True American Hero Saves Countless Lives in Valiant Act of Selfless Bravery

It surprised me --given the fact that I now live in the rather Liberal Pacific Northwest-- to hear a talk show host on local KIRO Radio state rather eloquently, with honest heartfelt emotion, that the tragic shooting at a bar in CA, on "College Night", "... Isn't about guns.  It's about how we wrap our arms and hearts around the young men and women we have sent into war when they return home."  This statement truly begins to get at the root of the matter.  Our Veterans who have faithfully and honorably served this nation are hurting on so many levels.  We all need to do more to help these men and women heal and reintegrate back into daily society.  This is the least we can do in an honest effort to help repay our Veterans for their service and sacrifice to our nation.

Image Source: CBSnews.com

The above being said, my sincerest sympathy, thoughts, prayers ... good intentions go out to all who are impacted by this terrible shooting.  How lucky we are to have such a brave young police officer who ran fearlessly toward the gunfire in a selfless act of courage that saved countless lives.  The death toll could have been substantially greater were it not for Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus of Ventura CA heroic actions.  Seargant Helus's sacrifice will be remembered for generations to come.

The Theme of Resonance Predominates

The theme of "Resonance" predominates this time of year, from my perspective anyway.  As the seasons begin to change, yet again, I find myself contemplating the theme of "Resonance."  The idea that if we stop and listen to our inner voice a profound truth will resonate deeply within our being.  The season of Autumn has always resonated deeply within me for some reason.  I feel so grounded, centered and at peace during the Autumnal months.  My mind and heart always seem to clear, and the profound questions about "the meaning of Life" and "the purpose of our Being" just seem so obvious to me at this time of year. This is the season of the Harvest, so I suppose this might have something to with the contentedness I feel this time of year? This is the time of year when that which we have sewn throughout the year becomes ripened for harvesting and consumption.  Maybe this in turn has an impact on the ripening of truths within our hearts and mind?  In that respect, perhaps it is fitting that the mid-term elections occur at the time of the Harvest.  Which begs the question, what are the things that resonate with you at this time of year? What are the benefits of your harvest, with respect to self, family, friends, community and the larger country as whole ... with respect to the world, the entire planet?

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What will you reap from your own personal Harvest this year? And given an honest evaluation of your Harvest, what Truths now begin to resonate within your own being?

I challenge you to turn off the NOISE! Turn off the television and radio, log-off the social media, close the newspaper and take a quiet walk out among the glorious Autumnal displays unfolding around the country.  Once you are immersed within the honest quiet of nature ask yourself the above questions once again: "What will you reap from your own personal Harvest this year? And given an honest evaluation of your Harvest, what Truths now begin to resonate within your own being?"  As you walk along in the cool crisp Autumn air, surrounded by a glorious array of vivid colors, sights, smells and sounds, you may actually surprise yourself to find your answers to the above questions are somewhat different than what you had initially decided upon in the presence of worldly noise and filters. 

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Now for a political aside (click here to ponder politics, w.r.t. the mid-term elections,  for a moment).  After all, it's been awhile since I have written about politics.
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So as your walk amongst the bounty of nature draws to its inevitable close, please consider one final thought.  This thought being that the most enlightened of individuals among us, spiritually speaking, are those who can first and foremost BE true to themselves. Belonging, purely the sake of belonging in the absence of rational thought, is highly overrated in my humble opinion.  It also just may be the biggest part of what's wrong with America today.  Listen to your inner voice and to thine own self be true .... Now that is the place you go about changing the world from, one ripple at a time.

What is LOVE?

"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning." ~Paulo Coelho

At the center of almost every known galaxy lies a Black Hole

 

"The wound is the place where the light enters" ~Rumi

10/28/2018 After the tragic events of Saturday's shooting at a Jewish Synagogue, in Pittsuburg PA (USA), the above quote leaves me pondering, conversely, what then is hate? Perhaps, hate is an evil seed lurking deep within the hearts of all men, stirred into action by misunderstanding? By mistrust? By envy? By those seeking an angle toward regaining power? "... And those deeds you strive to keep hidden shall be borne into the light." This is my ongoing prayer, as always.  May Peace and healing eventually find their way to those who have suffered such great loss in this senseless (soul-less) shooting.  Love and Hate, but a stone's throw away from one another in the duality of our human nature, along the continuum of our existence .. (which I happen to believe is 'circular' in nature, with my profound belief in re-incarnation).

Technology: Does it make our lives better or worse?

So I am driving home from a full day of classes a few days back.  I'm listening to talk radio and at the top of the hour the hosts commence  with a run-down of cool/top stories in the news around the planet.  One topic in particular jumps out at me.  Apparently, a town in China is planning to launch an artificial moon into earth orbit by January 2020.  Instantly, flashes of the dreaded Deathstar from  "Star Wars" movies pop into the forefront of my mind.

The purpose of this artificial moon?  Well, the Chinese city officials claim their faux moon will serve solely to act as source for gathering light to reflect down upon their city at night, thereby eliminating the need for electrically powered street lights. This sounds plausible and is maybe not an entirely 'bad' thing from an energy conservation standpoint, right?  But what about the other ramifications of such a BIG artificially imposed man-made structure looming in earth-orbit space? Surely we cannot entirely dismiss the potential for weaponizing such a space-based structure?  And how about the fact that the artificially imposed light source might actually be considered a form of light pollution from certain perspectives (e.g., an influx of super-imposed light would greatly hinder star-gazing into the nighttime sky).  And wouldn't they have to change the children's nursery rhyme to "I see the moons, the moons see me?" ; )  One wonders exactly how bright  (in terms of lumen) this moon's artificial light would be?  Then there are "biological clock" issues.  Meaning, would the net result of this additional artificially imposed light be something akin to near 24-hour daylight cycles witnessed by those living in Alaska and the like?  What long term impacts would this extended light cycle have on biological processes, people, animals and plants alike?

