Too young to understand college debt but old enough to attend college

There are myriad things that this nation doesn't do a good enough job in explaining well to High School students, in which, one of those seminal important items to comprehend for students is that incurring a large amount of collegiate debt, should probably be best avoided or strategically circumvented best done through the utilization of various strategies. That is to say, in attending a four-year college, we find that for many students they could incur well over $100,000 in debt during their time there, for the expense of tuition, fees, and student housing, in which, there also isn't any guarantee that they will subsequently graduate with a degree or even find gainful employment with their degree in a job that is consistent with their major. In other words, very young adults are signing up to pay an incredible large amount of money, at an impressionable young age, of which, this in its effect upon them, may not be beneficial for them, or for society, whatsoever.

This would seem to imply that besides all the education being taught and learned upon subjects of import in High Schools throughout America, that there needs to be for a certainty, courses that directly address college tuition and thereby the importance of trying to mitigate those costs through scholarships and grants, with a thorough examination of the tuition costs of various pertinent four-year universities, to thereby come up with a plan of action that will be suited for a particular student.

No doubt, those that are only Juniors in High School, may not really know what they desire to study or to be, which is why, it is vital that the better part of valor, is to provide these students with different collegiate avenues that they could pursue, and the need for them to peruse with talented administrators within their High School to determine what seems to be the most sensible pathway for them. Further to the point, for those that are trying to earn a scholastic scholarship there needs to be a unequivocal understanding of what needs to be achieved to get a specific scholarship, so these students have a clear and obvious target to concentrate upon.

Importantly, the comparison of colleges that are being considered, should take into full account the anticipated cost of attending that college, brought to the attention of students through spreadsheets that not only show the estimated cost of a particular college and the comparisons of such, but also breaks out how much that tuition will cost that student to pay back and the amount of time so needed to pay that student loan back, and why this needs to be a very important consideration in the selection of a favored college institution, because in the scheme of things, money matters, and those that don't pay attention to the collegiate financial debt that they are legally obligated to, are the very same that may well live to regret not having taken that time, when it was there to be taken.

When it comes to colleges, the allure of such, may well overcome being sensible about the financial aspect, which could easily lead to regret, for in this nation, substantial debt to attend a good college, seems to be something that this governance doesn't mind burdening its young students with, which means those that are well prepared will do far better than those that are essentially clueless or credulous.

“Pay attention to what they tell you to forget”

The poet Muriel Rukeyser tells us that we need to “Pay attention to what they tell you to forget.” These are very wise words that far more people need to ponder upon, for that which we are told to forget, may indeed be that which we need to remember, instead. Look, it has to be said, that we find that not only do many leaders of society, desire compliance to their expectations from the public, but also the governance of that society typically has a strong tendency to want the population to conform to the expectations of that time as directed by that governance, of which, part of getting that conformance, is to bend or change the narrative to reflect that rather than to believe in our own thoughts and to remember the past of what we have seen with our very eyes, we should, instead, push that aside, and remember what our supposed superiors claim we need to remember in the way that they desire that we remember it as being, and thereby forget what they believe we should not retain in our memory, and for a certainty, to not disseminate such previous orthodoxies to others.

Indeed, part of manipulating anybody is to make them to doubt the validity of what they believe as being pertinent or correct, and to replace such with a different construct, which replaces our memory with something else, to thus change fundamentally what we previously knew to be true, to that which is, often at best, a distortion of the truth, or an outright fabrication. The objective by those that are in authority is to change history to favor their dishonest or distorted version, and to make all other versions not only to be irrelevant, but seem to be for those that will not relinquish such beliefs or memories, to make those people to be, in essence, in need of reform or viewed as an enemy of the state.

The people that remember the past as it was, are the same that keep those that would desire to erase or distort that past, honest. This signifies that each of us has a sacred duty to remember the past, not only to keep those that would change it, in check, but also as our way to demonstrate tribute to those that were part of that past but are no longer in this world, as our obligation and duty to do right by those that were part of our upbringing, as in mentors, family, and friends. We, are collectively, the guardians of the past, of which previous events of import, good and bad, are meant to be remembered, not only for any inspiration and wisdom that may have be imparted or learned, but also as a way and means to keep those that have unkept promises to correct or to acknowledge those previous misdeeds, so as to hold them to their word, for those that will not remember their needful history, are the very ones that must relive the same mistakes of the past, until they are rectified, and in doing this, they will not forget.

It is evil that brings sorrow

The regret and sorrow that so many people feel from time-to-time typically has everything to do with the actions that they have done to others, which in its effect, are readily categorized as evil, because it has either hurt the other, or taken advantage of the other or are clearly bad acts that are not becoming of someone of good character. In other words, as much as we might temporarily delight in our bad actions which may have produced for us, at the moment, something that we desired or wished for, the end result after further reflection, or from the aftereffects of such, is ultimately going to be sorrow for having done it, for given into an action that we should have had the integrity of character to not perform.

Whenever we are provided with the opportunity to perform good actions, but instead revert to performing actions which we pretty much know are evil because there are entirely self-serving or morally wrong, but insist that we have to do this, there is going to be for a certainty, a reckoning, and that reckoning, will bring consequences. That is to say, to believe somehow that the doing of that which is wrong will not ultimately be reflected in how we are viewed and how we are judged is the type of fundamental mistake that brings sorrow.

