Learn to be a better listener

It seems like most everyone likes to do most of the talking and not so much of the listening.  This means that far too often when we are having what we believe to be a “conversation,” it really isn’t a conversation at all, but rather, more typically, represents each person talking pass the other person.  The reason why so many of us like to talk, and not so much to listen, has an awful lot to do with our belief that what we have to say, is obviously of much more importance than what the other person might have to say.  In some cases, this is going to be true, but it certainly isn’t true all of the time, and further to the point, it represents the talker as taking upon their self, the essential belief that they are superior and hence of more value than the other.

For all those that know everything, and therefore couldn’t possibly learn anything else, then it certainly makes sense for those people to do most of the talking – but, the reality of the situation is that we don’t know it all, even when we think that we do.  So too, when we reflect upon who we really are, we have got to recognize that whatever got us to the point where we got to be so wise and smart, has fundamentally been because we listened to others that were wise and smart, and therefore learned from them.  In fact, wisdom comes in many guises, for there are plenty of people that aren’t all that book-smart, but are, in their own way, quite incisive about certain matters that should concern us.  That is to say, wisdom and good advice can indeed come from unexpected sources.

Also, it has to be acknowledged that common courtesy would necessitate that a civil society, needs to provide to each person, some semblance of having a voice that matters; because when those that have no voice and are never listened to, because their voice is considered to be of little merit or relevancy -- what then inevitably happens is that those that perceive that they are not being heard, will find a way, to make themselves heard, by instigating, for example, uncivil actions as a way of asserting their voice.

A good conversation, necessitates both parties having a fair opportunity to have their say, and for each of those parties to actually listen to that say, by demonstrating in their response, that they have heard the other.  This does not mean that we have to agree with one another, but rather that we have an obligation to hear the other person out, especially when what they are conveying seems to be of importance to them.

Finally, when it comes to our own lives and the goals that we so have, it is important that we take the time to actually be still and to listen to our own inner voice, for in all the cacophony of modern day life, we may well fail to comprehend that by listening to that small still voice, as well as by listening to esteemed wise people with a certain depth of experience, that we are provided with the good opportunity then to grow and to mature into successfully expanding our mind, as compared to the closing or contracting of such.

Needs, wants and material things

All of us has both their needful things, as well as their desires or wants.  It is important for each one of us, to not get confused about where our priorities should lie when it comes to our needs and wants.  In truth, the needs that we should so desire are when correctly categorized, really come down from a material perspective of having a decent job, a safe neighborhood, sound health, practical education, and acceptable food and shelter.  In other words, what people really need comes down to the basics of successfully obtaining what would consider to be the marks of a satisfactory civilized life within a western nation. On the other hand, when it comes to our wants, these could be, and actually are, for some people, almost limitless.  The thing about our desires, is that while it certainly is fine to desire this or to desire that, within some realm of reasonableness, it is a mistake, though, to somehow make our wants the be-all and end-all of our existence and purpose.

Those that believe that their happiness can only come about when they obtain this or obtain that, surely must recognize, that even when the most desirable of material possessions is in their hands, that the lasting satisfaction that they get from it, is ultimately, not completely satisfactory.  In other words, those material possessions that we get, seem to be never enough to satiate us, whatsoever.  There is, for many a person, frequently yet another object that must be obtained or possessed, and then another, and another, and this continues ad nauseam.  Indeed, through it all, those that are seeing their desires and wants being met, even in the best of cases, are never completely happy or satisfied.  As for those, that are unable to obtain their desires and wants, at least on the level that they so dearly desire, they then are often left feeling bereft and despondent, for their lack of material success.

It is regretful that in western nations, never have so many, been so dissatisfied with their lives, despite the fact, that never have so many, have in their possession, wonderful accouterments that simply didn’t exist for even kings or queens, back in the day.  Far too many of us, get caught up in the “rat race,” or in “keeping up with the Joneses,” which does  little or nothing of worth to our character, or to our good purpose in life.  To somehow believe that eternal happiness comes from material possessions which we never can take with us, upon our departure from this world, is indicative of people that have their priorities, upside down.  Rather, what we take from this world, and thereupon pass onto our closest friends and family members, is the exemplar that we have been to others, so demonstrated through our charitable and caring actions, which helps to make this world a better place for our participation in it.  Though, each of us, is indeed born free and has unalienable rights, we do so tragically find, that those that live for their possessions, their wants, and their desires, forge the chains of their bondage that keeps them from realizing that finite things can never trump the blissfulness of achieving our best purpose.

Overcoming struggle and difficulties makes us a better and a more complete person

There are plenty of people that simply want to have an easy life, and thus for everything to just then to go their way, effortlessly.  What those people don’t seem to recognize is that when life becomes one of endless ease, then that life soon becomes one of dullness and boredom.  In other words, if there is nothing to struggle for, or to measure ourselves against, then there is a strong tendency for many a person, to thereupon not put forth much of an effort, at all – and should then that person be put to the test, because of some sort of emergency or crisis, they probably will not be able to exhibit the proper wherewithal or energy to resolve such, satisfactorily.

Those that do not wish for struggles and difficulties, have for the most part, decided that they are not made of the “right stuff” to thereupon conquer that which needs to be overcome, in order to prove their worth, and to thus create good character.  The whole purpose of all the tests that we so have to take when we are students in our respective classrooms, is to properly measure as to whether or not we are correctly learning and therefore absorbing the knowledge that we need to know, so as to be a more complete and better person.  This thus signifies, that the difficulties that we will inevitably encounter in life, are meant not to be obstacles that will forever keep us down, but rather should be seen as an opportunity to test our mettle and when successfully met, to obtain fairly that prize of meaningful accomplishment.

