The hidden truth behind the refugee crisis

There are reasons for practically everything that occurs in society, of which, sometimes those reasons are rather obvious, and sometimes they are obscure or hidden.  We live in an age in which there is a distinct refugee crisis of millions of peoples fleeing their homeland, in search of some sort of reasonable sanctuary, so that they can thereby have the opportunity to have a decent life, if not for those of that present generation, then for those of future generations.  When it comes to western nations, it would seem that on the one hand, that they are often quite accommodating, sympathetic, empathetic, and helpful to refugees, but on the other hand, they can also enforce an iron hand against those same types of refugees.  While it is understandable, that sovereign nations should desire to have some sort of reasonable control of their borders, and that they should also have some sort of fair policy to the accommodation of refugees as well as to their numbers, what often is not discussed, is how come there are so many refugees to begin with.

We live in a day and age, in which though colonialism has ostensibly ended, it seems to have been replaced by neocolonialism, in many a case, which essentially means that many of those nations that appear to be independent, having gained that independence from their previous colonial masters, aren’t really independent, whatsoever, but rather they are often subject to present day economic exploitation of their mineral and labor resources, for the greater benefit not of their own nation, but of the multinational corporations so exploiting those resources for the greater benefit of that which was their master colonist, in the first place.

So too, western nations have the disturbing trend to not actually desire that democracy be the form of government in third world nations or of former colonies, because they see democracy as a political system that is hard to control, to influence, or to dominate from the outside, and further that democracy in those foreign nations has a strong tendency to desire to steer their own ship, for better or for worse.  Rather, what western nations prefer is for the government of these former colonies and third world nations, to be autocratic in nature, in which that government therefore is able to remain in firm control of its people through the usage of the armaments so provided to that country, all done with the expressed purpose, that as long as western nations get what they want from that nation, that all is fair which happens within that ostensibly free and independent nation.

So then, the upshot of all this interference into other nations’ sovereignty, is that the people within it, because of the oppressive conditions, or low wages, or the endless warfare so occurring, are going to strongly desire to gravitate to other nations, which appear to them to provide the twin benefits of opportunity and sanctuary.  That is to say, as much as western nations wish to believe that the siren call of those western nations, places a spell upon third world nations or former colonies, the more proximate reason for all of this refugee crisis comes down to the seminal fact, that people are going to vote with their feet, when they recognize that they have no good future where they are currently at.

America’s foreign military bases and the lack of appropriate tribute for them

We read at democraynow.org, that “The U.S. has about 750 overseas military bases in more than 80 countries.”  Further, we read at the conversation.com, that the Comptroller’s office  “estimates the total cost of overseas bases and deployments at US$24.4 billion in fiscal year 2020.”   So then, to the degree that these bases along with the military personnel that go along with such, are needed so as to provide support to foreign nations that we are allied with, or to the degree that such is needed in order to support commerce in the trading of goods, then these military bases would appear to have a good purpose, behind them.  However, it has to be said, that when it comes to the compensation for these military bases, that the United States seems to do a rather poor job in getting those that are the biggest beneficiaries of those bases to pay their fair share.  In other words, if the presence of United States troops, along with its attendant military armaments on those foreign bases serve to desist other unallied nations from bad actions, one would think, that there should be an appropriate price to be paid to the United States, as some form of tribute to the United States for that protection.

The bottom line is that when our military is stationed overseas for the defense of allied nations or of corporate interests, that those that are the beneficiaries of such, should then be obligated to pay their fair share for that sort of security.  After all, whenever the United States is not benefiting from this expenditure, directly or indirectly, of these monies expended for those foreign bases, then these foreign bases should be shutdown.  Indeed, this is why each foreign base should be questioned as to its expressed purpose and also should be subject to a budgetary review, for how else can this nation demonstrate to its own people that it is being responsible with the monies so being allocated to these overseas bases.

When it comes to the expenditure of military monies for foreign bases, it has to be recognized that there really needs to be a net benefit to the United States, or else those that are its citizens and hence its taxpayers are being cheated of that which they so pay in taxes to this nation.  So too, in an era in which this nation, can’t even come close to balancing its budget, we should see far more sensibility demonstrated by those that make the decisions, day in and day out, about our foreign military bases.  In short, to believe somehow that 750 overseas military bases in over 80 countries, is necessary, or even mandatory, is foolishness. 

Indeed, the United States spends more money on its defense budget than the next ten countries, combined.  This would indicate that every ally of America, needs to be put on notice, that they have a responsibility to pay appropriate tribute to the United States, for the protection and security that this nation thus provides for them, and if those nations will not, then the United States, should simply pack up and leave.  In life, there are no free lunches, of which, the sole superpower in the world, the United States, has an obligation to let that be known.

When we treat people as animals we should not be surprised when they take on animalistic traits

Humankind’s inhumanity to humankind, is the very reason why we have so much hatred, discord, civil unrest, and warring of all types.  So too, governments the world over, have made the same mistake again and again, in which, they encourage and then compel their people to fight the other, because the other is being sold to them at that instance as being “less than.”  After all, it’s never the easiest of things, nor should it be easy, to kill another human being, or to annihilate another civilization, when the perception is that the other is just about the same as those that bring actual war upon it.  Rather, governments make it their point to demonize the other, and essentially to make the other to be perceived as being subhuman, so as to thereby have the other to be basically looked upon as nothing much more than an animal.

Those that insist that the other be treated as if they are an animal, and thus discount the others’ humanity almost completely, are going to be quite capable of bringing all sorts of injustices and harms upon the other -- because that which is an animal in actuality, is that which we will often use as a beast of burden, and at worse, as something to kill for sport or to nourish ourselves upon.  To be perceived by society and its governance as an animal, is to live within a construct, in which those that fully believe that only their people are the actual human beings, will thus then have these same people control nearly every aspect of how that “animal’ is treated, of which, when that “animal” no longer has any utility, it will be erased – and if that “animal” was never perceived to have utility in the first place, it will be destroyed, from the get-go.

