Revenge and suffering

There are plenty of people that have suffered in their life and are still suffering from actions taken against them, that were perceived as being unjustified, unfair, or just plain wrong.  One would think that whenever we suffer, that our best response would be to do our level best not to have others suffer the same way that we have, by therefore doing the right thing to others, of which, by doing so, this will bring us relief from our experiences of having suffered, while also making us feel good for having done right to other people.  While, indeed, there are those types of people who have suffered, that behave in this mature and empathetic manner, we do so find, that there are plenty of other people who having suffered, feel an urge to have others to suffer in the basic same way and manner that they have suffered from.

The proximate reason why so many people who suffer, want to strike back at others, so as to make them suffer, has a lot to do with that “eye for an eye” mentality, but regrettably, while it is one thing to strike back against the very person or entity that has made a particular person suffer, often though, when it comes to striking back, the person that is made to suffer, has a strong tendency though to hurt someone that is basically innocent of any crimes against the person that has suffered.  That is to say, some of those who suffer, seem to make it their point to attack those who are vulnerable or weaker than them, and therefore they make easy targets to attack, which while not taking care of the crux of the problem does seem to give the perpetrator some distinct relief from their suffering, because they feel the pride of having stood up for their own self, by hurting the other – no matter how wrong this is ethically and logically.

Indeed, those who suffer and desire revenge, prefer oftentimes to mull over in their mind, the future satisfaction that they will get when they enact that action that will hurt the other.  In other words, before a particular action is taken, those who are bent on revenge, will picture in their mind, what they are going to do, and dwell upon it, which helps them thereby to enact what they do so enact, with a concentrated fury which best gives them the satisfaction of a dirty deed, done well.

It is unfortunate, that so many suffer from various injustices of all types, of which, it would behoove society, in general, to do what it could to help alleviate or re-direct such suffering into a response that would be more in keeping with forgiveness and a conscience determined to do right, even when it is tempted to do wrong.  Yet, whenever there is a person or an area of society, that suffers as well as also feels hopeless, then the go-to response is going to have a lot more in common, with revenge and hurting the other, than forgiveness, and because of this, those that suffer will be prone to making others suffer, ad nauseam.

The unfair advantages that Uber and Lyft have over taxis

There isn’t any doubt that most riders prefer the advantages that Uber and Lyft rides provide them, and consider them to be not only superior to a taxi ride but also cheaper in cost.  Yet, as good as this might well be for those that utilize these rideshare services, it has to be noted, that anytime there is a business in which some entities of the business are subject to specific rules and regulations that the other companies are not exposed to fully, provides, therefore, those that do not have to adhere to all those rules and regulations a massive advantage over the other.  When it comes to taxi cab drivers, those that are its drivers, have to, in certain cities, purchase a medallion in order to have the privilege to drive for a particular taxi company, and also there is the payment of additional fees to the county and other regulatory agencies so as to conduct business, and finally the price for a ride with a taxi cab driver, is typically regulated by the regulating authority and therefore not at the discretion of the taxi cab company.

In fairness to taxi cabs, there needs to be a meeting somewhere in the middle with rideshare companies, that permits taxi cabs to be the same sort of thing that they have historically been but also provides them with what they need in order to become more competitive, which in the end, is beneficial to the consumer.  So too, the protection for drivers of taxi cabs is far more robust than it is for Uber or Lyft because Uber and Lyft do everything within their power to classify those who drive for them, as independent contractors, which signifies that because they are not employees, they do not have the worker rights that employees would have, and further to the point, because they are typically not unionized, do not have a union to protect the drivers and therefore the stability of the work that they do for Uber or for Lyft.

Look, it has to be said, that the general public, for the most part, wants to take a ride with whoever has the best price and has the most robust app that works for them, and therefore they don’t really care about much of anything else.  This is thereby the nature of the beast when it is the price that determines who does or does not get the business of driving people from one destination to the other.  Therefore, this signifies that for taxis to compete against Uber and Lyft, it is in that pricing mechanism, that they need the rules and regulations that currently handcuff them in the doing of business, that need to be reconfigured so that they can remain competitive in this industry.

No doubt, things change in this modern age, and those who do not embrace that progress, are often left behind and thereby become irrelevant.  That said, when the playing field is uneven, then the end result will favor one side over the other, which isn’t good ultimately for the consumer, for robust competition should be the preference when it comes to rideshare and taxis, in which, rules and regulations, must therefore change with the times.

Western nations and the cause of the refugee crisis

Look, it has to be said that a significant amount of Americans do not desire to have refugees come into their country, legally or illegally.  Yet, hundreds of thousands upon thousands risk their lives and the little money that they have to try to enter this country, of which, because so many cross into the United States, who have not been authorized to do so, it is fair to say that these people, because of their quantity and their persistency, are in a sense, not only invading our country, by our doing so in a way and manner, that we do not know who and what they are.  Still, they will keep coming because the countries that they are emigrating from are nations that are often unstable, with poor economic opportunity, as well as being perceived by these people as providing no sure avenue for a better future, if not only for themselves, but also for future generations, so they feel that they must do what they must do to effect change for their situation by leaving.

It might seem to many people in America that this refugee crisis just needs to be wiped out by putting forth the manpower and infrastructure to do so. While we do have a southern border of hundreds upon hundreds of miles with our southern neighbor, it would not appear to be a daunting task if the powers that be were absolutely intent on eliminating such.  Perhaps this would take care of the issue of illegal immigration, or reduce such considerably, but what it would not correct, is the conditions that create such a high amount of people that desire to immigrate to America to begin with.

