Author: Lauras

Feeling Froggy…

For those of us lucky enough to live in a wooded country setting, the sounds of life are astounding. We hear everything from fox yelp, coyote howls, bobcat growls, to birds chirping, bees buzzing, leaves rustling from the weight of multiple possibilities deer, armadillo, squirrel, snake, etc., and tree frogs. Today I want to talk about those little tree frogs called peepers and add in a few things from my perspective.

Yesterday when I began my walk, I could hear the separate sounds of the individual frogs. But, as life and awareness would have it, before too long I could hear them all in harmony, in the same vibrational pattern, almost like the sound of an ocean wave hitting the shore, or like traffic on a freeway. This made me think about my life, my spiritual journey, and its need for harmony.

As I raise my spiritual level and awareness to all that is around me (seen and unseen), I realize that I cannot continue the struggle between finding my authentic self and stresses of the ego; work, home, spouses, children. I must like the frogs pattern find the ultimate balance between them, the harmony that truly does exist. Have no fear, everyday brings me a little closer to this balance. And if you are on a similar journey, you will get there as well. It is about living life filled with love and passion in each moment and having faith and not worrying about what has not yet arrived, for all will work its way out, and teach us lessons along the way.

As I sit here writing, and letting you all know a little about this tiny frog, I think it synchronistic that my nickname growing up was Kermit or Frog. When I asked the person who started the trend why that? He simply said it was the first thing that came into his mind. So I will begin to teach you about the unseen part of the frog. Several cultures believe in spiritual animals. They look to them for guidance, reassurance, and knowledge. With that said, I did look up the Spiritual meaning of the frog.

Frogs symbolic meaning is growth and transformation. They sing their song to remind you to sing yours, to find your voice, and live your truth. They want you to cleanse yourself, to connect with your emotions, look at all perspectives, and rid yourself of negativity. They cannot live very long in a toxic environment, so they challenge you to release your anger, hatred, and bitterness and find a way to love yourself. They come to people who simply are not taking care of themselves to let them know it is time to change, to renew, to rebirth, to step back and look at new ideas and outlooks. Because tree frogs form from a tadpole, which is similar in appearance to male sperm, the sign of fertility or new life, it also takes on the meaning of bringing abundance and luck to origin. Thus, frogs also mean abundance and luck.

The peepers or tree frogs, as we call them in the south, are about an inch long, greenish-gray or brown, and feed off small insects. They have tiny, sticky pads at the end of their long toes to help them cling to plants and/or other objects. And like all flamboyant men, the male inflates a balloon like sac on his throat to make his call louder and carry farther to attract a mate. The males and females actually live on land, but females lay their eggs in water. Those eggs will one day become tadpole, and with luck and survival instincts, those tadpole will become frogs.

I find myself also in recent days wanting to know what laws exist about any and all topics. So for information purposes, the few things I did find related to frogs, was in regards to property rights and restrictions. The first one, was to let the people know who want to learn more about the frog, that they must first receive permission from the landowner to access the property where the frogs exist. The other is that the government, if they so wish, can restrict land owners from activities on their property to protect the habitat of the frog. In recent times, there have been court decisions in government’s favor on further land restrictions for the use of creating habitats for different species, even if the natural habitats are not conducive to the species. Maybe we need to think about our developing ways, and a species natural habitat, so that we have balance with restrictions to land owners. Just my thought, but I so want yours.

As always we wait for your additions to any and all posts, and hope that one day you will join in. As far as this one, I will leave you with this quote from Toni Braxton “I am not a diva, I am a tadpole trying to be a frog”.

 

Following Your Heart..

I am learning that life is about paths, about free will to choose them, about obstacles in them, about resistance to them, and about us listening to our heads sometimes, as opposed to our hearts and souls. For years, I have followed my head and made choices that have shown me some level of accomplishment, of happiness, and of success. However, these also came along with some level of stress, tension, disappointment, and heartache. Today, on the contrary, following my heart is leading me to choices that truly fill my soul, lift my spirit, show me peace and calm that I have never known before, and given me an excitement and sense that nothing is impossible.

