More of self, less of God

There are plenty of people who are concerned or troubled that their life isn’t working out the way that they would have hoped or wished for, of which, part of the blame, most likely lies in the fact that the more that they insist upon having things their way, and of concentrating on their own self, above all, the less room in their vessel there will be for contemplation, prayer, and for God.  That is to say, those that are all or mainly about their own self, are, by definition, not God-fearing souls, but rather have displaced God for the primacy of their own self.

 Look, it does sort of make sense, that we should want to assert our own personhood, but there is a paradox in so doing that, because the more that we count on our own self, to figure things out, and to prioritize what we endeavor to do per our own desires, the less that we are concerned about not only our fellow humankind and what we should rightly contribute to society but also the less significance that God represents in our life.  Is it any wonder, then, that so many people end up in situations in which they despair?  Those who turn their back on God and treat God irrelevantly have turned their back upon the very Entity that is only too willing to enlighten them and thereby to be an ever-present help to them in trouble.

 Each of us has been granted free will, and not too surprisingly, to have such great power, along with its incumbent responsibility, to be placed into our hands, can easily become intoxicating.  In fact, it can become so intoxicating that we lose track of who and what we really are, in essence, and because we have lost focus on the most important thing in life, we deviate from where we are supposed to go, because our life, is thereby not attuned to that North Star, whatsoever, but rather, we are attuned to our desires, be they fickle or not.

 It is a serious error, to believe that we are the measure of all things, that humankind, has no equal, never has had an equal, and never will have an equal.  This type of mindset, leads to all sorts of troubles, whether or not recognized intuitively or not, of which, because we think so highly of ourselves, we are thus handcuffed from getting the type of aid that is available to all who sincerely seek such, in order to thereby help us to overcome those obstacles that are in our way.  Indeed, all those who wonder why their unsatisfactory life is the way that their life is, have got to recognize that the type of satisfaction that they so deeply desire, but seems to be so far away, has a lot to do with the fact that, for instance, their pride, and their endless pursuit of pleasures or other misguided desires, are never going to bring lasting satisfaction, because those that put the temporal ahead of the eternal, have surely backed the wrong horse.  So then, what is needed, is less of self, and more of God, and it will be well.

Humility does not mean low self-esteem

There are those people, who get on their hands and knees, and with abject pity cry out to God, “I am nothing, nothing, nothing.”  Perhaps they believe by disavowing their importance that they somehow, will be held in great respect by God, but this isn’t true at all, for having this false sense of self, that we are nothing, betrays the vital fact that each of us is a part of the same whole, and therefore we are in collective, something very important, and thus to deny our value to God, is to take on the aura of low self-esteem which is in conflict to who and what we really are, in essence.

 So too, many people believe that humility and low self-esteem, go hand in glove, that we should therefore put our nose to the grindstone and just humbly go about our business and should not correspondingly have healthy self-esteem, because we really aren’t all that – mainly because we recognize that we suffer from character faults, such as sinfulness, vengefulness, jealousy and so on and so forth.  Look, none of us are error-free, but for all those who go about their life in a manner in which they try to be a good neighbor, and try to help make society a better place for their good participation in it, shouldn’t be people with low self-esteem, for everyone that is doing those proper things that make for a better society, should rightfully feel that they are doing valued work that is reflected in them thereby having healthy self-esteem.

 To be humble, or display acts of humility, has a lot more to do with the fact that we should be far less concerned about our status in life, or in the need to get affirmation from people that we do not really know, for rather we should go about our business of doing right, with the sure acknowledgment that those that are dutiful to the commands of God,  should therefore dismiss humankind’s opinions of who and what they appear to be, good or bad, because these societal members do not have a fair understanding of the character underneath, of which, none of this is really relevant, for those that are humble live with the expressed purpose that to stay on the straight and narrow, and not to deviate, will produce a bountiful harvest.

 The main issue that so many people have with their lack of humility or their false display of humility, is their belief that somehow in the first case, that they are worth more than the other, are more important than the other, and therefore should count more than the other.  As for the second case, this has to do with a belief that they are worth less than the other, are less important than the other, and therefore should count less than the other.  Both of these viewpoints are in error, for true humility understands who and what they are, in essence, and will not in good faith, deny those very qualities, and thereupon they conduct their lives in a way and manner that reflects that they are part of the same One as everyone else, no more and no less, which is thereby fairly reflected in their self-esteem.

Math and language

We utilize math and language each and every day, of which, the universality of such from one nation to another, is basically the same for math in every nation; whereas, language differs quite a lot from one nation to another, and even can vary quite a bit within a particular nation.  The fact that the laws of mathematics are unchanging, definitive, and universal, is the significant reason why those who are not all that proficient in English, are still able to score quite high when testing in mathematics because math is not only universal but also because math has specific rules and applications to those rules which thus indicates that the correct answer is always the same, no matter the background of the person so utilizing that math.  This means when we communicate with other people or entities in mathematical terms, there is virtually never any confusion; whereas, when we communicate through language, there is the distinct possibility of not only confusion, but also of significant misinterpretation, because language is subject to not only subjective interpretation, but also can be misunderstood.

 Indeed, if language was the same as math, our understanding one to another, would be considerably improved, because, for instance, two people can say the very same thing, but the correct interpretation of what has been said can vary considerably, of which, despite those same words, the correct interpretation differs, because of the context in which those words were spoken. This makes language the type of skill that does not always translate well when we attempt to communicate our ideas and thoughts to the other, and because language is an imperfect art, subject to error, and miscommunication, it can create situations that exacerbate our relationships, without any intention to do so, on either person’s side.  This is why it is important to understand the nuances of language, of which, even when the words so being spoken, appear to be clear and obvious, that may not be interpreted that way by the other, and therein lies the rub, for because each of us is an individual, with a different background, and a different mind, there is a lot that is spoken, that thus misses its intended interpretation.