The things that we regret most are always going to be those things that we should have done, or could have done, but did not do, and because we did not do what we were meant to do, we feel disappointment for doing wrong. This signifies that those who play the short term, enjoying their sins at the expense of being virtuous for the long term, are going to find that this choice, freely made, has exacted a price, and that price will be paid, sooner or later.

The best way to overcome evil is always going to be to do good, of which, each decision that we make day-by-day reflects whether or not we are progressing to the only brightly lit destination that matters, in which there will be no regret, or whether we are stepping ever further into darkness, in which our successful escape will require a renewed effort to make good by doing right.

So then, the sorrow and regret that we experience in our being, is only going to be overcome by our proactive actions done for the betterment of the society that we are a member of, which will mitigate what has occurred, to be replaced by good deeds, done for the right reasons, to overcome evil with that good. That which is evil is the opposite of that which we were meant to express in our actions, and because we have done the wrong thing, we are unable to rise to the level so necessary to have peace of mind and peace of our being, signifying that the sorrow that we wish to be relieved of, requires our concentrated effort and discipline to stay on the straight and narrow path and not to deviate in our sacred mission to not only do the right thing but to be the right thing, as well.

Those that toil and those that appear not to toil

For those that work outside with their hands and tools, laboring on this and that, the work that they are accomplishing is pretty much clear and obvious to anyone that is paying attention to them; but we do so find, that the prevalence of what has been designated as blue-collar work by humans is domestically in steep decline, superseded by many a person that utilizes different tools such as a computer, their intelligence, and their knowhow, -- all done typically in a white-collar office environment to accomplish that particular labor. The difference between the two is also the difference between the visibility that the general public sees through the accomplishments of blue-collar work, such as roads, utilities, and goods distribution; whereas, for white-collar work, the general public knows that they are doing something to get paid, but typically don’t know what that works involves or accomplishes.

So too, there seems to be a rather stark difference between those who labor hard in the blue-collar force and what accouterments and material assets that they eventually accumulate, as compared to hi-end white-collar workers, who have numerous examples of those who have a multitude of accouterments and material assets through the work that they do. This leads to not so much an envy issue between one to the other, but more of a fairness issue, in which, vital blue-collar workers don’t seem to appreciate that certain white-collar workers seemingly don’t produce much of anything, but rather they seem to be adept at working the financial angles to make money, or are middlemen that do whatever that they do, or add whatever value that they add, while extracting profit from doing so, in which, the bottom line is that it seems that some of the most financially successful people in America, don’t actually produce or create anything of merit, but instead extract profit and money through their cleverness or adroitness, fair or foul.

It would seem that one way for a nation to bring more fairness to the people, if it was to prioritize such, would be to place those that labor with their hands in a lower tax bracket than those that are either passive investors, such as in stocks or other equities, as well as subjecting those that are able to exploit inefficiencies in various financial markets throughout the world to be in a higher tax bracket, for making their living upon that. In other words, the compensation that people get should reflect how and where that money is made, and those that are producing things that are of utility in one form or another should see their businesses and labor taxed at a lower rate, as compared to those sophisticated entities and people that don’t produce anything, but are skilled at exploiting vulnerabilities that permit them to profit, through the inefficiencies or lack of sophistication that other people and entities are vulnerable to.

Indeed, the fact that hedge fund managers can “earn” billions in one fiscal year should be a clarion call that not all is right, because the money that they have made comes at the expense of someone or some entity which is in the bigger picture, always going to be, unfair, unless dealt with forthrightly by government so as to help level the playing field, through a higher tax rate on them.

Our challenges are our opportunity to grow

There are far too many people who seemingly want the easy life, in which everything goes their way and therefore they never have any pressing or stressful problems to deal with at all. While this might seem like a sort of paradise to have, it is, first of all, not typically going to ever be the actual case in the real world, and further to the point, this scenario won’t encourage us to call upon ourselves to exert or to accomplish what we should be devoting our conscious efforts to, so that we can thereby become a better person.

The reason why our life typically presents important challenges to us, expected or unexpected, welcomed or unwelcomed, is to give us the opportunity to deal with what we have to deal with, in which, the object of the exercise isn’t so much to immediately conquer what lies in front of us, for we may not yet have the maturity or the tools to do so, but rather as an abiding objective that we are meant to eventually overcome, with the sure knowledge that by doing so, we make ourselves to be that person who has positively grown through this experience.

Indeed, those that may have at one time been way ahead of us in development, insight, and accomplishments, will if they insist upon resting on their laurels or simply just resting, be the type of people that will be surpassed by those that keep on pushing on, where such pushing is warranted, for the race that each of us has to run, is not a race that is over and done with, at a very young age, but continues throughout our life, with the understanding that the more that we apply ourselves to needful things, the closer we will get to the destination that we are meant to be at.

We are challenged, not to break us, but rather as our fair opportunity to unlock the potential that each of us has, but may not intuitively recognize. So too, the mistakes that we make are there for us to learn from, so that, given the same sorts of circumstances again, we can subsequently overcome what previously stymied us. We must, as a given, take what we have been blessed with, and utilize those skills as well as others that we have developed to make the sort of progress which helps to not only improve our character, but also helps make society a better place for our good participation in it.

In this world, we will be tested, and those who refuse to take the test are the very same who will not grow, for they are wont to simply exist, as compared to understanding the importance of being focused upon growth, because without a plan, without effort, and without determination, it isn’t possible to break through to the level that we need to be at, because valued awards are not just handed out willy-nilly, but they are earned, through the blood, sweat, and tears of those that will not give up until they have fairly earned the prize that they have fairly won through their concentrated exertions.