At the conclusion of my pondering all of the above, I am left wondering:  if we look the sum of our modern-day technology are the collective benefits derived from our technology --the whole spectrum from cell phones and social media to faux moons and everything in between-- a net-sum 'good' or 'bad' thing for our society as a whole? Beauty as well at truth lie in the eyes of the beholder, I suppose.  But at some point, don't we have an obligation to begin an honest discussion about the long term ramifications of where we are headed, and more importantly where we want to be headed, technologically speaking? And then, of course, there is the whole issue of 'governments' having the monopoly on scientific investigation.  We, in the United States, have this 'control' with respect to the government funding dispersed via  National Science Foundation --offshoot of 'National Academy of Science'-- which is responsible for driving, funding and deeming credible the larger portion of scientific research, particularly at the University level.  Then of course, there are the numerous other government funded contracts to private corporations and some universities --I happened to work on one of these in my earlier college days.  One could argue that such 'regulation' --mostly by way of controlling funding for research-- is not necessarily beneficial to the overall process of scientific discovery from an outcome bias and limitations standpoint (e.g., 'climate change' study).  Creativity and innovation, not to mention objectivity, from what I have personally witnessed function best outside the rigid confines of a bubble, any bubble.  One wonders if government 'oversight' of the process of scientific discovery also does the people a disservice by biasing/controlling the information that actually reaches average citizen with respect to specific scientific discoveries --most especially in the absence of a robust media coverage ... for media benefits from an apocalyptic take on science, do they not?  That is to say, a worried audience is more likely to tune into to news coverage each day, aren't they?  I would argue further that in the absence of a truly informed citizenry, the voice of "we the people" is diminished. What say you???

10/28/2018  Well, it may be awhile before we have to worry about China launching its faux moon? But at least the Chinese get some credit for trying to decentralize government control of some science-based entities.

Schooling the Mainstream Media?

"Definition of mob (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a large and disorderly crowd of people especially : one bent on riotous or destructive action.  " ~Miriam Webster Dictionary entry

The circle of mainstream media denials of the above definition would, surprisingly enough, have you believe otherwise?

Do not the rights to Free Speech of an individual end whereupon they begin to infringe upon, or worse yet endanger another person? In the absence of the latter standard we lose all hope for civility not only in our politics, but in nearly every aspect of our daily lives. An acceptance of this mob-mentality behavior outright disregards the very principles upon which our representative democracy was founded and our leaders on both sides of the political aisle have an obligation to denounce this type of behavior as being unacceptable, falling well outside the realm of Free Speech and the right to PEACEFUL Protest.  If shouting down those who happen to disagree with us on philosophical or political issues --especially when going about the business of our private lives-- with simplistic, repetitive mono-syllabic rantings in the absence of meaningful facts and mutual dialogue becomes the new acceptable norm in America we will have turned a very sad corner in our nation's history.  And when we add violence to this mob behavior we run the risk of needlessly endangering lives.

Keep this in mind when your cast your mid-term ballot in November.  Is your vote going to be for dismantling meaningful dialogue, bending to the will of a mob-like "acquiescence or be crushed" mentality moving forward in our nation ? Or will you find the courage within yourself to think and act outside box, choosing to vote for candidates --be they Democrat, Independent or Republican-- who put forth action-based ideas that will  make your life tangibly better in terms of economics and security? And finally, please do consider this: Do you really want to live in country where you no longer have right to independent thought? In my humble opinion, the right to independent thought is not only unique as  a key founding principle of our nation, but independent thought is essential for our individual spiritual evolution.  Independent thought (and individual accountability) is the cornerstone upon which a foundation for a return to sacredness in our daily lives is built.

What is Qi ("Chi") Anyway?

You know, Yin & Yang, Light and Dark ... Qi (pronounced "Chi").  "May the Force be with you"???

Well, there are likely many answers to this question, but how about coming up with an answer that might actually stand up to the scrutiny of logic and reason???  Does such an answer even exist? .... Well, my brilliant, Mensa-minded, husband and I were having such a discussion just the other night at the end of a long hard day and week.  A glass of wine always seems to get our intellectual juices flowing and allows us to mesh on a common plane, for Ken is all intellect and therefore assumes I am all free-flowing spirit.  I actually, like to think I'm a pretty good balance between the two, myself, but to each his own opinion, right.  So anyway, we're sitting on the comfortable worn leather sofa, in soft the soft lighting of the living room.  As we're sipping wine my husband suddenly asks me "So what exactly is "Chi" anyway?"  My short answer:  "Qi is THE Spirit energy that drives the functions of body to 'move' into action.  It's the link between the spiritual and the physical."  Now, you have to understand,  my husband is the quintessential "Doubting Thomas" (from the Bible, the Apostle who needed to place his fingers into Jesus's five wounds before he was able to allow himself to to believe that Jesus had actually arisen from the dead).  To my husband's (Ken) way of thinking, if he can't see it, touch it, quantify or calculate something he cannot accept it as truth.  [His world is literally black and white, which is kind of funny because he's married to me:  the 'definition' of grey.]  To this end, Ken is on an insatiable search for input in an ongoing quest for knowledge  [Funny story I'll have share about this later, at the end of this post].

