Bizarro World

Oh, we really are living in a bizarre world. I do like the slogan for the Democrats campaign in '04 though. If only Clinton had been as forward a thinker as W.md, and changed the constitution to nullify those pesky term limits, he could've been emperor. The woman is convinced that this change is the next phase of the GOP's plans to take over the known universe. Something along the line of "Voting is unpatriotic" or "Voting is undemocratic". Take your pick. No wait, you don't get to choose. We choose for you.

From the man:

Lately I had a conversation with a co-worker who has expressed to me his affection for George W.md Bush. I was baffled. I couldn't understand why someone who actually has to work for a living would support this president. Since he's in the Army reserves he said that he was impressed by the fact that W.md is willing to give the armed forces whatever they need in their fight and that W.md doesn't believe that he knows everything so he listens closely to his advisors. I guess that meant that W.md isn't arrogant enough to act alone while engaging in such a precarious venture. Hmmm, if only those words held true. Obviously my friend gets his information from FoxNews. Anyway, the conversation didn't progress much further due to the fact that I basically expressed to him that he didn't know what he was talking about, where he responded that maybe we should just nuke em all. We didn't talk much the rest of the day.

Well here are two stories that show why he doesn't know what he is talking about and why we shouldn't just nuke em. I hope that he's listening because the more people believe W.md's lies, the worse it's going to be for all of us.

Lately I've been reading "The River Below" by Francois Cheng. It is wonderful to learn some history and culture about China from such an amazing storyteller. Today I found a passage that relates to interdependence.

"man may be an animal with an eternal thirst, but nature has the water to satisfy his desire. It would seem that creation does not create any desires it cannot satisfy. In other words, man is thirsty because water exists. Man is of course at liberty to desire but can desire no more than what reality has to offer, hidden deep inside itself. Even when he goes so far as to desire the infinite, it is because the infinite is already there, provided for him."

Just a Thought

“The most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing to help others?’ Do not say you will do it someday. Now is the time. Do not say that someone will do it. You are the one.”
--Martin Luther King

I was reading a progressive critique on the success of Rush Limbaugh. One of the main ingredients in his success is his ability to keep things simple. He addresses the events of the world from a simplistic singular point of view. This view put simply is that everyone should listen to him because he has the perfect opinion on everything. He never bothers with an opposing viewpoint or even attempts to create any sort of dialogue on his show whatsoever. That would only complicate matters. The reason this is the key to his success boils down to the fact that people do not want to contemplate their own existence, so they let others do it for them. Others who sound like they know what they are talking about.

Now, those of us who choose to reflect on the impact we have on our own lives, as well as the lives of others, understand that a fulfilling and happy existence can never be handed to us by someone else. Especially not from those who preach from the gospel of hate. But how do we convey this idea to the world in simple terms so that eyes that are clamped shut may begin to open? According to this author many have struggled and failed to give a simplistic opposing viewpoint in an attempt to awake the masses from their conservative coma.

I believe Martin Luther King kept it simple and he was right. History shines brightly on this great man who fought violence with compassion and awoke a nation from its hateful slumber, if at least for a moment. “What are you doing for others?” A simple thought that is more powerful than any smartbomb ever was. The reason this question remains persistent and urgent to this day really boils down to the simple fact of interdependence. Whoa! That sounds complicated but bear with me. In a nutshell it means that the world around us affects our lives. We can’t escape it. If someone in your immediate environment is unhappy, like a father or your spouse, then you are unhappy. This rule always plays out. If someone gives you a giant hug that is filled with joy, then that joy enters your heart and brightens your day. The same goes for our communities, the country we live in as well as the entire world. Those who think that this interdependence doesn’t exists need only to search the products in their home and undoubtedly will find something that was made in China.

With this in mind we can now look at how we make choices in our lives. Who are we thinking about when we make decisions? Are we thinking about how we affect others? Once we begin to understand that we affect the world around us with the choices that we make in the same way that the world around us affects us, then we can begin making intelligent decisions based on the benefit of all humanity. When we make choices with this thought in mind, ‘How is my choice going to affect me, the people around me and all of humanity?’ then we begin to see a definite shift in the purpose of the world.