We are in this world, not simply to tread water, or perhaps to lazily lie upon the seashore; but rather, to grow and to thereby become what we were placed upon this earth to be.  Those that will not meet what needs to be met, have not only done society a disservice, but they have done so to their own detriment, as well.  When we go to the movies, or read a novel, we do so find, that what provides us with a compelling interest in the show or storyline, is seeing our hero, overcome seemingly impossible obstacles and difficulties so as to conquer what stands in their way, of individual and merited triumph.

Alas, there is no triumph for any one of us, if we aren’t actually trying to endeavor or to accomplish something in which such is challenging to us.  Those then that cannot find a challenge are clearly not looking hard enough; whereas, those that seem to have too many challenges, just need to try to break down what is precluding them from overcoming into smaller sizes, so that the task ahead becomes more manageable and less intimidating or formidable. 

In life, we will be tested, willingly or not; and there then will be struggles that must be successfully met.  The objective for all of us, is to do our level best to overcome what is in front of us, for those that are resolute, will more times than not, make that necessary progress to get ever closer to that which is rightfully theirs, for the taking.

The Senate is fundamentally flawed

When this nation was successful in asserting its independence from Great Britain through revolutionary war, it soon recognized that in order for this nation to remain long a nation, it needed to create a form of governance which would be of lasting benefit to the people of those Colonies of what became the United States of America.  Subsequently, a Constitution was written and created, of which, in order for this to occur and thus be passed by each State so as to become ratified, there had to be compromises made at that convention, so that this nation would have a governing document, which though, not perfect, would serve to be quite functional in its application, so of.

At the time of that Constitution, it was important for those small States, to believe that they would have some semblance of a meaningful vote within the Congressional body, which did so occur, by virtue of setting up a bicameral legislature, in which one congressional body with its representatives would be determined by the population of a given State; whereas, the other body would be specifically structured with two Senators per State, no more and no less, no matter the population of that State. 

At the time of the inception of our Constitution, Virginia had the largest population of free peoples, and Delaware had the smallest, of which, the ratio between Viriginia to Delaware of those free peoples was a bit over 9:1.  While that difference was quite large, it holds not a candle to the current highest ratio, of which, California has a 67:1 ratio of more people than our smallest State, which is Wyoming.  In fact, California, has so many people, that the twenty-two smallest States basically equate to the population of California, which means that when it comes to the Senate, those that are the peoples of California, are represented by just two Senators, or 2% of the Senate body; in comparison, to those twenty-two States being represented by forty-four Senators, or 44% of the Senate body.  This is clearly, undemocratic, and there doesn’t seem to be any real valid point, why this should continue to be so, except for the fact that this is how our Constitution is so written, at the present time.

It doesn’t make any good sense that on a national basis, the smallest States are permitted to have an outsized influence upon national legislative interests when they are clearly the runts of the litter.  It is because of this skewing of permitting those States with so few people, to have such an immense influence upon national legislature of all types, that this nation, doesn’t seem to know how to direct its efforts in the best way to be of beneficence to the greatest amount of people.  As it stands, the current Senate structure is in need of a serious reboot, of which, there should be some sort of middle ground, that would allow those bigger States to have a bigger voice, and for those smaller States, to still have a voice, but smaller than what we so presently see.  One way to accomplish this, is for the bigger States to divide themselves into smaller States, so as to get additional representation.  Another way, would be for a Constitutional Amendment which would see the Senate reconstructed by taking into its numerical accounts the distribution of the population of each State, of which, perhaps a reasonable compromise would be that the largest States would be permitted to have up to four Senators, and the smallest States, no fewer than one.

In summary, what we so have today, is undemocratic, for it provides a greater voice to the few, at the expense of the many. 

Civil rights and incarceration wrongs

The modern day civil rights era came of age in the 1960s, which would seem to thus indicate that for those that have historically been oppressed and taken advantage of, that we would logically expect that with these vital civil rights thereby secured, that the conditions for blacks as well as others minorities, in regards to opportunity, employment, education, housing, and healthcare -- in addition to incarceration rates, that these all would show definitive signs of improvement.  After all, a society that makes it their point, to improve the lot of those that have been disadvantaged for so long, must for a certainty, produce positive results.

As in just about anything of some controversy, there are arguments that could be made to prove that, in fact, conditions for blacks and other minorities, have materially improved, but there are also valid counterarguments to that supposition.  In fact, when it comes to fundamental concerns such as poverty, educational standards, neighborhoods, employment, health, and wealth, the civil rights era while bringing substantial improvement for some, has also continued to leave behind a very disappointing amount of so many.  Further to our interests, when it comes to the policing arm of the state, what we so find, in regards to how minorities have fared, since the inception of the modern civil rights era, leaves something to be desired.  That is to say, pewresearch.org, tells us that the incarceration rate for black males in 1960 was 1,313 per 100,000 United States residents, and the Hispanic incarceration rate in 1960 for males was 601 per 100,000 United States residents. Yet, in 2010, the incarceration rate for black males was a staggering 4,347 per 100,000 United States residents, and the Hispanic incarceration rate in 2010 for males was a sky-high 1,775 per 100,000 United States residents.  These numbers are astonishing increases, which fairly reflects that there seems to be a tradeoff between those civil rights obtained, in relationship to the incarceration of minorities, so of.  In other words, those that believe that minorities are an ever present source of trouble for this nation, have in this modern age of civil rights and of supposed equality for all, made it their point and principle to essentially criminalize more and more minorities, apparently, so as to maintain their control and intimidation over them.

