There is a natural law above all humankind’s laws

There are plenty of people who believe that one should “obey the law,” which sounds quite straightforward and might even make sense if governance was consistently in accordance with natural law, but history tells us, that governments are often corrupt, wrong-headed, and discriminatory to those that they govern. Indeed, there are all sorts of laws that modern-day sensibilities tell us that these previous laws were wrong, such as in the slavery of fellow human beings, but this was the law of that time, and therefore those that were in obedience to that law, were said to be in conformance with the law; whereas, those that did not obey that law, were seen to be lawbreakers.  Therefore, for a certainty, humankind's laws which are always subject to change, or misinterpretation, or are fundamentally wrong should not be the prevailing law that one should obey.  Indeed, the only laws worth obeying without question could only be that which is natural law, of which, natural law is defined as being in conformance with the ethical law imprinted upon our minds by our Creator.

 The peace and justice that so many people and the governments of those people clamor for can only come forth from a system of ethical laws, in conjunction with justice equally applied, that are together in conformity with sound moral principles, of which, these principles are not subject to change, because they are universal laws, respecting that the Lawgiver, cannot ever be in error.  Of course, there are going to be many a person, or governance, that claims this or that, as being what the law should or ought to be, but a sound law, is a law that is not only true and fair, but true and fair for all-time, which signifies that it must be universally applicable, no respecter of persons, and consistent with enlightenment, above all.

 Our duty, as human beings, is to be in conformance with natural law, as well as to adhere to that natural order which we have been created to recognize and to be obedient to, and live therefore to that precept. Each of us is provided with a conscience, which encourages us to do the right thing when we thus listen carefully to and obey that still, small voice within.  Those then that insist upon ignoring that ethical voice, or to deaden such through drugs or drink, are the very same, that will veer off course, and of which, laws are created and enforced to help those that have lost their way, to get back onto the true path that will lead them faithfully to the ultimate sanctuary.

 So then, to obey the law is only going to be a worthy calling when the law so being obeyed is natural law, because that which is consistent with God’s handiwork is that which we all need to aspire to be harmonious with, and when natural law conflicts with humankind’s law, the law to obey is that which is eternally correct, and not that which is misguided, misapplied, and wrong.

The need for a heart-to-heart conversation

People have conversations all the time, of which, more than a few of those conversations, aren’t really all that important or of substance, and not enough of those conversations serve a real good purpose.  While it is our prerogative how we wish to communicate with one another, far too many people are making an error, when they don’t seemingly recognize that meaningful, in-person conversations are crucial to not only our understanding of one another but help us to grow closer to other people, because the more that we can relate to one another, the stronger our feelings will be to each other.

 The greatest mistake that any of us makes is not saying something positive and uplifting to those we admire and love when given the opportunity to do so, time and time again.  For instance, when someone close to us, looks especially good, or has done us a fine favor, or lent us a helping hand, or accomplished something of significance, we should actually take the time, to let them know in a meaningful way what they represent, and what they have done, means the world to us, for whenever we don’t express this in words or deeds to the other, this signifies that the other has not heard or seen our appreciation for them.

 So too, while it is true that we are busy with many a thing, such as our education, our job, or dealing with duties and tasks, we need to make it our point, to spend quality time with those that we are close to, and not just spend that time, but utilize some of that time to express ourselves in a meaningful way, such as in a heart-to-heart conversation.  The reason why we should desire a heart-to-heart is because not only will we learn more about one another, but it allows us to say things that are on our mind that we wish to divulge to the other, and provides us with a format that brings us the satisfaction of communicating in a way and manner that we learn more about one another, and therefore often will appreciate one another, at a deeper and a more caring level.

 It is somewhat ironic, whenever people get together at a funeral, and all sorts of kind words are spoken about that dearly departed, in which, it is wondered whether or not when that person was alive, were they then the recipient of those same kind words, or perhaps these words, regrettably, were left unsaid. The time to tell someone that you love them, and that you care about them, is in the here and now – which therefore means the time to get to know those that we should desire to know more about and to hear their stories, their triumphs, their battles, and their failures is in the present, because by doing so, we will not only know them at a different level, but we will appreciate that all of us, do have stories to tell, that we desire to be heard by those that we are closest to, because life is meant to be lived with a purpose, and part of that purpose is to pass onto one another, that which fills the heart with love, appreciation, and resolution.

The reason to self-censor

All of us, censor ourselves to some degree because if we did not, we would be speaking in a constant stream of consciousness without any forethought of whether or not what we were saying served any good purpose, or any purpose, at all.  We censor ourselves because not every thought that comes to mind is worthy of speaking about, and further to the point, not every thought is worth expressing.  So too, none of us really desire to hear someone else speak a bunch of nonsense, for the very principle of communication is to convey thoughts, ideas, and information that are seemingly worth conveying, and that which isn’t, should not be conveyed.

 It has to be admitted that if we did not self-censor, the amount of trouble that we would get into would increase substantially, in addition to the fact, that we would probably unnecessarily hurt the feelings of others, for no good reason – and by doing so, our own feelings would probably be hurt in turn, when we suffered the blowback for having said stupid things.  A good mind recognizes that there are appropriate things to say, and inappropriate things to keep to ourselves, and those that fail to recognize this are the very same that will find it difficult to sustain and maintain not only good civil discourse but also will have trouble in the keeping of good friends, for life is tough enough, without having people that we think care about us, tell us stuff that hurts or annoys us.

