1. Thou shalt love thyself as thy love thy God, for his spirit dwells within thee
2. Thou shalt speak thy truth without fearful shame, for thy truth shall set thee free
3. Thou shalt embrace thine own goodness, giving to those thy love, those thy know, and those thy fear
4. Honor thy path which has been created for thee, that ye may receive all the blessings that dwell upon it
5. Find thy source of peace and bind it to thine own heart, that your days may be yours to own
6. Open thine own heart to the truths of those that love you, that thy goodness might be expanded, and thy life be more abundant
7. Love those that seek to hurt thee, keep them far from thy inner heart, and pray that they find their inner goodness
8. Give that which ye can, and know that is the fullness of thine offering
9. Make ye thine own time to seek thine inner self, that ye may truly know thine own heart
10. Blessed is he that stands upon his virtue, and yields not his integrity to those who seek to offend him, for his greatness will proceed before him
22 January 2010
21 January 2010
Fairytales
(The Poetry Series #3)
Oh, they think they’re right and will fight to the end
Only to lose that which they are fighting for
Constantly casting blame, unwilling to accept their own
Thinking to prove their rightness
Thinking to show they refuse to change
Thinking to safeguard their sense of self
Oh, they hold onto anger, wielded as bravado and ire
Hoping to get their way, no longer acting in union
The words strike at the heart
Cutting away, letter by letter, at the foundation
Cutting away, word by word, at what once was
Cutting away, intonation by intonation, at what could be
Oh, they strut their pain, seeking to gain supportive company
Surrounding themselves with their fans
Pumping up their angst, giving them a sense of entitlement
Making the road to understanding longer
Making the healing of the heart more difficult
Making the closeness once had -- only a memory
Oh, they build their lives in a treehouse of straw
Claiming it is a castle of brick and mortar
Not knowing it is seen for what it is
But always lobbying for you to believe otherwise
But always finding reason for it’s sagging
But always trying to shift the focus -- to you
Oh, they can love you like no other
And not love you just as easily
Thinking this is justified
Because you did not do what they wanted you to
Because you are not what they want you to be
Because you -- are you
Oh, their thoughts are the very things that keep them limited
Giving just a little of themselves
Thinking this is the safest thing to do
And end up wondering what happened
And end up asking why me
And end up still alone -- blaming
Oh, the conditions for their love are numerous
In equal measure to their issues
But that’s okay with them
You were the one who happened to resemble their past
You were the one who happened to speak the truth
You were the one who -- you were the one
Fairytales...
These are the false truths they choose to believe in
And integrate their identities into them
These are the determined ideals that make one person
Think they are better than the next
These are the very mental constraints that impute ruin
And defeat the beauty of what could be
Their way is the way and no other way is right, or real
So they put down what you think
So they diminish what you value
So they are better than you -- so goes their Fairytale
Oh, they think they’re right and will fight to the end
Only to lose that which they are fighting for
Constantly casting blame, unwilling to accept their own
Thinking to prove their rightness
Thinking to show they refuse to change
Thinking to safeguard their sense of self
Oh, they hold onto anger, wielded as bravado and ire
Hoping to get their way, no longer acting in union
The words strike at the heart
Cutting away, letter by letter, at the foundation
Cutting away, word by word, at what once was
Cutting away, intonation by intonation, at what could be
Oh, they strut their pain, seeking to gain supportive company
Surrounding themselves with their fans
Pumping up their angst, giving them a sense of entitlement
Making the road to understanding longer
Making the healing of the heart more difficult
Making the closeness once had -- only a memory
Oh, they build their lives in a treehouse of straw
Claiming it is a castle of brick and mortar
Not knowing it is seen for what it is
But always lobbying for you to believe otherwise
But always finding reason for it’s sagging
But always trying to shift the focus -- to you
Oh, they can love you like no other
And not love you just as easily
Thinking this is justified
Because you did not do what they wanted you to
Because you are not what they want you to be
Because you -- are you
Oh, their thoughts are the very things that keep them limited
Giving just a little of themselves
Thinking this is the safest thing to do
And end up wondering what happened
And end up asking why me
And end up still alone -- blaming
Oh, the conditions for their love are numerous
In equal measure to their issues
But that’s okay with them
You were the one who happened to resemble their past
You were the one who happened to speak the truth
You were the one who -- you were the one
Fairytales...
These are the false truths they choose to believe in
And integrate their identities into them
These are the determined ideals that make one person
Think they are better than the next
These are the very mental constraints that impute ruin
And defeat the beauty of what could be
Their way is the way and no other way is right, or real
So they put down what you think
So they diminish what you value
So they are better than you -- so goes their Fairytale
19 January 2010
What, This Man?
(The Poetry Series #1)
I walked in the rain, feeling the cold life that fell upon me with every drop. Each drop, a world of life and memories that brought a smile to my steadied demeanor. And I recall the many days of old when I, and my friends -- my true friends -- would galavant around, frolicking in the downpours of the deep South getting soaking wet and loving every minute of it.
I am taken back to those days of youthful glee and newness. I am reminded of the ways in which I once viewed the world... so innocently, so splendidly, so excitedly. I am caused to smile at the ways in which we would find the simplest things to stimulate our unstoppable imagination. Oh, the wonderous joy that filled me then... and even now as I sit and recollect where my mind takes me.
What has happened to me along my journey of life? How can it be that so much of what was great, empowering, thrilling and inspiring to me has fallen from my psyche? Has it... really? Of has something more sinister and irresponsible within me been allowed to squelch my passion, my need, my desire, my calling -- beckoning me away from my predestined path?
What, This Man? What is he today as he goes about the business of life and the pursuit of dreams? What motivates him to keep walking, keep doing, keep believing? What within him refuses to stop challenging those internalized restraints that so often destroy dreams?
I have pondered on this for many hours, many days, many years, and I have come to believe I am the cause for everything that has happened in my journey - in my life. The choices were all mine to make and wether I made a choice or not, they still remain my property and cannot be shaken. The responsibility for the triumph and the adversity rest squarely on my shoulders -- and I gladly own it.
It is true there have been those who have harbored ill will towards me, who have sought to break my will, defeat my happiness, diminish my joy. There have been those who have tried -- in vein -- to ruin this notion I maintain that I am happy, and that I truly can always be happy... for I truly am... happy.
What, This Man? The one who would rather walk in hunger than to ask of those who think bad of me. What, This Man? The one who would rather believe in Love, and Happiness, and Joy, and Human Goodness, then to allow the hurts and pains of the past to distort my reality. What, This Man? The one who would rather hold his tongue then to say that which is hurtful to those unwilling to receive the truth.
There are many who have bough into the notions and machinations of the world at large... who think life is grind, and then you die... who think we all struggle because that is out lot in life... who think their vast material possession demonstrate their goodness or represents their greatness. There are many that walk the wide path to empty fulfillment and selfish gain. There are many, indeed.
As well, there are many who choose to stiffen our backs to these derogatory thoughts and these practices of reckless abandon. And while we appear to be a lone snowflake in the midst of a blazing hell, out common bond of kinship and connectedness insures we will prevail... and that the hardships we face create in us the greatest metal. It is in sensing this truth that our Spirits gives rise to the many smiles we share that are anchored in this deepest knowing: that what is ours to have will soon become ours to hold.
What, This Man? And yes, that Man too. And yes, that woMan also.
The rain has stopped and the clouds above share with me their calming spirit. The wind softly licks upon my cheek and I smell the cleansing of this Earth.
I flash back to the innocent beauty of my childhood where, deep in the humid woods of Savannah, Georgia, I and my younger bother would sneak out onto the dirt roads and bury our bare feet in the wet land. Where we would play for hours on roads we built there in the partial mud, and dream our dreams, play our games, and experience a brotherly connectedness that so many sadly forget.
I flashback to the young boy of the ripe age of thirteen who found a flat board, a water puddle, and then imagined he was surfing. I recall water-filled boots and soggy socks as I meandered home, afraid of the coming whipping, but loving every minute I dwelled in my dream world.
I come to understand the value of Dreams and how one must always have one to believe in. I come to appreciate the powerful inertia one develops when a dream is embraced and faithfully pursued. I come to respect the paths of the many thousands who have walked before me -- and who now walk along with me -- and who weathered storms of the greatest magnitude to realize their dreams.
There is a path for all, the journey we are obligated to travel, the adventure we must fearlessly pursue. It beckons one and all to remember their dreams... to discover the strength that is resident within... to question and overcome their fabricated barriers to realizing their greater selves. It dares to force you to look into your mirror of truth, at all that you are - strong and weak, and claim the God-given journey that only you were called to traverse. For in truth, it is only you who can walk your journey.
Delight, inspiration, humbling moments, personal evolution, inner peace, and the true knowing of self are the guaranteed rewards. If we but only take the first step.
What, This Man?
Indeed, This Man.
I walked in the rain, feeling the cold life that fell upon me with every drop. Each drop, a world of life and memories that brought a smile to my steadied demeanor. And I recall the many days of old when I, and my friends -- my true friends -- would galavant around, frolicking in the downpours of the deep South getting soaking wet and loving every minute of it.
I am taken back to those days of youthful glee and newness. I am reminded of the ways in which I once viewed the world... so innocently, so splendidly, so excitedly. I am caused to smile at the ways in which we would find the simplest things to stimulate our unstoppable imagination. Oh, the wonderous joy that filled me then... and even now as I sit and recollect where my mind takes me.
What has happened to me along my journey of life? How can it be that so much of what was great, empowering, thrilling and inspiring to me has fallen from my psyche? Has it... really? Of has something more sinister and irresponsible within me been allowed to squelch my passion, my need, my desire, my calling -- beckoning me away from my predestined path?
What, This Man? What is he today as he goes about the business of life and the pursuit of dreams? What motivates him to keep walking, keep doing, keep believing? What within him refuses to stop challenging those internalized restraints that so often destroy dreams?
I have pondered on this for many hours, many days, many years, and I have come to believe I am the cause for everything that has happened in my journey - in my life. The choices were all mine to make and wether I made a choice or not, they still remain my property and cannot be shaken. The responsibility for the triumph and the adversity rest squarely on my shoulders -- and I gladly own it.
It is true there have been those who have harbored ill will towards me, who have sought to break my will, defeat my happiness, diminish my joy. There have been those who have tried -- in vein -- to ruin this notion I maintain that I am happy, and that I truly can always be happy... for I truly am... happy.
What, This Man? The one who would rather walk in hunger than to ask of those who think bad of me. What, This Man? The one who would rather believe in Love, and Happiness, and Joy, and Human Goodness, then to allow the hurts and pains of the past to distort my reality. What, This Man? The one who would rather hold his tongue then to say that which is hurtful to those unwilling to receive the truth.
There are many who have bough into the notions and machinations of the world at large... who think life is grind, and then you die... who think we all struggle because that is out lot in life... who think their vast material possession demonstrate their goodness or represents their greatness. There are many that walk the wide path to empty fulfillment and selfish gain. There are many, indeed.
As well, there are many who choose to stiffen our backs to these derogatory thoughts and these practices of reckless abandon. And while we appear to be a lone snowflake in the midst of a blazing hell, out common bond of kinship and connectedness insures we will prevail... and that the hardships we face create in us the greatest metal. It is in sensing this truth that our Spirits gives rise to the many smiles we share that are anchored in this deepest knowing: that what is ours to have will soon become ours to hold.
What, This Man? And yes, that Man too. And yes, that woMan also.
The rain has stopped and the clouds above share with me their calming spirit. The wind softly licks upon my cheek and I smell the cleansing of this Earth.
I flash back to the innocent beauty of my childhood where, deep in the humid woods of Savannah, Georgia, I and my younger bother would sneak out onto the dirt roads and bury our bare feet in the wet land. Where we would play for hours on roads we built there in the partial mud, and dream our dreams, play our games, and experience a brotherly connectedness that so many sadly forget.