So too, the point of incarcerating so many minorities at such a high rate, while failing to deal with the systemic problems and issues that contribute to criminal activity, is done so as to maintain the narrative, that minorities, or at least a meaningful portion of them, are incorrigible; and thus, they only respect the whip as wielded by the policing arm of the state, in which, then, they thereupon know their place.  This then is the disgrace of the United States, for, if in fact, had modern day civil rights corrected all the wrongs and injustices that had been in place for generations, then we would expect to see, far less incarceration, rather than what has so occurred, which is a substantial amount more of minorities so having been incarcerated. 

In sum, to live in the wrong type of neighborhood, with a skin color that is non-white, and to have limited resources to ever amount any sort of meaningful  defense of one’s character or potential, signifies, that civil rights or not, those that are of the unfavored races, are in worse shape, today, then they were back then.

Jealousy and the reason why

There are all sorts of negative emotions that many people suffer from, of which, one of the most pernicious, is jealousy.  The thing about envy is basically nobody would ever be very envious if they concentrated primarily upon their own skill-set and thus their own plate of what they have in front of them and therefore dealt with directly the priorities and objectives that best represented for them,  what they were trying to achieve in life, as opposed to looking aside at the other person’s skill-set and what they appear to have as if it somehow it was supposed to be one’s own.

It must be acknowledged, that nobody actually knows for a certainty how a particular person is really feeling, nor do we know for a certainty how joyful or sad a given person actually is.  There is this belief, for many a person, that somehow the grass is always greener on the other side, but this simply is not so.  Further to the point, whenever we waste countless hours, grinding and gnashing our teeth, about how this or that person has so much more than we do, and that it all appears to be so unfair, or wrong, this does absolutely nothing of substance to meaningfully address the pertinent things that we should really devote our time and energies upon.  So too, those that are so caught up in their own self, are pretty much failing to understand, that life does not and never will revolve around our exclusive interests and our desires, but that life is a combination of all sorts of people congregating together, of which, our purpose in life, should be to do more to help make this world a better place for our participation in it.  In other words, we would be less prone to be jealous, if we spent more time being of aid to others, which would therefore make us more appreciative of all the gifts that we so have, that we often thus take for granted.

Those that are most jealous, are those that feel that they lack the wherewithal, or the capacity, to ever be what they perceive that the other person that they are jealous of, has.  So then, we are jealous, because we feel inferior to the other, and do not believe that we can ever successfully place ourselves in a position of equality, or of superiority, to them.  But this sort of comparison to the other, does not serve any good or great purpose.  After all, each of us has our own race to run, of which, the object of the exercise, is to run the best race that we can personally run, so done, with us focused upon staying within our own lane.  In life, each of us has our own calling, and if we insist upon ignoring that calling, because we are envious of the other, and can’t seem to get the other out of our mind, then we will not be able to make the necessary and positive progress that is ours for the taking in this life.  So then, those that are overly jealous, are essentially wasting their lives away, pining for that which is not theirs, never seeming to comprehend that life is not a competition, but should rather be a collaboration.

Take up your cross

There are hundreds of millions of those peoples that have declared that they are Christian.  That might seem to indicate that because so many believe in the vital worth of that religion, and hence as seeing Jesus the Christ as their redeeming Messiah, that this world, for a certainty, is a better place for having all those Christians amongst us – as well as also those of other religious faiths, that recognize the importance and value of spiritual values that help to make them, not only better people, but better on behalf of the society that they are an integral part of.

We read in Holy Scripture, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  (Matthew 16: 24).  This is the type of scripture, that many people are quite aware of, but don’t in actuality, pay personal attention to what it so signifies.  That is to say, for a certainty, Christ took up His cross, and for His trouble, was crucified to physical death.  Not only was Christ crucified, but Christ had to endure all sorts of injustice and injury to who and what He really was.  So then, taking up one’s cross, does not mean that one will therefore receive accolades or appreciation from the people, but rather it means that one will unjustly suffer on behalf of those people, in the hope that by doing so, it will awaken those that have their priorities wrong, to what then is truly right and righteous.

The way of the cross, therefore, is not an easy road, but instead requires bravery, fortitude, commitment, selflessness, and endurance.  Which thus signifies for all those that like to think that they are good people, Christian in nature, and good to others, is that perhaps the road that they are personally on, is one more structured for those that do not have the heart to actually put much of anything of theirs at personal risk.  That, in a nutshell, is why this world, despite, Christ having incarnated here and having provided us with the wisdom and hence that pathway to follow, remains so unjust, so unfair, so wrong, and so sinful, far too often.

The thing about evil, is that evil cannot hold a candle to those that by their actions are consistently good in accomplishing things of merit.  Evil cannot handle the Light, for evil resides in the darkness and the ignorance of humankind’s hearts, and if only more people would take up their cross in order to combat and to battle against the forces of evil, then the ensuing result would make for a world that would be ever getting closer to enlightenment, rather than this world and its people cycling through the same errors and mishaps, generation after generation, as if those so gifted with a good and sound mind, have little real interest in devoting themselves to the overall beneficence of humankind.  In truth, each of us needs to take to heart and to well remember that the cross precedes the crown, and those that will not willingly take up the cross, will not soon get the crown.

We are all the prodigal son

The prodigal son as told to us in Holy Scripture, is one of those stories that resonates for so many of us, as being what we would wish to have subsequently have occurred for us to our lasting benefit, if we ourselves had gone astray; to which, despite things going horribly wrong through our selfishness and stupidity, we humbly though found our way safely back to our sanctuary home – in which, we were incredibly not only forgiven, but actually fully accepted and thus warmly welcomed back by our Heavenly Father, as if we had never left Him, on bad terms. 

