The Tragic Cost of Hatred and Misunderstanding

All too often we forget that we do not live in a vacuum. We deny the fact that our "democracy" is too often controlled by money, more money than the majority of us can fathom. The powers that be know that it is far easier to demonize and blame others for our tragic failings than to take responsibility for our own mistakes and change in ways that can fix the problems that we have created ourselves. Our figurehead leaders are put in a difficult position because they have at least a glimmer of understanding about the immense power that the fortune 500 companies wield. Right now, today, the non-financial S&P 500 corporations are sitting on enough capital
(in smaller amounts it is called dollars)to fund another bail out like the one we taxpayers are on the hook for. We spent money that we do not have to save their asses and in return, they have taken that much cash back out of the economy. Why do we let them do this? Because we value "freedom". I contend that the freedom to do wrong is not protected under our constitution but try to find someone willing to take on the big dogs. The right-wing of our government feels that those dollars, which were created by exploitation of "resources", including human ones, investors and profit margins, is theirs to do with what they will. Well, if a mere 500 companies have the cash on hand to float the American people a loan to get things moving again, wouldn't it help them to do it as well? In fact, even a zero interest loan to the government would benefit them more than they could calculate because it would help break through the log-jam that is facing our economy today.

Those who keep telling us that the government is the problem are only fomenting hatred of any system that might have a chance of working. I am thoroughly amazed at the number of working poor who feel that the government is taking too much from them, because that is what come career businessman has told them. Most of these people get a full refund of federal taxes withheld at the end of the year anyway! The misdirection of our collective attention would strike awe into the most smooth and successful magician. If we could see through the smoke and mirrors, we would find corruption and collusion from the local level all the way up to the top rungs of our industries. Government is always in the terrible position of having to "play nice" with the most vile and reprehensible characters. The "regulated community" as most government officials refer to it is made up of folks who feel entitled to whatever they need to make a profit. Frequently, these organizations feel that they are not only entitled to everything they want, but justified in taking it because they "create jobs". Sadly, the other unspoken truth of the matter is that these corporate leaders often feel that they are better humans than the rest of us and therefore have the equivalent of The Divine Right of Kings. Calvinism dies hard amongst those who can use it to justify pollution, exploitation and degradation of the very communities that they exist in.

Lest I forget to mention, these entities usually support local non-profit organizations, but it seems a bit disingenuous when the same folks who bring in and release to the community the largest amounts of toxic and carcinogenic compounds turn around and support the walk for breast cancer research, or that the same companies that require mothers and fathers to work late donate to the Boys and Girls Club to help fight juvenile delinquency. Hundreds of bad actors placate the public by making donations to noble causes. Strangely enough, these funds are written off pre-tax, which results in under-funding programs that the government tries to support.

Few realize the deductions allowed business on a daily basis, or the huge sums that skate by as non-taxable. Everything with corporate logos printed on them, from hats to shirts, to uniforms, to pencil holders, "freebies", frisbees, pens, pencils, packaging, etc. think of all the things that you see that have a logo on them...all deductions pre-tax for the corporation. Is there a benefit to anyone by allowing this one deduction? Since most of these give-aways are cheap plastic crap from China, I suppose someone in China benefits, but why would our government subsidize their industry?

Understanding these issues goes a long way to unraveling the mess that has been made of our political and social lives. When we begin to see the falsehood and rhetoric behind the most commonly used words such as "freedom" and "patriotism", we can begin to sort out the true meanings of these words and define them for ourselves, rather than taking them as code words for something bigger and more occult. Hatred flourishes when ignorance is in the mix. That is why ambassadors and statesmen are usually from a more educated class. I, in no way, want to sound prejudicial, but the fact is that ignorant people have been and will continue to be graduated from Harvard and all he Ivy League schools. Being educated is not like filling a vessel with water, prejudice, hatred and misunderstanding exist in all of us to some degree, they act as holes in one's vessel, allowing truth to spill away and lies to be contained within. Stemming the flow from one gaping hole often leads to partial patches over other holes as well. We begin to learn when we realize that we really know very little. The worst thing that education has ever attempted to do is to send people in their late teens, to College, directly out of High School. Who knows more, and knows that they know it, than a High School senior? Two years of community service, or military training would go a long way to curing many of those misconceptions.

