The importance of fasting

Those who live in Western nations and are not food insecure are probably also those who virtually never fast, for because food is plentiful and easily available, they have ingrained within their habits the necessity of eating food, for food is the fuel for our physical body.  While it is true that bread has its place in our diet, it has been said that “man does not live by bread alone,” which signifies that to be overly concerned about having to have food at particular times of the day, every single day, ad nauseam, is a road well-traveled, but isn’t really the best road for any of us to be on.

Indeed, those who want to maintain their health, need to recognize that we, through our mind and through our spirit, are the masters of our body, so to allow thereby our body to continually dictate to us, that we must eat three meals a day, are else we will die, or be in poor health, is simply not true.  Instead, we should recognize that even our physical body and the organs that we utilize to process the food that we ingest, should themselves, have an occasional day off, in order to give them a chance to cleanse themselves as well as to reinvigorate those organs. So too, it is well known by the medical profession, that certain illnesses must be starved of food, in order for us to more effectively recover from that illness, for food necessitates bodily processes to digest that food, which can serve to overload more a body that is already overloaded enough, and not feeling well.

Additionally, each of us needs to value self-discipline, because those who insist that everything that entices them, should or must be indulged, or the very same who have not learned self-control, and by virtue of that fact, are prone to making decisions that are not going to be beneficial to them.  While it is true that our bodies need nutrition, it is also true that our bodies do not need to have that nutrition day in and day out, with nary a break.  Also, anytime that we fast, it gives us the opportunity to appreciate those things that we take for granted, such as having good food, and to recognize therefore that each of us needs to spend some part of our day, in appreciation of the gifts that have been bestowed upon us, that we habitually don’t pay much attention to, until they have been taken away from us or have become damaged.

It also should be noted, that America used to be a country in which occasionally our President, would call for the nation to have a day of fasting, so proclaimed to the people by John Adams, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln.  After all, when any nation decides that its people should never humble themselves, or confess their sins, or to pay homage to their Creator, by an act of the sacrifice of the eating of food for one day, then that people have forsaken that which is sacred, for that which is secular, and done so, to their own sure damnation.

Non-fatal shootings, fatal shootings, and murder rates

There are many big cities known for an exceedingly high murder rate, that are therefore proud whenever they see that their murder rate has gone down.  The thing that is not taken into account, far too often, when it comes to lethal or almost lethal violence upon another, is that the medical doctors and medical facilities within America, for people who are trauma victims, contain some of the most competent medical doctors, medical personnel, as well as state-of-the-art equipment that provides those that would die without such aid, a much better chance to live.  Indeed, the sooner that an emergency vehicle can arrive at a shooting, and take the necessary means to do what they can to sustain that victim on the way to the hospital or trauma center, even those with catastrophic injuries have a reasonable chance of survival.  In other words, not everybody who is shot has been shot in an execution-type manner, and therefore the wound(s) that they have sustained, though often serious, will with competent and robust medical attention, provide a saving of their life; and therefore, in crime situations, since they did not die, they would not count as a murder victim, though without such aid, they probably would have died.

We read at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov that back in 2002, they stated “Murder rates would be up to five times higher than they are but for medical developments over the past 40 years.”  The fact that murder rates have not gone up as much as they could have should be rightly attributed to medical doctors and the institutions that support their vital work in competently dealing with trauma situations that thus save lives, that if not for their vital assistance, would result in the person dying.

Indeed, the thing about statistics is that the story that they are telling can be deceptive, when we don’t take into account what needs to be taken into account, of which, non-fatal shootings should be seen for what they really are, a serious crime that could have resulted in the death of the other, if not oftentimes because of medical intervention.  This signifies that those who are proud of murder rates having gone down in their city, need to recognize that attempted murder and crimes of aggravated assault are themselves a clear and present danger to the good citizens of that city, and therefore in the absence of these bad events, being reduced significantly, true progress in the safety of the community is actually an illusion.

In reality, America is a violent country, and to the degree that murder rates have been reduced, that is a good thing, but when the most proximate reason for that reduction is the advances in medical technology, logistics, and medical personnel -- then whatever means that have been taken by governance to reduce such, have not been nearly as effective as these governmental officials apparently believe.  In a land in which gun ownership is so high and of which those guns are far too often in the hands of people who do not use those guns to protect themselves or others, but rather are the aggressors in the shooting of those guns so as to commit violence against another -- has clearly not been close to being resolved.  That is why it is so important to look behind the statistics, and the narrative, to see the real truth of the situation which is that the amount of violence in America is high, systemic, and troubling.

“A riot is the language of the unheard”

On April 14, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech entitled “The Other America” at Stanford University, in which, he stated that “…A riot is the language of the unheard.”  MLK, Jr. also stated that “Certain conditions continue to exist in our society, which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots.”  Indeed, for all those who decry the violence, incivility, rioting, and disrespect for institutions and authority at present, they need to take an honest look at their perception, so as to comprehend and take to heart those two sentiments so aptly worded by MLK, Jr. as something of immense value, providing them thus with the insight to know what needs to be addressed to help make America the nation that it should be, as opposed to what it has failed to become.

It has to be said, those that who don’t care about the proximate reason for a riot, because all they want is continual peace and quiet, are the very same, who aren’t doing their good part to alleviate the conditions of injustice and discrimination that make for a nation that favors some at the expense of others.  The society that we live in fairly reflects the injustice or justice of the society as it actually is, and whenever there is civil unrest of any sort, to believe that the most appropriate way to take care of such, is for more law and order, creates the breeding ground for rioting.  Look, in actual fact, the fuel that sparks riots is often not just injustice, but injustice that never corrects itself, and doesn’t appear that it will ever correct itself, and when people lose hope and have little or nothing to lose, they are going to be prone to rioting, so as to act our their frustration of the unfairness of it all, in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.