While there are plenty of people, that don’t believe that the prodigal son could ever be who they are or ever could be, for they believe that they are good people, that seldom have strayed into doing ego-driven mistakes – it has to be taken into full account that none of us are perfect in our constitution, in our thoughts, or in our subsequent actions.  What the prodigal son so represents is what happens when we by our own volition walk away from the sanctuary and love of God, taking what we believe to be our portion of our inheritance as rightfully ours, in order to thereby indulge in sense pleasures of all types; as if this, somehow, would fairly represent the be-all and end-all of our existence and therefore our purpose in life, when this could never be.

Those that insist upon indulging in those areas and things which have no lasting discernible benefit, and are selfish in their attitude and demeanor, have got to recognize that the main reason why adversity will eventually strike someone of that sort, isn’t so much because they are sinning, but really represents a ways and means to awaken them from the delusion that the pinnacle of life, is somehow selfish indulgence.  This then is why so many of us will at some point in our lives, duly suffer from some adversity that will through that suffering, serve to hopefully to rouse us from the error of our ways to recognize then that each of us is called to action for a much higher purpose, than self-serving self-indulgence.

In point of fact, when we take a careful look at people’s lives, it has to be recognized, that for a significant amount of people, what compels those that are somewhat confused about their purpose and point of life, is the type of adversity, which forces them to their knees, in the acknowledgment that they don’t know or have all of the answers, at all.  Those that are lethargic, or exceeding selfish, often need to have a forceful reminder imposed upon them, that the direction of their life is not correct, which is why, as a poke to our conscience, we end up in a situation in which we are suffering.  It is that suffering, that provides the impetus to thereby become a better person; though, not all answer to such a call, for humankind can be rather stubborn in its ways, until it eventually recognizes, sooner or much later, that there is indeed not only a better way, but that way is actually the only way.

The essential value of integrity

There may well be all sorts of things that we don’t presently have in this life, of which, some of those very things we may strongly wish that we had in our possession.  That said, the one thing that is fully ours, is the integrity that we so present to others as well as to our own being.  So then, the pathway a given person will take or not take, to obtain something that is highly desirable is up to that individual – along with the salient fact as to whether or not that person will have to compromise themselves in order to get what they so highly desire.  Those that are of integrity, know that the decisions that they ultimately make, reflect upon who and what they really are, in actuality; and will then, when tempted to impugn upon their own integrity and reputation, will not do so.  Then there are all those others, whether consciously or not, wittingly or perhaps somewhat unwittingly, will, almost without hesitation, do what they feel has to be done to get what they insist that they have to have, by all means, so necessary.

We have relationships with all sorts of people, of which, some of those relationships are healthier than others.  The types of relationships that are the healthiest are those in which both parties respect one another, validate one another, and care enough about one another, that they will consistently do the right thing when it comes to their interactions with one another.  Then there are those other relationships, including those that are the most toxic, in which each party seems to be trying to “get over” on the other party, or we so find that one person is consistently being taken advantage of.  These are examples of unhealthy relationships, which are either mutually bad for one another, or parasitic in structure.  To the degree, that we can avoid these interactions, we should – to the degree that we willingly continue in these types of relationships, we should, if we are of  good character, at least acknowledge to ourself that these types of relationships are seldom of any real merit.

In life, there are those social situations and work situations, in which we have to deal with what is in front of us as it is – which means that when we are engaged with those that are essentially corrupt in mind and action, that we need to do our level best to not degrade our own character, but rather, to do our upmost to maintain our integrity and core ethics.  Then there are the friends that we have chosen or that have chosen us, in which, when we look upon our friendships, we need to periodically to ask ourselves the question as to whether or not this is a person of integrity; for those then that are our friends that have consistently displayed to us or to others, dishonesty and deceit, cannot in the scheme of things, be relied upon to ever be a true friend in our most deepest need -- which is why, we should seek to make friends with those of integrity and to also make sure that we ourselves are paragons of that same integrity.

In the land of the blind

There is this belief that upon our death that we suddenly becoming all-knowing and all-wise.  While it is true that our perspective does indeed change, because we are no longer a material incarnation as we no longer identify with our physical body, for it has no life in it – what has to be also acknowledged though is that those that have spent their entire lives doing all sorts of stupid and self-serving things aren’t going to have that “aha” moment when they suddenly transform thereby into an enlightened soul.  Rather, those that were blind in this world to the reality of their true essence and therefore have ignored such, will essentially be blind in the next dimension, because of their having willfully failed to develop the characteristics of love, compassion, empathy, and giving.

In other words, consider this possibility, that someone very close to us, has departed from this world, of which, because we miss them so much, we then desire to be able to contact them in some way or manner.  Should, for whatever reason, we be successful in doing so, such as through a legitimate séance or similar, it has to be taken into fair consideration, that the soul that we would be communicating with, would still be limited to who and what they so actually represented in the world that they had so recently departed from.  In other words, if our good friend that has died, was someone that didn’t have all that many positive or wise characteristics, the wisdom that they would subsequently then try to impart to us, would in all probability, be not only of minimal value, but might even be detrimental to us.

Indeed, there isn’t any real valid reason to believe that people that were incorrigible in this world, are somehow going to magically transform themselves into angels, when they so depart us.  Rather, they are who they really are, perhaps now comprehending their errors, perhaps not – for consider this, just about everyone knows what is right as compared to what is wrong, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will consistently and always do the right thing, for people have their own selfish motives and desires that can trump not only common sense, but are often done knowingly because that is what they so wish to do.

All those that have departed us, that lacked the discipline and strength of character to do the right thing in this world, are for a certainty, going to have to work on those very same things in order to grow their soul to where it really ought to be.  So, in this world or in the next, if we wish to ask for meaningful advice, if we are smart, we should consider the source; for that which is God, is God, and has no error -- and that which is flawed, will not be flawless.  In truth, then, there isn’t any real good reason to seek advice from a source, that we cannot fully trust the value of, no matter our affection for them – for everything that we really need to know, we intuitively know, and for all those that need a reminder of such, then they should listen to that still, sensible, small voice, within.