The issue that America and other Western nations don’t seem willing to address, is that their imperialistic ambitions and their interference in the affairs of weaker nations are a definite part of the proximate cause of the instability of these nations, and therefore ultimately of the peoples that become refugees.  Whenever any foreign government, must kowtow to American business interests, or suffer from being overrun by armaments and ammunition on behalf of one political side, which is essentially provided or funded by Western nations, this then is going to destabilize whatever form of government is in power.  Further to the point, when America determines to back an unpopular form of governance, because those who run that government are in America’s pocket, the end result for those subsequently disenfranchised native people is not going to be good.

Indeed, no matter how rich or poor a given nation is, most people have the desire to remain in their country of origin, no matter how untenable, until it gets to the point, in which their safety and their children’s safety, along with opportunity, becomes hopeless – then, they will desire to find stability and opportunity in some other land, and in consideration that it is the Western nations that have the monies, the influence, and the power to create a construct in which there is hope for a better life, then people are going to gravitate, no matter the risk, to those Western nations.

We find that at the end of the day, most people are content with just having a decent life, with an acceptable livelihood, and when that does not seem to exist where they are currently, they will therefore do what they perceive they have to do, to obtain such, by becoming refugees.

Inferiority, inadequacy, and lack of self-esteem

How we view ourselves as well as how we are viewed by others, is absolutely relevant to how we turn out as adults, for those who feel inadequate, abandoned, unloved, and marginalized, are not going to be in many a case, good and upstanding citizens, but rather they are going to be the very opposite of such.  Those then, who come from enclaves of poverty and hopelessness, are the most vulnerable people subject to living lives that are unsatisfactory and inclined therefore to join forces with those of the same general ilk to strike back at others and at society, for being placed in a position, in which, they feel nothing but hopelessness, oppression, and the nagging feelings of inadequacy. 

A lot of the problems that society suffers from have an awful lot to do with the construct that people live under, of which, those who live in households that are filled with unconditional love, patience, caring, and attention, are typically going to have quite satisfactory lives, and because of this will also feel good about their own character.  On the other hand, those who lack those very things, such as feeling that they are cared for, that they are valued, and that they mean something of substance to others that they look up to and respect, are going to fill that void with something that is often destructive, and typically not constructive.  This means the type of mindless violence, which seems endemic in many major cities in America, is primarily caused by those who feel that they must strike back at a society that has marginalized them, so that they can have their say, by any means, so perceived as being necessary.

Look, to believe that somehow, the prisons are made up primarily of those who are well educated, and who come from loving and caring families, is belied by the fact that those who are incarcerated are often, in fact, ill-educated, and come from environments which suffer from poverty, hopelessness, food insecurity, and the lack of opportunity.  So too, these areas of poverty often suffer from the policing arm of the state strong-arming them, with or without cause, which only adds to the frustration and anger that has been instilled within the residents of those enclaves.

So then, the violence of this nation has a lot to do with those that commit such violence not feeling that they will ever amount to anything, so they take their frustration out by hurting the other, in order to bring on at least a temporary basis, a feeling of power and adequacy.  This thus signifies that if this nation is serious about correcting the systemic violence demonstrated and displayed in our major cities, it must concentrate first and foremost on doing its best to see that families are supported in a way and manner, that children feel love, safety, and comfort, from those that they are closest to.  Additionally, it is vital that all neighborhoods, no matter the income or lack thereof, have as a basis, a good infrastructure of sound schools, as well as activities that engage the mind and body of children so that these children have thereby a fair chance to develop into good citizens.

Unequal justice

Look, it has to be said, with all the laws that the United States has, and the unequal interpretation and especially unequal application of those same laws, that the end result is that we have laws that are unfairly applied, in which the very people that can least afford to handle the impact of these laws, which are the disenfranchised and unprotected, thus feel the greatest weight and unfairness of those same laws.

For an absolute certainty, whenever somebody is in trouble with the law, they usually desperately want to get out of the effect of that law, because few people desire to sacrifice their freedom for imprisonment.  That is why, then, when it comes to the law, we find that those who are the richest and the most powerful who also make it a habit not to make a spectacle of themselves, can draw upon their connections, their money, and their status not to suffer therefore from the law unduly, for any time that somebody gets into what would appear to be trouble, but end up just essentially being inconvenienced, they are not suffering under the law, while such though swallows up whole, those that are the un-championed.

Indeed, there often isn’t a strong desire from those who are our lawmakers to make fundamental or wholesale changes to our laws upon laws, because these lawmakers know that the most important people and personages aren’t worried about having too many laws, for they have not only their avenues to successfully escape the harshness of such, but also because they know that the law as written is often not going to be applied to those that are the most powerful and influential amongst them.  Rather, the laws so stand as they are, as a way and means, to keep those who have nothing or little in their place and therefore for those who are in positions of authority to assert therefore that authority against those that they do not value.

Indeed, the United States has a great written Constitution and has some of the most well-reasoned judicial decisions that have ever been written, but the enforcement of those decisions, and the enforcement of justice equally applied to all, without respect for that person, is something that the United States deeply fails at -- because American justice either doesn’t take the time to actually analyze what is going on in reality with all the people, or doesn’t really care to discover such, because they, the lawmakers, do not live at that level, and therefore aren’t especially concerned about it.

All those who wonder why there are so many lawbreakers in America are asking the wrong question, for the question that needs to be asked is why is it, that the vast majority of those who do major time behind bars, all seem to be similar, in the sense of their ill-education, their poverty, and the hopelessness displayed by their actions.  That is indeed the question of the hour, and the answer to that question is that those that the American justice system does not wish to see in public must be locked away as if they don’t exist, even though they not only exist, but will continue to exist and persist until this country takes the necessary means to provide all those that are Americans with hope, opportunity, and impartial justice

“Well done, good and faithful servant”

We find the above passage in Matthew 25: 21 and Matthew 25:23.  The point of this passage is to have us know that we are supposed to be good stewards of God’s gifts provided to us in life, and in consideration that each of us has been endowed with talents, it is imperative therefore for us to use those talents faithfully and to be true to that which first created us.  Yet, how many of us, take what good talents that we have, and aren’t considerate in their usage, for we have a strong tendency to use such for our own self-aggrandizement or else to ignore our skillset and to let such lie fallow – thus to eventually fade away due to non-usage of such.