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Well somewhat predictably in response to my given explanation as to "what Qi is," Ken scrunches up his nose and shakes his head in disbelief.  He doesn't quite buy into things pertaining to the unexplainable, the Spirit Realm.  "So do plants and animals have "Chi", then?" Ken wonders aloud.

My reply "Absolutely.  Why wouldn't they?"

"Because, they're not human."

I have to laugh.  We could spin off onto a tangent conversation here about "what is a soul" and "what are the criteria for having a soul," but I want to keep the conversation on focus.  So I mention scientific experiments where scientist have weighed human bodies just before death and then immediately after the medical pronouncement of death.  What these scientists have found is that the body consistently loses 21 grams (these are the original experiments, but there have been more recent experiments as well).  Moreover, these researchers have attributed this 21 grams of weight difference (loss) to the "mass of the soul" which leaves the body after death.  "So perhaps the soul is the vessel which houses the Qi?"  I offer.  "When Qi leaves the body, the body becomes inanimate, what we would think of as non-living or dead."

Image Source:  Wikipedia via the link given above

Nope, Ken's not buying it.  He explains that Einstein's famous equation E = MC ^2 was actually initially written and published as  M = E / C^2, that is to say that Mass is comprised of Energy over the Speed of Light squared or in laymen's terms  it means "Energy actually has Mass."  Does that blow your mind?  Do you find it hard to wrap your mind around such a concept?  Well, check this out ... Scientists have actually done experiments where they have attempted to measure the "weight" (mass ... weight= mass x gravity) of two clocks to a high degree of atomic precision.  The first clock has power.  It is moving and actively keeping time.  The second clock has no power; it isn't moving or keeping time.  What the scientists in this instance found is that the clock with power --where clocks are comprised of the identical components, save for one clock having a charged battery and the second clock having a dead/non-functioning battery-- actually weighed more, significantly more, than the clock with the dead battery.  So Ken tries to reason, "it's a power thing, not a spirit thing" as if to imply that this alone (power vs. non-power) accounts for the difference in weight between a living body and the same later deceased body.

"Ah, my Doubting Thomas."  I laugh.  "You have just made my point for me.  What exactly do you suppose is the primal source of energy for driving the functions within the living body?  The difference between being alive and not?"  He doesn't answer, so I answer for him  "The difference is Qi, Cosmic Energy, Universal Energy, the Original Source Energy or whatever you want to call it.  Qi is the link between the spiritual and the physical, "the cosmic battery source" if you will.  "Qi is what allows our spirit to manifest itself into the realm of the physical by way of an actively functioning physical body."  Well, Ken's still not buying it, but I can tell by the look upon his face that I've planted a seed, or rather a thorn, in that brilliant mind of his.  Time will tell, if this seed begins to germinate... So, what say you?  How would you attempt to explain "What Qi is?" and do you happen to believe in the concept of souls?  Do you believe that plants and animals have a soul? Do they have Qi?  Is Qi that which connects us all?

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A funny side story on the insatiable quest for knowledge ....

Cougars, Wolves and Sleuths of Bears: Oh My?!

Similar to "Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!" From the iconic "Wizard of OZ" movie.  Well I have been driving a lot, like really a lot lately.  My device for portable music isn't working at the moment, so I find myself stuck with listening the radio for the time being.  I have discovered music with commercials really annoys me when I'm stuck sitting in traffic for some reason --not entirely sure why? As such, I have been listening to a lot of talk radio.  The entire gambit of talk radio, even sports talk radio.  Sports talk radio is actually pretty interesting once you get to know the stories and struggles behind the teams, players and competing strategies.  Anyway, this past Tuesday I was listening to a show broadcasting across the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the "Lars Larson Show." Lars and his guests on this particular show happened to be talking on the subject of a recent cougar attack on a woman, in Oregon, a few days back.  Unfortunately, I believe the woman lost her life in this attack --missed the intro part of the show.  The host also referenced another attack that occured near Tacoma, WA over the summer, where one biker lost his life and the other was seriously injured.  So that makes two fatalities by cougars, in the same proximal region, over the course of a few weeks.  That seems pretty statistically significant to me?  The radio host, Lars Larson, noted that wildlife management used to regularly control --actively limit-- the populations for apex predators, particularly cougars, but for whatever reason, the powers-that-be have decided these past few years "that we don't need to do this anymore."  Apparently, there hasn't been much scientific reason or study behind this policy change either, aside from citing statistics which had previously seemed to support the fact "that incidents of cougar attacks on humans are very rare."  The problem is that while such attacks may be statistically rare, in general --think, however, the recent string of attacks up here in PNW deviates from the statistical norm--  they usually wind up being fatal to the human part of the equation.  So the question becomes:  Is the death of an occasional human being an acceptable consequence of a do-nothing apex predator population control policy?  Or to my way of thinking, the question should be:  What exactly IS the upside of such a do-nothing policy?  I don't personally see any upside of such a policy, but then I have the opposite problem of most bureaucrats:  I actually tend to think, often times too much.  Moreover, I despise bureaucracy for the most part.  That bureaucracy is a necessary evil is not a notion I would readily subscribe to, but I digress.