Forsaking the poor

The easiest way to ignore any problem is simply not to see it.  This thus signifies that for a very wide swath of Americans, they are basically ignorant about how impoverished so many of their fellow Americans are, in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.  For instance, the United States Census Bureau tells us that in January of 2021, 37.9 million Americans lived in poverty.  Yet, how few of Americans, ever interact with those that are the poorest amongst us – probably because our society is segregated quite clearly into those that have and segregates out those that have not.  After all, many successful people aren’t really interested in having to see or to notice or to bump into those people that are clearly struggling, because they prefer not to personally acknowledge such.

In point of fact, many of those that are successful or on the pathway to success, deliberately make it their point to first of all live in those areas in which they are surrounded by an infrastructure that confirms that success, and that therefore means for the most part, that they thus won’t be accosted by or have to face the fact that so many other Americans have so little.  Additionally, it’s a lot easier to ignore poverty when a given person can simply and blithely drive through those zones of impoverishment, never having to take in what poverty and abandonment actually means to those people that are experiencing it, in the real world.

Any society, in which certain segments of it, are basically ignored or pushed to the side, as if such doesn’t exist, is not a healthy society.  Further to the point, all those that can do something  of substance about poverty, but aren’t themselves impoverished, or don’t congregate with those that are poor, or often prefer to keep at an arm’s length distance from those that have nothing, aren’t going to be good administrators or advocates for those that are the most disadvantaged amongst us.

If this nation wanted to do more about those that are in poverty, the very first thing that they would do would be to stop forsaking the poor.  The next best thing to do would be to stop with the attitude of “not in my neighborhood,” and things of that general ilk, which does nothing positive to resolve that which needs to be resolved.  In point of fact, those that are poor, need to be provided with the opportunity to see that their life can be improved, by providing those that are impoverished with all the required accouterments so necessary to have a safe and prosperous community, such as decent employment opportunities, good schools, affordable heath care, vibrant parks, and reliable transportation. 

In sum, if the rich and prosperous refuse to permit those that are impoverished to be near them, then what has to be accomplished is to see that those that have the most wealth are taxed appropriately, in which, a portion of those taxes are thus set aside to help those communities and people that have so little, in which, those that are without, and have been forsaken, can thus have some reasonable semblance of the American dream, for as it is, all they have is the nightmare.

Overcoming addiction and bad habits

There are plenty of people that have addictions of all sorts, of which, for many of those people, the type of addiction that they so have, typically seems to have been created as part of an escape mechanism, so as to deal then with some troubling part of their life. So too, bad habits, have a way of occurring for those that have not taken the time to fully examine their life, as to who and what they really are, or of the direction that they are so going, who thus just seem to inexorably fall into doing repeatedly the types of things that have no discernible benefit for them.

There are many a person who recognizes that they are addicted, or that they have bad habits, of which, they subsequently make up their mind, that they wish to dissolve themselves of the chains that are precluding them from being a better and a healthier person.  For some of these people, to overcome their addiction or bad habit, they rely solely upon their will power, to simply abstain then  from that which has previously been so detrimental to them, which often does work.  The problem though with just the utilization of will power, no matter the strength of one’s character, is that when a person is not able to discharge fully the taste for that addiction or of that bad habit, then these things will have a habit of lingering upon a given person’s body and mind, and will, oftentimes, begin to entice that person to go back to that same bad behavior, sooner or later.

Then there are those others, that knowing that they will eventually give in to their bad habits or to their addiction, make it their point to join a specific group that deals with such, that meets then for the general purpose of exerting peer pressure upon one another, as well as to uplift one another, by bonding together in a common cause.  While these types of group activities have their place and can be quite effective, they aren’t ever a complete cure-all, for people are only in those group settings for a finite amount of time, and hence have lots of hours as well as opportunities, to still get back into trouble.

While there are a myriad amount of ways to overcome addiction or bad habits, of which, each of these well-intentioned avenues do have a reasonable chance of success – we do so find that for those that are absolutely intent on overcoming that which they no longer desire to have in their life, that then the very best way to do so, is to find something higher than themselves that will thus serve to replace that addiction or bad habit with something far greater and more personally impactful for them.  What we have to keep in mind is that addictions and bad habits take up a fair amount of time, and therefore that time that has been subsequently recovered needs to be put to good use, which is best accomplished by concentrating our efforts upon something that is outside of our own personal orbit, such as spiritual matters, community service, useful labor, and anything that engages our mind and efforts in the direction of being of aid to others.  That is to say, to overcome addiction and bad habits, we need to find something that drives us to not only be a better and more complete person, but also that which will help make this world a better place for our participation in it.

Peace of mind in today’s hi-technology world

Each of us is provided with a thinking mind, of which, those thoughts that come to us, though not all of them, are subsequently displayed through our activities, words, and interactions, so of.  What makes thoughts unique, as compared to something like the words that we actually speak, is that none of us expresses every single thought that we have to other people, for a lot of reasons, such as inappropriateness, discretion, time constraints, and overall civility.  While it is true, that some of the thoughts that we don’t express could be beneficial for those that we engage with, it is also true that they could be hurtful. Further to the point, there are those thoughts that are absolutely private to us, that we wish to divulge to no one at any time, which is our prerogative and our unalienable right. 

