The rights of the people

The true purpose of a good government is for the overall benefit of the people. This thus signifies that a legitimate government is that which helps make the society that has formed that government to become better by representing well the best interests of those people, constrained only by Constitutional safeguards that sensibly protect as well as define what foundational rights that the people have. So then, to the extent that governments go about their business that detracts from their primary mission (for the people are the ones that should first be served) then the rights of the people have been diminished, for whenever our governmental representatives concentrate their energies upon agendas that are meaningful or advantageous for only a small elite or of favored entities, they have thus done a grand disservice to the people, in whole.

Those that are citizens of the United States, have specific enumerated rights, and further to the point, those rights not limited by the Constitution, are rights that the people still hold at their volition. This signifies that the purpose of any good government, is clear and precise, which is that it is the duty of conscientious governance to see that the citizens of this country, are fairly entitled to the full enjoyment of all the rights that they have been dutifully issued by that governance, and those same citizens should be genuinely concerned whenever their Constitutional granted rights are infringed or ignored by their own government.

While it is impressive that the Constitution of the United States has existed for such a long period of time – it must be said that whenever the words so written, the decisions so adjudicated, and the policing force as implemented, are in themselves, not in harmony with the Constitution, of which, these respective agencies have been sworn to protect and to uphold that Constitution, then the people thereby are not being served properly by their government.  The main issue that seems to perplex those at the highest levels of governance is their strong inclination to suffer from a very high degree of “mission creep,” in which they often try to frighten the people into believing that sacrificing some freedom for their safety is the correct and the needed tradeoff to be made.  While, safety and the defense of this nation has its place, it has to be recognized that to sacrifice one’s freedom as well as any of one’s Constitutional rights should not be something that is enforced by governmental fiat through the circumvention of our Constitution, but rather this has to be something that is voluntary and thus a choice, controlled by each person’s volition, per that Constitution.

Look, it must be said, that true freedom can be rather uncomfortable for a lot of people as well as to that government of the people, of which, whenever those that are our representatives either lose their focus on what they should be concentrating upon, or actively vacate their sworn duty to that Constitution and the people, then the people’s rights have been infringed, and thus it is the people that have lost what they and their previous generations have so nobly fought for.

Representation and the three-fifth Clause

As part of the Constitution, Article one, Section two, states that any person who was not free, would be counted as three-fifths of a free person for the determination of congressional representation. This so meant that the Southern States, received far more congressional representation because of the fact that non-free persons were accorded 60% of the value of a free person, even though they had no Constitutional rights; however, congressional representation was based upon the total population of each State, free and the non-free as proportioned. So then, at the conclusion of the Civil War, the three-fifths Clause to the Constitution became moot, replaced by the 15th Amendment, which thus permitted all those of legal age that were male, to thereby be franchised to vote. The significance of the 15th Amendment, in an era in which previously the south had 4 million peoples that had been enslaved, meant ultimately that there would be more congressional representation in the South, for each person within the South, would be equally counted as a full person, no matter the color of their skin or possible previous servitude or enslavement.

The salient problem though with the sudden status change of non-free persons that would now be counted as free people, would be, if subsequent democratic voting precluded those of color from voting, via intimidation, or the enforcement of prejudicial and spurious voting laws, which would mean that the South could then revert back to not only being controlled by the elites of plantation society, but that because the numbers of those so living within the borders of these Southern States, black and white, now counting for representative purposes as each being a full person, thus meant that the Southern collective representation would become greater in the House of Representatives.  Indeed, while initially, the Southern States actually did have people of color being their representatives on a Federal, State, and local level, it was not too long, before those with real money and historical power asserted themselves to essentially take back control of their respective domain, thereby annulling not only the franchise of people of color, but also in the finding of additional innovative ways to exploit those that were formerly slaves.

Indeed, it must be said, sometimes the very best legislation, so meant to protect and serve those people that have historically being abused and harmed, actually ends up being utilized in a way and form that in some respects, makes things even worse for those that were already unjustly suffering a great deal to begin with.  To a very large extent those of the North, lost the will power to do right by those that they freed, which pretty much signified that the majority of those in the North, thereby enacted a form of benign neglect, which ultimately meant the fate of those that were formerly enslaved was left, in essence, with those that had been their slaveholders. 

The proximate problem then with democracy, is that when those that are legally entitled to be franchised, are essentially precluded from being able to vote, then the result, thereof, is going to favor those that are franchised who will thereby get enacted whatever pleases them, so done to the detriment of all those that are unrepresented, and powerless.

United States as a rogue nation

The United States is in essence, an empire – and as an empire it thus believes and clearly does demonstrate by its behavior that America feels that certain particular rules, regulations and laws don’t apply to it as a nation-state, which does not therefore set a very good example, at all, for other countries to look up to.  Indeed, America seems to be saying, that the most powerful nation in the world, is essentially above international law, and can, if it so desires, circumvent laws and conventions that are applicable to other less powerful nations. Additionally, America imposes its power so as to influence or to compel other nations to follow its lead on issues of most importance to the United States.

There are international organizations of some importance, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, and many others, that the United States is a member of. Yet not all nations are equal within these respective organizations, which perhaps is both sensible and wise, but also does though create a serious issue when there is one powerful member of such an organization that precludes sensible legislation from being passed or enforced. So then, it is fair to state that in certain organizations that the United States are a part of, that the United States of America clearly has the power to stop legislation that they don’t approve of from ever being passed, as well as also there are other organizational legislative acts that America can simply determine that they will not ever attach their signature to, no matter how popular or reasonable such a particular legislative act is.