Each of us needs to recognize that life most definitely has a purpose to it, which indicates that we should first find that purpose and then to thus dedicate ourselves to fulfilling that purpose, and all those who do that very thing, will have the most satisfactory of lives.  Instead, far too many of us are headstrong and hellbent on doing whatever seems to serve our selfish desires, not seeming to recognize that gifts freely bestowed upon us, that are misused, misconstrued, or unused, are gifts that we have squandered in the very worse way.

Each of us is accountable not just for what we have accomplished but also for what we have failed to accomplish.  Additionally, we have attendant responsibilities regarding how our behavior has influenced the other, so that, it has to be recognized that it is one thing to ruin our own life, but it’s even worse to take down another with our bad decisions and poor follow-through that were detrimental to the other.

So too, it has to be acknowledged that the pathway of growth, necessitates our obedience to the good Commandments of God, and the more that we are in attune with our Creator, the more responsibility and opportunities will come our way, to make good on having been true to God.  This thus indicates that what we do, definitely matters, and matters not only for our own good but for the good that we pass from ourselves in assistance to others, which helps to strengthen our relationships and places us in the desired position to be seen as being faithful to the talents so bestowed upon us.

Look, the things that we think, say, and do absolutely matter, even when we believe that we aren’t all that important or valued.  Each of us must start somewhere, and every time that we take a step in the right direction, we get not only stronger in our faith, but we become a more complete person, in which the object of the exercise is to get to that promised land, done through our active participation in our valued interactions with others, but also through resolving to do our best to overcome obstacles, and by doing so, to prove our mettle that when put to the test, we did not waver, but were a true and faithful servant to that which is our Supreme Benefactor, above all.

What you are doing to bring about peace?

Society is often aware of the value of peace, but yet, how few people and the cultures that make up those people actually conduct themselves in a way and manner that would bring lasting peace. After all, we can’t expect peace to occur if there isn’t peace in our hearts, our minds, and lived by our actions day by day.  So then, the very first process to effect peace has got to be to have the mindset that peace is what we dearly desire to achieve and then to be true to that desire for peace -- For when we don’t do those things, then the peace that we wish for, will not ever be actualized.

It is true, that there cannot be peace without justice, for where there is no justice, there cannot be lasting peace.  That signifies that whenever there is injustice, we should stand on the side of justice to do what we can to help correct that injustice. Indeed, this duly signifies that peace is not only something that we desire to see actualize but is also going to require that we put forth the effort to see that this occurs, by doing our good part to make this happen.

It is a rather sad state of affairs, in this modern day and age, of how little peace that we have, in which, nation-states time and time again, aren’t interested in coming to a reasonable accommodation with the other, or in diplomacy of real purpose, but believe that somehow peace comes through the strength of their armaments, in which, the upshot of this type of belief, is that through war or the threat of war, there will be peace.  This is not true, for the vanquishing of a given enemy, typically creates the seeds for that enemy to rise again in some way or form, and this thereby continues, ad nauseam.  Rather, we need to understand that peace has an awful lot to do with fairness, consideration, and empathy, in which, when these characteristics are in play the end result will not only be more satisfying but will stand strong in the annals of time.

It must be said, that the peace of mind that we desire so as to be able to better enjoy life, can only come forth by making those decisions that are consistent with the attributes of peace, for our mind will not be at ease when we know that we have done wrong, or have contributed to wrongdoing, which is why our conscience is pinged to do something of merit to correct that which must be corrected.  The way of peace is not ever going to be an easy way, because self-control, restraint, and wisdom, are characteristics that must be nurtured with maturity and experience, as opposed to our knee-jerk reactions which just create even more trouble, than simply doing nothing.  Each of us is made for a purpose, and that purpose to be of real merit, must necessitate that we do our best to be a good neighbor to one another, by reaching out in amity to the other, as opposed to the enmity so often displayed in a self-righteous way, which isn’t going to bring peace, for peace is not its actual intent.  All of us, can do better, and all of us need to do better, for if we want to bring meaningful peace, we need to work together on that very thing, above all.

Progress necessitates effort

We find that there are plenty of people who desire to progress in their careers, in their relationships, and in their overall lives, of which, some of those people understand that to make progress, requires not just good fortune, networking, and the like, but actual concerted personal effort directed towards that progress.  In other words, typically what we get out of life correlates to the effort and groundwork we put forth to achieve that progress.  That is to say, the progress that we as an individual or we as a society desire to see happen, requires not only a good plan but the execution of that plan, done typically through concentrated and coordinated effort.

To believe, somehow, that many a person makes progress in their career, but deserves it not, is reading the tea leaves wrong, for in the skein of time, there is order and fairness so that those that do not put forth the effort to achieve things of merit, though they may occasionally get lucky -- but life, has a way of balancing out, so that those that do not improve upon their talents but prefer to ignore such or to bury such, are not going to go as far as they could go, or that they should go.

Indeed, society's progress, or failure to make progress, has an awful lot to do with the knowledge and discoveries it has made, which have been thereby applied correctly to make positive progress. When that knowledge is instead used for self-aggrandizement, though, or for that which does not benefit society, then society falls back because the effort so needed to advance has not been properly applied or generated.