 Then again, there is the type of self-censorship that reflects that the world that we live in, does not embrace free speech as much as we believe that it should, in which, we are afraid to express our true feelings about something of import to us because we fear that the consequences of saying what we say, would be ultimately bad for us.  That is unfortunate, for in order for change to occur, it is important that ideas of merit that are not in conformance with what is perceived to be orthodoxy, are expressed, so that not only those that secretly support us can agree with us, but also as a way to bring to attention things that should be discussed and debated upon.

 Another very valid reason to self-censor is that when we are distraught, some of us have a strong tendency to hit back by saying words that we know would be hurtful to the other, and that consequently will not easily be forgotten or forgiven, of which, if we simply held our tongue, the crisis that we thought was so important to respond to, would have dissipated enough that we now would know the error of our ways.  Those then who can control their emotions and control their words are always going to be in a better place than all those who don’t understand discretion.

 In sum, we should appropriately self-censor because it’s not only better for us, but it is better for others, as well, because as they say, when you don’t have anything positive or of real merit to say, it is typically better to say nothing and make therefore our default to be a person who thinks first before actually speaking their mind.

The reformation of law enforcement officers

There are plenty of people that decry all the abuses that are suffered unduly by the people because of law enforcement officers, using their power unjustly against them.  Then again, plenty of people appreciate the implementation of a powerful law and order mindset, to thus keep those who wish to be uncivilized, to become civilized, or if not, to pay the price for their disobedience.  While it would seem that the twain shall never meet, there is a way to make the policing of the people, to be more per what a civil society should desire, when applying law enforcement upon its citizenry.

 The first thing that needs to be noted, is that police officers have a lot of discretion as to what they will or will not do, when confronting what would appear to be trouble in the streets, in which, how law enforcement officers react to such has a whole lot to do with who and what entities that they answer to.  In other words, when police officers have explicit or implicit quotas that must be filled regarding arrests, tickets, or engagement with the public, we do so find that a portion of those police officers are going to suffer from the urge to find those who are the most vulnerable, defenseless, and powerless, thereby concentrating the full arm of the law, upon those people, because they make for easy targets, and further to the point, are the type of targets, that aren’t typically championed by those that wield a lot of power and influence.  In other words, police officers have discretionary power, and because of that, they don’t desire to bite the hand that feeds them but rather prefer to concentrate on those people who would appear to be a visible nuisance, instead.

 In consideration of the foregoing, it has to be said that the best way to reform what law enforcement officers do on behalf of the people, is for police officers to make it their point, to actually be a part of the community, with the community knowing what the police officer’s purpose is within that community.  That is to say, firemen are known for putting out fires, as well as providing medical services to those in need.  So then, police officers could be known as being representatives that make it their point to see that the body politic is behaving in a way and manner that is consistent with the good attributes of a healthy civil society, and to the degree that they can help to maintain good civil discourse, so much the better. This would signify, that the more comfortable a given enclave is with police presence, and the more that the people see the police as being “honest brokers” the better the communication will be between these parties, so that, those things that need to be dealt with, can be dealt with in a manner, that is suitably fair for those that are members of that enclave.  That is to say, the ideal police force responds to the concerns of the citizenry, who know who these police officers are, and the police officers know who they are, thereby building trust and making for better interplay between the two. 

 After all, people do want to feel safe and secure, and police officers can aid in that process all the more if rather than being perceived as an occupying force, they are seen as being reasonable, fair, and doing what they have to do, only when such is really merited.

The perfect government

The fundamental problem with our governance at present is that the people of this nation as well as all those that are the representatives of that government of, for, and by the people don’t seem to understand what governance should really be about.  After all, government could be about helping the unprivileged, providing a necessary infrastructure for the people, instituting a robust educational system, and so on.  Whether it should be those things is, in theory, up to the people and their representatives, in conjunction with having to comply with the highest law of the land, which is its Constitution, along with all this needing to be in harmony with our unalienable rights.

 There is more than one way of looking at what a government should be about, and one of those ways, which is probably the best way, is that the government of the people should make it its principal point, to do all that it can do to defend, to protect, and to augment the unalienable rights that all are equally entitled to.  That is to say, our religious freedom, our freedom of speech, our right to live our life, our right to privacy, and our right to just be free to be about our business, as long as we are not interfering with other people’s unalienable rights, should be ours, subject to not only no governmental interference but rather protected by that government, above all.

 Indeed, a government that is structured around protecting the unalienable rights of all would definitely be a government that would have the strongest of ethical foundations, because if on the other hand, our unalienable rights were actually subject to the government infringing upon them, then our unalienable rights, would not really be so unalienable, but rather would appear to be under the beck and call of the government, which would thereby fairly indicate that our government wasn’t about defending and protecting our unalienable rights, but rather was a power onto itself, or a power enthralled to certain personages who would be above the law, and thereupon essentially a law onto themselves.

 Each of us, without exception, is meant to enjoy their unalienable rights, for these rights come to us, from that which first created us. All those that would infringe upon such, as in a government, or other entities or people within a society, are thereby violating our unalienable rights, which in a fair world, would have consequences for those so in violation.  This thus signifies that the perfect government is that government which is in most accordance with our unalienable rights, and the worst government is that which clearly and consistently infringes upon those same rights, of which, the wakeup call for any government that claims to be of, for, and by the people is whether or not that government is making its highest priority the protection of our unalienable rights or whether it has other agendas, good or bad, that it addresses as a higher priority, instead.