In this nation, the voiceless do not have a voice, because the powers that be, don’t permit them to have that voice, because this would represent an inconvenience to them, and if that happened, this might actually be a call for them to thereby have a conscience for citizens that are suffering, and that would thereby distract them, from pretending that all is well and interfere therefore with their pursuit of their self-interests. The reason why riots do not go away is that those who are unheard, are going to, sooner or later, find the means, to be heard, and even though this might not resolve a thing, it will at least provide them with a voice, that has now been heard.

America needs to take a good look at itself and its institutions, and fairly determine as to whether the opportunity for a good education, adequate healthcare, secure employment, and a satisfactory life, exist everywhere within America, or does it not?  Because, what we find, is that those with a vested interest in America, typically have such, because they have at least some of the accouterments of success or believe that they have at least a decent opportunity to achieve such, and therefore are the types of people who aren’t going to riot, because they truly believe that America does represent the land of opportunity, and because they have hope, they believe in America; whereas, those that are placed in hopeless situations, are going to want to have their say, one way or another.

Morality, illicit sex, and abortion

To the rational mind, it does seem puzzling why there is a very specific minority of people who are absolutely against abortion and do not believe therefore that a woman should be sovereign over her own body or that her decision, about whether or not to abort her fetus, should be her decision to make. The reason that this is so puzzling, is that despite the supposed fact that pro-life proponents are actually pro-life, they often aren’t consistent in their belief, for to simply preclude someone from aborting a child, and thereupon to provide that mother with perhaps diapers, counseling, clothing and other assorted goods, is never going to be sufficient in and of itself, to give a fair chance to every child so born within America, to have a vibrant and productive life.  Rather, it seems that far too many pro-life people, though not all, just want to stop abortion, and other than that, are perfectly fine with acting later with benign neglect to that same child, even supporting the death penalty for it if so warranted, which isn’t consistent, and isn’t right.

When it comes to pro-life, and especially for those who take it even further by believing that a woman, not even in the privacy of her own home, should be permitted to take medication that would induce an abortion or should have access to medical instruments that could conceivably help or aid in that process, seems like a real overreach. Indeed, to not believe that a person’s home is their castle, or that the right to engage with a physician in a medical office should not be inviolable, or to take substances that induce abortion should not be permitted, are all considered to be consistent with many pro-life proponents, because they believe that their position supports the moral good of society, which is the key to why pro-life people are so often adamant and stubborn in their ways.

In reality, for the most part, when we dig into the roots of those that are the most pro-life, at its core, is the present-day morality play that they believe that they should enforce on a free society.  In other words, the type of people, for the main part, that desire to have an abortion, usually aren’t part of a healthy and vibrant monogamous marriage but rather are typically those that have engaged in what is considered to be illicit sex, and when found to be pregnant, they usually desire to abort their fetus, for the construct that they are in, doesn’t provide them with any other good alternatives.  So then, the fight over abortion rights, has a whole lot to do, with those who consider themselves to be moral agents, imposing their morality on those who appear to have violated that morality, and these moralists desire therefore that immoral people should suffer the consequence of their bad act, by insisting that a fetus that is inside the womb of a woman that is not them, should be their business on behalf of all those that believe the same sort of thing, for the necessary benefit and justice of a moral and upstanding society.

In sum, to give certain busybody people sovereignty over our bodies is to believe that because they supposedly know best, we should countenance that violation of our freedom, for our own good, which they consider to be the fair price to pay for our illicit sexual activity.

Dissatisfaction and the continuation of life

While it is not uncommon to be dissatisfied with certain aspects of one’s life, few find such dissatisfaction so overwhelming that they choose to leave that life, through an act that eradicates their physical existence.  It has to be said, that to despair of one’s own life, is a very lonely place to be, of which, to feel down upon something, or to be despondent, should ideally be tempered with an appropriate perspective, which when such cannot be initiated by the person so suffering, then it would behoove them to lean upon some other person, entity, or institution for when a decision is determined when despondent, this could become a decision which will ultimately be regretted.

It has to be said, that we are responsible for the thoughts and actions that we take, along with their anticipated effect upon others, in addition to the salient fact that the place that we are currently at as a state of mind, is pretty much ours to own. Those then who express dissatisfaction with where they are presently at, need to, when the going seems especially tough, to draw upon those good resources, such as friends, family, or institutions, that help to provide that necessary support and perspective so that decisions are not made which have the type of consequences, which cannot be undone.

It is vital to recognize that we are not required and really are not supposed to deal with this world, completely on our own, and therefore without support from others.  That is to say, humankind is a social species, and therefore it is to our benefit as well as to others, to seek and to form social relationships, of which, most people have family, friends, and other things of interest, that keep their attention and interest in a healthy place.  Yet, there are those times, when we are so flummoxed and frustrated, that we can’t seem to find daylight, even when there is daylight to be had.  These then are those times when we need to get our head right, by confessing what troubles us to those who have our best interests in mind, so that we will get a healthy perspective of how to constructively deal with what seems to be so overwhelming to our being.

It is unfortunate, that we are unable to read the considerate thoughts of another, for there are plenty of loving and complimentary words that many a person has in their heart for us, but for whatever reason they aren’t able to express these verbally to us, all that often or often enough.  That is why, when we are troubled, we need to lean upon our good friends, because when the only thoughts that come to our mind, are the hopelessness of a given situation, and therefore our despair --   it is well to understand, that to a very large extent, whatever seems completely devastating to us, will not necessarily always be that way – for many a thing, does change.

