Humanity Lost

Humanity Lost


     I believe that I know what is “wrong” with humanity, or better yet, our society.  It happened quite by accident one day at the coffee shop, when the thought hit – epiphany – and I knew what was wrong with the people in my community, my town, my state and my country.  I also believe that I know that answer, we will see if I am correct in my thoughts or not.  

     While discussing societies ills with a fellow coffee shop patron, the epiphany hit during this conversation, I realized that many of my fellow human beings had lost their souls.  Some had lost pieces of their soul over time and experiences while others have never really gotten a bearing on theirs at all.  How sad is it to lose something so very precious and the very key to a happy existence.  Now, I’m not talking about religion or salvation but a basic simple awareness of self.  

     While there are many out there who would gladly sell you a solution to all of your ills or even methods to find whatever it is that you think you need.  Whether it be in pill form, or a book, or a belief, or even an exercise they are all the same – a product.  What I am talking about is on a much more basic level, have you ever been aware of your soul?  Have you ever looked within yourself?  Do you know who you are?  Do you know what you are?  I strongly believe that the answers to these questions will start an individual on the path to self-discovery.  That is something that can’t be bought or borrowed but must be explored individually.  No one can do this for you, no religion can replace it, no book can describe it and no drug can fix it for you.  Only you can do this.

     What the hell am I talking about?  What am I selling?  What new fangled belief system am I trying to push?  I’ll start with a simple answer – self salvation, that’s what I’m talking about.  It doesn’t cost anything except your own time and effort.  As for this being a new fangled (or old fangled for that matter) belief system – the belief in yourself – the belief in finding out about you.  No church, no new flavor of God, no cult, no membership dues to pay, nothing except the simple truth that as a member of humankind you have the right and obligation to be the kind of person that is truly happy and knows oneself and ones place in the universe.  

     Yeah right! You say, surely there are hidden costs or fees or something?  It can’t be that simple!! How can true happiness be that easy?  I never said that finding true happiness was easy, it takes work.  Finding out about yourself takes the kind of work that brings about true change in oneself, ones perceptions, and ones realizations.  

     What if, by finding the lost pieces of your soul, you no longer need to get high or get drunk?  What if the pain that drives a person to do those things to themselves is removed, or the emptiness is filled, or the loneliness is replaced with a sense of belonging?  What would that be worth?  How much do people pay every year to feel better, to feel accepted, to belong?  Why do people drive themselves into an early grave to feel accepted or admired by others for what they’ve accomplished or for what they have?  

     Here’s a wild thought, what if every child today was in touch with their soul and didn’t fall victim to the ills of society?  What is every emotionally wounded person could heal themselves and make their lives much richer and fuller?  What if people no longer sought out drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of their existence?  What would our world be like?  What would your town or city be like?  What about the state you live in?  Or even our country, what would that be like if the people would and could heal themselves?  Where would we be right now?  Where could we be tomorrow?  

     I put forth the challenge to the fellow coffee shop patron that I was discussing this all with and I put forth the challenge to you, the reader, what would happen if you were able to change one person’s life by helping them find their soul and then have them help one person find theirs and so on and so on?  What would that do to our society?  How improved would our lives be?  I’m not talking about an over night miracle but a slow steady progression of healing and self improvement of ourselves, our lives, our communities, our nation and, maybe, eventually even our world.  It would change the very existence of our planet and all future generations.  Kind of daunting, huh?  But then, compared to what we have now, what have we got to lose other than suffering and fear.  I don’t know about you but I think it’s worth the effort and the challenge.  Let’s give it a try and check back in a year to see where we are.  

As the sharks begin to circle....

Well, the hurricane has come and gone and most of the evacuees are safely out of the area and housed in other states. Now the sharks begin to circle as the various public officials point fingers at one another and an outraged public wants to be appeased for the many, many mistakes made before, during, and after the hurricane hit New Orleans.

City officials didn't follow the in-place emergeny plan, state officials didn't ask for help soon enough, federal officials are trying to help but too little, too late.
Of all of the mistakes that various people are going to have to 'pay' for I wish that everyone would keep in mind that it won't matter to the people that died in the hurricane, it won't matter to the people who died afterwards from lack of water and food while waiting to be rescued from rooftops, and it doesn't matter to the people who are still dying from the disease ridden water that they had to come in contact with.

People are crying out in outrage over the various nursing home patients that were left behind to die. I won't judge the motives of the workers who had to make the choice of who to save and who to leave. Most of the people in this country don't understand the huge responsibility of emergency workers, and other people, who have to make a choice like that. Do you save four people that you know for sure that you can get to safety or do you risk everyone by trying to save all eight? It's a hard choice and one that I would not want to have to make. But that's what we are faced with, people had to make hard and fast choices that resulted in life for some and death for others. It's easy to look at the facts of the matter, afterwards, and judge but try to put yourself in their shoes, under those existing circumstances and with the limited knowledge that they had and try to make life and death decisions. Hindsight is 20/20 and everyone forgets that during such an event the foresight is limited to tunnel vision at best.

