Prioritize your life

Not only do more of us need to comprehend the need to prioritize what we should or should not be doing with our lives, but more people need to actually spend time thinking about this very thing; for if we don’t understand how to use our time and serve our interests best, then we aren’t going to accomplish the important things that would make our lives more of value.

 To live in a material world in which so many of us get caught up in the various “rat races” that we feel that we need to be a part of makes it more difficult for us to step away from all that to understand better that perhaps that isn’t the race that we should be running or overly concerning ourselves about.  Indeed, to believe that the purpose of our life, is that we need to be forever competitive in the things that we do and try to accomplish, misunderstands that a better mindset is that which understands the value of collaboration, instead.

 So too, many of us consistently miss the forest for the trees, with our wrong devotion to material things and various achievements which serve to distract us from the understanding that what is most important in life is actually our relationships one to the other.  The mistake that so many of intelligence and talent make is to apply themselves diligently to what they feel that they must do, believing that more material assets or things of that ilk, will bring lasting happiness and joy, without properly comprehending that this pursuit is when looked at properly, a mirage, for in actuality, what we need to recognize is that life has far more meaning to it, other than the material things that we have accumulated, for in the end, that which we truly possess, is the goodness that we have passed on to one another, and no more.

 For all those who are fortunate to live a long and apparently fruitful life, who decide that in their late age that they wish to reflect upon their achievements and accomplishments, few truly believe that the money that they have stored up in the bank is somehow their greatest achievement.  Rather, what people innately appreciate more than anything, is their good relationships, and their fruitful interactions with one another, along also with taking the time for some solitude to relate to that which is their Creator, as opposed to regrets that they should have, for instance, spent more time away from family and friends in the pursuit of more money.

 Those then who prioritize their lives correctly are the very same, who understand well that we are all in this society, together, and that the objective of the exercise is to treat one another, as a good neighbor, which takes into account, that through our help one to another, we will collectively progress ever closer to the satisfaction that a life truly lived well, is a life that encompasses love, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and fairness, of which, those that are true to those noble traits, are those that have prioritized their lives right.

Discover the pristine soul within

The illusion for those who believe in evolution is that there is this general belief that we evolve or progress our way into something better than we are at present.  While this seems to make sense, and perhaps creates some overriding purpose for those who people this earth, this isn’t the actual truth of the matter, at all.  Rather, the first order of business for everyone who is searching for meaning is to comprehend that we are not the body, but the body merely houses our soul.  So then, it follows as to whether or not the soul or our respective souls are evolving, which might seem logical, but is also a fallacy, for in actuality, those that advance themselves in the understanding of who and what they really are, and thereby apply their respective gifts for the betterment of those that they interact with, aren’t actually evolving, but rather to be fair, are unveiling and therefore revealing what they are in essence, by their valued willful and insightful actions.

 Indeed, when we recognize that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever tomorrow – this would presuppose that what God creates must follow suit to that which created its essence.  This thereby logically means that we are the same today, yesterday, and forever tomorrow, which while seeming to be a clear contradiction to all that is happening in this material plane is nevertheless true.  That is to say, the mistakes that we make, or the progress that we achieve, does not change the soul that is our actual essence, for basically every time that we accomplish good, we are essentially removing the fog from our mind, to comprehend that we were created good, and always have been good, but through the delusions and distortions of this world, have been unwittingly fooled as to our true being.

 All of the above signifies that our primary goal in life, should be to be true to who and what we are, which is the pristine soul within, completely in harmony with our Creator, of which, the purpose therefore of our experience here, is to express ourselves in a way and manner that is consistent with the good attributes of our Creator and those that do that very thing, are the same that are actualizing their true being, and therefore are not being false to any man or woman, for there is no higher good than to express truth, in all of its many aspects, because truth lives forever, whereas that which is in error, inevitably dies.

 We are, therefore, pristine souls, of which, so many of us, are deluded into believing that we are not complete, or that we are sinful, or that we are damaged, without seeming to recognize that behind the persona, behind what we perceive to be our identity, is our true identity, which is forever in keeping with all that is good and the sooner that we drop the façade that we are something that we are not, the sooner we will rediscover enlightenment, in which no darkness will remain within our being.

Sirah (Ecclesiasticus) 42: 21

We read in Sirah (Ecclesiasticus) 42: 21 the following: “He has set in order the splendors of his wisdom; He is from all eternity one and the same. Nothing can be added or taken away, and he needs no one to be his counselor.”  This thus signifies to all who have the eyes to read, and the ears to listen, that God is forever unchanging and thereby absolutely complete, along with God being the epitome of wisdom, that no entity can add to or subtract from.  That is to say, God is omniscient, and ever will be -- God is also our rock that has always existed and ever will exist, which all of us should take great comfort in knowing, for we live in a dimension that demonstrates to us, time and time again, injustice, falsehood, and discord, though some do their best to counteract such by their noble deeds and actions done for the betterment of humankind.

 For so many of us, it is hard to fathom what God truly represents, because we have a strong tendency to bring God down to our human understanding, and therefore to believe that God must have a temper, and must be vengeful from time to time, because of all the injustice and wrongs committed by people, over and over again.  So too, many people believe that God has a limit to what God will tolerate before God wreaks havoc upon those who do not listen and will not obey.  These wrongful beliefs persist because of our inability to see beyond our human emotions, and thereby our failure to understand that God is at that supreme level, that is difficult for humans to even come close to understanding, which is why, we as a people, need to spend more time listening to that still small voice within, to better comprehend, our true place in the scheme of things, and in the skeins of time.