So then, it would seem that from any reasonable outside perspective, that when it comes to these world organizations which are meant to be of benefit to the world -- that America can often be fairly perceived as a nation that does not play fair, of which, it so follows that any nation that insists that the rules don’t apply to them, but should still routinely be applied to others, must in fairness, be considered to be a rogue nation.

In actuality, it doesn’t make any real sense to believe that international organizations are going to be able to resolve the most critical issues of the world, if there isn’t some sort of reasonable and sensible level playing field, for country representatives to debate issues upon. After all, at some point, many a reasonable nation will tune out of a debate, if their perception is that it is all a bunch of talk and never one of action, because the subject so being discussed has had its outcome predetermined by one particular nation. Indeed, in any organization of merit, there needs to be a meaningful forum of debate, of which, the very point of that debate is to help come to some reasonable resolution that is sensible and fair for all parties involved. However, that debate is going to be moot or undercut when there is any one nation, which can simply vote it down, either explicitly or implicitly, each and every time that it disagrees with the majority.  So too, it would be one thing if America were known for making principle stands, but in truth, America just wants to have its way, while providing just the pretense of being an equal and fair member in standing.

Be rich in virtue

There are all sorts of things that a given person can concentrate their efforts upon – of which, some of those very things are virtuous and some of those things are not. So then, what an individual becomes has a lot to do with the effort that they put into what they devote their time, planning, and energies to, perhaps for the better, and perhaps not. What must be recognized, though, is that as sovereign individuals we are responsible for our own development and maturement -- and hence the ensuing result thereby, thus represents what we own as our character.

To be rich in virtue, is the wisest choice that anyone can ever make, for those that are virtuous, often have that virtue live on beyond them, because virtue consists of attributes such as integrity, courage, consideration, fairness, forgiveness, and empathy, which are the vital characteristics that help to make society a better and a more vibrant place. Because society learns not only from their own personal experiences but also from others that are part of those experiences, we know then for a certainty, that societies that have more people of good character, thus make for a better future for those that are members of such and hence that virtue lives on.

Regrettably, though, when many a person thinks of what really matters, they often think of being rich in money, and for those that concentrate upon the making of money, by any means so necessary, they are going to be strongly inclined to be not particularly virtuous, especially in those cases in which by being virtuous, they will thus miss out on the getting of that money.  On the other hand, those that are rich in virtue, are those that not only have their priorities right, but recognize also that the very characteristics that make for the best of civil society, are based upon the people thereby behaving in a conscientious and virtuous manner. Indeed, all those that live within a dog-eat-dog world are not living in a world which prioritizes virtue, and hence that world will not be all that fair or civil, for the people that reside there.

So too, for those that complain about how unfair a given society is, what they are really saying is that the society that they are a member of, is not all that virtuous – for a virtuous society, really does take care of its own, because they see themselves as being part of the whole.  To be virtuous then, isn’t really so much about an option or a lifestyle choice that is nice to have, but rather it is a mindset that is associated with the best of humankind, and those that lead by a good example, are the best type of people for a given society to have as its members.  We are meant to be virtuous because we are meant to be good, and those that are virtuous are those then that care to do the right thing, even when tempted by outside forces or a weak will to do the wrong thing, for to be virtuous, is to not only hold the line, but to stand strong, come what may.

Mindful instruction and mindless obedience

As human beings it is our responsibility to develop our minds to thus be and to thereby become something of substance with the knowledge that we have obtained. After all, as free will beings we are provided with the opportunity to become something of merit and of value in all that we say and do, by applying ourselves diligently to the most important tasks at hand. Indeed, some of us are very responsible in how we utilize and develop the talents so gifted to us, whereas others do an awfully poor job, for whatever reason.

The proximate problem with not developing our mind and therefore not utilizing well our free thinking and thus our volition, is that which is unused or seldom used, is susceptible to others, utilizing their persuasion, or power, to take what is rightfully ours as if it was an extension of their own self. That is to say, there are those human beings that stand tall on their two feet, and then there are those other human beings that metaphorically get down on all fours, to be led then by those that instruct them as to what they need to do.

Indeed, those that will not exert their own volition, perhaps because they have not developed well their mind, or are acutely slow of thought, or are damaged by drugs or other issues, are thus at the mercy of society and the members of such, who will thus exert their own control of those that have wittingly or not, ceded that control. In other words, all those that behave as if they are no more than an animal are going to be positioned into the unenviable position of being treated as an animal, in which they will thereby be led to where that person who is effectively in charge of that animal, so permits and desires.

So then, to live a life of mindless obedience is for humankind, quite a fall from where they really ought to and should be. As human beings, we have been created so as to give us the opportunity to subsequently demonstrate how learned and how wise we have become, by the proper usage of our free will, so done, as our fair part to help make society a better place for our participation in it. Those then, that have forsaken their free will, are clearly not progressing, for they are, at best, hoping for a free ride to a destination that is acceptable or tolerable, and not much more.

While there is always a place for humility as well as for respect, it is not humility when we will not straighten our back when we should be straightening out our back and thus standing tall. So too, it is not respect, when we obey through our abject obedience the commands of another person, as if that somehow is our ultimate duty or our inborn instruction, when it surely is not. Remember this well, we are not meant to be beasts of burden, but are supposed to live up to what a human being actually is, which is a person with a conscience, meant to be open to sensible learning, and thus instructed to the degree so necessary so as to have the right tools to thereby express through rightfully applied volition, the drive to achieve notable success.

