My friend who is a professional musician that tours the world was telling me how his fans in Singapore and Japan and China ask him about living in the United States and say, "How can you stand to live there where there are so many guns and people being murdered and all?"
My friend and I laughed and he said, "People in Asia feel about living in the United States the way Americans feel about living in Mexico and both the people in Asia and the people in America are wrong."
My friend and I agreed it is more about knowing where to be and where not to be and what to be doing and not doing in whatever country you are in.
People in other countries just look at the murder statistics and freak out about the U.S. However, those of us who actually live here know that it is all about where you are and what you are doing.
For example, I live now in one of the safest, most beautiful and affluent places on earth. I'm probably safer here than any place else I could think of on earth and I'm in America. But if I drive about 30 miles from here I might see someone shot in a gangland atmosphere on any given night or day, especially weekends. But I know not to go there so I'm safe.
Living in America is mostly about knowing that people here can own weapons and even assault weapons. But if you go into a bank the guard only has a small 6 shooter pistol usually or a glock hand gun. But when I went to India in 1985 I went into banks and the guard had a double barreled shotgun on his knee loaded and ready to blow away any transgressors there. When I went to the underground mall in New Delhi I saw men carrying loaded Kalashnikov submachine guns and this made me very nervous because all I was doing was walking by shops and all of a sudden a plainclothes person had a kalashnikov. That was spooky for me.
And yes, I've been in unusual situations with people carrying guns like the time a man was wearing a 6 gun(pistol) like out of the old west while on what he said was his mining claim and seemed very beligerant towards anyone nearby.
But the single most important thing the world needs to know about guns in America is this:"If Americans couldn't own guns the rest of the world would all be slaves and treated worse than the Jews by Hitler every day of the week. It's because America has guns that despots think twice about taking over the world. If you walk into a house in Texas and don't know the people there just expect to be shot dead. But if you walk into a house if you don't know the people in Canada people will just ask you what you are doing there. Americans owning guns is why there is freedom in the world. When Americans can't own guns you WILL all be slaves, Americans too! So, Americans right to bear arms is necessary for the world to be as free as it is. Without this there will only be slavery and nothing else.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Who Am I? 8-2-09
I often tell young people including my own children that I am still pretty much the same person that I was at age 10 only with more experience and more armor.
This usefully describes my experience of presently being 61 years old, (kind,wise and deadly).
A very cynical view of this would be: (youth, truth and beauty are overcome by old age, deceit and death).
However, I prefer not to be cynical as cynics are usually children that can't cope with adulthood so they just put everything down.
However, those who actually are or who are capable of actually being real adults accept the responsibilities of adulthood like soldiers do knowing full well they could die in the process. However, at exactly the same time they fully understand the adage, "And you can survive to 105 if you're young at heart". So, in the end it is about kindness, responsibility and staying young at heart. And yes, it is a whole lot to ask of anyone. But without this balance life isn't worth anything at all.
So, how did I get to become who I am? Strangely enough I had to almost die for about a year when I was 2 and then almost die for another 5 years between the ages of 10 and 15. These two events shaped my young life and left me a much more serious person than my peers. So, it could be said that I was sort of grown up by 4 and didn't really start again to be childlike again until I was 21 and it was 1969 and I started meeting alternative people in 1969. So, these kinds of events shaped who I became along with having parents that were mystical Christians that believed in Jesus, reincarnation, UFOs, science, thinking one's own thoughts and debating issues to come up with the best solutions through rational thinking. I remember my father teaching me to debate him starting at age 8. He didn't care what my position was. He just wanted me to be rational about what I was debating him about. He was training me to be a free thinker and an experimental thinker. He felt that people who could think rationally and scientifically were unstoppable. My father was extremely intelligent and about 50 years ahead of his time. So, in some ways he set the stage for me also to be about 50 years ahead of my time.
This usefully describes my experience of presently being 61 years old, (kind,wise and deadly).
A very cynical view of this would be: (youth, truth and beauty are overcome by old age, deceit and death).
However, I prefer not to be cynical as cynics are usually children that can't cope with adulthood so they just put everything down.
