You never quite know where life leads

So many people adopt the “vibe” that is prevalent around them, which essentially turn their main power over to whatever may be prevailing at the time. If things are generally going bad or poor then that is the direction fro which they are attracted.

However there are others that seem to have a rosier-than-usual outlook about life and no matter what is happening around them they seem to at least put on a positive image of optimism.

Even though you never quite know where life may be headed or exactly what the future unfolds, you do have something to say about how you position your attitude.

Those who portray a happy outlook in spite of things around them make the choice to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are happy about bad things, but that they intentionally choose to hold on to a positive attitude.

The really strange phenomenal is how our attitudes seem to paint our world and even attract the vibes that we send out into the world. Some call this the Law of Attraction, but it is not this mystical voodoo that some would like to sell you.

As you think you tend to create and manifest. As you hold a certain attitude it sends out vibrations into the universe that magnify the elements around you. Just as the earth, moon and other celestial bodies obey the laws of magnetism likewise do human beings.

There is an invisible element that you can’t see, but you are definitely the one that either consciously or unconsciously, sends out the signals that attract similar elements. This is simply one of the many laws of nature.

The more you learn to become conscious of the vibrations that you are sending, the more you should be able to control them. It is a matter of choice. People that are more optimistic choose to be so in spite of the conditions that are revealed around them.

Even though this us usually somewhat difficult to achieve at times, “hard” is something that you must accept as a personal challenge in order to successfully control your attitude.

Like many of you I have read many books about the law of attraction and the power of positive thinking. I read “The Secret” that was a book and a very popular DVD that became a craze for a while. When it was popular positive vibrations were floating wildly among the consciousness of many people.

Like many such crazes once they fade back into the sub-consciousness it is almost as though it doesn’t exist any more, but that indeed is not the case. “Out of site and out of mind” is a phrase that goes with this scenario. Once it is out of your conscious mind you cease to control the intensity of the vibrations that you are emitting.

You are no longer in a state of heightened alert. Since you are no longer intentionally sending out positive signals you no longer attract them, at least not by choice. You are left to attracting the low hum that you are subconsciously sending, which is not usually always positive unless by nature you are a positive-perky-person.

I’m not saying anything new here. Perhaps you have heard a message similar to this a thousand times, but apparently after a spell you have forgotten this message and thereby sending it back to that “low hum,” as usual.

Might I suggest that if you do not like how things are going at least check your mind-set? Check your attitude and see if the needle is stuck on low energy or on the negative energies that are all too prevalent in today’s society.

Do something! Do anything but continue to allow a less-than-positive signal to emit from you like a cold dud. Once you turn your attitude around you will notice a remarkable difference in the things around you. Your attitude is literally painting the world around you.

Become a person that intentionally emits positive vibrations. Do this as a lifestyle. When you forget this message use your smart phones, or you email message alert to chime you ever so often reminding you that you never quite know where life may be headed.

Though we might not know exactly what might be in store for the future, the least we could do to help the situation is to keep a positive mental attitude about it (life) as you go through it.

You never know where good things may come from, but you can do all that is possible to attract the finer things your way. –Word Up! -  

Political Correctness

 PC, as commonly abbreviated, denotes posturing language, ideas, policies, and behaviors that seek to minimize social and institutional offense to an excessive extent. It simply means choosing to operate in a manner that does not ruffle too many feathers. It is the aspect of trying to walk a thin line so as not to overly offend others, aiming for as few as possible.

In today’s society the term is really a pejorative expression. It has lost its punch because no one can say they are the orthodox or supreme authority in reference to what is unilaterally offensive. In today's highly politically-charged atmosphere it is sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad ones.

Since America is, literally, a melting pot of nearly every nationality and cultural blend of people on the planet, where would any sort of gauge find its moral compass when it comes to offending the majority of the people? In some cultures cannibalism is right! 

In order to narrow this down we could use phrases such as “common decency” or “trying not to intentionally and knowingly offend others,” but that puts us back into trying to walk on eggshells because of not knowing where people keep their “offense button” hidden. You know… it’s a thin line between love and hate.

Since I have become somewhat unofficially a journalist, I understand the need to allow freedom of expression at least up to a point, because the only way to make changes in things that are institutionalized pejoratives is to allow those who are penalized to speak out in order to bring attention to whatever injustices have been made by their oppressors and thereby endeavor to correct that offense.

What seems to be of more concern to the general public is the fact that the compass once used to calculate correctness is all over the scale, therefore it is truly difficult to determine where social consciousness rests.

Things that were formerly politically correct, or as the case may be, incorrect, are no longer the same. Things that were morally offensive are no longer the same. Things that were thought to be common decency are no longer pinging the moral thermometer at the same mark.