God is love

The very first thing to recognize about the humanity of this world, is that each one of us has been gifted with free will and the free volition to do whatever that it is that we so desire to do, good or bad, beneficial or not with such  This thus signifies that the discord, disharmony, and dissatisfaction that we so often feel within our own lives or see around us, has naught to do with God, and everything to do with our interactions and interplay with others. In other words, the world that we are an integral part of, reflects the rights and wrongs, that we so do one to another, and is not a reflection that somehow God is asleep at the wheel.

Look, there would not be a challenge for any one of us if we were automatons, but rather we are provided with the gifts so needed to do whatever that it is that we so do, of which, this world, subsequently fairly reflects how we have utilized those precious gifts, so granted to us.  This means that any disappointment that we feel in this world, and of what surrounds us, is because we have not displayed within our thinking and our subsequent actions, the characteristics that are consistent with love, goodness, compassion, empathy, and concern for the other. Indeed, the troubles that we have in this world, reflect the troubles that we have interrelating with one another in a courteous and responsible fashion and can only be successfully resolved by those that demonstrate the wherewithal to utilize their volition in a more sensible fashion.

Humankind is particularly good at pointing their finger outward at all sorts of things and areas that reflect what is wrong with society, and not so good at pointing their finger at their own self. Each of us has influence on what society does or does not become, so that, big or small, whatever that we so do, ripples through the eons of time, so making a difference in the outcome of societies, for better or for worse. So too, the chances that we so get, are seemingly endless to correct what needs to be corrected, because that which is wrong, must at some point and at some time, be made right, for that is our revered obligation to the responsibility of having consciousness.

It must be said, that life most definitely has a purpose, of which, it is our obligation to first find out what that good purpose is, and then to do what so needs to be done to live up to that purpose, by our mindful thinking and the valued actions that we so perform.  This signifies that each of us has a responsibility and therefore a valued duty to take it upon ourselves to make this world a better place by our participation in it, so demonstrated by consistently doing the right thing, and avoiding then those actions which are detrimental to a good and upstanding society. Remember this well, God is love, and therefore God has all the good attributes of love, and if we would want to see our society to be a better place, we need to take the baton so handed to us by God, and thereby run that race to its successful completion.

Las Vegas Raiders home games should start at Midnight on Saturday

The National Football League (NFL) is not permitted to have games on either Friday as this conflicts with High School football games, or on Saturday as this conflicts with College football games, per the anti-trust agreement enacted in 1961. The thing is though that Saturday officially ends at midnight, and thus games could be played at midnight, if the NFL were so inclined to do so. When it comes to cities that are open 24/7, the city that many a person considers to be the epitome of being open all night long, as long as there is money to be made and money to be spent, is Las Vegas. So too, in Las Vegas, for many years, Saturday night has been considered to be fight night, because the hotel industry, which essentially is a duopoly, between MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment desires strongly to have those so visiting their city to be booked for the entire weekend to see the big event, as opposed to tourists coming into town so as to take in an NFL game on a Sunday, and then leaving the very same day.

When it comes to a televised NFL event starting at midnight, one must take into consideration that the West Coast of America consists of about fifty-four million people, of which, some of those people, might very well be interested in watching a live NFL game at that time period. The only tangible way to find out though would be to televise a game at midnight. Additionally, the only way to tell how well the attendance for a home game for the Las Vegas Raiders would be at midnight would be to have a game at that time. So too, the only way for Las Vegas to know whether a Raiders home game at midnight is better for their overall revenue and foot traffic would be to have a home game at that time. It would therefore then seem rather logical to at least test out the theory and see if the result would be something that was beneficial for Las Vegas or not.

Indeed, Las Vegas is not a normal city, for it keeps its lights on as well as the drinks flowing, all throughout the night and well into the wee hours of the morning, of which, a game at midnight, may well be the type of event that would get the party started or keep the party going, and therefore then have many a person expending more money to enjoy the watching of such.  It must be said, that the overall interest in a midnight game would probably be as good or perhaps better than those games currently being played in Europe, which begin at 9:30AM ET, which is 6:30AM on the West Coast.  It would seem that having a game at midnight, would encourage those that are natural night owls to take in a live sporting event, that would thus extend the evening for them, which seems superior to expecting people to rise up bight and early on a Sunday morning, to take in a game that isn’t even been played within the Continental United States, and because of its early start, would seem inappropriate then to start the party so early in the day upon.

Tax “nonprofit” universities

Taxation is a way and form for the government (local, county, State, and Federal) to get its necessary funding so as to take care of those necessary things on behalf of the people that our governance so serves. This would seem to strongly suggest that those organizations so designated as 501(c)(3) charitable  establishments should be carefully and periodically reviewed, because any organization, no matter how perceived, that does not pay appropriate taxes to the tax authorities, quite obviously means that more of those taxes must so be paid by those that are the taxpayers, no matter how burdened that these taxpayers actually are, at the present time.

Look, it has to be said, that most people, organizations, and corporations aren’t thrilled about paying their fair share in taxes, but the paying of their fair share is not only their obligation but should be seen as their patriotic duty. This so signifies that those entities that are especially skilled in the not paying of their fair share of taxes, including nonprofit universities, are in their own way, “cheating” the American public that they are an integral part of. When it comes to nonprofit universities, there just doesn’t seem to be a good case for why they so receive such favorable tax treatment by the taxing authorities, of which, it would be one thing if those universities were traditionally run with a very strict budget that first and foremost, did everything possible to provide that higher education to qualified students at the lowest possible price point, but that isn’t typically true, at all.  Rather, universities seem to be quite adept at making all sorts of money, in all sorts of ways, through for instance, academic research combined with  strategic corporate partnerships which benefits both that corporation as well as the university, but does not even indirectly benefit those taxpayers that are stuck having to pay more than their fair share to subsidize the university.