However, those who actually are or who are capable of actually being real adults accept the responsibilities of adulthood like soldiers do knowing full well they could die in the process. However, at exactly the same time they fully understand the adage, "And you can survive to 105 if you're young at heart". So, in the end it is about kindness, responsibility and staying young at heart. And yes, it is a whole lot to ask of anyone. But without this balance life isn't worth anything at all.
So, how did I get to become who I am? Strangely enough I had to almost die for about a year when I was 2 and then almost die for another 5 years between the ages of 10 and 15. These two events shaped my young life and left me a much more serious person than my peers. So, it could be said that I was sort of grown up by 4 and didn't really start again to be childlike again until I was 21 and it was 1969 and I started meeting alternative people in 1969. So, these kinds of events shaped who I became along with having parents that were mystical Christians that believed in Jesus, reincarnation, UFOs, science, thinking one's own thoughts and debating issues to come up with the best solutions through rational thinking. I remember my father teaching me to debate him starting at age 8. He didn't care what my position was. He just wanted me to be rational about what I was debating him about. He was training me to be a free thinker and an experimental thinker. He felt that people who could think rationally and scientifically were unstoppable. My father was extremely intelligent and about 50 years ahead of his time. So, in some ways he set the stage for me also to be about 50 years ahead of my time.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Bursa
I thought I would share what I have learned about bursas. You probably have heard people say something like, "My bursitus is killing me." Well. The cause of bursitus is one or more bursas. Since I have been suffering with one one near my achilles tendon of my right foot I'd like to share how to treat one. The first symptom I had was of constant and growing pain emanating from my right heel. However, it did not go away and it started to cause me to limp. But as the month and then 2 months went along my foot started to get black and blue in different parts as the pain shifted from one spot to another. I think lack of circulation is one of the problems since I am now 61 and had a heart virus 10 years ago which seemed to affect my circulation.
So, ever since then and before I have kept very active and walked at least 1 to 2 to 5 miles a day with my dogs whenever possible. I also have an Exercycle, several bicycles on which to exercise as well so even when my foot is acting up I can keep in shape.
However, eventually I went to a podiatrist and she was concerned about me. Eventually, she said I should buy Crocs, a type of rubbery shoe that is like walking on about 4 to 5 inches of sponges. In other words it cushions and supports the feet in a maximum way. Not going barefoot anymore and making myself wear them at all times indoors when walking at all and going to the east coast where it is warmer than that 60 to 65 degree Fahrenheit summers where I live has been good for me as well. Eventually, I started to go to a physical therapist as surgery isn't really a good option. So now I'm about 5 months into this which is very difficult for me as I am used to being a physically active person who exercises by walking and hiking in the woods with my dogs every day or riding a bike or Exercycle. One of the other things I have done for myself just to make me feel like I still have hope and am alive is to buy myself a motorcycle. This has helped a lot to keep me from thinking of myself as a cripple because of being in constant pain whenever I walk.
The other thing the physical therapist said was that I must not limp because eventually this will cause me to lose my balance. So I have learned to walk normally through the pain. All the heat and warmth on the east coast and human temperatures from 75 to 95 degrees also seemed to help my foot get better as well. Also, my physical therapist used cold lasers to force the bursa which is actually scar tissue to heal. So, I'm starting to heal from this injury.
Bursas are very tricky because of you don't rest them enough they never heal but at age 61 if I don't keep fairly physically active it is the end for me. So it is definitey a catch 22 situation. However, as counterintuitive as it was to go east it has been the defining thing I believe that has started my bursa to seriously begin to heal. I hope this helps you if you are suffering something like this or your loved one or friend is dealing with something like this.
So, ever since then and before I have kept very active and walked at least 1 to 2 to 5 miles a day with my dogs whenever possible. I also have an Exercycle, several bicycles on which to exercise as well so even when my foot is acting up I can keep in shape.