I flashback to the young boy of the ripe age of thirteen who found a flat board, a water puddle, and then imagined he was surfing. I recall water-filled boots and soggy socks as I meandered home, afraid of the coming whipping, but loving every minute I dwelled in my dream world.
I come to understand the value of Dreams and how one must always have one to believe in. I come to appreciate the powerful inertia one develops when a dream is embraced and faithfully pursued. I come to respect the paths of the many thousands who have walked before me -- and who now walk along with me -- and who weathered storms of the greatest magnitude to realize their dreams.
There is a path for all, the journey we are obligated to travel, the adventure we must fearlessly pursue. It beckons one and all to remember their dreams... to discover the strength that is resident within... to question and overcome their fabricated barriers to realizing their greater selves. It dares to force you to look into your mirror of truth, at all that you are - strong and weak, and claim the God-given journey that only you were called to traverse. For in truth, it is only you who can walk your journey.
Delight, inspiration, humbling moments, personal evolution, inner peace, and the true knowing of self are the guaranteed rewards. If we but only take the first step.
What, This Man?
Indeed, This Man.
02 January 2010
Words To Help Pt. 3
I am reminded of the value of meditation and belief in oneself. The ideas written in the below chapters all have a common theme of taking time to meditate (pray), and belief in the power of ones Spiritual energy to draw those things that one seeks to self. The book provides many examples of how this way of thinking has proven successful to many people throughout time, and how we all possess similar power today.
I find myself reflecting upon the myriad thoughts and notions I’ve long held near and dear, and how the way in which I thought about some things was the very thing that kept me from attaining a particular goal.
In applying what I’ve read and internalized thus far in my life today, I can tell you it really does work...
Within the span of a few days of refocusing my thoughts and applying the approaches in this book to my life, there have been some miraculous changes in certain areas in my life. True story.
As I contemplate how I’ve viewed this world in which we live, and the many different ideals that impact our minds (or thinking), I begin to more clearly see how we have all been conditioned to think our way into the very kind of life we experience.
It has been my experience that when I focus on the less positive aspects of society, as accept those “perceptions/views” as the way it is, they indeed become my reality.
My wife has been the catalyst for this new journey I now undertake. It is through her quest, many years before, that she happened upon the book I now read. She had the foresight and courage to purchase it, and kept it in her personal library.
Funny, how we can look at a book for so long yet never see it. That was my experience. It has always been here, I’ve looked at the many book titles a hundred times over but it wasn’t until now that it was brought to my attention. Truth be told, I suppose it was an answered prayer and a wanting to evolved into a fuller being that lead my hands to these precious pages.
All too often we say we are about personal growth and that we have the capacity to look at ourselves truthfully... but can we ... and do we?
I am thankful I have been able to do so. I am thankful I have been able to see Dedoceo Habi for who and what he is. I am thankful I am able to identify where I need to grow if I truly am a Man of my word and genuinely want to succeed in those things I am called to do.
I share this part of my journey with others because I believe (and I’ve experienced this truth so often I have no doubt it is real) there are many others asking themselves the very same questions I have asked myself. The Universal connectedness of our Spiritual existence requires that we all find ourselves at similar points in our individual journeys, and that we share our experiences to help others, to learn from others, and to keep growing.
It is my hope that someone out there finds these words and is somehow helped to move closer to their dream. That they can acknowledge the truth of what I’m capturing from this book, and apply it to their lives. Most importantly, I am prayerfully confident they will understand the requirement that they share this truth with those they care about.
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy ~ Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
As Your subconscious mind is in touch with infinite life and boundless wisdom, and its impulses and ideas are always lifeward. The great aspirations, inspirations, and visions for a grander and nobler life spring from the subconscious. Your profoundest convictions are those you cannot argue about rationally because they do not come from your conscious mind; they come from your subconscious mind.
To think correctly, scientifically, we must know the “Truth." To know the truth is to be in harmony with the infinite intelligence and power of your subconscious mind which is always moving lifeward. Every thought or action which is not harmonious, whether through ignorance or design, will result in discord and limitation of all kinds.
Many say there is an intelligence which will take care of your body if you let it alone. That is true, but the difficulty is that the conscious mind always interferes with its five-sense evidence based on outer appearances, leading to the sway of false beliefs, fears, and mere opinion. When fear, false beliefs, and negative patterns are made to register in your subconscious mind through psychological, emotional conditioning, there is no other course open to the subconscious mind except to act on the blueprint specifications offered it.
The principle reasons for failure are: Lack of confidence and too much effort. Many people block answers to their prayers by failing to fully comprehend the workings of their subconscious mind. When you know how your mind functions, you gain a measure of confidence. You must remember whenever your subconscious mind accepts an idea, it immediately begins to execute it. It uses all its mighty resources to that end and mobilizes all the mental and spiritual laws of your deeper mind. This law is true for good or bad ideas. Consequently, if you use It negatively, it brings trouble, failure, and confusion. When you use it constructively, it brings guidance, freedom, and peace of mind.
Trying to accumulate wealth by the sweat of your brow and hard labor is one way to become the richest man in the graveyard. You do not have to strive or slave hard.
Your conscious and subconscious mind must agree. Your subconscious accepts what you really feel to be true. The dominant idea is always accepted by your subconscious mind. The dominant idea should be wealth, not poverty.
What you consciously affirm, you must not mentally deny a few moments later. This will neutralize the good you have affirmed. The block to wealth is in your own mind. Destroy that block now by getting on good mental terms with everyone.
It is your right to be rich. You are here to lead the abundant life and be happy, radiant, and free. You should, therefore, have all the money you need to lead a full, happy, and prosperous life.
One reason many people simply make ends meet and never have enough money is that they condemn money. What you condemn takes wings and flies away.
Don't make money your sole aim. Claim wealth, happiness, peace, true expression, and love, and personally radiate love and good will to all. Then your subconscious mind will give you compound interest in all these fields of expression.
Never use the terms "filthy lucre" or "I despise money." You lose what you criticize. There is nothing good or bad, but thinking of it in either light makes it so.
Let us discuss three steps to success: The first step to success is to find out the thing you love to do, then do it. The second step to success is to specialize in some particular branch of work and know more about it than anyone else. The third step is the most important one. You must be sure that the thing you want to do does not contribute greatly to your success only. Your desire must not be selfish; it must benefit humanity.
Any mental picture, backed by faith and perseverance, will come to pass through the miracle-working power of your subconscious. Trust it, believe in its power, and wonders will happen as you pray.
Guidance comes as a feeling, an inner awareness, an overpowering hunch whereby you know that you know. It is an inner sense of touch. Follow it.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next chapters ...
I find myself reflecting upon the myriad thoughts and notions I’ve long held near and dear, and how the way in which I thought about some things was the very thing that kept me from attaining a particular goal.
In applying what I’ve read and internalized thus far in my life today, I can tell you it really does work...
Within the span of a few days of refocusing my thoughts and applying the approaches in this book to my life, there have been some miraculous changes in certain areas in my life. True story.
As I contemplate how I’ve viewed this world in which we live, and the many different ideals that impact our minds (or thinking), I begin to more clearly see how we have all been conditioned to think our way into the very kind of life we experience.
It has been my experience that when I focus on the less positive aspects of society, as accept those “perceptions/views” as the way it is, they indeed become my reality.
My wife has been the catalyst for this new journey I now undertake. It is through her quest, many years before, that she happened upon the book I now read. She had the foresight and courage to purchase it, and kept it in her personal library.
Funny, how we can look at a book for so long yet never see it. That was my experience. It has always been here, I’ve looked at the many book titles a hundred times over but it wasn’t until now that it was brought to my attention. Truth be told, I suppose it was an answered prayer and a wanting to evolved into a fuller being that lead my hands to these precious pages.
All too often we say we are about personal growth and that we have the capacity to look at ourselves truthfully... but can we ... and do we?
I am thankful I have been able to do so. I am thankful I have been able to see Dedoceo Habi for who and what he is. I am thankful I am able to identify where I need to grow if I truly am a Man of my word and genuinely want to succeed in those things I am called to do.
I share this part of my journey with others because I believe (and I’ve experienced this truth so often I have no doubt it is real) there are many others asking themselves the very same questions I have asked myself. The Universal connectedness of our Spiritual existence requires that we all find ourselves at similar points in our individual journeys, and that we share our experiences to help others, to learn from others, and to keep growing.
It is my hope that someone out there finds these words and is somehow helped to move closer to their dream. That they can acknowledge the truth of what I’m capturing from this book, and apply it to their lives. Most importantly, I am prayerfully confident they will understand the requirement that they share this truth with those they care about.
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy ~ Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
As Your subconscious mind is in touch with infinite life and boundless wisdom, and its impulses and ideas are always lifeward. The great aspirations, inspirations, and visions for a grander and nobler life spring from the subconscious. Your profoundest convictions are those you cannot argue about rationally because they do not come from your conscious mind; they come from your subconscious mind.
To think correctly, scientifically, we must know the “Truth." To know the truth is to be in harmony with the infinite intelligence and power of your subconscious mind which is always moving lifeward. Every thought or action which is not harmonious, whether through ignorance or design, will result in discord and limitation of all kinds.
Many say there is an intelligence which will take care of your body if you let it alone. That is true, but the difficulty is that the conscious mind always interferes with its five-sense evidence based on outer appearances, leading to the sway of false beliefs, fears, and mere opinion. When fear, false beliefs, and negative patterns are made to register in your subconscious mind through psychological, emotional conditioning, there is no other course open to the subconscious mind except to act on the blueprint specifications offered it.
The principle reasons for failure are: Lack of confidence and too much effort. Many people block answers to their prayers by failing to fully comprehend the workings of their subconscious mind. When you know how your mind functions, you gain a measure of confidence. You must remember whenever your subconscious mind accepts an idea, it immediately begins to execute it. It uses all its mighty resources to that end and mobilizes all the mental and spiritual laws of your deeper mind. This law is true for good or bad ideas. Consequently, if you use It negatively, it brings trouble, failure, and confusion. When you use it constructively, it brings guidance, freedom, and peace of mind.
Trying to accumulate wealth by the sweat of your brow and hard labor is one way to become the richest man in the graveyard. You do not have to strive or slave hard.
Your conscious and subconscious mind must agree. Your subconscious accepts what you really feel to be true. The dominant idea is always accepted by your subconscious mind. The dominant idea should be wealth, not poverty.
What you consciously affirm, you must not mentally deny a few moments later. This will neutralize the good you have affirmed. The block to wealth is in your own mind. Destroy that block now by getting on good mental terms with everyone.
It is your right to be rich. You are here to lead the abundant life and be happy, radiant, and free. You should, therefore, have all the money you need to lead a full, happy, and prosperous life.
One reason many people simply make ends meet and never have enough money is that they condemn money. What you condemn takes wings and flies away.
Don't make money your sole aim. Claim wealth, happiness, peace, true expression, and love, and personally radiate love and good will to all. Then your subconscious mind will give you compound interest in all these fields of expression.
Never use the terms "filthy lucre" or "I despise money." You lose what you criticize. There is nothing good or bad, but thinking of it in either light makes it so.
Let us discuss three steps to success: The first step to success is to find out the thing you love to do, then do it. The second step to success is to specialize in some particular branch of work and know more about it than anyone else. The third step is the most important one. You must be sure that the thing you want to do does not contribute greatly to your success only. Your desire must not be selfish; it must benefit humanity.
Any mental picture, backed by faith and perseverance, will come to pass through the miracle-working power of your subconscious. Trust it, believe in its power, and wonders will happen as you pray.