So too, those that are human beings, that are thus treated as animals, relentlessly, are going to be susceptible to taking on animalistic traits, for by virtue of having their humanity ignored or suppressed, they will thus find that in order to maintain their existence, they are going to have to adapt to the situation, at hand.  Which means, that those that are being treated as animals, are going to have a very strong tendency, as well as certainly some very valid reasons, to accord to those that are its oppressors, no real quarter, whatsoever.  That is to say, they will see those that are committing all sorts of injustices against them, as having no legitimate right to be accorded any human respect, whatsoever, which will thus lead to all sorts of stratagems to get back at those that are their tyrants.

In sum, those that treat others with respect, will often be accorded respect, in return; whereas, those that treat others as subhuman and look upon them as animals, are going to find that those that have had their humanity discounted or ignored, and treat the other in a very disrespectful manner, have by these actions and by their attitude, truly opened up a Pandora’s box and will thereby surely reap the whirlwind that thus will ensue.

Human connection and the analog world

Lots of people believe that progress is a never-ending line that angles ever upward, and they then are glad to live in that world, in which day by day, we are able to avail ourselves of even more tools or better devices that seem to make our lives easier and more satisfying.  Yet, it has to be said that just because we have digital this and digital that, we don’t necessarily always get at the same time, a situation in which by having digital books, digital newspapers, digital magazines, digital clocks, and digital word processors, that our lives are thus always clearly better, in whole.

For instance, life presents us with the opportunity for many of us, to learn a lot from our parents, or our grandparents, in which, because there are a plentitude of people that are quite older than we are, we can call upon their experiences to help aid us in the present in the figuring out of life and of particular concerns that are pertinent to us.  One of those things, that interests those that are the curious sort, is that we have a strong tendency to kind of want to know what makes a particular parent or grandparent, tick, of which, one of the ways that we are able to do so, is to pick up those things of theirs such as a book, or a magazine, or a newspaper that they have been reading, or, to turn back the clock even further, to be by the typewriter, and view the pages of what they have written.  Indeed, we can learn a lot about someone else, by knowing what they read, but when there aren’t any physical books for us to pick up, or magazines, or newspapers, we become somewhat clueless about what our parents or grandparents think and ponder upon, for we have no or little physical clues to actually follow.

Look, it has to be said, if young children, want to play “grown up” by putting on their mother’s lipstick, or by sitting down in their father’s “smoking chair,” then there also is something lost, when we aren’t able to take the whole process further, by knowing what our parents actually like to read or to write, and when we don’t have access to those very things, we are lesser for that.  Our parents and grandparents are guideposts, designed for the purpose, to help us navigate through the difficulties and challenges of life, and those that respect their elders, have an interest in trying to emulate them, and part of the process of doing so, is in that imitation of them.

So then, the proximate problem with all of the personal digital devices that we currently have, is the fact that these devices as in an iPhone, are specific to one person, and none other, so unless we are peaking over another person’s shoulder, we only know that they are doing something with their device, but we don’t know exactly what that is, and because we don’t know that, we lose that personal connection.  Indeed, the days of the family all watching the same television program together, appear to be long gone – so too, the days of us picking up our parent’s magazine or book to know what they are reading and perhaps to have a conversation about such, seldom exists, either – and because of that our connections one to another, are diminishing.

America’s persistent food insecurity problem

It doesn’t seem to make any real good sense that America, long considered to be the world’s breadbasket should have so many millions of its own people suffering from food insecurity, year in and year out, but we do. The troubling thing about America, is that while most Americans are aware of the Great Depression, in which we read at govinfo.gov that “By 1939 the federal government was distributing foods to 12.7 million unemployed and poor persons suffering under the weight of the Great Depression”  -- that we also seem somewhat unaware of what feedingamerica.org tells us about present day Americans, of which, “In 2022 alone, 49 million people turned to food assistance for extra help.”

Basically, this indicates that while today’s America is no longer suffering from a Great Depression, and has not been in such dire straits for generations, that somehow, though, we have a troubling amount of people, that suffer persistently from a food insecurity problem, in this, the richest nation that the world has ever known.  The fact that so many citizens of this nation, are not food secure, as well as often being under-educated, under-housed, and living in conditions which do not reflect well the prosperity of this nation, nor of the alleged superiority of its capitalistic system, is absolutely pathetic.

The bottom line is that any nation that is incapable of first taking care of its own citizens, is a nation that has failed those same citizens.  This thus indicates that in consideration of all of the great charitable organizations that this nation has, as well as its many food banks, both private and governmental sponsored, along with the continual generosity of giving individuals and institutions, that this nation has still failed to solved its food insecurity problem, despite the wealth of food that this nation produces, and has at its ready distribution disposal.

The true reflection of this country is contained not within its grand and luxurious buildings and homes, or any of its impressive infrastructures that have been created, or even via the educational and scientific achievements of the best of the minds in America, but rather such is displayed more truthfully by that which America conveniently prefers to ignore as even existing, which is all of the people and communities, that are suffering from food insecurity as well as the plethora of problems that ingrained poverty and prejudice so births.

The truth of America is what we don’t see represented enough -- which is that millions upon millions of Americans, including their children, don’t have the very basic things, such as nutritional food, good shelter, fair opportunity, as well as being able to live in a community that is safe, that many an American takes as their given birthright.  This is unacceptable and should be seen as a disgrace to this country and that which it represents.  The fact that so many suffer so much in America, despite good people and good institutions doing what they can to aid them, is a fair and accurate reflection that this governance has failed its people.  That is to say, all of the food banks, all of the food stamps, and all of the free student meal programs, have to exist because there is something rotten in America, which seemingly can’t be put back together properly for the expressed beneficence of those that are the most vulnerable amongst us.