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Anyway, while you're pondering the latter questions, you should also know the same brilliant bureaucrats behind abolishing population control measures for cougars have been working to repopulate the Grey Wolf population up here in the PNW.  That's not an entirely 'bad' thing.  The problem is that these bureaucrats have decided to go even further with respect to increasing apex predator populations in the PNW.  You see these same geniuses have also sent out feelers for having Grizzly bears imported into the Pacific Northwest as well.  Maybe the plan of these bureaucrats is to up the tourism ante by playing to outdoor adventure seeking adrenaline junkies:  "Come to the Pacific Northwest where we're taking hiking, camping and rock climbing to a whole new level!"?  Maybe the increase in apex predator population is meant to help curtail the human population?  The longterm ramifications of this kind of 'thinking' reminds me a bit of the new Netflix Original television series I have been watching in an effort to unwind in my free-time, "Zoo."  I have to wonder what are ramifications of having multiple unchecked apex predator populations up here in the PNW?  Will cougars attack other cougars as territories begin to infringe upon one another?  Similarly will apex predators attack one another cross species when hunting territories overlap? Which predators will dominate in such encounters? Morever, will the incidence of apex predators attacking humans likely increase given the unregulated increase of these predators?

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Now I am pro-nature at heart.  I absolutely love nature, the untamed wild, being outdoors, hiking, etc.  I also believe in the sanctity of all LIFE.  That being said, sometimes we need to take steps in order to avoid dangerous interactions between human beings and untamed nature (e.g., cougars encountering humans along hiking trails).  If the population of cougars is kept within reasonable limits, I would agree that such encounters should be "rare"; however, the fact that we are no longer actively maintaining cougar populations concerns me.  Witness the cougar attacks up here, in PNW, within a matter of mere weeks of one another.  Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts should be able to enjoy nature with a reasonable amount of certainty that they can be safe from animal attack while engaging in their various activities.  An ever-increasing and unchecked cougar population would seem to run counter to this objective of relative safety, right?

To my way of thinking, these bureaucrats should tread carefully with regards to introducing additional apex predators/not managing existing numbers for a number of reasons, a key reason being an issue near and dear to the hearts of liberal policy makers:  gun ownership.  If we keep heading down this do-nothing road for apex predator population control bureaucrats may wind up having to revisit dreaded gun ownership policies, because moving forward citizens will likely need a gun in order to safely venture out into the PNW wilderness where an ever increasing, unchecked apex predator population waits lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.  What say you??? ... In any event, if you're living up in the Pacific Northwest consider yourself forewarned.  Forewarned is forearmed, be it armed with knowledge or otherwise (e.g., a gun, stick, whistle, horn, bells).  On this note, let me conclude with this parting thought:  Where exactly do you think you stand on the "food chain" and why?

[Btw, a group of bears traveling together is referred to as a "sleuth."  Obtained that piece of knowledge from the tv show "Zoo." This show addresses my concluding question above. It's a pretty cool show, thought provoking and action-packed.  They have three full seasons available to watch on demand.  If want to see a new apocalyptic take on the future that awaits us, have a look.  You might enjoy this show, as long the ideas behind the show remain within the realm of fiction, right?]

9/18/18 Talk radio on drive home today ... Apparently a New Mexico man out walking his dog along a trail was attacked by a bear.  The man is a hunter and happened to be caring his gun with him (a Glock 11).  According to the man, the bear "put his ears down and charged."  Fortunately, the man was able to position himself so that the bear took a hold of legs and not his head or arms.  This enabled him to reach for his gun and he shot the bear which wound up saving his life.  According to the host, the "moral of this story" is that "a Glock 11 will do the trick when it comes to taking down a bear."  Just FYI and you should also know, according to the host, this bear did not die.  The bear was wounded to the extent that he ceased his attack on the man who subsequently was able to survive, after Rangers found the man with unconscious bear's jaws still clamped around his leg.

Universe can be a pretty f****** cruel teacher at times???

One of the worst things about being sexually violated is that on some level it never completely leaves you.  It's always waiting there to rear its ugly head, when you least expect it, even years and sometimes decades later.  It isn't enough that they took something from you back then --a little piece of you that you'll never fully recover-- it affects the choices you feel comfortable making from that day forward in ways you couldn't even begin to imagine at the outset of your healing process. I guess, the question then becomes --at some point-- they took something from you back then, at the outset of your struggle, so are you going to allow their actions to continue to have power over you in the here and now, and evermore moving forward?

Here I thought I was done with my healing for the most part.  I mean I finished my degree, embarked upon a career path, managed to allow a man into my life, even married and was able to have three beautiful children.  So when I look back, I have to think I've come so incredibly far, right?  Then all of a sudden you find yourself face to face with an obstacle you hadn't even expected and the next thing you know your entire future depends upon your ability to rise above yet another challenge, and at a time of extreme stress which never bodes well for emotional/psychological outcomes.  The universe can be a pretty f******* cruel teacher at times, I think ... Least that's how I feel sitting here now with a bottle of wine. Good news is I'm completely exhausted.  Haven't slept more than 3.5 hours in 4 days.  Maybe my head and heart will clear after I crash?  Maybe I will find the courage to stay on the path yet again??????  Maybe I've come as far along the path as I'm meant to come .......

