Hong Kong is the World

The world is at "six's and seven's"; the world is in turmoil!  Hong Kong is in turmoil! China is in turmoil! How will it all end?

History is Now -- Not Tomorrow

What we do now: how we vote, how we speak, how we treat others, what we believe, what we tolerate, what we understand, what we are willing to do, what we say, what we approve of, what we oppose; all these are what we are!

Do you live up to your convictions? Do you try to influence others to be tolerant and open towards all points of view? Are you willing, however, to stand up and oppose what is evil -- what is inhumane -- what is abnormally wrong?

We are living history -- right now, every day, every moment! I you don't understand that you don't understand much.

TAPS

To all my friends in the Ukraine, and Poland, Romania, and Russia -- and the Middle East, especially Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, et al -- I give you my thoughts and all good intentions.  Whether there is war or peace, we in America are thinking of you -- and worrying for you -- and praying on your behalf.

America is not the "great devil" some of you think it is -- America is instead a land of free people who have learned, or are beginning to learn, that the are part of a diverse world community. That community is made up of many nations, many creeds, many races, many economic strata. We are all human -- and we are all together. 

The Sad State of "Now"

Why is "now" different than all other times? Things move faster now; change has accelerated to overcome even the most flexible of us. Technology has inundated us and surpassed the understanding of most of us. 

We are dependant on others for explanations of how things work, why things work, and any repair needed. We cannot seem to overcome the increasing acceleration of change, no matter how hard we try. We are slow to react to any change -- and seemingly unaware of most of the changes anyway. 

Yes, "now" is the best of times; and "now" is the worst of times! We live in any age where not only can anything happen, but most everything has happened, and amazing things will continue to happen.

War Again...for the United States

Perhaps we are in an age when war cannot be stopped!  When even peaceful countries must be called in to defend their futures. When stupidity is the religion of the desperate, and taunt is the diplomacy of the stupid.

ISIS is a non-country -- an ecstatic religious excuse for barbaric and non-human behavior. Those who are hyper-religious cheer both for ISIS and their wouldbe exterminators. Many look for the "end times" -- the fulfillment of the darkest images of the Bible.  A verification of Nostradamus' worst predictions. A tapestry not of life, but of death. Nihilism is not a legitimate choice for any human to make. No God exists where no-man exists! No-man exists where nothing can exist!

Unending Stress...

Our social, physical, emotional, and personal environments make us all into tortured little bugs. We are constantly reacting to the many elements and people who lay stress upon us like a heavy layer of emotional mulch.

We are overcome by this mulch; undone by it. We cannot conquer nor control it. It weighs us down as if we were paper cut-outs, folded this way and that by the push of their own shiftings.  We as humans react to all these stresses -- because we are aware of them. They become normal to us; we are normalized to a level of pain that inundates and ultimately consumes us. Our death is by drowning -- in the things we cannot control. 

Who'll Stop the Rain...

Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of my favorite "groups" back in the 70'sff and is still one of my groups today.  Their songs tried to say something.  In the midst of Vietnam protests, Black Power protests, Gay and Lesbian protests, etc. at the University of Wisconsin in Madison -- there was this song, "Who'll Stop the Rain...?" which summed up the emotions underneath the barrage of things going wrong on a world-wide basis. 

Kind of like, well, kind of like ... now! Who'll stop the rain -- of crazed nihilist like ISIS, or Russian hyper-Nationalists in Ukraine, or portly tea partiers and science-deniers which populate a good deal of America? Who'll stop the ignorance that abounds about "extermination" level issues in the world: climate change, self-destruction through child/female abuse, and violence as the newest sports passion in the NFL? None of these issues are God's fault (if there is a god)!  All of these issues are directly related to human arrogance (yes, I know I have plenty); human ignorance (ditto); human willfulness (again ditto); and human...humanness. We are all at fault.

We remain complacent -- while the idiots around us lead us. We try to stay uninvolved because "doing something" requires time and energy we just don't have.  We have met and seen the enemies -- again and again -- and the enemy is ... us.   

Money IS the Problem

Many institutions in the US are "coming apart" due to an increasing emphasis on the "bottom line."  Success of a movement, a person, a business, a career, even a marriage -- is being measured by how strong it is financially.  Capitalism has begun to penetrate every aspect of American life -- and has become the biggest hindrance to the application of any so-called American values, contained as our birthright in the American Constitution and the activity of the American Government. 

