SUFFERING

Why do we suffer?  

Why do we inflict suffering upon others?  

Can we change this pattern in our world?

I believe we can.  

If we lived in a world that abhorred suffering in all its forms, suffering would no longer exist.

I speak of all manner of suffering: that which is self-inflicted, that which occurs because of accident or random violence, that which is purposely imposed by courts and tribunals, that which catches us unawares, such as illness.

We live in a world that is not only filled with suffering, but also constructed about a system that guarantees its perpetuation.

We have 16,000 nuclear weapons stockpiled in world arsenals.  We believe in the maxim "an eye for an eye", and mete out so-called justice accordingly.  We wish to impose the greatest punishment upon those who inflict the most grievous pain.  We strive mightily to design a retribution that is equal to the act inflicted upon us.  We call this Justice; the law agrees.

In our anger and pain, we cannot see the lasting implications of all our hatred and vengeance. We choose not to see that it has changed nothing in our world.  It has not made it safer, more humane, or more loving.  It has, instead, created an "armed camp" waiting for the next terrorist to strike us down on some unknown day, in some unknown place, at some unknown time.

We believe in guns and armaments, the more sophisticated the better, until all our battles are fought by drones and robots.  The innocent will still die, while the "soldiers" will simply fall apart or into disrepair.

What have I done today to make a better world?  A less painful world.  What is behind my anger and my pain?  

The core of the world's pain is rarely examined.  James Holmes committed a heinous act. Innocent people died and were maimed.  James Holmes suffered from a brain disease that influenced his actions.  One juror held out for life in prison instead of the death penalty.

Our mental health system is in shreds.  It is poorly funded and lacking in trained professionals. Burnout is high.  There is rarely any intermediate recovery care for those released from acute care.  They either go home (if they have one), to the streets, or, too often, to jail.  This is one of the single most distressing issues facing mentally diseased individuals.  The majority of such individuals do not kill; we must be clear about this.  But some few do.

Beyond the failing system, is the stigma of mental disease, which often keeps families and victims from first, admitting it exists, and secondly, taking action to get help.

The U.S. is awash with guns.  The more the President and various individuals try to reign them in, the more they proliferate.  

We must get rid of our guns.  Now!  Of course this is drastic, but it is absolutely necessary.  We must get rid of our bombs as well.  All of them!  Nuclear proliferation treaties are like putting a raincoat on the ocean.  It is too big, too powerful and too unpredictable.

We must replace judgment with trust.  Now!  Once you judge a person, you eliminate the chance to ever truly know them.  

Suffering exists because we feed it daily on an international scale and locally on a personal level.  We often do so unknowingly by a snide remark or gesture.  Every action, be it internal or external, ripples across the globe like the flutter of a butterfly's wings.  Throw a handful of dirt into the wind and it will blow back at you.

Tomorrow is too late!  

BELIEFS

It is perhaps time in our human history to  pause and take a serious look at "beliefs"...in some circles, the term is capitalized simply by the weight and power afforded to it by its holders.

Some beliefs are standard practice.  Do not harm a child.  Do not kill the innocent.  Do not steal another's possessions.  Do not cheat.  Do not lie.  

Some beliefs are subjective, i.e., personal views of the world--beliefs that are often contrary to that of a neighbor, colleague, or family member.

In America, there are many different beliefs.  Even individuals with similar beliefs might express them in different ways.

The reason I am writing about "beliefs" is because the world we live in is ruled by them.  One of the most profound of all being religious Beliefs--the capital word is most suitable here.

The question I pose to you the reader, is why are religious beliefs given more weight than most any other belief?  Why do they garner so much power?  Why are we ruled by them, cursed by them, and too oft, destroyed by them?

When personal belief's become societal beliefs (not that all of society abides these beliefs), do they become more true?  Are they not still subjective beliefs held by a great number of people?  And as such, should they be given any more than respect?

A prior Blog looked at beliefs in respect to gay rights and suggested that one is entitled to believe anything he or she chooses, but draws a line at imposing (and having the law concur) them on others not so inclined.

This blog is here as food for thought.  In a pluralistic society, the unfettered power of one is contrary to democracy.  Religion is a belief system.  And I propose it is no more nor less than any other.

Capitalism

What is Capitalism?

To a poor man or woman, it is the unattainable.

To Karl Marx, it was greed.

To the wealthy, it is the reward for hard work and unfettered risk taking.

To politicians, it is the answer to all society's ills--albeit through very different lenses.

In truth, Capitalism is none of the above.  It is, first and foremost, an unruly system thrust into the hands of human beings without instructions or guideposts.  It is, to paraphrase Adam Smith, an "every man/woman for him/herself" kind of system.  And because it is a System, it has no feelings, no desires, no disappointments and no worries.

In most every other human interaction systems are governed by human being.  Not so with Capitalism.   Capitalism is the ruling Monarchy, the disguised dictatorship, the golden goose, the brass ring, the winner takes all, the no holds barred.

