, while it can be said, that those that are Libertarian and successful, can pat themselves on their back, it has to also be recognized that there are other citizens of these same United States, in all sorts of various stages, good or bad, of their respective lives, that each of us needs to acknowledge, as well.

Indeed, there are those people that point out that they don’t really need help from anyone, and to their credit, they aren’t really wrong about that – because they are often adept at what they do, and quite accomplished in the things that they have done.  However, to believe then that we owe nothing to anybody else, or to our government, or to society, is to believe that individual achievements trump everything else; when, in fact, those that desire to be a member in good standing of society, have an obligation to do their fair part to lend a helping hand to that society, of, for, and by the people.

Earning money and making money are not the same thing

For most Americans, they make their living by actually laboring for it; for instance, from those jobs that don’t even pay a living wage to those types of jobs that compensate those that work at them at an exceedingly high rate.  The thing, though, fair or not, at least it can be said that those that labor for their living and therefore are paid through wages, with appropriate taxes taken out for Federal, State, local, Social Security, and Medicare, are people that represent the standard method of earning their money.  On the other hand, there are plenty of other people, that don’t labor for a living in any traditional sense, but instead, are able to use the medium of money to make money for them, through financial alchemy of all types.  When it comes to those types of people, it has to be said, that the money that they make, primarily comes though their ability to exploit, to be clever, and to take advantage of financial situations; and of which it is important to say, that the “work” that they so do, basically does virtually nothing to enhance or to make life better for society, at large, but in reality, represents the making of money without doing any real labor for it.

Again, those that labor for their wages in industries in which the labor that they are so providing, is helping to make society better, for example, by furnishing a service, or creating a product, or in their contribution to necessary infrastructure, and so on and so forth, are accomplishing something of real merit.  As for those others, that make their money, through those activities in which there is essentially a shuffling of money from one entity’s hand to another, with one party getting the better of the deal; doesn’t help to produce anything of actual substance for society at large, but merely demonstrates that certain people are especially adept at making money without laboring for it, by their cleverness, exploitation, and other advantages that they utilize for their expressed advantage.

The more that any nation concentrates upon or permits financial alchemy, encourages it, or does not discourage it, the more that there will become an ever higher inequality between average folks as compared to those that are especially astute at manipulating money for their own benefit.  Those types of societies are not fair, they are not just, and they pervert what it means to be free, as well as to what is supposed to be represented by equal opportunity.  There is, within any society, those rules that are written as well as those implicit unwritten rules, that good members of society make it their point to adhere to.  That is to say, there is the law and the spirit of the law, and when any society consistently permits particular entities to basically profit upon the labor of another, or to exploit the other, then what is so happening is that one party is making their money from the blood, sweat and tears from the other.  A nation that is just, would make it their point, to discourage such activity, and would also make it their point to shame those that do such.

The need to walk a mile at a minimum wage job

There are plenty of people that at some time have had to work a minimum wage job, and if they are true to that experience, then they will have the empathy for those that work at minimum wage jobs, in appreciation of what they had to experience, good and bad.  On the other hand, there are plenty of people that have never worked a day at a minimum wage job, would never accept it, if offered, at any point in their life, and have then zero direct appreciation of what a minimum wage job entails, and often don’t care to ponder upon such.

It's very easy to ignore that which we never have experienced, as well, as it is very easy to ignore the steps that are taken to bring food to our plate, packages to our door, the cleaning up of a hotel room or home, the picking of vegetables and fruits, and many other things that are hidden from our view, or that we don’t care to investigate or to learn about.  The thing about life, is that just about everyone has some moaning and gripping about their job, and their particular situation, of which, most of those so complaining aren’t really expecting any real sympathy or empathy, but just want someone to hear what they have to say, and thereby get such off of their chest.  This would signify that lots of people have heard about those that don’t make a living wage, or have to have two or more jobs, or take on some sort of additional gig job, but none of that really resonates with them, because they aren’t in the same boat.

So then, as might be expected, those that have not personally gone through the experience of working at a minimum wage, typically have little conception of what this actually feels like – in addition, to never having experienced the work conversations and politics of fellow employees that are also making that same minimum wage.  So too, those that have not worked a minimum wage job, have a tendency to discount the effort, the skill, and the work ethic that must be displayed by those so working in minimum wage jobs, of which, if they had, they might well comprehend better, that hard work, deserves a living wage.

It has been said, that the best tippers are those that themselves were servers, or are currently still serving – of which, they typically, besides leaving a good tip, also take the time to stack up the plates, and generally help clean up the table for the server.  The reason why so many that are servers and have been servers take such good care of their current server, when they are the customer, has an awful lot to do with the fact that this is the type of customer that they most appreciate, so they thus try to be that customer, themselves.  Additionally, that sort of consideration, is a way of showing respect for those that work in the service industry, of which, those then that have ever had a minimum wage job and/or have been exploited, are in most every case, going to comprehend far better, the travails then of being paid a minimum wage.

