The Berlin conference of 1884-1885

As they say, history is written by the victors; and further to the point, some parts of history are seldom written about at all.  The question that people should want to know the answer to, is how is it that the continent of Africa ever became colonized?  The answer to that seminal question is contained within that Berlin conference.  At the conference, fourteen European nations, as well as the United States, got together to discuss, the necessary “civilization” of the African continent, as well as the intended successful exploitation of that same continent for the benefit of those that would be colonizers of such.  In other words, Africa became colonized on behalf of those European nations, in which, the African people themselves had absolutely no say in the matter, and no seat at the table; and of which, by the sword, if so necessary, those Africans would be held perpetually subservient to those that claimed the right to take what they considered to be of value from those same Africans.

In those types of situations, in which, a people, do not have the proper war materials, structure, or the resources to defend themselves, and of which the only powers in play in the world, are the very ones deciding one’s fate, then there are really no viable options available to those people, which will not result in the wholesale destruction of one’s society, other than to basically comply with the demands, so being imposed by those conquering nations.  The Berlin conference was an especially heavy blow for Africa to suffer from, for though Africa had been exploited for the white man’s benefit for centuries, it wasn’t until this conference and thereby its aftermath, that the Europeans went beyond the coasts and ports of Africa and thereby into the wholesale interior of this continent. 

It must be remembered, that in an era, in which, it was believed that civilization must be defined by European proclivities and beliefs, this thus meant for indigenous Africans, that their culture, their language, their governance, their laws, and their religions, must thereby be subsumed by European preferences, on behalf of what those Europeans believed to be the accouterments of what it meant to be civilized.  So too, in the lust for profit and the great natural resources that Africa so represented, the lives of Africans were for the most part, considered to be expendable, if there were not suitably compliant to the demands so being imposed upon them.

Not too surprisingly, at a time, in which we had those not of African descent in power, and also  that were not particularly concerned about the identities or the historic background of the denizens of that continent or its indigenous institutions, so of; that therefore those that were in charge and therefore in control of those that were so being colonized, subsequently created artificial country boundaries that served to divide the African continent per the preferences of those that were its conquerors, in a way and manner that perhaps made sense to those Europeans and none else.  This thus meant, that a lot of the ills that plague Africa today in the sense of intra-country tribal and religious conflict, can be laid at the feet of those Europeans; along with the fact that since in order for this colonization to work effectively for those Europeans, they also made it their point, to structure the governance of those nations in an authoritarian manner in which, democracy or even the hint of such, was effectively snuffed out.

Your neighbor as yourself

We read in Holy Scripture, that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 39).  Yet, how many people having read this, and sort of understanding it, have simply forgotten its true significance; or perhaps have never really understood its significance, or taken thereby these words to heart.  When it comes to this scripture, the very first thing to recognize, is how much we really love our own self; for it is that love for our own self, that drives many a person, to work hard, to study hard, to achieve something of note, and to keep on keeping on, when battling though those times that are tough, because we want to accomplish that which we need to accomplish, so as to benefit our self, in the honest belief that in doing so, we will thereby be able to better benefit others.

The reality is that most of us, really do love ourselves a lot; and while we may express disappointment in some of the things that we so do, as well as regret, so of; the bottom line is that we are usually quite quick to forgive ourselves, and truly believe that  we are almost always basically good, at heart.  Whether or not, this is literally true or not, doesn’t much matter; for the bigger picture is that as much as we might express our love for others, even those that we are very close to; we have a strong tendency to believe that at the end of the day, that about the only love that we can always count on, in return, no matter what, is our own love for our own self; along, of course, with God’s unconditional love for us.

So then, in consideration, that we love ourselves so much, and that self-love is seemingly with us all of time; in fact, it must be said, that we typically still love ourselves, even when we know that we have done something rather rotten; we thus find that when we take an honest re-look at Matthew 22: 39, we thereby recognize that the hurdle to love our neighbor as our own self, is indeed, an incredibly big hurdle, to overcome; but overcome it, we must so do.  To accomplish such a mission, necessitates our taking account of who and what we really are; and in furtherance of that cause, to recognize that perhaps our neighbor, though appearing different than our own self, or seeming to have characteristics not in line with some of our most cherished beliefs, may, on the other hand, actually represent someone that in a unique way, is perhaps our better self, thus encased within a different body.

After all, God never intended to make carbon copies of each human form so created; for that would be pretty pointless.  Further to the point, the most valuable treasures have always been those treasures that are hidden or obscure, which is thereby part of what makes them so valued.  So then, just as when we go into the funhouse at the carnival, in which we stand in front of different distorting mirrors, in which, crazy and distorted reflections thus appear in front of us; we never though get confused that somehow we have changed into that image.  So too, our neighbor, good or bad, reflects back to us, the distortions of what we see this world to be, and when we are thus able to cut through all of the nonsense, we will finally see, as if for the very first time, that each person so created by God, is in actuality, a fair reflection of God’s undivided love.

“A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor”

The above quotation comes forth from our only four-term President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.  What is basically meant by this insightful saying is that those that desire to simply lead an easy life, and to thereby never be challenged meaningfully in any material way, are not ever going to be able to acquire the necessary skills, to thereby successfully deal with, if so comes, the turmoil and vicissitudes of life -- for they have not obtained those skills so needed in order to effectively do so.  Further to the point, those that are content, to never venture forth, because they are comfortable where they are at; will be ill-prepared to handle the storms of life, when they so come.

We are meant to be here on this good earth, in order to achieve something of note; and those that talk about how they “always win,” and how they “never lose,” are always those that have not been truly tested; for only in the dusty and clamorous arena of life, in which, there is something at stake for all of those so involved, in which, winning and losing, has real consequences, will we so develop the wherewithal to become that which will permit us to make our legitimate good mark in this world.