My heart has taken me on a spiritual journey, a philosophical journey, a journey to becoming a better more loving human being. This journey has me reading, watching, and researching all kinds of things, from religion, self-help, transformational, mystical, to governmental, health and wellness, informational, and even sometimes the good old dictionary and/or encyclopedia. This journey is bringing me greater awareness, greater ability to live each moment in the here and now, and greater recognition of life’s messages, coincidences, synchronicity, connectedness to others and God, call it whatever you want.

The reason for this blog post is me wanting to share something I became clearly aware of while watching a movie the other day. There was something said that I immediately recognized in myself. Something that I thought the years had me, in small ways tackling; until I was put on this path and realized how far I still had to go. What was said had me truly recognizing my life following my head vs my life following my heart. The movie was The Replacements. The part of the movie has a football team in the locker room with the coach writing the word FEAR on the blackboard and asking the players what they were afraid of.

One player responds quicksand and goes on to define what he meant in this way “your playing and you think everything is going fine, then one thing goes wrong, and then another, and another, and you try to fight back, but the harder you fight, the deeper you sink, until you can’t move, can’t breathe, because you are in over your head – like quicksand”. Whether he is talking about the steady stream of losing confidence or not, that was what I recognized in his statement and applied it to myself.

Choosing to educate myself and follow that path that came from my logical self, led me to many jobs. And at each job I thought I was doing just fine, until I continued to watch others being promoted above me. So with each passing job I worked harder, tried to proof myself more, tried to show that I was deserving. But, with each lack of promotion, fear creeps in and begins to whisper “you know you can’t, you know you are not good enough, you know you would be in over your head”. Before you know it, your stuck, you can’t breathe, and you just go through the motions. Then fear almost keeps you from leaving, keeps you even more stuck, keeps you drowning in quicksand.

Well the best thing I could have ever done, was to begin to listen to my heart. To listen to what it desired, to listen to what it said I could do, and I began to follow that path. It hasn’t necessarily been an easy one either. Following your heart means you have to recognize your damage and begin to heal it. The further along this path I travel, and the more knowledge I seek, the stronger and more confident I become. The more I recognize my abilities, my desires, my truths, my strengths, and my weaknesses. Following a path that truly makes your heart sing, eventually seems as though it takes less effort, less work, and movement around obstacles becomes far easier. So my advice, listen to your heart and soul, it is the place of love, try not to be afraid of where it takes you, because no matter the path; the destinations are far more rewarding.

Got thoughts, don’t be afraid to leave them..

Our Founding In Spirit…

I have long hoped to turn this website into both a spiritual place and an educational one; no matter the topic. I have asked for help in this regards and am learning through faith, that it will be in his time and in his way, not in mine. With that said, I wanted to share with you a few things that have appeared in my life in the last few days. Hopefully, I can bring to you what my desire has been all along, an education in facts, and in, and with spirituality. The Fourth of July had me thinking about America, so today’s topic will be her.

I will begin by letting you know that in nearly every face to face, and personal conversation, that drifts towards politics, or need for change in today’s society, I ask what I think to be a very important question. Before I tell you what that question is, I will let you know that I have not received one yes, to this point. I find it very sad, that in a year of conversations of freedoms, of need for change, of laws and policies, not one person has said yes to “Have you ever read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, or the Federalist Papers?”.

I find it even sadder to think how these individuals are forming their opinions, or where they are getting their information from. I myself have found several articles stating that a popular social media website, banned on the Fourth of July, all or part of one of our founding documents as hate speech. I wonder why. I came across another website or article, in which the author, uses bits of text, without context, to try to prove that our founders were either not religious, or did not want religion attached to government. They went so far as to say, that our founders made sure to not mention God in our founding documents. I am finding in the re-reading of our founding documents, and in the reading of letters back and forth between the founders, that this could not be farther from the truth.

I recently watched a learning video with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a well-known spiritual leader. In this video, he was asked what this world needs, he responded as follows: “We need to spiritualize the politics, socialize the business, and secularize the religion”. He goes on to further explain what he means by this statement. He says that in the secularizing of religion, we need to not think that our religion is the right and only one. That all religions have in common the existence, and faithfulness to God. He goes on to say that in socializing business he only means that every business should have an aspect in which they are giving back, in which they are doing something of benefit for humanity and the planet. And well, I think we can all understand putting the spiritual (the Spirit of Love, of morality, and of the Divine) back into politics.