9/8/2018  After a few days contemplation, and some much needed sleep. My head and heart have cleared. I've decided, I'm not crazy for speaking up. For setting boundaries and declaring that my body is sacred. No one has a right to touch me, regardless of the circumstances, without my express consent. Maybe, I've been put here in this place and time and situation to speak up for others. To be a voice for those who don't have the experience or courage to speak up themselves? After consulting with a friend of mine in a similar profession, I've decided to write a professionally objective letter and then follow the chain of command. That way I have written proof of my objections should the need for subsequent legal action arise, which I sincerely hope it won't. But always be prepared, right? ... On another matter, speaking about "the Universe" got me to thinking a bit more about what I Believe.  These days people seem to be proponents of a God-centered perspective or a universe-centered perspective, as if the two are mutually exclusive?  Well, that's my experience/take anyway.  But upon finishing the above bottle of wine it occurred to me that God, or "The Creator" --which is my naming preference-- is actually THE enlightened consciousness that provides order amidst the all-encompassing chaos that IS the universe.  The Super Ego to the Id & Ego, if you will?  Think I'm onto something here????

9/21/2018  Well, I wound up having to remove myself from this particular situation.  I din't want to give in and leave, because initially I had thought that my perpetrators get to win again even all these years later.  Now, having chosen to step away from the situation --to leave-- I see now that I was meant to pursue an alternate path.  Moreover leaving this bad situation wasn't giving up, instead it was having the courage and faith to step BLINDLY into the unknown in order to be presented with an alternate path. I also think that the primary individual I had issues with was a perpetrator (S.B.) himself.  He kept finding ways to touch me and I could literally feel his negative energy and mal-intent emanating from him even in the absence of outright assault.  It was downright overwhelming and I shouldn't have to deal with that.  I tried to go through the chain of command to get help, but none was readily forthcoming.  So I'm not going to feel bad about myself for not being able to stick it out.  Life is too short to settle and "stick it out."  Sometimes, the bigger/better person is the one who finds the courage to walk away from a bad situation and not the one who tries to find a way to stick it out.

9/26/2018 We have a huge Graffiti whiteboard in our office where everyone has scribbled --still scribbles-- their favorite quotes. Some quotes are self-composed, while others are famously familiar.  Little dabs of colored artwork/doodles dot the huge board as well.  In sum, this board is a major source of daily inspiration for me, especially as my three beautiful daughters have each shared a little piece of themselves here with me.  As I am sitting here with tears in my eyes, utterly overwhelmed by emotion and grief I look up and I see these words scribbled in the top right hand corner of the board.  The words are written in the loopy cursive of my youngest daughter, in a bright nature-colored green.  The words read "Rage, Rage against the dying of the light, do not go quietly into that good night."  And suddenly, I realize that "quietly" pretty much sums up my existence here to date.  Quiet allows me to remain in the shadows, in silhouette where I cannot be seen, where I cannot be hurt. And it occurs to me that if I want things to change I have to be loud.  I have to fight, before surrendering ultimately to that long good night.  And just when I thought I no longer possessed the strength or will to move forward any longer, the storm clouds suddenly cleared and the way was before me.

In looking back over the events that have transpired this past month it occurs to me that most people merely pay lip service to a notion of attempting to understand and truly work with abuse survivors in any given environment (i.e., work or school).  They check the "I have listened" box --the "willingness" box-- and then they summarily dismiss all further needs of the abuse survivor, falling woefully short of offering any meaningful assistance.  I suppose this predictable response is due in large part to a general inability of most normal people to comprehend the triggers and the level of anxiety certain situations present to abuse survivors. After all, it's just easier to deal with "normal" people anyway, right? But when an abuse survivor does somehow manage to find an individual who not only genuinely listens, but someone who is further willing to take things a step further by actually putting words into meaningful action, it so genuinely empowering to people like me, people who are survivors of abuse, people who sometimes feel they are limited in the choices they can make towards the end leading a meaningful life and fulfilling their dreams.  God Bless these few, rare and genuine souls.  You truly help to make this world a better place!

Thought for the Day

The truth cannot set you free if you never hear it ..............

I'd like to think that we all have a divining rod for truth buried deep within us, a connection to a greater universal whole, something which binds us all to the source of Creation. I think, however, that many of us have forgotten how to listen --really stop and listen without worldly filters-- to this source of deeper truth emanating from deep within.  What say you???

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Maybe part of hearing truth involves actually stopping and listening long enough to consider the truth of another?

11/21/2018  The truth cannot set you free if THEY never let you hear it???

A Return to Sacredness In Our Everyday Lives

[Trigger Warning:  This isn't a light, feel-good, funny post.  This post is designed to make you really stop and THINK about your current state of BEING.  If you're not presently up for that at the moment, maybe skip this one ... Who knows, you might come back and visit it again later?]

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I have been contemplating the source of ongoing uneasiness I feel for our world today, now so more than ever.  It finally occurred to me today, after months of ongoing contemplation on this topic, what might be at the root of the uneasiness I feel.  You see, it seems to me that in this day and age of relative abundance, where everything is just a click away for most of us, far too many of us have inadvertently lost sight of things that we once used to hold as sacred ... Our inherited sacredness handed down to us from those walked this earth before us.