The mistake that many a person makes is to look around and express dissatisfaction with their life as it is, and to express their dismay that it appears that some people have undeservedly achieved something of merit, without the incumbent effort or background to have accomplished such.  Though this may be true for a season, we need then to lift our heads up and recognize that the long term, is a very long period of time, and the undulations of that time, will invariably have ups and downs, so then to overly concentrate on what appears to be an uptick for one individual, does not provide us with the necessary perspective to understand, that positive progress has a strong correlation to effort and must in the end, be paid for by the sweat, blood, and tears of those so trying to consciously achieve such.

In this world, unfairness and injustice surround us, but recognize this for a certainty, there will be fairness and there will be justice, for the ultimate construct that we exist in, insists upon such, so that to truly achieve what we need to achieve, will require teamwork and individual effort, and when that has been put forth, the results will ultimately match up with that effort and persistence.  Remember this well, what we do and what we become, surely matters, and those who keep their nose to the grindstone, will when they have finished running their race, duly reap the fair progressive reward for their dedicated diligence.

The audience effect

The audience effect can be best described as a given person’s behavior changing when they believe that they are being observed by other people of importance to them and they therefore essentially decide to play to the audience, for reasons, that seem to make sense to the person so being observed.  In other words, how we behave, in a given situation, can be significantly influenced by whether or not our peers are watching us, or whether or not those in authority are watching us, and we often therefore modify our behavior in order to sell whatever story that we believe will be most satisfactory to that audience.

That is to say, it has to be recognized that the audience effect can influence the person being observed, negatively or positively.  For instance, for those who are being watched by their peers, and are at an impressionable age, when therefore they are insulted by someone of their age in a social situation, may necessitate corresponding retaliatory action, because of the audience effect, even when the person so retaliating might in their own mind, not really want to retaliate to begin with.  So too, those that are in an athletic endeavor, but aren’t really into it, or are tired, can though get caught up in the team spirit, and perform much better, when they know that their teammates are counting upon them as well as the audience also being into it, and therefore will do their level best not to be the weakest link, but rather to be strong and determined, instead.

Indeed, in classroom situations, one of the reasons why disruptive students are excused from class, is that by their misbehavior playing to the audience of their fellow students, it becomes difficult for the teacher to not only maintain control over their students but also for the students to learn what they are supposed to learn.  So then, it can be said, that those who know that they have an audience are going to, in certain cases, behave in a way and manner, that they wouldn’t bother to do if there wasn’t an audience to watch and to comment upon their actions.

Additionally, some of the responsibility for actions that those being observed do must also be the responsibility of those who are in the audience.  In other words, when given the choice to simply walk away from somebody who is obviously seeking attention, or to not pay attention to that person, we influence the narrative, because certain behaviors are only going to occur, when people are being watched and in the lack of that audience, their desire to do those behaviors, soon dissipates.

So then, it is important for those who are in the audience to gauge as to whether or not their watching is beneficial for the person that they are observing or in the end, detrimental to that situation, for when it is detrimental, the audience should understand that they too have incurred some responsibility for the action that subsequently occurs.  In truth, because humans are social creatures, their behavior is going to be influenced, to some extent, by being observed by their peers or other personages, and not every behavior so made under those conditions, is going to be good for that person or for society.

There needs to be a cap on credit card interest rates

One of the seminal problems with the United States and its laws is the exceptions to those very same laws, of which, on the books, there are Usury laws that limit how high a given interest rate can legally be, but for whatever reason(s), this does not apply on the Federal level and we find that on a State level, they are often exempt from the Usury law, as well.  This signifies that in consideration that as of the second quarter of 2024, national credit card debt was at a record $1.142 trillion, and that those with credit card debt, are often paying rates of 24% per annum, or even more, this seems quite unfair – whereas such a high interest rate is obviously quite good for those that issue that debt, and terrible for those that have incurred that debt.

Look, it has to be said, those that who issue credit to consumers are entitled to a reasonable profit, but should not be entitled to make an outrageous profit, especially when the typical person who has credit card debt is the very same who doesn’t have a lot of excess money, to begin with.  In other words, those who are in credit card debt, are usually people who are struggling to stay whole and thereby keep their heads above water; therefore, it doesn’t do any good for them, to pay unreasonable credit card interest rates when they really can’t afford to.

In the lending business, there is plenty of profit that can be made, without charging an excess interest rate. In fact, in regards to other important loans, such as mortgage rates we find that they are almost always considerably lower than credit card interest rates, as well as that also being the case with many vehicle loans.  No doubt, there is a difference, between these types of loans, because mortgages come with homes, and vehicle loans come with cars; nevertheless, the difference in interest rate is staggering and needs to be reduced in fairness to consumers.

The crux of the problem with the banking industry is that those consumers who have money, don’t really care, how high interest rates are on credit cards, because they pay off their credit card debt in full, each month, and not only that, they typically receive perks from the usage of their credit card.  Rather, the issue is that those that are most dependent on credit card usage, have little voice on this important issue and are typically not championed all that well by their political representatives.  That is to say, those that have the most debt, are exploited and exploited mainly because they are easy targets and have no lobbyists or important personages on their side.

The least that this governance owes its own people is to reduce the exploitation of those that are its most vulnerable, and the best way to take care of this concerning credit cards is to place a cap on how high the interest rate can go, which should be capped at the Federal Reserve target range, plus 12%, which is high enough that there is still plenty of profit for the banking institution, yet, low enough, that consumers will save some valuable dollars.