So too, those that have never known defeat or disappointment, are thus incapable of therefore developing the empathy, so needed, to understand what life so represents, for the vast majority of us.  Each of us, needs to have dealt with those circumstances in which we have been humbled, vanquished, or defeated on at least, a temporary level or in a moment of time; in which we subsequently thereby determine to do what so needs to be done to be better prepared to be victorious in the future, when that opportunity so arises for us, again.  It is, in the overcoming of that which seems impossible or of great difficulty, that great character is created; for only in the cauldrons of the hottest fire, does the strongest steel come forth.

We should note, that the thing about the ocean is not only how vast it is, but also how we so find that unexpected or unanticipated storms can rise up, with little or no notice, and those then that have developed the skillset to handle such a storm will find that when that storm is vanquished and thereby so passes (and they all do eventually pass) that because of their skill that they are thus able to enjoy the return of the smoothness and rhythm of the sea, when such returns to its norm. 

So then, when everything goes our way, we have a tendency to become complacent; and when everything goes against us, we have a tendency to become discontented or worse.  For most of us, though, life is a mixture of both; of which, the point of our existence is to do our good part, to break through the barriers that are precluding us from fulfilling our fair destination; and the best way to get to where we need to get to, is to have developed the requisite character, so tested through adversity and our overcoming of such, so that in our final test, we will successfully slay the dragon that stands menacingly in the way of the treasure that we have always been yearning for, and is ours for the taking.

Matthew 5: 8

We read in Holy Scripture, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” which is certainly a very good thing to have happen to any one of us.  That said, from the same Holy Scripture, the incomparable, Kahlil Gibran, encourages us, with his translation, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be one with God.”

What does it mean to be pure of heart?  To be pure of heart, is to find deep within our psyche the resourcefulness and the moral integrity to control and to master our personal ego, and thereby to replace ingrained selfishness and the concept of “me, me, me” with the overriding mindset that each one of us is part of a greater whole, and it is that whole, or the One, that we owe our total commitment and loyalty to.  In other words, to live a life in which we are bounded or enthralled to our own personal desires and wishes, is to always live a life in which we will to some degree, and perhaps to a very large degree, do what we have to do to get what we think we so desire and want.  That therefore doesn’t represent a person that is pure of heart, but represents someone instead, who has forsaken their pureness of heart, for that which is temporal, at best.

Because we have been gifted by our Creator, with free will, the choice of what we do or don’t do in our actions is in our hands.  Those then, that are pure in heart or are indeed making it their principle to become that, are truly blessed, for they have sacrificed personal ego gratification, for something that is bigger than their own individual self, and thereby are well on the way to becoming one with God.  After all, those that do not have the necessary characteristics that are in harmony with God, are going to find it problematic to find oneness with God, because of their inability to be in accordance with the very core principles of our omnipotent and eternal God.

While, it must be said, it isn’t easy to be pure of heart, we should, as devoted students to our God, at least want to make the attempt to be pure of heart.  It may seem a very difficult thing to give up our selfish and self-serving desires; but it has to be recognized and validated within our being, that God, does not have and never will have selfish or self-serving desires, and yet does not lack a thing.  In this world, we have, far too often, become besotted by the temptations of this planet, never seeming to realize that even those things that we believe will bring us the most lasting happiness, are in almost every case, ultimately found to be counterfeit.

Our hearts long to rest in the only sanctuary that will ever completely satisfy our most inner needs – which can only be fulfilled when we become pure in heart and thereby one with God.  The road back to God, is fraught with perils, but those obstacles and difficulties, are meant to be a test of the purity of our faith; and those that thereby rise up and accomplish their noble tasks, are those that are truly pure in heart, and thereby one with God.

English as the language of the elites

It has been said that there are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world; but for the most part, we so find, that there is only one language that pretty much rules them all, and that is English.  There are some significant things that make English, unusual, of which, the first is that there are actually more non-native English speakers than there are that are native born English speakers; which signifies that English, alone amongst every other major language known in the world, is universal in its importance and in its application, worldwide.  Secondly, we find that especially in European countries, that those that go on to University, or desire or have a need to write scientific papers, or to be in a diplomatic employment position, or to rise up to a high business position, or desire to be an air traffic controller, are almost always required to be proficient in English or else they will not have the same status or opportunity in comparison to all those that do speak English.  In other words, those that are proficient in English, and, in particular, in those foreign lands that are not native English- language based, are by their ability to successfully navigate and to use English proficiently, essentially set apart from all those others of the general population, that have only a rudimentary understanding of English, or are ignorant of such.

Before English became the most important language in the world, we had Latin; and though Latin still exists, it pretty much is not utilized today in any scientific papers so being written, or speeches so being spoken, and really the last dying breath of Latin as some sort of language of import, died, when the Catholic church, no longer required its priests to say mass in Latin.  Before that all came about, though, Latin, in its day was most definitely the language of scholars, along with it often being also the language of the advisors to the Latin speaking rich and powerful, of which, these personages so represented the elites of that day.  It has to be recognized, that when those that are of the highest power, whether that be secular or of the religious persuasion, or both, are able to communicate readily in a language in which the common people, do not typically understand such, then therefore those that are commoners are by their lack of knowledge of that language, are by default, branded as being of lower status, who will then find themselves hard pressed therefore to build up a coalition that will ever be able to successfully supplant those that are its rulers, or get a seat at the table, with such.

In today’s world, English is the Latin of its day, and those that are ambitious or are desirous of being perceived as having skills that can easily navigate across borders and nations, or through the internet, recognize that the language that they need to know is English, and of which, English will not soon be supplanted in its universal significance by any other language.  This so signifies that for foreigners of just about any nation of note, those that do not comprehend English are going to almost invariably be those that are going to fall into the category of being the exploited; whereas, those that do speak English well, are while not necessarily being the exploiters, will certainly be in the pole position to achieve the type of material and credential success, which will often put them in a very satisfying place.