 The fact that God is eternal, with therefore no beginning and no end, with wisdom that is perfect and always will be, should give us the greatest comfort that we could ever envision, because this signifies that as important as we might think that our society is, with all the things that are occurring in this dimension, this basically serves to demonstrate that our perspective is wildly out of proportion to what the reality of all that is, actually is.  This should provide us with real relief to know that all that we believe is so dire or that needs to be corrected in the here and now, or else terrible and tragic things will occur -- to understand better, that it will all ultimately be well.

 Indeed, humankind has a tendency to believe that they are the measure of all things, and seemingly the more advanced that we get, the more that we believe that this is right; whereas, what is lost through this egotistical and misdirected mindset is that the most important knowledge is that which comprehends that we are specially created incarnations of God, meant to not only do good one to another, through the appropriate usage of our free will but to seek and ultimately to re-find ourselves back in the loving bosom of God, for that is the sanctuary that ends all miseries and brings us everlasting peace, removing us therefore from all that would distract us from the eternal being of God.

God lacks nothing

Society needs to understand that God lacks nothing, and therefore, God has no desires at all. This must be true because if God had desires, or lacked this or lacked that, this would signify that God is not complete, and therefore, God is ever-changing, which is not the correct perspective of God. Indeed, God is the same today, yesterday, and forever, for God is ever complete, now and forevermore.

 When it comes to humans, this indicates that what we do or don’t do, is in the scheme of things, our responsibility and it is up to us, to do the right thing, or suffer the fair consequence of our bad acts.  That is to say, the point of our creation is to provide each of us with the opportunity to prove our mettle, and those who fail their tests, are provided the same opportunity, again and again, until we get it right, for that which cannot meet the standard of goodness, justice, consideration, kindness, and love precludes them from successfully re-uniting with that which is the be-all and end-all of all that is forever good.

 For instance, one of the characteristics that many humans seem to suffer from is a lack of humility, in which, when a given individual or team accomplishes good deeds or great acts, there is many a person that feels that they deserve an appropriate amount of accolades for what they have done on behalf of humanity.  A better perspective is to recognize that the more good deeds that we do for one another, the more that we have demonstrated our attunement with the good attributes of our God, for we are meant to be a reflection of that which created us, and the truer that we are to that which is eternally good, the better it will be for all that we interact with, day by day, which is therefore appreciation enough.

 This world is indeed a stage, or a proving ground, provided to each of us with the opportunity to do what we need to do for the glory of God by demonstrating in action our good acts one to another, through the exercise of our free will, properly applied.  There are indeed temptations presented to us, because the nature of the beast, is that we must be challenged, we must have obstacles, and we must have noble goals and objectives, that allow us to comprehend that what we think and do is a fair reflection of what we have done with the liberty so bestowed upon us.

 Whether or not we are successful in our life or not, depends upon many things, of which, not everything is in our control, but it is how we react to the vicissitudes of life that determines our success or failure to such.  Through it all, God is ever-watching the stage that all this is enacted upon, serene in the knowledge that however it comes out, it will, in the end, be well, for no matter how dark the day or night may appear now to be, there will always be Light.

Peace without God

There are all sorts of things that are possible or conceivable, but one of those things that isn’t ever going to be possible is lasting peace without God at the forefront of such.  Those that truly believe that humankind will be able to bring true peace on earth, without being in conformance with God’s Commandments are those that are hopelessly lost.  To believe that somehow humankind’s wisdom without enlightenment from God and adherence, so of, is ever going to be good enough to bring any lasting peace to humanity and society, is the very reason why this world is for so many people, a living hell and unjust.

 While it is true, that history is replete with wars fought on religious grounds, this does not indicate that religion is wrong, though how certain people and principalities express that religion can definitely be wrong, but is more akin to the sinfulness of believing that those that misunderstand and misconstrue God are somehow going to be on the right side of justice, love, and mercy, which signifies that they have gotten it fundamentally wrong.

 So too, those who are so enamored and caught up in this world, believing somehow, that humankind is the master of its own fate, and that it is those who are on the cutting edge of this and of that, are going to through their advancements and insight bring forth peace and prosperity for all, without bothering to acknowledge the importance that consideration and fair play one to another, is the basis of true friendship and understanding, are those that are on the wrong pathway, for the most important knowledge, is the knowledge of who and what we really are.

 Additionally, those who believe that lasting peace and justice do come through the barrel of a gun, are the same who can’t understand or comprehend the hypocrisy of such a belief, for those who live by the sword are the very same that will die from such.  Rather, lasting peace can only be birthed from lasting justice, and justice must consist of such being no respecter of humankind, for we are all in this world together, of which, none are above the law, but rather all are subject to the very same law, equally applied, without exception.

 To find peace without the understanding of God, is not possible, for God is the light of our conscience, and without that necessary light, we see dimly and what we see is distorted, making it difficult for us to find our way, of which, we need to be on that one specific pathway to get to the only destination that really matters, of which, when we arrive at where we are supposed to be, we will not only be in a dimension of everlasting peace, but we will also know for a certainty this is the way that it was always meant to be. 

 Indeed, those who resist, ignore, or forsake God, have made a very poor choice, of which, that very decision is the same that will not ever provide them with everlasting justice or peace.