Guidance comes as a feeling, an inner awareness, an overpowering hunch whereby you know that you know. It is an inner sense of touch. Follow it.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next chapters ...
28 December 2009
Words To Help Pt. 2
After reading the below chapters I’m reminded of the value of prayer, of having concrete knowledge that prayers do get answered, and of my own belief in my capacity to realize all the goals I have set for myself. I also find myself reminiscing on my past -- the little boy who believed without question all the goodness this world has to offer, the boy who sang royally in the youth choir, the young man who always found a way to laugh at every situation, and the young adult who fearlessly embraced a new life in the Marine Corps, knowing it was his path to take.
Here I am many years later and I’m finding my need for a full Spiritual existence continues to grow. The information contained in the book is both illuminating and vindicating. I am caused to feel I’ve been on the right path of belief and faith for a long time now... and now I can embrace an even greater amount of faith.
As I read these pages I am forced (gladly) to consider my deepest beliefs and the actions I have taken to represent them in my life. Furthermore, I found this book as an answer to a prayer I sent out for guidance. My reading it is helping me to assess where my faith really is, and whether I truly believe (at my deepest core) in all the things I’ve espoused for so many years. A tremendous book, indeed...
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy ~ Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul [subconscious mind] knoweth right well.
As previously outlined, your subconscious cannot argue. It acts only from what you write on it. It accepts your verdict or the conclusions of your conscious mind as final. This is why you are always writing on the book of life, because your thoughts become your experiences. The American essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Man is what he thinks all day long."
The reason there is so much chaos and misery in the world is because people do not understand the interaction of their conscious and subconscious minds. When these two principles work in accord, in concord, in peace, and synchronously together, you will have health, happiness, peace and joy. There is no sickness or discord when the conscious and subconscious work together harmoniously and peacefully.
You will find throughout all nature the law of action and reaction, of rest and motion. These two must balance, then there will be harmony and equilibrium. You are here to let the life principle flow through you rhythmically and harmoniously. The intake and the outgo must be equal. The impression and the expression must be equal. All your frustration is due to unfulfilled desire.
We injure ourselves by the negative ideas which we entertain. How often have you wounded yourself by getting angry, fearful, jealous, or vengeful? These are the poisons that enter your subconscious mind. You were not born with these negative attitudes. Feed your subconscious mind life-giving thoughts, and you will wipe out all the negative patterns lodged therein. As you continue to do this, all the past will be wiped out and remembered no more.
Oftentimes your conscious mind interferes with the normal rhythm of the heart, lungs, and functioning of the stomach and intestines by worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. These patterns of thought interfere with the harmonious functioning of your subconscious mind. When mentally disturbed, the best procedure is to let go, relax, and still the wheels of your thought processes. Speak to your subconscious mind, telling it to take over in peace, harmony, and divine order. You will find that all the functions of your body will become normal again. Be sure to speak to your subconscious mind with authority and conviction, and it will conform to your command.
Begin now to take care of your conscious mind, knowing in your heart and soul that your subconscious mind is always expressing, reproducing, and manifesting according to your habitual thinking.
Claim that the healing presence in your subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy, and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you.
Belief is a thought in the subconscious mind. It means to accept something as true.
All frustration is due to unfulfilled desires. If you dwell on obstacles, delays, and difficulties, your subconscious mind responds accordingly, and you are blocking your own good.
Keep your conscious mind busy with the expectation of the best, and your subconscious will faithfully reproduce your habitual thinking.
Your thought, idea, plan, or purpose is as real on its own plane as your hand or your heart.
Faith as mentioned in the Bible is a way of thinking, an attitude of mind, an inner certitude, knowing that the idea you fully accept in your conscious mind will be embodied in your subconscious mind and made manifest. Faith is, in a sense, accepting as true what your reason and senses deny, i.e., a shutting out of the little, rational, analytical, conscious mind and embracing an attitude of complete reliance on the inner power of your subconscious mind. This is the time-honored technique of healing, utilized alike by all healing groups throughout the world regardless of religious affiliation.
If a man says he is allergic to Onion grass, you can place a synthetic onion or an empty glass in front of his nose, when he is in a hypnotic state, and tell him it is onion, he will portray the usual allergic symptoms. This indicates that the cause of the disease is in the mind. The healing of the disease can also take place mentally.
Healing is due to a confident expectancy which acts as a powerful suggestion to the subconscious mind releasing its healing potency.
Belief is a thought in your mind which causes the power of your subconscious to be distributed into all phases of your life according to your thinking habits.
All your experiences, all your actions, and all the circumstances of your life are but the reflections and reactions to your own thought.
I strongly suggest that you cease talking about your ailments or giving them a name. The only sap from which they draw life is your attention and fear of them. Furthermore, by the law of your own mind, these imaginings tend to take shape, As the thing I greatly feared. Fill your mind with the great truths of life and walk forward in peaceful contentment.
Great and noble thoughts upon which you habitually dwell become great acts.
The most fundamental and the most far-reaching activity in life is that which you build into your mentality every waking hour. Your word is silent and invisible; nevertheless, it is real.
You must ask believing, if you are to receive. Your mind moves from the thought to the thing. Unless there is first an image in the mind, it cannot move, for there would be nothing for it to move toward. You must reach a point of acceptance in your mind, an unqualified and undisputed state of agreement.
The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when in a sleepy state. The reason for this is that the highest degree of outcropping of the subconscious occurs prior to sleep and just after we awaken. In this state the negative thoughts, which tend to neutralize your desire and so prevent acceptance by your subconscious mind, are no longer present.
Power goes into our word according to the feeling and faith behind it. When we realize the power that moves the world is moving on our behalf and is backing up our word, our confidence and assurance grow.
Remember that the thankful heart is always close to the riches of the universe.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next two chapters ...
Here I am many years later and I’m finding my need for a full Spiritual existence continues to grow. The information contained in the book is both illuminating and vindicating. I am caused to feel I’ve been on the right path of belief and faith for a long time now... and now I can embrace an even greater amount of faith.
As I read these pages I am forced (gladly) to consider my deepest beliefs and the actions I have taken to represent them in my life. Furthermore, I found this book as an answer to a prayer I sent out for guidance. My reading it is helping me to assess where my faith really is, and whether I truly believe (at my deepest core) in all the things I’ve espoused for so many years. A tremendous book, indeed...
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy ~ Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul [subconscious mind] knoweth right well.
As previously outlined, your subconscious cannot argue. It acts only from what you write on it. It accepts your verdict or the conclusions of your conscious mind as final. This is why you are always writing on the book of life, because your thoughts become your experiences. The American essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Man is what he thinks all day long."
The reason there is so much chaos and misery in the world is because people do not understand the interaction of their conscious and subconscious minds. When these two principles work in accord, in concord, in peace, and synchronously together, you will have health, happiness, peace and joy. There is no sickness or discord when the conscious and subconscious work together harmoniously and peacefully.
You will find throughout all nature the law of action and reaction, of rest and motion. These two must balance, then there will be harmony and equilibrium. You are here to let the life principle flow through you rhythmically and harmoniously. The intake and the outgo must be equal. The impression and the expression must be equal. All your frustration is due to unfulfilled desire.
We injure ourselves by the negative ideas which we entertain. How often have you wounded yourself by getting angry, fearful, jealous, or vengeful? These are the poisons that enter your subconscious mind. You were not born with these negative attitudes. Feed your subconscious mind life-giving thoughts, and you will wipe out all the negative patterns lodged therein. As you continue to do this, all the past will be wiped out and remembered no more.
Oftentimes your conscious mind interferes with the normal rhythm of the heart, lungs, and functioning of the stomach and intestines by worry, anxiety, fear, and depression. These patterns of thought interfere with the harmonious functioning of your subconscious mind. When mentally disturbed, the best procedure is to let go, relax, and still the wheels of your thought processes. Speak to your subconscious mind, telling it to take over in peace, harmony, and divine order. You will find that all the functions of your body will become normal again. Be sure to speak to your subconscious mind with authority and conviction, and it will conform to your command.
Begin now to take care of your conscious mind, knowing in your heart and soul that your subconscious mind is always expressing, reproducing, and manifesting according to your habitual thinking.
Claim that the healing presence in your subconscious is flowing through you as harmony, health, peace, joy, and abundance. Think of it as a living intelligence, a lovely companion on the way. Firmly believe it is continually flowing through you vivifying, inspiring, and prospering you.
Belief is a thought in the subconscious mind. It means to accept something as true.
All frustration is due to unfulfilled desires. If you dwell on obstacles, delays, and difficulties, your subconscious mind responds accordingly, and you are blocking your own good.
Keep your conscious mind busy with the expectation of the best, and your subconscious will faithfully reproduce your habitual thinking.
Your thought, idea, plan, or purpose is as real on its own plane as your hand or your heart.
Faith as mentioned in the Bible is a way of thinking, an attitude of mind, an inner certitude, knowing that the idea you fully accept in your conscious mind will be embodied in your subconscious mind and made manifest. Faith is, in a sense, accepting as true what your reason and senses deny, i.e., a shutting out of the little, rational, analytical, conscious mind and embracing an attitude of complete reliance on the inner power of your subconscious mind. This is the time-honored technique of healing, utilized alike by all healing groups throughout the world regardless of religious affiliation.
If a man says he is allergic to Onion grass, you can place a synthetic onion or an empty glass in front of his nose, when he is in a hypnotic state, and tell him it is onion, he will portray the usual allergic symptoms. This indicates that the cause of the disease is in the mind. The healing of the disease can also take place mentally.
Healing is due to a confident expectancy which acts as a powerful suggestion to the subconscious mind releasing its healing potency.
Belief is a thought in your mind which causes the power of your subconscious to be distributed into all phases of your life according to your thinking habits.
All your experiences, all your actions, and all the circumstances of your life are but the reflections and reactions to your own thought.
I strongly suggest that you cease talking about your ailments or giving them a name. The only sap from which they draw life is your attention and fear of them. Furthermore, by the law of your own mind, these imaginings tend to take shape, As the thing I greatly feared. Fill your mind with the great truths of life and walk forward in peaceful contentment.
Great and noble thoughts upon which you habitually dwell become great acts.
The most fundamental and the most far-reaching activity in life is that which you build into your mentality every waking hour. Your word is silent and invisible; nevertheless, it is real.
You must ask believing, if you are to receive. Your mind moves from the thought to the thing. Unless there is first an image in the mind, it cannot move, for there would be nothing for it to move toward. You must reach a point of acceptance in your mind, an unqualified and undisputed state of agreement.
The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when in a sleepy state. The reason for this is that the highest degree of outcropping of the subconscious occurs prior to sleep and just after we awaken. In this state the negative thoughts, which tend to neutralize your desire and so prevent acceptance by your subconscious mind, are no longer present.
Power goes into our word according to the feeling and faith behind it. When we realize the power that moves the world is moving on our behalf and is backing up our word, our confidence and assurance grow.
Remember that the thankful heart is always close to the riches of the universe.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next two chapters ...
27 December 2009
Words To Help
2009 is almost over and we have much to look forward to in 2010. I am in the process on making a significant change within my own self. I’ve begun reading a dynamic and interesting book that is acting as the catalyst for my change and I am honored to share the highlights with you. This book was first published in 1963 and the truths, lessons and insights contained within it still apply today.
I hope, as you read the below bullets, that you find something to hold on to that can be applied to your life today, and make 2010 your year of victory and new life as well.
As a result of my reading so far, I’ve created a short prayerly meditation I will make three times a day (each day), knowing this is the way to realizing all of my goals.
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy
~ Chapters 1 & 2 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
Be sure that you think on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Your subconscious mind is the builder of your body and can heal you. Lull yourself to sleep every night with the idea of perfect health, and your subconscious, being your faithful servant, will obey you.