We are defined by the decisions that we make in life, and when those decisions are made when we are in a vulnerable, confused, and distressed state, it isn’t any wonder that our decisions thus made reflect that despair, which is why in those times, we need to reach out to the helping hand of a good friend, so as to comfort us, and to ease our troubled mind.

The sure mark of despotism is to continually watch and monitor its citizens

History tells us that Russia has its KGB, East Germany its Stasi, and China its MSS, of which none of those governments were democratic or free in nature, but basically used the agencies of the state to monitor its citizens and their activities, so as to better control them, and to make those citizens fearful of the state, and therefore cognizant that their personal actions and interactions were always being watched, or could be watched and scrutinized, at the state’s discretion.  Those then who live in unfree countries in which they are being surveilled by all possible means are living within a construct in which the despotic state is oppressing them.

We find that in America, that never has it had so many secret or secretive agencies, propagated to the American people as being necessary for “homeland security”, or to stop terrorism, or as a protection for the people, or various other reasons, some that make sense, and many that are quite obviously, deliberate obfuscations of the truth.  The truth of today’s security for American citizens is never has any government, had more actionable information about its own citizenry than we see currently in the United States, through its ability to work its nefarious deeds in conjunction with the most powerful hi-technology companies that willingly or not, wittingly or not, provide plenty of personal data about just about everyone that could conceivably be of interest to those security agencies of the United States.

Indeed, when any government knows everything about you and therefore has the capability to use that information in order to compromise you or to manipulate you, they have an immense amount of despotic power, that private citizens are at the mercy of,  and will have difficulty counteracting such.  So too, no people can be free, when they are forever being monitored, when everything that they do through electronic media, social media, or other activities as recorded by various enterprises, basically builds a very detailed portfolio of every individual, of which this information is not disclosed to that individual, who is kept unaware of just how much of what they are doing has been accumulated and stored by its own government, about them.

The United States prefers to tell its citizens that the information that it siphons up about its citizenry, is meant for their benefit and for their protection, but the truth of the matter is that to be constantly watched and monitored by one’s government, is to no longer to be free.  Indeed, while America prides itself on being the leader of the free world, or the preeminent democracy of the world, its actions belie that completely.  Instead, America’s government is only interested in seeing that those who are not an integral part of the “elite” be thereby monitored, controlled, and manipulated for the benefit of those who are the true despotic rulers of this nation, so done, to enrich and to keep in power those that desire to have it all at the expense of the people, with the clear understanding that those that do not obey, are subject to being compromised in a way and manner that they will ultimately comply or else deal with the dire consequences, so of.  

Age and COVID-19

The United States along with most other Western nations, had a very severe lockdown and restrictions imposed upon their population, which did not discriminate in regards to age, when it came to COVID-19.  In other words, the governance of the United States, sold the story to the people, that COVID-19 was a deadly disease, that was no respecter of persons and their age, and therefore all then were subject to the same draconian laws concerning contact with others, movement, and other restrictions.  So too, the United States applied a lot of pressure on people to get vaccinated, of which, that vaccination, did not in and of itself, actually serve as an ironclad guarantee that a person so vaccinated, would not ever contact and get COVID-19 again.

While it could be said that the United States and other Western nations, made serious mistakes regarding how to best deal with this “pandemic”, it has to be noted that history clearly tells us, that the United States fundamentally got it wrong.  The biggest mistake that the United States made was to not comprehend or to understand the nature of the disease, by treating it, as if COVID-19 had the same morbidity and mortality rate, no matter the age or physical condition of the person.  What we find as shown on statista.com, is that out of the 1,134,641 USA COVID-19 deaths, 858,323 of those deaths were of people aged 65 and older, and only 8,607 were aged 29 and younger.  This is a staggering difference in the death rate of these respective population groups and is indicative that COVID-19 was a lethal disease to the aged and those with compromised immune systems or other bad health issues, as compared to those that were young, and pretty much immune to COVID-19.

Because the United States failed to recognize that COVID-19 was discriminatory, it shut down public schools, businesses, and social lives for those that were best suited for those very things, which will have a lifetime effect upon those students and citizens who lost the opportunity to educate themselves and to improve their status in life.  Further to the point, for all those that do not believe in the foregoing analysis, when we take a look at Nigeria, which is a country that has a population about 2/3rd of the United States and is considered by all accounts to be far poorer than the United States, with a healthcare system which doesn’t hold a candle to the United States, we find that in total, as reported by coronavirus.jhu.edu only 3,155 of Nigerians died of COVID-19.  This staggering difference in death rates seems unfathomable, unless, we take into account that in America, the population percentage of those that are 65 and older is 17.6%; whereas in Nigeria that percentage is around 3%.  Further to the point, Nigeria has a considerably higher percentage of people that are aged 29 and younger than the USA, so that, rather than COVID-19 devastating Nigeria, as well as other African nations, it did not, despite Nigeria’s lack of vaccinations and infrastructure to supposedly best deal with COVID-19.

Indeed, at this point, the greatest good that the United States can do for its people is to admit its horrendous error, and thereby make good for those that they hurt the most, which are all those that suffered economic and educational loss, by putting forth a comprehensive program to facilitate such.

Unhealthy emotional detachment

Some people emotionally detach from others, mainly because they are afraid to get close to another, for fear of being vulnerable by virtue of opening up about their real emotions, that at some future point, when the relationship has been damaged or comes to a negatively charged moment – believe that because their true emotions have been previously expressed, this could thereby be used as a cudgel against them, and thereby hurt them.  So, their protection for this possible event is to build an emotional wall that seemingly doesn’t make them vulnerable to being hurt, but at the same time, precludes them from having a healthy attachment to somebody else, which could be quite beneficial, and precludes them therefore from all the advantages that a healthy emotional attachment to another person, presents.