The baby boomers' favorite cheating site is Facebook

There are those who live in the past, and wish that they could change the past, or simply dwell upon the past, and then there are those who have advanced beyond such thoughts, and recognized the past as being past.  For all those who went to school and still occasionally think about this or that schoolmate from a true friend perspective, it has to be said that  Facebook or Google search are legitimate places to search for these former acquaintances or friends in order to reconnect.  However, when that search really isn’t about renewing an old friendship but is more along the lines of desiring to connect with someone for secretive extracurricular activities, and the person so searching or the person being searched for, already has an established relationship with someone else, this is surely wrong, and to the degree that Facebook enables this to occur, quite unfortunate.

 The thing about Facebook is that many a person with an account, has “friends” that first of all aren’t really friends, and further to the point aren’t really friends of friends, either; but Facebook permits just about anyone to search for just about anyone through a “friend request” or suggests to the user somebody who may or may not be a legitimate friend for them, based on some commonality, perceived or otherwise.  While this might be considered to be a great feature, because it permits people to reconnect, or to perhaps actually become friends, or provides a person with the semblance of a friend; it also has its inherent dangers, of which, the biggest danger is the one in which, those that want to cheat, and figured in their mind that their chances are better with someone that they at least used to know through school, or work, now have a clear pathway to do so.  In other words, Facebook enables people who would not ever get together to get together, and thereby to upset established personal relationships -- though truth be told, in fairness, it could be said that Facebook also helps to connect people who could be friends to be platonic friends.

 The problem with the Facebook app is that most relationships are going to have their ups and downs, of which, when somebody is down for whatever reason, they might get tempted to do or try things. We find that for baby boomers, once the kids are out of the house, and they are pretty much retired, it could be that the basic feeling for some of those people is that their life has become so routine and thereby predictable, that they are looking for a spark or something to rekindle their emotions, and of which, Facebook essentially permits people that have an itch to scratch that itch.

So too, there are those people that begin something with some seemingly harmless flirtation, only to find that it becomes something far beyond such flirtation, and to the degree this happens, represents the betrayal of one’s relationship with one’s significant other, which can easily become the prevailing reason for the fall of a relationship that has stood the test of time, basically because Facebook has created a viable pathway that can be utilized quite adeptly to do this very thing, wittingly or not.

Sagging pants that lack belts

There are things in life that don’t seem to make any logical sense, such as the youthful males who prefer to wear their pants too big for them without a belt, causing the pants to sag below their buttocks and expose their underwear. It is understood that this behavior, first originated via our prison system, in which many of these incarceration facilities do not permit inmates to wear a belt, for the danger that belt might bring to their own self or to someone else – in addition to the salient fact that the sizes of the pants being worn in prison, are somewhat limited, so that, as a matter of course, there were going to be prisoners that had pants that would have a tendency to sag, which they thereupon wore as a badge of honor.

Not too surprisingly, certain youthful males in conventional society, decided that they would embrace that look as their way of saying to the society that they don’t feel cares correctly for them nor provides them with an abundance of good opportunities or fairness, that this is their way of expressing their disdain for those that consider themselves to be their betters, or who seemingly know better.

The problem, though, with taking the sagging pants to its limit, so that every time that a person steps out, they have to step out with sagging pants, is that there are very valid reasons why a belt should be used, at least, occasionally. For instance, those that are walking to the local convenience store or a friend’s house, and have one hand on a cell phone and another grasping their soda, they are going to have to free up one of their hands, in order to keep their pants up, because once pants sag below one’s buttocks, it is very easy for those pants to sag all the way down to one’s ankles, which is a very bad look and might well be considered to be indecent exposure. The other reason someone should consider using a belt is that whenever the distance to be traveled is more than a few blocks, it becomes tiresome and looks awkward to have to keep one hand on one’s pants to hold them up, when a belt has been designed to do just that.

So too, those that are prone to trouble or susceptible to trouble being around them, should probably recognize that running with your pants sagging down is not going to be every efficient, and thereby those that aren’t able to run well when running is called for, are the very same, that are going to be more vulnerable to a bad act happening to them, mainly because they aren’t wearing their clothes properly. So then, it is one thing to present oneself in a certain manner, and to pose that way, and it’s an entirely different thing to in all situations, keep those pants sagging, when the better part of valor would be to make needful changes where those changes need to be made, especially in consideration that older family members would probably appreciate less disdain, and more respect from the younger generation.

It is vital to present your best self to others

In a country like America, many people live here who come from diverse backgrounds, indicating that we, as a nation, have a multitude of creeds and ethnicities within our borders. Not too surprisingly, many a person is prone to making judgments of another, based on their surface characteristics, such as an accent, or the color of the skin, or their faith, and of which some of these snap judgments are going to be positive and some are going to be negative. For those then that are not receiving the benefit of the doubt and thereby are being judged negatively based on those surface characteristics, this can be really frustrating for them, because they believe, rightly, that they should be judged by the content of their character, and not, for instance, by their skin color or their faith. This is why it is wrong for certain segments of any population, to be adjudged to all be bad people, primarily because there are notable examples within that segment of the population, that have those same surface conditions that have performed bad acts, as if somehow, just because somebody has the same faith as ourselves, or the same skin color, that all others that are similar are therefore suspect, as well.