 So then, the way that we communicate with language is an entirely different experience than mathematics, because mathematics has universal laws that are not subject to change and are not subject to a different interpretation, signifying therefore that when math is communicated from one person or entity to the other, it is received, correctly, and without need of interpretation.  On the other hand, language is a skill that utilizes symbols, of which, many people believe that the symbols so being utilized are consistent from one person to another, and while those word symbols, should ideally be consistent, they often aren’t nearly as consistent as is needed, which is part of the reason why, when we communicate with the other, that what we have so communicated, isn’t necessarily translated or absorbed exactly, which leads to all sorts of errors, misinterpretations, and miscommunication, which is why so often it appears that the other doesn’t really comprehend correctly what we have conveyed to them.

Federal interest debt and the sinking of the unsinkable

There are plenty of people who believe that the United States will exist, seemingly forever.  But what seems to have been lost in all the hoopla, of believing that the United States is the greatest nation that the world has ever known, is the fact that it does not presently keep its fiscal house in order.  We read at pgpf.org that in regards to the national debt “…interest costs in 2024 will total $892 billion.”  That amount of money is absolutely staggering as the paying of interest on what the government borrows to keep afloat is nearly $1 trillion and seemingly on an endless track to get ever larger.  Further to the point, all that money earmarked to pay that interest so due is money that is thereby spent paying the investors of that federal debt, and therefore is monies not spent on the general welfare of the people.  It is distressing, that the richest nation that the world has ever known, seems to be on an unavoidable course to self-destruct because it refuses to get its house in order.

 When it comes to federal deficits, there are legitimate reasons why a given government might well find it prudent to go into debt, so as to, for instance, spend money now on infrastructure or on education or on the general welfare of the people, or possibly to defend the nation from foreign aggressors intent upon war on us.  On the other hand, there are those monies that are ill-spent for our own endless war involvements, that aren’t even close to our shores, and for all practical purposes aren’t necessary for our participation, as well as monies spent for all sorts of items and things, that aren’t essential, aren’t prudent, aren’t productive, or are done as a favor to foreign nations, as if we have an unlimited amount of monies to just hand out, when clearly, in actuality, we do not.

 The easiest thing to do in the world is to spend, spend, and spend, with nary a care as to how it will be paid back, but rather to pass on this debt to generations yet unborn, or to burden the current generation, with the responsibility to pay the debt, by taking away from the people, benefits and needs that they have, so that they, through no fault of their own, must tighten their belts, ad nauseam.  Rather, the problem that the United States has, can be laid at the feet of all those politicians and those bad-acting lobbyists who believe that they need not be responsible to anyone or anything, and just have this government to spend monies that are being borrowed as if such never needs to be paid back with interest.

 In life, there will be a reckoning, and the enormous federal interest rate debt that the United States is accumulating year after year will have a reckoning, because what is currently happening, cannot continue to happen, indefinitely.  Indeed, this interest rate expense so being accumulated, yearly, is in its effect, transferring the wealth of the nation, into the hands of those that have their own agenda, which may or may not be democratic in nature, and might not care that this constitutional system of governance should continue to exist.

Insecurity and fundamentalism

Plenty of people have a general or even innate interest in religion thereby representing their belief in a Higher Being, in the sense that they believe there is something beyond our physical senses that is part and parcel of who and what we really are, in essence.   That signifies that many of those people will thereby search for the meaning and purpose of life, often in the institutions that are most prominently available in their community, of which, in America, that typically would be represented by churches.  As might be expected, in a nation in which the freedom of religion, is a right, there are all sorts of churches, that have all sorts of beliefs, of which, one of those types of churches are those that have a very strict and literal interpretation of the Bible, as Holy Scripture thus being inerrant, of which, those that are congregants of that type of church, are known thereof as fundamentalists.

 To believe in a literal reading of the Bible signifies that for those parishioners that there isn’t thereby a lot of room to maneuver as to the meaning of it all, because the preacher to that congregation, typically specifies what Holy Scripture does or does not mean, and seldom equivocates upon such.  There is, in a sense, a certain comfort, in the understanding that the Bible does not change with the times, and will therefore not change for the people that adhere to it, but is always the same, now and forevermore.  This thus signifies that certain things that are considered to be wrong or sinful, have therefore always been wrong and sinful, of which, fortunately, the pathway to God and God’s glory, is shown to be clear and unequivocal.  So then, in knowing this, those that believe wholeheartedly, know what they need to do in order to be a good Christian and thereby to reach Heaven.

 Not too surprisingly, those who are fundamentalists aren’t interested in change, because change will upset the construct that they believe in, and therefore they are fearful of change, because anything that would infringe upon their sincere belief, is something to be rightfully fearful of, for they do not desire to have what they believe to be in their control, to actually be something that they are susceptible to losing control of, which would thereby disrupt what is of very high importance to them.  Indeed, one of the prominent reasons why people attend church is the sense of security that the church will provide them, specifically when they know what the rules of the road are, and thereby make it their point to follow those rules to a tee. Therefore, those who believe fundamentally that the Bible is inerrant and believe that they have followed what needs to be followed to successfully reach the promised land, are not going to appreciate hearing something that disavows what they sincerely believe in, and thereby they will feel threatened by those that preach or teach something fundamentally different from their belief, which will make them feel insecure, vulnerable, and threatened, which is why those that are fundamentalists typically are very closed-minded, and thereby not readily open for change.