 So then, at the end of the day, just as people are judged, so are governments, and that government which is best, is that government that does all that it can to uphold our unalienable rights, and thereupon leaves what we do or don’t do with those unalienable rights as our responsibility, and not the government’s responsibility.

I owe, I owe, so off to work I go

 There is a multitude of reasons why people work, but certainly one of the most important ones is that especially in Western nations, we need money in order to procure the things that are necessary to live, such as shelter, education, healthcare, food, and sundry other items.  That is to say, we work because if we don’t work we won’t have what we need to live a reasonably satisfactory life.

 It would be one thing, if work, consisted of a workweek of a guaranteed forty hours, which was thus part and parcel of our nation, but what we find is that not only are jobs seldom guaranteed in duration, unless they have been written into a contract or labor agreement, but obtaining forty hours in a workweek, is typically not guaranteed, either.  This means that very few of us can count as an absolute certainty, that we will work as many hours as we desire to work while having a guarantee that our job will always be there for us, and further to the point, make enough money from our work to live a decent life.

 The very first thing any job should provide to us in this modern-age world is enough income that people could live a decent life, and when that seemingly isn’t certain, within those nations, that have an abundance of money and prosperity, then something is wrong with the system and needs to be fixed.  No doubt, it is a two-way street in which people just can’t assume that showing up for work, is good enough to be paid, but it does mean that workers who are contributing their fair amount to the company that employs them, should be compensated at a fair and living wage.

 Additionally, there is the nature of work itself, of which, not every job is going to be the type of job, that little kids imagined themselves that they would obtain when they were growing up.  This thus indicates that within the jobs that we perform, there should be a recognition that the people performing these jobs are human beings, and therefore any job, in which a human being is essentially treated as a cog in a machine, is going to after some period of time, have a tendency to dehumanize that worker, which is why those types of jobs, should have a high rotation rate so that in the end, workers are treated overall as human beings of value, rather than seen as nothing much more than an instrument to get work done.

 Ideally, a job should provide to its workers some degree of autonomy, of which, their participation provides an opportunity for them to not only take responsibility for the work that they help to produce but also provide that worker with some degree of satisfaction of having done a job well.  Indeed, to simply have a job that permits us to pay our bills is not the final step of what those who labor need, but rather represents the fundamental floor of what a job should entail, of which, jobs should themselves inherently provide all workers with opportunity, as well as the satisfaction of knowing that their work is valued, because it is of value.

For the sins of the nation

It is said that America is a religious nation, and if not so religious today, its foundation was based upon the implementation of religious freedom.  So too, the very laws that are impressed upon the people are based upon moral law as to what is right and what is wrong.  Additionally, for those who go to church or are familiar with church doctrine, it is understood that certain actions or even certain inactions are designated as being wrong, and are thus typically labeled as sinful.  In fact, come judgment day, everyone will have to answer for what they have done, and those who have been sinful will have a heavy price to pay.  None of this should come as any real surprise, for not only is this general belief pretty standard for Americans to know but is consistent with the understanding that what we say and do does matter, of which, those who commit bad deeds are sinful, and what we do sow, we will for a certainty, eventually reap.

 We do so find then that the same sort of logic that applies to individuals is fairly applied to nations, as well.  That is to say, there is many a nation that commits crimes, such as murder, unjust war, undue interference in foreign affairs, injustices, exploitation, and so on.  To believe then that nations get off scot-free; whereas, individuals must thus suffer their due punishment, isn’t just, isn’t fair, and isn’t correct.  This means that nations are subject to the same punishment, as individuals are, for their sins against their own people, as well as for wrong actions done to those outside their borders.

 So then, just as individuals should rightfully fear God’s justice, so too, should nations fear the very same.  That is to say, what a nation does on behalf of the people, rightly or wrongly, makes a difference, and those nations that are sinful in their actions will surely pay a heavy price for having done such, which is why we see that many a nation once considered to be great ends up eventually disintegrating, of which, the greater the rise, the greater becomes its fall, which is why those nations that have committed serious wrongs and sins, need to repent of the very same, and then to make good, where they can make good, as a just recompense for their previous bad actions.

 We live in a day and age, in which not only individuals are in denial, but nations are, as well.  But, denial or not, that judgment awaits all, big or small, and therefore nations that are sinful and wrong in their actions, will be judged, and those found wanting, will suffer the righteous punishment for their mistakes, because what we do as a nation matters, and those that choose to ignore this fact, are the very same, that puts their nation into the path of damnation because, for a certainty, there will be justice, sure and true.

The non-elected power that influences and controls society

While it is impressed upon Americans time and time again, that they have a duty and an obligation to vote, we do so find, that not only do a whole lot of Americans not vote, but that in actuality, what is voted upon, whether it be legislators, judges, or propositions, aren’t even all that important, because what we find presently, is that those that actually control the levers of true power in this nation are the primary beneficiaries of that which represents meaningful significance within America, thereby trumping whatever is voted upon.

 There was a time when the highest progressive tax rate for individuals was 94%, and for corporations, it was 53%.  This doesn’t mean that those in those tax brackets, actually paid that high of tax percentage, but it does mean that at least on the books of this nation, these were the tax rates, of which, the bottom line is that when the progressive tax rate was significantly higher than it is today, for both individuals as well as corporations, that the government thereby collected a higher percentage of its tax revenue from those that could most easily afford to pay such in taxes.  So then, the reason why taxation has come down so dramatically for those who are the richest and the most powerful is that money and important personages unduly influence governmental decisions, thereby typically circumventing what would be the people’s democratic desires.