American fascism

When it comes to fascism, most people are totally against such; but then again, most of those same people can’t seem to be able to define what fascism is – except to vaguely believe that it has something to go with Germany, Hitler, World War II, and Nazism.  In truth, a fascist state is a nation in which its governance is authoritarian or dictatorial in nature, it is heavily militarized, and it also has structured its judicial laws to suppress individual interests so that the people will thereby be properly subservient to the collective good of the nation -- so represented in fascism by the combination or the coordination of corporate interests and governmental power into one joint entity.

When we look upon America, it may well have a liberal Constitution, but as in many a case, words so written don’t count for much, when they are superseded by the structure of how that country so operates in actuality.  For, we so find, that civil disobedience, and civil petitions to the government for redress of grievances, are systematically being put down through, oftentimes, the militarized police; and of which, there is a strong conservative current of those that believe that what this nation needs more of, is law and order, which in its implementation, always supports the status quo and those that actuate those actions, against the common people, in whole.  So too, though the United States, has executive, legislative, and judicial branches, it is becoming rather obvious that the workaround to recalcitrant legislatures, is for the executive office to issue executive orders, and when those orders are subsequently upheld by a majority of the nine Supreme Court justices, then effectively this republican democracy is becoming more authoritarian by the day.

We also find that the disturbing thing about Americas’ rise of awesome corporate power, is the fact that these corporations as currently structured are perpetual in nature; and of which, those that run those corporations are forever after more growth, less taxation, and more profit, by whatsoever means that they can accomplish such.  Our present day government does not mind this corporate preference in the least, and therefore has little or no interest in the breaking up of corporate behemoths, but actually encourages by its policies or by its benign non-interest, more corporate mergers; thereby signifying that this government prefers to deal with large mega-corporations, that control huge market share via a monopoly, duopoly, or consortium of like-mined corporations, because each side of this equation then finds that this benefits best their interests – which can essentially be summarized as the exploitation of the people for the benefit of the elites.

America is far down the road of fascism, of which, our duly elected representatives have too often been aiders and abettors to such – though, as always, there are exceptions to this general rule.  For those that care or are concerned, and thereby want to know the future – that unfolding story is best told through the rise or the fall of American unions, for it is in those unions, that the common people are thereby able to joined together into one body politic to see that they are properly compensated with a fair wage, job security, benefits, and a pathway to advancement or not.  For, it can be said, that unions are, and forever will be, an anathema to any fascist state.

All must face physical death

To be born into this world, necessitates our eventual departure from this world.  Some of us, leave unexpectedly and suddenly; whereas others of us depart in the sure knowledge that since our body can no longer sustain itself, that it is thereby time for us to relinquish ourselves from that bondage.   However, it so comes, painful or not, unexpected or not, unwarranted or not, unwelcomed or not, the hand of death reaches out to every one of us, and each one of us knows this.

While it is good to expend time and energy embracing life in this world, and thereby trying to get the most out of this experience; it would seem to behoove societies in general, to expend more time and energy, in the sure acknowledgement that our journey here and our existence here, is only temporary, and not permanent.  This would seem to fairly indicate that a meaningful portion of that which we need to learn, should be about our acceptance of our inevitable physical death, and thereby what this properly represents.  After all, how is it conceivable that we can live a good life, if we don’t comprehend what death truly entails.

First off, we can learn a lot about life from studying nature; in which, each year, we so see that there are four seasons that nature duly cycles through.  Each of those seasons has its purpose and those that are close to the earth, in the sense that they are farmers, or are appreciative of the great outdoors and its  mysteries, recognize that in nature we can learn by observing; in which a plant in order to flower, for instance, goes first thru the stage of the germination of its seed, followed by its growth and eventual flowering, and then its reproduction so done thru pollination or similar, before at its final stage as it reaches its individual demise or dormancy, it spreads forth its seeds.  So too, in the animal world, we see the same stages repeat itself, in the sense of the birth of a given animal, its growth into maturity, and then its reproductive mating, followed by giving forth new birth and then ultimately to its own individual demise; in which, the next generation, so created, keeps the species ever present. 

When we are young and strong, our thoughts about death may be ever fleeting; because we see ourselves as ever alive, and typically are quite busy with the many concerns and challenges that our life so presents to us that we need to successfully deal with.  Yet, at a minimum, in the back of our mind, if not more present, we recognize that the pathway that we are on and that we cannot get off of, inevitably involves that we too, will have to face our own physical death.  That is why, it is important to conduct ourselves in the manner in which we recognize that our life here, is finite, and that nothing material in this world can we ever carry onward upon our departure from it; thereby signifying that our own legacy that will remain on this plane, is represented primarily by the things that we have done that live on in the memories of those still living, as well as in the advice and good deeds that we have done as an exemplar to those others, in the hope that what we have passed on to them, ever continues because of its worth and its merit.

White privilege and systemic favoritism

The color of American citizens is most definitely changing, in which, never have there been so many colors, bi-colors, multi-colors, races, creeds, and national origins, then we do so see, today.    This is good for America, especially since it takes pride in being the “melting pot” of the world, as well as believing in the core values of equality, egalitarianism, opportunity, liberty, and justice for all.  Yet, despite all the noble words so written, good and progressive legislative acts so enacted, and sound judicial decisions so rendered; the fact of the matter is that white people, just by virtue of being white, have immense inborn advantages over every other race; because in America we are seldom appropriately judged by our character, but rather are often judged first by the color of our skin.

Though the prism of America is changing, the fact of the matter is, that prism, is often still the prism still mainly seen through the lens of white people, of which, not too surprisingly, those that are white, have a strong tendency, whether implicit or explicit, to favor their own kind, first.  While progress is being made in getting more white Americans to recognize their inherent advantages that permits them to be just about whatever that they want to be, as well as to get the benefit of the doubt in the doing of whatever that they so do; the wheels of change are slowly and inexorably grinding progressively forward, and thereby there is clearly becoming a divide between those whites that will not give an inch back of their privilege, which they grip tightly onto as a highly valued heirloom, as compared to all those other whites that recognize that being born white, should not accord them respect or privilege, that they have not fairly earned.