Not too surprisingly, any person or entity that somehow was able to know our thoughts, and in particular, those thoughts that we considered to be those that we desired to share with no one, would then, in effect, have a great deal of control over us, in the sense of them being able to embarrass us, to compromise us, to harm us, and to shame us.  After all, when we think of human nature, what piques the interest of so many other people, is typically not so much that which is good and beneficial; but rather that which helps makes the other, feel superior to the person so being examined and exposed, of which, they then take a perverse pleasure in seeing that person squirm and feel inadequate.  So too, those that aren’t satisfied with just somebody feeling uncomfortable, are often adept at making a particular embarrassing or compromising situation for the other, far worse, by disseminating such in a way and manner that is typically marked for maximum social shame.

Fortunately, as it stands today, our thoughts are our own, though with the way hi-technology is working, in particular when the brain is being scientifically monitored, or our eye activity is being carefully scanned, presents the opportunity for those so doing this monitoring, to know our feelings about a given particular subject matter with a high degree of accuracy.  Additionally, we live in a social media world, in which, those that use their social media as if it is their best friend -- thereby post, like, and comment on all sorts of things, throughout each and every day, which permits those that host these social media sites, an incredible amount of  insight into who and what they really are.  The problem that this so presents is that the amount of actionable information about those people that are the most consistent and the most engaged users of social media, is that their life and who and what they really are, is thereby known with a very high degree of accuracy.

This thus signifies that those that are fully known by others, are thereby highly susceptible to being possibly placed into the unenviable position of suffering from sarcasm, embarrassment, shaming, and targeting meant to belittle them, of which, there often appears to be no escape from such a form of harassment, once so started.  That is to say, though certain others are not yet able to read our mind, they are though able to read and to see all that we have done and posted upon, and those with bad intentions can hurt us, very, very badly.

The unclean and evil dead

Not everyone that incarnates in this world, goes on to live a good and fruitful life – for a misguided few become murderers, rapists, terrorists, and things of that bad ilk.  For some of these people, justice for them is served in this world through punishment of some suitable sort, perhaps then also giving those guilty of such heinous crimes a chance to change or to redeem themselves in order to be more properly prepared to meet their Maker.  Then there are those others, that having lived by the sword, thus have died by that same sword, and are duly and swiftly dispatched from this world into the next.  The question then becomes, what happens to those restless, evil, and unclean souls when they leave this physical dimension?

For some people they believe that those that have done evil deeds, basically stick around this earthly plane, for they are fearful of the judgement to come, and thus hope to find a susceptible body to possess for their own purposes, which is why we hear so many tales of demonic possession and the like.   So too, there are those that believe that very bad deeds necessitate the finality of an eternal hell -- as well as also those that believe that the unclean and bad souls must go to some sort of purgatory, in order to work out their karma and mistakes, to thus begin the process of cleansing their souls of its impurity.  The one thing that we can say with an almost certainty, is those that have done and have behaved in exceedingly bad faith in this world, aren’t somehow going to reach the celestial plane as if all is right, when it surely is not.

Those then that have displayed evil propensities on this earthly plane, have reaped a very bitter harvest, which is theirs to work out their karma from – which thus signifies that their soul qualities that are unbecoming, places them into a dimension in which the opportunity to become something of merit is the choice that they can so make.  Because God has provided us with free will, not all of those that have been bad, are wont to change a thing, which thus signifies that those of that stubborn or ill-advised sort will in whatever dimension that they so find themselves in, have to deal with the fact that they have voluntarily become outcasts from the only lasting sanctuary of meaning, which they can never occupy until they have become cleansed.

There are plenty of people, that believe that when they so die, and thus understand who and what they really are, that somehow, all is well, and therefore all is forgiven, and those then that have, for instance, been mortal enemies, will thus become potentially immortal friends.  As nice and convenient as this might be to theorize, that typically isn’t going to be the way that this so works; for even with those that recognize their wrong, they too understand that a mere recognition of error is never the same thing as correcting that error, which has to be accomplished in order to successfully transition from the unclean to the clean.

God cannot ever be tempted to do wrong

Religions, especially in Western nations, often reflect what those in power, desire to see propagated by that religion on behalf of the people.  That is to say, while any religion can be of beneficence to the people, it is also possible to use religion as a way and means to control the population, to make the people fearful, and to therefore keep the people in line.  When it comes to Jesus the Christ, people believe all sorts of things, but the general consensus is that Christ is the “son of God,” meaning that Jesus the Christ is typically represented as a special creation of, or begotten of God, so meant for the salvation of the world.

In other words, Christ is considered to be part of the Holy Trinity as God, the Son, as “begotten, not made,” which essentially means that Christ, as incarnated into this world, was meant to signified, for all practical purposes, Christ as God.  The fundamental problem with this theory is that somehow, there is the belief, that God as incarnated here on earth, could thereby be subject to error, to sin, and to temptation as told to us in the Bible, in which Satan tempted Christ, in the hope that Christ would become not only sinful, but also would be in disharmony with God, of which, this did not occur.  In truth, this story doesn’t make much sense, for to believe that God, could ever become debased, would signify that God is not changeless, of which being changeless is a cardinal definition of the immutable God.

The more appropriate way to look at Jesus the Christ, is to see it from a human perspective, which is that Jesus was just as human as we are, subject then to error, to sin, and to temptation.  In this scenario, as a human being, Jesus could indeed stumble and fall, because each human being is provided with free will to do and to make decisions as that human being best sees fit.  This then does fairly represent that Jesus could be and was indeed tempted in many a time and situation, as well as Jesus also being capable of misjudgment and error – yet, through it all, Jesus proved the point to each of us, as fellow human beings, that if we would only keep our concentration and our fidelity to our one true Father, that everything that Jesus accomplished as the Christ, we too, could also accomplish.  That is to say, the message of Jesus the Christ, is that we are provided with the continual opportunity to do the right thing, and therefore our subsequent actions and thoughts, do matter, for the destiny of our eternal soul as well as for those that we interact with and influence.