Never use the terms, "I can't afford it" or "I can't do this." Your subconscious mind takes you at your word and sees to it that you do not have the money or the ability to do what you want to do. Affirm, "I can do all things through the power of my subconscious mind.”
The law of life is the law of belief. A belief is a thought in your mind. Do not believe in things to harm or hurt you. Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal, inspire, strengthen, and prosper you. According to your belief is it done unto you.
Whatever you claim mentally and feel as true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring forth into your experience.
Your subconscious mind is like the soil which accepts any kind of seed, good or bad. Your thoughts are active and might be likened unto seeds. Negative, destructive thoughts continue to work negatively in your subconscious mind, and in due time will come forth into outer experience which corresponds with them.
Remember, your subconscious mind does not engage in proving whether your thoughts are good or bad, true or false, but it responds according to the nature of your thoughts or suggestions. For example, if you consciously assume something as true, even though it may be false, your subconscious mind will accept it as true and proceed to bring about results which must necessarily follow, because you consciously assumed it to be true.
All things that have happened to you are based on thoughts impressed on your subconscious mind through belief. If you have conveyed erroneous concepts to your subconscious mind, the sure method of overcoming them is by the repetition of constructive, harmonious thoughts frequently repeated which your subconscious mind accepts, thus forming new and healthy habits of thought and life, for your subconscious mind is the seat of habit.
If you have indulged in fear, worry, and other destructive forms of thinking, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of your subconscious mind and decree freedom, happiness, and perfect health. Your subconscious mind, being creative and one with your divine source, will proceed to create the freedom and happiness which you have earnestly decreed.
It is true that different people will react in different ways to the same suggestion because of their subconscious conditioning or belief. For example, if you go to a sailor on the ship and say to him sympathetically, "My dear fellow, you're looking very ill. Aren't you feeling sick? You look to me as if you were going to be seasick." According to his temperament he either laughs at your "joke," or expresses a mild irritation. Your suggestion fell on deaf ears in this instance because your suggestion of seasickness was associated in his mind with his own immunity from it. Therefore, it called up not fear or worry, but self-confidence.
CASE STUDY
Autosuggestion may be used to banish various fears and other negative conditions. A young singer was invited to give an audition. She had been looking forward to the interview, but on three previous occasions she had failed miserably due to fear of failure. This young lady had a very good voice, but she had been saying to herself, "When the time comes for me to sing, maybe they won't like me. I will try, but I'm full of fear and anxiety."
Her subconscious mind accepted these negative autosuggestions as a request and proceeded to manifest them and bring them into her experience. The cause was an involuntary autosuggestion, ie., silent fear thoughts emotionalized and subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a day she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably in an armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes. She stilled her mind and body as best she could. Physical inertia favors mental passivity and renders the mind more receptive to suggestion. She counteracted the fear suggestion by saying to herself, "I sing beautifully. I am poised, serene, confident, and calm." She repeated this statement slowly, quietly, and with feeling from five to ten times at each sitting. She had three such "sittings" every day and one immediately prior to sleep. At the end of a week she was completely poised and confident. When the invitation to audition came, she gave a remarkable, wonderful audition.
RELEVANCE
From infancy on the majority of us have been given many negative suggestions. Not knowing how to thwart them, we unconsciously accepted them. Here are some of the negative suggestions: "You can't." "You'll never amount to anything." "You mustn't.” "You'll fail." "You haven't got a chance." "You're all wrong.” "It’s no use." "It's not what you know, but who you know.” "The world is going to the dogs." "What's the use, nobody cares." "It’s no use trying so hard." "You're too old now." "Things are getting worse and worse." "Life is an endless grind." "Love is for the birds." "You just can't win." "Pretty soon you'll be bankrupt" "Watch out, you'll get the virus." "You can't trust a soul.", etc.
Unless, as an adult, you use constructive autosuggestion, which is a reconditioning therapy, the impressions made on you in the past can cause behavior patterns that cause failure in your personal and social life. Autosuggestion is a means releasing you
from the mass of negative verbal conditioning that might otherwise distort your life pattern, making the development of good habits difficult.
Check regularly on the negative suggestions that people make to you. You do not have to be influenced by destructive heterosuggestion (heterosuggestion defined as suggestions from another person). All of us have suffered from it in our childhood and in our teens. If you look back, you can easily recall how parents, friends, relatives, teachers, and associates contributed in a campaign of negative suggestions. Study the things said to you, and you will discover much of it was in the form of propaganda. The purpose of much of what was said was to control you or instill fear into you.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next two chapters ...
I hope, as you read the below bullets, that you find something to hold on to that can be applied to your life today, and make 2010 your year of victory and new life as well.
As a result of my reading so far, I’ve created a short prayerly meditation I will make three times a day (each day), knowing this is the way to realizing all of my goals.
Excerpts from “The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind” - Dr. Joseph Murphy
~ Chapters 1 & 2 - ISBN: 0-13-685925-9 ~
Be sure that you think on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Your subconscious mind is the builder of your body and can heal you. Lull yourself to sleep every night with the idea of perfect health, and your subconscious, being your faithful servant, will obey you.
Never use the terms, "I can't afford it" or "I can't do this." Your subconscious mind takes you at your word and sees to it that you do not have the money or the ability to do what you want to do. Affirm, "I can do all things through the power of my subconscious mind.”
The law of life is the law of belief. A belief is a thought in your mind. Do not believe in things to harm or hurt you. Believe in the power of your subconscious to heal, inspire, strengthen, and prosper you. According to your belief is it done unto you.
Whatever you claim mentally and feel as true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring forth into your experience.
Your subconscious mind is like the soil which accepts any kind of seed, good or bad. Your thoughts are active and might be likened unto seeds. Negative, destructive thoughts continue to work negatively in your subconscious mind, and in due time will come forth into outer experience which corresponds with them.
Remember, your subconscious mind does not engage in proving whether your thoughts are good or bad, true or false, but it responds according to the nature of your thoughts or suggestions. For example, if you consciously assume something as true, even though it may be false, your subconscious mind will accept it as true and proceed to bring about results which must necessarily follow, because you consciously assumed it to be true.
All things that have happened to you are based on thoughts impressed on your subconscious mind through belief. If you have conveyed erroneous concepts to your subconscious mind, the sure method of overcoming them is by the repetition of constructive, harmonious thoughts frequently repeated which your subconscious mind accepts, thus forming new and healthy habits of thought and life, for your subconscious mind is the seat of habit.
If you have indulged in fear, worry, and other destructive forms of thinking, the remedy is to recognize the omnipotence of your subconscious mind and decree freedom, happiness, and perfect health. Your subconscious mind, being creative and one with your divine source, will proceed to create the freedom and happiness which you have earnestly decreed.
It is true that different people will react in different ways to the same suggestion because of their subconscious conditioning or belief. For example, if you go to a sailor on the ship and say to him sympathetically, "My dear fellow, you're looking very ill. Aren't you feeling sick? You look to me as if you were going to be seasick." According to his temperament he either laughs at your "joke," or expresses a mild irritation. Your suggestion fell on deaf ears in this instance because your suggestion of seasickness was associated in his mind with his own immunity from it. Therefore, it called up not fear or worry, but self-confidence.
CASE STUDY
Autosuggestion may be used to banish various fears and other negative conditions. A young singer was invited to give an audition. She had been looking forward to the interview, but on three previous occasions she had failed miserably due to fear of failure. This young lady had a very good voice, but she had been saying to herself, "When the time comes for me to sing, maybe they won't like me. I will try, but I'm full of fear and anxiety."
Her subconscious mind accepted these negative autosuggestions as a request and proceeded to manifest them and bring them into her experience. The cause was an involuntary autosuggestion, ie., silent fear thoughts emotionalized and subjectified.
She overcame it by the following technique: Three times a day she isolated herself in a room. She sat down comfortably in an armchair, relaxed her body, and closed her eyes. She stilled her mind and body as best she could. Physical inertia favors mental passivity and renders the mind more receptive to suggestion. She counteracted the fear suggestion by saying to herself, "I sing beautifully. I am poised, serene, confident, and calm." She repeated this statement slowly, quietly, and with feeling from five to ten times at each sitting. She had three such "sittings" every day and one immediately prior to sleep. At the end of a week she was completely poised and confident. When the invitation to audition came, she gave a remarkable, wonderful audition.
RELEVANCE
From infancy on the majority of us have been given many negative suggestions. Not knowing how to thwart them, we unconsciously accepted them. Here are some of the negative suggestions: "You can't." "You'll never amount to anything." "You mustn't.” "You'll fail." "You haven't got a chance." "You're all wrong.” "It’s no use." "It's not what you know, but who you know.” "The world is going to the dogs." "What's the use, nobody cares." "It’s no use trying so hard." "You're too old now." "Things are getting worse and worse." "Life is an endless grind." "Love is for the birds." "You just can't win." "Pretty soon you'll be bankrupt" "Watch out, you'll get the virus." "You can't trust a soul.", etc.
Unless, as an adult, you use constructive autosuggestion, which is a reconditioning therapy, the impressions made on you in the past can cause behavior patterns that cause failure in your personal and social life. Autosuggestion is a means releasing you
from the mass of negative verbal conditioning that might otherwise distort your life pattern, making the development of good habits difficult.
Check regularly on the negative suggestions that people make to you. You do not have to be influenced by destructive heterosuggestion (heterosuggestion defined as suggestions from another person). All of us have suffered from it in our childhood and in our teens. If you look back, you can easily recall how parents, friends, relatives, teachers, and associates contributed in a campaign of negative suggestions. Study the things said to you, and you will discover much of it was in the form of propaganda. The purpose of much of what was said was to control you or instill fear into you.
... Stay tuned for excerpts from the next two chapters ...
12 December 2009
About Our Passion
Today I came to a conclusion able what it means to be a Man and how there are so many different ways we all think about Male Sexuality. We each have our own way of thinking about where a Man’s sexuality originates. All too often opinions are formed based solely upon what is comfortable to us. More interestingly, we wonder how Men would like our intimate passion expressed in our relationships. Of particular interest to me is that we all embrace thoughts we are comfortable with and then go about unable to acknowledge the value of how others think.
I was considering this while at one of my “places of thought” and decided to step outside my box. I tuned in to the local R&B radio station and decided to find out what I like about much of the music we now listen to.
Keep in mind, I use the words us, we, and our because I regard this, and all other matters I write about, as all part of One Black Nation. Our various views and ideals represent all of the different “parts” of our community that make us who we are. This is a truth we cannot escape. What is in the Mind and Spirit of one of us, is in the Mind and Spirit of all of us.
Back to this matter of passion...
There are two songs I have linked below in this dispatch, please take some time and challenge yourself to listen to them, and allow yourself to imagine the Artists are representing the truth of their perceptions, and doing so with all the passion they can muster. It is the only way they know how to do so.
Once you check them out I’d like you to consider somethings:
What if there was a part of that in all men? What if one of the reasons Men do not share their deepest desires with their Woman is that so many have decided to devalue perspectives they may be uncomfortable with? And, what if we came to a place in how we think that would allow us to enjoy this kind of passionate intimate diversity?
My conclusion: There is a part of everything in all of us; We are all Men and We love our Women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOT6teSarY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obLqb_-sars
I was considering this while at one of my “places of thought” and decided to step outside my box. I tuned in to the local R&B radio station and decided to find out what I like about much of the music we now listen to.
Keep in mind, I use the words us, we, and our because I regard this, and all other matters I write about, as all part of One Black Nation. Our various views and ideals represent all of the different “parts” of our community that make us who we are. This is a truth we cannot escape. What is in the Mind and Spirit of one of us, is in the Mind and Spirit of all of us.
Back to this matter of passion...