Eve’s disobedience and Mary’s obedience

It would seem that just about everybody, believer or not, Christian or not, is familiar with the story of Eve and Mary.  The difference between the two women can be summed up in the difference between that which is disobedient and that which is obedient.  To be disobedient is a choice, freely provided to us by God, of which, while we are free-will individuals, there are obviously consequences for making decisions that we have been warned about, and then thereby choosing to ignore such a warning, which is exactly what happened when it came to Eve.  Eve was told not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, but that is exactly what she ended up doing, of which, as a consequence of that action, humankind suffered.  On the other hand, Mary was told not to fear God, and that she was to be gifted with the honor of bringing forth our Savior, of which, Mary was chosen not only because of her impeccable behavior and mindset, but also because Mary consented to being chosen, thereby demonstrating the righteousness of obedience to God, and delivering those from their previous error onto the pathway of ultimate salvation.

 The lesson to be learned from the above is that though God does not control us, and has truly provided us with free will, it is though up to us, as to whether we will utilize the gifts so bestowed upon us, for the betterment of our fellow compatriots, or whether we will ignore such, to serve our own self-serving interests, along with making the mistake of deliberating forsaking God’s word, to surrender ourselves into wrongful temptation, and thereby to suffer the consequences for removing ourselves from the sanctuary of God’s goodness and grace.

 Indeed, everything that we think, do, and say, has consequences, for that is the way that this material world has been constructed.  Those then that insist that they must have their way, and know for a certainty, the difference between right and wrong, in addition to obedience and disobedience, but insist upon doing what they desire to do, nevertheless, are going to fairly pay the price for sinful disobedience, for God will never be mocked, because God is not only love, but God is also justice, and that which is wrong, must somehow be bent back to where it becomes right, again; which is why whenever there is a failure, there must in the skein of time, be a subsequent success, in order to thereby get back to not only the way that things were but the way that things must be.

 We are brought into this world, to learn our lessons, and to thereby apply successfully those lessons so learned, day after day, and thereby each of us will be tempted, and tempted again and again.  Those then that do the right thing, are those that are obedient, and those that do not, are disobedient, and the twain shall never meet, until that time that disobedience not only recognizes the error of its ways, but corrects such, until the end of time.

Evolutionary theory is fundamentally flawed

We find that evolution is taught in schools to promote the belief that humankind has evolved from apes, but this theory is not only fundamentally flawed but also it is incorrect. While it might well be convenient for the powers that be to proselytize that humankind is on a pathway to ever-increasing development, of which, at some point, it is presupposed, we will have evolved into something fantastic, that isn’t true, either, and never has been and never will be. 

 The reason why evolution is fundamentally flawed is the mistaken belief held by those in authority that human beings, as a people, are ever evolving into something bigger, better, and more efficient, which is not only belied by the history of humankind but is at loggerheads with the concept that our Creator, is somehow not the same, today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  In other words, the truth of the matter is that God is not evolving, which presupposes that whatever God creates, while perhaps subject to some physical change or evolution, is not in its essence, ever to evolve; thereby signifying that we as humans are already complete in our creation, and of which it is our solemn duty to come to the cognition of who and what we really are – signifying that those that see no more than the physical, have bought into the façade that we are only our visible manifestation, while negating or ignoring that we are incarnated beings, beyond birth and death, at our core.

 All those who spend an inordinate amount of time, believing that they, in conjunction with scientists and other innovators, can create in this world, some sort of superhuman race, are not only misguided but have demonstrated the misapplication of their intellect into an area in which there isn’t any good purpose, behind it.  Indeed, some people and institutions are absolutely hellbent on doing all they can to extend physical life and to push the evolutionary envelope in the direction that they believe it is destined to be, without understanding that their efforts will always be in vain.

 In actuality, humankind is complete in its creation, because within each human being, is the indestructible eternal soul that is the actual identity of that person.  Because we are eternal, this signifies that birth and death, as seen in this world, are constructs of this dimension, provided to us as a means to express ourselves in a way that is in conformance with the goodness of God.  This means that those who make it their point to concentrate upon the physical as the be-all and end-all of our existence, in a hopeless quest to extend or evolve life, have engaged themselves in an endless repetitive cycle that will not produce anything of merit or substance, whatsoever.

 There are indeed many challenges for humankind on this planet, but none of them have to do with evolution, as humankind understands such, but rather the challenges for humankind really come down to lifting their self-imposed veil which precludes them from understanding who and what they really are, to take in instead the liberating truth of their being, for there are none so blind as those that will not see.

Perspective on Who We Are

It is difficult to make progress in this material world if we don’t take the time or the consideration to ponder who and what we really are, at our core.  That is to say, those who will not devote the resources to discover that which is the actuator of their very being, haven’t made a wise decision.  Indeed, we find that different religions describe the essence of humankind in different ways, emphasizing, for example, that this life is a life of illusion with a misunderstanding oftentimes by those who have incarnated here as to what is real and what is unreal.  Then some describe humankind as often being in the throes of ignorance, of thereby not understanding who they actually are, and because of that misunderstanding, typically prioritizing the wrong things to their ultimate regret.  Further, some see humankind as in a state of fall, of having thereby turned their back upon God, and therefore are sinful creatures, never seeming to realize that all that God creates is good because God is the ultimate good.  Finally, some believe that humankind is in a state of rebellion, of purposely and therefore consciously fighting against God’s good laws, as if their way is somehow ever going to be the better way.  In all of these, humankind, has its own self to blame, for within each of us, and through the wisdom of the ages, is everything that we need to enlighten us, and thereby provide us with the pathway to return to where we are meant to be.