Buddha and the Four Noble Truths

We read at pbs.org, that the Four Noble Truths, so simplified, are that “…suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.”  So that, for all those that decry about this or that, recognize that the suffering that any particular person has to deal with, is going to be something, that all of us have to deal with, in one way or another, during the course of our lifespan.  Those then, that see such suffering as the opportunity to prove their character and thus make it their point to do their best to alleviate such suffering, through the development of the right knowledge, the right discernment and the right application of such, are going to be those then that are best able to not only willingly accept those four noble truths, but to focus well upon the bringing of the cause of such suffering to a favorable conclusion. 

The very first thing that each of us needs to examine is our own life, of who and what we really are, and from there to determine as to whether or not, we find satisfaction within the answer that comes to us.  Those then that are most satisfied, are typically those that are on a good pathway, and have made good decisions, from their sensible thinking and dedicated work habits, in order to get to that valued place.  On the other hand, those that are unsatisfied with who and what they are, should then take the time to acknowledge that they may well have flaws within their character, or within the construct that they are intimately involved with, that needs thus to be meaningfully addressed.

There are plenty of those that like to make excuses for who and what they really are, and while acknowledging that suffering does exist, of which, they are cognizant that there is a cause, don’t though seemingly want such to come to an end, because they can’t seem to generate the appropriate action plan to do something constructive about it.  Indeed, to know the cause of one’s suffering but to not put forth the effort to alleviate such suffering, is a dead-end, which basically resolves nothing.  Now, perhaps, there are those situations in which we are apparently suffering from something, that seemingly is not something that we can change within our own volition.  Yet, recognize this well, there will still be opportunities that we can avail ourselves of, so as to improve our lot, or to look at a particular problem in another way, or there are skills that we can yet still develop which may serve to aid us, so that, essentially, to simply give up is seldom going to be the correct answer in response to that which stymies us.

In this world, each of us will be challenged in our own individual way, of which, there will for a certainty, be a pathway, that we may not initially see or even to understand, that will provide us with the opportunity to overcome that which seems to be hindering us from getting to where we need to be.  Indeed, problems do exist for us to puzzle such out, and those that will not relent from their good efforts built upon the structure of right thoughts and noble deeds, will successfully put all the pieces of that puzzle together, so as to thereby become complete and whole.

The physical always has a beginning and always will have an end

There are those people that believe somehow that what has physical form, such as a great pyramid, a planet, a sun, or even a solar system, are seemingly eternal in their existence, or something close to that.  In actuality, nothing physical will last forever, nor is anything physical ever meant to last forever.  Remember this well, that which has a known beginning, will, without exception, have a known end.  There are no exceptions to that rule, so no matter how long of time we view such, we find that, in fact, eventually that which we even know as time, will itself, end.

The issue that most humans have is that they see their existence as being in a time-space continuum, and have difficulty conceiving of consciousness outside of that continuum, never considering the distinct possibility that this continuum is an artificial construct, never meant to be seen as lasting or as eternal, whatsoever.  This thus signifies that our very existence cannot have started from our physical birth, or even before that, for we are ever the unborn, the eternal, and the changeless, and ever will be.

Yet, there are many that would scoff at the notice that we are changeless, for they see change in themselves, all of the time, and can easily prove such.  Indeed, there appears to be some degree of paradox in the physical aspect of our being which does clearly change, as well as our consciousness which would appear to change by the very thoughts and deeds that we enact by virtue of our existence.   However, as in something akin to a chameleon, or an actor up on a stage playing a role, our soul may indeed take on many guises, but as its core, our soul despite its countless forms, is in its essence, changeless.

So then, the reason why each of us needs to comprehend that the physical is finite in any of its many forms as it so appears to us in this human incarnation, is to provide to us, a serious reminder, that to overly concentrate our minds upon that which is physical, or of that which has been created, and not upon our eternal and everlasting Master Creator is to expend our energies upon that which is not truly worthy of such.  Rather, we are meant to see this physical world, as the opportunity, to prove our mettle, by being good one to another, with the expressed understanding that we are all at our essence, one with God, and only our ignorance of such, and disobedience to such, precludes us from the correct comprehension that we are, in actuality, always the immaculate image of God.

This physical world and our incarnation upon it, seems to be, for many a person, the only reality, but in actuality, it is not anything more than an artificial construct, providing us with the fair opportunity to reflect the goodness of God, and therefore to bring light to those that are in ignorance or denial, so that their journey back to the eternal sanctuary of God can be safely actualized.

Nuclear power is clean energy

The very first thing to recognize is that modern society, runs upon electricity, as well as all the other power sources so needed to travel, communicate, live, and to thrive.  In short, there is no way that seven billion peoples could survive in any real sense, without the comforts and the usage of reliable electricity.  In fact, those then, that do not have a reliable means to all the power sources that advanced societies routinely draw upon, are going to be, without exception, those societies which are not only materially poor, but have the poorest overall conditions for the livability of the members of that society.  That is to say, electricity is absolutely mandatory for the advancement and the sustainability of society, which signifies that the main energy concern that society should have, is utilizing those power sources which are the most efficient, safe, of minimal pollution, reliable, and cost effective.