You get the picture.

When a pro athlete signs a 145 million dollar, three year contract and a pro golfer takes home nearly 2 million dollars for five days of sport, while 20 percent of Oregon's children live in poverty, one must ask, what is money, really?

When an employer says "this is all I can offer you," and yet that employer takes in millions, perhaps, billions of dollars a year over and above its expenses, a wide-awake human being should be appalled.

Yet, everyday people take poverty level, minimum wage jobs--which seem to be growing by leaps and bounds--the very same people who keep our corporations going from the ground floor up, and without whom these same corporations would have to close their doors.

I believe the day is coming when major world economies will crumble into giant heaps, buried under vast debt and speculation, immense greed and unrealistic ideals.

No one is worth 145 million dollars when over 1 billion of our world's children still live in poverty. One person living in poverty one single second longer is one second too many!  Charity cannot not sustain them.  Soup kitchens and food pantries do not give them lasting security.  They provide a meal for a day with no promise that another will be forthcoming tomorrow or the day after.  In turn, no one with a job today is guaranteed it will be there tomorrow.  And if you can't afford the necessities, you must chosse debt or go without.

How can we so idolize such a system?  Why are our greatest minds not focused on a new, more realistic one?  One that sees money as merely a tool to providing life's needs in equal measure to all.

A world built on debt and speculation, on mega corporations and the race to become billionaires so that we can possess more of the same and dispose of it with abandon, cannot stand forever.  An equilateral triangle will hold its point erect in perpetuity.  But in economics, that same triangle, with the wealthiest at the top and the poorest at the bottom, will eventually wither away at its roots until even this indestructible system must decay from lack of care.

The Naysayers regarding the Right to Marry

Yesterday was a joyous one for the gay community (June 26, 2015), but it was a troubling day for humanity as a whole.  

We come into this world a bundle of unknowns; the labels  "heterosexual" and "homosexual” are added sometime around puberty.  We don't go to Wal Mart and buy them for ourselves; they are "bestowed" upon us by a supposedly "all-wise" society, many of whom believe that such divisions really matter.

Yesterday, five members of the U S Supreme Court said that all people are equal, and entitled unequivocally to the privileges provided under our form of government.  

Marriage began as a consensual ritual formed centuries ago to set certain couples apart from others.  Over time it has gathered an abundance of legal and personal privileges.  Marriage has, and continues, to symbolize commitment between two individuals who love each other and who want to spend their lives together.  Just because marriage has traditionally been between men and woman, does not mean that it cannot include same sex couples.  

Marriage was “closed” by the courts and the Congress only recently, but  historical habit must not prohibit change and adaptation.

As regards the Bible--Jesus welcomed all to his table, without caveat, and yet most of the bias against gay marriage is religiously based.

A "belief system" is just that, something one believes.  Beliefs are not set in stone; they evolve and change over time.  Once there was a place the Roman Catholic Church called Limbo, an amorphous realm situated between Heaven and Hell where residents waited to be called to one side or the other.  Now, it does not exist at all.

I am a person first.  Do not label me.  Do not tell me I am less (or more) than you.  Do not assume that just because you do not like me or my lifestyle that you have the right to deny me the same choices you enjoy every day.

What is equality?  What is justice?  What does the phase "liberty and justice for all," mean?

Our country was founded on the above ideals.  Our founding fathers were centered on a vision of a better world.  They had no idea how that vision would play out over the centuries. They set up their ideals boldly, but those ideals had one shortsighted pitfall....they began with what those same men could comfortably negotiate.  Only landowning men could vote.  Slavery remained in place.  Though the dream of equality burned brightly, they were ill-prepared to afford it to all.

The U S Supreme Court justices who voted in favor of marriage for all understand that "government of the people" is a fine, noble ideal, but they also realize that no government can neglect minority rights while it waits for the majority to change their hearts and minds.

Equality has been "urged along" throughout our history; it has been urged along because people suffer when it is not.  This momentum has been acted out through legal statute often accompanied by public protest, and sadly, violence: The Emancipation Proclamation, the Black vote, the Women's vote, biracial marriage, and now, gay marriage.  

Equality cannot be parceled out when one is happy, amenable, or religiously or emotionally ready.  Equality is the foundation of America.  It is supposedly why our soldiers go to other countries to fight and die.  We hold America high and say, "be like us.  Free!!! 

By our actions will they know us, not by our words.

ou

Historic U S Supreme Court Rulings

On June 25, 2015, the U S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Affordable Care Act subsidies that provide less able individuals with the resources necessary to purchase health insurance at a price closer to what they can afford.

On June 26, 2015, the U S Supreme Court said that liberty and justice for all is a sacred right that can be denied to no U S citizen.  

Though these historic decisions were not unanimous, they are non-the-less law.  