However, eventually I went to a podiatrist and she was concerned about me. Eventually, she said I should buy Crocs, a type of rubbery shoe that is like walking on about 4 to 5 inches of sponges. In other words it cushions and supports the feet in a maximum way. Not going barefoot anymore and making myself wear them at all times indoors when walking at all and going to the east coast where it is warmer than that 60 to 65 degree Fahrenheit summers where I live has been good for me as well. Eventually, I started to go to a physical therapist as surgery isn't really a good option. So now I'm about 5 months into this which is very difficult for me as I am used to being a physically active person who exercises by walking and hiking in the woods with my dogs every day or riding a bike or Exercycle. One of the other things I have done for myself just to make me feel like I still have hope and am alive is to buy myself a motorcycle. This has helped a lot to keep me from thinking of myself as a cripple because of being in constant pain whenever I walk.
The other thing the physical therapist said was that I must not limp because eventually this will cause me to lose my balance. So I have learned to walk normally through the pain. All the heat and warmth on the east coast and human temperatures from 75 to 95 degrees also seemed to help my foot get better as well. Also, my physical therapist used cold lasers to force the bursa which is actually scar tissue to heal. So, I'm starting to heal from this injury.
Bursas are very tricky because of you don't rest them enough they never heal but at age 61 if I don't keep fairly physically active it is the end for me. So it is definitey a catch 22 situation. However, as counterintuitive as it was to go east it has been the defining thing I believe that has started my bursa to seriously begin to heal. I hope this helps you if you are suffering something like this or your loved one or friend is dealing with something like this.
Organic Food Healthier
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090730/hl_nm/us_food_organic
This article above is both stupid and misleading. It is obviously a study done by growers of sprayed foods who don't want you to buy organic. The questions they seem to be asking are really crazy too. They are asking of food grown organically is healthier than sprayed foods and just testing the quality of the food. Well grown food is grown food is grown food as long as the soil is about the same the food will be the same. The whole point of eating organic food is to not have pesticide or herbicide residue in ones food to build up deposits in one's body or one's children's body over the years and contribute to various kinds of ill health like various kinds of cancers that have been proved to be linked to the slow taking on of pesticide residue and herbicide residue that deposits itself into one's body as they consume pesticide or herbicide laden(usually both) vegetables or processed food that has been sprayed at some point along the way.
The whole point of organic food from my point of view is to prevent unnecessary cancer and permanent damage to the nervous system and permanent genetic damage to whole lines of people and animals. Also, any meat that you consume that has been fed by sprayed foods will also have the pesticides and herbicides concentrated into the cells of the meat you eat too.
So, eating organic has to do primarily with preventing human and animal illnesses and making sure you can successfully reproduce on into the future and so you and your children can continue on into the thousands of years into the future genetically.
It is not about whether one food is more healthy than another. They are all about equal if the soil and water sources are equal and if the seeds are equal. It is about you and your children staying alive and not dying of various health problems that are unnecessary.
This article above is both stupid and misleading. It is obviously a study done by growers of sprayed foods who don't want you to buy organic. The questions they seem to be asking are really crazy too. They are asking of food grown organically is healthier than sprayed foods and just testing the quality of the food. Well grown food is grown food is grown food as long as the soil is about the same the food will be the same. The whole point of eating organic food is to not have pesticide or herbicide residue in ones food to build up deposits in one's body or one's children's body over the years and contribute to various kinds of ill health like various kinds of cancers that have been proved to be linked to the slow taking on of pesticide residue and herbicide residue that deposits itself into one's body as they consume pesticide or herbicide laden(usually both) vegetables or processed food that has been sprayed at some point along the way.
The whole point of organic food from my point of view is to prevent unnecessary cancer and permanent damage to the nervous system and permanent genetic damage to whole lines of people and animals. Also, any meat that you consume that has been fed by sprayed foods will also have the pesticides and herbicides concentrated into the cells of the meat you eat too.
So, eating organic has to do primarily with preventing human and animal illnesses and making sure you can successfully reproduce on into the future and so you and your children can continue on into the thousands of years into the future genetically.
It is not about whether one food is more healthy than another. They are all about equal if the soil and water sources are equal and if the seeds are equal. It is about you and your children staying alive and not dying of various health problems that are unnecessary.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cording
There is a caveat here. If you don't have a strong stomach then don't read this.
When my mother got senile dementia she almost burnt down her home. At that point I and my relatives had no real choice other than to put her in an Alzheimer's and senile dementia facility. Over the 9 years she lived past getting senile dementia which is literally hardening of the arteries of the brain and often preventable with B-12 shots starting in ones 50s or so about once a month.