Capitalism is an economic system -- and it is not the only one that exists. Its is not a "form of government" nor is it the last "say" in every decision about everything.  Why can't we put "boots on the ground" in defense of our principles and our country in Iraq? Why can't we pay the poorest of workers more than the minimum wage? Why don't we consider billionaires as fallible and remorselessly human as the rest of us? You guessed it -- money!

We are hamstrung by our concentration on money, what things cost, what things have value in terms of money, etc. We can no longer differentiate between good and evil, right and wrong, unless it is terms of financial cost. We are the money-changers in the Temple! 

Disintegration

Why do things seem to be falling apart? The Naional Will in the US; the NFL; the sense of fairness in the way we discipline our children; our ability as a nation to figure out what to do about ISIS; our anger over big-name sports stars many "sins;" our tentative hold on reality!

Are we "getting worse" in everything we do, or attempt to do? Are we unable to decipher a clear path of action when our beliefs are challenged? Are we all hypocrites constantly fooling ourselves about our own truthfulness?

Time Runs Forward

To all my friends who are "literal" interpreters of the Bible -- we cannot return to the times of the Old Testament, so stop using it to inform and justify your current behaviors. To all my friends who are Muslim -- our God does not believe in your vanity; you cannot kill indiscriminately because our Mullah is crazy-angry at the West and sets a "fatwah" against them. Crazy backward-looking thinking of a thousand years ago cannot justify nor support your absolutely evil behavior in the present.

To kill by beheading -- and advertises it on the web to enhance your recruiting for your insane wars is evil; it is against faith; it is against life. It is bizarre and insane. It is justified only by your own madness and ego.

To believe that a century's old book can somehow bring us a moral guide for the present and for the future is insane and bizarre. To deny all we know through science because it contradicts the "fanciful poetry of the Bible" is insane.

To ISIS and to the literal interpreters of the Bible -- you are both insane. 

As I Await...

As I await the "news" about Tosha's ongoing health situation, I admit to being worried ... on a primal kind of level.  I feel her fear; I completely identify with her (by now) "settled" evaluation of her own situation.

Tosha is a strong woman -- more capable than even her closest friends could admit. Tosha has handled crises in her life with honest and courage, and the depth of heart that makes her the "poster child" for niceness.  She is a winner -- a woman who triumphs -- a true conqueror of life's programs and obstacles.

Please let the "news" be in proportion to her available skills and maturity.  Please!

Fear, and Resignation

There is a cloying feeling in the pit of my stomach -- I am worried for you.  I am worried that you will get a diagnosis that will be hard to take. I am worried that you will be hurt. I am worried that I will be helpless to change things. I am a palliative, not a cure. I am a helper, not a difference-maker.

You deserve all good things, not bad. You deserve to have a family some day, and children that you will give birth to. You deserve these things and so much more.

You do not deserve the fate of your female forebears. You deserve better -- though your flesh is genetically identical. You deserve the best.   

My Biggest Fear

My biggest fear is a crisis that happens everyday. It happens when something awful occurs, and I can do nothing about it but "be patient and try to live through it." Sometimes the bad event is a loss of job, or a diagnosis, or a "fear being realized," or even a success too big to cope with. No matter what it is -- the event makes me feel helpless to forfend it, helpless to stop it or even slow it's happening, just plain human helpless. 

I am only human -- and that is my biggest and most complete vulnerability. While I may comprehend what is happening to me -- I am always helpless to stop it. Yikes. 

For Tosha -- My Daughter

You have continually made me a proud (old?) man these past few years.  You have handled yourself and the problems of life with honesty, thoughtful care, and strong and purposeful imagination. I applaud you for your life, your many (many) accomplishments -- and your determination to live a full and artful life. 

Sheila would be proud; I am proud; everyone of your family and friend-circle who knows you well --- should be proud.

I am "in your corner" and "on your side" and will help you in any way I can to achieve your goals -- your many goals. You have done more "planning" in your life than I have done in mine -- and for you that has been a good and rewarding component of your life. Sometimes I am in awe of you -- but mostly I am just proud, and happy for you. Be well and do well; you are still a "Georgia" peach!!!