I wholeheartedly agree with his statement above, and believe that our founders attempted this in the founding of our nation. We see the spiritual in the politics in the mention of Nature’s God and Divine Providence in our founding documents, we see the socializing in the business when they pledge to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors, and lastly, we see the secularization of religion in the first amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. It was not that our founders were not religious, it was that they knew better than to have a national religion, or to stop people of any religion from worshiping God. I hope in future posts to delve into more of our founding, as I think it important to truly know where we came from before we make decisions on where we are going.

I am attaching a link to a website for all to read the Declaration of Independence. My first hope is that you all take a few minutes and read it, especially if you have never read it before. My second hope is that you will not only see that Nature’s God is mentioned in the first paragraph, but also that “Divine Providence” is mentioned near the end. By the way, Wikipedia says this about Divine Providence “In theology, divine providence, or just providence is God’s intervention in the universe. The term “Divine Providence” is also used as a title of God”. My third and last hope is that if there are questions in what we are reading, that a discussion can start about context. We may find we need to go to other documents to find complete context.  Here is the link: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/  please enjoy.

As always I am here waiting for you to join in. I only ask that when you join in, you do it with love in your heart and in a positive, constructive way. For if we are to ever heal we must begin “to love our neighbors as ourselves”, only then will we find our way to compromise.

 

Birthdays Are For…

Happy Birthday America!!!

Yesterday most of us gathered, in different size groups, to celebrate the birth of our nation, and to celebrate how blessed we are to be a part of it. Many probably never stopped to think about what else celebrating yesterday gave us. I am becoming keenly aware of the other part of it, as today is my birthday. That other part we might not think about, is the abundance of love that we have, when we gather with friends, and what we are shown on our birthdays. From strangers that come across our path and find out it is our big day, who pass on a loving greeting, to friends we have known our entire lives, birthdays are a great day to feel surrounded by love. That is of course if we let it happen, or take time to recognize it. Some people tend to be embarrassed by the attention. I used to be one of them. I am finding though I would much rather relish in all the love I am shown, then to hide from it anymore. Who knows, you might even get some great advice, or told something you really need to hear, if you pay attention.

That happened to me today, and really one of the reasons for today’s post. I took about an hour for me and went out on my own. On my outing, I ran into someone I had not seen in about a year. For the seven years prior, I used to see them every day. Each day in all those years we would spend a few minutes making small talk. We never were really intimate, we never had the time. They had a job to do and so did I. Today, however, we could take a few minutes longer to talk. They asked how I was doing, what I was doing, and told me it was great to see me. Of course I also mentioned to them the same. I told them how I was and what I had been up to in the last year, and then said some days I am just not sure. They told me to remember that everybody has to endure storms, but we all usually make it out. They also told me to stick with what I was doing, that it would pay off some day, that I would just have to make it through the storms. That is when it hit me. We never really know how many friends we have, or how many people even think about us or remember us, until a day like today. When everyone makes it obvious and goes out of their way to help you celebrate. Today I was being shown such love (friendship) from a person I had enjoyed seeing for years. And now they were telling me something I really needed to hear, besides Happy Birthday..

I know I will continue to get loving messages, even after this post is written. As I have yet to go through my e-mails and social media. My cup runneth over on my birthday and I bet yours does too. So this is just a thank you to all for the love shown on birthdays and a reminder, that if on no other day, you recognize how truly surrounded by love you are, stop for a moment on your birthday and feel it, soak it in, and be grateful for it. Maybe we will all get a little better about sharing it and showing it every day, until then bathe in the abundance on your birthday. As for me, I say thank you God, or the universe, I got all the messages and truly felt the delivery of my best Birthday Gift – Love..

 

 

Living Abundantly Without Fear…

I have lived a pretty abundant life and did not recognize it until I began a journey last year. Maybe I should say, I recognized it at times, though never really appreciated it. On this journey, I realized that life has not given me every materialistic thing I ever wanted and that is okay. Because I now know it has given me everything I have ever needed and more; A loving, compassionate, generous family, a curious mind, loyal friends, humor, a place to live that fills my soul, and great teachers – not necessarily and not only the ones in schools. I could go on and on, but I will stop here and let you know that I am learning to accept these things with much more gratitude and grace than ever before.

