Inherent Worth-Obligation

When we begin to assess our ultimate value, some have counted just the elemental particles and minerals of which our bodies are made and we were each worth pennies. We, easily understand that our bodies are far more than the resources contained within our cells. Our muscles can function as tools for doing work, using the most efficient tool for transportation, the bicycle, we are able to produce about 1 horsepower, or 750 watts of power. This sort of energy source, purchased off the shelf would cost about $80-160 and required shipping and energy to run it. So, we are worth at least that much. Combine with that power, the ability to think, reason and move ourselves around and we increase the "value" of our bodies exponentially. In the nation of Denmark, to help determine how much they are willing to invest in their systems of levees and dykes, human lives have been calculated to be valued at about one million dollars each. Many life insurance websites have calculators to determine what each of our lives are worth. Typically, we are, on average, only worth between a million and two million dollars. That is, if we have a full lifetime of earnings ahead of us. According to the figures, the older we get, the less we are worth. It may seem cold to say, but in the world in which we live, there are many who equate value with worth and can see no further. This is the ultimate end of the philosophy based on "What can you do for me?"

However, beyond mere dollars, we have relationships, as the socialists who wrote and produced "It's a Wonderful Life" showed, each one of us leaves a terrible hole in the world by not being in it. This begs us to think about our obligations.

Changing the nature of our philosophy slightly changes everything. What can I do for us, has the power to exponentially increase our value, perhaps infinitely. Each of us has lost contact with loved ones, either through death or the moving away over great distances and trying to estimate the value of their missing words, their love, or their respected opinions immediately presents an awful problem. When we are in the world for the sake of others, or when we value others in ways that can best be described as agape love, putting a dollar value on our worth is futile. Even our most revered elders and mentors, when they pass, leave lasting scars on our psyche even if they had lived full lives and passed the veil with grace. Who has not found themselves setting a place at the table for a lost member of the family? Or expecting to hear the timbre of their voice at family gatherings, only to have the full weight of their loss burden their hearts again? On occasion, the death of a loved one has ruined the lives of their loves, stifled the lives of friends, crippled the lives of those who cared for them most and led to tortured souls who may go on living, but never seem to fully recover from that loss. I have even seen enemies disabled by the loss of their nemesis, because they have missed the important part that their arguments and rebuttals played in their way of life. a few even regretted not having had the chance to tell their enemies that they loved and respected them.

Oddly enough, these issues are rarely discussed. We hear instead versions of "My heart goes out to you and your loved ones in this difficult time." and other such mental salve for wide open wounds in our being. All too often, we are even stingy with our hugs when being responsible human beings would dictate that we be free with them.

I cannot say where I first learned of the "value" of human life, but I can say for sure that I remember when I first learned that some people just don't care. I remember when I began to learn that abuse and neglect are things that some people feel are inevitable and that children need to be hardened by exposing them to both at an early age, so they can adjust to the "harsh reality" that they will eventually be faced with. I probably attempted to believe that bullshit myself, for a brief period. Luckily, I have regained my footing in this lie filled world that loves putting a price on everything, even human life. Luckily, I heard the song that asks the question, Do the Russians love their children as much as we love ours? Luckily, I have pondered the true value of humans and felt obliged to serve all of humanity rather than just my own pocketbook. I have taken great pains to raise my own children with the explicit knowledge that some people may believe the lies they are told, and that ultimate freedom requires absolute responsibility. My obligation to the future of the planet is reflected in my conservatism (not the kind claimed by the Teathuglicans). True conservatism requires that we use the most efficient means to meet our needs, leaving something for everyone who will come after us. I have tried to share what I know about compassion by reflecting grace in my relationships. In my teaching, I am also trying to learn as much as I can simultaneously, again for the increased efficiency that can be found in a perfectly placed pause or concise description.

We cannot know who the next Plato or Aristotle, Einstein, or Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci or Joseph Beuys, Gutenberg or Sartre might be, but we must realize by their examples that the value of each of us is far beyond our earnings potential. We would not exist as a species if not for our grandmothers down through the ages who had hope in the face of terrible odds and circumstance. We are obliged to live lives that matter, if not for our own pocketbooks, for the future generations who will either revere us, for considering well the truth behind the lies we are told or curse us for our ignorance, deceit and lies. I will continue to speak truth to power as long as I have breath.

"Thank You" for Your Service

I have been replaying the tapes in my head from this Veteran's Day. I think I heard at least several dozen people and quite a few newscasts/commercials that said, "Thanks for your service." The irony was not lost on many of the veterans, nor was it lost on me. See, with the exception of the Revolutionary War, which we started, and the Civil War, which some of us started, one would be hard pressed to come up with an example of a war that ever threatened our homeland. Fascists will claim that when our military fleet was attacked at Pearl Harbor, that was a threat to the Good old U.S. of A., but Hawaii was not even a state yet. The history of conflict has always been about the oligarchy, their interests and their "rights" to have it all while the rest of us paid the price.

I want to point out that I am a pacifist, but that should not undermine the truth which I speak. I do thank veterans for their service, but not the kind that most people are thinking about. See, the military exploits to which they are frequently turned, have nothing to do with me and I'm okay with that. The service that I commend all soldiers for is the service to their unit, the other human beings that they serve(d) with and the people on the ground wherever they were sent, that they showed compassion to the ones they tried to help and the people who they were able to save from the clutches of untenable situations. Conflict is never easy to overcome. When humanity has completely broken down around you, clinging to what makes us human is what I thank them for. From time to time there are stories of humanity and grace in times of barbarism and heinous mayhem. These are the thiungs that we need to thank our military personnel for.