That said, there are valid reasons why we should desire not to have an emotional attachment to a particular person, because the fact of the matter is that not everybody that we meet and know is somebody that is stable, somebody worthy of our trust, and somebody that needs to know that which is very personal to us.  The reason that this is so, is that not everybody has our best interests in mind, which is why we need to exhibit discretion when it comes to our overt emotions, for when the wrong person has valuable personal information about us, this can definitely hurt us, and by that hurting, this can change how we react with other people in the future, by being more cautious about our attachments, leaving us possibly bereft of the benefits of a healthy emotional attachment, for our fear of being betrayed or hurt, thus outweighing everything else.

In truth, life involves not only choices but also risks, so that whenever we clam up about what we are really feeling or hold back from expressing our true feelings, we have let the possibility of uniting with another, and thus the benefits of that additional strength to fall by the wayside, because our concern for our own safety takes precedence over the possibility that the other could be of benefit to us.  So too, when we are reluctant to be our true self and therefore to emotionally attach to the other, we inadvertently are hurting the other, because we are not able to bring the best emotional support to them, because we are not close enough to them, to be in that position.

Indeed, it is well to remember that the only time that the turtle makes progress is when that turtle sticks its neck out.  So too, for better or for worse, in order to have a healthy emotional relationship with another, we need to give a little in order to gain a little.  This doesn’t mean, though, that we shouldn’t be selective and discriminatory in our choices, because those who have demonstrated that they are untrustworthy, unstable, and unreliable, are probably not the best person to emotionally attach to, for their character is probably going to be a character that will not only ultimately disappoint us, but be hurtful to us, and thereby emotional damaging.  Instead, we must endeavor to choose well; by doing so, the result will be a much better opportunity for emotional happiness.

Your actions define you

There are lots of ways to define a given person, of which the fairest way to do so, is to simply look at a person’s actions, for it is through those actions, that people speak most clearly.  That is to say, for all those that say one thing but do another, we, therefore, know that their words, well-meaning or not, should not be our only consideration, but rather it is the actions so made, consistent or not with those words, that fairly defines the person.  So too, there are those who will act without thinking, of which, because the act has been done, reflects fairly who and what they really are.

Indeed, all those who commit acts that they later regret and thereby desire to hide behind their supposed good intentions, or offer apologies, have got to recognize that those of maturity and truthfulness, own up to their actions, and when they have behaved badly, make it their point to make their future actions to be in accordance to what a conscientious and caring person would actually be about.

While it is true that our thoughts often create our actions, there is not necessarily a one-to-one correlation between the two, for there is many a person who has the right thinking, but somehow, through impulsion or anger, strikes out with actions that are unbecoming of good character.  This is why it is vital that each of us, take the time to recognize that we need to be mindful of our actions, especially when those actions, have an effect on the other, for most every action, has a consequence, and when that consequence in the cold light of day, is one that is detrimental or bad to the other, we need to make amends, for we have done wrong.

Then there are those others, that for whatever reason lead lives of inaction, not because they are in constant contemplation, but rather because they are slothful and lazy, and believe because they do so little and therefore harm no one, that this lack of motion, will ultimately somehow get them enough credit to get to the destination that they so desire.  The problem with that type of thinking is that a person who takes no action is the same who seldom makes any progress, and for that lack of action, is someone then who has not been willing to do much of anything to make society better for their participation in it, because they are, in fact, not really participating.

Look, it has to be said, because our actions define us, it behooves us, to first get our thinking right, and then to match our good thinking with good actions, for it is in those actions, that we either help and aid the other, or do the very opposite.  Each of us is meant to do our good part to help make society better, so done through rightful thinking which is consistent with our subsequent rightful actions.  Those then that consistently do right, are the very same that are worthy to be designated as “good and faithful servants” to society, as well as to their Creator.

Revolution and taxation

There are all sorts of reasons, valid and invalid, true or not true, reasonable or unreasonable, that encourage a people to revolt against their governance.  When it comes to America, it has been said, and history has written it as such, that the proximate cause of the American Revolution was taxation, as well as also there being trade restrictions, that precluded or limited the colonists from the interactions that they would prefer, so as to thereby compel the colonists to deal exclusively with, for instance, the British East India Company, and therefore the primary beneficiaries of that trade would be the British East India Company, at the expense of not only the consumers of those goods but also those that desired to compete in that sort of trade.

It might seem somewhat ironic that we currently live in a construct in which, there is plenty of taxation, such as the sales tax, property tax, excise tax, local tax, county tax, estate tax, State tax, and Federal income tax, of which, in theory, the citizens of this nation seem satisfied with this taxation, because though some do moan and groan, there isn’t anything even approaching a revolution to upend our current tax codes or governance, which in fairness, seem to be under the auspices of our representatives and its legislation, of which, that tax code does seem to bend and change with the times.  So then, one could reasonably ask, what the difference was between now as compared to then.

The reason that so many colonists were upset about the restrictive trade conditions and the taxation being imposed upon them, actually does have to do with the fact that the colonists did not have any direct representation or representatives within the English Parliament.  This thus signified that it could be interpreted that as colonists, their right as “Englishmen” to be taxed through their consent had been violated, and instead, replaced by a construct which for all intents and purposes, thus treated those that were colonists, as nothing much more than a people subservient to the British Empire, in which, that British empire to prove that point, sailed the seas with armaments and soldiers to quell the rising spirit of revolution, which would be indicative that the British empire really did see the colonists as being of no more consideration, than if they were classified as a conquered people.