Free will and our responsibility to society

To believe in free will is akin to some people in believing that whatever our desire is, we should have the right to go after it, come what may.  That may seem to make sense and perhaps does make sense, but the fundamental crux of the problem with free will and our willful desires, is that all of us live within a society, and when the free will and desires of others interfere with our free will or we interfere with theirs, then there is going to be conflict, and where there is conflict, trouble is soon to follow.  This would presuppose that we need to temper our free will and our desires, with the understanding that as a member in good standing of society, there is the necessity of understanding the importance and thereby the application of some give and take within our relationships.  That is to say, to be only about our own self, and thereby to believe that the other is either subservient to our desires or of no concern, is to vacate our responsibility to be good to one another.

 Indeed, to have free will is to have a great power, and those that utilize that power responsibly, are going to have a life that is more meaningful and better, than those that ignore such soundness.  We are meant to go after our dreams but to do so with the expressed understanding that we should not desire to walk over people as if they don’t matter, to achieve such.  Rather, we need to comprehend, that a society of people that think only of themselves, or only of those that they are closest to, and everything else, is of no real concern or merit, is going to make for a society of individuals, and never of a society that represents teamwork, purpose, and the pursuit of an overarching goal that is beneficial in aggregate for all.

 It has to be admitted that with freedom comes attendant responsibilities because even those who believe strongly that they should be entitled to do whatever their heart’s desire leads them to, have got to realize in their saner moments, that our desires should be circumscribed by our duty to be civil to others, and to be dutiful to the society which has provided us with the opportunity to express ourselves in a manner that pleases us.  In other words, society presents each of us with the implied obligation to do our good part to help make that society a better place for our involvement in it; for without our contribution, as well as the contributions of motivated others, then our society would not be able to function at the level that it needs to be at, so as to provide the infrastructure and backstop that helps those that need such the most, which comes from our efforts and the contributions of others.

 So then, our free will necessitates that we respect one another and that we grant to the other, that whatever rights and prerogatives that we believe should be ours, should also be theirs – and further to the point, that by helping to build up the other, helps to build ourselves up, as well.

Oh hypocrite

To be a hypocrite really isn’t about morality, or whether a particular belief is right or wrong, but rather has everything to do with the consistency of judging people by the same standards that you would accept as being consistent with your preferences and professed belief, to, in turn, be thus judged by.  In other words, if you believe that someone who is a liar and a cheat should be exposed as being a liar and a cheat, then it would be consistent if others thereby exposed you as a liar and a cheat, as well, should you be those very things.

 So too, if you believe that gossip is harmful and not becoming of a good citizen, but yet, you indulge in gossip from time to time, then quite frankly, you are being hypocritical by your action.  Indeed, to judge another, under whatever conditions that have been set forth in a person’s mind, signifies that in fairness, other people should thereby be able to judge you along the same sort of lines and that you should have nary a complaint about such. Indeed, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Therefore, those who are not hypocrites are those who accept the same standards that they apply against other people, as being absolutely valid when applied against their own self, and thereby don’t complain about it.

 In truth, to be a hypocrite is basically to be inconsistent in one’s outlook and philosophy to the other, because it isn’t consistent to apply a standard to one person, but to claim somehow that turnabout is not fair play when it most certainly is.  So then, one way for people to reduce their hypocrisy is to be far less inclined to judge people and far more accommodating that as a people, we are subject to viewing the other erroneously, and often suffer from the inability to know everything of pertinence in regards to a particular situation, thereby not providing us with all the information that we need to formulate a fair judgment or opinion, if we were even so inclined.

 For the hypocrite, there is a certain delight in taking the superior judgment position, so that from their perspective, though they may err, they believe fundamentally that most of the time they are in the right; whereas, those others that may have a complaint or two about them, are fundamentally wrong or else out of line.  It is a truism that the hypocrite wants to believe that when they look deeply into the mirror, that they represent a paradigm of consistency when it comes to how they apply their judgments and their standards to the other, while also claiming to accept the same basis to evaluate them, in return; whereas the reality of the matter is that they are being overly generous to their self, while being far less than generous to the other, along with also being prone to adjusting their judgments “on the fly” so that they always end up smelling like roses, even though the smell that they are emanating is rather something actually quite foul

Stealth taxation

Many people believe that taxation is a fairly recent occurrence, but ever since governments have been around, taxation has been around right along with it.  The difference that we have in this modern age is the forms of taxation that citizens are subject to, include as applicable: State, city, county, excise, Federal, property, and general sales tax.  Also, it does seem rather incomplete whenever the price of goods we purchase does not include the taxes associated with it, which means that for many a purchase, the amount of money so expended is thereby greater than the retail price so listed. 

 When it comes to tax entities, we find that most of these, such as in individual States, are required to balance their budget, or at least have verbiage to that effect.  However, the biggest government entity in America is the Federal government, and its budget is gargantuan, of which, in fiscal year 2024, that budget was $6.29 trillion and the federal government did not even come remotely close to balancing its budget, and has, in fact, in the 21st century, consistently run up huge deficits, nearly every single year.

‘All those folks and pundits that claim that federal budget deficits don’t really matter because we can simply print as much money as we desire are absolutely being disingenuous, for budget deficits most definitely do matter, and the greater and more persistent such a deficit is, hurts American citizens because those deficits will eventually have to be repaid, while also exerting stress upon the value of the dollar because of those deficits, in which, the greater the deficit, the more the dollar will eventually weaken, often demonstrated through inflation, which represents that the purchasing power of the dollar has decreased.