When we look at property taxes it sure doesn’t seem right, that these nonprofit universities, that implicitly get the benefits of what those property taxes help pay for, don’t contribute any cash to them – especially when we consider the fact that a lot of these universities are situated in very desirable areas, that would normally produce a healthy amount of property taxes for the government, if there were some other entity, that was not so designated as a nonprofit.

Indeed, most universities are filled with highly intelligent and credential people, so we shouldn’t be surprised then, that some of those people make it their point to do whatever that they can so do, that thus sells to the general public all of the benefits that they supposedly get, by virtue of these community-based universities being nonprofit and hence not susceptible to much of the taxation that other companies and people, must pay. The fact that universities don’t bother to pay, in many a case, what needs to be paid for valued municipal services, is a crying shame, made ever worse, by the salient fact that some of these same universities, have endowments in the billions of dollars, but somehow won’t do their good part to pay their fair share of taxes, but instead lean on regular folks to pay it for them.

The purpose of knowledge is to perform good deeds

Each one of us has grown up with those few and select people that are considered to be highly intelligent, and that seem to know an awful lot about an awful lot of things.  Yet, despite their apparent brilliance, not all of these super-bright individuals actually end up having successful or purposeful lives.  The reason that this is so, is because it is in the application of our actual knowledge that is thus determined as to whether or not what we know, is actually something that has brought beneficence to others or whether it has actually brought harm, instead.  That is to say, just because someone is very knowledgeable, isn’t in and of itself, necessarily a good thing, for there are plenty of “evil geniuses” in this world.

For most of us, we are at best, going to be fairly knowledgeable, but obviously aren’t going to know everything that there is to know, because there simply is too much to know.  That shouldn’t though pose a real problem for us, because we aren’t expected to know about everything, but rather we are expected to take our knowledge that we have acquired and our good learning, and thus do something of value with it.  Additionally, it is our responsibility, once we graduate from school and thus finish our formal studies, to be alert enough and interested enough to continue our education on our own, because those that don’t, surely miss out on a valid opportunity to learn about things which will not only keep a given individual current and up-to-date, but also to take in knowledge which is of worth to them.

So too, there are those certain people that have exceedingly good “book knowledge” but if all a given person has is book knowledge which remains unapplied, then that knowledge is only of minimum value, for the true purpose of knowledge is to do something of merit with it, as opposed to simply to know things, but not to apply such.  Each of us is expected to do the best that we can with our talents, and those that insist upon burying or ignoring their talents, have done so to their own diminishment.  It is in the application of knowledge, so done for the betterment of society, that we prove the worth of having obtained that knowledge.

In life, some of us are fortunate enough to have valued mentors, or good parents, or great teachers, and some of us, not so much.  Yet, for those that lack good exemplars to follow or to imitate, they still have the opportunity to pick up a book and to acquire knowledge by learning well what is inside of that book.  It is thereby truly up to each one of us, to make the effort to learn and to acquire knowledge, while also being discerning in what we concentrate our efforts upon, for not everything that we end up knowing, is actually of value.  Then, it is our responsibility, to take what we know which is of value, and to utilize that knowledge in order to help make this a better world for our good participation in it.

Who rules America?

Those that live within America, really want to believe that America is a nation of, for, and by the people, which thus would signify that the entity that rules America, are the people that populate this nation.  This though, is simply not true, for the average person, intuitively recognizes that few things in regards to the ruling of America, that happens in and around them, of actual significance, is consistently in agreement with their voice or with their desires; but rather they know for a certainty that their opinion hasn’t made any material difference to what has so occurred around them, at all. 

It would be one thing if our elected representatives, as well as the law and justice so imposed, was to the general liking of the people in America; but often, there is a serious disconnect between what we as a people want or expect, and the actuality of how such is applied within America.  It just seems like the people have no influence upon what the military does or does not do, or what major corporations do or do not do, or basically what our representatives, do or do not do.  Perhaps that is the way that it should be, because we as a people are busy, so basically by electing our representatives we have done our part, and the rest of what we see as the result, is up to them.  So too, in a capitalistic society, we just take it upon faith, that corporations have our best interests in mind, for the pursuit of profit, is the way that countries grow their economies, of which seemingly, some of those corporate profits thus trickle down to the people.  As for the military, or the policing within this nation, we are told that this is necessary for our protection and our safety.

Yet, whether we as a people are satisfied or not, we have to admit in our most honest moments that it just seems like our vote, and our viewpoints, no matter how political or apolitical that we are, just doesn’t seem to make much of a difference, at all.  In other words, this nation is run at a particular level, that we are not a part of and never will be a part of.  This should concern us, because it would seem that what really goes on in America is not only beyond our grasp and control, but is also beyond our sight and knowledge.  That is to say, we are ruled by entities that don’t care a whit about what we want or are concerned about, but rather care only about maintaining or augmenting their power, in their pursuit of what satisfies them, come what may.

The most important decisions that are made in America, that have a lasting effect not only upon the here and now, but also upon our future, aren’t made by ordinary people, at all.  They are made in the executive offices of powerful corporations, with the tacit approval of those that represent us, and in conjunction with the desires of those that control the guns and ammunition of America.  There is a powerful elite that runs the show, connected one to another, that are strategically positioned to get done what they so desire to get done, and we aren’t actually people with a voice, but merely are subjects to be manipulated and ruled.