So as she slowly regressed back down through teenage to child to small child and finally to baby and passing on at some point along the way I woke up at night and found my mother's spirit Cording with me. In other words she somehow created a silver cord like a umbilical cord only in spirit and connected it to the lower part of my heart. At first I was frightened and very disturbed by this and sought help from other intuitives. Many intuitives said I should make intense prayers and cut this cord. However, then I talked to a friend who had studied with native American Medicine men and Tibetan Lamas along with me during the 1980s. He said, "Fred. You're a shaman. Just deal with it. You mother is obviously scared and is reaching out to you for help. Just deal with it." That was what I needed to hear. I realized that I was no longer afraid for my mother since she had connected with me in this way and I didn't feel like I had lost her so much anymore. I decided to be here anchor in the physical so her way would be less hard.
However, last fall as I was taking my wife's father's ashes to Saint Louis for internment with his parents and I was changing flights in Los Angeles, I got a cell phone call and was told that my mother had died. Since my first priority had to be the sanity and stability of my wife and family I told the mortuary to put my mother's body on ice until I returned from Saint Louis with my wife and daughter. So one week later I returned and participated in the cremation of my mother. I opened the plastic and kissed my mother goodbye for she was now a human body popsicle and then shoved her into the furnace and turned the furnace on. Because it was so loud I walked outside with my wife who was there to walk me through this. I thought how my mother would like the idea of turning into smoke blowing out of a 1 foot wide smokestack into the sky from the furnace. A few days later we went by to pick up her ashes. They have remained on my grand piano in my living room ever since.
Because of having to deal with a funeral (3 different ones) I was funeraled out so we didn't wind of having a service for my mother yet. So her ashes have waited patiently for the next step. Meanwhile another friend of mine who is also an intuitive has kept her mother's ashes with her for over 20 years now and she is now 82. Lately, I have realized that my mother wants her ashes in the ocean. The biggest problem is my son who sort of saw her as his own mother and hasn't processed her death like I have and won't give me permission to put her in the ocean yet. It's time for her to be put to rest in the ocean like she wanted. I'm clear about that but don't really want to upset my son either. If it were up to just me I would probably just keep my Mom's ashes on the Grand Piano indefinitely. But it isn't okay with my wife and I sense my mother really needs her ashes to move on into the ocean.
Today I sensed my mother trying to say goodbye to me so I brought her ashes as I headed south to our second home. On the way she said it hurt a lot to be cremated even though it was over 7 days after she died. She said she retreated into her body like people do when they sleep deeply and it was a very rude awakening to be burnt up like that. She just wanted me to know that it hurt for future reference. I don't think that means we should all bury the dead and let the worms get them either. I actually don't know what to do with that information except to relay it because it is her wish. My mother and I were always very close. She was also very close with my son. So moving on is hard for me but I owe it to my mother to put her remains in the ocean like she wished.
When my mother got senile dementia she almost burnt down her home. At that point I and my relatives had no real choice other than to put her in an Alzheimer's and senile dementia facility. Over the 9 years she lived past getting senile dementia which is literally hardening of the arteries of the brain and often preventable with B-12 shots starting in ones 50s or so about once a month.
So as she slowly regressed back down through teenage to child to small child and finally to baby and passing on at some point along the way I woke up at night and found my mother's spirit Cording with me. In other words she somehow created a silver cord like a umbilical cord only in spirit and connected it to the lower part of my heart. At first I was frightened and very disturbed by this and sought help from other intuitives. Many intuitives said I should make intense prayers and cut this cord. However, then I talked to a friend who had studied with native American Medicine men and Tibetan Lamas along with me during the 1980s. He said, "Fred. You're a shaman. Just deal with it. You mother is obviously scared and is reaching out to you for help. Just deal with it." That was what I needed to hear. I realized that I was no longer afraid for my mother since she had connected with me in this way and I didn't feel like I had lost her so much anymore. I decided to be here anchor in the physical so her way would be less hard.