This week, The Red Cross has had to curtail efforts to bring relief supplies and equipment into Pakistan. After a month of suffering, along with millions of others, a tipping point has been reached. The refugees began attacking aid workers, making it unsafe for the Good Samaritans. What has happened during the past month has been mostly, nothing. We forget that the Pakistani people are just that, people. We have been told recently that their government is supportive of those that we righteously hate. Do we forget the atrocities that our own government carries out in our name? The truth of the matter is that our enemies are leading relief efforts on the ground, exhibiting for the local populace who "cares" about them, while we withhold aid and stand in awe of the catastrophic flooding. It took a few days to begin putting relief into Haiti, but after a full month, humanitarian aid was flowing into that area relatively freely. The longer we wait to "do the right thing" in Pakistan, the more loyal to our enemies their people will become. Instead of a few corrupt and powerful government officials and a cadre of military leaders who support our "enemies", the displaced people and refugees will note that the hands that sustained them during this current crisis were the same color as theirs, and that the politics of hate has merit.

We cannot afford to have an entire country, one that has nuclear weapons of it's own turn out to be a terrorist state. We must begin to understand that we are all one, brothers upon the same Starship Earth. In spite of the fact that the vast majority of Pakistanis wanted a woman, educated in the West, to be their next leader, a fringe militia, frightened at the prospect of losing their power, murdered her. The people love what we stand for, but if we acquiesce now, many will lose faith that there can be a path to a better life. The moral high ground is neither if we cannot lend a hand to those less fortunate, those suffering the costs of our unbridled greed, and those who bear most heavily the weight of our failure to understand basic principles of freedom and democracy.

When the majority becomes cold, heartless and misinformed, all is lost for our country. We need to develop more leaders who are willing to stand up for truth and justice, stop the rhetoric of scarcity & competition, and get on with the process of educating ourselves instead of relying on well-funded elites to give us more smoke and mirrors instead of reflections of stark reality. The truth may be difficult to look at from time to time, but it is what it is, and we play a big pert in it. I cannot presage what the next meaningless distraction that we will be fed will be, but I assure you, it will be designed to keep us from seeing what is really going on right under our noses.

Single Bullet Theory

In our culture, and in this age, we often look for answers that are tidy. We want answers that won't raise too many more questions. The reference to the Kennedy assassination begs the question, is there ever a tidy answer? Some think, or hope, or say not. I think that there is a single, magic bullet, as simple and elegant as the egg, as well designed as the red blood cell and as reliable as the sun's rise and fall along the horizon from season to season. In spite of the naysayers, the conspiracy theorists and those who couch their arguments in the plush folds of greed, opulence and self-interest that they claim to be ruled by "human nature", I must stand for something more. Love.
It seems that when we look around, we see that many evils seem to persist. If we rely on the media to tell us about the world, they will spare no effort in bringing us human tragedy on a grand scale morning noon and night. No matter how far away the cameras have to roam, or how disorienting their perspective, the bad news always outweighs the good. This doesn't jive with my experience, probably not yours either. What I want to speak of here is the propensity I have found, maybe it is truly human nature, to be compassionate, caring and helpful. Just this week, I had left my wallet in my other jacket. I went to work and on the way home realized that I had no money and not enough fuel to make it home. A kind person at the fuel station paid for enough fuel to get me home. Bless her humanity, you know, she could have said no.
Many years ago, when I was a child, my mother got stranded at the same fuel stop with two children and a broken down car. Back then they had let us use their phone, given us some warm food, and then, they helped us find a way to get towed all the way home by a goodhearted fellow who had a tow truck.
The dozens of times that I have needed help along my own path I have been blessed by the people who have helped in whatever capacity they could. If we could find a single golden thread amongst the human fabric, it would be this compassion. The stories of love usually take longer to tell. There is certainly less flash, bang, boom and bash. After all, the compassionate caring that follows most emergencies is a harder story to tell than most media outlets are willing to attempt. In addition to the greater commitment required to tell this deeper story, the limited amount of "space" requires superficiality and remember, there will always be new human tragedy to focus on tomorrow. Keeping the camera's unblinking eye on the same images dilutes the message, and the propensity of people to switch channels rises exponentially over time.
The magic bullet that is alive within us is this innate propensity to love. When we begin to care, it may disturb the sour pusses among us. Some actually react with violence and derision. This can be understandable for those who have had to exist without love, or who have only experienced corrupted forms of it. In my experience, it seems to be easier for many to deal with their own shortcomings if the bar is set low. If everyone has evil intent, or is corrupted by greed and self-interest, our own overtures to compassion and caring seem greater. It then is less of a stretch to imagine that we are good people. My own perspective is that as we allow others to be more and better beings, we are invited to do more for one another, strive for more fruitful and better outcomes for our fellow humans and to lead lives of compassion and caring that support others as well as the planet that we inhabit.
A new breed of individuals is just saying no to the bitterness and deceit of the past. Indeed, there have always been those among us who gave selflessly for the betterment of their families, communities and humanity. They have proven that the need for Love is great, but that the rewards for loving are even greater. I, along with countless others see signs of change everywhere. It is high time that the forces of exploitation and oppression give way to the basic human instinct that we call love. When we work cooperatively, we are enriched by and through the successes of others and there is less damage to the earth as well. This in turn leads to a higher standard of living for everyone. Just the act of giving can be it's own reward.
Aim high and remember, even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. Another great line spoken by a wise person long ago is that all that is necessary for evil to exist in the world is for good people to do nothing. We are the single bullet, when we cultivate and spread the seeds of love!