Indeed, while the British Empire had their reasons why they felt it necessary to impose specific trade restrictions as well as taxation upon the colonists, what they did not take into fair account, was that the type of people that would sail the ocean blue, with all those attendant risks, and thereby leave their homeland, are also the type of people that would not appreciate being essentially voiceless and pushed around by a force that they had no representation in.  So too, in an era in which communication was exceedingly slow, from continental America to Great Britain, and with the British Empire not appreciating the nuances of the situation, or the stubbornness of the colonists, led to an armed revolt that really did not need to happen, for sensible minds could have come to a sensible accommodation, but instead, because the colonists held the line, and would not budge, it became revolution.

“Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?”

We read in the Holy Scripture “…Shouldn’t the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).  Indeed, our God is a just, fair, and loving God, whose judgments are forever perfect as there cannot be and will never be any error within God.  This thus signifies that for those of us who know that we have done wrong, that we really should tremble that our God is just, for there will come that day, that cannot be postponed forever, in which God will judge us, and those then that are found wanting, will have to deal with the consequences, so of.

It is well to remember that whenever we are not acting in a way and manner that is in harmony with the good that we should be doing, we have to recognize that every wrong step we take gets us into ever deeper trouble. Therefore, it would behoove all of us, to stop doing the wrong thing, and to endeavor to do the right thing, instead.  Indeed, those who will not listen to the wise words of great mentors, teachers, parents, or friends, but insist upon doing things their own way, even when they know that the way they are directing their efforts is categorically wrong, have chosen poorly, and will surely reap the whirlwind of their own making.

While it is true that we cannot change the past, it is also true that we are provided with the opportunity of every moment of every day, to make decisions which are in harmony with that which is just and right.  So too, it is our responsibility to make good on what we should make good on, and even when we run short of time, at least we have begun the necessary process to get back to where we need to go, or even better, to achieve what we need to achieve.

There isn’t any good reason to cry over spilled milk, but rather as soon as we are cognizant that our God will always judge right, we need therefore to amend our ways, and to the degree that we have to lean on others of good virtue in order to accomplish such, that is exactly what we need to do.  In this world, we are ultimately responsible for our actions, for we have been gifted with free will and a mind therefore of our own, signifying that those who spend an inordinate amount of time, making excuses for their behavior, no matter how reasonable-sounding or even justified, need to understand that at the end of the day, we own what we do, for better or for worse.

So too, there are far too many people who believe that they are clever and have therefore figured out their own shortcut to get into God’s good grace, but the problem with such cleverness is that God is first of all, no fool, and secondly, God is no respecter of persons – therefore meaning that those that believe that they can somehow charm or “get over” on God, have clearly deceived their own self.  In sum, we will be judged and that judgment will be true and just, with no appeal to a higher authority, for God is that sole inerrant Higher Authority.

Which country is the biggest threat to democracy?

For Americans, the answer to the above question would seemingly have to be either Russia or China.  Yet, the Latana polling company surveyed 53 countries in 2021, and the country listed as the greatest threat to democracy, at 44%, was the United States of America, followed by China and then Russia.  It has to be recognized that the prism of the worldview that Americans see, is biased to the American point of view, in which drilled into the minds of its citizens, is the dual threat of Russia and China; whereas, when it comes to other nations, they see the United States representing what it really is, which is an empire that as estimated by Al Jazeera has “…around 750 U.S. military bases in at least 80 countries.”  No other nation has close to the worldwide footprint that the USA has, and the military might of the USA rightfully frightens a lot of nations, because they know that not only does the United States carry a very big stick, but that the Americans are quite willing to use it and have demonstrated such, again and again, to those nations that do not bow appropriately and promptly to American desires.

While it is supposed that America could go on a worldwide public relations tour to better its image to other nations, it has to be noted, that all the talk in the world, along with promises, so made, aren’t going to change the fact that America has demonstrated time and time again, that it doesn’t really respect the sovereignty of a lot of nations, of which, when America perceives that it is not being listened to or obeyed by certain of those nations, it will take the law into its own hands, and thereby interfere directly or indirectly in another country’s affairs.  Obviously, these types of actions are not democratic in their effect, so the fact that America proclaims that it is the bastion of democracy, but demonstrates by its actions that it really is not, is thereby reflected by this poll which stipulates that America is seen as being a bigger threat to democracy than either Russia or China.

Anytime that a given sovereign nation, finds itself being squeezed by an outside party and squeezed so hard, that it has to submit to that outside party, which thereby overrides whatever governance that it has, this is not democratic.  Indeed, if democracy is the very best form of governance, it needs no real champion, other than the demonstration by those democratic nations, that their policies to their own people are indicative of a healthy, happy, and free people.  Regrettably, whenever the United States behaves like a bully and insists that what it wants it must get, and then goes about and gets that very thing, so that, for instance, economic markets will be opened to the United States, or vital ports are available for its warships, or the right to oil or other minerals is controlled or dictated by the United States, we find that those nations and the people that make up those nations, suffering under these types of conditions, will be resentful and therefore will fairly see the United States as being the biggest threat to democracy.

"The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth"

In a court of law, those testifying are required to swear or to affirm, to tell the truth, subject to the penalty of perjury if they do not tell the truth.  As might be expected, when it comes to criminal law, parties of both sides, are going to be prone to not telling the whole truth, because they want their testimony to be structured in a way and manner that this becomes favorable to the outcome that they so desire.  Indeed, to believe that courts of law, are actually ever hearing the whole truth, should be seen as the exception, and not the rule in those courts.