We make progress by every step that we take in the right direction

In western societies, we are surrounded and inundated with all sorts of “come-ons’ that are meant to make us to believe that no matter how long we have been doing the wrong thing, and thus suffering the consequences, so of, that if only we would wake up and avail ourselves of this one magic pill, or this one surgery, or this one this or that, that not only will all be well, but that we would be thus magically transformed, seemingly forever.  Perhaps, in some cases, this indeed does work, but the reality of the situation, is that the progress that we make in this world, is based primarily upon a sound foundation of good precepts, that we thus adhere to, and we make it our point to be true to, each and every moment of our day.

For instance, take a tree, such as a mighty oak, this tree did not suddenly become mature and strong within a day or even a week, but rather, day by day, it developed itself, slowly, inexorably, from a young sapling into something of real substance.  So then, recognize that as a tree goes through stages, and then continues to grow and strengthen for decades upon decades, that the same sort of progression is ours to avail ourselves of, by applying ourselves to those necessary and good things, day by day.

In truth, there are no shortcuts to growth in our essence, for what we so have and make through our own efforts, we have fairly earned.  Each of us is called to grow, and those that consistently ignore that calling are the very same people that regress and thus do not progress.  So too, those that recognize that calling at a later age, have then lots of ground to make up, for those that have missed their opportunity to improve themselves, must now work at double-quick speed to catch up to where they really should be at.

The choice of what we do or do not make of our respective lives, is solely ours to make.  While there are, for many a person, a legitimate excuse for why they have slipped and fallen, to thus rely on those excuses as being then the reason why a given person has not made something of merit with their life, isn’t going to do much for them.  The race that each of us is meant to run, or to walk, does not have the same starting line for all, for that is the nature of this material experience on this good earth; of which the variety then of circumstances that we so see, thereby makes for a far more interesting and compelling experience, for all.

Remember this well, each of has been gifted with free will, of which, the choices that we thus make, whether or not we wish to own up to, are ours and ours alone.  Those then, that consistently choose well, and thereby progress in the right direction, are getting ever closer to the only destination that ultimately matters; whereas, those that do not, are stuck within a construct, in which, essentially, only they can walk themselves out of, by lifting their head up, and walking, step by step, to the Light.

Direct language and euphemisms

There is many a person as well as many a nation, that when they have done something that is clearly wrong, or at a minimum, is suspect, are going to want to spin their tale in such a way that they don’t look so bad; and even better, to somehow escape any negative consequences without having to outright lie.  That is why, in this modern age, we see so many euphemisms being utilized, in which, quite frankly, the euphemism, is basically an attempt to coverup what is surely a very bad action.  For instance, torture is torture, and has little or nothing to do with enhanced interrogation, for an interrogation, properly done, is the serious and systematic questioning of another, with perhaps, enhanced, meaning that such is done through an especially skillful and experienced interrogator.  So too, there isn’t anything as alternative facts, for facts are facts, and if two supposed facts contradict one another over a particular subject matter, at least one of those so-called facts is wrong, and possibly both.

Again, the reason why euphemisms are utilized, is to escape the fair consequences of bad behavior, in which, most of the time, that bad behavior is not in question, which thus means that euphemisms are thereby used in the hope that the punishment, will be lessened, reduced, or not even imposed.  There are a significant amount of people and governments that perform bad actions, that know that having been caught in that bad action could have rather dire consequences for them; so that, in recognition that denying the obvious is probably going to be of no help to them, they make it their point, to come up then with creative euphemisms to basically disguise the reality of what has so occurred.

The words that we use conjure up mental images, so that, words that have very negative connotations such as murder, rape, coldblooded, and genocide, are thus replaced with alternative words or sayings, which are meant to be less chilling and thus less negative in the mental images that they provoke; and ideally for those using these replacement euphemistic words, perhaps provides them with the  “benefit of the doubt” for those so listening that want to thus believe that somebody claiming that their heart and best intentions were in the right place, should thus then take precedence over those ensuing bad actions, that have been exposed.

The thing about life in regards to the people that we really love and care about, along also with those that have a deep affinity for the nation that they are a citizen of, is that many a person or governmental representative does not desire to believe that what appears to have been a very bad action, is as cut and dry as it might first appear.  That is to say, we want to believe the best about our family members, as well as to believe that our country always has our best interests at heart, which thereby makes it easier then to believe in the euphemisms which when constructed adeptly, make it appear that what has so occurred, isn’t really all that bad, after all.  Regrettably, though, those that hide behind clever euphemisms as opposed to owning up to what has really happened, are the proximate reason why there is so much injustice and wrong in societies, and why it will continue to be so.