“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED THEN…”

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“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED THEN…”

lindbergI’ve believed, for a very long time, that what happened in my past cannot be separated from my future—for haven’t I lived both?

FOR INSTANCE: Charles Augustus Lindbergh flew The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic nonstop and solo, direct from New York City to Paris on May Twenty. He arrived in Paris after thirty-three hours and twenty-nine minutes on May 21, 1927. How many of us since that 1927 event fly on the wings of Lindbergh’s past?

CONSIDER THIS: Lindbergh’s feat was intentional and reasoned out at the onset and after the fact; for years really. So I dare to ask: “Isn’t your life as worthy of notice and self-appraisal within The Spirit of Your Own Story? When you know THIS you will know what happened THEN.

 

“A REVOLUTIONARY MIND…”

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“A REVOLUTIONARY MIND…”

typewriter_legswtypewriter_sample_img_2To look for the reasons WHY inside a revolutionary mind is like looking into the universe thinking we see it clearly. We can never know the exact point where any mind turns from what is customary to what is lethal.

And what We The People thought was solid ground beneath our freedoms is now falling into a deep abyss of the few stealing from the majority what used to be our peace of mind.

The formative years for our children (our youth) is fodder to twist for the good of our country or for its destruction. History confirms it is possible to indoctrinate and bully OUR youth into carrying out the unimaginable on behalf of manipulative heretics.

Yes, we must deal with those whose minds already hemorrhage with hatred. Yet, I would much prefer that our country begin to wonder OUT LOUD… “What can I do to remove inbred prejudice from my own life so the youth I touch cannot catch even a flicker of it?

“I SEE YOU…”

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helixnebula-580x580What higher compliment is there than to SEE another person; a word that means: perceive, distinguish, grasp and understand.

We humans have five senses—Sight-Hear-Taste-Smell-Touch—always in play as we interact with every moment in the life we choose to see; or the life we are blind to.   

Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities could see: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of Light and it was the season of Darkness…” Maybe time is forever destined to be seen as conflicting.

But, there is a middle ground: Earth’s Equator where an imaginary line divides us into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. At our equator there is one constant: twelve hours of day and night; in contrast to other parts of our world where the length of the day varies with the seasons. Maybe it is at this imaginary line where we might come to SEE one another.

OUR TIMES: To grasp and understand one another is as vital to our survival as is Earth’s Equator. Wherever my eyes are cast: “I See You—You Who Are Purpose!”

 

“APRIL FOOLS’ DAY…”

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"APRIL FOOLS’ DAY…”

april_fools_day_023April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries on April First every year; a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on one another. When a child I wanted my hoaxes to best those of my brothers; it never happened. Something about being cunning; I guess?

So, I began to wonder about hoaxes—the cunning ones played on humankind when it isn’t April Fools’ Day. Things like: political greed; war for the sake of supremacy; religion vs. spirituality; generational hatreds; poverty; controlled voting; calculated censorship; worship of formulaic heroes; skewed reporting; truth/fiction inside social media; rivalries… you see what I mean.

I genuinely wish I could call out—APRIL FOOLS’ DAY—I was just kidding! But, I cannot since the hoaxes mentioned above are spread across our world injuring all humankind. Such cunning will stay disguised until we wake to the truth there is only one April Fools’ Day where a hoax is laughable.

“I THINK THEREFORE I AM…”

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“I THINK THEREFORE I AM…”

typewriter_legswtypewriter_sample_img_2Quote by René Descartes {In French: je pense que donc je suis.} Add to this mix one Professor Stephen Hawking who says: “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance it is the illusion of knowledge.”

Lately, and I know not why, I’ve been deep in thought about our world and my place in it. Oh, I have none of the je ne sais quoi (I don’t know what) of either of these inspired thinkers or whether or not I accept as absolutely true their contemplations of what it is to be humankind.

Modestly, here is my example of the premise I Think Therefore I Am. When I blog I am required to think so that who I am comes across in my words. You, my readership, also need thought to translate, as you see fit, my intention and once understood—therefore you are.

But ultimately unless I’m blessed with genes that keep me alive for centuries, I can prove none of what I’ve written here. On the other hand, maybe in my passing away I will catch Descartes or Hawking at their folly or their brilliance.

“HOPEFULNESS AND/OR DESPAIR…”

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“HOPEFULNESS AND/OR DESPAIR…”

wordsHopefulness is an interesting word. If I break it there is hope and fullness; well less one L. And, within its boundaries are ideas like optimism and expectation and trust.