This would seem to suggest that those that are unfavored, for whatever reason, have a notable interest in thereby doing what they can to try to change the narrative to a more positive image as well as to conduct their lives in a way and manner that they are considered to be upstanding citizens, because by doing so, they help to turn the tide to a more favorable opinion of the conclave that they are considered to be a part of. Indeed, opinions are subject to change, and one of the ways those opinions do change is for those that are held in low regard to prove by their actions and by their achievements that they are not the negative attributes that are being accorded to them, best demonstrated by performing good deeds consistently.

So too, this signifies that those as a class that are suffering from undue prejudice, should have an abiding interest to impress upon those that are similar to them in those surface characteristics, that as a group, they need to do more to demonstrate and to prove that how they have been painted, is not consistent with who and what they really are, best demonstrated by not only impressive achievements from some, but also an acceptable baseline by all which demonstrates that they are vital and good members of society. After all, whenever we are judged as a people through our surface characteristics, of which, the default view by the general society is negative, we have to realize that this judgment is subject to being in a state of flux, in which those that are held in low respect are subsequently replaced by others of low regard, and those then, that make it their point to understand that as many of their kind that can get on board, to better themselves, will help to change the opinion of others, which will not only be better for one’s self, but also better for those that have been labeled as being the undesirable sort.

Behind closed doors

Doors are part and parcel of this modern age, meant to provide us not only with privacy, where such privacy is warranted, but also to segregate us from curiosity seekers and also the outside world, so that we are not living our lives in the full view of the public at all times, but instead this permits ourselves to be about our personal business and our lives without undue interference or observation from those that should not be permitted or don’t have our expressed authorization to have such a view.

 Yet, because of social media, our cell phones, as well as other sophisticated devices that know our whereabouts at all times, and can listen to not only our commands, but also can simply listen in without us knowing that we are being monitored, signifies that what we do behind closed doors has for a certainty, been compromised.  This means, especially for those that are the uninitiated or are not that sophisticated, that never has so much actionable information about us is now essentially being disseminated to agents and entities both known and unknown, of which, such information is so extensive that what we believe is private or should be private about our personal business, is actually also held in the hands of those that may not only not have our best interests in mind, but regrettably this also has been transferred or sold to other agencies that provides them with the opportunity to take advantage of us, or even to compromise us.

 To believe that in this day and age a closed door, means that nobody other than those that are with us behind that close door, knows our most personal business, should no longer be the default view, because so much of what we do is being recorded and stored, by the very instruments that we utilize each and every day, of which, because this is the case, permits those that have access to that information, to know details about us, that permits them to know us intimately, along therefore with often knowing our foibles and most prominent failures, as well.

 To no longer have the safety and security that a closed door represents makes us to be vulnerable to those who desire to use this information in a way and manner that could easily hurt us or compromise us, and since information is power, the fact that we do not control that information being dispersed about us, makes us vulnerable to those that have that information, as well as placing us in the unenviable situation in which those that have such information about us, have the capability of using adverse information against us, whenever it suits their interests, and thereby ultimately to our lasting regret.

 Indeed, there was a time when a closed door represented our way of dividing ourselves from the world, in order to have private time with our friends, family, and thoughts.  Nowadays, while we may still have the physical closed door, we have inadvertently or advertently let in that which monitors us to such a degree that our life is now an open book, for better or for much, much worse.

“Each one of us sees in others what we carry in our own hearts”

The above quotation comes from the esteemed hand of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and is as apt today as it was back when it was first written.  This insight is so valuable, that each of us needs to take time to reflect upon the meaning of it, which seems to signify that who and what we really are, affects our perceptions of the other, so that those, for instance, that are jealous-hearted have a strong tendency to see the same sort of characteristic in the other; whereas, those that see the other as being generous of spirit, typically have that quality, themselves.  In other words, we attribute to the other or project onto the other, our perception of the world, in which we believe that the other somehow also has the same sort of perception as we do, which as true as we might believe this to be, is basically false, for each of us comes from our own unique background and different circumstances, thereby signifying that our goals, our thoughts, and our desires, are typically not going to align perfectly with one another, which means that what we see in others, is more often a reflection of our own prejudices and experiences, and not so much, theirs, because we do not know them at the level that we know our own self.

 So then, those that have strong opinions about what they believe to be the characteristics of the other, which includes their virtues as well as their vices, may so find that after further deep reflection there is a lot of commonality in their own persona with those characteristics seemingly displayed by the other, that thereby signifies that perhaps what we believe about the other, may not be a true reflection of who and what that they really are.  Indeed, as much as may want to believe that we are consistently unbiased, fair, and just in our treatment of those that we interact with, it has to be admitted, that it is difficult for many of us, to let go of those traits that color our perspective of how we perceive not only the society that we are an integral part of, but also how we judge the other, without actually acknowledging to ourselves that our judgment is done through the prism of our own mind, which includes the frailties and faults of our own being, and thereby may not be a true reflection of the other, whatsoever.

 Perhaps in life, it would behoove us to judge less harshly the other, or to accord to the other far fewer negative characteristics, but instead to give the other the benefit of the doubt, as we so desire to receive from the other, as well, for each of us is made up of good and bad traits, in which, on our worse days we desire that we be not only not harshly judged for such, but also we would strongly prefer that the other would not fixate upon that particular bad behavior, but rather would remember us as we usually are or try to be, and the forgiveness and understanding that we receive in return, we should place prominently in our own hearts, as well.

Is life unfair?