 All of the above basically reflects that while there are those taxes that we are quite aware of, and thereby pay, reluctantly or not – that there is another form of taxation, perhaps more insidious, which is the fact that how we typically measure our wealth, as in the dollars that we have, of which, we find that these dollars are progressively getting worth less and less, and because the value of the dollar is declining, this is in its own way, represents a form of taxation.  So too, those who end up having to borrow money, through debts incurred on a purchase of a vehicle, or through purchases made through credit cards, in which, their net income is not keeping pace with the value of the dollar, are essentially suffering from a hidden tax because the money that they earn is purchasing ever less.

 So then, a fiscal house that cannot keep itself balanced is going to burden the general population, by virtue of the coin of the realm losing its purchasing power, and thereby what people earn, purchases less product than it had before, which is essentially what taxation represents, for the people have been obligated to give up more of what they have to support a government that has not the discipline or the good character to balance its own budget, straining the pocketbook of the people, thereby, through the stealth taxation that the people are unfairly burdened with.

The problem with our selfish desires

To live in a construct in which each person has the right to pursue whatever that they so like and desire, and to push aside all that they dislike or don’t desire – and to justify such because this is part and parcel of having free will, is the very reason, why the world that we live in, is filled with so much discord, disharmony, and division between us, as peoples.   Look, free will is definitely ours, and we are entitled therefore to like and dislike what we come across and to go after to our heart’s content what appears to please us.  Still, the issue is that when our mindset is built solely around our selfish desires, and thereby meets up with those that have the same sort of mindset --the end result is going to be the world as it is at present, which is far from harmony, fairness, justice, and love, that most of us, if we were sincere, would prefer to have, instead.

 This thus indicates that what we take as our identity, which apparently consists of our likes and dislikes, our desires and non-desires, our preferences, and the things that we would like to avoid, actually represents us focusing upon the wrong identity.   While we are those very things, we are also, paradoxically, not those attributes, as well, for likes and dislikes, are in a constant state of flux, of which, many a person, that has gravitated to one strong belief, finds themselves, at some future point in their life, somehow to have gravitated to the exact opposite belief, instead.  This would seem to indicate that as strongly as we might believe in something today, it may not be in our repertoire in the future, which should give us the first hint or pause that perhaps our true identity actually lies outside of our likes and dislikes.

 Indeed, the very first thing that we should desire to do, is to recognize that because we interact with other members of society, that we should therefore take into fair consideration, that what makes for the greater good is going to be overall, a better objective, than solely focusing upon our own greed.  In other words, the key component that we should be trying to achieve is doing those types of activities, that will bring better harmony and unity to one another, thereby discarding that which brings forth disharmony and division.  This thus means focusing less on ourselves and being instead more inclusive with other people, which will provide us with the benefit that other people and a good society offer us through their various skills and the caring for the other, that we will thus be better able to avail ourselves of.

 While we are entitled to be as selfish as we might desire, what we will find, sooner or much later, is that a team approach makes for a better society, because those who are vested in others and thereby are vested in their society are the type of people that are going to be more honest, more empathetic, more generous, and more of good cheer., one to another, for they see the bigger picture, and aren’t so enamored of just their own personal self.

“…God’s Kingdom is within you”

The above scripture comes from Luke 17: 21, which impresses upon our mind that we shouldn’t just believe that Heaven is above us, or that God is above us, and thereby looking down upon us, but rather we would be better served by recognizing that first of all, God is immanent in everything that we encounter, whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual.  In other words, God is everywhere, and if we only take the time, to use the concentration of our mind, and also have the patience to search diligently for God, we would thereby recognize that God is not only with us but has always been with us, from our very inception.

 We find that in Western societies, there seems to be a basic belief, for those who are God-fearing, that though God surely exists, that God is also often seen as an Entity that is beyond our tangible reach.  Yet, in essence, this is not true, at all, for God is as close to us, as our own being will accept that closeness. In truth, those who sincerely desire to find God will surely do so when they take the time and thereby calm their minds to touch God through the prism of their mind that meditates serenely upon God.  That is to say, to find God’s Kingdom, we often are going to need to remove from our mind our thinking about or our contemplating upon our everyday issues, and clear these from our mind, so that we can focus on God, and God alone.

 For a certainty, to find that Kingdom within, is not the easiest of tasks, but for those that are both diligent and motivated, we will find that which will enlighten us, and when we do so find that Kingdom within, we will be a better person, for it, because this signifies that there really isn’t a great divide between what we believe that we are, and what God is, but rather there appears to be distance between us, only because we are expending our energies in the wrong direction, or have taken a wrong turn.

 Indeed, it is vital to recognize that to find that Kingdom within, is going to make us a better and a more complete person because God is our ever-present help in trouble, who is only too willing to help guide us to the ever-safe sanctuary that God represents.  It is important therefore to believe that God exists, for that should bring us a great degree of comfort, for God is love, justice, fairness, and immortal – it is also of immense value to try to do our good part to find God, in the here and now, as opposed to waiting upon our physical demise to recognize that God was always with us, from our very first breath, until our last.

 We need then to do our good part to search for God, and when we do so, we will ultimately find God, of which, God is as personal to us, as we will permit God to be, for God is everywhere and nowhere, as close to us, as we will accept, if only we would calmly open our mind’s eye to really see and to thereby knowingly believe.

The reason for mortality

In this world, there are plenty of people who are afraid of death, for they believe, wrongly, that physical death is the destruction of who and what they really are.  Of course, when this is an individual’s belief, death is certainly something to be not only fearful of but when death also comes to the other that we care deeply about, it is quite distressing.  However, the truth of the matter is, that the real reason why so many people are fearful of death, is not just because they fear that their very existence becomes completely and irrevocably gone but also because they are afraid of the unknown, the unseen, and the undiscovered.