This journey has had me question the meaning of almost every word I have ever learned; words to include abundance, money, title, success, power, influence, and happiness. In redefining, I am learning that I have done some things in completely the right way; given from a generous heart, loved completely and wholly, laughed with every part of my being, and shared my existence with others, if only for a few minutes and then never again. On the flip side, I am also learning that there is something I have done completely wrong. I have spent my life, until now, chasing the money that I thought I needed to achieve the goals I wanted. Constantly living in fear that I would never have enough. Now, I am setting goals, dreaming dreams, and walking towards them both. Shocking as this may sound, I am finding the abundance I need to take steps towards them. This tells me I am on the right path. For if abundance did not flow in, I would have no choice but to change course. With a joyous heart I write, and realize that Heaven is the place, and what I feel, where and when dreams come true.

I have talked a lot about fear, and mentioned it again above. I never really thought about how life consuming it is and/or was. For fear keeps us in the dark. It has us hold onto things we do not want to lose and keeps us from really enjoying these things. It keeps us in a place of hate, from really getting to know one another. It keeps us from really experiencing life, and from letting go when we know we should. It keeps us feeling like we are not good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, and well I guess just enough. Beyond all these, and really most important, it keeps us from the thing that brings in light, goodness, love, and peace; that is faith.

You see this whole journey began with my fear of losing someone. The grip of fear, how I would live and what I would do without them was so engulfing and paralyzing, it stopped me from truly living with them. It took me months to loosen that grip and see it for what it truly is. The latter is really important, because fear is not something that likes to go easily or quietly. We must see it for what it is and kick it back as soon as possible. We must push through it to faith. Faith is teaching me “to love my neighbor as myself”, as well as, so much more. In regards to abundance it taught me this “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon”. Luke 16:13 – Merriam-Webster’s defines Mammon as “material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing “reduce in quality or value; degrade” influence”.

My interpretation of this; you can either hate God and love money, or you can be loyal to God and despise money. So what happens when you hate God and love money? Oh you just may rise to the top. However, you rise to the top in darkness. Your rise is usually plagued with greed, dishonor, jealousy, envy, and yes even fear. I can only imagine, and do not want to, that the downfall from there is never pleasant. On the contrary, what happens when you are loyal to God and despise money? You learn to follow your path. And along this path you bring in honesty, integrity, and love. The reward for following your path, in loyalty to him, is abundance in more ways than you could possibly imagine, including money. So I ask you to look around you. I say you are everything and that you have more than you really think you have. I hope you see the same. If not, find faith in yourself and God, and get rid of the fear and abundance will appear.

 

Talking The Talk, Walking The Walk…

Recently I came across an excerpt in a book I am reading called Original Intent-The Courts, The Constitution, & Religion. This excerpt had me wanting to seek deeper truths, as my mind immediately applied it to where we are today in regards to religion, government, education, and law. The excerpt is by John Dickinson-signer of the Constitution “Nothing is more certain than that the forms of liberty may be retained when the substance is gone. In government, as well as in religion, “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”~ 2 Corinthians 3:6”. Have we not actually done this? Removed the spirit from all of these? Are we not trying to live strictly by the letter? I could be wrong and/or we could still be in the process. All I know is it sure seems like we are heading in that direction; to the letter as opposed to the spirit.

Now the religious may say we are losing liberty because we are removing God from government, and every place else, and they may have a point. As 2 Corinthians 3:17 says “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. But, is it possible that this all may be happening because of them or us, if I include myself? I say this because the excerpt from Corinthians above is used in the context of the sufficiency of ministering. It says that the sufficiency does not come in the ministering of the letter on tablets of stone. Because just doing this has produced some really big atrocities, all done in the name of God. But, that sufficiency comes in the ministering in the Spirit of the heart; in the Spirit of love. Maybe if we would do more of this, love thy neighbor as thyself, than fewer people would stray away from his light.