Now, I'm not just talking about gratitude here, although honest gratitude absolutely helps to enrich our lives by refocusing our attention on appreciation for all that we are so blessed to have as opposed to the material focusing on that which we lack.  No, what I'm talking about here is a profound sense of unwavering reverence and respect for something BIGGER than ourselves that permeates every aspect of our being in our everyday lives.  Reverence and respect for our elders, for our shared traditions and customs, as well as the customs and traditions of others.  Reverence and respect for the hard-won freedoms so many of us seem to take for granted.  Viewing the Earth upon we walk upon with a sense of sacred awe and wonder, everything from her dancing grassy plains, to her intricately layered Jungles, raging rivers and towering mountains to the life-giving oceans that surround and the amazing abundance of creatures she sustains upon the land, the sea and in soaring brilliance of blue sky above .  Finding sacredness in our shared human bonds and in the notion that we're actually all in this together.  Finding sacredness in our God-given individuality and the notion that each of us is entitled the tenants afforded by a basic sense of human decency, which does not include diminishing the rights of another to think and believe differently from that which we ourselves might choose to believe.  Sacredness in the notion that we each have our own path to walk along this journey call LIFE, each with our own God-given talents and the right to free-will and self-determination, so long as our free-will does not intentionally harm another.

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At the conclusion of my contemplation on sacredness, I cannot help but believe that we as common people traveling upon this rapidly spinning beautiful Blue Planet, as it makes the journey around our sun, sorely need to find our way back to sacredness, in all of its many glorious forms, lest we diminish our opportunities for spiritual growth and evolution [which is actually the very reason for our existence here upon this physical earth] while affording ourselves the chance to work together to make this shared world of ours a better place by our individual choices and actions.  The time has finally come to awaken, to take individual responsibility for our choices, our individual thoughts, our words and  most of all our actions.  The time has come to awaken from the thoughtless slumber of complacency, to willfully step outside of the convenient dream of 'established truths' --be these established truths religious, political, cultural or soci-economic in nature-- in order that we might mindfully spring ourselves from the easy, feel-good traps of 'belonging' --under the guise of 'the greater good'-- as we endeavor to return to the core of the innate sacredness of self-determination and individual responsibility.  We must find the courage within ourselves to become more than mere sheep, so easily led and misguided any longer.  All the above being said, we have have to be brave enough to take the very first step toward self-determination.  It doesn't have to big a step, just one step at a time.  Each small step will illuminate the path to the next and before we know it, we are on our way.  So let the desire to return to sacredness permeate every fiber of your being, then and only then will everything else begin to fall into place.  And we have to be willing to cut ourselves some slack, for profound change seldom happens entirely overnight.  If we stray from the path, we must simply find our way back to the path and then we keep going.

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[Side Note: I also think most people never even begin such discussions with themselves because such spiritual notions seem to be beyond their reach.  This way of thinking is flawed, however, and really it's just an easy way out in my humble opinion ... "I'll never be a saint or a monk, so why even bother contemplating such nonsense." Then there are of course those people who attend church weekly, the religious ones --not that there is anything wrong with that-- but these types of people often figure they are in with the right crowd.  They attend services and that in and of itself checks their box where spirituality is concerned. Thus, they don't have any need to invest in additional individual spirit work.  Why indeed? How about because each of us makes a thousand different choices everyday and what if we purposefully chose to be more mindful in the choices we make, say even with 10% of our daily choices ... Starting with prioritizing the things that should really matter.  Sure we won't get it right all of the time, we'll fall back on old reflexes and bad habits, but the point I'm making is that just the act of trying makes a huge difference in the world at large ... Little ripples, ever-widening currents of hope and change expanding infinitely outward to ultimately make this world of ours better .. one thought, one action at a time.  It all adds up.  Just think about it, all the little ripples in the world interconnecting and ever-widening to produce prfound change ... WOW?!?]

So the question then becomes:  Are you brave enough?  To go it alone?  To step away from the safety of the crowd.  To stop and think not only about WHAT YOU BELIEVE --what you've been conditioned to believe-- but to consider the possible facts and reasons behind these conditioned beliefs and the entire ramifications thereof.  Can you consider that perhaps these conditioned beliefs only take into account a single perspective, one side of truth.  Perhaps you will be brave enough to let your individual voice be heard, while allowing others the courtesy of the same consideration?  I wonder, what will you choose to do today toward the end of finding your own way back to sacredness?  Maybe you'll choose to respond to perceived slights with compassion and forgiveness?  Or maybe you'll just start with patience and settle for not flying immediately off the handle?  Baby steps are perfectly okay.  Maybe you'll stop and genuinely listen to the perspective, thoughts and ideas of someone who has beliefs that run completely counter to your own? Maybe by the mere act of truly listening you'll actually learn something new and gain a new appreciation for walking a mile in the shoes of another?  Maybe you'll realize you don't actually KNOW everything and that there are often multiple sides to a given truth?  Maybe you'll realize that at the end of the day we have more in common with those we encounter in our daily lives than we had previously considered ... Now THAT would be truly earth-changing, wouldn't it???

Me, personally, I've come to a crossroads in my life.  I realize that in some ways I have been thinking small and always putting myself last, underestimating what I have to give back to the world at large.  I've made many sacrifices, willingly and for the greater good of others, but now the time has come for me to stop living so small.  I'm starting on a new path and in my own way, I am going to help to make this world a better place.  It's kind of scary to step boldly out onto a new path, into the Great Unknown, but it's also exciting at the same time.  My  new mantra is two-fold: "Hold on Loosely" (from the 38 Special song) and "I've got this!"  I realize there will be times when I will no doubt become frustrated, even angry or maybe even afraid, but I vow to be more mindful in the daily choices I make and to always strive to find my way back onto the path again.  In other words, fear of falling off the path isn't going to stop me from striving for more .. from striving to BE more.