 The thing that more people need to understand is that our worldly existence is meant to be a “proving ground,” and because of this construct, we are provided with the raiment of a physical body, along with a free-will mind that thereby permits us to make decisions that are beneficial or not, through the actions that we take within this sphere.  We are therefore mortal in this life, because it is necessary for us to experience the fair consequences for what we think, say, and do, of which, through those consequences, we thereby learn the better way to enlighten ourselves as to the very purpose of our existence.  That is to say, we will be tested, time and time again, of which, those who learn their lessons well and thereby apply them correctly will graduate from this world into the recognition of their true immortal existence, and those who don’t will instead cycle back to this plane.

 So then, the structure of this world is real in the sense, that there are consequences which must be met, good or bad, by each one of us.  Those then, who make mistakes that do not readily correct themselves, and are also stuck within a thinking process that does not appear to be subject to change, would themselves, be living in a type of hell, if this physical life, was immortal, because they aren’t progressing, at all, but rather are becoming more fixated in a mindset that does them no favors.  This is the proximate reason why we leave one life, only to begin another, because where there is no progress, there cannot, therefore, be any growth, and without growth, we will not reach the destination that is necessary for us to accomplish so as to vacate this play of mortality.

 Indeed, the drama that we experience in this mortal life, is meant to awaken us from the stupor that precludes us from comprehending that we are immortal beings, temporarily housed within a physical body, of which, through our deeds of good, we recover the knowledge that we are in our essence, one with God.  So then, the reason for mortality is that our experience in this world is meant for a finite amount of time, to season us, thereby permitting us to know the good and bad of having free will, with the attendant comprehension, that freedom always comes with responsibilities, and those that are responsible, make good on that freedom, by doing the right thing, time and time again, thereby successfully shedding their physical raiment, for that which is divine, instead.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is ruining the joy of watching soccer

The concept behind the VAR is sound, in the sense that the purpose is to support the on-field referee in the goal of having important decisions be accurate, especially regarding offsides, goals, penalties, red card violations, and other significant incidents.  So then, VAR is to help uphold the integrity of the sport, which it does seem to have done well on behalf of soccer.  The crux of the problem though, is the utilization of VAR, and thereby the reviewing of a particular incident always takes time, which is especially problematic when it comes to the scoring of a goal, for before VAR came into play, all a player or fan had to do was see if the offsides flag was raised, or if the on-field referee indicated that there was a foul, and if not, the goal was scored.  Nowadays, with VAR, every single goal is reviewed by VAR, which means that since a meaningful percentage of these goals end up becoming non-goals, it definitely deadens the excitement of those who are the fans, because until VAR confirms a goal, it isn’t officially a goal, and therein lies the rub.

 Look, it has to be said, that the sport of soccer is played for the fans, for without any fans, as in those watching at home as well as those at the stadium, there wouldn’t be any revenue coming in.  This signifies that when it comes to VAR, it is the fans, that really should or should not determine whether they desire to continue to have VAR.  While, it is true, that without VAR, there would be more decisions that would be technically incorrect, it has to be admitted, that the on-field referee gets it right a very high percentage of the time, and seldom makes a truly gross and obvious error.

 As it is presently, one possible solution to the VAR woes is for each side of the soccer game to be permitted to make one VAR challenge per game.  That is to say, whichever side feels that an on-field decision is in error, would be able to make a challenge, and if upheld, then they would retain that challenge for another possible incident, and if wrong in their challenge, they would no longer be able to call upon VAR for the remainder of the game.  This seems like a fair compromise for the usage of the VAR because it would bring back the spontaneity of the game, which most fans appreciate and desire – along with permitting to review those incidents that appear to be in error.

 In sum, soccer is a game, meant to be enjoyed by the fans, who may not really care as to whether each decision made on the field is absolutely accurate 100% of the time.  As it stands, the on-field refereeing does a very good job of getting it right, subject to human error, and the fact is that some of the decisions currently being overturned by VAR are so close, that no human could get it right 100% of the time, of which, most of the time, those on-field decisions being made are in the spirit of the game, just fine, which is why VAR needs to be modified, for the good and continued enjoyment of the game.

The only reality is God

In the modern world, many people are absolutely convinced that everything that they see, hear, and touch is real, and anything outside of our scientific ability to measure or to surmise its existence is not real. That is to say, the reality of what we perceive is proven to us by science, or possibly through our intuition, or else through the experience that we have garnered in this world, and pretty much everything that lies outside of that domain is myth, superstition, or yet to be discovered or understood.   

 It isn’t so much that the foregoing, is wrong, though it is, but rather it is shortsighted and fails to comprehend that as real as this world appears to us, this is not the ultimate reality of the situation.  In truth, our very existence comes forth from the dream mind of God, thereby indicating that all that we interact with, in the material world, are constructs of that same dream mind of God, existing only because God is omniscient and has created this dimension for us to experience and to fairly test our mettle, in the interplay between light and darkness, of which, those that become truly enlightened, can break free from the illusion that this physical world seems to represent.

 This means that this physical world exists as a template for us to experience a physical body and to interact with one another, on a different level, with the ensuing drama of what appears to be mortality, and the corresponding loss, thereof, of immortality.  Yet, this is an illusion, for when we are fully cognizant that we are not the physical, but are made up of the eternal spiritual, instead, then we comprehend that this world is not the be-all and end-all of our existence, but merely a stopping point, for us to experience an event through a corporeal raiment.

 So too, it is presupposed that this world only exists because of the creation of human beings and therefore is dependent upon those same human beings to be present here, or else the whole construct will go up in smoke.  Rather, because God birthed this world into existence, its continual existence is controlled by the dream mind of God, and nothing else, for God is the Master of it all, for God is that eternal Light, that never burns out, come what may.