There are plenty of people, especially those that aren’t doing well, that don’t believe that life is fair and to a large extent from their perspective that seems to be a reasonable position to take, for some of us are born into quite favorable circumstances, of a good and healthy family life, along with excellent educational facilities; whereas, there are plenty of people that are born into poverty, along with dysfunctional families, and suffer the ill effects of living in a place in which they see their condition as living within a domain in which an undesired occupied force is oppressing them.

 There is no doubt that the circumstances that we are born into make a material difference as to how our life and even our perspective of such will turn out.  So too, jurisprudence as practiced seems to indicate that rather than the law being impartial and thereby no respecter of persons, we find that in actuality, the law is quite partial, and in particular partial to those in power as well as those that have the accouterments of success.  This hardly seems fair, and indeed, it isn’t fair, but yet these are the conditions that we must contend with.

 Yet, it has to be acknowledged that when we are challenged and put to the test, that this is not for the purpose to defeat us, or to lower our self-esteem, or to make us to live in frustration, but rather this is structured as a test to develop our character through the challenges that we face, and those that face those challenges and thereby overcome their obstacles are the very same, that are making progress; whereas, those that aren’t able to rise up to do something constructive and positive about their situation are the same that haven’t learn to progress where progress is warranted.

 So too, it is important to recognize that this world and the justice or lack thereof, is not going to typically be all that fair, because human beings as well as the societies that are made up of those people, are subject to not only the prejudices of that day and age, but also are subject to character faults, and decision making which lacks wisdom, impartiality, and justice.  This signifies that those that look for fairness in this world are often going to be disappointed, and while to strive to see that fairness becomes part and parcel of society has its place, it is, though, more important to deal with what has to be dealt with in the best manner that we know how, consistent with being in harmony with ethics which are attune to that which gifted us with free will to begin with.

 Finally, it has to be admitted that in the end, all is fair, for fairness and justice are eternal characteristics of that which first created us, so that those who feel that they can “cheat” their way to Heaven will be disappointed, because that will not ever happen.  Rather, there is that fairness, that never wavers, and it is up to each one of us, to be true to that fairness by treating the other as if they were the same as our own, in the sure recognition, that what we so fairly sow, we will for a certainty, fairly reap.

Food-away-from-home expenditures are getting ever higher

We read at escoffier.edu that “in 2023 Americans spent just 44.3% of their food budget on food at home (FAH)—an all-time low—while their spending on food away from home (FAFH) reached an all-time high of 55.7%.”  In comparison, we read at sidneydailynews.com that “For every dollar spent on food in 1955, 25 cents went to restaurants.”  This clearly indicates that Americans are spending considerably more on eating out at restaurants than they were back in the day, reflecting that restaurants, along with the delivery services that support those restaurants, are getting ever more money from the consumer.  In fact, we read that according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend 12.8% of their total expenditures on food, which is a meaningful percentage of their expenditures.

 Perhaps all of the money being allocated to restaurants is a good thing for consumers as well as the restaurants that serve them, but it has to be noted that restaurant food, with very few exceptions, is going to always be more expensive than eating at home, because it costs less to buy and then to cook food at home, which signifies that those that are on a budget, might well want to take the time to actually determine how much they spend on food each month and whether or not, by eating in more often, this would save them money; which would seem to be something desirable for a lot of people, especially those that don’t have any excess capital. 

 Indeed, when people look at their bills or inside their wallets, and wonder why it seems like they don’t have as much money as they should have, they need to consider that by changing some of their habitual expenditures, this would probably make a favorable impact for them.  No doubt, restaurants do a stellar job in convincing people to eat at their particular establishment, but that doesn’t mean that the consumer of restaurant food doesn’t still have the free choice to devote something less of their expenditures on restaurants, and thereby save themselves some money by buying the equivalency from a grocery store.

 So too, it’s probably true, that the skill set to cook food at home, is in decline, and because of that, more people spend money on restaurant food, when it would behoove them to learn how to cook, which because we have ovens, stoves, air fryers, and microwaves, in addition to our refrigerators and freezers, this would seem to not be a daunting task to develop this skill, though many a person either doesn’t desire to do so, or just can’t seem to find the urgency to do that.

 It could also be the case that part of the reason why so many Americans are overweight and not in particularly good health may be that the food choices that they make aren’t good for them.  While this may not be a given restaurant’s fault, it has to be said that there are many a restaurant that provides to the consumer too much sodium, artificial sweeteners, as well as sugar, and saturated fats.  Also, there is the salient fact that many a restaurant serves a size portion which is probably greater than the consumer needs to eat, and in a construct in which a person has been trained that it is their duty to “clean their plate” this encourages them to overeat, which probably also isn’t going to be good for their overall health or weight.

Should we really want to know another person’s thoughts?

We communicate with one another through the words we speak or write, as well as our body language.  Yet, for many a person, this doesn’t seem like quite enough, because there are those certain times when the words that we want to express or the thoughts that we want to impart to the other, somehow aren’t seemingly available to us so that we aren’t able to really get across to the other, what we desire to express, which can be rather disheartening.  Additionally, there are those people who are so involved in their own lives that we can’t seem to figure out what they are really up to, because they don’t expend a lot of time or energy engaging with others.  This would presuppose that to know the thoughts of another, even from a long distance, might be beneficial, so that in those cases in which somebody truly wants to be left alone, we could provide them with that space; whereas, in those times in which they are pretending that they desire to be left alone, we could comfort them.