 Indeed, it doesn’t make sense that there are so few that have so much; yet, this nation, can’t seem to figure out a way to extract from these very wealthy and quite powerful entities, a fair portion of what would be therefore of benefit for the people, in whole.  Additionally, while America loves to sing the praises of capitalism, what we often find in America, is that there are typically a few corporations, or even less than a few, that own the lion’s share of their particular market, and because of that fact, can pretty much dictate the rules of the road for all those that wish to purchase or to utilize their products, which thereby means that more money is being extracted from the general public and thereby being funneled into just a few hands.

 So too, we find that mainstream media of all types aren’t controlled by journalists but rather they are controlled by corporate entities. Thus, the message being proselytized to the people is going to favor what benefits these corporate entities, and therefore, the narrative is going to be in harmony with what these non-democratic institutions desire, above all.  This is why we often hear a lot of talk about how wonderful America is, but when we take a look around, we consistently find that for a lot of people, it isn’t so great, and further to the point, we have to wonder how it is, that the most powerful and the wealthiest nation in the known history of the world, has so many that are impoverished, are shelter and food insecure, and dissatisfied that their life has not provided them much hope, opportunity, or fairness, whatsoever.  The answer to that question is rather obvious, which is the voice of people through the democratic process has in essence, been coerced by that non-elected power that exerts its influence and control over all aspects of American life.

The two-party system isn’t working

America has essentially just two political parties, and none other.  While there are indeed other political parties, they are pretty much a non-factor and a non-starter, for these very small parties simply don’t have the traction, the money, or the power to be of any real relevance in America, even when these other parties have excellent ideas that could be quite beneficial to the American public, if listened to and implemented.  Lo, we have just the two political parties, that dominate our political system, and therefore any vote other than for one of the major parties should typically be perceived as a vote in protest, and not a vote that will make any meaningful difference, ever.

 The problem with having just two dominant political parties is that the people really don’t have much of a say as to what does or does not happen concerning political issues, for these are basically decided by higher-up political operatives who do not answer to the people and are often in lockstep to those that donate incredible sums of money to either of the major political parties, to assure that those so elected as legislators are true to the hand that feeds them.

 So too, the choices provided to the people are perceived as not really being a real choice, because neither the candidate nor the parties that they are part of seem to listen to much of anything that the general public desires, but pretty much just speak platitudes which thereby signifies that at the end of the day, nothing of merit, will change.  In other words, powerful entities, whether that be individuals, consortiums of individuals, or corporations, aren’t really interested in the people having a true choice but prefer that it be binary, in which, no matter which choice is made, it’s going to be okay with these entities.  Sure, there are going to be exceptions to this general rule, but essentially, the fewer parties that there are, the more concentrated the money can be and therefore the more effective that money will be in the buying of influence.  Additionally, there has to be at least two parties, or else the people will understand that they don’t have any choice at all, though, the choice that they currently have, isn’t all that much of a choice, anyway.

 So then, there are powerful interests that do not desire to see this country have anything other than the two-party system, and further to the point, have the abiding desire that each of those parties is structured so as to be good for what fundamentally is beneficial for those powerful interests which is what we see occurring in the present day.  Indeed, the military-industrial-technology complex does not ever get smaller in budget, nor does it ever get smaller in influence, even though there are two political parties that in theory, have differences, but when it comes to the biggest amount of budgeted money earmarked for the “defense” of this nation, either party will get the job done to the satisfaction of those that wield the real power.

 In sum, although the people have the democratic vote, nothing much seems to change for the better for the people, because the two-party system is specifically structured to preclude exactly that.

Need a good purpose: help your community

There are plenty of people who really don’t know what to do with their life or with their free time and therefore have difficulty in finding their overarching purpose in life.  In truth, life doesn’t need to be overly complicated, and therefore those who can’t seem to find their good purpose in life, can easily find such, by simply making up their mind to help their neighborhood community, and by doing so, their life will not only have good purpose, but it will be purposeful.

 Indeed, the best reason to help one’s community is the fact that people will stay engaged more often in those areas of interest in which they can see that their efforts are making a positive impact, which is why volunteering to help out one’s community is going to be not only a benefit to the community but also will be beneficial to one’s self-esteem because when we can tangibly see that what we are doing and participating in, is helping out others, it makes for a beautiful feedback loop.  Further to the point, the more that we get to know others, the more that we can appreciate who and what they are, which helps us to acknowledge not only the similarities that we might have but also to appreciate that we are not all the same, which makes us able to better comprehend that healthy diversity makes for a more intriguing and a more interesting community.

 Another thing about helping one’s community is the fact that there is always something to do, because no community has every resource at its beck and call, nor does every community have an endless supply of good people and good Samaritans to lend a helping hand.  This means that our efforts will always be appreciated, because the help that we provide is meaningful for those who are the recipients, so of.

 So too, most of us can recall from our own life when we have been helped in a situation in which we were struggling with our homework, or at our job, or in just feeling of value – thereby indicative that those that reach out and provide aid, are invaluable, and therefore why we should feel the urge to desire to do for others, what we have experienced ourselves; and in those cases, in which we feel that the help that we wanted seemed always to have been sorely lacking, then we can make up our minds to step up and provide such help to others, rather than bemoan our luckless fate.

 In sum, for all those who wonder what they can do to help make society a better place for their participation in it, the answer is to first of all, to participate in that community by providing whatever skills and goods that will help to make that community better for our gifts to it.  This then, provides us with a good purpose, and those who have a good purpose in life, are the very same who will have a far more satisfying life in knowing that they did their good part to be caring and of service, by listening to that still small voice, within, and acting forthrightly upon it.