Forgiveness is a special form of giving

As it has been said, it is better to give than to receive.  So too, it must be realized that forgiveness is quite obviously a form of giving, which more of us, need to practice in our interactions with others.  In truth, to forgive, especially when we have been deeply hurt or betrayed, is not an easy task, but God, in God’s infinite mercy, has provided us with the time and the consciousness to go about and do that very thing.  Indeed, to forgive someone that we know has our best interests in mind, but has made an error, is something that many of us actually can do, especially when provided with enough time to do so.  A much harder task, though, is to forgive those that we feel don’t deserve our forgiveness, but in the skein of time, it is to our own benefit to be forgiving, for that which we hold onto which is a negative emotion, is not going to be beneficial to us, and further is not becoming of those that believe that each of us, no matter our merits or lack, thereof, is deserving of God’s unconditional love.

Look, it has to be said, that if our God was a God that was easily offended, and therefore easily hurt, we would know for a certainty, that God would thereby have an “attitude” towards our bad behavior because God would feel disappointment in us.  Yet, God does not do this to us, for God is ever willing to accept us in open arms, whether we are good or bad, because no matter our behavior, or our mistakes, God accepts us, unconditionally, and never gives up on any of us, because God knows who and what we really are in essence, and because of that, God will never forsake its own.

When we look at our life, there are probably plenty of times, when we are called to be the bigger person, and therefore to forgive those who have hurt us, and to thus express that viewpoint to them, so that they know that they have been truly forgiven which is a valued gift to give. it is in the understanding, that all of us, are flawed, and have said or done things in a fit of anger or stupidity that have hurt the other, that we need to thereby maintain consistency in our viewpoint – for we typically believe when we have done wrong to the other, that given enough time, we should be provided with a second chance, and therefore forgiven.

There is nobody and no soul, that is forever mired in mud, who cannot eventually be cleansed; rather, inside every one of us is the ability to be a better person, and those then that lend a helping hand to mistake and error-prone people, are helping to make society a better place – for in actuality those that are not ever forgiven are the very same, that will tend to give up on their own self, making for a nasty brew -- for an encouraging and forgiving word will oftentimes do more to right the ship and to therefore bring back normalcy than to be harsh and unforgiving in our outlook towards someone that has hurt us, for we have in our hands the volition to forgive, and in that forgiveness to give goodness over resentment

To know God

There are plenty of people who declare that they deeply desire to know God, but often their thoughts and actions belie that very thing.  Then there are those others that declare that there is no God, as if they, somehow are omniscient, when they surely are not.  Recognize this well, everything that we see and ponder upon comes forth from our omniscient God, and there would be absolutely nothing, in fact, a total void, if not for God – so that, those that have the audacity to declare that God does not exist, are unthinking and non-contemplating fools. 

Yet, just because we are aware of God’s existence, does not correlate necessarily that we truly know

God, for most of us, see dimly, whereas to know God is pure illumination, and therefore the only way to know God at a higher level is to forsake our ego and our earthy desires to contemplate instead upon that which is our Creator, above all.  In other words, a few prayers now and then, or some aside thoughts about God, aren’t going to be good enough to reach the level that we need to be at.  Though, that said, to know what to do, and to do right, is in its own way, a sure and steady way to know God better, and should be part and parcel of our being.

In truth, we look at this world and wonder why so much of this world, and the society that we are an integral member of, lack the very attributes that would make for peace, harmony, goodness, and justice.  The proximate reason why this is so is that humankind believes that it, and it alone, can solve all problems and take care of all things – or another way of looking at it, is that the collective ego of humankind believes that the world and society are a better place for everyone to just go about their personal business in an endless loop of competition, betrayal, desire, lying, and deceit, as if this will progress humankind, at all.

Indeed, the problems that this world presents are the exact same problems that a hard-headed and stubborn child represents, for far too many people want things to be their way, and have a conniption fit when they don’t get their way, never seeming to realize that it is those desires that abut against other people’s desires that make for the disharmony that we experience, day by day.  So too, all those who complain about God never seeming to do much of anything, by ignoring their petitions and prayers, seem to believe that God has no wisdom, and no omniscience, for they are disappointed when their demands and wishes are unmet.  Rather, it would behoove humankind to comprehend, that to know God, is a process that takes time, concentration, and determination – of which, the better effort that we make in understanding God and the attributes of God, the better we will comprehend that God always gets it right, so that therefore the pathway to knowing God is one of righteousness, justice, fairness, patience, contemplation, and loving compassion, above all.

Paid informants are akin to witness tampering

It is a truism, that when it comes to paid informants, or those fairly paid for their regular work, that we find that seldom are people like that willing to bite the hand that feeds them.  In other words, for instance, paid informants, by definition, will behave in a way and manner in conformance to what those who pay them, desire from them.  This thus signifies that paid informants, should they be allowed to testify are not going to tell the truth, and therefore what they have to say, is colored by the fact that they have been paid and thereby coached or trained to say what their operatives desire out of them, not only for the compensation that they have received, but also in many a case, for leniency to their own crimes or misbehavior.

In a court of law, witness tampering is against the law; yet, paid informants, as witnesses, are essentially being coerced or pressured into, or have an implied agreement, to testify a certain way, to please those that are providing a benefit to them, which is essentially witness tampering.  To believe, somehow, that those informants who are in quite vulnerable positions, will in a court of law, testify to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is a false construct.  So then, when it comes to paid informants and the quid pro quo deals made with such, these informants shouldn’t be permitted to testify whatsoever in a court of law, nor should their statements be the basis for the arrest of an alleged perpetrator.  Indeed, the fact of the matter is, that paid informants, are a tool that the police use, that will permit them to take an unethical shortcut in bringing charges against an individual for their supposed criminal activity, by that informant saying what needs to be said, in order to help bring a charge or conviction against someone else, when the evidence to do so, is sorely lacking, except for this timely but corruptly paid informant testimony.