 The crux of the problem, though, with knowing another person’s thoughts is that soon enough, we would get overwhelmed by receiving all sorts of information from the other, desired and undesired, that would essentially be unfiltered, and because it is received “raw” we might well absorb thoughts from the other that would make us to feel uncomfortable, or get us mad, or make us upset, because by virtue of being able to know another person’s thoughts we are in a place, which no person has traveled before, and being there, while having to also deal with our own ego and issues, could create all sorts of havoc, because even the most civil of people, are susceptible to having thoughts which might seriously offend or surprise us.  That’s not to say people’s thoughts are necessarily typically a contradiction of their person, but rather it has a lot more to do with our assuming this or that about the other, without taking in all the complexities and nuances of human behavior, which, in and of itself, would probably be overwhelming.

 As it is, our thoughts are private, for the very good reason that we are entitled to have that privacy for it is part of our sovereignty, and for someone else to be able to know our thoughts, would be a serious violation of our privacy, because thoughts not expressed in words or deeds, should be privy to our own self, and to no longer have that in our sole control could be devastating to our character, as well as to our liberty, for to know another person’s thoughts, permits the entity so knowing to judge us, not solely based upon our actions, but also based upon our thoughts, and in that knowing provide them the opportunity to have the impetus to try to control us, to manipulate us, or to punish us, thereby making our life to literally be a living hell, in which, there would never be an escape available to us, whatsoever.

The white prism of history

It isn’t any real surprise that in the majority of Western nations, history as written is not only written by the victors, but that it favors the white version of history, because the white race has had some notable and remarkable achievements over the last several centuries.  This makes therefore for those that are not learned in history, or care not to research such, to basically believe that just about every meaningful achievement so made has been first done by the white race, for the supposed benefit of other peoples and races; whereas, a fairer version would recognize all the achievements made by other races in other places and other times, but somehow aren’t so readily recognized or suitably acknowledged.

 The reason why there is a white prism of history is quite obviously to proselytize to other peoples and other nations, the supposed superiority of the white race, as if somehow, intelligence and achievements are constructed upon the color of one’s skin, as compared to the knowledge so obtained and thereby utilized through one’s mind.  Yet, because so many of us are inclined to judge others by what they see in front of them, this is part and parcel of why the white race believes so strongly that it is important for whiteness to equate to intelligence and civility, by virtue of their skin color, taking not into consideration the true content of their character.  Additionally, while it could be said that pride has its place, those who are white, who believe just by the fact of their whiteness they are somehow the master race, represent the type of bunk which leads to divisiveness and serious conflict.

 However, as much as the white man still believes in their manifest destiny, we find that the world has already irrevocably changed, in which, those at the very top of power within politics and corporations, are already cognizant that the white man must not only share their power with other races and other creeds but are actively doing so, because the qualifications and achievements of other peoples and societies throughout the globe are so impressive, they have astutely recognized that by joining hands with those qualified others, that this is good for business as well as the politics of business.  This signifies that the white prism of history is already in a state of change or of decline, because those at the very top of white power levers recognize that without an arrangement or an embracement of other races and other creeds, they will lose what they most desire to keep, which is money and power.

 So then, we can expect to see a more nuanced view of history written, because every society wants to have their story told that values them as a people, and aren’t really interested in hearing how whiteness is somehow superior to everyone else, when they can already clearly see that there are plenty of those white people, that aren’t really all that, while also seeming to be incapable of ever being anything of merit, and therefore aren’t really worthy of unearned respect by other races and peoples, because there is little or nothing in their character to respect or admire.

America leads in per capita firearms ownership

We read at Wikipedia.org that America is estimated to have 120.5 firearms per 100 residents, of which that per capita number is based upon the entire population of the country, which includes children.  This is an absolutely stunning amount of firearms held by civilians, in which, if we presuppose that the primary reason why people own firearms is for their protection, it would logically follow that America must therefore be the safest country in the world, with therefore the least amount of firearms violence.  In actuality, America is a very violent country, with a murder per capita rate that far exceeds every other comparable Western nation, which is indicative that the more firearms that a nation has, the more that these firearms will actually be used.  Indeed, the bottom line is as long as America insists upon having the sheer number of firearms that it currently has or even more, there will not be any permanent relief from violent crime utilizing such firearms, which will continue to be consistently higher than other Western nations, unless those nations, for some reason or another, permit civilian ownership of firearms at a level approaching the United States of America.

 While it certainly makes sense that people should have the right to protect and to defend themselves, it has to be admitted that the type of typical firearm violence in America, is often not use in defense of a person or property, but rather is used far more often in the offense of perpetuating some sort of crime against another person or property.  So too, it has to be acknowledged that firearms are exceedingly good at what they are designed to do, which is to physically harm the other, typically to the point of death or to death, which means that those owning firearms have, in theory, at least psychologically determined that they are willing to kill the other, in order to protect their own.

 One would think, that it would behoove this nation to come up with conceivable alternatives to firearms that would still be good enough to protect a person and their property, but would be designed in a way and manner that the lethality of that instrument would not be its design objective, but instead, the object of the exercise in the use of that device, would be to neutralize the other.  While there are devices such as a Taser, which have been designed to do something like that, there still is a need to design a weapon beyond the Taser that will impact the other with concentrated energy that would incapacitate them, without killing them or making them to suffer intense pain, such as we saw in the TV program, Star Trek, with the usage of the phaser.

