October 31, 2008 at 1:33 pm (dysfunction, life)
I don’t read or watch the news. I get snippets of headlines on the Yahoo home page, and J reads lots of alternative stuff. But what I want to talk about today is not alternative. The article I refer to was published in the Charleston Gazette: So far, six counties in the state of West Virginia are reporting problems with voting machines. The problems being if you vote a democratic ticket, the machines register republican.
Now, I don’t profess either party. The shit that goes on in politics nauseates me. And you can be sure that the shit we are privy to is a very small percentage of the total shit. It’s like sports: Win at all cost. Some people in this country have completely lost the spirit of democracy in deference to getting control. Evidently in God we DON’T trust. Not if deceit and manipulation are necessary. And it irritates me further that the majority of the members of this perpetrating party claim to be bible-thumping Christians.
Let’s explore for a moment how many commandments this breaks: unearned votes are a really strange god; cheating for votes makes every single day unholy; they’re stealing votes; it kills the spirit of democracy; it bears TOTAL false witness; it’s coveting a thing that may not be granted otherwise. That’s six commandments that manipulating the voting machines breaks.
I’m going to make it seven: Adultery. Tho it’s not exactly having sex outside of marriage, it IS fucking over the whole country.
Too bad so many of our sons, brothers, fathers and husbands gave their lives so we can have the freedom to fuck each other over.
Sorry, my passion is showing. I don’t even vote.
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October 23, 2008 at 4:08 pm (philosophy)
I’ve been studying yoga philosophy lately. As an occasional practicer of asanas, I decided that it was time. Always, when observing any activity of martial arts (not that yoga is one of these, but coming also from an Eastern thought system), I had been able to understand that the physcal is a very small part of what is intended in these exercises. Mostly people in the West learn it for the purpose of self defense, or for a show of physical acuity and force. The idea becomes to (physically) triumph over adversity.
In reality, there is an underlying intent of honoring the opponent as a part of me, and honoring the source of all. In this sense, there is little use for battle, except for in the strength training. So it is also with yoga.
I love this stuff, but getting into the details of practice, the same thing happens as with most holy scripture: Although we are encouraged to become one with all, we are given rules and guidlines for operating as if we are separate. This baffles me. If I believe that you are me, then I will not steal from you. That would be stealing from me! And God!
The knowledge of good and evil is once again the culprit. If we are one, then nothing really belongs to anyone, and the idea of someone taking something from someone else is a lower dimensional idea. ‘Course, I’m not suggesting that we start helping ourselves to whatever, that obviously wouldn’t work at this point. But try to imagine that world. If it all is available to all, we would not experience any feeling of need or lack. We would believe that our provision is a given. Guess what–it already is.
On another (not so far removed) note: If you stick your finger in a puddle, you cause ripples, but there is nothing you can do to stop them, except wait.
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October 1, 2008 at 2:32 pm (philosophy)
It might not be everyone’s goal in life to be dilemma-free. In fact to have that goal would not be productive, really, since it is the difficulties and obstacles that teach us, stretch us, and help us to grow. Maturity is most apparent in the ways we address/approach difficulty.
Being able to look challenge in the face and establish a productive plan of action, and then take that action one step at a time (mindfully) would be a goal that makes more sense.
I am way too busy. I want to establish that those around me recognize my dilemma and feel something significant about it. I strive to find fault and place blame for the dilemma outside of myself. Such distractions.
That anything is, in fact, dilemma is meaning I give it. Now I have something to pay attention to instead of the real work necessary, which is: DON’T give it meaning, especially not a negative one.
Paradise is now. In the moment, in eternity. No matter what is going on, it’s meaning is only apparent in thinking about what already happened (something bad), and what will happen in the future (more bad, probably). Here’s the scoop: Present conditions are the result of past thoughts and actions, and future conditions will be the result of present thoughts and actions. Thinking and feeling bad for the present creates future conditions that will give us the opportunity to feel more bad.
Paradise, being here now, is where I can change all that. Right now, I can feel good about many things. If I look for them, give them my love, attention and gratitude, I can generate the vibration which will perpetuate the occurrence of conditions for which I can be grateful.
Surely.
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