Why Corporations hate democracy

Democracy is best defined as a government of, for, and by the people, so exercised through the representatives duly elected by those people.  That seems to suggest that democracy is a very good form of government for those that believe that the people should have a real voice and a real power within that government, that they are not only members of, but have approved such as their government into its very existence.  The problem though for those that are obsessed about power and money, is that a true democracy, by definition, is hard for those that are the corporate elites, in conjunction with their loyalists as well as their devoted minions to always thus to be able to mold and thereby to direct that democracy in the manner that best suits those corporate interests.

When it comes to the corporate making of profit, of money, and of power, those that have it, almost always want to have more of it, and if these top corporate executives somehow aren’t obsessively interested in such, or are poor performers in doing what so needs to be done to get that money, then they will be surely replaced by those that will not hesitate in doing so.   We live in a world in which while America is still the biggest economic nation, it though represents less than 16% of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  So then, corporations, the world over, recognize that the most sensible path to extract growth and the profit that comes along with such, is to deliberately and relentlessly seek profit from foreign lands and foreign peoples, of which, in order to perform such, those foreign nations must have some reasonable form of “open borders” which permits thus not only the selling of American goods to them, but also the manufacture of same within them, as so desired and directed by those corporate interests.

In short, when it comes to foreign lands, it is highly inconvenient if those lands have a strong representative government, and of which the domestic people within that land, are content with their lot in life and do not desire to be “strong-armed” by outside interests or to be exploited by same.  For corporations to hear or to have to deal with such a viewpoint such as that, is anathema to them, for they want what they want, which thereby means that they have no interest in supporting or doing serious business with those foreign lands which are strongly democratic in principle, for this will typically negatively impact their profits – so that, we find instead that these corporations have a high preference for those nations that are controlled by “strongmen” that can be corrupted or convinced that what is good for America, is good for them.

So then, while America likes to pride itself as being the epitome of democracy and freedom, the truth of the matter is that the corporate interests in America, strongly prefer and will do what they so have to do to see that the foreign lands that appear to them as being the most profitable areas for their business interests, aren’t democratic at all -- because whenever power is dispersed within a given nation, it makes it far more difficult for those corporate interests to extract what they so need from such, which is why corporations hate democracy, and love dictatorial autocracy, instead.

Right and Wrong

Most people intuitively know the difference between right and wrong, and although they might not always do right, they at least will admit to their own self, if no other, when they have done wrong.  Then there are those others, that are from any reasonable perspective definitely doing wrong, that not only won’t admit or agree that this is so, but are adamant in believing that whatever that they are so doing isn’t wrong, at all.  So then, we have a construct in which there are those that do wrong, but know it; as contrasted to those that do wrong, but not only won’t admit to it, but are convinced that what they are doing isn’t even wrong, but somehow is actually right.

In truth, there is enough wrong in this world, that needs to be corrected, without also having to deal with all those that are contributing to more of that wrong, of which, these people don’t believe that what they are so doing is wrong, at all.  Indeed, for all those that err in their judgment, that make mistakes in their interactions, and are sinful in some of their actions, but recognize within their being, that they are wrong for having done so, and thus then make it their point to correct their subsequent actions, there then is hope for that person, because they are at least attempting to mend their ways.  On the other hand, those that will not listen to reason, and further to the point, have no intention of changing anything anytime soon that they don’t believe is in error, the hope that we have in that person of them making changes for the better to their character, is minimal.

So too, we really do live in a world, in which, there are certain people, that are on opposing sides, that believe strongly that their position and their viewpoint is absolutely right, but in actuality, this cannot in functionality be true.  In some of these cases, there are nuances and interpretations involved, that thus can simmer down a situation that might become explosive and hence perhaps have such come to some reasonable accommodation, but in a significant amount of cases, we have people, that are absolutely convinced that not only is their position right, but further that they will not ever cede ground upon it. 

To believe wholeheartedly in something, most definitely has its place, but those that will not even consider any other viewpoint as possibly having legitimacy, are frequently too closed-minded for their own good.  Additionally, there are those people that really do know that they are doing wrong, but insist upon somehow construing their actions as being right, and therefore make it their point to sell to others, that they are right, even when, deep down, they know that what they are doing, is wrong.  Those then that insist that the wrong that they are doing is right, are some of the very worse offenders of what makes for a good society, for when wrong is painted as being right, and actually believed as such, the end result is going to be a whole lot of harm, because foundations built upon wrong will not ever be right.

All are equal in Heaven

This world is quite deceiving in so many ways, in which humankind has a bad tendency to setup divisions one against the other, based upon, for instance, characteristics such as religious faith, the color of one’s skin, material assets, status, language, education, as well as country of origin.  Somehow, there is a belief by people that should know better, that even in Heaven, there is that same sort of division between those that have the “right” religious faith, or the “right” success, and so on and so forth, when that could never be the case.  The very first thing that humankind needs to fully understand about God is that not only is God no respecter of persons, but that because there is only one omniscient God, that all of us are thus equal creations of that same God and thus equally valued by God, no matter then the material circumstances of our life or our merits, so of, lived upon this earth.  In other words, money doesn’t matter in Heaven, for there is no need of such; color does not matter either, for we no longer have our physical raiment; and finally whatever religious persuasion that we so adhered to on earth, does not matter either, for God cares only for our heart.

It is important for each of us to truly understand Heaven, for in that understanding, this permits us then to better comprehend how we should treat one another in the society that we are a part of.  That is to say, for all those that really do believe that there is a Heaven, they need to understand that there could not then ever be, for instance, an upper class in Heaven, and thus also a corresponding lower class.  That is to say, rich and poor, black and white, Jew and Christian, are not ever going to be segregated in Heaven, and for all those that sort of don’t buy into this construct, they then basically represent in form, one of the most significant reasons why we have so much discord, incivility, and hatred in this world.