However, last fall as I was taking my wife's father's ashes to Saint Louis for internment with his parents and I was changing flights in Los Angeles, I got a cell phone call and was told that my mother had died. Since my first priority had to be the sanity and stability of my wife and family I told the mortuary to put my mother's body on ice until I returned from Saint Louis with my wife and daughter. So one week later I returned and participated in the cremation of my mother. I opened the plastic and kissed my mother goodbye for she was now a human body popsicle and then shoved her into the furnace and turned the furnace on. Because it was so loud I walked outside with my wife who was there to walk me through this. I thought how my mother would like the idea of turning into smoke blowing out of a 1 foot wide smokestack into the sky from the furnace. A few days later we went by to pick up her ashes. They have remained on my grand piano in my living room ever since.
Because of having to deal with a funeral (3 different ones) I was funeraled out so we didn't wind of having a service for my mother yet. So her ashes have waited patiently for the next step. Meanwhile another friend of mine who is also an intuitive has kept her mother's ashes with her for over 20 years now and she is now 82. Lately, I have realized that my mother wants her ashes in the ocean. The biggest problem is my son who sort of saw her as his own mother and hasn't processed her death like I have and won't give me permission to put her in the ocean yet. It's time for her to be put to rest in the ocean like she wanted. I'm clear about that but don't really want to upset my son either. If it were up to just me I would probably just keep my Mom's ashes on the Grand Piano indefinitely. But it isn't okay with my wife and I sense my mother really needs her ashes to move on into the ocean.
Today I sensed my mother trying to say goodbye to me so I brought her ashes as I headed south to our second home. On the way she said it hurt a lot to be cremated even though it was over 7 days after she died. She said she retreated into her body like people do when they sleep deeply and it was a very rude awakening to be burnt up like that. She just wanted me to know that it hurt for future reference. I don't think that means we should all bury the dead and let the worms get them either. I actually don't know what to do with that information except to relay it because it is her wish. My mother and I were always very close. She was also very close with my son. So moving on is hard for me but I owe it to my mother to put her remains in the ocean like she wished.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
girlfriends 2
I'm going to relate real experiences without using names. When I was 16 I got my California Driver's license the day I turned 16. I got a 100% on the written test and got a good passing grade on the driving test. The next month I invited a girl from church who was 21 and very beautiful to a political rally. However, as we started to drive there we both decided we would rather go to a movie anyway. So we went to a drive-in theater. She was very surprised at her feelings for me because I was only 16. I had never French kissed a girl before that night and hadn't figured out yet what all the fuss was about. This French kissing stuff really changed things and so my new girlfriend of the next year or so(we stayed friends for life) went to drive in movies, to church and parked our car late at night on Mulhulland drive and watched the lights of Los Angeles twinkle and listened to music on the car radio which was what young people did back then.
When I was 17 she and I broke up and I started going out with a girl only one year older than I from church. Though this new girlfriend and I dated for about 2 years this time was chopped up with my going in my senior year away to a church private school and another girlfriend who was aged 16 while I was 17 . This complicated matters with my other girlfriend who was waiting for me in Los Angeles and so I felt guilty at basically dating two girls at once during this time and confused by the whole thing. My Los Angeles girlfriend I actually had dreams of marrying but I was just too young, uncommitted and knew that I wouldn't likely be ready to marry for at least 5 or more years. So I was very sad when she married someone else when I was 21 but knew it was for the best, for her at least.
When I was 17 she and I broke up and I started going out with a girl only one year older than I from church. Though this new girlfriend and I dated for about 2 years this time was chopped up with my going in my senior year away to a church private school and another girlfriend who was aged 16 while I was 17 . This complicated matters with my other girlfriend who was waiting for me in Los Angeles and so I felt guilty at basically dating two girls at once during this time and confused by the whole thing. My Los Angeles girlfriend I actually had dreams of marrying but I was just too young, uncommitted and knew that I wouldn't likely be ready to marry for at least 5 or more years. So I was very sad when she married someone else when I was 21 but knew it was for the best, for her at least.
Girlfriends
I find myself now at age 61 enjoying movies like: "The 40 year old virgin", "Superbad", "I love you Beth Cooper", "Knocked up" and other coming of age or relatively young dating movies.