What many white people don’t seem to comprehend, is that in this country, simply being white, permits those of that white race, to go about their business in which they need not take into serious consideration, that the general perception of other people is ever going to be that they are, for instance, stupid, ignorant, criminals, dangerous, violent, indolent, or deserving to be despised or disrespected.  To be white, is to have a perpetual free pass, that permits white people to have all of the advantages, and basically none of the disadvantages; unless those white people prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they are trailer trash, drunks, drug addicts, or damaged in some other obvious way.

So then, what we so find, is that the people that cry out the loudest for more law and order, are primarily white people; because these white people know that when law and order comes with their heavy boots, it isn’t going to come for them.  So too, the people that we often find that want less governmental services, less governmental interference, and to pay less in taxes, are white people, because they have all the assets and material goods that they really need, so that they don’t require governmental social services and they sure don’t want to pay more in taxes, because they want to keep as much as they earn or have, as they can.  In short, to be white, is to be on the side of the rulers, and to be anything else than white, is to be on the side of the ruled.

Matthew 5:7

We read in Holy Scripture, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”  Yet, this same scripture can be interpreted in more than one way, of which, the incomparable Kahlil Gibran, has found inspiration in: “Blessed are the kindly, for they shall be consoled by their own kindliness.”

For many of us, when we take a close look at our own life, it is in those acts of received kindness at those timely moments that we take a great deal of solace in; especially when such has been done, when we were feeling particularly dejected, low, or abandoned.  Those that say the right words at the right time, or that help us to get back up, when we are down, are performing an act of kindness, that in its effect, benefits both parties, and thereby helps to make our lives better.

Each day, we are provided with the opportunity to simply be kind to one another, an act that can thus be fulfilled by us or an act that we can effectively ignore.  After all, to be kind, requires some degree of commitment to the other person, in which in order to accomplish such, we need to make the effort to demonstrate that act of kindness, whether that be by taking some time out of our day to help someone deal with an issue that is bothering them, or by lending a helping hand to another on a project, or by visiting someone, that is in need.  There isn’t any real limit to things that we can perform that are kind, of which, those acts can come forth from the littlest of us, to the biggest; or from the youngest of us to the oldest.

To be considerate to one another, demonstrates that we are able to successfully break out of the mold of self-centeredness to recognize that each one of us, has validity, and further to the point, to recognize that everyone has vulnerabilities, that we can help to alleviate, by our act of thoughtfulness to them.  For each person that we so meet, we do not know all of that of which they are dealing with; but we can certainly say with foreknowledge, that everyone has something on their mind, or a deed so done, that troubles them, at least, from time-to-time, and when we are considerate to them, this thus provides them with comfort, knowing that they are accepted, just as they are.

So too, while a given act of kindness, provides consolation to the person so receiving such; it must also be said, that by being kind, the giver of such, receives consolation, as well; for in that act of kindness, we so often feel a true reflection of such, in return.  That is to say, the more that we give, the more that we get, in compensation; for good acts, are often echoed back to us, again and again.    So then, by being kind to another, we benefit not only the other person, but we also benefit ourselves, because in that act of generosity is the implicit understanding, that the kinder that we are, the more that we are open to feel kindness in return.

To be ignorant is to be in chains

There are a whole lot of people, that if they only applied themselves to the tasks at hand, would know a lot more about the things that are of material importance to know; but for whatever reason, such as intellectual laziness, fear, bad habits, bad environment, and the like; we see so represented in today’s modern world, an incredible amount of people that somehow are basically okay with being ignorant about a lot of things of value, that consequently ends up making their life, typically, a lot more problematic than it need be.

It is important to note, that somebody that cannot comprehend words, or the context of those words, is in a really bad place, which is basically akin to being in a foreign land and not knowing how to successfully communicate, one with another.  So too, those that do not have the sound ability to read the written word, so that they are therefore dependent upon someone else to read to them, better be sure that the words so being spoken to them match the words that have been written, or else they will most likely come out with the short end of the stick. So too, those that cannot do basic arithmetic, are absolutely dependent upon those that know that basic arithmetic, and must therefore hope that they are not subsequently cheated by virtue of having that ignorance.  Finally, those that don’t understand the importance of good ethics and morals, are susceptible to falling into all sorts of vices and errors, because of their inability to discern the proper value of such.

For a certainty ignorance is not bliss, it never has been, and it never will be.  Rather, we so find, that those that lack knowledge in those areas of vital or of fundamental importance, are almost always in the thrall of those that have successfully obtained that knowledge; of which, it is the knowledgeable that are forever the masters of those that know little or nothing.  There are, regrettably, plenty of people, for their own self-serving reasons, that prefer to deal with ignorant people, for an ignorant person is someone far easier to control, manipulate, and to take advantage of, as opposed to someone else of fair knowledge and of a sensible moral code. 

Each of us has been gifted with a free will, of which, the best value for that free will, is to thereby make it our point to obtain useful knowledge that will help to make our lives better and of more satisfaction.  After all, those that search for truth and thereby find that truth, are going to be in the catbird seat in comparison to all those others that blithely don’t care, are lazy, hopelessly behind, or are unthinking.  So too, those that know the ins and outs of what is and what is not of value, are the type of people, that are going to be set up well to make better life decisions, than those that lack that same solid foundation.  In short, ignorance is a form of enslavement, in which because we know little or nothing of value, we place ourselves in the position of being led by others, for better or for worse, and with the hope, that these leaders will have our best interests in mind, even though, they may well not.

Angel Island: The Ellis Island of the West

Most Americans are very familiar with Ellis Island, which served the purpose for decades as the immigration point for Europeans to enter into the United States.  In fact, we read at history.com, that “More than 12 million immigrants…” passed through Ellis Island on their way to mainland America, having thus successfully obtained their citizenship.  Of course, in America, there is also the west coast, and on the west coast, an immigration island was eventually also set up, known as Angel island, which is located in close proximity to San Francisco.  The immigration process for those thus arriving on the west coast that were Caucasian, typically didn’t even necessitate a stop at Angel Island, but rather they were usually able to disembark directly at San Francisco and to thus obtain citizenship, there.  On the other hand, for those that were Asian, they were compelled to stay aboard and to eventually disembark on Angel Island, instead; in which, their ability to successfully immigrate into the United States, was something that could take an extended period of time, of weeks, months, or would not ever occur, at all.