In essence it appears that we have stirred up an ocean of sediment and it will take some time before all that “stuff” settles back down to its own bottom level again.

As each generation comes into dominance they usually usher in their own moral compass. Things that are common for me were not common for my parents. Things that are common for my children are not acceptable for me.

With this much constant fluctuation it is most difficult to set a deep enough anchor from which the masses can brace themselves. It is like riding on a small boat through very rough waters. One can only hold on to whatever in order to keep what small amount of balance possible.

What are the anchors that we still recognize as solid foundational bases? What are the pillars that have stood the test of time that the majority still respects? In truth many of those longstanding markers have faded into the past like the memory of a great sunset. Seemingly, they are no longer present. We only hope to keep some of their memories close enough that perhaps memories of them might make at least a slight difference.

One of the main issues here is that those who do not have or respect moral boundaries are learning how to set the slate. What’s popular or fashionable is becoming the new marker. The lines people draw in the sand are quickly disappearing.

Comedians poke fun at those who take a stand for righteousness sake. Our leaders and stars who bend or break the rules are raised to even higher stardom than they were before they committed their offenses.

Even being politically correct is a joke, because being politically incorrect is more fashionable. Why would our children want to be “good” when being “bad” gets them much more attention?

So where does this leave us? Are we willing to drop nearly all of our morality bars and go to a society where nearly anything goes? Do we really want to see a society of lawlessness? Is it even possible to put the cat back in the box now that we have let it out?

I’m not being cynical here! I’m only making observations of the pictures that have been so clearly painted. I have lost my desire to be politically correct because that bar has been set so low in the dungeons.

I’m no longer afraid to offend those who are being offensive. I will personally stand for what is right and decent regardless of popularity. I will not become a man that stands for nothing and thereby falls for anything.

For me, and my household, we still believe in godliness. And yes, that may be politically incorrect. My faith is not anchored upon being popular or being accepted by those who would gladly curse and spit on the very God that I believe in.

If being politically correct means that I should forego and forget about the God that I serve, or forego and forget about common sense principles of decency, then so be it. I can both live and die knowing that for me…I would have followed my heart to a place that is deeply hidden, where the spirit of God lives in me. Trust not in things that are seen, but instead those that are unseen. Selah!   

360 degrees of right and wrong

 Have you ever wondered why there are organizations such as the KKK, Skin Heads, Aryan Nation, National Alliance, National Socialist Movement, New Black Panther Party, White Order of Thule, Jewish Defense League, or even the Nation of Islam?

If you google the term “hate groups” you will see a list of groups considered supremacist, separatist, or racist. Many of these groups have extremely loyal and very dedicated members. They believe very deeply in their creed and mission, which is basically to separate themselves from others they consider either a threat or inferior.

Racism comes in all shades of colors and races. It has been a major issue ever since historical records were kept. In many cases nations and governments have legally sanctioned it. Why do you think one group of humans could conjure up so much hate against another group?

Since so many racist and anti-racist organizations believe very deeply and at times militantly right about their mission, there can be no way all of them can be right, or wrong. It simply means that there are different degrees of right and wrong according to the believer.

I sometimes try to understand where such hate comes from, but pure hate has no rationale. Revenge, different from hate, is what people use to fight against those they feel have perpetrated something against them.

When you are abused you want to fight back against those who hurt you. It is almost as though you want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. “If you hurt me I want to hurt you back.” These human responses I understand, but still, in my mind two wrongs will never make a right.

However, when you look at racism in America you have to address the building blocks that formed this nation. Legally sanctioned racism was imposed upon Native Americans, Africans Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, Women, Gays and other groups that did not fit the Anglo majority at the time this nation was being formed.

This level of hate was not generated by an act of revenge or payback. It was hate for the sake of hating, with the sole intention of causing others to suffer. It was one race taking unfair and unearned advantages over another for the sake of personal gain. Still those who did these horrible acts felt justified in doing what they did, otherwise the United States of America would not have been formed, not as it was.

Even so, I still go back to the point of what is right, and what is wrong. When you see major corporations and top-level government leaders practice racism and even endorse it, are we to believe there are simply 360 degrees of right and wrong in the overall scheme of things?

Certainly the majority thinks they have a right to do what they do, as was the case of the slaughter of the Native American Indians or the enslavement of Africans. These people had something the Anglos wanted and were willing to take no matter what. The Native Americans had the land and the Africans provided a source of slave labor. Killing them and placing them in bondage was not even considered inhumane, it was merely considered a means to an end.  

Still, how do we justify right and wrong when culture is basically determined by a consensus of the people? If the majority gets what they consider to be right, what does morality have to do with the final results?