The problem that far too many societies seem to suffer from, is the ignoring of the obvious, in order to embrace the obscure and the inferior.  Indeed, there are reasons for this, of which, one of the main reasons is that certain powerful interests and elites, want things to be a certain way, so that they can benefit from them, to the detriment of society as a whole.  In truth, when it comes to energy sources and the necessity of such, the decisions so being made by the people and its government, should take into account, the full picture of what different energy sources bring to the table, good and bad.  Instead, what we so have,  is that for whatever reason or reasons, sensible or not, a certain percentage of the people and governments are fearful of nuclear, because they believe that a nuclear accident, could be catastrophic, but somehow these same people and governments seem to dismiss the fact that there is not an energy source, which does not have its own troubling issues.  Additionally, what seems to have been conveniently forgotten, is that the sheer number of people, businesses, and homes, require reliable energy sources, which thus necessitates practical answers to practical questions. 

When it comes to nuclear, the footprint of how much physical space that nuclear power takes up, cannot be matched by any other energy source, whatsoever.  Further to the point, nuclear is the most reliable and robust energy source, that is not only instantaneous in being able to provide that energy to the people, but is also the most efficient of all energy sources, as well.  Of course, there are some inherent dangers within nuclear, but there are safeguards so enacted to protect both the environment as well as people, in place.  Additionally, in this era of worrying climate change, nuclear has zero carbon dioxide emissions.

There are plenty of people that actually believe that we don’t need nuclear, whatsoever, for they credulously believe that we can get all our energy so required from other clean energy resources – but we are still left with the inconvenient fact, that absolutely nothing at the present time can match the robustness of nuclear, or its capacity, or its reliability, or its sustainability, of which, a world without nuclear energy, or trending towards the usage of less nuclear energy, would be a world heading to darkness and the devolution of humankind.

Gaming the stock market

It would seem that in today’s stock market trading, in which, commissions have never been lower, as in oftentimes, those commissions being actually free in the buying and selling of those equities – that we also do so find that there are certain financial companies that specialize in the trading of stocks, in which, in fractions of a second, they are able to manufacture a profit, by the small difference between the buy and ask prices so being detected, and thereby, to buy or sell a particular stock, right before another entity purchases or sells it, thereby making money from that small difference in price, which in conjunction with the sheer volume of trades that they so do, every single trading day, profits their organization.

So too, it is a known fact, that quarterly earnings have a definite impact upon a given stock’s price, in which, those stocks that miss their quarterly earnings are often punished, especially when that miss is huge; whereas, those companies that unexpectedly crush earnings, are often rewarded with a higher stock price.  The thing about earnings, is that the SEC requires that companies issue their earnings statements no later than 45 days after the end of a given quarter, thereby providing an awful lot of time, for those that know what those earnings will be, to possibly profit from such.

While, it is true, that insider trading is a crime, of which, occasionally some prominent names have been convicted of such, to somehow believe that everyone engaged in insider trading, is always found out, would be incorrect.  Further to the point, when it comes to making a profit, or the making of money on a particular investment, most people and many an institution have a strong desire to be successful in that which they invest in, and in consideration that in today’s market, the “buy and hold” investor seems to be a dying breed, we do so find that those then that know what a particular company’s earnings will be before nearly everyone else, have actionable information, which is of value to a considerable amount of people, as well as to institutions.  So then, to believe, somehow that those in the know, will never be susceptible to the making of money by divulging such, or the trading on such, as through dark pools or offshore brokerage accounts, would be rather naïve.

Indeed, reliable information always has value, especially when that information is known only by a few people or entities.  So too, America, seems to be a nation that celebrates people and institutions that have money, and further to the point, how that money was made seems to be of no real importance to a lot of people, a significant amount of the time.  This thus signifies, that there is plenty of opportunity, for those that have connections, or are the connected, to profit upon information, such as knowing the earnings of a particular company before it is released, to their own benefit, without having to overly worry that such will be discovered, because there are a multitude of ways to disseminate actionable information, which is hard to detect, even when being ostensibly observed.  So then, in short, there has never been a better time to game the stock market, because earnings matter and those that know those earnings ahead of time, are in the supreme pole position to profit.

Prejudice and exploitation

People, societies, and governments are not adverse to using all sorts of dubious justifications to take advantage of what they perceive to be and have therefore designated as the “other.”  The reason that this is so, is often not really because the other, in actuality, is inherently inferior or subhuman, but rather it really comes down to the practicality that describing or proselytizing that the other is inferior, makes it far easier to get those that are credulous or lazy in thought, to believe in the righteousness of what is so being propagated by those in authority as to what needs to be done.  In other words, prejudices first begin from a desire to take advantage of the other, and the most effective means to do so, is often to utilize surface characteristics of the other as that exploitation point.

That is to say, the main reason why there is, for instance, racial prejudice based upon essentially a given person’s skin color, is the fact that this is quite obviously an easy visible way to identify the other, and when those that have the upper hand, can arbitrarily decide that one skin color is superior, whereas, the other skin color represents the inferior, it makes it a relatively easy sell to those that are considered to be of that superior skin color, to buy into exploiting the other, because people and societies, understand that in that exploitation, there are material advantages to them by cheating those that are labeled as inferior – by thus precluding those labeled as inferior from having their fair rights to liberty, freedom, labor, shelter, and the like.

In life, there is typically going to be some logic behind how some prejudice came to be the prevailing orthodox view, of which, the easiest way to understand prejudicial attitudes is to first to figure out, by that prejudice so being enforced, what advantages do those that are superior, thereby reap, from this mindset.  Oftentimes, what is reaped is the taking of resources away from those so labeled as inferior, which signifies that quite frankly there is no better price in the obtaining of those things, such as valuable land, minerals, goods, livestock, and produce then the price of zero.  So too, by labeling certain people as being inferior, all sorts of uncivil behavior can be directed towards them, without those that are doing such deeds, losing face in their own community, because when the other is seen as something other than fully human, pretty much, just about anything done to them will be perceived within that society, as being fair game to actually do.