There are two songs I have linked below in this dispatch, please take some time and challenge yourself to listen to them, and allow yourself to imagine the Artists are representing the truth of their perceptions, and doing so with all the passion they can muster. It is the only way they know how to do so.
Once you check them out I’d like you to consider somethings:
What if there was a part of that in all men? What if one of the reasons Men do not share their deepest desires with their Woman is that so many have decided to devalue perspectives they may be uncomfortable with? And, what if we came to a place in how we think that would allow us to enjoy this kind of passionate intimate diversity?
My conclusion: There is a part of everything in all of us; We are all Men and We love our Women.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOT6teSarY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obLqb_-sars
30 November 2009
Help for Women of Color
Click on the image below to see a larger view of the flyer, then follow the instructions written in the flyer.
In Oakland, CA...
In Oakland, CA...
27 October 2009
No. 80 - Anger and the Wind
Maya and I have been together for almost three years now and I’d have to say we’ve faced some challenges and shared some great times together. She is not one to play around too much, nor is she one to mess up things around the house -- getting into things she knows she should not -- because she’s a fairly neat Girl. In all the time we’ve been together I like to think she and I have a special relationship. We have a way of communicating that some might consider unreal or unusual yet, in my humble opinion, it’s real and relevant.
As in all things, we are given opportunities to learn at every corner... we simply have to be willing to look. This is such a story.
This morning at 3:15 a.m. I was awakened by what sounded like Maya attempting to come into our room -- did I mention Maya is my Cat? Maya knows this is not allowed... she and I have had a number of highly impassioned interactions around her ability to open doors that weren’t closed properly to gain access to some of her favorite spots -- particularly the door that leads into my bedroom. Needless to say, I’ve made it clear our room is off limits and she cannot sleep in there without pre-approval from both me and my Queen.
However, there are times when nature calls and Maya knows how to claw and meow her way into our early morning slumber, attempting to get me up so I can let her out to do her business. In her defense, this is not something that happens routinely so I have to acknowledge she is a good Cat. But those times when she has these unexpected needs can ruin a great night of sleep. They can even cause a Man to stay up long afterwards writing about some gem of an insight that was introduced to him because of some interaction or insight gained... hence, this dispatch.
Back to the story...
So at 3:15 a.m. I was awakened by what I thought was Maya at the door needing to go out to relieve herself. As I have historically done when awakened as such, I lay there in groggy consciousness waiting for the confirmatory sign that Maya was at it again. I felt a pang of anger stab at me because that sleep I had enjoyed was quite good and I so needed it. Yet here we are again, after training Maya to go do her business before she comes home from her nightly jaunt, I wake up to her request for my attention. And while I felt a pang of anger, I could only imagine how my Queen might have felt if she had heard the sounds and was awakened.
And there at last came the rattle of the door. There was the confirmatory experience that justified my pang of anger -- that was now a growing sense of agitation. In my mind I was arguing with Maya that she knew better than this... she had been doing so well, WHY! would she falter now? One can only imagine the pictures that popped into my mind of how Maya was gonna get it for waking me out of my much needed and thoroughly enjoyable slumber.
I got up and staggered to the door, unwilling to release the comforting call of the sleep that was still within my grasp. I stumbled over a pillow that lay discarded on the floor, unable to recall that I was responsible for putting it there. I paused before I opened the door, knowing full well that Maya would make a mad dash to some hidden place in response to her violation of our agreement. I imagined having to coax her out of this hiding place and taking her to the back door, all the while with her attempting to explain her position (yeah, even though it’s not scientific or even proven, I believe Maya and I do have a form of communication). In truth, this was not something I looked forward to... after all, Maya is more then a pet to me, she is part of my fond memories and my family so scolding her in the wee hours of the morning has a certain distaste to it.
I opened the door and expected to see her silhouette dashing off to some secret place, the moonlight glimmering off her fur. No Maya. I saw not even a fleeting glimpse of her secreting herself away. Had she gotten that fast?
So I decided I should take advantage of the moment and well, go relieve myself. My head still foggy from the sleep, I entered into the bathroom and lo and behold Maya was “chilaxing” by the tub. She gave me a short unexcited meow that I interpreted to mean:”Why you waking me from my sleep?” The nerve of that Cat...
It was then that I understood I was wrong in my initial assessment of the situation and that Maya had not broken protocol by waking me up in the dead of night. Maya had not reverted back to her days of adolescent ignorance where she would selfishly get in my face and lay a sharply clawed paw on my slumbering chin. She had not back slid to the times in her life -- our lives -- when she expected me to spend time keeping her company simply because she was afraid or wanted to explore some undiscovered place that seemed of interest to her.
I looked down at her and she was looking up at me. I got the impression she was saying: “Dude, hurry up, you messing with my beauty sleep!” Her second meow verified this... it had a bit of an impatient tone to it. I reached down to scratch her head as I fondly do so often and she was not having it...
My finger met a raised paw. I had the impression if she had a knife it would be in her hand -- er, paw. (Okay, so I have a seriously creative imagination)!
So I wobbled out of the bathroom and back into bed. No sooner had I rested my head on my pillow did I hear the sound again. Now I’m thinking “What the..?... Maya had better not be playing with me!” Again I felt that pang of anger... I needed my sleep... I wanted my sleep...
I got up, this time determined to catch the culprit. I would stand by the door for as long as it took to determine where the ruckus was coming from and put an end to it. It took no more than 20 seconds for the perpetrator to make itself known. The next time the door creaked I noticed the curtain had moved just prior to the sound. Yup, that was it... the wind was blowing through our open windows and because of the vacuum was causing the door to sound like Maya was attempting to get our attention. I had gotten mad at Maya thinking she was behind this when in fact she had absolutely nothing to do with the Wind or the door.
This realization was both comforting and revealing. It was very good to know Maya was doing well and sticking to her end of our bargain, and that was a great comfort to me. It was revealing because the experience caused me to see how my assumptions (thoughts) lead to emotions that I should not have allowed to determine how I thought about the situation. I have come to appreciate the fact we should not assume anything when other lives are concerned but should go forward in faith, seeking knowledge, and knowing they are innocent -- or there is a good reason for their behavior, at the very least.
It quickly became apparent to me that my anger was at the Wind, not my beloved Cat. And what is the value in, or what can ever be gained from, being angry something as natural and uncontrollable as the Wind? What about other things we get upset about? I wonder how many of the things we become angry with have their origins in the Wind, are controlled by the Wind, or should be regarded as the Wind...
Is our view of life frustrated because of attempts to mix Anger and the Wind?
So here I am over an hour later, compelled to create this dispatch and the irony of the moment -- the proof that I have learned -- is that Maya came into the kitchen and jumped into my lap where she is now fast asleep.
Once again she and I have created a memory that will not be soon forgotten, and once again I thank God for her existence in my life. Little did I know so many years back this dedicated Cat, my furry family member, would help me to see so much of (and so clearly, at that) how I view the world in which I live.
As Maya would put it: “Meow”.
As in all things, we are given opportunities to learn at every corner... we simply have to be willing to look. This is such a story.
This morning at 3:15 a.m. I was awakened by what sounded like Maya attempting to come into our room -- did I mention Maya is my Cat? Maya knows this is not allowed... she and I have had a number of highly impassioned interactions around her ability to open doors that weren’t closed properly to gain access to some of her favorite spots -- particularly the door that leads into my bedroom. Needless to say, I’ve made it clear our room is off limits and she cannot sleep in there without pre-approval from both me and my Queen.
However, there are times when nature calls and Maya knows how to claw and meow her way into our early morning slumber, attempting to get me up so I can let her out to do her business. In her defense, this is not something that happens routinely so I have to acknowledge she is a good Cat. But those times when she has these unexpected needs can ruin a great night of sleep. They can even cause a Man to stay up long afterwards writing about some gem of an insight that was introduced to him because of some interaction or insight gained... hence, this dispatch.
Back to the story...
So at 3:15 a.m. I was awakened by what I thought was Maya at the door needing to go out to relieve herself. As I have historically done when awakened as such, I lay there in groggy consciousness waiting for the confirmatory sign that Maya was at it again. I felt a pang of anger stab at me because that sleep I had enjoyed was quite good and I so needed it. Yet here we are again, after training Maya to go do her business before she comes home from her nightly jaunt, I wake up to her request for my attention. And while I felt a pang of anger, I could only imagine how my Queen might have felt if she had heard the sounds and was awakened.
And there at last came the rattle of the door. There was the confirmatory experience that justified my pang of anger -- that was now a growing sense of agitation. In my mind I was arguing with Maya that she knew better than this... she had been doing so well, WHY! would she falter now? One can only imagine the pictures that popped into my mind of how Maya was gonna get it for waking me out of my much needed and thoroughly enjoyable slumber.
I got up and staggered to the door, unwilling to release the comforting call of the sleep that was still within my grasp. I stumbled over a pillow that lay discarded on the floor, unable to recall that I was responsible for putting it there. I paused before I opened the door, knowing full well that Maya would make a mad dash to some hidden place in response to her violation of our agreement. I imagined having to coax her out of this hiding place and taking her to the back door, all the while with her attempting to explain her position (yeah, even though it’s not scientific or even proven, I believe Maya and I do have a form of communication). In truth, this was not something I looked forward to... after all, Maya is more then a pet to me, she is part of my fond memories and my family so scolding her in the wee hours of the morning has a certain distaste to it.
I opened the door and expected to see her silhouette dashing off to some secret place, the moonlight glimmering off her fur. No Maya. I saw not even a fleeting glimpse of her secreting herself away. Had she gotten that fast?
So I decided I should take advantage of the moment and well, go relieve myself. My head still foggy from the sleep, I entered into the bathroom and lo and behold Maya was “chilaxing” by the tub. She gave me a short unexcited meow that I interpreted to mean:”Why you waking me from my sleep?” The nerve of that Cat...
It was then that I understood I was wrong in my initial assessment of the situation and that Maya had not broken protocol by waking me up in the dead of night. Maya had not reverted back to her days of adolescent ignorance where she would selfishly get in my face and lay a sharply clawed paw on my slumbering chin. She had not back slid to the times in her life -- our lives -- when she expected me to spend time keeping her company simply because she was afraid or wanted to explore some undiscovered place that seemed of interest to her.
I looked down at her and she was looking up at me. I got the impression she was saying: “Dude, hurry up, you messing with my beauty sleep!” Her second meow verified this... it had a bit of an impatient tone to it. I reached down to scratch her head as I fondly do so often and she was not having it...
My finger met a raised paw. I had the impression if she had a knife it would be in her hand -- er, paw. (Okay, so I have a seriously creative imagination)!
So I wobbled out of the bathroom and back into bed. No sooner had I rested my head on my pillow did I hear the sound again. Now I’m thinking “What the..?... Maya had better not be playing with me!” Again I felt that pang of anger... I needed my sleep... I wanted my sleep...
I got up, this time determined to catch the culprit. I would stand by the door for as long as it took to determine where the ruckus was coming from and put an end to it. It took no more than 20 seconds for the perpetrator to make itself known. The next time the door creaked I noticed the curtain had moved just prior to the sound. Yup, that was it... the wind was blowing through our open windows and because of the vacuum was causing the door to sound like Maya was attempting to get our attention. I had gotten mad at Maya thinking she was behind this when in fact she had absolutely nothing to do with the Wind or the door.
This realization was both comforting and revealing. It was very good to know Maya was doing well and sticking to her end of our bargain, and that was a great comfort to me. It was revealing because the experience caused me to see how my assumptions (thoughts) lead to emotions that I should not have allowed to determine how I thought about the situation. I have come to appreciate the fact we should not assume anything when other lives are concerned but should go forward in faith, seeking knowledge, and knowing they are innocent -- or there is a good reason for their behavior, at the very least.