Although looking back on history I do believe that most people living in America today believe that the treatment of the Native American Indians and the slavery of the Africans was evil and in every classification, DEAD WRONG! Most believe that the slaughter of the Jews during the Holocaust was dead wrong. Rationally most know discrimination in any form is morally wrong.

However, what we’re currently facing is the terrible aftermath that hate imprint upon a society. It is indelibly etched in the soul of our nation. Although those actual days and accepted practices are long gone, in most cases, the habits and behaviors people learned will not easily go away.

In order to rid a society of such ills, individuals will need to check their hearts and purge such unwanted things from their behaviors.  Human beings are unfortunately creatures of habit and a product of their indoctrination.

If you were taught to hate then more than likely hate is a part of your being. If you were taught to discriminate then that too shapes your personality. A person must look deeply into their soul and determine if traits of racism and discrimination are something they wish to continue. If not they must intentionally and purposefully purge such practices from their being. They must regurgitate what was fed to them and retained as a behavioral practice.

In the end I do not believe there are 360 degrees of right and wrong. There is only right and wrong. Yes, there is yin and yang, but they, too, are opposites. One is the light and the other darkness. The two are not any more compatible with each other than fire and water. Just because people make choices to practice things that are wrong does not make them right. Simply because the majority agrees about something does not make it right.

Now that we have reached this age of enlightenment there are a lot of things wrong that we have accepted. Part of that was because we accepted darkness as our mode of living. We can no longer hide behind such dark clouds in ignorance.

There are no 360 degrees of right and wrong. Right is right and wrong is dead wrong. You must search your heart and soul and make that determination. Should you decide to remain in darkness, then that is a horse of a different color. FYI!

Who is guarding the Political Henhouse?

 If you are like me you probably don’t have a clue about the election for the school board or certain measures and propositions that are proposed by our elected officials. This is not something that I’m personally happy about admitting because it is people like this (me) who are partially responsible for what is not right about the system.

The more we refuse to get involved the more the system takes its own political landscape. Politicians actually count on the majority of people not showing up and/or participating within the system. This is the primary reason why you can have an inoperable system year after year and nothing seems to change. People don’t ordinarily get involved until the system is close to sinking.

This is not just about the secondary elections, but almost just as true for most of our public elections. The majority of registered voters don’t usually get involved until or unless things are really going bad. That is just before the ship is almost ready to go under.

I would speculate that this entire economic downward spiral is because people were not guarding their own interest. We trust our elected officials to make the best choices for us and don’t want to be bothered with the details. It's "hands off" or "I don't have time to get involved in those details!"

After politicians do whatever it is they do, then later we complain vociferously about how badly things are operating. Who do you think is ultimately to blame for the problem? If this is a true democracy then the “will of the people” should be in control. BUZZZZZZZZZ…NOT!

How many of you know who is running for your school board? How many of you know the members of the judicial board that you elected? How many know about the various propositions such as gay marriage rights or measures to legalize marijuana? When is the next election and what is being proposed? Do you even know where your polling place is located?

If I weren’t writing this article I admit that I would most likely not know the answers to any one of these questions. Shame on me! And I am a councilperson! DOUBLE SHAME!!!

Well, folks, it is time for us to wake up and start participating in the system that is controlling so many aspects of our lives. If things aren’t going well it may be because we aren’t dictating the choices. If we have bad officials it may be because we are not using our voting power to keep them out of office or to remove them once they have proven themselves unworthy of public trust.

You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Essentially that means that when looking at the situation from both sides, each side carries weight.

Each choice sways the balance, one way, or the other. In many cases a “no vote” is just as good as supporting the opposing side, and vice versa. In many cases the way the proposal is worded you really don’t understand how you may be voting.

In many cases if you don’t use your vote to oppose something you lend your permission to do otherwise. A "yes" vote opposes one for “no”, while a "no" vote cancels out one for “yes.”  Even the simple act of doing nothing means you will be affecting the ultimate outcome, albeit inadvertently. You must learn what the issues are and what our elected officials are doing, together and/or individually, to solve problems.  Only the informed will be on top of their game!

Use your children for an example. If you do not tell them not to do something, it is almost tantamount as allowing them to do it. However, when you tell them in definite terms NOT to do something, you are going on record as opposing their doing whatever it may be. If you are oblivious to the situations that arise in any family, your choice NOT to speak up may be the reason why you so often find the situation goes against your wishes.

Folks, I think it is about time for us to wake up as a society and start paying careful attention to exactly who is “guarding the political henhouse. If we are not watching the politicians they get a chance to do what they want to do, how they want, and when they want to, with our tax money. And we were the ones that give them that right.

If there is something wrong, for the most part we are to blame. If we want to see real change we are the ones who will have to make that happen. We can only do that if we start participating in how our system operates.