When I look back to the first girl I asked out on a date I was 15 and I did it because JFK was just assassinated then in fall 1963. So my motivation was to go out on a date before I died for one reason or another because I thought, "If the President of the United States can get assassinated so could I." Looking back at this logic it makes me laugh now but then it was deadly serious at age 15. You know just how important things can be when you are only 15 and the whole world seems to revolve around your every emotion, your every thought or dream.
Since I didn't marry because my girlfriend got pregnant until I was 26 I had 10 years of dating which is a long time dating different women, especially from 1963 until 1973 when I married for the first time.
I think I was a much more serious and adult like person than most people my age always from about age 4. It probably was the whooping cough I almost died from and then at age 15 I had had childhood epilepsy form age 10 to age 15. so I had just gotten over it when I turned 15. So because I had almost died from two illnesses in my life I just tended to me much more grown up emotionally than most kids, much like veterans who have been shot at tend to be ready to settle down and get married if their post traumatic stress disorder isn't too bad. I think it's a lot the same. If you have survived really awful things marriage sounds much better than death or maiming. That was kind of where I was too starting in 1963 when I asked Gayle, a blond haired blue eyed girl from Alaska out on a date. We went to the Alex Theatre in Glendale to see "Muscle Beach Party" with Annette Funicello who originally was a Mouseketeer on a Disney program called Mickey Mouse Club on TV. Since I was only 15 I couldn't legally drive so I asked my best friend who was 16 to drive us to the theatre. As I got out of the front seat I accidentally kicked out my friends thermos and broke it in the gutter. So, an embarrassing start to my first date. Then I walked my new date home about a mile or more to where she lived. She liked to Ice Skate so I sometimes took her to Pickwick Ice Skating rink Near Griffith Park after I could drive.
Earlier, when I was about 11 I wore my Sunday blue suit and tie to a nice restaurant in La Canada with my family. A girl from my class was there with her family too and she stared at me during our time in the restaurant. Later, in grade school she got her friend to ask me to go steady. I was embarrassed by this because there was no way I was ready at 11 to be anyone's boyfriend yet.
The summer I turned 15 I was at a church camp in Mt. Shasta, California and two 15 year old girls took an interest in me. One was from Canada and one was from Florida. I was pretty shy then but I was almost 6 feet tall and I had just gotten my front teeth capped that I had broken off in a car accident with my bicycle also at age 9. So I now looked handsome with perfect teeth and 6 feet tall. Both girls said they kissed me that summer. I actually didn't remember this. What I remember was that they both were interested in me and that I felt sort of awkward but flattered at all the attention. It took me about another 4 months to get used to the idea that girls found me attractive and it took me some time to figure what to do about this. So about 5 months after the summer camp I actually asked out Gayle just after JFK died who sat in front of me in English Class at Glendale High School then in 1963 when I was 15 and a sophomore there.
When you are young you are eager to grow up quickly. However, enjoying the moment then is actually a better idea. Growing up too fast can be very counterproductive in ones life. Don't forget to smell the roses. Otherwise life passes you by and you have nothing. In life if you don't have memories in the end you have nothing. So smell those roses. You will remember the fragrances the rest of your lives.
When I look back to the first girl I asked out on a date I was 15 and I did it because JFK was just assassinated then in fall 1963. So my motivation was to go out on a date before I died for one reason or another because I thought, "If the President of the United States can get assassinated so could I." Looking back at this logic it makes me laugh now but then it was deadly serious at age 15. You know just how important things can be when you are only 15 and the whole world seems to revolve around your every emotion, your every thought or dream.
Since I didn't marry because my girlfriend got pregnant until I was 26 I had 10 years of dating which is a long time dating different women, especially from 1963 until 1973 when I married for the first time.