Each of us, without exception, has been created by the very same hand of God.  This signifies that the divisions that so many perceive that we have, one to another, are really an illusion, and are not based upon fact.  Rather, it has to be said, that life would be rather dull and boring, if we all looked the same, all talked the same, and all wanted the same sorts of things, because without any real variety, there would just be way too much redundancy in this world.  So then, the variety that we observe, is there not for the purpose to divide us, but rather for the purpose of making this world a more interesting and dynamic place, along with also representing a challenge for us to piece back together, what appears to be separate, but is in its substance, supposed to be whole.  Indeed, it isn’t until we reach Heaven, that our eyes will become completely open, and when that happens, all those that have been blind, will not only be embarrassed and ashamed for having been so, but also will truly embrace that God plays no favorites, and never has, and never will. 

That temporary happiness

Most people strongly desire to be happy. That said, though, even those that basically desire to be happy, recognize that there are going to be those certain times, in which, not only should they not be happy, because it would be inappropriate, but also it has to be taken into fair consideration that being happy all of the time, no matter the circumstances, so of, wouldn’t seem right.  Still, at the end of the day, people want to be happy, but when we take a look around at our society, it has to be duly noted that many a person is not only not happy all that often, but that even those that seem to be happy, are frequently unable to sustain the happiness, over an extended period of time.

The proximate reason of why so many aren’t able to sustain their happiness for all that long, has often something to do with the circumstances that they are engaged with, as well as also the general conditions that they are involved with, and finally there is the aspect of their basic overall personality which influences how happy they will feel.  Yet, behind the scenes we find that one of the troubling aspects of happiness is that a whole lot of people aren’t really adept at living in the moment, but rather suffer from some form of worry or anxiety that since the happiness that they are currently experiencing, is going to end for a certainty, this then bothers them.

In other words, a whole bunch of people see happiness as one of those things which is fleeting, perhaps because the way that they define happiness has an awful lot to do with what is specifically happening to them, and if they don’t like what is going on, they aren’t going to be happy.  This is further compounded by the fact that those that make it their point, that the only time that they are going to be happy is when they are getting their heart’s desires, are surely going to suffer then from a fair amount of unhappiness, because desires being met, are typically dependent upon circumstances in regards to other people or events, that are seldom completely at one’s personal control.

When it comes to our happiness, the things that we do have control over are our attitude, our volition, our thinking, and our actions. This signifies that if we would truly desire to be happier, more often, then we need to seriously consider that we should be less concerned about our external circumstances and expectations, and concentrate far more upon our internal attitude and fortitude, along with the good understanding that in the assistance and service to others, that our satisfaction in the knowing that we have played our good and necessary part in the provision of beneficence to those others, typically provides us with a priceless happiness.

So then, to overcome our unease of having just that temporary happiness, recognize that we need to change our focus to understand that lasting happiness begins when we concentrate on doing what we are able to do to help bring happiness to others, and what we will often receive in return, is that knowing happiness of having done right through our thoughtful and good deeds.

How democracy is supposed to work

America is supposed to be the epitome of representative democracy, in which the people choose those that shall govern them, under the impression that the policies that the majority of franchised people so desire to have put in place are thus enacted, subject to proper Constitutional restraints, of which, that Constitution is the highest law of the land.  That would seem to suggest that any policy, such as, for example, our current tax policy, that somehow clearly favors the biggest and most powerful corporations and individuals, could not ever be in effect, because in a nation in which each person, gets exactly one vote, and of which, the vast majority of Americans are not part of that elite, would surely not then countenance such a tax policy that is so favorable for the elite.  Yet, the proof is the eating of the pudding, of which, seldom, have the superrich corporations as well as superrich individuals paid less in taxes, then what so occurs, today.

Further to the point, we read at vox.com, that “…average citizens only get what they want if economic elites or interest groups also want it.”  In other words, Americans clearly don’t live in a true representative democracy, because one way or another, those that are the elites, along with their very powerful special interest groups, working hand in glove with governmental representatives and law makers, make sure that the policies so enacted within America, are reliably consistent not with the people’s desires, but rather are consistent with what those that are the elites and the special interest groups want to see enacted, instead.

So then, while the democratic vote, seems to be at this point, pretty fairly in the hands of the people, those that have the highest vested interest in seeing a particular result in regards to a given proposition, or of a representative so running, are incredibly adept at doing what so needs to get done, so that what is subsequently passed or the person so duly elected, is very much to the liking of those elites.  The bottom line is that the average person has an awful lot on their plate in regards to their job, school, bills, and family duties, which precludes a lot of those same people, from paying a whole lot of personal attention to what is or what is not on a particular ballot, signifying that a lot of those same people, can be influenced to vote a certain way, by those interests that make it their point to know how best to manipulate people to vote the way of the elite’s preference.

The way that democracy is supposed to work, is that it should be a level playing field, in which, those with lots of money and influence, should be neutralized in a way and manner, that what is being voted upon, will actually be voted upon by its merits, rather than to have a situation in which those that have bucketloads of money while also being highly adept at skillfully influencing such, are able to “boss” their way to their desired result, time and time again.  In short, to know whether or not democracy is working in a given country can be fairly adjudged by whether or not the equality of that nation is getting ever worse, or becoming more fair.