In this world, there are going to be real challenges for all of us, which will test our character, and of which, Jesus the Christ, took upon himself to take on those challenges, not as some sort of special invincible creation of God, but as a human being, such as we are.  In that scenario, Jesus the Christ, could well have been compromised by Satan, but was not, because Christ did not give in to that which had foolishly rebelled against God.  That same choice, exists for each one of us, of which, the pathway has already been blazed for us, if only we would faithfully follow such.

True wisdom and the whole truth

Somewhat disappointingly, far too many of those of humankind, believe that humans are the measure of all things.  This is the fatal flaw within the human experience, and those that are truly seekers of wisdom and of the whole truth, recognize implicitly that not only is this a serious misconception, but they also recognize the futility of understanding the meaning of life, when one believes that humans are the ultimate arbiter of what is true meaning of such, and what is not.

Each of us is gifted with a mind, as well as having been granted free will, of which it is our highest duty to utilize our mind in the search for the meaning of our existence.  We can be aided in that search by congregating with others that are the same sort of seekers, as well as with those that have successfully made that search and now are represented to us as avatars, that thus permit us to take in their enlightened wisdom, as bequeathed to those that are devotees of true wisdom and truth. 

To live in a day and age, in which “rational” human beings, believe in the veracity that each one of us, is entitled to our own truth, is to live in an age, in which wisdom is at its nadir.  There are not now, and never will there be, multiple truths about that which can only have one eternal truth.  That said, it can be stated, that there can be multiple perspectives in regards to a particular perception, in which each of these perspectives could be fairly considered to be truthful.  So too, the relatively of what we are dealing with, can present a perspective in which there appears to be the illusion of multiple truths, but this is itself, an illusion, and never will represent the whole truth.

Far too many people, banter about words like truth, and thus belittle it, but exclaiming that this is the truth, and nothing but the truth; when in reality, this is often just a personal viewpoint or a strongly held opinion.  The reason that so many people are so firm in their belief that what they are propagating is the truth, is because if they can get others to believe that this is true, or just by their own unwavering belief that such is true, this thus makes it appear that it has more validity, than if it was not described as being inviolable truth.

For those that are truly seeking wisdom, and therefore are dedicated to the truth, it has to be acknowledged that as fallible human beings we are prone to making errors and misjudgments, which is why it is so important to calm one’s mind, so as to become in attunement to that eternal wisdom which is available to all who take the time, and devote the energy to sincerely seek for such.  Those that most desire enlightenment, must first take off the blindfold and the shackles that have previously precluded them from absorbing into their mind that timeless wisdom, that will thus bring to them the overpowering Light of self-realization.

The writing never ends until every story is told

People like to talk or to tell stories for a lot of reasons, some self-serving and some in service to others.  When we take into account human nature, a lot of those stories so told or written seem to be based around that person wanting to say something that means something to them, and therefore they aren’t necessarily looking for constructive criticism, whatsoever, or even necessarily for any feedback, but basically desire to have, more times than not, just an echo chamber, that thus makes them feel better about themselves and their situation.  In other words, a lot of stories that we so hear are meant for us that are the listeners to confirm to the speaker that we are in agreement or in conformance to what they have just said.

Then there are those more meaningful stories, that are really meant to make us think, to ponder, and to discuss seminal points of such, that thus merit our attention.  After all, if each one of us, had already figured out what life in its totality is all about, and knew such cut and dry, then there wouldn’t be that many stories that would could ever possibly pique our interest.  Yet, for the most part, there are almost always opportunities to grow and to learn, which is why some of the stories that we read and hear are of real interest to us, because ultimately they help us to become better as a person, or at least present us with the opportunity to become so.

So too, when we read or hear something of interest that we disagree with, this presents us with the opportunity, to delve into such a subject deeper so as to ascertain whether our initial impression seems to be correct or whether such is in serious need of a re-evaluation.  Those then, that are not totally fixated in their ways and thus have an open mind to at least listen to what others have to say, have the opportunity to thereupon grow, or perhaps,  to bring to the attention of the other, why their thinking may not be correct, and should thereby be re-examined.

We write and we talk to others to not only get our personal point of view across, but also it presents us with the opportunity to shed light into those areas in which perhaps there has been darkness previously.  So too, if everything so previously written or told was considered to be non-debatable, and thus absolute established fact, there wouldn’t then be much of a need to say or write much of anything more.  Yet, it has to be said, that if we take the time to examine our own life, we recognize that there are usually those critical moments in which our thinking about a subject matter of some import, has over a period of time, switched from one side to the other, signifying that there is always validity in questioning the orthodox, and examining the prevailing opinion of the time, as well as the important value of the constant utilization of our mind so as to have our valued say.

The lies of those that lead us

The very first thing that any legitimate government should be about, is truth.  That is to say, while secrecy and discretion has its place, that which is propagated to the people, should be the whole truth of the matter, and therefore lying and deceit should not be part of the message to the people.  After all, the only true government is that government which is in its existence, makes sure that what it so does and performs on behalf of the people is for the overall beneficence of those same people.   Yet, how few, believe that their government is first of all, one of integrity, and further to the point, is not self-serving to the very politicians that represent such, as well as to the powerful agencies behind the scenes, that apparently seem to run such.

Any government that expects its people to respect its governance, when those people know for a certainty that their government consistently and deliberately lies to them, again and again – as well as cheats them out of their honest labor that they have performed in order to make a living, has clearly got it all wrong.  That said, governments know of their behavior and therefore rather than to amend such for the betterment of the people, prefer instead, to use the policing arm of the state, in conjunction with its justice department, to exert continuous pressure to put the people in their place.  That is one of the seminal reasons why there is so much unease, incivility, disrespect, and chaos within this nation, because the governance of such, leads by its very poor example, which the people then respond to, in a defiant way.

