The Dangers of War ... For Everyone

Suffice it to say -- a nuclear "exchange" in war, even a tactical one; would open up the gates to the eventual annihilation of millions upon millions of innocent people. Whether the war is between North Korea and the US, or Russia and the US, or China and the US, the outcome -- eventually -- would be disastrous for all.

We all hope that Trump understands this and doesn't do anything "stupid" to back up his ridiculous tweets, We also hope that Putin understands that "war is death" not political longevity, even in the economically challenged Soviet Union. We need "cooler heads" and "intelligent generals and politicians" everywhere to understand that "war is DEATH" -- not the beginning of empire, or political power, or capitalist advantage, or anything else.

In America we loathe the self-righteous, pompous, and self-serving (for the Trump empire) policies of Donald Trump. In the Soviet Union we see the struggle to avoid another Stalin, or another Trump.
The search for a new Soviet supremacy has been compromised by both the oligarchs and the corrupt communist/capitalist establishment. Greed for power is coequal to greed for cash. Both are immoral and should be avoided in a just and peaceful world.

Remember to hold onto your minds, your mores, your morals, your conscience, your character, and the civilization they support.

And for Americans and everyone who can think --- resist, resist, resist!

When Paperwork is More Than Perfunctory

The great bureaucracies of the world are not necessarily countries -- they are actually the banks, hospitals, credit card companies, and telecom providers. They have "rules" as to how an account or an application for an account has to be done. Recently my sister and I tried to set up a checking account (with a large initial deposit mind you) and as the paperwork/information period wore on it became evident that my sister had not brought the paperwork necessary to complete the deal. She did not have 2 documents from the "approved list" -- only one. Actually she had 2 but one of them was expired (due to a hospital stay last year she was unable to renew her driver's license).

Now since she did have other documents at home -- a second trip to this bank was required.  As of this moment we are not sure whether these additional documents will be enough. Yikes.

Resist, resist, resist!!!

Blessings of Christmas -- Human and Divine

On this Christmas Day -- many of us are moved to charity, compassion, and love for one another. I do wonder (as you do) why those wondrous elements are not there throughout the year: every day, every situation, every relationship. Is it somehow not chic to love one's co-workers; or not politically correct to truly love one's neighbors, or even uncool to love those you consider enemies?  Love all -- and wish the best for all, according to the principles you own of right and wrong, and real conscience.

Jesus's message to humanity is to love. I am now, personally, both a Christian and a Buddhist. Have I added Buddhism to my own belief system because Christianity is lacking? Not so much. I have added Buddhism, specifically KoShinto Buddhism, because Christianity too often falls short of its own principles. Women are not treated fairly -- they are subjugated by the old laws of Old Testament Judaism. They are treated as the causes of sin -- in a male-dominated society, ethnicity, practice. That is not right. The ancient precepts of Judaism are passed on and picked up by the modern Christian church, especially Catholicism. Even with a wise and very holy Pope in place, modern Catholicism often fails in its beliefs and its mission. Why is the Catholic Church still treating women (nuns, laity, teachers) as they did in the 9th century?  Are women still somehow the "Eve of the 'apple' story" -- tempting righteous men to sin?

Why is Catholicism so against "gay sexuality" when an estimated 30% of the Catholic priesthood is gay? Is being gay really a sin -- or is it a biological and neurological condition of sexual preference?
Is "sex" the original sin? Is that why the Catholic Church (and so many other pseudo-Christian sects) hung up on sexuality?  We must continue to grow in wisdom and understanding -- not be strapped to the ancient grinding wheel of times past.

We are allowed to understand and respect sexual preferences in a new way -- as long as we continue to honor our own basic principles of love and respect for others.


Merry Christmas; RESPECT FOR ALL; and continue to Resist!

The State of Christmas

Christmas is "love" -- it truly depicts a story of love and redemption via the Christian story of Jesus. What Americans sometimes fail to see is that there are many such stories in the mythologies of every ethnicity, every religion, every set of tribal legends. Just because you believe in Jesus and his miraculous coming -- doesn't mean that it is the only truth.  Many "Native American" stories/myths tell of sacrifice and giving in times of pestilence and pain.

Ancient Celtic stories -- long before the introduction of Christianity to far Northern Europe tell of animal and human sacrifices: given to the main god of that region. In every part of the World there are religions that depict sacrifice. It is arrogant and small-minded to think that the story of Jesus' birth is the only such story. But we are always the victims of our own parochialism.

The God of Israel is a god who sacrificed other people to free the Jews -- at least according the the Biblical legends surrounding the story of Moses. Any religion/myth you can name will have an element of sacrifice. Believe in that -- that the "diversity" of the world as to ethnicity, religion, mores, and practises binds us into one human family. "Sacrifice" given for love's sake -- is the glue that holds civilization itself together.

And so, Merry Christmas; Happy Hanakkah: Blessed Kwanza; Holy Ramadan; Happy Winter Solstice; et al. If there is a God (and I acknowledge deep inside that there is), then all manners of love induced by sacrifice show his/her presence.  Even ---

RESISTANCE!

Curiosity......?

Just as one of the greatest elements of Christmas ... is waiting for the day to arrive: presents for kids, celebration for families, connections and conversation for all -- so too waiting for sengateCREATE is now all about the...anticipation!  What will it be; when will it start; how will it operate; what will it do?

Is it the kind of idea that can be "fleshed" into a winning and worthwhile something? Is it a "sham" or simply a cursory, not-well-thought-out idea? Is it a "trumpian  hoax?"  Is it "fake news?"  Who can say? I can.

At this point I will say that it is "real" and will do "real things" and will make a "real difference!"And it is coming...soon. February 1st all (or at least the the planning for "all" will be shown; all will be delineated; the shape and direction will be plotted and revealed. Wait for it -- wait for it...

And as always continue to resist!

sengateCREATE

"sengateCREATE" is a work in progress. It hasn't quite figured out what it will be yet, or how exactly it will operate. Nor has it put any limitations on the way it might view things -- and the way it might itself change to accommodate "things."

A zygote always has the genetic blueprint for its own growth. So too an idea has the blueprint of its own construction. And so there we have it. "sengateCREATE" is coming into being; and it is stirring open thoughts and plans into a unified and effective "modus operandi."

So, it is more than an idea -- and slightly less than a plan at this point. But it is "alive" and will continue to grown towards fruition. 

Keep RESISTING -- for the sake of morality, humanity, and intelligence itself.

On the Cusp of Growth

Thinking about thinking requires the most concise kind of mindset. Not only does one have to blind oneself to distractions, but one also must see past fantasies, and concentrate instead on the single-minded edge that will accomplish the goal.  This kind of approach rules out all self-awareness and instead employs the problem itself as the whip,  and the carrot.

There are goals to be reached. How and where these goals can even be accessed is a changing kaleidoscope of generated and regenerated possibilities. Being ready to pivot  -- and try a new path -- goes well beyond "two roads diverging in a yellow wood." It actually defines the "yellow wood" itself, as well as the direction of the roads, and the speed on which they are traveled. There is no way to say this crisply and distinctly.

Embarking on an adventure -- into unknown areas, with only the simple means at our disposal: the mind, the energy, the time -- is daunting but thrilling.  From my youth I desired my epitaph to be -- "he used himself up'' --doing everything he could -- to become better, and to do better.

Continue to resist, as well.