The problem that Asians had to deal with, was something that Europeans so immigrating to America, did not have to deal with – which is that the government of the United States had sought fit to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act which thereby precluded those of Asian background from legally entering the United States, unless they were highly educated and thereby in a profession that was considered to be of material benefit to the United States, or if they were able to convince the United States immigration authorities that they were children of Asians that were currently citizens of the United States.  Not too surprisingly, for those having taken the journey to get to America, Asians were quite adept at being able to convince immigration authorities in America, that they were, in fact, children of American citizens, by having memorized names, addresses, and professions of those that were legal citizens of America, in order to, if necessary, game the system and thereupon gain for themselves, legal entry and citizenship.

Indeed, the experience of immigration on the west coast, was materially different than the east coast, simply because those so coming to America from the west, had a very strong makeup of those that were primarily of Asian heritage as compared to there being almost exclusively Caucasian heritage for those disembarking on Ellis island.  Yet, the thing that makes Americans out of any race, creed, or color is the pluck and determination of those so trying to immigrate to America.  That is to say, once a decision has been made to come to America, those people having made that decision, are going to go through whatever that they have to go through, in order to reach that promise land; because in their minds, America so represents for them, the land of liberty and opportunity, of which, they will not quit, until they reach their destination of choice.  So, though, Angel Island, processed considerably fewer immigrants through its island, it has to be noted that they did so process through a significant amount of Asians, of at least 200,000 peoples and probably well more, at a time, in which, Asians were not typically overtly welcomed, in America, and thereby were subsequently treated as second-class citizens or less, but that did not stop those Asians, from subsequently giving forth their best, once they so arrived upon this mainland.

As for your habits, learn to ask the question, “What do I get out of it?”

Each of us, are creatures of habit; be they good habits or bad, of which, we typically so find, that we are a mixture of both.  The thing about habits is that surprisingly a fair amount of people don’t ever bother to look closely at their habits and thereby to examine them as to whether or not, a particular habit is beneficial or detrimental to their being; and then once determining so, doing something of meaning to correct such that needs to be corrected.  Those others, though, that do look at their habits, recognize that it is sensible to want to keep those habits which are good and beneficial, and to at a minimum, see what can be done to at least ameliorate those habits which are destructive and inimical to one’s good character.

A lot of the trouble that besets us is really of our own making; in which, the mistakes that we make through bad judgment or bad habits has put us into some uncomfortable or trying circumstances, that simply would not exist, if we had exhibited better control and better judgment over those things that are under our volition.  This thus signifies that when there are those times when we wake up with regret, or feel regret when we do something that we wish that we had not done; that it so behooves us to right what needs to be righted, in which, a lot of the time, the guilty party is that bad habit which we have let take control of our free will, and thereby we need to exert our dominion, of.

When it comes to habits, the longer a habit has been with us, the harder it typically is to break free from that habit; which signifies that just as “Rome was not built in one day,” that to thus break a particularly noisome habit is something that is going to take a whole lot of effort, concentration, and persistence; in addition to the fact that this is probably going to be a habit that will still continue to trip us up, from time-to-time, as well.  This means, that we have to be on-guard to do our best to overcome such, and in recognition that it is often easier to fight a battle when we have like-minded companions of the same mindset with us, it is therefore important then to reduce our time considerably with those people that encourage us in our bad habits or are the instigators of such; and spend more time instead with those that are more disciplined, positive, compassionate, empathetic, and virtuous, instead.

For those that are confused or on the fence about a particular habit, it is vital to keep asking the question, as to “what do I get out of it?”  The point of our asking that question about a habit, is for us, to sit down and to provide to ourself an honest answer to such.  For those that have bad habits, a typical answer might be that the reason for that habit is to escape, for a time, from some trouble or some circumstance, but since this escape, by definition, can only last a finite amount of time, then like a dog returning to its own vomit, we so return to that same bad habit, again and again, which means that the trouble so bothering us has not been resolved; and it is that trouble that needs to be resolved, which when done so, thereby opens up the pathway to best correct that bad habit.

Worker-owned capitalism

In an awful lot of companies, that people work at, the hierarchy of the ownership of such, is typically represented by the corporate officers owning all or a significant portion of the corporation; or if not, then these corporate executives effectively are in control of the corporate ship in regards to the most important business strategies and decisions so being made, and the direction, so taken, thereof.  In other words, for a significant swath of Americans, they are employees, first and foremost, that work within the structure of the given corporation, and with the exception of possible monetary bonuses or stock options so being provided to those employees, per the dictates of that corporation, those that are employed, don’t really have much say in the corporate decisions so being made, and are often not even really in the loop of that decision making process.

There was a time, when unions, really did have a voice with management; but we so find that in the private sector of today’s enterprises, unions have been in steep decline for a considerable period of time, so for the most part, in most business enterprises, employees effectively have no voice for they have no union.  This thus signifies that because employees are in essence, treated as simply being one cog in a vast machine, that what so happens, for better or worse, is almost exclusively controlled by upper management.  In short, should the executive office, desire to close a given office, or close a given factory, and thereby move employment to some other city, or to outsource work previously done in-house, elsewhere, or even to contract such to an overseas’ venue, there isn’t anything or anybody that can stop corporate from being able to effect that change.

On the other hand, when workers of a given corporation, actually have some significant degree of equity in a company, they are in essence, employed at what is for all practical purposes, an employee-owned or majority employee owned enterprise, of which, we do so find that the dynamic, of this enterprise, is quite different. That is to say, that firstly, the motivation for a given employee changes for the better, when they have some meaningful equity within the structure of the company that they work for, in which, because of that equity as well as the knowledge that their success or lack thereof, correlates to their earnings, they will, more times than not, put forth a greater effort and make a greater sacrifice for the betterment of that company, because they have a material stake in it.  Secondly, corporations, that are employee-owned, or that have employees with a considerable say in that corporation, characteristically are going to be the type of staff that will prefer to continue to work within the locality of that employment; which is obviously beneficial for the people that make up that community and its tax base.