Of course, there is always the other extreme: despair. This is hopelessness and if I break this word it is hope less; well ness too if you insist on correctness.

The AND/OR I refer to in the title is because being humankind we each, sometimes in a single moment, encounter the wide-ranging impact of these polar opposites.

I guess what I’m wondering is can I choose, in a single moment, which to feel? There are already so many ways I self-evaluate must I continually broaden my sensitivity compass? MY ANSWER: That depends on whether I position myself in hopefullness or despair. 

“MYTHICAL, MAGICAL ARTIFACTS…”

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“MYTHICAL, MAGICAL ARTIFACTS…”

GOLLUM: Artist: Anthony Verburgt (by permission)

gollumThe Hobbit is a fantasy novel and children’s book by English author J.R.R. Tolkien published in 1937. The creature Gollum is a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk—originally known as Sméagol—who is corrupted by the One Ring.

The One Ring is a mythological artifact that appears as the central plot in earlier Tolkien novels: a magic ring of invisibility. But in the sequel, “The Lord of the Rings,” its powers are now more than invisibility. The ring is also malevolent and must be destroyed.

There is another mythical, magical artifact: The Ring of Gyges talked about by philosopher Plato.  This ring also grants its owner the power to become invisible; at will. That begged the question—at least to Plato—whether a person would be moral without the fear of being caught or punished.

My guess… The great idea of virtue and vice will always beg the question: “What would I do?”

“THE NATURE/NURTURE OF BEING HUMAN…”

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“THE NATURE/NURTURE OF BEING HUMAN…”

typewriter_legswtypewriter_sample_img_2For centuries the Intended Thinkers: Aristotle, Plato, Plutarch, Cicero, etc. deliberated the polar opposites of being human by exploiting all qualified thought; and then some. You may ask: “And, I care about this why?”

My answer: Because you are a human and will—in each moment—come down on one side of an issue or the other: aware of the choice you are making or not! Examples: Virtue; Vice; Courage; Cowardice; Duty (knowing or doing); Moral; Immoral, etc. But the larger question for me is where do these choices come from? Are they inborn or taught or acquired?

Right now, in this moment, appreciating the complexity of being human is a place to start. And, whatever form it takes—grow into or develop into or befall—Intended Thinking may be the golden key to unlocking the salvation of humankind.

“I NEVER DO THIS…”

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"I NEVER DO THIS..."

typewriter_legswtypewriter_sample_img_2I never do this — write about anything TELEVISION! But never… well never seems to have arrived. I do this only to spotlight a contestant on one of the talent shows. I don’t mention the show or contestant: copyright issues and all.

Instead, let me just relay the story of a black woman who at two-years-old escaped a civil war in her homeland: Republic of Liberia. Throughout history human migration has been a way of life. More accurately: a way to secure a life. I think by now humankind is simply a collection of our homelands.

But, back to her story: I’m not a black woman so I may not speak for this contestant. But her story implies that she and I are both profoundly in love with the countries of our birth. You see, it is never our homeland we fear–it is a tyranny of greed that pervades which forces us to flee.

In Disney’s The Lion King, Mufasa says to his son: “Look Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom…” Ah! Our Kingdom, I love the sound of that: The land where we are born… The land that we love… The sacredness of belonging.

“BAGHERRA…”

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"BAGHERRA..."

typewriter_legswtypewriter_sample_img_2Our Bagherra is a substantial cat—older now—who thinks she IS the celebrated panther in The Jungle Book. In winter we find her near the heat register licking her shiny, coal-black fur. She doesn’t like it ruffled; ever! She has a few coffee-color marks on her chest; who knows from where in her family tree.

Bagherra’s favorite pose is a stretched-out body, head held high, with front paws crossed one over the other; no less regal than the stealth of any panther. She is a pound animal in more ways than one: large and fussy about her food and water; fresh, fresh, fresh and a full bowl, always! As a paranoid kitten she hid inside the wall insulation in the basement. Our remedy was to cover these holes with duct tape. Well, our basement was a room to just die for.

OKAY…NO! This is not another of those I love my cat stories; although I do. NO! It’s a story of growth: Bagherra’s and mine. It took our cat years to change: me too… I used insulation to shield my fears. I hid from life’s revelations. I watched who was friend or foe. I too sit closer to any warmth because my bones are older now.

Animals have instincts that are also ingrained in our DNA. The difference is they live it and we counter it thinking we know best.