Take for instance someone recently quoted as saying “This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals”. I ask what their morals are. Never in my life has doing the right, the moral, the just, or the good thing made me feel uncomfortable. How can showing love be uncomfortable? Unless of course what you are doing is not upholding your morals, not living them, and not showing love. It is no longer good enough to say we love, we must start showing love if there is any hope for us. Zephaniah Swift, Author of America’s First Legal Text so eloquently put it “Jesus Christ has in the clearest manner inculcated those DUTIES which are productive of the highest moral felicity and consistent with all the innocent enjoyments, to which we are impelled by the dictates of nature. Religion, when fairly considered in its genuine simplicity and uncorrupted state, is the source of endless rapture and delight”.

So here is where I find myself, trying to define love. Is love completely removing myself from the situation and not returning the evil? Is love actually showing kindness in the face of the ugly that is presented to me? Is love taking the time to look at the entirety of the situation and then acting accordingly? And there in lies the struggle of all mankind, in my opinion. How does one protect themselves from the evils that exist in this world, while at the same time loving their neighbor, if their neighbor is the one presenting such evil? I am finding that in order to protect myself, this may vary, according to my strength, resolve, and situation at the time. The one thing I am not doing, however, is presenting evil to the evil. Or maybe I should say trying not to do. In my awareness, if I find myself spewing the same evil, or acting the same evil, as quickly as possible, I am asking for forgiveness from them, from myself, and from my God.

In my quest to becoming a more loving, more educated, more transformed human being, I am realizing that much of what I have been taught in my life, from all these places, has been the literal of things and from a very narrow perspective. What happened to the Spirit of it all? What happened to the why’s, who’s, and what’s of it all? As Aristotle said “Educating the mind, without educating the heart, in not educating at all”. I am finding that when I put the Spirit of love into looking at the entirety of both sides of the coin, then it is far easier for me to see the evil and where it exits. And it is far easier for me to act accordingly. I am making the choice to talk the talk and walk the walk. We all have choices to make, and you, and everyone else must find your own path to love and light. I am just here to sow seeds, and begin a garden of love, light, faith, and hopefully truths. I hope you will join me in the planting, the watering, and the growing.

 

 

Everyone Has Their Own Story…

The other day something was said to me, that not only caught me by surprise, but instantly hurt my feelings. The more I transform, however, the more I learn that things can only hurt my feelings if I allow it. I suppose in my reply you could sense the shock and hurt. You could also sense my disappointment. Among other things, I told them that it did not matter what they thought of me, that I would love them anyway; because that is who I am.

Since that day, I said that I would no longer think about that conversation, that the more I think about it, and let it affect me, the more I give it power to guide my course. It is, and was, a hard enough battle for me to truly love myself, to realize my self-worth and power, to believe that I was courageous, strong, beautiful, and loving. So when moments like these arise, I am put back in the battle of lacking self-worth, questioning my confidence, and back to a place of fear. I refuse to go there anymore, or if I do, I want out instantaneously.

There was something that had gone through my mind before my response to them, and probably the biggest reason for the creation of this site. My thought was that you have no idea what I have been through to say that to me. Sure enough, as I am reading something this morning, there it is in big bold letters – “Everyone Has A Different Story…”. So this morning, I did let the thought of that conversation reenter my mind, in order to look at it from all perspectives, realizing that those words rang true the other direction. I did not know their complete story either and why they would feel that way about me.

Then I realized a couple of things, that there is a huge lack of trust in each other, a huge lack of letting each other in, a huge lack of learning about each other. Because evil does exist in this world, and most are very quick to use it, most shut their inner most beings off to the rest of the world in order to keep them safe and protected. The big how to, is how to let our inner most beings shine and keep them protected at the same time, while trying not to injure others. I guess that is what faith and forgiveness are for.

So I find myself wanting to know more, to know what has happened in your life that would make you feel the way you feel, and wanting to tell you about my life so that you may have a better understanding of why I feel the way I feel. Maybe they did have a point to what they said, and maybe there was some truth to it, that was completely beyond my control. Maybe it is not necessarily about me the individual, as much as it is about me being put somewhere by forces beyond my control. And I further find myself thinking that it is human nature for us to rise in power by putting someone beneath us. Yet the best thing I can do, is try my hardest to attempt the delicate balancing act of helping someone develop their own power, while not losing mine at the same time. I am learning that humanity requires a big balancing act and that is what the law of love (“To Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself”) is for.  If we could find a way to follow that law, just imagine the heights we could reach, and the things we would find ways to compromise on.