There are those corporations, that play an amusing game of semantics in which they called their employees, “associates,” or things of this ilk; which might well be okay if those associates actually had a voice in that company, but alas, they typically, do not.  Instead, what communities need to recognize is that locally owned business enterprises, as well as employee-owned businesses, are the very best companies to have in a community, for unlike, behemoth corporations that often have no loyalty to the community that they presently reside in; those that are worker-owners, most certainly do.

Governments are instituted to uphold the unalienable rights of the people

The unalienable rights of humankind have not ever been gifted to us by any government and never will be; for they are instead provided to every one of us as a free gift, by our Creator.  Further to the point, this thus signifies that the prime objective of good governance is to first and foremost to uphold those unalienable rights of the people; and to the degree that governance does not do so, this is to the disservice of that constituency.  This thus means that when it comes to governance, the prime objective by that government should always be upheld in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of that government, so that this governance of, for, and by the people, does not get distracted from that which is it sacred mission on behalf of the people, that sanctioned it into existence in the first place.

There are an unlimited amount of things, activities, and actions, that any government could do – but what we so often find in today’s world, is that the governance of the people, seems to be mainly done in a way and manner in which the people are considered to be nothing much more than an afterthought; and the top priority of many a government too frequently consists of benefiting unfairly those that they have an affinity for, which is typically at odds of what would be of benefit to the people, in whole.  This means that when it comes to the inviolability of the people’s unalienable rights, that such governance, has a strong tendency to proselytize to the people that for their own good, and for their own safety, that some of those unalienable rights need to be sacrificed from time-to-time, or perhaps effectively all of the time, to the state, which is typically not only a bad bargain for the people, but also represents an unauthorized aggrandizement of the people’s power to that state.

When it comes to governance, it is important that there be set aside a specific time for a periodic reset of that government; so that what we don’t have happen, is a government that gets ever larger, year-by-year, ever more powerful, ever more invasive, ever more dictatorial, and thereby becomes ever further removed from its main function, which is to uphold the unalienable rights of the people.  While it is true, that those that serve that government at its highest levels, are sworn to abide by the highest law of the land, which is its Constitution; it would appear that this governments’ founding documents are typically seen now only as a great historical relic, that though brilliant, insightful, and revolutionary in their day, are now superseded by those that are empowered at the moment.

To govern a nation, does not have to be overly complicated, for every nation consists of a body of people, of which, a significant amount of those people, are truly desiring to have provided to them, equality of opportunity, fairness, justice, and liberty; and to the degree that the governance of those people, makes it their point to provide the pathway to secure such, then that governance has done so for the betterment of their people, and need do little more.

The social ladder, respect, and perception

In some countries, there are inheritable positions of nobility, and we so find to be in those countries, that those without these titles of nobility, are occasionally able to achieve such, if their accomplishments are considered to be, by that noble class, of immense national worth and value, thereby, allowing these worthy commoners, to be subsequently knighted, and thus to have earned that title bestowed upon them by their merit.  All things being equal, those that have noble titles, whether they are born into such or have been deemed to deserve such, are by virtue of just having that title, accorded by a significant amount of people, a great deal of respect.  So too, in those nations, without titles of nobility, we do so find, that many people are suitably impressed by those that have tremendous material assets which allows these high achievers to be able to lead lives that most of us, can only aspire to, but will never come close to achieving.

Whether we, as individuals, buy into it or not, there is a social ladder in societies, of which, that social ladder serves to separate the different classes of the people within that nation.  It would probably be more comforting if the distinctions within society, had more to do with the character of the person, so involved, as compared to their wealth, their education, their job position, or their place of residency, but alas, to adjudge a given person’s character is something that isn’t easily done well, without actually knowing that person fairly intimately; whereas, to assign status based upon a person’s income, wealth, or the accouterments that they so display, is far easier.

When it comes to social status, we do so find, that some people, are absolutely determined to wear their social status on their sleeve, and want to make sure that the people that they associate with, know it.  These people, mainly, though not always, are typically the type of people, that have come from rather trying circumstances in which they have not been historically accorded respect when growing up, and are therefore absolutely determined that now that they are successful and have fairly earned their credentials for respect, they thus want society to show them that respect, that they feel that they now thoroughly deserve.  This is one of the seminal reasons, why the accouterments of the rich, represented though the purchase and display of high-end purses, watches, designer clothes, vehicles, and travel choices have such a loyal constituency, because the purchase of these things, for those people, seeking such status, is for them, definitely worth the price.

For those on the rise on the social ladder, part of the fun, or the impetus to climb up that ladder, is to be suitably recognized by their peers, as well as by the general public, as a person of means and success.  It is amazing, how being “respected” means so much to so many people, and when those, even those on the lower end of the social ladder, do not receive the respect that they so believe that they deserve, very bad things can happen.  So too, for those higher up on that social ladder, or perceiving themselves as being higher up, to discount their achievements could, for those that commit that faux pas, represent the type of disrespect which is not easily forgotten, nor easily forgiven. 

The decline of the United States

The colonists declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776, and were subsequently able to fulfill that promise through their defeat of British forces, of which, the terms to such were formalized by the signing of the Treaty of Paris, in 1783, which thereby created the foundation of what is now known as the United States of America.  Since, that time, America, has progressed from a nation with pluck and promise, to becoming the single most powerful nation in the world, today.