So then, while people and societies may seem to be able to justify why their particular prejudice makes sense, the fact of the matter is, that this is just the excuse so being utilized, so that those in power can exploit the other, to their heart’s content.  After all, when a given people and society can exploit the other, by unfairly taking advantage of or cheating the other of their material possessions and opportunity, along with wringing the bread from the sweat of the other’s labor, then prejudice will so happen, until such a time as humankind properly comprehends and understands, that all of humankind have actually been created equally.

In lieu of reparations, invest in minority housing and businesses

In America, it would seem that reparations ever happening for those that have historically been discriminated against and still are discriminated against, apparently is just not going to ever happen.  The proximate reason for this necessary aid not to occur, doesn’t really come down to the governments’ lack of monetary resources, bonds, and infrastructure so required to enact those reparations, but rather comes down to the fact that for many a person, there just seems to be something wrong with providing “money for nothing.”  Though, of course, it really isn’t money for nothing, but perceptions are perceptions and if the majority of the people in America, or at least those that are the actuators of governmental policy are never to get on board with such reparations, then alternative ways and means must be seriously considered, instead.

In consideration, that America is perceived as being the epitome of the free enterprise system and thus of capitalism, perhaps  a better way to help those that have been marginalized in society, is to create therefore incentive programs, that invest in minority communities as well as minority businesses.  That is to say, provide specific bonds, monies, low-interest loans, and grants to minority interests, in which, those receiving those loans and grants would then have a vested interest in the specific success of that program, so provided to them as a fair opportunity to prove their mettle.

Indeed, when it comes to minority housing, we know for a certainty, that monies invested in minority areas, can most definitely be successful, for that is the epitome of what gentrification of particular neighborhoods, so represents.  This thus so indicates that in lieu of people and institutions that already have money and connections, receiving therefore the benefits of that gentrification, that we should instead have those that are the minorities, receiving those benefits.  So too, when we look at the great middle class of America, the asset that is most prevalent in their arsenal in the sense of their net worth, is often, their ownership of housing; so that, by making it thus a priority of this government, to take those that historically have been discriminated against in housing and lend thus a helping hand, we can improve their status, significantly, by increasing the ownership of housing for those minorities.

Additionally, when it comes to wealth so created through a given person’s labor, it has to be admitted that while “working for the man” may well be of meaningful assistance in the obtaining of material goods of all sorts, that in actuality, those that are the owners of a particular business, are typically far better placed to reap the benefits of businesses that become quite successful.  Therefore, this government should make it a point to invest through grants, low-interest loans, guarantees, and infrastructure assistance of all types, into minority businesses, to thus help better establish security and good success for those businesses, in the recognition that under-capitalization and the inability to financially stand strong during troubling times, is often a reason that many a business ultimately fails.

In sum, this government needs to put its money where its mouth is, by investing in minority businesses, while also assuring minorities obtain a higher home ownership rate, so that the wrongs of yesterday, can surely become the rights of tomorrow.

What you want to hear and what you need to know

An awful lot of people, seem to be seeking for the most part, validity from others in life – of which, that validity thus helps them to believe that they are fine, just the way that they currently are.  So that, in effect, if they are doing that which they know that they shouldn’t be doing, they don’t feel all that guilty about such, because they believe that as they are, is actually acceptable not only to themselves, but also to esteemed others.  In short, many people, aren’t interested in having their character challenged or examined, and pretty much desire to hear from others, that they are respected, and appreciated, just the way that they are.

Perhaps this is all to the good, that we should as societal members, respect one another, and from that respect so generated one to another, we then will not therefore be susceptible to being criticized for our own shortcomings and failures.  In truth, that would seem to make for a more civil society, in which, our attitudes would thus be of a more forgiving nature -- but what we so find is that hidden just beneath the surface are the unsaid criticisms of the other, saved only for those stressful and trying times when we so desire to hurt the other, or belittle the other, or to dismiss the other – signifying therefore that though we talk of forgiveness and love, we are ever ready to attack the other, if the situation so seemingly provokes us to do so.

That, in a nutshell, is the problem with telling people want they so desire to hear, because in that telling, we often, don’t really believe that this represents the whole truth, whatsoever; and because we choose not to express our truthful opinions, that which should be examined and looked at, is thus left alone. Indeed, if we really care for the other, we have a responsibility to do our best to aid and to assist the other, best accomplished by our telling them not what they wish to hear, so as to act therefore as some sort of mindless echo chamber, but rather to challenge the other, to rise up and to become a better person, by letting them know in considerate terms, what they really should know, in order for them, to be a better and a more complete person.

Perhaps though, in such advice to the other, we may not have it completely right, in the wisdom that we so impart to them.  But what of it?  The point isn’t really to get every fact and nuance correct, but rather the point of our imparting such advice is to get those that are stuck in their bad habits and wrong ways, to wake up from the lethargy or ingrained weaknesses which is thus precluding them from progressing to where they really ought to go.  In our most honest moments, those that are the best of our friends, aren’t really those that just tell us what we want to hear, but actually are those courageous enough to tell us what we ought to hear, and therefore what we need to know, so that we can turn around what needs to be turned around, before it becomes too late to do so.

What we take with us

There is a general belief, especially held in Western civilizations, that when our physical body dies , that for those that are faithful God believers, that our soul thus essentially rises to Heaven, and all thereafter, will simply then be an existence of love and goodness.  That certainly seems like a fairly easy construct to accept, especially for all those that have committed many a sin, and have essentially also failed to have consistently to hold up good attributes such as patience, love, forgiveness, fortitude, integrity, good will, and justice.  Unfortunately, for those that belief such, our existence after death, is not nearly as cut and dry as so many wish it would so be.