Today, those with limited resources have access to health care.  The naysayers in Congress would dearly love to gut the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with something better.  They have yet to define or even propose an alternative.  The ACA is not perfect.  The mandate to purchase insurance is an onerous one that punishes those with the least resources.  It does not address economic inequality in our country. It is a band aid over an enormous problem whose woes are old and profound and have nothing at all to do with health care.  Nonetheless, the ACA is a stepping stone, just like Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" was a stepping stone at a time when anything more would have been nearly impossible.

That being said, the second Supreme Court ruling named above is a giant step for liberty and equality in a nation that still grapples with those words and their deepest meanings.

Today, same sex couples may apply for and receive marriage licenses in all 50 states. Detractors say the federal government has over-stepped its bounds and entered into areas best decided by the people of each state.

But those of us who know prejudice, those of us who have been asked to wait until the majority "see the light" know better.  When the world understands that the majority have no right to withhold liberty, equality and justice from the minority for any reason, then our world will truly have progressed beyond the shadows of ignorant and hurtful darkness into the light of fraternity, compassion, and love.

Religious Freedom Law in Indiana

Religious freedom is a cornerstone of America.  Right up there with all the other freedoms our founding fathers envisioned some 238 years ago.

Indiana Governor Pence says that the law he recently signed does not encourage discrimination, but instead, protects the personal, religious beliefs of all Hosiers.  No one can dispute the upholding of individual beliefs.  Again, a solid American principle.

So, why all the backlash.  Huge corporations threatening to withdraw their business.  The NCAA rethinking the Final Four.  Signs going up in businesses saying "We serve Everyone".

Perhaps things are not as simple as they seem.

Right now the world is locked in mortal battle with disparate groups around the globe who profess a religious faith that they believe is the one true way to salvation.  Whereas Jesus said "love your neighbor as you would love yourself," many churches add caveats, i.e., side comments.  Such as: "Love the sinner, but hate the sin."  Most often applied to the GLBT community.

All of us have difficulty with those things in life we do not understand, especially when we feel they may harm us or our families by their very existence, even if these fears are unproven.  Sometimes these "feelings" become personal beliefs and we find ourselves choosing sides, passing laws, or accepting some while excluding others.

At their most benign, beliefs are private matters born on emotion and fed by ideas (not always our own) and life experience.  "Private" is the key word here.  As an American you may believe what you want, attend the church of your choice, participate in rituals and adopt a creed.

Things get blurry, however, when we take that belief and use it to deny our fellow human beings the same privileges we would go to our death to preserve.  When we reach this point, we have moved from belief to judgment; and this is just one step away from intolerance and hate.  To totally adhere to the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, one cannot have it both ways.  In other words, we cannot award these privileges only to those we deem worthy.

If a starving man offends your religion for one reason or the other, would you still deny him a hot meal and a place to stay?  If a person chooses to love differently from you, and your religion finds it offensive, would you deny him or her food at your grocery, a cake from your bakery, and best wishes for a long and happy life at his or her wedding?

Use this law to protect those aspects of your religion that affect your right to worship how, when and where you wish and with whom you wish.  But take care not to assume that because of your beliefs you are also entitled to judge another, exclude another, or condemn another publicly.

The New Testament is filled with many, many things, but at its core is  a single thread:  "Judge not lest you be judged.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It couldn't be simpler, my friends.  Do we really need laws to codify common decency and humanity?

Our world's future is begging us to find common ground.  To listen.  To learn. To trust.  To take risks by reaching out to others not like ourselves.  We have tried the other way and it is apparent to all who care to see that it simply does not work!

APPLE'S $10,000 WATCH!!!

Apple has just released its top-of-the-line watch.  Its target: the luxury market.  Those who can afford to wear a high-priced gadget.

No mention is made of the six billion nine hundred ninety-nine million people on the planet who cannot afford it.  No mention is made of how such a watch will make a better world, end rampant poverty, or bring world peace.

I can think of many things this world needs more than another expensive gadget to show off to one's friends.  The Rolex is not enough?!

Companies that create and market such items have lost my business.  Period.

Instead of this, why not:

--End poverty,

--Cure debilitating and life-ending diseases,

--Mend our dysfunctional mental health system,

--Rethink and restructure our educational system,

--Disassemble our current U. S. Congress and reassemble it with people who actually understand diversity of opinion and the need for communication and compromise,

--Create products that will last,

--Provide equal and excellent healthcare to all,

--Pay a living wage to ALL,

--Create a People and Environmentally conscious world in lieu of a Money-driven world.

The world is filled with genius.  Apple is a fine example of a company that just keeps coming up with novel ideas and processes.   The only problem is, the goal seems to be:  stay one step of the competition.  Keep the stockholders and Wall Street happy.

This particular road is the road to Nowhere.  All giants fall eventually.

What if the world's focus was on collaboration with one's peers instead of competition? What if the end product was the creation of a wholesome and peaceful world?  What if money was ancillary and a healthy world primary?

What if, Apple?  What if?