And the sharks in the press and from the various federal agencies circle still, looking for blood in the water from the public sacrifices that will be made to appease the public outrage over the disaster. The clamouring for blood is no different than the crys of the lynch mob of the 19th century, or the mobs that stood around the guillotine after the French Revolution, or even the throngs of good and proper Roman citizens at the various circuses that the Emporer hosted.

The american public can't pay for, and don't want to pay for the type of on constant standby emergency forces that it would take to ensure that this type of disaster doesn't happen again. How much do you want your taxes to go up? How much comfort and safety do you want to pay for? Which social programs do we want to do without? There's only so much money to go around and decisions will have to be made that will, again, determine the life and death of various programs - unless it directly affects you or someone you love. Let's try to think before we scream for action and insist on blood. Once the wound is opened it's very hard to stop the flow.

Their time in hell

Their time in hell.....Someone, several years ago someone said to me "You know that your place in heaven is secure, you've served your time in hell...." The man who said that was a Chaplin with the Fire Department of New York. We were standing just a few feet away from "the pile" at Ground Zero a short time after the 9/11 tragedy. I never thought that anything worse could happen, short of war. Well, it has and it's name is 'the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina'. The hurricane itself was deadly and horrific. Now imagine this, you've survived the 170 MPH winds and the 30 foot tall storm surge that hit the city. It's the next morning and you find yourself either sitting on top of your roof or wading through waist deep, to chest deep, water that reeks of raw sewage and lots of other pollution trying to get to anywhere but where you were. People wait, for help, for clean water and food, they wait for anyone outside of New Orleans to help them. Day One passes and the severally ill start to die due to lack of water and medicine and trauma. Day Two passes and those who made it to higher ground are stuck there still. Babies suffer from lack of hydration and food. Day Three passes and more people die and the bodies of those who drowned in the water are starting to 'pop-up' due to the natural decomposition rate of drowning victims/dead bodies in the water. This adds to the toxic mix of pollution that people are having to wade through. Oh, and don't forget about the alligators and poisonous snakes that have been displaced as well - they're probably pretty pissed off also. Day Four and more people die due to lack of food and, especially, water. How frustrating would it be for a normal person to survive a hurricane and make it to higher ground but to be stuck there with no water, no food, no way of communicating with anyone, and no way of knowing whether or not help was on the way. All you see and hear and feel is the people around you in anguish and the local authorities can't help, they just drive on by.Society breaks down and people take matters into their own hands by robbing and looting. Horrible you say? I ask you this, if that was your only means of getting water and food to survive on and it had been days since you'd had either and it looked like no one was coming to help - I'm willing to bet a large amount of money that just about everyone would do whatever they felt necessary to survive. Unfortunately, in that mix is the criminal element that also sought to survive and from what I've seen on CNN, the air of lawlessness took hold very quickly. How many people died after the hurricane due to lack of water and food? How many people died as a result of lawless activity (i.e. being shot)? How many people carry with them the scenes of all of the above and are angry with the world that help didn't come sooner? So, yes, these survivors of Hurricane Katrina have their place in heaven secured, they've been through a worse hell than anyone can ever imagine or want to have as a nightmare. Now we as an American Society are trying to find shelter, food, clothing, etc... for the evacuees but please don't forget that they carry with them a shredded heart and wounds on their souls. Let's try to help them heal on that level as well.

The Real Tragedy.....

Well, Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and way too many people have died and others left stranded. Something that someone else said on another board has come to light, '...it seems that only the poor are the ones left behind during this storm.....'. People are stuck in the Astrodome with no food, no running water, no flush toilets.... 30,000 people!!!! The Govenor of that state is talking about a mandantory evacuation for all those who can leave.... If folks could have left they would have already, before the storm hit!!! Where are these folks going to go? How are they going to get there? With what money? The looting has begun and to see people running along with goods that aren't there's makes me ill. Now, I can understand food, water, even blankets and dry clothes but racks of suits and appliances???? New Orleans will quickly, if it hasn't already, turn into a very beastial community of those who are stronger will take what they want at the expense of those who are weaker. It really makes a person sit back and wonder, how much would it take for me to become like them? How hungry, or thirsty would I have to be in order to take what I needed to survive?

How hopeless are the people feeling when the helicopters won't pick them up because they don't have room or are under orders to only pick up those in medical need? How alone and lost and betrayed they must feel.

Where to put the refugees? There are now over 1,000,000 people homeless in New Orleans, where will they go? Someone brought up a very good idea that might actually work, put some of them at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. They have building after building after building standing empty and no longer used - it wouldn't take much to make them habitable for a short term of a few months. They could even utilize other buildings for schools for the children and Goddess knows whatever else is needed. How many other bases are out there that could do the same that has been down-sized or are no longer being used that have lots of buildings that could be used as emergency housing and such. Why not talk about something like that? I may just email the Govenor's office and see what they think about the idea. At the worst they will put me on a 'crazy' watch list, no big deal.

For those of you who are reading this, what do you think? I really would like to hear other comments about this and any other problem out there.