 Indeed, it is hard for many a person to believe that as real as this world appears to be, it isn’t though the ultimate reality, but rather this world exists only in the mind’s eye of God.  So then, we have to recognize that for many of us, our vision is limited to only what we do or don’t believe, and in our collective failure to pursue Truth and the real purpose of life, we get caught up in the everyday drama that passes for real, believing that this is reality and no more; whereas, in actuality, we have inconveniently forgotten that to overly concentrate on the finite, at the expense of the infinite, is to expend far too much of our time missing the forest for the trees, for the reality is that there is only that One, and no more.

The art of self-control

There are lots of things that get us into trouble, some of which are from outside circumstances, that are frequently out of our control, and then there are our self-control problems, which often create havoc and trouble for us.  Whether or not we develop the self-control to be a better and a more caring person is of our volition, of which, some people work hard at this to thereby improve their character; whereas, many a person tends to just go with the flow, indicating that the effort or lack thereof that we put into controlling our behavior, is at our discretion.

 While it has to be said that some people naturally seem to have good self-control, that isn’t as important as acknowledging that we are ultimately responsible for the control, or the lack, thereof, that we display in this life, and if we are not satisfied with what subsequently occurred because we lost control, then we need to do a better job in improving our behavior, which typically takes time, concentration, and concerted effort.  The reason that self-control is so important to each and every one of us, is because a lot of trouble that we need not get into, results from the lack of self-control, of which, on a better day, we would not have said what we said, or done what we have done, for we recognize that this trouble came from our inability to maintain our balance and to thereby do the right thing, or just to remain still.

 Indeed, just because someone provokes us, does not necessitate a kneejerk response which often just ends up aggravating the situation.  So too, when we hear something that we don’t like, or someone does something that annoys us, we don’t have to respond immediately, for we have the option to try to take into account, the perspective of what is occurring, and the importance that our response will typically be more appropriate with thoughtfulness.  After all, there are plenty of things that may initially irritate us, but given enough contemplation, aren’t really a big deal and probably never were a big deal, to begin with.

 In life, we frequently have the option, to be the bigger person, to take our time, and to think about our possible reactions, before we react, as well as the fact that oftentimes our initial thought of an appropriate response isn’t necessarily the best one or the only one at our disposal.  The choices that we make are ours to own, and before we react with words or actions, we need to consider whether our response is going to be helpful, or whether it will instead be something that will exacerbate the situation.

 So too, most of us hate it when we say or do something that annoys the other person but have done so without the intent for that to happen, signifying that we appreciate it when the other, has the strength of character, to basically just let it go, thereby controlling the situation well so that it doesn’t become a tempest, after all.  We all have the choice of how we will or will not react to others, of which, those that have masterful self-control are going to far more often than not, make good decisions, which is, if we are smart, where we should and ought to aspire to be, as well.

Targeted extrajudicial killings

America seemingly leads all other nation-states in making extrajudicial torture, as well as the targeting and the killing of people who America does not desire to see live, its distinct policy.  For many Americans, they don’t seem to understand that the actions that we take outside of the law, outside of justice, and outside of diplomacy, are the very type of thing that will eventually result in the same types of actions, being exercised against Americans.  After all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

 Perhaps, people who have been classified as dangerous terrorists, such as Osama bin Laden, should be assassinated, in which, bin Laden’s crime against America, was being the leader and therefore the man who approved the terrorist attack upon America on September 11th, which was in its own way, surprisingly effective in the amount of peoples killed and infrastructure damaged.  Indeed, most Americans would consider the killing of bin Laden on Pakistani ground, by Navy SEALs to be not only absolutely justified but necessary and heroic.  Yet, even the killing of bin Laden came with the additional killing of apparently another four adults that were also slain in that house, which perhaps is then justified, as these people being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or guilt by association.

 The thing about the targeted extrajudicial killings, assassinations, as well as torture that the United States carries out throughout the world, is that the decision to take this action isn’t vetted by any independent and transparent agency, or the United Nations, or a consortium of nations, but is done solely by the United States, and justified only in the minds of those that are the actuators of these actions. In other words, the United States kills Presidents, Dictators, Generals, terrorists, and supposed “bad actors” throughout the world and seemingly has no issue with innocent people who are killed along the way, and justifies this behavior as either payback for evil people doing bad things to Americans, or as simply America’s prerogative which they don’t have to justify to anybody.

 The proximate reason why the United States can target and carry out extrajudicial killings is that it represents the most fearsome military force in the world and because of that, they can do what they desire to do, and apparently don’t care much about the rule of law, or the rules of engagement, or just about anything.  The problem with this type of mindset is that when it is considered to be justified for America to assassinate certain people that they don’t desire to see live, or to torture them, or to kidnap them, or to harm their family members, then quite clearly turnabout is also fair play, which means that when another country, or terrorist, or some rogue agent of some sort, strikes back and does the same thing to an American – that to be consistent, America should simply just admit that what has occurred represents the prism of reality of the world as it really is. That signifies that those who insist that it is right to have a deck of 52 cards of supposed war criminals who are non-American and have been targeted to be killed,  would itself be the fair basis for some other nation-state to create their own deck of 52 cards of supposed war criminals that are American, which reflects fairly that in a world in which the United States insists it need not respect a non-American, that those disrespected are entitled to feel the same sort of way.