When it comes to a criminal trial, those who are members of the jury, have the task of determining which testimony was the whole truth, or a partial truth, or an outright lie, which is not an easy task, but in order to come to fair justice, this determination needs to be made.  This signifies that the motivation of those so testifying along with the lawyers regarding a case needs to be looked at, as to their priorities and their objectives.  Indeed, it could be said, that everybody involved in a trial, has their own agenda, concerning how and what they are testifying to, of which, it is, for instance, critical for the jury to know, whether anyone so testifying is receiving some sort of quid pro quo, from such testimony, as in a particular governmental witness getting favorable treatment when testifying -- for when this is the case, implicitly or explicitly, such testimony as that, should be seen for what it really is, compromised and not the whole truth.  So too, the motivation of a defense attorney has to be considered, for defense attorneys are in the business of getting favorable results for their clients; whereas, the prosecution attorney also wants a favorable result, for their conviction rate is often seen as the signpost of their overall competency, especially in consideration, that the only cases that should go to trial, are those cases in which the prosecution is convinced that a crime has occurred.  Additionally, witnesses typically have their own agendas, of which, what they have to testify to, is tempered by their relationship to the defendant.  Finally, there is the defendant, who, alone amongst all the other parties, it is the defendant that has to suffer the judgment of the court, which obviously has real consequences, which thereby is indicative that defendants are going to desire to say what they have to say in a way and manner that is favorable to the story that they are telling, and seldom are they going to desire to speak the whole truth, for they want to, make a favorable impression upon the jury, typically, by any means, that they consider to be necessary.

In sum, in a court of law, while those testifying are supposed to provide the whole truth to a given matter, we can take it as a truism, that this is seldom going to happen, so that, any hope of justice, really comes down to the jurors reading between the lines, and understanding the motivations of those so testifying, for those that have the most to lose, will not often hesitate to perjure themselves, whenever they think that they can spin a believable yarn to those that are the jurors.

‘Hitherto it has been assumed that all our knowledge must conform to objects”

The above quotation is from the esteemed philosopher Immanuel Kant.  Kant goes on to say “We must therefore make trial whether we may not have more success in the tasks of metaphysics, if we suppose that objects must conform to our knowledge.’”  That is to say, our perception of what we see or know does not start with the object itself but rather begins with our mind.  It is our mind therefore that brings us forth the reality or unreality of a given situation, and therefore our mind is the progenitor of our perceptions, properly understood and comprehended.

For instance, we could say that a wooden table exists, but the only reason why we believe that a table exists is that our mind has told us through self-discovery or through our interactions and education with teachers, parents, or others, what constitutes a table, and therefore knowing what a table is, and therefore seeing that which resembles a table, we are able to ascertain logically that we are looking at a table.  This signifies that the objects that we see around us, and our interactions with those objects as well as in those other things of interest, are constructs of our mind, signifying that if our mind did not exist, that these objects for all intents and purposes would not themselves exist either.

Far too many of us, see that which exists, as therefore being the ultimate reality, but what has been forgotten is that this reality comes through the prism of our mind and that without consciousness, these objects would not be part of our reality, at all.  In life, what we perceive is done through the process of our mind, and the knowledge that we pick up is stored in our mind, so that what appears to be reality is real to us, as long as we have a mind that is actively and correctly working, and if that mind should fail us, the reality of our perceptions will invariably change.

In this world, there is a necessary hierarchy, of which, it is to our advantage to understand that hierarchy so that our interpretations of this world and the society that we are an integral part of, make sense and are consistent with who and what we really are.  We see what we see because we have eyes, and those without sight do not see the things that we see but are still able to perceive the reality of objects through their other senses, as well as also through the knowledge that they have garnered over their lifespan.

Indeed, all those things that seem impossible to us and that can’t seemingly defy some natural law, are possible to overcome, when we comprehend that the reality of what we know, is not held within the objects that we perceive, but rather is controlled by our mind, which is the master of all objects.  To believe somehow, that the most real things in this world are the objects of this world, is to somehow believe that objects have a life and consciousness of their own, when their existence is actually dependent upon the perception of our mind, and without the knowledge of the mind, this so-called reality does not exist, for it is actually more akin to a dream, instead.

The abiding principle of the Rule of Law

This isn’t any doubt that societies must have a Rule of Law, for in the absence of such, there is tyranny, oppression, and pretty much those who have power taking advantage of those who are powerless.  That said, not just any law is a good and just law, for those laws that are not fair, logical, purposeful, meaningful, and are both equally and consistently applied, are therefore considered to not be in harmony with what the Rule of Law is constructed around.  Indeed, the Rule of Law necessitates the basic premise, that nobody, and no institution, is above that law, for it applies equally to all, high or low, well-connected or not, and further to the point, those with power, influence, and money, are with a vigorous and vibrant Rule of Law, definitely accountable to those same laws.  In other words, the Rule of Law, in order for the people to have respect for it, and therefore obedience to such, must consist of laws that are sensible, fair, necessary, and are also no respecter of persons.

Regrettably, there probably isn’t a society in which the Rule of Law, is actually equally applied to all, for people and institutions have a habit of creating good laws, but within those same laws, there are certain people and institutions, that are treated more favorably and therefore differently than the general public, which thereupon is detrimental to the good governance of those same people, for whenever a specific law is applied in one way to one person, but another way to another person, in which the upshot is that there is a distinct inconsistency between the two when it comes to the justice of such -- that therefore the law is thereby being capriciously interpreted, so done in a manner in which those who are outside the power structures of the day are, for instance, treated far more harshly than those, that are within that power structure, thus signifying that the Rule of Law isn’t operating correctly.

We live in a society, in which we are told to obey the law, but that law is unequally applied, of which, for all intents and purposes, some seem to have impunity to certain aspects of the law and are thus never held to account for it. This, therefore, signifies that the law is basically being used as a cudgel against certain elements of society, while not being enforced against others.  In a just society, there is a Rule of Law that applies to everyone, and all those who are accustomed to favorable treatment or believe that their status provides them with a perpetual “get out of jail” card, should recognize that whenever the law is not being appropriately applied to them, then it shouldn’t be applying to anyone else either, for at least then, it would be consistent.