The need for car parks

As much as people want to believe that America is the land of opportunity, in which, anyone who puts forth a decent effort will be assured of having enough income to afford an apartment, a vehicle, health insurance, food, clothing, internet access, and just about everything that people need in this modern-age to live decently, we do so find that this isn’t true for a significant amount of people, at all.  There are a multitude of people who not only struggle paycheck to paycheck but don’t even have a consistent paycheck to lean upon.  Indeed, there are millions of people who are food and shelter insecure, and pretty much are in a constant struggle, despite governmental and charitable handouts meant to help keep their heads above water.

 One of the things we find in America with the exception of cities such as Boston, NYC, and WA DC, is that the mass transportation that is offered to residents definitely leaves something to be desired.  It isn’t like there isn’t any public transportation, it’s more akin to the available public transportation, often being not all that good, and thereby is inadequate to get around for those that have no vehicle. This thus signifies that for many adults, having their own transportation is essential in order to have any semblance of living a decent life.

 That said, when it comes to the expenses that people have every month, we find that an ever higher percentage of one’s income is being allocated to one’s living space, which thereby means that everything else that a person needs, is under constant threat in the not having enough income to cover such.  This indicates that for all those who currently are using their vehicle as a place to sleep as opposed to having an apartment is thus saving themselves a lot of money, or if not saving money, can allocate their income to that which is of more importance than being in their own apartment.

 So then, in consideration that people need cars, and that people can sleep in cars, which provide for those so sleeping, with the comfort of knowing that they can lock their car for the protection of themselves and their goods, as well as being protected from the weather elements that would make them quite uncomfortable, it would thereby behoove governmental agencies to do their fair part to actually repurpose or to create car parks, specifically set up for people in cars to essentially live there.

 The ideal car park would be one that would offer internet access, electricity, lighting, showers, toilets, cooking facilities, clean water, a food truck or vending machines, some free space to walk around, and some sort of basic security, along with general rules and regulations that residents would have to adhere to.  The purpose of the car park would be to provide the citizens of the community with a safe space to collect themselves and to live in, which would help them better to meet their day-to-day expenses, in the sure recognition, that while cars may not be the preferred place to lay one’s head down, that at least, it is a decent alternative to all that is currently happening, but is so often, swept under the rug.

The good purpose of good government

There are a fair amount of people who don’t care for the government to be in their affairs, nor do they care to contribute much of anything such as in taxation or their labor to that same government – yet, what these people fail to understand is that quite obviously government does have a good purpose to its existence and to the degree that the people in conjunction with its representatives can direct that government of, for, and by the people to take care of those tasks which are best suited for the government, the better it will be for the people.

 For instance, there are plenty of things the government could do, but not everything that the government could do is appropriate for it to do.  This thus signifies that what the government should or should not do, should be broken down into that which is most suitable for a government to do, such as building roads and other infrastructure, regulations, and public education, which are best done through the aegis of government, because the individual effort to take care of these important tasks doesn’t lend itself to being readily accomplished by individuals.  On the other hand, that which the efforts of an individual are preeminent and thereby should be left in their hands are their pursuit of earning money, their preferences, and their interests, which should be left to the individual, as to what they do or do not desire to do, subject only to the reasonable laws of the land.

 It has to be said, that within any community there are going to be plenty of necessary needs to be accomplished for the good functioning of that society, and rather than hope that individuals will join together to accomplish such, it behooves the government to take on these necessary tasks which will be of beneficence for the people, because individual effort, alone, is not going to get the job done.  Indeed, governments are necessary to utilize the resources that the people have helped to create and then take from that a portion of such, for the betterment and safety of the community through doing those tasks in which collective action will best make progress for that society.

 Those then that are part of the government, have an inherent responsibility to be good stewards to the people, in regards to the money, trust, and faith that have been placed within them, to thereby competently address what that government can do for the people to make therefore that community a better place to be a part of.  The government should therefore do all that it can to provide the infrastructure that helps to produce a good and valued civil society, of which, it is the people of that society, through their efforts and through their cooperation with their government that thereby help that society to advance and to grow, with the sure recognition that any government is only as good as the people that are the members of such, who do their fair part to help make their society a better place for their good participation in it.

The wise self-edit

Not every thought that comes to us do we bother to express – for a lot of reasons, of which the most important reason is because not everything that comes to our mind is of value to express.  That is to say, those who are incapable of self-editing, who decide that they don’t want to think before they speak, but simply blurt out whatever is on their mind, are surely the same ones who are going to get themselves into the sort of trouble, that would best be avoided.  Indeed, just because a thought comes to mind, does not necessarily mean it is appropriate to express that thought, which is why those who rightly develop discretion, and further to the point, understand that how we communicate with one another makes a difference in how we get along, are going to not only hold their tongue when that tongue needs holding, but also are going to say the right words at the right time, as well.

 When it comes to communication, it’s important that we develop the discrimination and thereby the deportment to express ourselves in a manner in which what we have to say or to comment upon, will make a given situation better, as compared to making it worse.  This is why we really should try to think through what we are going to say before we say it – and in those situations in which we don’t have a lot of time to think, to do our level best to express ourselves in a way and manner which is not mean, hateful, or harmful to the other.  After all, once we have expressed what we have to express, through words that we speak, or write, we cannot take it back; though truth be told, we can attempt to walk it back, but that shouldn’t be something that we ought to be doing very often, for those that express themselves in a manner which is consistent with the being of help to the other, aren’t going to need to backtrack very often.