In life, you get what you pay for, so that, people who are on the periphery of society, and who have their own problems, are going to be in a rather poor position in which they will therefore be susceptible to being bought because they have their own needs to be fulfilled and care not a whit about truth or justice, for they have decided to sell their soul to get some perceived or necessary benefit.  Indeed, for all those who believe that as long as it is disclosed that the informant received this or that, for their testimony, that they should therefore be permitted to testify as if their word is worth anything of merit, have got it all wrong, for to permit that which has been coerced, rehearsed, or structured in a way that is meant to be the means to convict another, isn’t right, because the reliability of such, is highly suspect.  Rather, paid informants, have no place to play in our justice system, and should be seen as nothing much more than “damaged goods” in a court of law; for a court of law is supposed to be about the search for truth, and paid informants are virtually never true and never will be

The massive federal budget and its expenditures

The United States has elected officials, represented in both houses of Congress and the Executive Office, who are in charge of submitting and approving an annual budget.  The Executive Office has undue influence upon that federal budget because the initial proposed budget comes from the President; after which the Senate and Congress use this template to create their own budget resolution, with the sure knowledge that ultimately it is the President that has the power to sign or to veto it.  So then, whether the people want to consider that the President and Congress jointly create the budget, or consider that the President has a powerful influence upon the budget, isn’t so important, as the fact that the budget, and then the expenditures so spent by the federal Government is a staggering amount of money.  We read at Fiscaldata.treasury.gov that in the fiscal year 2023, “.. the government spent $6.13 trillion.”  This $6.13 trillion spent is a sum so high, it’s hard to fathom it, and further to the point, signifies that those in Congress, as well as the President, are in the catbird seat as to how significant portions of that budget are thus allocated.

It has to be recognized that as large as these mega-corporations are within the United States, the highest-grossing corporation, currently is Walmart, which has annual revenue of just over $600 billion, which is an exceedingly large sum, but is dwarfed by the Federal government’s budget.  This indicates that there are plenty of corporations, large, small, and in between that wish to feed at the Federal government trough, which is one of the seminal reasons why there are so many lobbyists and things of that sort in Washington DC, because the Federal government has plenty of money to dish out, and the Federal government has historically always paid for that which it purchases on time.

Indeed, anytime that we are dealing with a massively large amount of money to be spent, there are going to be those that are gifted at siphoning off some of those millions upon millions to not only their own personal benefit, but also to those things which quite frankly are a waste of the taxpayer’s money, but often hidden from view, except from a very careful and detailed audit.  So too, those that have the power of the purse, have power over corporations and other people, thereby signifying that those who want the money are just about willing to do anything, within reason, to obtain those funds, because for a significant amount of corporations, the Federal government monies are absolutely mandatory for the profitability and sustainability of the company.  Further to the point, those who are overly dependent upon the Federal government will do what they feel that they have to do, to keep getting their needs fulfilled, through hook or by crook.

In short, with all the money that the Federal government has to spend on behalf of its citizens, it has to acknowledge that not only corruption and inefficiencies of all types will occur, but that in consideration of that, comprehensive auditing is important, not only to know where the money is going but whether that money has been properly spent on what it was supposed to provide for the people.

A better purpose for psychiatry

There are plenty of people who go to psychiatrists or to psychologists for all sorts of reasons, of which, the point of such sessions, should be to put the patient in a better place for having had these sessions.  So then, for some patients, perhaps all they are really looking for, is a sounding board, or they simply want to say what they say, without being judged, or else to get something off of their chest.  Then there are those others, that don’t feel right about a certain something that keeps on triggering in their mind and want to see some sort of meaningful resolution for that.  Also, some seem to have “demons” of the mind that thereupon play upon their memory, that they wish to see disappear so that they will feel more normalized.  In short, the reasons people visit a psychiatrist or psychologist vary, but the bottom line is that the hope is that by such a visit, the patient will ultimately be in a better place than they were before such visitations started.

It would seem that the purpose of psychiatry should be not just to understand where their patients are coming from, but rather to take what is the ostensible object of their discomfort and replace it with something which is beneficial for the patient.  This would signify that for many a patient, there is something that is playing on their mind, perhaps periodically, perhaps constantly, that disturbs them, of which, they deeply desire for that disturbance to be ameliorated, once and for all.  So then, for the most part, there are those patients who have specific thoughts and memories which for them, are so negative that it makes them unable to deal with the world per their preference, thereby signifying that the duty of the doctor attending to their mental discomfort or illness is to see that they do what they can to negate these negative thoughts and memories, by replacing such with something of positive worth.

No doubt, it’s no easy task to take something that appears to be ingrained in a given person’s psyche and replace such with something that will make them perceive things in a better frame of mind, but that should be the foremost duty of a psychiatrist.  In other words, find the disturbance, and then correct that disturbance, by negating such or replacing such with something positive and beneficial.  Indeed, as much as many a person believe that they cannot fully control their mind or their thoughts, the bottom line is that these can be controlled, by the sure knowledge that we, as individuals, have sovereignty over our own mind, our thoughts, and our memories. 

It has to be noted that nothing remains the same, forever, thereby signifying that we have the agency to make the necessary changes to make our life better, of which, when we see a doctor for a mental issue, it is thereby their duty to help us in that task, in which, that doctor should thereby do their fair part to provide us with alternatives and pathways that will put us into a much better frame of mind, and therefore help to relieve the discomfort that we experience, which is the best purpose for any doctor, for they are meant to first do no harm, and then importantly to help improve the dynamic for the patient’s benefit.

Evolution without a Creator

What we find presently is that especially in Western nations, there is the orthodox belief that all that we see and observe has somehow come forth from nothing into something, and that this something is in a never-ending process of evolution.   The problem with evolution isn’t so much the theory behind it, though that has its problems, but rather the fact that as propagated by Western nations, there is the belief that there is no Creator, or Master Designer, behind life and all that life represents.  This means, for instance, that the Declaration of Independence, the seminal document for the foundation of the United States is fundamentally flawed when it states “… that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights…” for it so follows that this is therefore, for all those that believe in evolution without an Intelligent Designer, a fable and no more.