It quickly became apparent to me that my anger was at the Wind, not my beloved Cat. And what is the value in, or what can ever be gained from, being angry something as natural and uncontrollable as the Wind? What about other things we get upset about? I wonder how many of the things we become angry with have their origins in the Wind, are controlled by the Wind, or should be regarded as the Wind...
Is our view of life frustrated because of attempts to mix Anger and the Wind?
So here I am over an hour later, compelled to create this dispatch and the irony of the moment -- the proof that I have learned -- is that Maya came into the kitchen and jumped into my lap where she is now fast asleep.
Once again she and I have created a memory that will not be soon forgotten, and once again I thank God for her existence in my life. Little did I know so many years back this dedicated Cat, my furry family member, would help me to see so much of (and so clearly, at that) how I view the world in which I live.
As Maya would put it: “Meow”.
No. 79 - Truth or Consequences
What the demise of the dollar means for you.
October 13, 12:34 PMColumbia Conservative ExaminerAnthony G. Martin. http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Colum...l-this-article
For several months you have read the warnings issued by economists and columnists, including this writer, concerning the devaluing of the dollar and its ultimate demise. But what, exactly, does this mean for you, the citizen?
It would be too easy for readers to dismiss such talk as the musings of those who get their jollies from engaging in economic lingo, while missing the enormous consequences that the demise of the dollar will have on our everyday lives.
We are speaking here of a cataclysmic, seismological blow to our way of life as Americans.
One of the primary reasons Americans enjoy an affluent way of life when compared to much of the rest of the world is the primacy of the dollar as a world currency. Oil, for example, is bought and sold using the dollar. Thus, dollars are being pumped into various economies around the world for one reason alone--it is in great demand. This helps the American consumer by keeping the value of our currency up, keeping inflation down, and keeping our goods and services affordable to the masses.
But what happens when the dollar is devalued? Or worse still, what happens when global entities, such as the oil barons, stop using the dollar as their currency?
Here is where you and I come into the picture.
We are going to see a major change in our way of life. What does this mean for you? Here it is in as simple of terms as I can possibly make it:
1. Inflation will skyrocket. If you are in the market for new clothing, expect the price for common, ordinary garments to quadruple overnight. Food, even the basic staples, will become so expensive that the largest percentage of what we spend out of our paychecks will be used just to stay alive. The poorest among us will have trouble merely surviving.
2. Paper money will be basically worthless. That means those dollars we use to purchase goods and services will have absolutely no real value any longer. The dollar, at that point, will have been so thoroughly devalued that it will be worth only the paper its printed on. Unless you have invested heavily in gold and other precious medals, you will be in big trouble.
3. Gold and precious medals, which have intrinsic value of their own, will become vastly important. At present, the price of gold has skyrocketed to over $1000 per ounce. This means that a gold coin that at one time carried a value of $20 will now be worth over $1000. Those who have bought these gold coins and bricks as a hedge against inflation will be in a good position to weather the coming storm. Those who have not will be at the mercy of the coming economic storm where goods and services will quadruple in costs and where their paper money will be basically worthless.
4. Starvation will become common. Homelessness will overwhelm American society. Businesses will go under. Joblessness will sweep over the nation, setting us on a course to either match or outmatch the unemployment numbers of the Great Depression.
Barack Obama has hastened the demise of the dollar with his economic policy. The course he has charted through the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury has sent the value of the dollar plummeting faster than a millstone dropped into a pond. The oil barons overseas, sensing that the dollar is quickly becoming irrelevant, are talking seriously about dropping the dollar as the standard currency on the world market.
And what is Obama's response? Fine and dandy. His underlings at Treasury have been known to quietly support this shift away from the primacy of the dollar. What this means, my friends, is that Obama and company are supporting measures that will break you financially when the economic consequences of the demise of the dollar finally hit home.
But lest anyone think that I am so naive as to blame this entirely on Obama, let's remember that these policies were also followed by George W. Bush. The only difference is that Obama has accelerated the process, thus hastening the day when it all hits the fan.
The bottom line? There is no one in Washington minding the store and looking out for our interests. Instead what we have in Washington is an elected group of self-described 'ruling elites' who are looking out for interests other than that of the American people. George Soros, the world banks, the International Monetary Fund, and forces at the U.N. are to be appeased above that of the good of the citizens.
Unless concerned Americans unite--Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, etc., to demand that the present government immediately cease and desist from its assault on American exceptionalism, then not only do we face the loss of this free Republic but the descent into economic chaos that will make the 1930s pale in comparison.
We absolutely MUST change the makeup of Congress in 2010, from top to bottom. But in the meantime, unless we take to the streets screaming bloody murder, the charlatans in Washington may well destroy the country before we get a chance to vote in November of 2010.
For an excellent explanation of these concepts, including background and history, consult economist Walter E. Williams' article entitled, Inflation and Deficits below.
NOTE TO MINORITY VIEW EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN IS BEING FILED EARLY DUE TO THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. -- CREATORS.COM
A MINORITY VIEW
BY WALTER WILLIAMS
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
Inflation and Deficits
With the massive increases in federal spending, inflation is one of the risks that awaits us. To protect us from the political demagoguery that will accompany that inflation, let's now decide what is and what is not inflation. One price or several prices rising is not inflation. Increases in money supply are what constitute inflation, and a general rise in prices is the symptom. As the late Nobel Laureate Professor Milton Friedman said, "(I)nflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, in the sense that it cannot occur without a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output."
Thinking of inflation as rising prices permits politicians to deceive us and escape culpability. They shift the blame saying that inflation is caused by greedy businessmen, rapacious unions or Arab sheiks. Instead, it is increases in the money supply that cause inflation, and who is in charge of the money supply? It's the government operating through the Federal Reserve Bank and the U.S. Treasury.
Our nation has avoided the devastating hyperinflations that have plagued other nations. The world's highest inflation rate was in Hungary after World War II, where prices doubled every 15 hours. The world's second highest inflation rate is today's Zimbabwe, where last year prices doubled every 25 hours, a rate of 89 sextillion percent. That's 89 followed by 23 zeros. Our highest rate of inflation occurred during the Revolutionary War, when the Continental Congress churned out paper Continentals to pay bills. The monthly inflation rate reached a peak of 47 percent in November 1779. This painful experience with inflation, and collapse of the Continental dollar, is what prompted the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to include the gold and silver clause into the United States Constitution so that the individual states could not issue bills of credit. The U.S. Constitution's Article I, Section 8 permits Congress: "To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures."
The founders of our nation feared paper currency because it gave government the means to steal from its citizens. When inflation is unanticipated, as it so often is, there's a redistribution of wealth from creditors to debtors. If you lend me $100, and over the term of the loan prices double, I pay you back with dollars worth only half of the purchasing power they had when I borrowed the money. Since inflation redistributes (steals) wealth from creditors to debtors, we can identify inflation's primary beneficiary by asking: Who is the nation's largest debtor? If you said, "It's the U.S. government," go to the head of the class.
Inflation is just one effect of massive increases in spending. Some might argue that future generations of Americans will pay for today's massive budget deficits. But is there really a federal budget deficit? The short answer is yes, but only in an accounting sense -- but not in any meaningful economic sense. Let's look at it. Our GDP this year will be about $14 trillion. If 2009 federal expenditures are $3.9 trillion and tax receipts are $2.1 trillion, that means there is an accounting deficit of $1.8 trillion. Is it the Tooth Fairy, Santa or the Easter Bunny who makes up the difference between expenditures and revenue? Is it a youngster who is born in 2020 or 2030 who makes up the difference? No. If government spends $3.9 trillion of our $14 trillion GDP this year, of necessity it has to force us to spend privately $3.9 trillion less this year. One method to force us to spend less privately is through taxation. Another way is to enter the bond market and drive up the interest rates, which put a squeeze on private investment in homes and businesses. Then there is inflation, which is a sneaky form of taxation.
Profligate spending burdens future generations by making them recipients of a smaller amount of capital and hence less wealth.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
October 13, 12:34 PMColumbia Conservative ExaminerAnthony G. Martin. http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Colum...l-this-article
For several months you have read the warnings issued by economists and columnists, including this writer, concerning the devaluing of the dollar and its ultimate demise. But what, exactly, does this mean for you, the citizen?
It would be too easy for readers to dismiss such talk as the musings of those who get their jollies from engaging in economic lingo, while missing the enormous consequences that the demise of the dollar will have on our everyday lives.
We are speaking here of a cataclysmic, seismological blow to our way of life as Americans.
One of the primary reasons Americans enjoy an affluent way of life when compared to much of the rest of the world is the primacy of the dollar as a world currency. Oil, for example, is bought and sold using the dollar. Thus, dollars are being pumped into various economies around the world for one reason alone--it is in great demand. This helps the American consumer by keeping the value of our currency up, keeping inflation down, and keeping our goods and services affordable to the masses.
But what happens when the dollar is devalued? Or worse still, what happens when global entities, such as the oil barons, stop using the dollar as their currency?
Here is where you and I come into the picture.
We are going to see a major change in our way of life. What does this mean for you? Here it is in as simple of terms as I can possibly make it:
1. Inflation will skyrocket. If you are in the market for new clothing, expect the price for common, ordinary garments to quadruple overnight. Food, even the basic staples, will become so expensive that the largest percentage of what we spend out of our paychecks will be used just to stay alive. The poorest among us will have trouble merely surviving.
2. Paper money will be basically worthless. That means those dollars we use to purchase goods and services will have absolutely no real value any longer. The dollar, at that point, will have been so thoroughly devalued that it will be worth only the paper its printed on. Unless you have invested heavily in gold and other precious medals, you will be in big trouble.
3. Gold and precious medals, which have intrinsic value of their own, will become vastly important. At present, the price of gold has skyrocketed to over $1000 per ounce. This means that a gold coin that at one time carried a value of $20 will now be worth over $1000. Those who have bought these gold coins and bricks as a hedge against inflation will be in a good position to weather the coming storm. Those who have not will be at the mercy of the coming economic storm where goods and services will quadruple in costs and where their paper money will be basically worthless.
4. Starvation will become common. Homelessness will overwhelm American society. Businesses will go under. Joblessness will sweep over the nation, setting us on a course to either match or outmatch the unemployment numbers of the Great Depression.
Barack Obama has hastened the demise of the dollar with his economic policy. The course he has charted through the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury has sent the value of the dollar plummeting faster than a millstone dropped into a pond. The oil barons overseas, sensing that the dollar is quickly becoming irrelevant, are talking seriously about dropping the dollar as the standard currency on the world market.
And what is Obama's response? Fine and dandy. His underlings at Treasury have been known to quietly support this shift away from the primacy of the dollar. What this means, my friends, is that Obama and company are supporting measures that will break you financially when the economic consequences of the demise of the dollar finally hit home.
But lest anyone think that I am so naive as to blame this entirely on Obama, let's remember that these policies were also followed by George W. Bush. The only difference is that Obama has accelerated the process, thus hastening the day when it all hits the fan.
The bottom line? There is no one in Washington minding the store and looking out for our interests. Instead what we have in Washington is an elected group of self-described 'ruling elites' who are looking out for interests other than that of the American people. George Soros, the world banks, the International Monetary Fund, and forces at the U.N. are to be appeased above that of the good of the citizens.
Unless concerned Americans unite--Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, etc., to demand that the present government immediately cease and desist from its assault on American exceptionalism, then not only do we face the loss of this free Republic but the descent into economic chaos that will make the 1930s pale in comparison.
We absolutely MUST change the makeup of Congress in 2010, from top to bottom. But in the meantime, unless we take to the streets screaming bloody murder, the charlatans in Washington may well destroy the country before we get a chance to vote in November of 2010.