 No doubt, there are those temptations that make us want to say what we do say, but the best way to overcome that temptation is simply to leave alone, what is best to leave alone, for it has to be said, that when the shoe is on the other foot, we may well tend to hold onto hurtful words and actions done to us, for incredibly long periods, which thereby hurts our relationships and makes us to be more “gun shy” when interacting with other people.  Indeed, it often takes a more experienced and wiser person to understand the value of saying the right thing, and leaving unsaid what doesn’t need to be said, because hurting the other when it isn’t necessary or appropriate to do so, is not going to sit well within our heart, whatsoever.

 At the end of the day, our thoughts are our own, and those who utilize discretion in the expressing of their thoughts in a format that is consistent with civil discourse, are the very same, who will sleep better, knowing that they did people right, rather than wrong.

To conquer temptation

There are plenty of people who aren’t interested in conquering temptation, mainly because they don’t believe that to be tempted to do this or to do that, is a real issue for them.  Yet, it is that temptation that is the proximate reason why we get into the sort of trouble that could have been avoided if we had developed the self-control as well as the wisdom to know that giving in to temptation can be a serious mistake that we will often ultimately regret.

 While it must be said that part of life, is trying to enjoy our life, and thereby to take in the beauty and the overall experience of that life, we have got to realize intuitively that when we decide that it is our senses that should be the commanders of our life, as contrasted to using our mind and spirit, to recognize that not everything that we think we should indulge in, should actually be indulged in, we would be the wiser for using that sort of discretion, and further to the point, letting our senses to know that we are master of what we do or don’t do.

 To believe, somehow, that we can’t control that which tempts us, and to at least take the time to think through clearly as to why we should or should not follow the pathway of a particular temptation, or simply ignore such as being worthy of contemplation, is a serious mistake – for it is a temptation that could well run havoc over our good sensibility so that we end up doing things that we really ought not to do, as well as developing the type of bad habits that are thereby exceedingly difficult to break, especially when they are not only ingrained upon us, but also because we see these bad habits as being part and parcel of our character, and thereby who we believe that we are.

 Indeed, it isn’t possible to conquer temptation, if we don’t see it as something worthy of our time, dedication, and effort to conquer.  So that, if we want to appreciate better the world and the society that we are a part of, the very first thing that we need to do, is to develop meaningful self-control, or else we will like a child, believe that everything that we like, should be “mine” and only mine; whereas, the truth of the matter is that we need to develop discretion, so that we will properly order what should be the priorities in life, and what we should or should not be doing in our behavior and our interactions with others.

 The frustrations and thereby the anger that some of us are prone to, have a lot to do with not getting what we believe that we should have, which has an awful lot in common with giving in to those temptations that we believe that we must indulge in.  What we really need, is seldom that which tempts us, but rather is the peace of mind to know that when given the choice between a given temptation and the wisdom to know what we ought to do, we thereupon do the right thing, consistently, and in this, we become conquerors.

The only thing that can regulate free market capitalism is….

We live in a day and age, in which never has there been more power in the hands of not people, as individuals, but rather in the legal entity of a corporation, in which, unlike people, which have a finite period of time on earth and thereby in society; we find that Western nations have instituted corporations, which are as structured currently are perpetual. This means, that long after a given corporation has been founded by its original founders, it will still be in existence, as long as it continues to make a good profit and stay relevant. This is why there are many a corporation today, that have been around for well over a century, and why the biggest and brightest corporate entities of today are well-structured to last as long as this nation exists in its current form.

 While there are a lot of good things when it comes to capitalism, in which, it has to be said, that money is a great motivator for many a person or corporation – it also has to be admitted that any institution that makes its point that its primary responsibility, as argued by Milton Friedman, is “to maximize profits and increase returns to shareholders,” presents a clear and present danger to a government of, by, and for the people, because when any corporation, is driven to make a profit, above all, this means that anything that gets in the way of that pursuit, such as labor, regulations, competition, and fair play, is going to take a back seat to those profits, which is why the only thing that can properly regulate these gargantuan corporations which exert undue influence upon markets and people, is a robust government acting through its agencies.

 Indeed, it is the duty of government to see that the playing field so played upon by capitalistic entities, must be a field that first of all, respects the fact that the continual exploitation of labor, environmental damage, collusion between corporations, or the buying out of competitors, and so on, are monitored and thereby corrected by the government, or else, America will have ceded to those corporations, that the pursuit of profit supersedes what this government owes to its people, because whenever corporations are permitted to have their way, with little or no interference by governmental agencies, then what we will see is more power held in corporate hands, which will undermine governmental policies that conflict with what these corporations are wont to do.

 It has to be said, that capitalistic corporations that have sales of billions upon billions of dollars, and own assets that are also in the billions upon billions of dollars, need to be properly taxed by governmental authorities and need also to be properly regulated, or else important things such as environmental concerns, or the paying of a fair wage, will be pushed to the background, and the less that corporations behave to the people responsibly, the more that the government will be stuck having the responsibility of providing an ever bigger safety net, for those that have been exploited as well as that government being needed to ameliorate environmental damage, all because corporations are given free rein to make a profit, without the attendant responsibilities that they have to be a good steward to the government that permits their existence.

Bombs away!