 It is disappointing that we find so many people, especially those who are doing quite well, that enjoy the creature comforts of this world to the exclusion of understanding their true purpose, and thereby appreciate their many benefits, seeing these things essentially as being superior and more real than the Creator of it all. Additionally, these people who are so enamored with this world, or caught up in it, don’t seem to recognize through their ignorance that the better perspective of this material experience, is that this is a testing ground, meant for us to take the good gifts of God and to exercise them faithfully for the betterment of those that we interact with, day by day, above all else

 So too, some spend an inordinate amount of time beating themselves up about how sinful they are without seeming to recognize that how sinful or good we are has everything to do with our freedom to do the right or wrong thing, of which, the more we dedicate ourselves to doing the right thing and focus exclusively on such, the sooner we will get to the only destination that matters. 

 Then there are those others who have rebelled against God and have continued with their rebellion, without seeming to understand that their way is not ever going to be the right way and that therefore they won’t ever make forward progress, for as long as they continue upon the path of rebellion, they are doing so to their own perdition  Yet, for all those who suffer from their lack of understanding of who and what they really are, there is for each of them, an avenue that will put things right, and the sooner they understand who they are, and live to that duty therewith, the better it will be for them.

The need for clothes

We live in inflationary times, but one of those items, that has consistently not been hurt by inflation is clothing, which remains quite affordable, and that is indeed a very good thing because society demands that we wear clothes, not only for the basic reason that clothes protect us from the elements but that they also provide us with necessary functionality by having, for instance, pockets, while serving to protect our privacy because we are wearing clothes, thereby not displaying certain body parts which are considered to be not only bad form to do so in public, but can if so exposed to others, be considered to be a crime.

 Another salient reason why people need to wear clothes has got to do with the fact that never has there been so many very old people in society, but also never have there been so many people that are quite overweight, of which, these people are typically not going to have the physical look that would appeal to many. They may be seen, in fact, as having bodies that necessitate that they wear clothing because their look does not measure up well to societal expectations and norms.

 So too, the thing about clothes is that clothing can do a stellar job in bringing out our best features as well as doing an excellent job in disguising well those features that we don’t favor.   Clothes play a very important role in allowing us to be ourselves, and to be about our business, without being unnecessarily noticed, by basically serving the good purpose of allowing us to blend in with society and the general clothing rules of that society, by following those rules, which permits us to adhere to society norms, better.

 Indeed, while we have been taught not to judge a book by its cover, the truth of the matter is that many people do exactly that, which is one of the reasons why certain people are especially diligent in the selection and the wearing of their clothing, because they are trying to put forth a certain image, and the right clothing can do that quite well for them.  We do so find then that there actually is a reasonable consistency in the character of the person as displayed through their clothing with the overall look that they present, thereby providing people with a fair window as to who and what they really are, even without knowing that person.

 Additionally, never have there been so many options for the clothing that we choose to wear, which is indicative that by having the freedom to wear the clothes that we do wear, we are, in a certain sense, expressing our freedom to do so, which is, believe it or not, something that has not historically been true, not only because society norms have previously limited the choice of the clothing so worn, but also because the availability of certain clothes wasn’t nearly as vast as is represented today.

 In sum, we need clothes, not only because clothes cover our body or expose such to our satisfaction, but also because they provide us with the utility that those clothes typically represent, thereby permitting us to present ourselves to the general public, in a way and form, that conforms with our identity.

The strange phenomena of unemployment

The main problem with unemployment is the fact that in good times or bad, there always seem to be those who are unemployed as well as those who have essentially given up on finding work, who aren’t even counted per governmental statistics regarding unemployment as unemployed but are seen instead as discouraged workers, which seems like a semantical way for the government to portray unemployment at a lower level than what it truly is. 

 It would be one thing if unemployment represented the fact that everything that this nation needs concerning such salient things such as infrastructure, teaching, healthcare, and so on, was essentially at the level in which no further work or employment was needed as all these activities were thus operating at full efficiency and had no room for improvement, along with being additionally staffed sufficiently for maintenance and other purposes.  Yet, when we take even the most cursory look at America’s decaying infrastructure, the state of its education, and of its healthcare, all of these areas of interest, are not even close to being at full efficiency, which begs the question as of why this nation isn’t setting up various Job Corps institutions to address these vital needs.

 It has to be acknowledged that every time and every day, in which, those who are unemployed are basically just sitting at home, or are up to no good or similar, thereby signifying that work that could be done for the betterment of society, is not being done, that this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  The thing about work is not only does it keep those that are employed busy, but it also provides those people working with income as well as the satisfaction that they are accomplishing tasks which are of merit; whereas, for those that are unemployed, the very fact that they are unemployed not only feels and seems to be debilitating for them, but it also makes them to typically feel that they are not of value.

 Indeed, this nation should take unemployment much more seriously, and do more to address such, by creating programs that will not only help in those areas in which labor is necessary to correct such, but will also give purpose to more people that essentially are living lives of no purpose.  Further to the point, the more people who are unemployed or have to rely on governmental handouts to survive, places therefore more weight upon those who are employed to carry these non-performers day after day after day.

 In sum, from a citizen's perspective, it is always disappointing to see that our roads and other infrastructure which definitely need to be repaired or upgraded, of which, the repairing or replacement of such, appears to be of a low priority,  doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially when there are plenty of people as well as the necessary materials to address these issues, available.  Indeed, to pay in one form or another a stipend or its equivalency to those who don’t work, when they are capable of working, appears to be misguided, and seems to be out of sorts with the fact that there are notable tasks to be addressed, which require the labor from those that are currently unemployed.