I think I was a much more serious and adult like person than most people my age always from about age 4. It probably was the whooping cough I almost died from and then at age 15 I had had childhood epilepsy form age 10 to age 15. so I had just gotten over it when I turned 15. So because I had almost died from two illnesses in my life I just tended to me much more grown up emotionally than most kids, much like veterans who have been shot at tend to be ready to settle down and get married if their post traumatic stress disorder isn't too bad. I think it's a lot the same. If you have survived really awful things marriage sounds much better than death or maiming. That was kind of where I was too starting in 1963 when I asked Gayle, a blond haired blue eyed girl from Alaska out on a date. We went to the Alex Theatre in Glendale to see "Muscle Beach Party" with Annette Funicello who originally was a Mouseketeer on a Disney program called Mickey Mouse Club on TV. Since I was only 15 I couldn't legally drive so I asked my best friend who was 16 to drive us to the theatre. As I got out of the front seat I accidentally kicked out my friends thermos and broke it in the gutter. So, an embarrassing start to my first date. Then I walked my new date home about a mile or more to where she lived. She liked to Ice Skate so I sometimes took her to Pickwick Ice Skating rink Near Griffith Park after I could drive.
Earlier, when I was about 11 I wore my Sunday blue suit and tie to a nice restaurant in La Canada with my family. A girl from my class was there with her family too and she stared at me during our time in the restaurant. Later, in grade school she got her friend to ask me to go steady. I was embarrassed by this because there was no way I was ready at 11 to be anyone's boyfriend yet.
The summer I turned 15 I was at a church camp in Mt. Shasta, California and two 15 year old girls took an interest in me. One was from Canada and one was from Florida. I was pretty shy then but I was almost 6 feet tall and I had just gotten my front teeth capped that I had broken off in a car accident with my bicycle also at age 9. So I now looked handsome with perfect teeth and 6 feet tall. Both girls said they kissed me that summer. I actually didn't remember this. What I remember was that they both were interested in me and that I felt sort of awkward but flattered at all the attention. It took me about another 4 months to get used to the idea that girls found me attractive and it took me some time to figure what to do about this. So about 5 months after the summer camp I actually asked out Gayle just after JFK died who sat in front of me in English Class at Glendale High School then in 1963 when I was 15 and a sophomore there.
When you are young you are eager to grow up quickly. However, enjoying the moment then is actually a better idea. Growing up too fast can be very counterproductive in ones life. Don't forget to smell the roses. Otherwise life passes you by and you have nothing. In life if you don't have memories in the end you have nothing. So smell those roses. You will remember the fragrances the rest of your lives.
a Life
How does one tell the story of one's life without sounding either lecturing, pontificating, complaining or bragging? I've tried many times writing about my life and never felt I succeeded in what I wanted to say or meant to say beyond about 10 pages of what to me has been essays on my life. I haven't really found a way to talk about my life that I felt useful or necessary or safe or fully relevant or that told the whole story in a way that I would feel safe with or that I could live with all my children, relatives or friends reading.
None of us are perfect people but it is true I have had an amazing life. People tell me that all the time. No one can believe that I have done all the things I have with my life. I'm not sure that they would understand all the suffering and happiness that I have had to endure in my life to get here either. And I'm not sure what "Here" is either, unless you consider that I"m content in my enlightened and philosophical approach to life. And that I'm relatively happy in my third marriage and that all my biological children have survived and are doing okay. And that even though I have now been married 3 times that two of those marriages have reached 15 years and that only my first marriage(from age 26 to 29) we lived together for 4 years. And stragely enough my first wife and I are still friends whereas my 2nd wife I was married to for 15 years and I never speak for about 5 to 7 years now by her insistence and mutual agreement.
Dad died in 1985 when I was 37 and helped perpetuate the end of my second marriage because I wasn't old enough to sustain that marriage after my father passed away.
What is the value of a life or a lifetime? I suppose it is different for everyone. A life can mean a million or more different things to different people and 1/2 million of those things could be in complete contradiction to each other. I guess it's all in one's point of view. But still I would love to write about my life in a way where I could write about all of it and feel it was definitive and could be useful for most people to read. That I have not succeeded in this gives me a challenge and a goal. Whether I succeed at it or not it is still like a mountain to be climbed and therefore gives me something to try to succeed at. So, for now, I write and I practice communicating and developing my craft so that I can help keep myself and others alive and useful and moving toward enlightenment, peace and happiness: a worthwhile ongoing goal that keeps me alive and constantly lengthens my life.