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I've got BIG plans --pursing my advanced degrees-- but I'm starting small ... Starting with trying  to whole-hardheartedly strive to be more patient with the really, really terrible, rude and inconsiderate --not to mention downright dangerous at times-- drivers I encounter on the highways in my neck of the woods.  Driving up here is a constant source of stress and anxiety for me.  So that's my first baby-step.  Then secondly, I am going to find more time, energy and ways to explore the abundant peace and beauty to found all around in nature. Who knows, I may even find the courage to pick up my camera again --after a huge loss back in 2015 took the wind out of my sails for photography.  I'm also planning to find new ways to treasure time spent with family, making memories, carrying on old traditions and even making some new ones along the way as well. Lastly, I want to more fully explore and understand our shared history while not being inextricably bound by it --in terms of guilt, shame and retribution. For no experience, when a valuable lesson(s) can be learned from it is ever for naught --and being a survivor of sexual abuse, I know whereof I speak.  That being said, I know we must be wary of allowing our past history --individual, as well as collective-- to control and/or limit us and what we are capable of becoming in our present and future. Still a wise person once said that "those who do not fully know and understand their history are [sadly] destined to repeat it."  ... So here's to you, to us .. to finding our collective way back to more fully experiencing sacredness in our daily lives once again.

How does the male body make testosterone anyway????

Had some extra time yesterday and I happened to tune in just in time to watch the tail-end of "Tucker Carlson" show [ I like the fact Tucker isn't afraid to explore the other side of a given truth, even if he doesn't personally happen to agree with the other side up front.  Media could use more hosts willing to honestly endeavor to do the same].  Anyway, Tucker had three gourmet red-meat steaks lined up in front of him, each one resting on its own china plate, for the segment.  The topic for the segment? Apparently, a recent survey had attempted to determine which men women found the most attractive. They found the women tended to select the men who were meat-eaters over the vegans almost overwhelmingly.  This even when the women themselves happened to be vegan or vegetarian.  Kind of defies logic and reason, right? So Tucker was trying to get to the bottom of possible reasons for the overwhelming preference of meat-eaters, especially among women who did not eat meat themselves.  Carlson had a regular guest commentator on the show who was trying to help him understand why this could be as he waved each of the steaks about to tantalize the viewers --well, the meat-eating ones anyway.

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Neither the host or the guest commentator seemed to reach any meaningful conclusions, save to say that perhaps there was some innate, subconscious reason for the women's choice.  Well rather serendipitously today, I happened to be doing some reading on nutrition and as luck would have it the article I was reading suggested that cholesterol is a key component needed by the body in order to make the hormone testosterone.  I couldn't believe what I was reading?  So I read the article again.  Sure enough that was exactly what the article said.  So Tucker's conclusion that 'perhaps there was innate, subconscious reason for the women's choice' was actually right on the mark.  The reason the women probably preferred the meat-eaters in the survey above was that the meat-eaters had a source of cholesterol (in the red-meat) for making testosterone which the non-meaters were lacking (plant based foods do not contain cholesterol). Hence, plain and simple, biologically speaking the meat-eaters were actually more 'manly' in terms of their hormone levels.  It is likely the women in this survey were picking up on this difference between the meat-eaters vs. non-meat-eaters on an innate, biological level ... the subconscious drive to find the optimum mate for procreating to ensure the survival of the species.

[Note: while vegans lack cholesterol in their diets, due to strict avoidance of all animal-based products in their diets. Vegetarians who do eat some dairy in their diets, however, may actually have access to lower levels of cholesterol although likely not to the extent that the meat-eaters would.]

This realization also got me to thinking about the larger picture.  Studies have shown nearly a 30% decline in male testosterone levels in the past decade, with scientists offering little plausible explanations at to what might be driving this marked downward trend. I have to wonder now, has the societal push to "eat better", healthier and the labeling of red-meat as "bad" --both for health as well as environmental reasons-- been a primary contributing factor for this trend downward in male testosterone levels?  Men nowadays, as well over the course of the past decade, have been eating less red-meat?  Men eating less to no red-meat may not wind up being the total answer for the decline in male testosterone levels, but it sure goes a long way toward offering a plausible explanation, doesn't it? Kind goes back to old common sense wisdom of "everything in moderation" ==> Balance.  Extremes, for most things, do not statistically tend to produce desirable long term results?

Of course then, in the very next thought, the 'conspiracy theorist' --actually more of the part of me that is constantly searching for patterns and connections-- in me wonders: isn't a lower testosterone population more docile and easy to control/manipulate. Maybe by making red-meat the 'culprit' for all that ails us is part of some faction's overarching master plan??? Stranger things have happened ..... Well, now you know.  Maybe I've given you an interesting conversation generator for your next lunch or dinner gathering. Enjoy ........... Btw, in case you missed it, this post was actually about SCIENCE. Social Science and Biological Science.  Nothing more, nothing less.  If you can't handle this type of discussion please move along.  Thank you!

Message for Mark Zuckerberg ....

So Facebook stock is taking a royal nosedive ... $100 Billion in losses from what I heard at the end of last week.  Kind of sad, given the noble intentions of CEO Zukerberg over the past decade, wanting Facebook to be a 'platform for bringing people together around the globe' and all of that.  One naturally wonders can the company be saved? And moreover, can Mark Zukerberg be the one who saves it? Well, I have a suggestion toward that end.