In reality, it has to be recognized that those that were known for being petty, disrespectful, dishonest, selfish-minded, hurtful, and the like, but have also demonstrated some degree of capacity to commit good deeds, as well, just aren’t going to be able to simply waltz into Heaven, and leave therefore their past, behind.  That is to say, God is perfection, and those that have developed bad characteristics are going to have to work that out or else they will be perpetually on the outside of God’s great sanctuary and never on the inside; for remember this well, there are no shortcuts to Heaven, for we earn our way to Heaven, by the very thoughts and deeds that we so perform in our interactions with others.

That which represents the eternal kingdom of God, is that which only is consistent with the attributes of our God, so that each of us thus has a sacred obligation to get first our own house in order, allowing us then to be able to travel to the only destination that really matters.  Indeed, all that which we have failed to address constructively in this world, are going to have to be eventually worked out, one way or another, at some time or another, or else, we will be on the outside, always to be looking in.  For all those that believe that this seems somehow to be unfair, it has to be pointed out, that God closes not a door to anyone at any time, but rather because our conscience recognizes its faults, we are thus precluded from entering into that sanctuary that can only accept those that have developed that which is consistent with being a true representative of God’s good grace.

In short, the best time to work out our faults and our wickedness is to do so, whenever we are consciously aware that we have the personal volition to do so.  That is to say, none of us should put off till tomorrow all that which could be and should be dealt with, today, for the longer that we hold onto bad habits and bad behaviors, the stickier such becomes, and therefore the necessary efforts to rid ourselves of that which we do not want and should not have, is going to get ever more difficult.  Finally, we need to be honest and to recognize that what we truly take with us, is the essence of who and what we really are, and if that doesn’t seem to be up to snuff, then the change that we so desire to make, we are responsible to take good care of.

Resentment and forgiveness

It could be said, that far too many people, are overly sensitive, about how they are individually treated, and not so sensitive, about how they so mistreat others, along also with the corresponding upshot of that aftermath. While there are plenty of people that want to believe that they never do a single thing wrong, the truth of the matter is that wittingly or not, each of us, has, at a minimum, those occasional moments of indiscretion, of words spoken or actions taken, that they in hindsight, wish they had not done.  While it is true, that we cannot take back words or actions, what we can do, however, is to make it our point to try to ameliorate our mistakes by first admitting to them, and then by trying to correct what can be so corrected, by our subsequent words and actions.

Instead, we do so find, that people are often not so concerned about their own errors, but are rather more fixated about the other person’s wrongs, slights, and errors so directed towards them.  In fact, many a person, can dwell upon a particular undesirable event that occurred to them, over and over again, for not just days or weeks, but months, and even years.  Yet, during all this time, when we resent the other, even hate the other, how little of that time is ever spent engaging with the other, about what so troubles us, but instead we are content to repeat inside our mind, what bothers us about them, all being played and replayed back in our mind on some sort of endless loop.  In truth, we have to admit, that it could be that what is so tragic and wrong that happened to us, may not even be something that the other even ponders upon, though, no doubt, there are those times, when people most definitely know that they have wronged the other, but won’t ever “man up” and thus do anything constructive about it.

The thing is though, whether or not, a particular wrong is corrected to our satisfaction, isn’t nearly as important as the understanding that there may well be those imprudent actions that we have taken, without really being consciously aware of the distinct possibility, that we have hurt the other; yet, to the other persons’ credit, they have forgiven us for it, because they know that things are said as well as done that occasionally do go astray, but they also know us to be good at heart, so they refuse to dwell upon it, and thus let it go.  That is indeed, the attitude that we need ourselves to take, far more often, because it may well be that while we are fixated on all the wrongs so apparently done to us, we have not taken into fair consideration, that we have wronged the other, many times, as well.  It is therefore important for each of us, to take to heart, that when we are so “big” as to forgive the other, that we need to take into fair account that they also have been “big” in forgiving us, as well.  

Dear Christians: Was the Cross only meant for Christ?

The amount of people that profess that they believe in some denomination of Christianity, surely numbers in the hundreds of millions upon millions, if not a couple of billion of people.  Yet, despite so many that profess their love for Christ, how many of those, are willing, without compunction, to go to the Cross, if so necessary for their belief in Christ?  That is to say, how many Christians are actually willing to figuratively, if not literally, fight a noble battle for their religion, by at least at a minimum, not denying Christ in their daily interactions and behavior, and further to the point, are also willing to always stand up for their religion and their faith, come what may.

While it certainly could be said, that Christianity, does not need some sort of modern-day Crusade, to thus force Christianity upon other nations and peoples, through the sword – it has to be said, though, that far more Christians need to put at risk, something of real value, in order to demonstrate that their belief in Christ, actually has some substance to it.  After all, consider all that Christ had to endure, and endure He did – the injustices imposed upon Christ, the indignity of being crucified, of being misunderstood, and even of being betrayed by one of His disciples.  Our Messiah, did not have it easy, in fact, Christ knew the fickleness of crowds, the short appreciation of those that claimed that they were on His side, as well as even the lack of comprehension and understanding so often displayed by His own hand-picked disciples.  Yet, Christ, through this all, did not waver when it most counted.

There are plenty of people that believe that taking on the aura of being Christian in spirit, through such observances such as Mass or baptism, and then pretty much being good and nice to others, along also with some generosity so displayed, is going to basically guarantee them a spot in Heaven.   Indeed, that would be so easy – but what kind of Heaven would that really be, in which, lukewarm believers are good enough to be in Heaven?  Rather, it would be better to comprehend at an early age, that what we put into life is indeed what we get out of life, and those then that claim to be Christian, have a sacred obligation to their faith, to actually earn their place in Heaven, by taking up their own cross, of behalf of that Christianity.