 As it is, to believe somehow that all these people with all these firearms, aren’t ever going to use them, even though they are right there next to them or on them, is a mirage, because people typically buy firearms for the expressed reason to use them, if so necessary or desired, which signifies that American firearms violence will not ever go away, until the per capita ownership of such is reduced to a very considerable extent

“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”

In John 8:32, we read that “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  It is important to recognize when reading this Biblical passage that there is “the truth,” and this scripture does not state that you are made free by “my truth” or “your truth,” but instead the truth, as represented in this saying, is the definitive truth.  Regrettably, we live in a day and age, in which truth has been bastardized into a belief that your truth or my truth or anybody’s truth, is the truth, when it would be more appropriate to state that there is, in actuality, only one Truth, and all that which is not under that Truth, is not therefore the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but rather is something less than, or might not even be true, at all.

 The whole point of knowing the truth, is that in that knowing, we become One with that which actuated our existence in the first place, which should be the abiding objective of all that have a conscience, for until that time that we recognize our eternal place and thereby live to that ideal, then we are not free but rather we are stuck within a construct in which our delusion or stubbornness precludes us from knowing that which will provide us with everything that we need in order to become whole.

 This signifies that there is no greater quest than the quest to know who that we really are, and in that knowing, to find the sanctuary that will provide us with eternal peace, if only, we would release our bondage to that which appears so real to us, to thereby break through to what we are supposed to be, which is thereby fully attuned to our true essence.

 We live within a world in which so many people believe in the reality of what they see and feel, and are unable, or unwilling, or uninterested in pursuing that which will provide them with the key to true happiness and contentment.  Indeed, this world is a proving ground, meant to successfully provide us the release from the dross that precludes us from envisioning correctly who we are, and those that cannot or will not lift up their eyes to see the light that is ever present have exchanged liberation for imprisonment.

 Our Creator has gifted us with free will, which permits us to do whatever that we so desire to do, or at least attempt to do, which thus presents us with the duality of good and evil, of which, the choice of what we do at any given time, lays within our dominion.  Those then that turn their back on good are the same who have turned their back upon truth, which does not make them free, though their ego in that moment might make them to believe they are free. In reality, their ego entraps them into the belief that their free choice is somehow the same as being free, when, in actuality, only those who know the Truth are free, because these are the very same that have risen above the errors of human consciousness to embrace liberating enlightenment.

Understanding Heaven

There are so many people so caught up in the physicality and the believed reality of this world, and the problems, so of, that they aren’t able to properly fathom what Heaven actually is.  That leads them to believe that in some way or form, we still have the appearance of our physical self, though Heaven is in actuality a completely spiritual domain.  So too, many people are so attuned to what they see in front of them and the beliefs that they have held so closely for so long, that they cannot picture themselves in Heaven, as lacking their gender, their religion, or their race.  In fact, in Heaven there is no gender, nor religion, nor race, whatsoever, because these are constructs of the earthly plane, and not part of the realm of Heaven, at all.

 This signifies that for many a person, their concept of Heaven and what goes on in Heaven, or even the very purpose of Heaven, is truly a mystery to them, because they have difficulty getting their head around an existence without a material component to it.  So then, one way to understand Heaven better is to get a better comprehension of what this world truly represents, which is that earth, and the things that we do right or don’t do right here, are a proving ground, made to give us the opportunity to prove that we have learnt our lessons well, and if not, to keep doing what we need to do, until we are able to get done what we ought and have to get done.  So then, the trials and tribulations of earth are meant to awaken us and to reveal to us our true nature of immortality, and to thereby rise above the physical senses and emotional reactions that we wrongly believe define who we are.  Remember, we are immortal beings, temporarily housed in a physical form, of which it is our duty to break free from the delusion that we are permanently physical, when, in fact, we are permanently spiritual.

 For a certainty, so much of the troubles of this earth, are represented by a large extent, our belief, that we are a certain race, or a certain faith, or a certain heritage, without seeming to comprehend that each of us has been equally created by the very hand of God, which signifies that all the sectarian disputes and violence displayed here, are clearly completely out of order with who and what we really are, which is why in Heaven, sectarian disputes have no place there, whatsoever. 

 The mistake that so many people make is to self-identify that they are what appears to them in the mirror, without seeming to recognize that beyond their self, is a dimension in which we are at liberty to take in to our being, all the goodness that God so represents, to thereby, reach that place in which there is soothing peace, serenity, justice, and an eternal sanctuary, of which, our calling in Heaven is to continue to do what needs to be done to minister to the lost, so that they too can return to that which first created them.

Constitutional law and no-knock raids

The 4rh Amendment to the Constitution clearly states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses…shall not be violated.”  Yet, routinely these very rights are violated, through the extensive usage via law enforcement of the no-knock rule, supposedly done under only the most exigent circumstances, which necessitates such.  While there are probably exigent circumstances from time to time that would necessitate a no-knock raid, the fact of the matter is that this should be something that is seldom, if ever, called upon, but instead we find that exceptions to the 4th Amendment are made all the time, of which, the true necessity of this action being taken is highly questionable, thus making far too many Americans vulnerable to the adverse effects of no-knock raids, which include their very lives being taken away, by such an action.

 Look, in a truly free country, that embraces liberty, no-knock rules would simply not exist, because if a man’s house is not truly a sanctuary, and a man’s possessions are subject to be taken away from them, without any fair recourse, than those that live under such governance aren’t really free, but actually live under a construct that at any given time, their home, their person, and their possessions could be subject to the violent taking away by governmental agents, which is the mark of a totalitarian state and not of a republic or a democracy.