Why are people walking away from Facebook in droves --hence the plummeting stock prices? Plain and simple because they don't trust Facebook any longer, given revelations of massive privacy breaches during the 2016 election cycle.  So what can be done to reverse this image of an untrustworthy company? Feelgood advertising alone doesn't seem to be doing the trick thus far. So my suggestion is this: why doesn't Facebook become THE COMPANY that defines a new industry trend --> by setting the Gold Standard for consumer privacy protection in a new era where the present pro-business FCC seems hellbent on repealing all of the progress the Obama administration made toward the end of protecting consumers and the little guy on the internet. Moving forward Facebook should go out of their way to create a robust and secure environment which will allow consumers to opt-in to sharing their private information, likes and dislikes, as opposed to trying to navigate a complex web of ever-changing legalease in order to opt-out of sharing their private data and consumer preferences.  Some users genuinely like and prefer a stream-lined end-user experience with customized ads and targeted content, but companies who want to be TRUSTED should let the user decide what to share, where and when.  Maybe  Facebook could even incentivise sharing of user information and preferences by allowing for additional feature enabling on a point-based system or something?

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The bottom line is that in an age where consumer privacy is nearly non-existent Facebook could become the one company that actually champions winning back a bit of privacy (and by default a modicum of protection) for the little guy.  Privacy it seems has become the new currency in our modern technological age and the company who 'spends' it wisely will be the company to succeed where others fail, in the long-term, I predict.

10/24/2018  Some further fuel for thought:  "blockchain" and "cryptocosm."

Broken Jigsaw Puzzle ....

What do you do when you've been working on a giant jigsaw puzzle only to find that one or more of the pieces are missing?  You throw the puzzle box, pieces and all, out and try another puzzle right?  I mean, who saves a broken puzzle in hopes of maybe one day finding the missing pieces? A crazy person .... All this talk about Russian collusion and interference in the 2016 Presidential election is just meant to obfuscate in my humble opinion.  Given what has come to light with respect to FBI and DOJ's overtly partisan conduct, both during and after the 2016 election, I am more worried about internal partisan interference in our upcoming elections. Especially when the unhinged factions on the far left seem to be equating a Trump Presidency with outright Armageddon. Operating in this extreme mindset, I fear --based on dreams and visions-- that those on the far left feel as if they are literally "at war."  Where a war-time scenario can be used to justify any means of obtaining a win over Trump and his current administration, even election tampering. The end result justifies the illegitimate --not to mention illegal-- means of winning (rigging) elections? Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue?

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10/9/2018 ... So the hypocrisy (rigging) begins.  Apparently the Secretary of State for the state of California has just launched an investigation into the DMV in that state which somehow "erroneously" registered hundred of thousands of immigrants to vote.  In case you didn't know, the right to vote in our federal elections is a right reserved for citizens only.  How long do you suppose it will take to get to the meaningful bottom of this investigation? Moreover, how many of these erroneously registered immigrants will vote and/or be allowed to vote in upcoming elections? Will this "error" be limited to the state of California?

WWJD?

What would Jesus do?  Based on what I've read in the Bible, I think Jesus would bake the cake.  Why? Because Jesus was about non-judgment, about meeting people with love and compassion exactly where they were at w.r.t. to their personal spiritual evolution.  That's my biggest beef with established religion these days.  Most religions and practitioners thereof have lost sight of this key message in Jesus's teachings.  "Judge not, lest you should be judged."

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Bottom line, I think everyone is entitled to BELIEVE whatever they want.  But the individual's right to believe something ends where it infringes upon the rights of another.  If you choose to operate a business in the public sphere, then you should serve the public.  If you only want to serve a subset of the public then you should make this clear in your advertising, posted signs on the outside of the business --and websites-- and preferably in the name/slogan you choose for your business (e.g., "Christian (only) Baker") that you will only serve those who happen to share your personal beliefs.  Not a great way to conduct a business in my humble opinion, but to each his own.

Words backed up by ACTION ....

Our American prisoners who were held in North Korea for years have now been released and they are finally back HOME. Who would have thought such an outcome would ever have been possible in the aftermath of the tragic return of the college student Otto Warmbier last year?

I happened to be awake when the “United States of America” plane carrying the newly freed Americans landed at Andrews Airbase.  It was just after 3:00 a.m. EST when the plane touched down.  I watched as these three brave men stepped off the plane, in real-time, setting foot back onto American soil.  I wondered briefly had these men been in captivity long enough and under such dire circumstances as to have resigned themselves to never being able to return home again? As Americans, you'd like to think we never have reason to completely lose hope, especially hope for a return of those we have lost as prisoners in foreign countries.  That's why I think you have to give President Trump some real credit here.  President Trump has a unique style in his approach to negotiations, but at the end of the day he does something many of our more recent presidents have failed to do: President Trump backs up his powerful words with meaningful and timely ACTION. For in the absence of meaningful action, words have a way of evaporating into mere smoke which all too quickly dissipates in even the faintest of breezes.

I found it rather poignant that in his opening remarks the President took a moment to remember Otto Warmbier and his parents, expressing a genuinely heartfelt regret that Otto's homecoming had been under such tragic circumstances.  In the end, watching the return of these three prisoners who seemed in relatively good health and spirits, despite their years of harsh confinement, truly made me feel proud to be an American.