Whether it is the cruise missile pilot who stands up to say that innocents are the victims of these impersonal death machines, or the foot-soldiers who are on the front lines of meaningless wars, who are willing to tell their stories again and again to teach those who stayed home what things were really like. I even thank the majority of those who "served", but became peace warriors and activists to end war forever once they were released from their "service". You see, those who have been to war are often the most staunch advocates for peace. These are all acts of service, not their participation in wanton destruction, of peace, of civility, of culture and of infrastructure. No, I can almost feel what you are thinking, this is not about our freedom of speech, not about our freedom of movement and certainly not about our economic or educational freedoms. All of these things are under attack from within our own borders!

The entire slate of Republican candidates proves my point.

There are millions who serve our nation that I also consider veterans, who may have never set foot on a military base. Those who stand for what our country claims to be...a shining beacon to the rest of the world that has the audacity to claim that all men are created equal, that every one of us  has the right to certain freedoms and inalienable rights. In fact, those of us who have had to grow up with the fear and loathing that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress disorder) brings into the home, understand that not everyone who "served" has given some, or all. We all do that. Perhaps you will think of this next year when Veteran's Day comes around. Perhaps you will think of a more appropriate way to express your feelings. The only true way to thank those who "serve" would b to call them all home and put their efforts to work here, changing the dynamics that lead to entrenched poverty, utilizing their skills to make life a little better for those they left behind. If our house is in order, that will be the biggest draw for other countries to want to be like us. Letting the oligarchs amass even greater wealth at the expense of the poorest people on the planet only proves to the rest of the world that we do not stand for what we say that we do.

Those who help to establish urban gardens, where organic produce can thrive, those who mentor a child, those who volunteer are doing a much greater and more necessary service, but that is beside the point. Instead of mindlessly parroting the words that have come to be synonymous with Veteran's Day, providing cover for the big lie, we need to tackle the economic desperation that makes enlistment seem like a good idea. I only know a few people who came away from their military service whole and relatively stable. I know hundreds of others who were damaged beyond what mere words can express. Nothing as trite as "thank-you" can make up for giving your body, mind and soul to the 1% to squander at will.

2 Busy 2 Write

It is not my style to leave my regular readers hangin'. I fell short of my seven posts per month goal last month and i feel terrible about it. So many things were competing for my attention, especially late in the month, that I completely dropped the ball. I have more than enough nearly finished posts that I could have just posted incomplete ones, but these four missing ones reflect the four directions, Earth, Air, Fire Water as the pagans say. The four directions are still but two dimensional. When space and grounded in the earth are added, the six directions hint at the Merkabic principles upon which my own ancestors cultivated their world view. These six directions may need to be honored and understood before they can be felt to be missing from our daily lives. Like the Om, we each respond to our own resonant frequencies. Hippies refer to it as good vibes when two people seem to immediately be in synchronicity. When we feel close to others, we can openly receive their energies and actions through the interplay of our own and theirs, to create something greater than either one of us could have done alone.

These are the sorts of things that have been occupying my time; as with the four directions, their immediacy became predominant, blocking the spiritual and Earth-centered rites of the give back.
The spirit of the East has been the blindingly rapid successes of my campaign for Wisconsin's 8th District to the U.S.House of Representatives. It is as if the sun rises on a different world than it did a few short moons ago. Being inspired to represent nearly three quarters of a million people is pretty heavy stuff. Like the Sun rising on each moment, there is very little thought about reducing my contacts with people, in fact the exact opposite is the case. I try to cultivate opportunities to get around folks. I have to get one to two thousand signatures to get on the ballot in the fall and getting those signatures will take hours and hours, introducing myself and re-introducing myself. each time delineating some of my positions as succinctly as possible.

From the South has come growth and a broader recognition that most of the policies that Bernie Sanders holds are the same as mine and they always have been. We both have records of walking the talk for the last thirty years. Old hippies are comfortable speaking truth to power, indeed it is the thing we have done all along. I am re-invigorated by associations with folks that have long ago been part of the revolution that has never been televised. Growing like fungal hyphae, the tendrils of association are vast by the time you have lived nearly half a century in the same place.

Into the West I have plunged, the unknown spirit world of darkness, embarked on canoe trips on all the major rivers of the region, bicycled tens of thousands of miles throughout the district. I have personally met over one quarter of a million people who lived around here. sadly, quite a number of them have passed the veil now. Some of my trips through the district have been far enough off the established path as to change forever the way I see northeast Wisconsin, Green Bay and the tributaries of the Western Lake Michigan shoreline. It leads me to even more deeply respect for the Wolf River, Lakes Poygan, Butte des Mort and Winnebago.

I have also adventured into the desolate winter along with many who felt that voting can't make a difference, that "all politicians are all crooks", so voting at all just enables them. Here is perhaps where my greatest challenges remain. 

My spirit quest and Earth ties are renewed and firm, the art of the give back has again been practiced and release has brought even heavier fruit. Abundance has trined! Rest assured that I could have written a post about each of the four directions over the past week, if my fingers were not stirring all the pots at once, energizing and enhancing the ability of each to impart blessings beyond my campaign! My campaign literature will include information on biochar and how to use it to double agricultural production.

Thousands educated, can lead to millions of positive actions, in the non-digital world, My time is in great demand. Please spend the time that you would have been reading The Otherfish Wrap, Times four, contemplating and adventuring amongst the four directions this month. This will ease my pain over missing those posts. Expect at some thime to be asked to spend the time of two more installments devoted to spirituality, both the between you and space and between you and Earth.