Since America is the world’s policeman and insists upon its involvement where trouble is brewing implicitly or explicitly all over the world, but nevertheless doesn’t want to risk losing American blood, because the general public is not comfortable in seeing a multitude of American boys in body bags, we find that America thereby uses aerial bombardment again and again, in its foreign conflicts and wars. The thing about bombing is that bombs are quite effective in creating absolute havoc and destruction. However, what is taken into consideration far less than it should be is that almost invariably when a bomb is dropped within an area that has some semblance of a population or actually has quite a few people living there, is that there will be civilian casualties from that bombing which are to the degree that America can control the narrative, are conveniently forgotten, dismissed, or typically substantially minimized as to the amount of civilians so injured, displaced, or killed.

 The main reason why America loves to bomb other civilizations is because it desires to minimize the amount of actual American boots on the ground, and in consideration that those who are the bombardiers are seldom in any real danger, this seems to be a strategy that saves American lives, under the belief that this bombing, strategic or not, will get the enemy to surrender or to lose the will to fight.  In actuality, aerial bombardment is almost never truly “surgical” or “smart” in its effect, and has a way of taking civilian populations and making them to despise and to hate those that rein this seemingly indiscriminate bombing upon them.

 To believe somehow that it is right to kill civilians, consisting of non-combatant men, women, and children, is a great wrong that America continues to bring down upon its enemies.  In truth, war is a dirty business, which entails risk, blood, injuries, and death, of which, the bombing of a given country is going to increase the amount of civilians injured, killed, and displaced, which should be seen as a crime against humanity.  America, drops the bombs upon those that are its alleged enemies, not because this tactically is the best way to win a battle, but rather because it wants to minimize American blood, at the expense of the civilian blood of those that are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 The thing that America tends to forget is that there are definite cycles in civilizations, and those that were the top dog, will eventually be replaced by another, so that, the more pain and punishment that America imposes through its aerial bombardment, the more blowback there will eventually be, of which, it has to be remembered that those that do all the bombing aren’t particularly concerned about civilian deaths and injuries so inflicted, until such a time, as the worm turns, and that bombing hits American civilians, as well.

 There doesn’t seem to be any real rules when it comes to aerial bombardment, or to the degree that there are, appropriate sanctions are never imposed against those powerful entities that violate such, signifying that when that reckoning does so come, America will feel the type of hell that it has been dishing out for decades, and will deeply regret the bloody harvest that it has reaped.

The tyranny of the elites

While it might be supposed that all are equally held accountable to the rule of law, we find that not only is this seldom true, but the actual laws so legislated into existence and then implemented, are themselves far too often not fair or appropriate, but rather have a way of being interpreted that structures these laws in a way and manner in which certain personages and organizations benefit. In contrast, the general public will be subject thereby to suffer the ill consequences of those same laws.  So too, plenty of laws are well-intentioned and good, but the enforcement of those laws is not consistent with what those laws should and ought to represent, in actuality.

 To live within a society in which each of us is dealt with according to a fair rule of law is to live within a society in which all are under that same law and thereby are subject to that law. This is so important because we find no matter how well written a given Constitution is, or the intentions behind such a Constitution, that Constitutions have a habit of being interpreted as or suffering from undue influence from those that are in positions of immense power, that thereupon favors those elites, and essentially makes them to be above the law, at the expense of the general public.

 In any society, there is going to be unfairness and inequality, of which, the duty of good governance is to play the role of balancing the scales of justice, to thereupon support those that are the least and most disadvantaged amongst us, and when that governance is compromised or even worse, under the thumb of the elites, than those that have little or no power, will be subject to a constant exploitation of those that are the elites, which makes for a society that is unequal, unfair, and unjust.

 To live in an equal society in which all are treated the same under a fair rule of law is only possible if those who are the elites of a given nation, must themselves live under that law.  This is why, so many people find delight in seeing those that are high up, take a fall; but somehow don’t recognize that the fall that these very influential and powerful people take, has not a lot to do with the rule of law, per se, but mainly has to do with the constant struggle of one elite against the other, which is why, the change that so many desire to make for a better society, never comes into fruition.

 Indeed, the very point of good governance is to defend the defenseless and the weak, by being that bulwark against any and everything that would oppress those who are freely entitled to their unalienable rights, which is why all those who consistently back those who are the most powerful amongst us, by serving them as opposed to serving justice and the people, are part and parcel of the tyranny of the elites, which good governance should by its very nature never encourage or countenance, whatsoever. 

The Electoral College needs to be expanded to the Congress

There are plenty of people who strongly dislike the Electoral College, which is utilized as the mechanism to determine the winner of the Presidential election, of which, a lot of these people who dislike the Electoral College so much, lack both imagination as well as an understanding that the Electoral College typically makes the election of the President to be far more interesting, because of the strategic thinking and strategies that are needed and are subsequently utilized in order to best get their candidate elected.  In other words, if the President was decided solely upon the popular vote, then all of the States that are small, of which, for instance, the twenty-two smallest States have a population that is essentially equivalent to the population of California, would be pretty much, ignored, because their overall impact would be minimal.  Whereas, as it stands right now, smaller and medium-sized States are important to win, of which, some of these become “battleground States” because to win all the Electoral College votes within those States, is a very strong factor as to whether a given Presidential candidate becomes President.

 Indeed, there isn’t any real good reason, why the Electoral College could not be expanded to the United States Congress, of which, for the Senate, it would be proposed that each of the Congressional districts would receive a certain amount of Electoral College representatives based upon the population of that Congressional district, and the winner of the overall State electoral vote, subject to some minimum amount of Electoral College vote totals, which would be basically akin to the 270 Electoral College votes so needed to win the Presidency, would be sufficient to win the Senate seat.  As for those States with just one Congressional representative, nothing would change, but in those States, with more than one Congressional representative, it would change the strategy of the candidates and would make it more likely that “battleground Congressional districts” would thereby be relevant to the Senate election. 