America's insidious inflation

Just about everyone recognizes that inflation exists, because they are cognizant that the price of goods and services that they purchase, rent, or use have gone up in price, which is essentially what inflation represents –the increase in the price of goods and thereby the corresponding decrease in the purchasing power of the dollar.  So too, we find that  it seems as if each year more and more millionaires are minted, of which, books are written such as “The Millionaire Next Door,” but, what isn't talked about so much is the fact that a million dollars simply isn't what it once was, so then those that are millionaires but aren't filling all that secure about their status, and certainly don't feel wealthy or rich, have a very valid point because when we look at the value of $100,000 back in 1964, we find that because of inflation as calculated by the website in2013.dollars.com, that in 2024 we would need $1,015,471 to match the purchasing value of $100,000 in 1964.  Therefore, a millionaire back in 1964, would certainly feel rich, because the average price of a home in the United States was just $18,900, and further to the point, one million dollars in 1964, if it kept pace with inflation, would be the equivalency of $10,154,709 today.

 When it comes to the impact of inflation, not all is equal, for there are going to be winners and losers, of which, not too surprisingly the biggest losers are represented by people that don't have any real savings, that don't therefore own a home, and typically are having to make debt payments on their vehicle and other goods– signifying that these people therefore have to pay ever higher amounts of money for rent, for groceries, for insurance, and for their car note, without necessarily having an income which has kept up with inflation, and in many a case, falls way short of.  Additionally, because the American tax system is progressive in nature, they are subject therefore to having to pay higher taxes, despite the fact that their purchasing power because of inflation, has declined.  So too, inflation for many a person, just makes it more difficult for them to stay on top of their bills, because these bills are constantly climbing, yet their income is not typically increasing enough to meet those higher debts.  Indeed, we have to recognize that salary reviews for many an employee, is only once a year, which signifies when inflation is persistent, that this is detrimental to those that have to wait at least a year to get a possible raise, which may or may not even keep pace with inflation.

 It also has to be said that when it comes to inflation, the government has all sorts of ways to calculate such, and then to state what the government claims the inflation rate is, which seems tor the most part, to understate the real inflation rate, especially for those of middle and lower income.  The bottom line is that inflation is so insidious because it hurts most those that are the most vulnerable, that thereby don't typically have any assets that are appreciating, because they are asset poor, and therefore they have to pay the piper, at an ever higher price, made worse because the governance of this nation doesn't mind inflation, because it serves as a stealth tax on those that are the most disenfranchised and thereby keeps them in their place.

Capitalism, defense contractors, and forever wars

The thing about capitalism is that companies typically need to grow their revenues and thereupon their corresponding profit, year after year, or else investors will find some other investment that fills that criteria better.  This indicates that defense contractors are going to surely be subject to the same general criteria that every other public corporation must meet, which is to demonstrate that it is growing, as well as to demonstrate that it has the means to continue to grow and to be relevant.  What defense contractors have in their favor, as opposed to those that primarily do business with non-governmental entities, is that the government pays its bills on time and is good for repeat business time and time again, along with the important fact that the Department of Defense has a gargantuan budget which doesn’t seem susceptible to being cut anytime soon.

 The fact that the Department of Defense has a budget which is nearly one trillion dollars, makes those who do business with the DoD salivate because the money pie is so huge, in addition to the salient fact that a significant amount of business conducted with the DoD isn’t really competitive, at all, but pretty much the business is going to go to a sole main contractor, subject to the usual governmental auditing and supervision, which for those that work almost exclusively with the government, means that they need not worry, because each side to the equation, understands well the unwritten rules in play.

 Perhaps all this sounds fine to the average citizen, depending upon their interest or lack, thereof, but in actuality, it should concern all citizens, because when we take a company, such as Lockheed Martin, we find that nearly 70% of its annual revenue of approximately $70 billion represent contracts with the government, of which, the vast majority of that business is specifically with the DoD.  So then, this would clearly mean that for Lockheed Martin, as well as other big DoD contractors, that war, or the threat of war, is not only very good for their business but is, quite frankly, necessary for their business enterprise. This signifies that what is good for Lockheed Martin is not then good for those who feel that we expend too much money on the military, because it seems that this isn't up for debate, which makes sense for Lockheed Martin, for without the DoD steady stream of money, Lockheed Martin would probably have to file for bankruptcy.

 Indeed, for all those who hope for diplomatic solutions and less bellicosity from the United States, this isn't going to happen, anytime soon, for the pathway that this nation is on, is one that the military-industrial-technology complex will not relent from, and no matter the circumstances they aren't interested in stagnating with yesterday's budget, but rather they insist upon an ever expanding budget, and the pathway to keep the money flowing in without too much pushback is to keep the American population nervous, by believing that some outside agency or terrorist, or nation-state is a real threat to America, which when successfully sold to the American people, makes them to believe, that all is fair, when in reality, it is foul.

Unhealthy bodies

America prides itself on the fact that it represents the best of the best in just about everything that it does.  Yet, when we take a look around at the body shapes and body sizes in America, we should be absolutely dismayed, because American obesity as well as those who are just overweight, is at serious crisis levels, which impacts negatively not only the physical aspects of living in in a body that is out of shape, but also the quality of the life of those people that suffer from all the attendant disadvantages of not having a healthy body.

 Look, it has to be said that the proximate reason why there are so many unhealthy bodies in America is that Americans do not eat the right foods and are content to eat way too much of foods that are overly processed, as well as being often nutritionally poor for them.  Further to the point, a lot of Americans do not consistently exercise, which means that they don't work hard enough and consistently enough on exercising the most important muscle in their body which is their heart --- and in considering that it is the heart that delivers oxygen and nutrients to our cells, this is a fundamental mistake that definitely hurts our physical form.