That said, within this country, there are good people, even including good politicians, as well as good laws so enacted, but all of this are overwhelmed by those that have the real power and have no intention of voluntarily relinquishing such or amending their ways.  Indeed, those that governed with an unfair and unjust hand, will meet their comeuppance, sooner or later; for to believe that which is wrong, can ultimately triumph over that which is right, is a fatal misconception.  For a certainty, there will be that time of reckoning, in which falsehood will be replaced by truthfulness, and the spirit of evil and selfishness overcome by the spirit of good and self-sacrifice.

Regrettably, as it stands, we are led by liars, who are supported by those that don’t necessarily believe in those lies, but that certainly believe that their status, their income, and their security, necessitates that they do what they so do in order to protect such as their own, to the detriment of the people, in whole.  Still, every minute of every day, those that have built their edifice upon lies, deceit, and power wrongfully utilized, know that there will come that time, when they or their cohorts will have to face the consequences of their actions, and of which, in that time and space, those then that have been previously held down, will know for the very first time, that they are truly entitled to the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Deep, deep poverty

There are a number of positive words that can be used to describe the United States, such as great, free, opportunity, as well as of liberty and justice for all.  Indeed, there are plenty of superlatives that can be fairly addressed about the United States, of which, there are plenty of people both inside and outside of America, that believe that this nation represents the best of all worlds; for it is not only the most powerful nation in the world, it is also the richest, and it would seem to appear to have all the necessary ingredients to also be the happiest.

To a very large extent, what we so believe about a given person or nation, has a lot to do with the narrative propagated to us, along with pertinent examples of such, that we are duly shown, day by day.  When it comes to America, this country desires that the world believe that it has not only a vibrant middle class, that should be the envy of the world, but also that it does a commendable job in seeing that the least amongst its citizens, is well taken care of.  As they say, therein lies the rub.

It has to be said, that many people are aware of the fact that America does have its poverty issues, but few within America, are cognizant of how deep that poverty line does run for so many.  For instance, we read at poverty/ucdavis.edu that “According to the Census Bureau, 20.03 million people lived in deep poverty in 2021,” of which deep poverty is defined “as living in a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of its poverty threshold.”  Further, to the point, “In 2021, 7.2 percent of all children lived in deep poverty.”

Perhaps in a nation that believes so fervently in capitalism, the amount of deep poverty in America, is a fair reflection that successfully demonstrates that those that will not work, for whatever reason or circumstance, deserve to reap what they have sowed.  So too, perhaps those children that live in deep poverty, deserve to be in that position, because they failed to have selected better parents or to live geographically in a place in which the poverty rate is low.

In truth, America should be absolutely ashamed of how millions upon millions of its own citizens live in abject poverty, of which a significant amount of those so living in that deep poverty, are vulnerable children, who deserve not that fate.  To believe, somehow, that Americans should be okay with the deep poverty of its own people, on a such a huge scale, is a fair reflection that American governance as well as many of its people have no heart, and clearly then have not their priorities set correctly.  To be the richest nation that the world has ever known, but to have 20 million of its own people existing in deep poverty, is a clear reflection, that the American dream is truly an American nightmare, for way too many people.  As it has been said, a nation should be judged upon what it does or does not do, for those that are its most vulnerable.  So then, America needs to look closely at who and what is really is; for, in reality, it has fallen far short of what it was meant and promised to be.

Witchcraft covens and unjust persecutions

At the present time, witchcraft or things of that general ilk, aren’t something that most people see as being some sort of a real menace that thus needs to be dealt with.  In fact, when most people think of witchcraft, they picture this as something that happened a long, long time ago, in which, apparently within certain communities, there was a general hysteria, that led to those that were perceived as being a danger, or of not conforming to societal norms, to be targeted as aiders and abettors of witchcraft, or to be witches, themselves.

Further to the point, when witchcraft was being persecuted, it was never really about targeting just one particular person as the witch; but rather, the structure of such societal targeting, led to the general understanding that there was never just one witch, and hence never just one bad apple, but instead there must be an assembly of witches, or a coven, with these witches enacting secret codes and exhibiting certain behaviors while also instigating specific evil spells against innocent people, that necessitated that society, in order to protect itself from this menace, must vigorously then prosecute to the death these alleged witches and therefore their coven.

However, when we dig deeper, there are several rather disturbing things about this persecution of witchcraft covens that tends to be forgotten or overlooked.  The very first thing to acknowledge, is that when a coven of witches are executed, this means that their material assets, will be distributed, and most likely distributed to those that are in authority, and hence these well-positioned people have something to gain, as well as typically being also the very same people that were often the leaders of such persecution.  Additionally, to the point, for those that desire to get rid of a rival, there is seldom a better way to do so, then to label that rival, as being a clear and present danger to the society, as in witchcraft, which thus serves to provide the person or entity instigating such a charge with the benefit of no longer having to deal with that disgraced and discarded rival.  Finally, most of those that were charged with witchcraft, were females, of which, in patriarchal societies, there is a strong inclination from those patriarchs to keep a tight grip upon that power, and thus to make sure that anything or anybody that might challenge that power, be dealt in a way and manner that anyone else, would seriously have to think twice about doing so.

Basically, we find that there are often plenty of people within societies, that are the leaders of such, who when they discern that they may well be successfully challenged by another, will do whatever that they have to do, to not only stop that opponent or other entity, but also to take from the other their land, their position, their assets, and claim it thus as their own, when they are consequently successful in accomplishing their persecution of the other.   In other words, when it comes to witchcraft, or other labels of this sort, which are structured to separate society into an “us v. them” type of mindset, the objective is twofold, the first is to eliminate the opponent, and the second is to take what was theirs as one’s own.