In truth, those that are true Christians, and hence worthy of the faith, are those that have the battle scars of that faith, so demonstrated by being, for instance, spat upon, pushed down, browbeaten, scorned, and held in utter contempt by opposing forces of unbelief as well as those that are ignorant.  Indeed, this world is a proving ground, of which, we will be tested, and those that will pass their tests best, are those that are able to prove that they are no friend of injustice, unfairness, untruth, prejudice, or evil, by actually having made a noble stand against such through their actions, day in and day out.

Free will, censorship, and Satan

There are a multitude of people that complain about all the evil that exists in this world, and thus wonder why God doesn’t do something about it.  The short answer to that question really comes down to the fact that God has provided each and everyone of us with free will, thereby making us free agents, free to do whatever that we should so desire to do, good or bad, and hence suffer the consequences, so of.  Further to the point, God does not censor us, thereby dictating to us what we are thus permitted to say or to do, for again, we are free agents, not automatons under God’s eternal thumb. 

Indeed, all the evil that we perceive in this world, is the evil that we have created by our subsequent bad actions and willful disobedience, not God. That which is evil, is the opposite of the good attributes of God, and therefore all those that have bad characteristics, should firstly look upon their own thinking and decision making, to have therefore a better concept for where such blame, primarily lies.  In this world, we will be tempted, perhaps by Satan, perhaps by our own inclinations – of which, the very purpose of our experience in this earthly plane, is to be tested, again and again by fire, so as to determine then as to whether, we will ultimately surrender to Satan or whether we will instead show the correct judgment and fortitude to be godly, instead.

So then, in our incarnation, each of us is provided always with the opportunity to do good or to do evil.  Those then that make it their point to sow seeds of hatred, lies, wickedness, selfishness and the like, are going to surely reap a very turbulent wind, in response.  On the other hand, those that make it their point to sow seeds of love, compassion, forgiveness, justice, and the like will surely reap a bountiful harvest, in return.  The choice, as always, is in our collective hands, and the result is the world and the society, that we are an integral part of.

The greatest love that can be provided to anyone, is to provide that which has been created, with the independence of mind and therefore free will, to make their own decisions as to who and what they so want to be; of which, the greatest response that our Creator could ever hope for from God’s created beings, is to thus see that which has been created, do good deeds and then freely return to God, and God’s sanctuary.  The choice is ever ours, in which, God does not cheat, but lets the game be played fairly, which is why Satan exists, so that we are provided with two distinct choices, left at our discretion.

Our earth, is that proving ground, of which it is our sacred duty to puzzle out the where and why of our existence, and then to make it our point, to make those decisions that will get us ever closer to where we ought to be, through the correct usage of our free will, freely bestowed upon us, as our opportunity to therefore through our willful volition to do the right thing.

Big business, big power, big problem

There are plenty of credulous people that believe that what is good for the biggest of businesses in America, is therefore good for America.  In truth, what is good for the biggest of businesses is primarily good for those that are its principle stockholders, as well as the top executives and upper management of those businesses, of which, to a significant extent, we do so find, that the general public, are typically not served all that well by big business.  The proximate problem with big businesses is the fact that they often have undue influence upon governmental officials of all types, as well as politicians, and that they are also quite adept at working whatever angles that need to be worked so that legislation, laws, and judicial decisions, thereby favor their interests, above all.  In short, big business seems to exist for the people to serve big business, and not for big business to serve the people.

To somehow believe that big business is some sort of great benefit to society, seems to miss the forest for the trees, for though big businesses do indeed provide products and services to the general public, the fact that they are so big, typically means that they are also able to garner gains and benefits that best serve firstly their own enterprise which may well then be in conflict with what the people need and want, in totality.  Indeed, to an absolute certainty, size matters; which thereby signifies that big businesses need to be carefully looked at and regulated by parties that represent well the interests of the people, so that these businesses do not themselves circumvent or dominate the greater interests of the people, in whole.

For whatever reason, big businesses, in recent decades, have for the most part, escaped any real restrictions upon their growth or influence; in addition to the salient fact that these big businesses have done an outstanding job, of deflecting attention to their enterprises, by having the general public look askance instead upon their own government, as in big government being the proximate problem that the public should be most concerned about.  In other words, private enterprise is seen by a significant swath of Americans, as being all to the good; whereas, government is itself seen as being arbitrary, out-of-touch, interfering with progress, and in whole, doing a disservice to the people.

The difference between big business and government, is that through the democratic vote, the people thus make their selections of who represents them; whereas, big business answers only to Wall Street, and none other.  This thus signifies that big businesses have been able to successfully maneuver and to position themselves that they are essentially a law unto themselves, thereby dictating to their workforce what the pay and what the conditions of that employment will be, which quite obviously is beneficial to those at the top of these big businesses as well as its stockholders, and not to the benefit of those that are the worker cogs of such.  So then, any society in which the power rests not in the hands of the people, through its elected representatives, but rather such power is wielded through the hands of private enterprise which thus bosses it over the people, will be a society in which the few have the best of best, and the many have just the leftovers and left asides.

Towards the understanding of necessary enlightenment

We do so find that humankind is constantly in need of great avatars to walk and to espouse divine wisdom to us, so that we can wake up from our illusions and delusions, and thus better understand who and what we really are, and therefore our rightful purpose in this world.  Those that cannot see any further than their material body and the reflection, so of, that thus then overly concentrate on everything material, and in the feeding of or in the over-indulgence of their senses are in a hopelessly poor position, for by believing that the physical is their sole identity, their life thus represents therefore the potential of a great ship, that has, in effect, no direction, and no purposeful destination in mind.

It is very easy to become entrapped in the physical, for despite the fact that our thinking is not something that we can see, or even to really understand how the thoughts that we have, come into our mind, we are thus left often though with the impression that the only things that seem to be real, are those that we can comprehend through our five common senses.  We are, in fact, in our structure and in our essence, that which is immortal, signifying that to ignore that which is eternal, while devoting far too much of our time upon that which is mortal, is a fundamental error, that mentors, make it their point to enlighten us upon.