Integrity and the price, so of

There are plenty of people that profess, perhaps sincerely, perhaps not, how they wish to be people of integrity, that are always thus honest, forthright, and fair.  That certainly is a most worthy attribute for any of us to have, but as in many a virtue of high value, there is almost certainly going to be a cost for honoring such a valued commitment.  After all, that which we most highly prize, is that which we will be true to, through thick and thin.  This thus signifies that the true test of anyone’s character is not how they behave when everything is going their way, but rather how they act when they are truly put to the test, for that defines who and what they really are, in essence.

Those that are a part of this material world, of which that world seems to be one of competition, one-upmanship, and ambition, live then within a construct in which there will be those areas of temptation, quite beguiling, because they know that there are those tempting situations in which by compromising their integrity, they can thereby get ahead and successfully achieve tasks of real importance, to them, while often also finding some dubious piece of justification in their mind of why doing so, is okay.  That then is the very first step of infringing upon one’s own integrity, by believing that “just this one time,” or via some other hollow excuse, which they believe will not then in the scheme of things, change the character of what they so profess to be.

For an absolute certainty, we will be tested, again and again, of which, the value of a real test, is of a test which is unequivocal in its knowing aspect, for a choice will have been made and duly noted, of which that choice, will be delineated into that which is right and that which is wrong.  Those then that make the futile effort to believe that which is wrong, is somehow actually right or okay, have for a certainty, lost not only their integrity, but their good judgment, as well.  After all, one cannot hope to regain their integrity if they are unable to recognize the difference between right and wrong, or of that which upholds integrity and that which does not.

There are plenty of people that when they get into trouble, are quick to point out all sorts of what appears to be justified reasoning for their behavior, of which, a close examination of such, almost always exposes such reasoning as being hopelessly flawed.  All those that spend inordinate amounts of time, talking about how they are basically good people, most of the time, and further to the point, that there are plenty of other people, who are way worse than they are, are barking up the wrong tree.  Each of us, must stand upon our own merits, of which, those that have decided to take inappropriate shortcuts in life, are going to have to eventually face the music, because in lacking the integrity to stand strong for that which is right, they have given in instead to that which is wrong, which must surely be rectified, somehow and somewhere at some point.

How to weaken Satan

There are those that don’t believe in Satan, of which, it could be said, that when we see all of the violence, hatred, incivility, and harm that humankind imposes upon its own, we have to admit, that if Satan does not exist, then humankind simply is far too often on its own, and by its volition, very wicked and exceedingly bad.  Rather, it would be better to admit that there are forces, that pull against our consciousness and sound mind, of which, those forces are best broken down into two main components, one that is good, and the other that is evil.  It is that evil force, that has much in common to what Satan so represents, of which what Satan represents, is essentially all that which is in conflict with the goodness of love, compassion, justice, and understanding.  That is to say, Satan gets its renewed strength, only through our bad behavior, of which, in order to encourage such bad behavior, Satan tempts us, again and again, so as to trick us, and thus have us then march to the beat of Satan’s desires, which pleases Satan, to no end.

Indeed, in order to weaken Satan, we must make it our point to stand strong and in harmony with all of the good attributes of God, which is signified by our thoughts and actions so demonstrated in our relationships, one to another, in which, those that are forgiving, patient, long-suffering, generous, and considerate, are demonstrating through their behavior the very traits that make them to have the spirit of good, and that which is good, cannot be overcome by that which is evil, ever.  Those then, that were once good, but somehow have surrendered to evil, have done so, not because evil is more powerful than good, but rather because they have permitted themselves to become exploited in a way and manner, in which a character weakness has thereby allowed Satan to exert its baleful influence upon them.

Satan does exist, and it is important for us, to understand that, because those that blithely believe that all is well, and that therefore they need not lock their doors at night, or even to lock their mind against the wiles of bad people, are going to be susceptible to being exploited through an entryway that has not been properly and prudently guarded.  Indeed, those that are habitually bad, are only of limited value to Satan, because they are pretty much known by all others as also being bad and hence are avoided by good people– rather, Satan has his eyes upon those of influence, power, respect, ambition, and intelligence, because it is in those that are successful and well-positioned, that Satan knows can be of immense value if they are thus turned to evil ways and evil acts, in which, Satan recognizes that the best way to break down a person of virtue is to first have that person perform acts of relatively minor sinfulness, wrong, and error.  It is through those little sinful acts, that big sinful acts can soon follow, and unless we are diligent about always being strong for that which represents good and righteousness, we will have failed to weaken Satan, but instead will have strengthened him.   

Jesus crucifixion: Explained

One of the most difficult things for many of those of the Christian faith, as well as those that are sympathetic to such, is the fact that Christ was adjudged guilty of essentially blasphemy and was subsequently sentenced to the ignoble death by crucifixion, which He so duly suffered.  It seems unfathomable, that Christ, considered by many of the Christian faith, as the actual Son of God, could ever conceivably subject Himself to such an unjustified death, but it did so happen.  The general explanation for why this occurred, was to fulfill Scripture and for Christ to be the sacrificial lamb for the transgressions of humankind.

To a large extent this explanation of Christ’s death is fundamentally on the correct path, but falls short in a very important specificity.  That is to say, that many of those of the Christian faith, do so claim that Christ died specifically for our sins, and thus for the entirety of sinful humankind, now and forevermore, which seems like a bridge too far.  Rather, a better and more sound explanation of why Christ suffered the indignity of crucifixion and then the supposed forsakenness by God, is better understood as being that Christ voluntarily took onto Himself the sins and errors of His disciples so as to alleviate their sorrows and afflictions, as a ransom for them, instead. 