In the end, I am trying to live a life of gratitude and grace, though it does not always happen that way. I am also trying to recognize the lessons put directly in front of me, to broaden my view of the circumstance, in order to do so. So with that said, I have never wanted this to be a one way street, so when you are ready, I and/or we are ready to share in your existence. I only ask that you keep the vibes positive, because I am learning that positive begets positive and a life of gratitude and grace are a life truly worth living.

 

Much To Learn About Helping

I have always loved to walk, it is very cathartic for me. I have done it for as long as I can remember. It is my chosen form of exercise, as well as, the way for me to collect and prioritize my thoughts. With that said, for several days now and possibly several weeks, I have been grappling with the definitions of helping others, of right and wrong, good and bad, and virtuous and evil, in relation to doing this. I have even looked to many sources: academia, holy books, seminars, self-help books, etc. for guidance in this area. I still am unsure and think it will be a life long, case by case, day by day decision as to what is best. I think all I do know is that there is much to learn and much to teach in this entire process.

Is it right, good, or virtuous that I may consume an inexpensive product, when it was produced, very likely, by someone making less than one dollar an hour. How is that helping? Is it right, good, or virtuous that my government takes my hard-earned income, that my blood, sweat, and tears went into making, to give it to someone not willing to do the same as I? How is this helping their productivity and my ability to live a life as I desire? And by the way, am I really helping someone by providing their support with restrictions? Would it not be better for me to help them find a way to help themselves? In all of this, I am learning that help is still a word I am trying to define.

As humans we always want, or desire, to help the less fortunate, the down-trodden, the handicapped; the blind, deaf, dumb, or mute. I ask who really are the ones that are handicapped. As I continue to look for answers to who I am, to what I want to be or do, to my life’s purpose, I realize that I may need all of them, more than they need me. Oh yes, I can find ways to show them both the beauty and ugly of human existence, to show them their value and worth in this world. I can teach them how to see, hear, learn, and speak. But, the task they were given, in what they need to teach me, is much more valuable if I am willing to learn.

For it is only when I close my eyes to my exterior and make the attempt to see inward that I truly find the likeness of my creator. It is only when I give silence to the chaos that surrounds me, that I can hear the whispers of my creators likeness directing my every move. It is when I remove all thoughts of my existence and begin in complete and utter darkness and silence that I begin to feel my spirit guide me. And it is when I learn to shut my mouth and listen that I find the guidance that I need to hear. We call this meditation, connecting to our source (to the divine). They are all one step ahead of me when I stop to think about it. So who really needs more help.

I know as I step out more into this world, that I have been afraid of for far too long, that I will need to grapple with the definitions and hypocrisies of words and their uses in our human existence. And my hope is that I truly learn, before I leave my human form, how to love my creator, how to love myself, and how to love my neighbor. For these are what has been asked of me; nothing more – nothing less.

As always, you may be grappling with what I have to say. But, I am waiting for you to join the conversation, and share our existence, when you are ready.

 

 

 

 

 

My Reaction To….

As I wait for significant changes to be made to this website, I find it necessary to write, to you, of things that affect my heart and mind. Things that make me want to find out why, or search for deeper truths. With that said, recently someone who has amassed a platform and significant wealth said the following in speaking of the US economy: “I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point. By the way, I’m hoping for it because one way you get rid of Trump is a crashing economy. So please, bring on the recession.” – “Sorry if that hurts people, but it’s either root for a recession or you lose your democracy.”

Well, the old fear based me, totally recognized all the fear and hate in that statement, as well as, the attempt to instill fear in others. The human part of me, wanted immediately to either be angry or fearful, resentful of a man with money wishing me further into poverty and scaring me into believing that I may lose my way of life. But, the spiritual part of me, instinctively knew I would be alright. It told me to walk away from the fear and hate and try to find some truths.

The first thing I did, was look up the word recession. I wanted to know its meaning, and to know what happens when we are in one. According to Tejvan Pettinger, who is an Economics teacher at Greenes College in Oxford, England, who wrote an article for economicshelp.org, this is what I found: “A recession is a period of negative economic growth. In a recession, we see falling real GDP, falling average incomes and rising unemployment. In a recession, firms will be producing less and therefore will need fewer workers. Also, in a recession, some firms will go out of business causing workers to lose their jobs. People tend to save more, interest rates tend to fall, governments borrow more, and stock markets fall.”  So if the betterment of the human race is the goal, then why would anyone wish this on anyone else?