Airlines and their padded arrival time

Airlines are in the transportation business, the same as trucks, trains, busses, and the like, of which, travelers have a known time when they need to be at the airport gate, and are given a known time of when they will be scheduled to arrive at their destination.  The thing about airline travel is that airlines are permitted to “pad” their arrival time, so that they can add extra minutes onto their arrival time, to take in various contingencies, fairly or not, which thereupon allows these same airlines to brag about their on-time arrival performance, and/or to impress flight passengers that despite leaving late, for instance, that the plane arrived early at its destination.

 None of the above is truly fair to passengers, because, in short, arrival times have been “gamed” by the airlines. Quite frankly this should be better regulated, so that there is a firm and fixed rule that airlines must adhere to, when calculating their arrival time, as opposed to different airlines, padding their arrival time, by different amounts.  The bottom line is that people who travel, want to know the true scheduled time that they will most likely arrive at their destination, and because passengers are required to adhere to the airline’s rules for an on-time departure, of which, the failure of passengers to do so, results in them often missing their flight, it would seem only reasonable that airlines should have to honestly display their true arrival time, without an excessive amount of fudging or just plain deception.

 The most annoying thing about flights supposedly arriving early or on time, is the apparent pride displayed by the pilot, as if, that pilot through their particular skillset somehow was able to get the airline that departed late to get to its destination on time, after all.  In truth, though, the airline has padded the arrival time so much that departing from the gate at a time even reasonably close to its scheduled departure time does readily make for an on-time arrival.  Indeed, it would be one thing if pilots actually sped the plane up to a higher speed or took a faster route to arrive at the destination sooner, but that isn’t typically the case, though it seems to be what pilots are implying when they insinuate it was their piloting that permitted the plane to arrive on-time or to be early.

 In sum, this type of gamesmanship by the airline industry should be regulated out of existence, or, if not, there should be full disclosure to all passengers, that the arrival times for airlines have been padded, and it should be clearly displayed how much they have been padded, because as it stands right now, the arrival times are deceptively longer than they should be, basically because airlines want to improve their on-time arrivals to make it seem as if they really are on time, when in actuality, by any real measure of the tape, they aren’t nearly as good at arriving on time as they claim to be.

Standalone ATMs and opportunity theft

The Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has been around since the 1960s, in which, just the concept of having a cash machine, that functions without a human operator, and spits out cash to those with the appropriate ATM credentials, seems both genius and revolutionary because there are plenty of people that just want to get access to cash at all hours of the day, and they don’t want to go through the trouble of having to enter into the bank to do that, of which, ATMs have successfully resolved that problem for them.

 The salient issue though with ATMs, is that for decades upon decades, banking institutions have been a target for thieves, because as it has been said, ”that's where the money is.”   Indeed, when it comes to ATMs, those machines can be filled up with $100,000 in cash, so there is plenty of money to be got, by those that have the intention to do so.  Further to the point, the most vulnerable ATMs are never going to be those that are part and parcel of a bank building which typically is pretty secure as well as being quite visible, but rather it is going to be those ATMs that are standalone, in which, all four sides of that ATM are exposed to the outside, and of which, their location is typically more isolated than an actual bank.

 So too, physical banks are not only more secure but may also engage outside security to watch their bank; whereas, we find that standalone ATMs aren’t going to have that same sort of attention, because of the cost of monitoring standalone ATMs with physical security is just going to be prohibitive, which indicates that whatever security devices that there are on a given standalone ATM, will have to be sufficient to stop criminal activity – thus signifying that those that are intent with the tampering of a standalone ATM are provided with the opportunity to study their target and come up with a plan of attack, or multiple plans because the ATM is not only in plain sight but also because ATMs are designed in a way that people in the know, have the definite capability of compromising those machines.

 The one thing about America is that there are plenty of people who aren’t really interested in working for a living, but would rather figure out a way to get money or its equivalency by whatever means works for them. When it comes to ATMs, they recognize that ATMs will dispense cash, again and again, as long as the ATM card has the right credentials to convince the machine that all is right.  This signifies that opportunistic criminals have multiple ways to try to fool an ATM, of which, they know that there is no human presence to observe them, but only a camera embedded in the machine, which thus provides them with a fair amount of time to ply their trade.

 Indeed, the convenience of ATMs is a great benefit to the general public, who can thus withdraw cash at any time of the day or night, but the fact that these are machines, that contain a lot of cash, provides a constant temptation for those that wish to find a way to exploit such to their own benefit

The hyphenated last name

There was a time not so long ago, that when it came to marriage, the female of that marriage, would give up her last name and replace such with her husband’s last name.  Nowadays, while we see that this is still fairly commonly done, there are plenty of people that do marry, that instead either maintain their own last name or add their spouse’s last name to theirs, with or without a hyphen, though typically a hyphen is used.  So then, a fair amount of children have a hyphenated last name, which comes across as looking fairly normal and fits within the conventions of the day.  However, the problem with a hyphenated last name is when that child decides that they desire to get married and further to the point, to have children, we find that because a last name can only be so long before it gets rather cumbersome, and that virtually everyone agrees that a hyphenated last name should consist of just two names with only one hyphen, this becomes the crux of the problem because those with hyphenated last names are going to have to be creative when it comes to combining their name with their spouse, of which, decisions and compromises are going to have to be made.