For an excellent explanation of these concepts, including background and history, consult economist Walter E. Williams' article entitled, Inflation and Deficits below.
NOTE TO MINORITY VIEW EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN IS BEING FILED EARLY DUE TO THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. -- CREATORS.COM
A MINORITY VIEW
BY WALTER WILLIAMS
RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
Inflation and Deficits
With the massive increases in federal spending, inflation is one of the risks that awaits us. To protect us from the political demagoguery that will accompany that inflation, let's now decide what is and what is not inflation. One price or several prices rising is not inflation. Increases in money supply are what constitute inflation, and a general rise in prices is the symptom. As the late Nobel Laureate Professor Milton Friedman said, "(I)nflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, in the sense that it cannot occur without a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output."
Thinking of inflation as rising prices permits politicians to deceive us and escape culpability. They shift the blame saying that inflation is caused by greedy businessmen, rapacious unions or Arab sheiks. Instead, it is increases in the money supply that cause inflation, and who is in charge of the money supply? It's the government operating through the Federal Reserve Bank and the U.S. Treasury.
Our nation has avoided the devastating hyperinflations that have plagued other nations. The world's highest inflation rate was in Hungary after World War II, where prices doubled every 15 hours. The world's second highest inflation rate is today's Zimbabwe, where last year prices doubled every 25 hours, a rate of 89 sextillion percent. That's 89 followed by 23 zeros. Our highest rate of inflation occurred during the Revolutionary War, when the Continental Congress churned out paper Continentals to pay bills. The monthly inflation rate reached a peak of 47 percent in November 1779. This painful experience with inflation, and collapse of the Continental dollar, is what prompted the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to include the gold and silver clause into the United States Constitution so that the individual states could not issue bills of credit. The U.S. Constitution's Article I, Section 8 permits Congress: "To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures."
The founders of our nation feared paper currency because it gave government the means to steal from its citizens. When inflation is unanticipated, as it so often is, there's a redistribution of wealth from creditors to debtors. If you lend me $100, and over the term of the loan prices double, I pay you back with dollars worth only half of the purchasing power they had when I borrowed the money. Since inflation redistributes (steals) wealth from creditors to debtors, we can identify inflation's primary beneficiary by asking: Who is the nation's largest debtor? If you said, "It's the U.S. government," go to the head of the class.
Inflation is just one effect of massive increases in spending. Some might argue that future generations of Americans will pay for today's massive budget deficits. But is there really a federal budget deficit? The short answer is yes, but only in an accounting sense -- but not in any meaningful economic sense. Let's look at it. Our GDP this year will be about $14 trillion. If 2009 federal expenditures are $3.9 trillion and tax receipts are $2.1 trillion, that means there is an accounting deficit of $1.8 trillion. Is it the Tooth Fairy, Santa or the Easter Bunny who makes up the difference between expenditures and revenue? Is it a youngster who is born in 2020 or 2030 who makes up the difference? No. If government spends $3.9 trillion of our $14 trillion GDP this year, of necessity it has to force us to spend privately $3.9 trillion less this year. One method to force us to spend less privately is through taxation. Another way is to enter the bond market and drive up the interest rates, which put a squeeze on private investment in homes and businesses. Then there is inflation, which is a sneaky form of taxation.
Profligate spending burdens future generations by making them recipients of a smaller amount of capital and hence less wealth.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
07 October 2009
No. 78 - Confidentially Speaking
My last dispatch created quite a response, I’m happy to say. There was one that stood out in a very big way because of how it was presented and how it was connected to No. 77 - Reminded. Below is an excerpt of some of what was sent; a conversation between a man and his therapist about a relationship that is on the line. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of all involved.
...
Mike: So you’re saying I have to sacrifice what’s important to me simply because my wife is unwilling to accept it?
Sheryl: No, not at all. What I’m saying is you have to understand that each person experiences the world differently from the next. Since that’s the case it’s in your interest to communicate your needs to her so she can understand how important they are.
Mike: I’ve tried that... a hundred times... she keeps coming back to she sees things her way, I see things mine, and that’s as far as she’s willing to take it.
Sheryl: Really?
Mike: Really... and when I press the issue she gets mad.
Sheryl: ...And how do you feel about that?
Mike: I feel angry. I feel helpless. I feel irritated that we don’t have the ability to address these concerns in a way that would help us to move forward.
Sheryl: What is your role in all this?
Mike: Excuse me?
Sheryl: Your role... your responsibility... what part do you play in all this?
Mike: Are you suggesting I caused this?
Sheryl: I’m just asking...
Mike: I suppose I could say I’ve let things get the best of me. I’ve allowed her position to push me away... put me into my own world. But I don’t know how true that really is.
Sheryl: Please elaborate...
Mike: As I see things, when we got started everything was great. We were both down for each other, enjoyed one anothers company, couldn’t wait to be with each other. Then it seems one day everything changed.
Sheryl: What day would that be?
Mike: Well, maybe not one day.. maybe it was a gradual thing... yes, that seems more like it.
Sheryl: So things gradually changed and now you have no interest in her sexually?
Mike: On the contrary, I’m raging inside to be intimate with her, I just have learned not to show it... seems like when I have, for the most part, it’s been the wrong time.
Sheryl: How do you feel about that?
Mike: Again, frustrated, irritated... I hate it, to be honest. What man feels good about not being able to be close sexually with his wife -- the woman he loves and cares about?
Sheryl: That’s a good question, let’s focus on you, your experience. Do you think this is what is causing you to want to have an affair?
Mike: No, not really.
Sheryl: Do elaborate.
Mike: It’s like this. That part of me that I value so much and need to share with my wife is continually minimized or ignored. Either she doesn’t feel like it, she’s angry, or she rather be on the phone with one of her girlfriends. Regardless, I’m not getting what I need from her.
Sheryl: Go on.
Mike: It puts me in a space where my desire to share that part of me gets “frustrated”...
Sheryl: I’m not sure I follow that... what do you mean by your last statement?
Mike: Trust me, it can be confusing and complicated for me too. What I mean is as a human being -- irrespective of my desire to have this experience with my wife -- my desire to be intimate seems to be screaming for attention, nurturing, acknowledgement and appreciation... it’s getting to the point where I’ll take it from almost anybody.
Sheryl: Oh, I see. Your need to express this desire, and have this need met, becomes greater when it goes unment, is that what you mean?
Mike: Yes, that’s it.
Sheryl: Where does that leave you?
Mike: Where I am today. I love her, I care about her, I want our relationship to survive. All these things are valuable to me. But even so, I will not allow my needs to go unmet because she doesn’t have time for me or because she doesn’t value them in a way that will help our relationship.
Sheryl: You sound angry.
Mike: I am angry.
Sheryl: Is there not some reason to think your view of this is anchored in or by your anger?
Mike: Once upon a time I thought so. The truth of the matter is -- at least as far as all the guys I know are concerned -- we are all tempted by other women from time-to-time. So even though it may not seem right or fair, my thinking is sooner or later someone's gonna come along when I’m at a low point and then the rest is gonna be history. It bothers me that I think this way but it is the truth.
Sheryl: And you’re comfortable with that?
Mike: No, but what other choice do I have? I can’t make her value what’s important to me. I can’t make her understand her behaviors are really setting things up to fail, can I?
Sheryl: Mike, I think you know the answer to those questions. We are all in charge of only ourselves and can only change ourselves.
Mike: So you agree with what I’m saying?
Sheryl: I’m not here to agree or disagree... I’m here to help you filter things so the solutions to your challenges can be clearer.
Mike: Understood.
Sheryl: What do you think causes her to react the way she does?
Mike: I wish I knew.
Sheryl: The question was: What do you “think”, now what do you know.
Mike: Right. I hear you. Well, I think she’s just taking us for granted. I think she’s allowed her own anger to come into our relationship and it’s destroying what we once had.
Sheryl: Okay. Now, back to a question I asked earlier... You mentioned your anger, now you’re talking about her anger. It seems to me anger is a common denominator in your relationship, and it’s wreaking havoc on what had once been a very rewarding relationship. How does that sound to you?
Mike: Safe. Honest.
Sheryl: But is any of it ringing true for you? Listen, anger is one of the most destructive emotions we allow into our lives. I can site study after study on the subject but the point is we allow anger to come into our lives in so many diverse, and even perverse, ways. We allow it to distort our sense of reality, compromise our sanity, and dissipate our happiness into nothingness. Then we go around pouting and pointing the finger.
Mike: That may be true but I didn’t start this.
Sheryl: I’m not suggesting that you did. In fact, it doesn’t matter who started things or even how things got started. What matters is that you both have to come to the understanding that you cannot survive when there is anger so prevalent in your relationship. At the very least, you need to understand this.
Mike: You think I like feeling the way I do? I really don’t.
Sheryl: Then do something about it.
Mike: What else can I do?
Sheryl: Well, you can start by eliminating the anger from your life... that’s what you can control. Hopefully by doing that, and continuing to converse with your wife about your needs things will heal and you will be able to enjoy those happy memories in a real way again.
Mike: So that’s it, that’s all you can offer?
Sheryl: It’s better than the alternative... you can either do your part to remove anger out of your life to give yourself a chance at having the Love, intimacy and fulfillment you want in you life, or you can stay angry and guarantee a life of heartache, misery, and discontent. Your choice.
...
“Mike” sent me this excerpt and commented that he is thinking more about his own anger and the impact it has on his relationship. He is focusing more on his role in the relationship to find positive ways to communicate his needs to his wife. No. 77 provided him with a goal to reach, and yes, with his wife.
There are no assurances that she will do the same, but I hope she decides to see things differently and allow their love to blossom. There are no magic charms that cause a person who chooses to dwell in anger to change their perspective and learn to release emotions that diminish the happiness in their lives.
It all comes down to what we each choose to value in our lives, and what we choose to do to demonstrate that value. We can hold fast onto ideals, perspectives, and/or emotions that damn us to unfulfilling and unhappy lives, or we can release our psychological barriers and emotional burdens with the full knowledge that this is the only way to truly embrace our happiness.
As the good Doctor said in so many words: Our choice.
...
Mike: So you’re saying I have to sacrifice what’s important to me simply because my wife is unwilling to accept it?
Sheryl: No, not at all. What I’m saying is you have to understand that each person experiences the world differently from the next. Since that’s the case it’s in your interest to communicate your needs to her so she can understand how important they are.
Mike: I’ve tried that... a hundred times... she keeps coming back to she sees things her way, I see things mine, and that’s as far as she’s willing to take it.
Sheryl: Really?
Mike: Really... and when I press the issue she gets mad.
Sheryl: ...And how do you feel about that?
Mike: I feel angry. I feel helpless. I feel irritated that we don’t have the ability to address these concerns in a way that would help us to move forward.
Sheryl: What is your role in all this?
Mike: Excuse me?
Sheryl: Your role... your responsibility... what part do you play in all this?
Mike: Are you suggesting I caused this?
Sheryl: I’m just asking...
Mike: I suppose I could say I’ve let things get the best of me. I’ve allowed her position to push me away... put me into my own world. But I don’t know how true that really is.
Sheryl: Please elaborate...
Mike: As I see things, when we got started everything was great. We were both down for each other, enjoyed one anothers company, couldn’t wait to be with each other. Then it seems one day everything changed.
Sheryl: What day would that be?
Mike: Well, maybe not one day.. maybe it was a gradual thing... yes, that seems more like it.
Sheryl: So things gradually changed and now you have no interest in her sexually?
Mike: On the contrary, I’m raging inside to be intimate with her, I just have learned not to show it... seems like when I have, for the most part, it’s been the wrong time.
Sheryl: How do you feel about that?
Mike: Again, frustrated, irritated... I hate it, to be honest. What man feels good about not being able to be close sexually with his wife -- the woman he loves and cares about?