The abiding principle of the Rule of Law is that nobody or no institution is above the law – for when that sensible rule is broken there effectively is hypocrisy, dishonesty, injustice, and unfairness, which makes for a society that will not respect the law because the law does not respect them.

Catholic Labor Schools

There was a time in America, in which, the government, especially through the leadership of FDR, was actively involved in the promotion and the recognition of the necessity of labor unions so that by advocating for better working conditions and better pay for those laboring, there would be far less civil unrest and far more civil satisfaction. This signified that those who labored honestly had therefore the fair opportunity to gain for themselves the opportunity for home ownership and a good life.  In other words, the government recognized that extreme income and wealth disparity was not good or healthy for a democracy, along with the salient fact that the corporate profits should be more equally distributed, and thus take into account, the mainstream employees of those corporations.

In the recognition that in numbers there can be strength, and further to the point, that in the education of the worker's legal rights, there is the strength to face one’s employer, we find that the Catholic religion understood the value of workers being organized as well as the need to know their union rights and the importance therefore of a vibrant union so as to put teeth behind the Wagner Act, which guaranteed the right of private sector employees to become unionized, as well as to engage in collective bargaining with their employer, and as necessary, to take united action as in a strike.  Further to the point, American governance permitted individuals and encouraged them to organize themselves into unions, so that they would in unison, have a seat at the table with their employer, so as to better negotiate with their employer, for fair worker compensation. So too, progressive Catholicism believed that their constituency deserved an opportunity to be fairly compensated as well as to know their rights to a union, of which, Catholic labor schools were a material aid in helping workers to know and therefore to effect those rights for their benefit, and the benefit of society, overall.

In truth, powerful corporations do not need any governmental agency or mass media to champion their cause for profits, for they already have enough power and influence to begin with.  Rather, those who need to get a piece of the action, are those un-championed workers who are employed, and who require such employment in order to have some reasonable hope to achieve the American dream, of which, the best way to accomplish such is to take governmental laws created for this very purpose, in conjunction with organizations such as the Catholic labor schools, to effect the change which would make their lives better.  Indeed, it is one thing to preach the Word, and it is another thing to recognize that the Word, in actuality, is not going to be good enough to feed, shelter, and provide gainful employment -- so Catholicism understood well that because an individual looking for a job, or already working at a job, would not have close to equal power to that which would employ them, that only collective bargaining, and an engaged union, that asserted those rights on behalf of present employees, as well as employees of the future, could provide these employees with the overall pay package which would fairly compensate them.  Therefore, the Catholic labor schools did their part to be an integral part of this happening and contributed in their own way to the rise of labor unions which materially benefited the middle class of America.

"A slave is he who cannot speak his thoughts"

The above quotation comes to us by Euripides the great tragedian of classical Athens.  Though Euripides lived some two and a half thousand years ago, his wisdom is as timely today as it was back then.  It seems that most of the time when we think of slavery, we picture such as the physical control and thereby the suppression of the body by the other, and not so much that those who control what we say and attempt to control what we think, are effectively also making slaves of the sovereignty of our mind.  We live in a day and age in which humankind has innovated to the stage in which individuals are subject to relentless social pressure, social norms, propaganda, social monitoring, and social controls of all sorts so that many of us are being manipulated into behaving and therefore thinking in a way and manner that conforms to those that desire that groupthink be impressed upon certain members of society, as contrasted to having to deal with the cacophony of individual sovereignty.

We are, as individuals, entitled with the unalienable right to think the thoughts that we wish to think, and further to the point, to freely express those thoughts, and when those in authority make it their point to suppress such, then we have lost the most important freedom that we have, for a human being that does not have agency of their mind, is no longer truly human.  So too, the nature of freedom is such that because we are created with free will and free thought, it signifies that all that we think, say, and do, is not going to be necessarily in conformance to that which orthodox society desires, or of that which the governance demands and wishes.  That though is the nature of living in a society in which we are entitled to express ourselves through our free thinking, and for all those who wish to live in a construct that does not infringe upon our free-thinking, then that construct must be constructed in a way and manner, that foremost protects and defends our right to think our own thoughts.

Indeed, just because we are created to be a free-thinking individual, does not necessarily mean that we can’t have a harmonious society, for the truth of the matter is, that those who believe it cannot occur, are the very same who utilize suppression, coercion, and force in their attempt to control the minds of the people, which because of this structure, necessitates therefore the sacrifice of freedom for conformity.  Rather, a far better way, along with this way being in conformance with our unalienable rights is to provide the avenue that permits people to voluntarily come together for the betterment of not only those people but for society, at large, which because this alliance is freely given, supports not only physical freedom but the freedom of the mind.  It is vital, therefore, that any time that we see that our ability and our natural right to speak our own thoughts are being suppressed, that this should be seen for what it is – an assault on our sovereignty, and an infringement upon our unalienable rights, and all those that support these actions, are those that believe that dominance should trump free expression and free thinking.

It takes a family

When we take a careful look at society as it is at present in America, it’s important to ask the question as to whether or not our society is getting more civil, more caring, more just, and more compassionate to one another, or if it is becoming more uncivil and worse in its behavior.  The answer to that question leans heavily to the appearance that the civility in our society is in a steep decline and that the dysfunction in too many of our relationships is getting ever worse, which begs the question as to why.

The seminal reason why civility is on the decline has got to be the fact that our family structure has gotten progressively more stressed and worse overall -- so that never have there been so many children brought up in homes, which because these are primarily single-parent households, who often are under financial and workplace stress, find it difficult to be the parent that they really desire to be, because they have more than enough that they need to handle, already.  This thus signifies that the support that a healthy nuclear family is structured around, is typically frayed for those who are single parents, as well as this being the case for those who do not have a caring relationship with their significant other.  So too, that lack of cohesion of the adults within a family structure, is detrimental to the security, warmth, and love that children require so as to best become well-developed young adults.