 One could argue that the creativity in combining a hyphenated last name of what to keep and what to delete might even sound fun. Still, it has to be remembered, that many people desire to follow in the footsteps of their family tree and when there seems to be an abrupt change in the last name convention, it makes that family tree look out of sorts.  So too, there are those people who are pretty adamant that their last name must continue within family generations, and when two people believe in that same thing, it just makes the decision of what last names to keep and what to delete or modify, all the more difficult.  So too, when it comes to hyphenated last names, there are only so many syllables that other people will tolerate before they decide that they might address you in a way and manner in which part of your last name is truncated.

 All of the above indicates that naming conventions have their good and bad points, in which, as long as people are sensible, it can be worked out, but not everyone is sensible, and there are many a person who will argue and fight over things of far less importance than a last name, so when it comes to the naming convention of those that are getting married or of those that have a hyphenated last name already and are getting married, things can get out of control, especially in consideration that there isn’t really a fixed standard way that last names are combined, or hyphenated names are uncombined.  This thus signifies that to a certain degree, how people who are getting married go about deciding what to do or not do about their different last names, may foreshadow how that relationship will or will not work out, because compromise and consideration are always desired attributes for a healthy relationship.

Society needs more kindness

There are plenty of people that believe that what society needs is more law and order, so that, those that are misbehaving can be put in their place, and by doing so, society will be the better for it.  While there is a time to impose order upon the population and against certain individuals of that population, we do so find that more law and order, in and by itself, without getting to the foundational root of the problem is not ever going to resolve the issues that need to be addressed more effectively, through the integration of empathy, consideration, and kindness, when so appropriate.

 The crux of the issue with the call for ever more law and order, or basically for more punishment to those that are causing trouble is the fact that to believe that we can hide away our problems by incarceration or similar will resolve all problems just isn’t going to be true.  Further to the point, justice that doesn’t take into account the conditions that make for uncivil behavior is not actually justice but really represents something that conveniently addresses only the visible issue that is considered to be not socially proper, without bothering to wonder why it is still occurring, time and time again.

 A kinder society is always going to be a society that reasonable people do desire to gravitate to, because kindness and the empathy that kindness consists of, help to make for a more inclusive and a more caring society, which understands better that we are all in this together, and together we must determine to resolve the issues of our time to help make society a better place for our good participation in it.  This signifies that the objective of a healthy society should be to do more for one another so that through those relationships, we become more integrated into friendship, and of the lending of a helping hand, where so needed.

 To be kind isn’t necessarily the easy thing, because some situations don’t lend themselves easily to being kind and considerate, especially when we feel that we have been wronged, but nevertheless, a lot of those things that bother us, aren’t that big of a deal, when we get our perspective right, and the more that we can show consideration to the other, even when it appears to be undeserved, the more that we will get those that are struggling with their own issues, to understand that frustration, hatred, and striking out against others, is not conducive for good relationships, whatsoever.

 So too, there is enough history in societies to understand that straight punishment for crime, doesn’t make for a more considerate society but rather serves often to create discord and dissent, because of the perceived injustices of those actions, in many a case.  Indeed, societies have tried to use punishment as a way and means to control the population to its content, but it doesn’t really work all that well – which is why society would be far better served by expressing more kindness and consideration, instead, and it might just find that by doing so, life will be better, in whole.

Violent video games

There are all sorts of violent video games available for people to play, in which, in the playing of the game, opponents are killed, innocent or not, deserving or not, game after game after game.  For a lot of those players, they don’t see the game as being real, but rather see it as entertainment, so that even when they are committing what would be considered to be “bad acts” within that game, they don’t feel any responsibility for those acts, because it is pretend and not real.

 The thing about certain violent video games is that they can conceivably inure someone to where it becomes rather commonplace to kill or to harm a given character within that game, and because of that, this could make them a less caring individual in real life.  Another factor within video games is the factor of the understanding that though one’s character can be hurt or killed we find that because it is just a game, one can always come right back and play the game again, thereby providing the general feeling that a player is in a certain sense, invincible.

 The main crux of the problem with violent video games has got to be that because it isn’t real, people who are participating in that game are never therefore in real danger and because they are not actually in real danger, they can see the game as being both a challenge and fun – but through their relentless playing of the game they very well might project themselves as actually being of courage, cunning, and daring through their pursuit of playing it.  Yet, those very qualities that certain people may feel that they have obtained, are transitory, because it is just a game, of which, should they be in a real situation with real consequences in the real world, their courage that they believe that they have may be totally absent.

 Indeed, violent video games are just games, which means that no matter how violent that game is, the kills so made, or the times that one’s character has been killed, the player who is actually playing the game is not ever in mortal danger, whatsoever, and therein lies the rub, because in this world, there actually are bad guys that do terrible things, which is very real, and signifies that when it is real, it isn’t going to be fun, but rather it’s going to be scary, and how people perform in the real world when they are scared and in danger, is not going to be the same as how they perform in the playing of a violent video game, because in a video game, nothing is at risk; whereas, in the real world, there most certainly is a risk.

 So then, the lesson that never is learned in violent video games is that to put yourself at risk, in which, you could really be hurt or be killed, is not ever going to be fun, but rather it is going to be frightening and uncomfortable, because when it is real, there exists the type of bad consequences that changes your outlook, dramatically.

Guns, guns, and more guns

We find that according to the Small Arms Survey of 2017, it is estimated that American firearms, both licit and illicit are numbered at 120.5 firearms per 100 people, which is not only an absolutely staggering amount of firearms held in the hands of civilians but is a number which is unprecedented within the so-called “civilized” world.  In America, having a gun, or at least the right to a gun, is seen by a significant amount of people as being their God-given right, and they therefore don’t want to give up their right to guns, or the usage, so of.  Yet, what is somewhat forgotten in this pursuit of guns is the fact that as in anything, the overall narrative could change, if American governance was determined to see it be changed, for even long-held beliefs are subject to change, given enough time and energy to move the needle to something more conducive to a civilized society.