Let’s be honest for a moment. The world seems like a pretty scary place right now. Terror has become a permanent part of our vocabulary. An unstable global economy permeates people’s lives the world over and has been put in the hands of corrupt individuals who care about little more than what color their private jet is decorated. In a time where instant conversation with those 5000 miles away has become possible we choose not to discuss our differences and fall back on the barbaric act of war to solve everything. Every day we throw away enough food to feed the entire planet, yet millions of human beings go to bed hungry. We know more about the sex life of J-lo than about how our democracy is governed. Oceans are being depleted of all life and species are dying off at an unprecedented rate. The ice caps are melting faster than...than...

Okay, breathe.

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooooooo. Calmate.

This is the reality of our world today. It is a massive destructive force that exists and it will not go away by ignoring it. This is what you are avoiding when you nod in agreement to loud braggarts who’ve built their bully pulpits with lies. These are truths that you will never hear from Rush Limbaugh. He will never speak about them because he will never take responsibility for any of these problems. Unfortunately if we continue to do nothing we are be responsible and we will always feel the fear that these images invoke.

It is very difficult to create change in the world, but the reality is that the world must change. That change must begin with each and every individual who is alive at this moment. And we must begin now. Change never happens over night. It is a long and arduous path, but it is the path to riches beyond our imagination. We may never see the results of our efforts in this lifetime, but those who remain will witness and understand the miracle of compassion. Our children, their children and all the precious human beings that enter this world seek a magnificent future. We must give them a future of hope and joy and erase the current trend toward fear and destruction.

It all begins with a very simple thought, ‘What am I doing for others?’ When we vote, when we work, when we play, when we consume, when we speak, when we breathe - this thought must be present. It must be embedded in our lives. Otherwise nothing will ever change. The world will remain the way that Rush Limbaugh and all the other simple miserable selfish creatures have made it. That doesn’t fill my heart with joy. That doesn’t bring hope into my life. And THAT is simply unacceptable.

Just a thought for the next time the simple rhetoric of hate enters your lives.

LEAFBLOWER (Nemesis of the Graveyardshift Worker)

Such wondrous visions as I sleep and dream
Golden nymphs dance on delicate darkness' edge
Teasing, enticing...........
WHIrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrwhirrrrrrrrrrrrWHIRRRRRrrrrrrrrrwhirrrrrrrrrrWHIRRRRRRR
Ohhhhhhhh, how I do loathe thee leafblower.

I can’t imagine what it means to go hungry. I know I have whimpered when my belly grumbles, but it doesn’t take long for my bowl to fill up with kibble. Life must be incredibly hard when the focus of your day comes down to the question of what to put in your belly. And I’m not talking about your everyday ‘What’s for breakfast?’ type of focus. What I’m talking about is a gnawing emptiness that consumes all thought until the brain begins to shut down and any idea of reason has long ago gone out to lunch. How many people out there can really relate to that? It sounds like more and more every day

This is crazy! Thirty-one million Amerikans don’t know where their next meal is going to come from? I mean, how many people do we even have in this country? Three million people have lost their jobs in the last two years without even the slightest prospect of another? I may not be the smartest dog in the world (and I’m pretty damn smart!) but that sounds to me like quite a few votes lost for W.md. I wonder how all of those desperate people feel about their huge tax break now? I bet if they had known that they were going to get a severance check along with their tax cut they would have thought twice before voting for that guy who has never succeeded in life.

Let’s think about that for a second. Here’s a man who has been a colossal failure at everything he has ever tried to do in life. He runs for president and sort of wins, but not really. And now he has proceeded to be the worst president this country has ever known. Now, I know that we’ve only been around for a couple of hundred years and we’re only learning about what it means to be a country but it doesn’t get any clearer than this! He’s never succeeded in his life! What could we expect out of someone with that track record? I think you get the picture.

I just wish that I could have some leftovers. It sure as hell tastes better than kibble. And apparently I’m not the only one looking up at the edge of the table where all the big folks eat waiting for a scrap to magically fall my way. Maybe chance will play a favorable hand to all those disillusioned souls out there who need a helping hand. I mean, there’s always hope. Perhaps our “great” leaders will see what has become of this “great” nation and once again step forward and truly become leaders for the people, by the people and of the people. If they don’t I promise you that I will bare my teeth and it won’t be because I’m hungry.