Indeed, whenever governments formally determine that we have evolved from other more primitive forms, then this therefore indicates two things -- the first is that there is no life after death, for death is the annihilation of the physical body and since the brain resides within that physical body, the very existence of the person ends.  The second is that within governance of all sorts, humankind has no unalienable rights because humankind was not created by a Creator; therefore, whatever rights that we have are always alienable, and are therefore at the discretion of the governance that we so have.

Now, that we understand the fundamental foundation that evolution is based upon, it becomes easier to understand why governments, are so eager to embrace the evolutionary theory without God because it thereupon provides for those same governments the impetus to be the masters of its citizens, in which there is no higher authority that the people of a given nation can appeal to or believe in. That is to say, whatever the government declares to be right is right, and whenever that same government declares that a previous right is wrong, or that a previous wrong is right, the people somehow must accept that as the new doctrine.

So too, without a God, there is no definitive truth.  Rather, each of us has our own truth, subject to the vagaries of life.  So then, in short, there is never going to be agreement or harmony as to what our objectives are within a civilization since there is, in fact, no common ground to stand upon, other than what is propagated to the people, which is itself, subject to change.  Not surprisingly, this leads to not only the dissatisfaction of life as experienced under that sort of governance but is also at odds in regards to the reality of what life and the meaning of life are actually about.  Indeed, to believe in evolution is one thing, to believe that evolution did not involve an Intelligent Designer is the reason why despite great material progress, humankind is often so dissatisfied, for humankind yearns for meaning, and when our God is dismissed as an irrelevancy -- then chaos, hatred, discord, and incivility will be the result, for without a God to keep fair score, everything is permissible.

The right of the people to be secure in their house

The United States 4th Amendment of the Constitution stipulates that the right of the people to be secure within their own home shall not be violated, except upon probable cause, supported by an oath or affirmation and in particular describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.  Yet, we live in a day and age, in which warrants for probable cause are seemingly issued without any real due diligence, or independent party monitoring, or true accountability to the people, along with the disappointing fact that we also have court decisions that support the entering of a person’s home under exigent circumstances, which would seem to be a violation of the 4th Amendment, which does not contain that exception, whatsoever.

Look, it has to be said, that there is hardly a right more important than to be secure in one’s own personhood as well as one’s own property, such as in their dwelling place.  So then, whenever a governance essentially determines that the policing arm of the state can enter anybody’s home for any reason, or no reason at all, then that nation is not a republic, it’s not a democracy, rather, it’s tyranny, pure and simple. 

The thing about a home is that except for those few homes on wheels, is that a home cannot move, so that, rather than kicking a given door in, or forcefully entering in some other way, the fact that people are holed up in their own home, signifies that they are clearly in a place in which their location has been confirmed, and if there is indeed a need to enter by the police, that would be most appropriately done through a true warrant, in accordance with the 4th Amendment.

Further to the point, when it comes to warrants, and the entering of the home by the policing arm of the state, it is absolutely mandatory that each warrant be thoroughly examined after the fact, to see whether or not, that warrant actually produced the goods, so supporting such action, and in those cases, in which the warrant did not do so, those suffering from such a search, should not only be duly compensated, but the decision makers in regards to that warrant being exercised, should be, when appropriate, reprimanded, fined, and possibly charged with the crime of trespass, so that the people can be assured that there will always be accountability for those that are overzealous in the issuance of such warrants.

It has to be acknowledged that people have an innate desire to have a place of sanctuary, typically done so with the home that they reside in, and when that sanctuary, is not secure, then the people are not secure.  Additionally, to the point, when warrants are not examined thoroughly for their necessity and purpose, and exigent circumstances are exaggerated, time and time again, then we clearly have a construct in which those of the people, that the government finds to be an annoyance or an inconvenience, or are considered to be in need of being put in their place, by any means necessary --signifies essentially that the government and their agents have vacated their duty to the highest law of the land, the Constitution, to support their unconstitutional actions, instead, under the color of law.

Are Jews God’s chosen people?

The thing about the Bible is that it consists of stories, similes, metaphors, and symbols – thereby indicating that it is subject to interpretation depending upon the intelligence, the perception, the background, and the teaching that a given person has been exposed to.  This thus signifies that the word of God can be corrupted, misinterpreted, or become fundamentally misused when those that we believe are the religious experts of such, simply fail in the correct or best interpretation of scriptural passages along with lacking the insight to properly convey the overall message of the Bible correctly.

One of the core beliefs, especially what we get from what is commonly called the “Old Testament” is that the Jews were God’s chosen people.  What we have to remember, though, is that in the telling of any good story, there need to be at least two sides to the story, so, the Jews often symbolized those who were faithful to God’s word, knowledgeable to that same Word, and dedicated thereby to fulfilling that Word.  Those then that were “hard-headed” such as the Egyptian Pharoah, the Philistines, and Canaanites, were those that did not believe in the living God of that Bible, but had their own beliefs that conflicted with that God.  This thus meant that as in any good story, the true believers, the Jews, were essentially right, and those who were not true believers were wrong, and thereby suffered and paid the price for their obstinacy and error.

Yet, as in many a thing, whenever somebody or some agency believes that they and they alone are the enlightened one, or the chosen one, we find that rather than humbly appreciating this, far too often they appreciate it more from a prideful manner, and where pride is, destruction of the soul invariably follows, so that we end up with a construct in which many of those of the Jewish faith, believed that by simply having the label of being Jewish, meant that they were God’s chosen people, no matter their behavior; whereas the truth of the matter is that for anyone or anybody to be God’s chosen people, is a matter of demonstrating their faithfulness to the good commandments of God, above all else.  That is to say, those who in their heart choose God and behave in a manner to their fellow humankind that reflects this in a loving and uplifting way, are God’s chosen people, Jewish or not.