Sheryl: That’s a good question, let’s focus on you, your experience. Do you think this is what is causing you to want to have an affair?
Mike: No, not really.
Sheryl: Do elaborate.
Mike: It’s like this. That part of me that I value so much and need to share with my wife is continually minimized or ignored. Either she doesn’t feel like it, she’s angry, or she rather be on the phone with one of her girlfriends. Regardless, I’m not getting what I need from her.
Sheryl: Go on.
Mike: It puts me in a space where my desire to share that part of me gets “frustrated”...
Sheryl: I’m not sure I follow that... what do you mean by your last statement?
Mike: Trust me, it can be confusing and complicated for me too. What I mean is as a human being -- irrespective of my desire to have this experience with my wife -- my desire to be intimate seems to be screaming for attention, nurturing, acknowledgement and appreciation... it’s getting to the point where I’ll take it from almost anybody.
Sheryl: Oh, I see. Your need to express this desire, and have this need met, becomes greater when it goes unment, is that what you mean?
Mike: Yes, that’s it.
Sheryl: Where does that leave you?
Mike: Where I am today. I love her, I care about her, I want our relationship to survive. All these things are valuable to me. But even so, I will not allow my needs to go unmet because she doesn’t have time for me or because she doesn’t value them in a way that will help our relationship.
Sheryl: You sound angry.
Mike: I am angry.
Sheryl: Is there not some reason to think your view of this is anchored in or by your anger?
Mike: Once upon a time I thought so. The truth of the matter is -- at least as far as all the guys I know are concerned -- we are all tempted by other women from time-to-time. So even though it may not seem right or fair, my thinking is sooner or later someone's gonna come along when I’m at a low point and then the rest is gonna be history. It bothers me that I think this way but it is the truth.
Sheryl: And you’re comfortable with that?
Mike: No, but what other choice do I have? I can’t make her value what’s important to me. I can’t make her understand her behaviors are really setting things up to fail, can I?
Sheryl: Mike, I think you know the answer to those questions. We are all in charge of only ourselves and can only change ourselves.
Mike: So you agree with what I’m saying?
Sheryl: I’m not here to agree or disagree... I’m here to help you filter things so the solutions to your challenges can be clearer.
Mike: Understood.
Sheryl: What do you think causes her to react the way she does?
Mike: I wish I knew.
Sheryl: The question was: What do you “think”, now what do you know.
Mike: Right. I hear you. Well, I think she’s just taking us for granted. I think she’s allowed her own anger to come into our relationship and it’s destroying what we once had.
Sheryl: Okay. Now, back to a question I asked earlier... You mentioned your anger, now you’re talking about her anger. It seems to me anger is a common denominator in your relationship, and it’s wreaking havoc on what had once been a very rewarding relationship. How does that sound to you?
Mike: Safe. Honest.
Sheryl: But is any of it ringing true for you? Listen, anger is one of the most destructive emotions we allow into our lives. I can site study after study on the subject but the point is we allow anger to come into our lives in so many diverse, and even perverse, ways. We allow it to distort our sense of reality, compromise our sanity, and dissipate our happiness into nothingness. Then we go around pouting and pointing the finger.
Mike: That may be true but I didn’t start this.
Sheryl: I’m not suggesting that you did. In fact, it doesn’t matter who started things or even how things got started. What matters is that you both have to come to the understanding that you cannot survive when there is anger so prevalent in your relationship. At the very least, you need to understand this.
Mike: You think I like feeling the way I do? I really don’t.
Sheryl: Then do something about it.
Mike: What else can I do?
Sheryl: Well, you can start by eliminating the anger from your life... that’s what you can control. Hopefully by doing that, and continuing to converse with your wife about your needs things will heal and you will be able to enjoy those happy memories in a real way again.
Mike: So that’s it, that’s all you can offer?
Sheryl: It’s better than the alternative... you can either do your part to remove anger out of your life to give yourself a chance at having the Love, intimacy and fulfillment you want in you life, or you can stay angry and guarantee a life of heartache, misery, and discontent. Your choice.
...
“Mike” sent me this excerpt and commented that he is thinking more about his own anger and the impact it has on his relationship. He is focusing more on his role in the relationship to find positive ways to communicate his needs to his wife. No. 77 provided him with a goal to reach, and yes, with his wife.
There are no assurances that she will do the same, but I hope she decides to see things differently and allow their love to blossom. There are no magic charms that cause a person who chooses to dwell in anger to change their perspective and learn to release emotions that diminish the happiness in their lives.
It all comes down to what we each choose to value in our lives, and what we choose to do to demonstrate that value. We can hold fast onto ideals, perspectives, and/or emotions that damn us to unfulfilling and unhappy lives, or we can release our psychological barriers and emotional burdens with the full knowledge that this is the only way to truly embrace our happiness.
As the good Doctor said in so many words: Our choice.
03 October 2009
No. 77 - Reminded
He comes into the room after a long day of labor to find her ready for bed, clothed in a succulent purple two-piece, her soft smile awaiting his glimpse. She asks how his day went and the two share small talk as he prepares for his shower. She tells him she has something to discuss with him upon his return; he wonders what it might be this time even as he knows they will handle things.
He returns somewhat refreshed and takes his place on the bed. Their custom is to close the door of their home sanctuary when having these important discussions because they both understand the value of undivided attention. She pulls a folded paper from some hidden pocket and opens it.
“These are the things we should discuss,” she says, and as he listens to her reciting the list, he realizes she had heard all the many things he had said to her for so many years. His moment of recognition brings a thrill of ecstatic energy that triggers some chromosomal connector, causing his mind to wonder...
She must have known this for she suddenly asks: “Do you think my calves are too thick?” He runs his eyes along the sensuous curves of her calf, taking in the full color and radiance that seem to call out to him. He finds his tongue thickening. “Ur, nothing wrong with your calves, Sweetheart.” He stutters, hoping not to sound too obvious.
The conversation soon ends and she asks if he would take an item to the kitchen. He does.
When he returns he finds the lights are out. He surveys the room and sees the moonlight dipping quietly across the silhouette of his beloved. The street noise that had just recently sounded so intrusive is now a thing of the past. A CD plays softly in the background and he notices the scent of a sweet lavender incense burning oh so quietly in some distant corner, delivering a soothing, relaxing scent.
He smiles to himself, knowing full well the goodness of his Queen, and the profound understanding she has of him. He strides to his side of the bed and sizzles up next to her, pulling her close, taking in her aroma, and knowing the dance has just hit its stride.
Together the two share in the greatest joy and Spiritual connectedness two individuals can share, conquering the barriers that stand ever at the ready to keep two hearts from sharing in true union. Together the two intertwine their passions, yield to giving and receiving the bountiful gifts of intimacy, and lose themselves in the arms, heart, mind, and love of this, their special someone.
Time has no meaning, the moment is endless, nothing else exists except the two, the time, and the truth. Truth that in maintaining fidelity and loyalty to one another they will always have the capacity to share in the kind of love they both desire. Truth that in taking time to know one another they will always have the benefit of familiar love and intimacy. Truth that their greatest strength is not in the uniqueness of their individuality, but in the Oneness of their union.
Soon the two lay beside one another, the external world slowly entering back into their sphere. Hearts racing, Spirits rejoicing, bodies recovering, and the silent knowledge that they can always find this place all combine to sustain their sacred connection. She lay beside him, all a-purr, recalling the experience over and over again. He lay there, looking up at the ceiling and thanking every God mankind has ever comprehended for this beautiful woman he has been blessed with.
“Would you like some water?” he asks. She replies yes and he’s off into the kitchen.
He returns and she’s now sitting up, the moonlight gracing her features, creating yet another view of the beautiful Queen that she is. He gives her the water, she drinks.
“We’ve been through a lot in our lives, haven’t we?” she asks. “Yes, and that’s why I love you so… WE have been through a lot together.” He responds. “I just have to tell you that was great…, mind-blowing”, he says.
She looks up at him, a knowing smile on her face. “You’re a good Man.” She remarks, still somewhat reflective. He touches her softly, draws her to him, they exchange a passionate kiss. He whispers in her ear: “I love you.”
They draw each other close once more, unready to let the moment pass yet understanding that it must. They are side-by-side again, in the quiet of night, still experiencing the residual glory of shared intimacy amidst the flowing aroma of lavender, their hands held tightly.
Their Spirits replenished, their fears and concerns put to rest, they are both reminded of how deeply rewarding and beneficial Love can be.
Are you?
He returns somewhat refreshed and takes his place on the bed. Their custom is to close the door of their home sanctuary when having these important discussions because they both understand the value of undivided attention. She pulls a folded paper from some hidden pocket and opens it.
“These are the things we should discuss,” she says, and as he listens to her reciting the list, he realizes she had heard all the many things he had said to her for so many years. His moment of recognition brings a thrill of ecstatic energy that triggers some chromosomal connector, causing his mind to wonder...
She must have known this for she suddenly asks: “Do you think my calves are too thick?” He runs his eyes along the sensuous curves of her calf, taking in the full color and radiance that seem to call out to him. He finds his tongue thickening. “Ur, nothing wrong with your calves, Sweetheart.” He stutters, hoping not to sound too obvious.
The conversation soon ends and she asks if he would take an item to the kitchen. He does.
When he returns he finds the lights are out. He surveys the room and sees the moonlight dipping quietly across the silhouette of his beloved. The street noise that had just recently sounded so intrusive is now a thing of the past. A CD plays softly in the background and he notices the scent of a sweet lavender incense burning oh so quietly in some distant corner, delivering a soothing, relaxing scent.
He smiles to himself, knowing full well the goodness of his Queen, and the profound understanding she has of him. He strides to his side of the bed and sizzles up next to her, pulling her close, taking in her aroma, and knowing the dance has just hit its stride.
Together the two share in the greatest joy and Spiritual connectedness two individuals can share, conquering the barriers that stand ever at the ready to keep two hearts from sharing in true union. Together the two intertwine their passions, yield to giving and receiving the bountiful gifts of intimacy, and lose themselves in the arms, heart, mind, and love of this, their special someone.
Time has no meaning, the moment is endless, nothing else exists except the two, the time, and the truth. Truth that in maintaining fidelity and loyalty to one another they will always have the capacity to share in the kind of love they both desire. Truth that in taking time to know one another they will always have the benefit of familiar love and intimacy. Truth that their greatest strength is not in the uniqueness of their individuality, but in the Oneness of their union.
Soon the two lay beside one another, the external world slowly entering back into their sphere. Hearts racing, Spirits rejoicing, bodies recovering, and the silent knowledge that they can always find this place all combine to sustain their sacred connection. She lay beside him, all a-purr, recalling the experience over and over again. He lay there, looking up at the ceiling and thanking every God mankind has ever comprehended for this beautiful woman he has been blessed with.
“Would you like some water?” he asks. She replies yes and he’s off into the kitchen.
He returns and she’s now sitting up, the moonlight gracing her features, creating yet another view of the beautiful Queen that she is. He gives her the water, she drinks.
“We’ve been through a lot in our lives, haven’t we?” she asks. “Yes, and that’s why I love you so… WE have been through a lot together.” He responds. “I just have to tell you that was great…, mind-blowing”, he says.
She looks up at him, a knowing smile on her face. “You’re a good Man.” She remarks, still somewhat reflective. He touches her softly, draws her to him, they exchange a passionate kiss. He whispers in her ear: “I love you.”
They draw each other close once more, unready to let the moment pass yet understanding that it must. They are side-by-side again, in the quiet of night, still experiencing the residual glory of shared intimacy amidst the flowing aroma of lavender, their hands held tightly.
Their Spirits replenished, their fears and concerns put to rest, they are both reminded of how deeply rewarding and beneficial Love can be.
Are you?
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