 While it is true that we should not prejudge a person by their physical characteristics, and that different environments, different genetics, and different backgrounds are going to make a difference in the body shape that we tend to obtain, it is though, up to us, as individuals as well as a society, to take responsibility for the decisions that we do make.  This signifies that we need to do more to ensure that we are doing our fair part to maintain a healthy body or else we will have a strong tendency to devolve into having an unhealthy body.

 Additionally, the very least that the governance of this nation could and should do would be to wake up from its collective lethargy, and recognize that for peer nations, America's health status does not hold up well to other Western nations; and that those then that are living lives in which their health has been compromised find thereby that their enjoyment of life has been negatively impacted, which should be properly seen as a priority that needs to be addressed for the better by the influence that governance, as well as other engaged organizations, can provide on behalf of the people.

 Indeed, our mirrors and how our body reacts to our physical movement do not deceive us, whatsoever.  We are, collectively, unhealthy, and it need not be that way, for America is the wealthiest nation in the world, and thereby needs to treat the disappointing poor health of its citizens, as a true crisis, that is worth resolving, because the direction that America is currently trending on, isn't healthy, nor is it written on stone, which is why we need those that would be our leaders, to actually lead, by fundamentally getting across to the American public, that a body that looks good and feels good, makes for a better long-term quality life.

“No universal selfishness can bring social good to all”

The above quotation comes from the esteemed mind of W.E.B. DuBois, and clearly speaks to the fact that capitalism without the powerful enforcement of vigorous governmental rules and regulations, as well as appropriate taxation enforced upon those that have more than enough money to buy the taxman, will not ever bring forth the type of society, that makes for human inclusiveness and the caring for the good of one another. 

To somehow believe in trickle-down economics and other insipid lies along this line, are going to somehow be beneficial on some level to all the people that make up this land, is a delusion, which nobody with any sensibility should ever believe in.  Indeed, those who have money and/or make good money have a very strong tendency to desire to keep as much as they can or to invest such to make even more, and though they may well have an interest in doing their part to bring forth social good, that typically isn't going to be their prime interest, at all.

It has to be said, that there are plenty of people that believe that because they earned it, or they have it, that they then should not be compelled to give up much or any of it because they feel that what they have is theirs, and fairly theirs.  So then, in consideration, that there are only so many pieces that a pie can be divided into, those who are reluctant to give up any of theirs, reflect that other people are going to come up with the short stick, time and time again.

So too, any time that an economic system is structured around winners and losers in what is principally a zero-sum game, which seems structured to downplay collaboration and cooperation, then the game is going to favor those that are well-positioned, clever, ruthless, determined, and selfish, over those that aren't as well prepared, aren't motivated primarily about money, and don't find that competition should be the be-all and end-all of our existence, at all.

A far better and a far healthier society is going to be one in which while there will still be rich people, they won't be insanely rich – and while there will still be poor and helpless people, they won't be so poor and helpless that they won't have a safety net to be there as an ever-present help in danger.  What we should desire as a people is to see more people, simply have the accouterments that make for a good and stable life, of a good job, with decent pay, and a nice home, in a safe area, along with the infrastructure that consists of good schools, and social inclusiveness. 

In any nation, in which the abiding interest of those that are the elites, is to “lord it over others,” then this is not going to produce a healthy and stable society, because that type of domination, necessitates the structure of governance exclusively favoring those elites, over the people,  which reflects thereby that this is not the land of the free and fair opportunity for all, but rather this nation's governance is clearly own by the few at the expense of the many.

End of empire

There is no other nation that has the global footprint that the United States of America so represents, and there isn't any other nation that even holds a real candle to the size, strength, and wealth of America.  This signifies that Russia, which is a nation that has a population that is less than 150 million people, while also having a GDP that doesn't even rank in the top ten, is not a real and present danger to America.  As for China, while it must be admitted that it is far more populous than America, as well as being second in GDP, it still is years away from being a true threat to American hegemony, of which, China may not be inclined to do much of anything in that area, as China smartly believes that being patient and non-bellicose is the better frame of mind to project.

The main issue as to why the American empire is in decline, really comes down to the fact, that America directs way too many of its resources and its military into areas of this planet, that doesn't really need or necessitate direct American involvement; and by doing these very things, puts America more deeply into debt, while also upsetting country after country that America does flex its muscles and bosses around, as opposed to America representing itself as a bastion of freedom, liberty, meritocracy, and opportunity through good diplomacy.

Regrettably, since America feels the need to get its hands into as many pockets as possible, and to intertwine itself into the affairs of many a foreign nation, it has exposed itself to the type of vulnerabilities that are sure to have the type of unintended repercussions which have yet to be fully realized.  Look, it has to be said, that as strong as America is, the fact of the matter is that America has neither the population numbers nor an infinite amount of military might to impose its will upon every other nation in this world, and those that America believes are on its side because of NATO, or other agreements that have been ratified, don't seem to comprehend that history is replete with nation after nation that breaks treaties at opportune moments, which thereby changes everything.

The thing that America does not seem to be fully aware of is that there are those tried and true friends, and then there are those fair-weather friends, or even those that pretend to be our friends but really aren't; so that, when the American empire beings its collapse, it isn't going to just come out of anywhere, but rather the seeds of its own destruction of that empire have been already sowed, and when that harvest comes in, the dismay that Americans will feel will be palpable, along with being quite concerning, of which, unfortunately for Americans, by the time they figure out what is really going on that empire will no longer be gradually dissolving, but will rather be subject to a very sudden and disastrous catastrophe, which will, when the dust settles, put America back to where it formerly was, or perhaps far worse, because payback is an incredibly terrible thing, but what will be, will be – because even a great empire, must in the end, pay in full what they do so fairly owe.