This is still America, isn't it???

As I grow older I can't help but sit back and wonder about our society. Too many other countries see us as 'spiraling downward' and losing our place in this world. I see too many people not being able to survive in today's economy. Too many people need help with the basics like rent, outrageous electric bills, skyrocketing medical bills, even food. Too many of the agencies and non-profit organizations out there are trying to help but simply run out of money and can no longer help. Too many non-porfits, big national non-profits, are politcally motivated and no longer have the people that need help foremost in their minds. Too many of us are just a paycheck or two away from being homeless. Too many people are declaring bankruptcy and trying to hang on to what they have. Too many people are having to decide between buying medicines and buying food or paying a basic necessity bill like electric or water. Too many of our elderly, who've worked hard all of their lives, are in this position every month and their quality of life continues to spiral downward.

When did we stop caring about our communities and the people around us? When did we stop worrying about whether or not the old lady down the street was able to eat? When did we stop caring whether or not the old man next door was able to buy enough gas to go out to the pharmacy and get all of his med's? When did we stop valuing people and began putting price tags and dollar signs on everything?

Where do we go from here?

What Year Is This Again?????

I was informed yesterday that a very dear friend of mine was wrongfully terminated from his job with a United Way Charity because he was considered 'too gay' for the comfort of a fellow employee. This young man wasn't 'hitting' on anyone, he wasn't rude or vulgar, he is just naturally feminine and that was too much for the comfort of this stupid bigotted woman. The Director actually asked him to apologize to this woman!!!!! What the hell is going on??? This is 2005, isn't it??? When he calmly refused to apoligize for being himself he was terminated!!!!! Now I know that Arkansas has it own strange quirks and such but this is freaking ridiculous!!!! How dare this organization ask a person to apologize for being themselves!!! I plan to not only personally contact this organization and ask them what were they thinking by taking this action but to also give them as much bad press as possible!!!! This is unacceptable!!!
I would say a public apology and a nice settlement is a good start!!!!

Out of the mouth's of idiots....

Well, it seems that certain public leaders are at it again. Letting their mouths over-ride common sense and any sense of decent behavior. Now, I understand that this country is filled with everyone's sense of "free speech" and that any idiot can 'speak out' on any issue. That is not a bad thing but when did the various community and religious leader's feel that they could take it upon themselves to publically call for the assasination of another country's leader? Yes, I'm talking about that idiot - Pat Robertson - who did this just yesterday. Did he honestly think that he could get away with that type of 'bad behavior'? Was he really hoping that the current government wouldn't distance themselves from this quagmire? Heavens above, if anything happens to the Venuzalian President then his short sighted, highly inflammatory statements could be the spark to another war that this country can't afford to fight. We don't have the manpower or the money unless the government starts flexing it's quietly acquired police state muscle.

Yes, we live in a police state, thanks to the Patriot Act. Anyone at anytime could be called a terrorist and then all bets are off and all rights are gone! Think about it, a softly gloved hand can still hurt when it slaps you across the face. This country is broke and we still rack up the trillion dollar debt each year. The current president isn't worried about public opinion, he can't be elected again so he can really get down to business. And four more years in Iraq, what is that all about? How many men and women do we have to lose before the public wakes up and demands action? Is this a war about freedom or is it about oil?

There isn't enough oil left in the world's resources to fuel anyone for very much longer. What happens then? What kind of wars will be waged in the name of oil demand? Why don't the oil companies get smart and start looking into other sources of fuel and energy? Or do they want to get the last penny out of the consumers before the end?

Any my next question is this: Industrial hemp, it can be purchased is just about any form and sent into this country to make clothes, food, coffee, building supplies, what-have-you - but it is illegal to actually grow the stuff in this country. What is that all about? If it's so illegal then why can anyone - legally - import the seeds, the fiber, whatever and utilize it? It isn't marijuana, it's a cousin and has no THC value whatsoever, but it's still illegal to grow????

My next bitch is about Medical Marijuana. Various countries and universities have proven that it is a wonderful treatment for the symptoms of many diseases and even helps with the horrific effects of chemo and radiation therapy that many cancer patients go through. These same studies have shown that many tumors have been diminished and even erradicated by injecting high levels of marijuana chemicals directly into the tumor. But, when an american university showed this study and the results in the 1970's the DEA swiftly stopped all further study into this - because marijuana is illegal. It's considered a 'gateway drug' for people who become addicts. Well, after looking at the facts and principals of addiction - it is my opinion that the real gateway drugs are tobacco and alcohol. For people with addiction issues, there is a genetic predisposition for many addictions and it starts with tobacco and alcohol. There are many thousands of people who have been smoking marijuana for many years and they have not turned to other 'hard core' drugs. It has not acted as a gateway drug for most individuals, but for some with addiction problems anything is going to be a gateway for them. Many of us start the addiction pattern early in childhood with candy or softdrinks or coffee. Once the addiction pattern has begun it's a short step to something more. Bad genetics, maybe but I think that bad living and lack of personal responsibility and accountability is closer to the truth.