 Of course, those who own guns or believe in the right to own guns, don’t seem inclined to give up that right, believing somehow that the guns so owned, protect families and friends.  While, on some level, this may be true, it is basically belied by the fact that no Western nation has a homicide rate at the alarming rate that America bloodily represents.  So too, guns are the very same that can be turned against the gun owner, so that, America is the leader by a considerable amount of those people that use their firearms to kill themselves.  Finally, when it comes to mass shootings, it is America, that leads in this tragic event, as well.  All of this would seem to say, that firearms don’t make us safer, but rather they seemingly lend themselves to a more uncivil and dangerous society, instead.

 This signifies that all of the tragedies that occur in America, and that continue to occur, will keep on occurring year after year, tragic event after tragic event, until the end of time, unless America takes the principal stand to do something constructive about all of the gun ownership in civilian hands.  It isn’t so much that America needs to rip up the Second Amendment, but rather it has a lot more to do with coming up with alternatives to gun ownership, by presenting to Americans, that just having a gun, is not, in itself, going to make people safe and secure.  Rather, we would find, that less lethal weapons or other viable choices in the hands of the people would lead to less tragedy and less deadly events.

 At some point, Americans need to begin trusting one another, thereby believing that safety and security do not truly rest with the barrel of a gun, but rest in civility, kindness, consideration, and respect for one another.  As it stands, gun ownership hasn’t made America safer or a better country, so it would seem to be high time to embrace alternatives that would help to end the tragic cycle of too much gun violence in this nation, which is why we need to rethink gun ownership and to rediscover or to rebirth the better angels of our nature.

The endless pursuit of the “bad guys” and the continual erosion of our freedom

We live in an age, in which, the governance of our nation seemingly insists upon seeing the world in a very simple construct, of people and their societies, being either good or bad, with nothing in between and therefore no nuance, whatsoever.  Indeed, this prevailing worldview might be okay, if it applied only to helpless children, who need direction and structure in their lives, to best keep them out of trouble, as well as to impress upon them, the importance of doing the right things as opposed to wrong, but it is wholly misguided when applied to adults, for adults best understand the world, as being far more complex, with far more nuance, and therefore have graduated from a simple binary viewpoint of this is wholly good, and that is wholly bad.

 It is unfortunate that the highest levers of power within this nation desire to simplify our outlook upon those who have different views or come from different cultures, or have different priorities, in a way and manner, that those who do not adhere to our Western values, as defined by our Western governance, are thereby subject to often being seen as being bad, as contrasted to those true believers of the Western mindset as being seen as good, echoed by the pages of history as taught and espoused, that reinforces such.  So then, when it comes to American interference in regards to other sovereign nations, our actions are typically viewed as being good, done on behalf of liberty, freedom, and democracy, of which, therefore we perceive ourselves as being liberators, though, in truth, we are often not.

 The hypocrisy of America is demonstrated again and again, by virtue of the fact that in order to make our own citizens safe and secure, in our pursuit of bad actors, it is therefore necessary that the Constitution of this nation take a backseat to the prevailing recognition that some of our freedoms and liberty, need to be sacrificed so that our governance can more readily pursue and neutralize bad guys, all done on our behalf.  This is why, our citizenry is monitored at a level in which never has any governance known more about its own citizenry than today, of which, through that power, the choices that citizens have are being limited, and the freedom of those same citizens to dissent from the orthodoxy of the present day, is constrained.

 So then, anytime that the government insists that if we are not in accordance with it, then we, by default are one and the same with the bad guys, then we are clearly not living within a construct of a government that is of, for, and by the people.  Instead, we are living and being governed by a government that is insistent that it has the right to supersede our liberties and freedom, on the supposed behalf of eliminating badness, done through the government exercising its dominance or the threatening of such, in order to control and to mold the population, of which, very little of this is done for the good of the country or its people, but rather this is done for the benefit of those that desire to exploit us for their own power and profit.

China has not fought a war since 1979

America fights all sorts of wars, even when it claims it does not, or has not authorized that war through Congressional action, of which, America fights those wars because it is essentially an imperialist power that insists that it needs to control or to mold the world in a way and manner, that is supposedly to its advantage, in one form or another.

 The thing about unnecessary warfare, even when such appears to be valid or victorious, is that there are significant costs, both direct and indirect for that warfare, over and above the inconvenient fact that war can cause a considerable amount of blow-back, that might not be seen for many years, or even for decades.  Those who fight wars, have to use personnel and armaments, of which, the cost of such is both direct as in the monies that must so be allocated as well as the deaths and physical injuries that occur – in addition to the more hidden costs, as in the debt incurred to finance these wars, that may take years or decades to be repaid, if it is ever repaid, as well as the psychological damage done to the soldiers that have been an integral part of that warfare, not to mention the strong possibility of civil unrest and protests by the people about that warfare.

 That is to say, there is a definite cost to war, and therefore, those nations that spend inordinate amounts of money on warfare, of which, year after year, those wars either continue or new wars are engaged, take a definite toll upon the people and the nation.  On the other hand, nations that don't go to war, and make it their point to avoid warfare, are not only going to see significant savings in monies, but also the people of that nation, will not suffer the ill effects of debt incurred or domestic military personnel having been killed or injured.