Those children then that are brought up in environments in which emotional support is lacking are obviously going to have a more difficult time being a good and productive student, and the way to address this issue is for this nation, to make it their point, therefore, to concentrate on being of real aid to families, no matter their structure, so that the family atmosphere will thereby be more conducive to developing a vibrant and healthy household.

Further to the point, when any family structure, struggles to provide their children with the necessary accouterments for their emotional and educational success, in addition to the infrastructure that surrounds them, not being of the quality that supports such success, then the end result is going to be the type of disappointment that we see far too often within America.  So too, the problems that families have in bringing up their children will spill over into society, itself, for those children that do not have the emotional support and guidance to direct their energies into that which is beneficial for themselves as well as for society, are going to ultimately present that society with the task of correcting or dealing with it, instead.

Those who are born into a good family structure, are the very same, which are presented with the best opportunity to develop into productive and good citizens, which thereby makes the point that this nation needs to put forth the effort to understand better that the best environment for a child is going to be a loving environment, which is best enabled when the parent(s) have the necessary tools and aid to accomplish this on behalf of their children, by pro-actively supporting families, so done for the greater good of society and our nation.

“The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society”

The above quotation comes from President Kennedy's address to the Newspaper Publishers Association in April 1961.  Somehow, in the ensuing years, this nation has forgotten that its purpose is to be a nation of, for, and by the people, which thereby signifies that the people have the inherent right to know what their governance is actually doing on their behalf. Indeed, the people need to know the actuality of what is so happening, so that they can thereby debate the merits or demerits of such.  Instead, we live within a construct, of which, never have there been more secrets, more opaqueness, and more deceit by our government, than we so see today, and because of this, the people for the most part, not only do not have the full information that they need to ascertain and to make an informed opinion about this, but they are for the most part, being deliberately left out of the equation, and considered therefore to be an irrelevancy.

No nation can progress as a free and independent republic, when the very people that such a government is supposed to serve, are not forthcoming to that public.  To believe, somehow, that those who are in authority know better than we, the people, is to discount the value of the people, and to thereby take away their democratic voice, and in conjunction with that, to vacate the very unalienable rights which are theirs, in perpetuity.

In today’s America, we would be hard-pressed to have any President address their dismay at the secrets being kept from that society, but this seems to be the standard practice of the day, enabled further, by a compliant mainstream press, which does not desire to engage the administration by probing questions of import, but rather seems to serve, often, as an echo chamber, for the administration.

When the public is consistently left in the dark, about those matters of most importance, then those who are its citizens are not really citizens, at all, but rather are better defined as subjects, who are meant to keep their noses to the grindstone, and basically to obey what those that are the pinnacles of power, tell them that they must do.  Further, the people of America, seem to be in an unenviable position, in which they should trust that their government is acting on their behalf, without having actionable information to verify such or to even examine its merits.

The people are the conscience of the nation, and deserve to have their voice, for those who are our representatives in this governance, are supposed to serve the general public, for the general welfare of that public, but whenever the people are precluded from really knowing what is going on, this then becomes a situation in which the government that we believe that stands for certain valued principles, has been overtaken by an overly secretive counterfeit government, which has no Constitutional legitimacy. To have a free and open society necessitates that the people are cognizant and vividly aware of what their government is up to, by that government being not only transparent to the people but also by that government, recognizing that its true validity can only occur when a well-informed public has its say.

Daily worker pay

We read in the Holy Scripture: “In his day you shall give him his wages, neither shall the sun go down on it…” (Deuteronomy 24:14).  Indeed, as much as those back in the day, both needed and desired to get paid their wages at the end of the day, we find that there are many Americans that need and desire to get their wages at the end of the present day, as well.  After all, as it currently stands, the vast majority of companies pay their employees either weekly, bi-weekly, twice a month, or even just monthly – yet, people have bills and responsibilities to attend to that would seemingly necessitate their fair and reasonable need to the wages of the work that they have already accomplished so that they can attend to this very thing.

Fortunately, we live in a day and age, in which smartphones, in conjunction with computers, payroll programs, and banking institutions, are quite capable of being coordinated together, so that, those with the correct smartphone application, and an employer who has set up a process that employees can draw into, permits these same employees to use that application tied to their smartphone, which is thereby connected to their bank as well as to their employer, that permits these employees at their discretion to transfer their wages or a portion, so of, earned during their shift to their bank account, that very same day.

While there is always a concern that people taking advantage of getting their daily pay, will thus find themselves dismayed that their weekly paycheck, no longer contains much of anything, they need to understand, that those who do the work, deserve to be timely paid, and to the degree that employers can readily accommodate those that are their employees, then in fairness, it could be said, that they have done right by their employees, and how then those employees thereupon spend their money so earned, wisely or unwisely, is not really their concern.

Indeed, another way of looking at daily pay, as compared to getting a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck, is that this provides the employee with the money that they have already earned promptly, and therefore provides that employee with the option to do with that money whatever that they so desire, of which, many a time, employees find themselves being caught short in regards to a particular bill, of which, daily pay can circumvent them, therefore, from having to borrow money from a friend, or even much worse, from some short-term loan application company.  So then, in fairness, employers should desire to do their good part to accommodate their employees, and if those same employers feel the need for employees to go through some basic daily pay video, that purports to point out the advantages and disadvantages of such, let that so be the case, for at the end of the day, people who have labored, should rightly be entitled to the money that they have earned, for in all candor, it is the employer obligation to those employees, to pay them in a timely manner and when this can be done through a process that the employee controls, appreciates, and values, so much the better.