 Additionally, Congressional elections could also be structured into the Electoral College system, by subdividing each district, into Electoral College enclaves, that were made up of the individual counties within each Congressional district, or if that was problematic, something else along those same lines.  This therefore would also make Congressional elections, more strategic, in which, those voters within “battleground counties” would be paid more attention to, than previously, under the old rules.

 Again, to simply elect representatives solely based upon the vote, isn’t all that interesting, because those so running for election, are going to concentrate their efforts upon those population centers that make a material difference in their getting elected; whereas, when the Electoral College is enforced, thereby making it winner take all within each Electoral College enclave, the strategy to win an election, will be different and thereby we will see those seeking election making a more concerted effort to win over those that previously were left behind or ignored by election pamphleteering.  So too, there would be a greater interest in elections, when the people felt that their vote actually mattered, which makes for a better representative government, so meant to be of, for, and by the people.

“…whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”

The above quotation comes to us from Galatians 6:7, and it means what it says, which is the harvest that each one of us has sown through their actions, thoughts, and deeds, is going to be what they will surely reap.  It is fair to state that life is a chain of events, that begins at the beginning and ends at the end, of which, that continuum, writes the story of our life, and thereby what we so reap by the harvest that we have seeded, are the fruits of our labor, of which, this has represented our contribution to the life that we have lived.

 Indeed, there are many a person, that prefers to personally edit their life in a way and manner, in which that which is bad and wrong, is reduced to something akin to a small indiscretion, and the little that they have done right, is magnified into something magnificent.  The problem with this type of belief, is that God will not be mocked, and in consideration that God is perfection, omniscient, and just, there will be a reckoning for each and every one of us, and of that reckoning, we will surely reap what we have sown.

 There are plenty of people, that really like their lives, and feel that overall that they are a good person, who perhaps has made a few mistakes, but as in anything, our own perception, can be distorted, so that, if we really want to know how we have been behaving, we probably need to reduce our ego, and to thereby take an honest reflection upon who and what we really are – and if lacking in certain good qualities that make for virtuous character, to do our level best to actually achieve those attributes, so that we will become a better person.

 In this world, there is plenty of opportunity to not only to deceive our own self, but to deceive others, but in the end, all the tricks and games that we have played, will be fairly accorded to us, come judgment day, and those then, that have lived high up on their horse, will find that their fall is indeed great, which is why we need to do what we can do to make sure that the seeds, care, and diligence that we put into our harvest, will result in us our reaping what is good.

 The world that we live in is a proving ground, of which, each of us has to answer individually to that which called us into existence, and upon that calling, we will find that all the pretense will be eliminated, to thus expose our actual character.  Those then that take what they say and do in this world, with the understanding that this matters and then make it their point to do the right thing, are going to stand in a far superior position to those that either ignore or dismiss such, for in the end, we will fairly sow what we have reaped, and the difference between those that have chosen wisely as compared to those that have been fools, will be stark.

Vehicle speed

Because modern-day vehicles can travel at such a high rate of speed, in which, the driver of that vehicle, doesn’t even really notice how fast the car is traveling, because the ride is often fairly smooth, we don’t seem to comprehend that the faster a vehicle travels, the less time we have to react to adverse events, and further to the point, the greater the velocity of a given vehicle, the more damage that will be done should that vehicle encounter an obstacle, such as another vehicle, or a deer, or a human being.

 The bottom line is that most drivers simply want to get to their destination as quickly as they can. Given that the roads that vehicles travel upon lend themselves to driving at a fairly high speed, this signifies that drivers are going to drive their car about as fast as they feel that they can safely handle, limited only by restraints such as vehicle traffic, weather, and speed limits.

 The rub when it comes to the speed that cars travel is that those driving the cars have difficulty in conceptualizing how fast they are traveling and thereby how dangerous it can be, when an unforeseen obstacle gets in their way, thereby providing them a limited amount of time to avoid that obstacle or to brake with enough force to slow down the car, sufficiently.  In other words, while there are many reasons why we have car accidents, one of the factors why there are so many car accidents is the traveling speed of a car, of which, it has to be said, that the slower a vehicle is traveling, the less potential damage there will be to all that are involved in an accident.

 This then would presuppose that when it comes to vehicle safety and because cars travel so fast, more needs to be done to preclude damaging accidents, which signifies that braking power, including the automatic usage of brakes when a collision is imminent, along with more robust safety belts, restraints, airbags, and other safety devices which are being developed or contemplated upon, have a definite role to play.  While it could be said, that lowering speed limits would also lower car fatalities and reduce car accidents, the fact of the matter is that today’s drivers routinely violate speed limits, so this probably isn’t going to do enough to change much -- though, the usage of smart speed limits, that take into account weather conditions, traffic patterns, and frequency of accidents on certain stretches of roads, could be of real assistance in this area.

 Another thing that would be helpful would be the designing of vehicles that utilize less overall weight to the vehicle while maintaining structural integrity, because the more weight a given vehicle has in conjunction with its speed, the greater the impact there will be when a collision occurs.  Indeed, when it comes to vehicles, it has to be said, that while governmental regulations have been of help in improving driver safety, more could be done to increase that safety, by concentrating on the recognition that the traveling speed of vehicles needs to be addressed, more forthrightly.