Far too many of us are asleep at the wheel, in which our everyday concerns seem to be focused upon all of the so-called necessary things that we have to attend to, day-by-day, and hence year-after-year, in which we seldom thus take the time to examine the purpose of life.  Rather, we are meant to live up to what we really are, and in thus understanding that the physical is merely the temporary housing of our soul, we begin to understand, that our identity should not then be about our tribal inclinations, but rather should be about our universal unity within the One.

So then, in consideration, that we are all truly brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility then to be a good neighbor, one to another, in which we thus are each provided with the opportunity to be an exemplar of what it so means to understand that we are meant to break bread together, and not to waste our time, in unnecessary distractions and arguments.  We are meant to make a good impression, one to another, best exemplified by doing good deeds, by caring for the other, as well as by being of aid to one another, in which by doing our good part to help make society a better place for our participation in it, we contribute to the greater welfare of that society.  A successful society, requires our meaningful participation in such, along with us imparting vital words, good deeds, and wisdom, so designed to help draw people towards enlightenment, and therefore to dispel the darkness which precludes them from seeing the Light.

For climate change remediation, nuclear is the answer

There are typically all sorts of ways at looking at a particular problem, of which, when we concern ourselves with reliable electricity, which is absolutely necessary for a modern and connected society to property function, we then also must take into account a solution to our climate change concerns, which would still permit us to have that continual usage of that electricity.  So then, when it comes to climate change, in which it is believed that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are the main source and therefore the proximate issue for that undesired climate change, this would thus indicate that governments the world over, have a required need to look at and to then back that which would best take care of these two main problems, so that our electricity needs would thus be met and our contribution to global warming, would also be substantially reduced.

While there are many forms of energy, throughout the world, it has to be recognized that a given energy source should ideally be scalable, it should be storable, it should be reliable, it should be efficient, and it also needs to have an exceedingly small carbon footprint.  So then, fossil fuels, for instance, get an especially poor grade when it comes to their carbon emissions, and in consideration of that fact, countries have made it their purpose to reduce such through alternative energy sources over the last couple decades.  Regrettably, the progress so made has not been good enough, for we do so find that it is estimated that in 2020, 61% of electricity was generated from the burning of fossil fuels, and of which, in 2005, that percentage was 66.5%.  While that indeed is an improvement, it could be said, that it really is too little, too late.

In the scheme of things, there is only one energy source, that covers ever single basic need so required for that energy source, and that is nuclear energy.  Further to the point, out of all the energy sources, it is nuclear which has the greatest capacity factor, which basically indicates that nuclear energy is the most efficient energy source at being able to produce reliable electricity at close to its theoretical capacity, which is extremely important for those times in which energy usage is absolutely required, for peak energy draw demands.

Further to the point, nuclear is proven technology, of which, there are countries, such as France, that have deliberately made it their policy to rely mainly upon nuclear for their electricity needs, which has served France well over the decades, and is proof positive, that if more nations were to use nuclear for their electricity needs, that the usage of fossil fuels and therefore the emission of carbon dioxide could be substantially reduced worldwide.

That said, there isn’t any reason to believe that society needs to exclusively rely upon nuclear, forever, for perhaps there will be future energy sources that will serve that purpose even better, and more efficiently.  What could be added, however, is that as it stands right now, nuclear is the only reliable and proven answer, that will resolve our carbon emissions problems that need to be addressed right now in a forthright manner, for the sustainability of our planet and its people.

You are meant to challenge yourself

There are plenty of people that basically desire a life that has no issues, no problems, and essentially has nary a true challenge to one’s being or character.  That sort of life, has got to be seen for what it really is, which is a life of dullness, uneventfulness, and ultimately of total boredom.  After all, whenever we watch an engaging movie or television show, what we are so watching, in essence, comes down to the hero having to overcome difficulties and challenges, which thereby attracts our attention to it – for if the hero had nothing to learn from, or to overcome, the storyline would not engage us, and we wouldn’t therefore have a good reason to watch it.

In this world, there most definitely is a reason for our existence, and that reason has an awful lot to do with the stages that each of us must go through in life.  So then, in our childhood, we will invariably experience and therefore see on a lesser scale, some degree of unfairness, injustice, and meanness, but also we will experience joy, successfulness, and friendship.   This is meant to give us a test and a tasting of what we will encounter when we become adults, so that the objective of our childhood years is to develop the mindset and the skill-set to understand that part of life is the challenges that we will be presented with, of which, it is our duty to not only to take on those challenges, but to be victorious in such, to the best of our ability.

Of course, it has to be said, that not every challenge, will we so conquer, because some of that which we have to deal with, we just don’t have the ready capacity to overcome.  Yet, we should never be dismayed by any of our so-called failures, for it is in the trying, that we show our true character, as well as by our determination, in which, some of that which we challenge ourselves to accomplish, we are not yet ready or accomplished enough to be victorious over.  While it could be said, that there is some degree of value in simply resting on our laurels when we have accomplished that of some substance, those though that are more ambitious, and stronger of character, are going to desire to push themselves to do ever more, because they want to know, how much further that they can advance, for in that advancement, they thus achieve more satisfaction, knowing that they have truly given all.

All those that desire to be seen as great conquerors, have got to recognize that to get to that stage, requires, a concerted effort as well as the knowhow and the mindset to pursue strongly after that which we so richly desire to achieve.  Our greatest victories are those victories, which have come through trial and error, determination, persistence, and a dedicated drive to not relent in our efforts until we have achieved that which we have determined that we so needed to achieve.  Those that best challenge themselves, are the very same, that at the end of their journey, can truly say as well as to believe, that they took on their challenges, with equanimity, and pushed themselves successfully to accomplish them.