While, America, does indeed have some very impressive credentials to properly crow about, we do so find, that when we look deeper at the character of this same United States, that there are some rather serious flaws within its sphere, that reflect a country that is no longer in the ascendancy, but rather is a country that has begun its decline.   By far, the biggest problem that America so represents is the fact that its governance, seems to fundamentally be controlled by well positioned elites that effectively represent a shadow government within America, in which that shadow government has determined, that the people need to be consistently lied to, deceived, manipulated, and exploited for these elites’ expressed material benefit.  Further to the point, the policing and military might of this nation, clearly does not answer to the general public, but rather answers to that shadow government, instead.  This signifies, that this government has clearly ceded from being a democracy, or if you like, a republican democracy; and has instead regressed into becoming a nation in which the people have no more than a counterfeit vote, and the real power, representing tremendous force, is exclusively held in the hands of those that are on a mission of vacating or emptying out what this nation was so founded upon.

While, it has to be admitted, that there are some green shoots, in America, of which, good progress has been made in regards to overcoming, for instance, systemic racism and things of that ilk; the problem that America has, is that in the 20th century, it went from creating a “new deal” for its people, which thereby created the most vibrant and strongest middle class that the world has ever known, to becoming a nation in which as reported by cnbc.com, “The top 1% of Americans have about 16 times more wealth than the bottom 50%.”  That type of wealth disparity reflects not a nation of equality of opportunity, egalitarianism, or the like; but rather reflects that the game is fixed, and fixed in the seemingly permanent favor of the ruling class; in this a society, supposedly founded upon being anti-aristocratic.

So too, while we have been promised by the highest law of this land, its Constitution, that this nation permits the people to freely assemble, to petition its government for redress of grievances, to have due process of law, and to be a beacon of liberty for all; what we have instead, is the highest percentage of its own citizens of any western nation that are incarcerated, along with a militarized police force, which has demonstrated time and time again, that it will, without compunction, put its heavy boot upon the necks of the people.  In short, this is a government that does not bend its knee to the people, but demands instead that the people bend their knees in abject compliance to it, or else to pay the price, for their failure to obey.  None of this bodes well for the future of the people, for clearly that which we call America, is becoming ever more unrecognizable, by the day.  

Kahlil Gibran’s “Our Father…”

Probably, the scriptural passage that is recited most often, is Matthew 6: 10-13, of which, there is the standard basic translation that most congregants, or even non-congregants are well familiar with, and therein perhaps lies the rub.  For the problem with any scriptural passage that is repeated often enough, without any real change to its cadence or to its words, is that the meaning behind that scriptural passage, oftentimes becomes lost or weakened, and those then that pray this particular passage, usually do so basically from memory and thereby merely mouth the words in a rote way, without any real passion or meaning.

One would think, that for those that are true God believers, that they would recognize that our God, deserves something better, than mere lip service from us.  Fortunately, we live in a day and age in which the translations of Holy Scripture are not only incredibly robust, but also manifold; of which, it could be said, that there is a little bit of something for just about everyone, from the easy-to-read version, to the King James Bible, and everything, in-between.  So too, there isn’t any reason why a particular individual, or a gifted writer, can’t look at scripture, and take the words so written, and put their own input on such, for inspiration, and for devotion, in which, for example, the incomparable Kahlil Gibran did so.

We read then as follows Kahlil Gibran’s interpretation of Matthew 6: 10-13:

Our Father in earth and heaven, sacred is thy name.

Thy will be done with us, even as in space.

Give us of the bread sufficient for the day.

In thy compassion forgive us and enlarge us to forgive one another.

Guide us towards thee and stretch down thy hand to us in darkness.

For thine is the kingdom and in thee is our power and our fulfilment.

It has to be said, that words do matter; and those that are able to write with a confident and sure poetic flair, have done so in devoted service to our good God, and for the overall benefit of humankind; indeed, doing their vital part to see that those that want to feel closer to God, are thereby able to better do so.  It is vital for those of the spiritual sort, to revitalize their prayers, as well as their petitions, so that they are better able to appreciate the great majesty of our God.  So too, it’s important for us, to from time-to-time take a given scriptural passage that we are well familiar with, and provide it with new impetus so that we can appreciate it more and at a deeper level, then formerly.

In short, half-hearted prayers, and those done without true devotion, are the type of prayers, that no good God, could ever really listen to; because they are, in fact, a pathetic form of spiritual laziness.  After all, if God, isn’t worth the respect of us being forthright, devoted and honest with God, then we surely haven’t done all that we could do to convince God, that we are truly worthy servants that are thereby trying to be obedient to the dictates so necessary for our good and continual growth.    That which is contained in the Holy Bible is expressly there for our benefit, and when we find ourselves, becoming spiritually dull, the least that we could do is to get reinvigorated by reading a different translation of that Bible or the inspiration from such, so provided to us by a gifted writer.

The purpose of pain and suffering

In truth, there aren’t a whole lot of people that willingly desire to volunteer for pain or suffering.  Most people, aren’t interested in embracing either pain or suffering, and therefore most people desire to avoid such, to the degree that they are able to do so.  Further to the point, many people, believe that ideally a life without pain and suffering is the best life possible, and perhaps in certain ways, it is.  That said, what many a person seems to forget when it comes to pain and suffering is that each one of us, in order to have our character truly be tested in the trials of life, must go through challenges, in which some of those challenges so presented to us, are going to involve some degree of pain, disappointment, or suffering.

Firstly, we need to take into account that the greatest dramas that we experience when watching a given movie or reading an engaging novel, involves some degree within that story of not only conflict, but also some degree of pain and suffering that goes along with such; that the hero thereof, must thereby overcome, through their unrelenting personal effort, in order to gain something of substance and of value at the end.  In other words, if all the movies that we watched and books that we read, never involved the overcoming of obstacles, including invariably suffering from setbacks that consisted of pain, disappointment, and suffering, we wouldn’t have any real interest in the story, because it would not grip us, the way that a novel about injustice, for instance, and the overcoming of such, does.

Secondly, we need to take a closer look at ourselves, to understand better who and what we really are.  After all, all those that are birthed upon this planet, are the very same people, that sooner or later, will physically die, in one way or another, of which, many a death can be viewed upon as being tragic, or sad, or unwarranted, or undesired.  Yet, all of us will die a physical death; but in that physical death, it must also be noted, that we shed our physical encasement at that point of death, to thereby fully reembrace that which is our eternal essence, for we are spirit and have always been so.