 The very reason why there is a 4th Amendment is because human beings should be able to utilize their place of residence as a safe sanctuary, to be entered upon only by government agents with an appropriate warrant, stating the specific place to be searched, and things to be seized, supported by probable cause, of which, even that probable cause should be called into question, when whatever what was supposed to be seized or found, is not actually even there, at all.  In other words, probable cause should be held to a very high standard, of which statistics should be kept as to how often the probable cause results in consistently finding what is alleged to have been there, or not.

 While there are plenty of people who are absolutely fine with no-knock rules, it has to be noted that many of those people are the very same who need not worry about such personally affecting them, which basically represents that the policing arm of the state, as exercised, favors some at the expense of the many.  Indeed, whenever there is supposed criminal activity that has occurred at a certain house, or possessions are alleged to be within a given house that are illegal in their substance, it would seem that the person(s) so residing in that house, are pretty much trapped, because eventually they will have to leave to go take care of this or that, of which, this would thereby permit the police to stop them and to question them, and/or an appropriate search warrant will have been issued to do such.  Instead, with the no-knock rule, there seems to be the belief that the no-knock rule is necessary because of exigent circumstances, loosely defined, of which the reality is that this is just a pretext to invade citizens’ homes and to impress upon the general public that inconvenient Constitutional rights and Amendments, be damned.

Cursing and the middle finger

There are those symbols of disrespect as well as respect that people are quite familiar with, of which, the preeminent symbol of disrespect and of non-verbal cursing the other, is the display of our middle finger, which serves well that purpose of our utter contempt of the other --  often done so, when words either can’t be spoken, because it’s car to car, or in those other situations in which one’s opprobrium of the other suits the symbolic cursing as contrasted to verbalizing such.  Whichever it is, verbal or symbolic, cursing the other is something that is seldom misinterpreted by the other, and can therefore lead to all sorts of hostile events, welcomed or unwelcomed.

 The thing about the middle finger or cursing out the other, is the salient fact as to whether or not the person doing such, has bothered to take the time to ascertain as to whether what they are doing serves any higher or good purpose and when in those cases it truly does not, which is often the case, then a reasonable person has to wonder as to why this disrespect is being displayed or verbalized, when it really isn’t necessary to do so.  In other words, before we curse out someone, we ought to think about whether what we are doing is actually constructive or, more probably, destructive, and whenever it is destructive and negative, perhaps there is a more appropriate way to deal with whatever problem or issue that has occurred, that precipitated this.

 Indeed, whenever we display the middle finger to the other, there are going to be those times when we initially feel really good and satisfied about doing such, but unfortunately as in the case of eating too much dessert at one time, we may well regret it later on, as perhaps being inappropriate for the supposed offense that we have suffered that cause us to act out in that way.  This signifies that those who react far too quickly to an alleged insult or infraction by responding through curse words or through a symbolic nature which represents the same thing, ought to consider that there may be more mature ways to respond, or whether or not such deserves a response, in the first place.

 It has to be said that there would be far less cursing if we would consider well our alternative responses, and therefore, by doing so, would serve to reduce conflict and argumentation between one another, especially when, in perspective, we realize that such a response really wasn’t necessary to begin with.  After all, just because we feel like responding, in kind, to an insult or disrespect does not mean that we necessarily should or ought to.  At a minimum, we should take the time to consider our options, and by doing so, we will end up cursing less, and just being about our business more, which makes for a better construct, and leads typically to far less regret and far less bad feelings.

You can’t stay mad as a hornet, forever

There are those people who, when important things clearly don’t go their way or are extremely frustrated about some vital interaction or notable event that has gone horribly wrong, makes them thereby to get very, very angry, of which, that anger is expressed so vociferously, that it frightens and disturbs other people.  So then, whenever we see someone who is very angry, it is important not to directly confront that anger so being expressed, because it could end up being redirected at us, because they are so upset, they don’t really care who they take their anger out on.

 The thing, though, about anger, is that no matter how angry a person is, the amount of energy being utilized to express that anger, has a way of taking a toll upon a person’s body and their mind, so that, sooner or later, they will simply run out of fuel and while this eventual calmness or resignation is almost always not going to resolve what brought on this anger, it will at least remove the madness for a while, and perhaps give a chance for some necessary perspective to come into play.

 The reason why some people get so very angry, is that their anger typically represents their frustration about something of importance that didn’t go right, at all, but in fact, went terribly wrong, and in their frustration they are prone to taking it out on just about anybody that gets in their way, which is why the most appropriate way to deal with someone who is having a temper tantrum, is not so much to try to calm the person down, though that could help, but importantly, not to ever add “fuel to the fire,” which will only serve to keep that anger being expressed for an even longer period of time. 

 That is to say, to a very large extent, angry people need an audience to express that anger to, and when that audience does not exist, or no longer exists, then their anger begins to dissipate rather quickly, because there isn’t anything happening to make it last longer.  Indeed, people publicly express their anger because they want a reaction from the public, and in the absence of that reaction, they will only have themselves to kick around, which isn’t what the purpose of their anger represents.

 So too, the thing about anger is that it exposes the very worst of a person, of which, when things calm down, most people will be rather embarrassed about their behavior, but in that moment, they felt their need to express that rage, which is why they did it.  We can also take solace in knowing that no matter how angry a person is in the moment, the energy to sustain that anger is not going to last, because that rage takes a lot out of a person, of which, a lot of those people expressing that madness, begin to realize that further expressions of anger aren’t going to resolve anything, so they simply just basically let it go.