Harvest Time 2009

Reflect on what you have planted. Yesterday I harvested dozens of large potatoes. I had planted some tiny little seed potatoes, the largest of which was about the size of my thumb. I planted them in poor soil, not suited for root crops. I fully expected that they would become compost, but... During the growing season I weeded them twice, and mulched them several times with grass clippings. what I pulled out of the ground yesterday was nothing short of miraculous! Rolling out food from a small plot (4x8 feet) I got to thinking about life. We plant seeds of hope, or discontent, doubt, or inspiration. Much like casting seed in our gardens.

Virtually all the earth is covered with soil. To be sure, some soils are more yielding than others, but for the seed, the only thing that exists is it's own will to survive. We can only reap what we sow. The earliest insane people, (and some still exist today) are those who plant lemon seeds and expect apples, or who plant spinach and are confused when iceberg lettuce won't grow! Society, like the rest of the earth is destined to grow, cultivate and give birth to generations of life that both rely on and exploit resources laid down by previous generations. Certainly we can see the results of some actions, but other affects of our behaviors are obscured by time. The people who envisioned the railroads could not comprehend the demise of the Buffalo, nor could those who thought up the interstate highway system imagine a time that we would become addicted to oil, or so preoccupied with securing the last drops of it for our use. Sometimes the very goal of certain actions undermine our ability to see clearly the results of what we are doing. Like what happens below ground with each and every plant, this obscured part is as important as the parts we can plainly see.

Please study your "seed" carefully before you spew it. Once released, the resulting growth can spiral out of our hands. Unlike potatoes, our thoughts and ideas can grow legs. Luckily for us, this is true with true, just and compassionate thoughts and ideas. It is with certainty and great hope that I say, we do have the ability to improve both the quality and amount of "good seed" available for planting. It just takes a commitment of time and energy in the short run. Try improving the quality of your seed by turning off the talking heads. Meet others in your community who seek positive change. Understand that crime is at it's lowest point ever. Don't succumb to the fear of everything that is touted by the media. Focus on each ting that you engage in fully. Study the results of your actions. Read labels. Always remember that by the time each product reaches us, an enormous amount of human energy, resources, and intention have made it possible for us to make a choice. Everything we use has an effect, and also realize that by leaving an object on the store shelf rather than buying it plants a seed as well. The seed of feeling secure enough with what we have has the potential to grow into a future state of being able to give away surplus, without feeling lack. We continue to do the best we can with what we've got. In spite of what our bank account says, we live a very rich life. This site is dedicated to everyone who wants to inject more life into their years, enjoy the adventure of a life well-spent and to learn what we can do to heal the rift between humankind and nature.

While I was rolling out several weeks worth of potatoes from a shady spot behind the garage, my wife was harvesting about two grocery bags full of greens. For $0.95 invested in a packet of seed, we ended up with $10-20 worth of vital, nutrient laden food that grew, literally before our very eyes! Anyone can sow the seeds of ignorance, hatred and malice, underestimating the ability of our species to adapt. The fruits of the harvest that follows that course of action are not healthy for anyone. The time has come to step up to the challenges that we face daily and to study our best course of action, learn to live with and love one another, and forgive those who have trespassed against us. Taking a positive stance, removing the blinders of oppositional thinking and renewing our hope and the goodwill that follows from it, we can create a better life for the next seven generations.