The next thing I did, was ask my husband what would happen if all the money in the world crashed. He said three words. I already knew what they were, before he even said them. He said “we would survive”. You see some of the benefits of not living in a city, and growing up poor, or middle class for that matter, is that you learn things like: how to grow your own garden, how to catch, gut, and cook a fish, how to kill, gut, and prepare wild game, where to find water, what plants you can eat, the list could be endless. Maybe it is my purpose in future posts to teach others how to do some of these things. I am unsure, I just know I must follow what I feel.

The last thing I did, was rethink that last either/or statement. Why must I either put myself further into poverty or lose my way of life? Why do I need to do either? Then it occurred to me, he used the word democracy, which by the way is interpreted to mean that the majority rules. Then I thought, we were never founded in that way, and are reminded of that when we utter the words of the “Pledge Of Allegiance”; “I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. The difference being, in a Republic, all are supposed to have representation, not just the majority.

Our founders fought for a Constitutional Republic as expressed by Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 1. Here is an excerpt: “After an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America. The subject speaks its own importance; comprehending in its consequences nothing less than the existence of the UNION, the safety and welfare of the parts of which it is composed, the fate of an empire in many respects the most interesting in the world. It has been frequently remarked that is seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.”

So as I reflect on all of this, I wonder why I cannot have both; prosperity and good government? I believe, like the founders did, that societies of humans are very capable of establishing good government from reflection and choice, and when they work together anything is possible. However, we must tone down our hate, open our hearts and minds, and allow for divine intervention. I am curious to find out what you believe, or what you feel on the topic, so please join in.

Bad Intentions, Then Justifications.. What About Love?

This past week, I witnessed two things that have been weighing heavy on my mind and heart. Both made me shake my head in disbelief and sadness. The first, showed me that we do things that we view in a positive light, yet do not consider or completely ignore the intent in our actions. Take for example, we may want to show off our new boyfriend or girlfriend, and this is great (very positive), unless we are doing it to hurt his/her ex, who we know is going to be where we are going. I think you get the idea. Why not just go someplace new? Why do we continue to think something is positive, when we clearly have negative intent. In my honest opinion, nothing good comes out of ill intentions. Even if the ramifications are not immediate.

The second had me watching someone trying to classify different levels of hate. What is the difference between me being vile to you, whether I hate you for your politics, because you are a man, a woman, a different color, speak a different language, are of a different religion, or no religion, are gay, or straight? Is not hate, still hate? We seem to want to classify hate in order to make justifications for our actions, or the actions of someone else with whom we agree, or whom we may like or even love. Shy of something being a crime, and that is a whole other topic or post, my opinion is that hate is all the same and we shouldn’t be doing any of it or justifying any of it. Is it not time to get over it and find a new way?

In both these instances, I like to try to follow the advice given to me in Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”.

That last line, overcoming evil with good, had me in a discussion with someone about a topic I continue to bring up in post after post, love. This person and I have gotten into some great conversations the last few times I’ve seen them. The last time was whether or not people had the ability to change the world. This time, although I started the conversation at where we left off the last time, it soon transgressed into something else. Amid the conversation, they handed me a pamphlet to read a small excerpt; a daily thought. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the author’s name or title of the excerpt. The gist of it, however, was that love is like running a marathon, not a sprint. That life will continue to throw obstacles in your path, to try to keep you from reaching your goal. That you need to train yourself to complete it, even though it is taking a toll on your physical being. And you will need strength, stamina, power, will, faith, among other things to make it to the finish line. I so got the point.

Life can be easy loving someone who loves us, but the ones that truly need our love are the ones that love us the least. I truly am trying to do my best to walk that walk, or run that run, and perhaps bring some of you along with me. Have no fear, our evil sides will make sure we stumble and fall along the way. The key is that we get up and continue toward the finish line. As always, whatever you want to add is more than welcome here. We just ask that your addition be something positive or constructive. Until next time..