 The above signifies that in this modern age those nations that avoid war, are going to devote more of their time and energy to that which is often more constructive for their nation and thus their people, as opposed to those that are constantly involved in warfare, which in its totality, is debilitating to the people, because the cost of war, is paid by the people through the debt incurred, which thereby takes monies away from valued domestic programs, and reallocates such to being paid to the military-industrial-technology complex, as well as to the dominant banking consortium, that the monies so used for warfare have been borrowed from.

 So then, part of the reason why China's economy, as well as other nations in the ascendancy, have been able to take global market share away from America, has to do with the fact that China does not permit itself to get involved in warfare, though it could; whereas, America insists it needs to be get involved in an endless amount of warfare, thereby stretching itself ever thinner, without seeming to comprehend that its warfare is actually weakening America and making it more vulnerable, because whatever that is being supposedly gained from such, is outweighed by the negatives, which thereby permits countries such as China to become ever more relevant and stronger, at America's hard-headed expense.

Food insecurity

We are told via the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), that 47.4 million people in the United States were living in food-insecure households in 2023.  While, there exist various programs to address this food insecurity, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental to that, designed for women, infants, and children, we still have millions of Americans who are considered to be, food insecure.

 We live in a modern age in which America is considered to be the “breadbasket of the world,” which thereby signifies that the governance of this nation should be able to alleviate a significant percentage of those who are currently food insecure, by providing the food and the logistics for the distribution of that food to the very people of this great nation.  Indeed, it could be said, that the programs in place, have done a fairly good job of providing food to those that are most in need of such, but still, at the end of the day, it could do better, for to be food insecure, especially for vulnerable infants and children, should not still be something occurring,  because America has an absolute obligation to take care of its own and its most vulnerable, first.

 Look, it has to be said, that undoubtedly a meaningful percentage of those that are food insecure, rests at the feet of those people, themselves, for not doing more to provide for their own, by their efforts, but what of it?  Indeed, so many of those who are food insecure, are the same that have significant issues with unemployment, lack of opportunity, ill-education, living in “food deserts,” and lack of capital, all of which thereby signify that they don't live in prosperous areas of this nation.

 This thus signifies that American governance can look upon people like that, as not only welfare and charity cases that need a helping hand, but also as a people that need a viable foundation that will address the systemic problems and issues that preclude so many of these people, of having lives of merit, value, and decency.  That is to say, the food insecurity that so many people suffer from has a lot to do with this nation, not providing a meaningful floor to everyone that is part and parcel of this nation, that thus provides those people with the ways and means to live a decent life, and because of that,  America has a persistent underclass that is under-served in virtually every area of importance, such as food, healthcare, education, and community safety.

 Therefore, the measure of this nation could be fairly evaluated by how many are food insecure, because those that are food insecure are clearly those that do not have a good toehold upon the wealth and opportunity that America at its best, represents, and therefore there is the seminal need to address those persistent problems in a way and manner that this governance doesn't just take care of these issues from the perspective of doing what it can daily, but must therefore help to create a more inclusive America, that will do all that it can to see that far fewer people are actually left behind, by addressing forthrightly the issues that are systemic in nature, seemingly intractable, that need to be corrected to thereby give as many as possible, hope, food, and opportunity.

“It's better to suffer wrong than to do wrong”

The above quotation is attributed to the wise Greek philosopher Socrates. This quote is as apt today as it was back then, for two wrongs are not ever going to make a right. Those who listen to and are in compliance with their moral code are the same who understand that to violate that code, as in some form of retribution, or as a means to take advantage of some situation, have done wrong. The doing of wrong, is not ever a pathway that continued upon will result in things somehow becoming right.

 While it is true that to suffer wrong might well make us feel aggrieved, we need though to comprehend that to give in to that temptation to retaliate by committing actions that are themselves wrong, in the attempt to overcome the wrong so done to us, is not right.  Indeed, in this world, we are going to be tested, and tested again and again, of which, the very principle behind those tests, is to see whether or not we are a fair-weather believer in what we espouse to others as to what we should or should not do as a person of principle -- and all those that decide that when they have been wronged, that enough is enough, and therefore an unethical response should be seen as being appropriate to match what has been done to us, have failed their test, because whenever a moral code, has self-serving exemptions and exceptions to it than that code as modified, is wrong.

 We should not wish to harm others as our response to being harmed because we should not wish to behave in a manner in which “tit for tat” is somehow justified, for a world like that represents a zero-sum society, of which, progress is not thus being made for that society, because we are far too often intent on retribution as opposed to contribution; which signifies that those who lack the courage to make a principle stand to do what is right, have failed to properly understand that suffering for a good cause, has its necessary place.

 To suffer is not ever going to be something that we would gladly wish to have happen to us, but suffering is part and parcel of what so occurs in the world whenever society fails to consistently adhere to civility, justice, and consideration, one to the other.  Indeed, there will be wrongs committed one against the other, of which, to the degree that we can right those wrongs, we should do so, and to the degree, that we must suffer from those wrongs, we must not thereby respond to having been wrong, with wrong actions, ourselves.

 Each of us is meant for a higher purpose, and those who recognize that purpose, understand that to suffer a wrong, provides us with the opportunity to validate our true character, of which, those who endure through that suffering are the same that will have developed deep roots, that though batter about by the stormy winds of hate, injustice, and ignorance will though shaken, remain standing, and stand for that which represents that right will not ever bow to wrong.