This thus signifies that one of the reasons why each one of us, will suffer from some sort of ill or disappointment in our lives, and perhaps suffer from such, repeatedly, and even tragically, is for this to represent for us, a “thorn in our side;” so that we do not make the foundational error of overidentifying exclusively with our physical form, over our spiritual form.  Additionally, those that are fortunate enough to seemingly never suffer from any pain or disappointment, were such as this to continue, would indeed have a very strong tendency to become complacent in their attitude, and thereby incapable of demonstrating empathetic feelings to the other, for having themselves, never suffered.

We are meant to suffer, not necessarily as punishment for what we have done wrong or have been in error, about; but primarily as a way and means to remind us that we should not overly identify with our body and our bodily needs, for these are truly temporal; so that, such pain that we meet is there to awaken or re-awaken our conscience to understand better that this world is best seen as a proving ground, and those that use their pain and suffering to eradicate the cobwebs from their mind, to embrace therefore their spiritual immortality and to discount, the importance or worth, of that which is mortal, have got it right.

What do you magnify? Good or bad?

We are what we are, good or bad, because of the thoughts, and then the corresponding actions that we have so taken in our respective lives.  The choice of what pathway that we so desire to take is ours to make, and thereby, ours to own.  Those than, that are dissatisfied with their lives, often need only look at the pathway that they are on, along with the characteristics that they so represent, and take the time to examine who and what they really are at the present time, and then thereby to determine to make the necessary fundamental adjustments to correct that which needs to be corrected, or else find themselves continuing along the same dead end road.  Those others, on the other hand, that believe that they are indeed on the correct pathway, need to have such verified, by coordinating and communicating with respected others, as well as examining themselves in a way and manner to determine as to whether or not all is well within their persona, and if so, to continue along that same good path.

In life, we have been gifted with the free will, to make of ourselves and of our situation, what we so determine to make of it; and while it is true that some are born with inherent advantages over others; whereas, others are burdened with many disadvantages – that does not necessarily mean or signify that the story of what will or will not happen in our life, has been written in stone, for it has not.  We remain, always, the author of our own story; and each of us has a different story to tell.  Those then, that persistently write a story of good will to others, and demonstrate compassion, patience, understanding, and generosity in their everyday interactions, in which they are consistently fair minded, and are not quick to judge, but are quick to forgive, are magnifying the good of their character.  As for those others, who write a story of often bad will to others, who are judgmental, quick to belittle, uncaring, selfish-minded, petty, liars, and things of that ill sort, are magnifying instead the bad of their character.

While it is true that we cannot change the past, we have, in our control, the attitude that we take in the present, which will be the guiding light of what so happens in the future.  Those that have taken the time to scrutinize their own life, and have recognized their flaws and failures, determining thereupon of making it their point to improve their character, and when so stumbling, have dusted themselves off, again and again, in order to get back up and to conquer what so needs to be conquered, are getting ever closer to where they need to be.  Those others, that though recognizing that not all is well within their psyche, but just can’t seem ever to generate the wherewithal or escape velocity so needed to extract themselves from a bad situation, and thereby are seemingly content with their lot, aren’t making the progress that they need to make.  We are, in the end, what we so magnify; of which, this so fairly represents, the essence of our true character, for better or for worse.

If you’re going to be a criminal, best to be a publicly traded corporate criminal

America loves to lock up criminals, but we do so find, that America treats the whole art of crime and punishment, in different ways, depending upon different circumstances, as well as the classification of the crime so committed.  That is to say, most everyone knows that if you are going to be a criminal, to the degree that your crime can be classified as “white-collar crime” that it so follows that the corresponding degree of punishment, as well as public opprobrium for such is typically going to be far less than someone that commits “blue-collar crime”.  Perhaps that is the way that it should be, perhaps not, but that is the way that these things are adjudicated, and also the reason why certain high-profile criminals, especially those of high status, are often permitted to enter the courtroom through some sort of side entrance or to have special considerations taken into account as to what will or will not happen in their “perp walk,” whereas, your everyday criminal, won’t.

We have been told that the reason that America locks up so many people is because this will serve to be a deterrent to crime, which though logical, somehow seems not to work very well.  So too, imprisonment, is considered to be an appropriate punishment for certain crimes, though, not all; but what we so also find is that there is a huge disparity between incarceration facilities, in which some convicts suffer through extreme lockdowns, solitary confinement, and the like; whereas, others are sentenced to minimum-security prisons, of which, there are even a few that allow conjugal visits, as well as there being certain prisons that offer more constructive activities, educational facilities, and a significantly better ambience. 

For most people, if they were told that a given entity, poisoned many people over an extended period of time, or deceived many people through sophisticated deception about the safety of that which was being sold, or peddled drugs that were addictive to an individual thereby causing that individual to be harmed or even to die – then most of those same people would want to not only see but would demand that justice be done.  Yet, if those that committed such crimes, are powerful corporations, such as in oil and chemical companies, cigarette companies, as well as pharmaceutical companies, what we often get instead is that no single individual or series of individuals are typically held to account for this ill behavior, and at best, those corporate entities are fined, rather than to suffer the indignity of corporate big shots, having to suffer personally for the crimes, that they essentially authorized, approved, and were quite cognizant of the dangers, so of.

Yes, In America, if you’re going to be a criminal, be a big publicly traded corporate criminal, because this government, understands the value of market share, money, and shareholders; and so it has an implicit policy if not an explicit policy that those companies that are big enough and powerful enough, are simply too big to jail, under the mistaken notion that somehow a monetary fine for these corporate entities is justice enough, which simply signifies that in America, if your pockets are deep enough, and when you are shielded by corporate status, that you pretty much are provided with carte blanche to do whatever that you so desire, knowing that you will personally never have to pay anything other than a corporate monetary fine.