We read in Holy Scripture that “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends,” which is exactly what Christ did for His disciples.  It is important to recognize that great avatars, great prophets, and the great Christ, have within their essence the ability, if they are so wont to utilize such, to take on the sins and therefore the penalty of that sin, by having then to suffer that injustice, abuse, disrespect, harm, hurt, and all of this even onto death, in order to properly propitiate for those sins so done by those friends.

So too, it is important to recognize that each one of us, should we be so inclined to make such a sacrifice, have the ability and thus the option to take on, for instance, the sins of our closest family members, in the conscious recognition that by doing so, we will have to, as the substitute for them, suffer the penalty for their sinfulness and wrongs.  That is to say, the message of Christ, is not just meant to inspire us, or for us to admire the risen Christ, but rather as the fair opportunity for us to step up and to make that sacrifice, ourselves.

So then, when we take account as to who and what we really are, it has to be recognized that each one of us, has the fair opportunity, to do our vital part to help to make society a better place for our participation in it.  This thus signifies that for all those that desire to see society to be a better and a more wholesome place, that the change that we so desire to see, requires individual sacrifice, and thus our hope to see that this change does happen, thus requires our noble act to carry the weight of others.

To live religion correctly

There are plenty of people that profess that they are religious, of which, some of these very same people are indeed, quite religious, in the best sense of the word; and then there are so many others, that despite their given belief, fall far short of what it means to be a true and good faithful servant to their faith.  So then, to the degree that any religion insists upon certain formulaic rules to be followed such as in eating, or words to be spoken and thus repeated back again and again, or rituals to be followed  -- we find that this then provides the congregants with value and purpose only to the degree that they help structure in these people’s behavior that which represents correctness, wholesomeness, and wisdom.

Indeed, there are far too many religious people that take the formulas and rituals of their religion, much too seriously, without ever comprehending the actual purpose behind these things, or the good purpose of their religion in the first place.  The central purpose of any worthwhile religion is to essentially make those that are its adherents to such, to be better and more complete people, with the sensibility to conduct themselves in the way and manner which is not only beneficial to their being but also to the society that they are a member of.  That is to say, any religion, which insists that all those that don’t believe in their sect or don’t believe the tenets of such, are therefore then unworthy of respect and consideration, because they are lesser than, is a religion that is incorrect in its application.

So too, religions that simply want their adherents to strictly follow rules and guidelines under the belief that this thus will bring them to the “Promised Land” have got it essentially wrong; for to actually proselytize that in the simple following of rituals, we therefore become closer to our God, is misguided and mistaken.  Rather, the very essence of religion, is to provide us with the good foundation to become a better person, that then through our conduct, we will thus consistently demonstrate our generosity, our respect, our consideration, and our justice, one to another.  Additionally, we are meant to be a guiding light to others, of which that light can only be bright, if it contains the attributes of those that have enlightenment, which means that we must utilize our mind to take in the eternal wisdom that is freely available to all of faith, and then help to distribute this wisdom through the insight that has been revealed to us.

Each religion, is a living religion, of which, the rules and regulations of a given religion, are only really meant to provide us with the structure and foundation for us to apply ourselves then to the proper building of that structure, best done hand in hand, with others of like-mindedness, so that together, we will help to make our society a better place for not only our participation in it, but also by the very gifts and wisdom that we display in our interactions with one another, day by day.

The killing of civilians during war

War is a terrible thing to see and to be a part of, sometimes necessary, but often not necessary or even reasonably justified.  The fact that a so-called civilized world, that ought and should know better, continues to so frequently deal with issues and conflict by the deliberate and premeditated violence against the other, is a reflection that nations aren’t really all that civilized, at all; and further to the point, when it comes to war crimes, we see that consistently those that hold others accountable for those war crimes, are seldom independent parties, but rather are typically the victors of a given war, punishing those then that are the losers of such.

It would be one thing if war consisted exclusively of the battle between combatants on either side, not necessarily fair in the sense of personnel or war materiel, but at least involving those that have signed up to be soldiers or have been conscripted to do so, fighting then against one another.  Regrettably, that isn’t the way that war is being fought in the present day, of which, time and time again, women, children, and non-combatants of every type, are considered by the other to be “fair” targets to kill, for purposes that are really actually quite unfathomable.  The excuses so used to indiscriminately bombard and shoot the other, and therefore to kill civilians are pretty much hollow and of no merit.

It is a very strange world, and an unjust one, that makes sure to hold accountable individuals that kill other individuals of which this then is properly designated as murder -- but when soldiers basically do the very same thing, or the armaments as directed by military personnel clearly are directed to the killing of civilians, and of which these given actions pretty much never end up holding anyone accountable for such, then there we have the most serious of contradictions.  In other words, to kill one’s neighbor, deliberately, is murder.  On the other hand, to kill an enemy civilian, just because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply because they are found to be annoying, or in the way, isn’t considered to be murder, at all.

The reality of the situation is that the killing of civilians, should be seen as murder, because that is what it actually is.  While there may well be exceptions to a given incident being appropriately classified as murder, the default view should be that every civilian death so involving soldiers that do the firing or bombardiers that do the bombing, should be seen as a capital offense and those that are committing these crimes, should be held accountable. 

The bottom line is quite clearly this, when nation-states are permitted to massacre as many civilians as they so are wont to do, under whatever dubious reasoning they so profess, without ever having to suffer any meaningful consequences for these violent acts, then the amount of women, children, and non-combatants suffering death, injuries, and privations, will continue to be what we so see today, because those that are permitted to kill civilians with impunity, are for a certainty, going to continue doing such.