Remember this well, each of us is the creation of God, and all are created the very same way, of which, the society and the family that we grow up in, are going to be invariably different because people have different backgrounds and different priorities, thereby signifying that there are differences amongst us, and therefore the common ground for all of us to get back together in harmony is to not become fixated on the supposed “letter of the law” but rather to see the bigger picture that justice and fairness must come forth from a heart that recognizes the inherent dignity that we all have, thereupon signifying that we are meant to get along, for we are all, in the scheme of things, God’s chosen people, when we are attuned to our inerrant God.

Evangelical Christians are no Christians

We live in very strange times in which, there are certain sects within Christianity, that have specific views about Israel that logically make no sense; but for them, they believe it makes sense.  For instance, Evangelical Christians are known for believing that the creation or re-creation at the end of World War II of Israel was necessary to fulfill Biblical prophecy and that as Evangelical Christians it is imperative that we support Israel so that the Second Coming of Christ can occur, and that those of the Chrisitan faith, living and dead, will thereby be subsequently raptured into Heaven.

The fact that so many people, have faith in this rapture belief, and therefore make it their point to support Israel in all that Israel does, good or bad, is highly disturbing.  Indeed, to believe that those who are Israeli are somehow God’s chosen people would presuppose that God discriminates between those who are fully created in God’s image as contrasted apparently to those who were created as some sort of lesser image.  Look, it has to be said, that all of God’s children have been created equally by God, and therefore God, in essence, favors none over the other.  What God cares about, is for His children to make good and faithful decisions that are in accordance with Biblical principles, such as to love thy neighbor as thyself.

So too, when it comes to the concept of Israel, to believe that those of the Jewish faith, or those who are sympathetic to Israel, are the key to the rapture occurring in the near future is nonsense. History is replete with sects of religion after religion, and prophets within those religions, prophesizing that Christ will return on such and such date, and none of these prophetic visions have come to fruition. To believe, somehow, that ministers such as John Hagee, actually know what they are talking about, in regards to their belief of what Christ will or will not do, the rapture, or what Israel truly represents, is madness.

In truth, those who wish to please and honor God are the very same who behave in a way and manner that is true to the good attributes of God, such as being considerate, patient, loving, kind, and just, while also being no respecter of other human beings.  Again, this is fairly obvious, especially for those who have done any reasonable amount of studying of the Bible, which tells us quite clearly, that the orthodox Jews of the day, who should have embraced Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, did not do so, because they errantly believed that Jesus was not the Messiah, and to the point, believed strongly that Jesus was a menace to society and especially to the authority of those orthodox Jews.  This would seemingly signify that some of those clamoring the most for the return of Christ, and believing that they will thus be raptured up to Heaven, are going to find, that they should have thought very carefully about what they wished for, because it probably, for them, will not fulfill their beliefs, whatsoever.

To be a Christian necessitates behaving as a Christian, which signifies, that no matter the faith of a given person, it is their actions, that define who they are, and to the extent we can through our interactions help therefore to make society a better, a fairer, and just society, along with giving praise to our Creator, through our humility and appreciation are the same that are on the right path, and those that veer off such, are not.

Imagine a world without internet, cable, or cellphones

There are plenty of people who can imagine a world without cable, internet, or cell phones, because their generation, grew up without those very things, so they definitely understand how the world worked, back in the day.  On the other hand, there are plenty of people, who essentially have lived their lives experiencing a world with the internet, cable, and with cellphones, and it is these very people, that we should want to know as to whether or not they are the same type of people in the sense of their characteristics as a couple of generations ago, or whether because of the internet, cable, and cell phones, they are in many a way, different.

It needs to be understood that whenever some new tool or advancement comes into play and thereupon becomes pretty much commonplace, that there is going to be for many a person, a situation in which besides not only taking that tool for granted but also because they eventually become dependent upon that tool, they thereupon can’t phantom how to live their lives without it.  For instance, the great thing about the internet is it truly gets us connected to the world, so that we can accomplish our work, and homework, as well as look up things, necessary or not, watch videos, access our social media, and so on and so forth; however, the downside of the internet and our cell phones is it can serve as a constant source of distraction, of disengaging us from dealing with real people in real-time, and it can serve sort of as a sugar-substitute for the real thing, or even be worse.  Additionally, another problem with the internet is that because it is constantly on, that means that to a certain degree, we are constantly on, and thereby available to do work after hours or to become involved in activities that don’t have any real good purpose, other than to occupy our time.

So then, a person might reasonably think that having access, for example, to an online encyclopedia, in real-time, would for a certainty make us smarter, but the reality of the situation is that it seems to make us lazier, because rather than contemplating a particular problem and thereby thinking, we use the crutch of the internet to sort of do our thinking for us.

Also, it would have to be said, the biggest problem with cell phones and the like is that they far too often substitute for a real conversation with real people, with counterfeit conversations, which aren’t the same thing – so that for all those, that just have to look at their phone whenever it pings them when they have an email, or a text message, or a social media update, this serves to break our concentration on what we should be concentrating upon, to replace it with something that we shouldn’t even be considering.

For all those who believe that they have full control of how they utilize the internet and that they therefore are the masters of such usage, the full test of that dynamic, would have to be when the internet is completely turned off, and then to see how that person’s life changes.  One would suspect that the biggest change besides frustration would be that people would be more engaged with other people in conversations and doing things together, which arguably would be an improvement to what they are currently doing by having unlimited access to the internet and the like.