None of us are perfect people but it is true I have had an amazing life. People tell me that all the time. No one can believe that I have done all the things I have with my life. I'm not sure that they would understand all the suffering and happiness that I have had to endure in my life to get here either. And I'm not sure what "Here" is either, unless you consider that I"m content in my enlightened and philosophical approach to life. And that I'm relatively happy in my third marriage and that all my biological children have survived and are doing okay. And that even though I have now been married 3 times that two of those marriages have reached 15 years and that only my first marriage(from age 26 to 29) we lived together for 4 years. And stragely enough my first wife and I are still friends whereas my 2nd wife I was married to for 15 years and I never speak for about 5 to 7 years now by her insistence and mutual agreement.
Dad died in 1985 when I was 37 and helped perpetuate the end of my second marriage because I wasn't old enough to sustain that marriage after my father passed away.
What is the value of a life or a lifetime? I suppose it is different for everyone. A life can mean a million or more different things to different people and 1/2 million of those things could be in complete contradiction to each other. I guess it's all in one's point of view. But still I would love to write about my life in a way where I could write about all of it and feel it was definitive and could be useful for most people to read. That I have not succeeded in this gives me a challenge and a goal. Whether I succeed at it or not it is still like a mountain to be climbed and therefore gives me something to try to succeed at. So, for now, I write and I practice communicating and developing my craft so that I can help keep myself and others alive and useful and moving toward enlightenment, peace and happiness: a worthwhile ongoing goal that keeps me alive and constantly lengthens my life.
Concerns About Swine Flu
I suppose my life just mirrors what is happening around the world. However, at present 3 people that I am close to are on antibiotics because of Swine Flu. One of the people got swine flu in London and brought it home to his girlfriend. Both are now on antibiotics which they are supplementing with multidolphilus 12 hours apart from their antibiotic doses in order to keep their immune systems strong and to keep their intestinal bacteria moving toward health and strength as quickly as possible to avoid a bought with Pneumonia which is what tends to kill some Swine Flu victims.
Another friend of mine is about 50 years old and an elder caregiver. When he got swine flu he also got pneumonia and is still on antibiotics and doing the same thing as the couple I spoke about above. It appears Swine flu once people have it is something they seem to deal with for about 1 month or so. It is very depleting and especially among young people who still feel fairly immortal, a danger. Older people have usually come close to death one or more times and tend to be more careful. But without vigilance and early doctor care and either antibiotics or Tamiflu it could quickly in some cases become fatal. I greatly worry about people in the southern Hemisphere with it without medical care now and for people in the northern hemisphere without good medical care in the fall and winter and early spring.
Another friend of mine is about 50 years old and an elder caregiver. When he got swine flu he also got pneumonia and is still on antibiotics and doing the same thing as the couple I spoke about above. It appears Swine flu once people have it is something they seem to deal with for about 1 month or so. It is very depleting and especially among young people who still feel fairly immortal, a danger. Older people have usually come close to death one or more times and tend to be more careful. But without vigilance and early doctor care and either antibiotics or Tamiflu it could quickly in some cases become fatal. I greatly worry about people in the southern Hemisphere with it without medical care now and for people in the northern hemisphere without good medical care in the fall and winter and early spring.
Lakes not Oceans
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090727/sc_livescience/oldestanimalfossilsfoundinlakesnotoceans
After reading the article about the earliest animals on earth coming from lakes not oceans I began to think about this:
The humanoid bent over his campfire next to the lake and watched the moon rise. Though there were already plants and trees he wondered why animals and other species hadn't evolved yet. His timespace saucer stood next to the nearest tree. Before he got back in after a restful nights sleep next to the lake he had been happy that there was absolutely no wildlife to worry about.
Before he left he deposited excrement next to the lake. He wondered if this was a mistake because other humanoids sometimes brought life to a planet in this way by accident. "So be it!", he thought. If taking a crap next to this beautiful lake brought life to this planet so much the better. His superiors would never know, after all, because he wasn't filming this activity. He climbed aboard his time space saucer and soon instantly was at another timespace and back home on his home planet light years away.
After reading the article about the earliest animals on earth coming from lakes not oceans I began to think about this:
The humanoid bent over his campfire next to the lake and watched the moon rise. Though there were already plants and trees he wondered why animals and other species hadn't evolved yet. His timespace saucer stood next to the nearest tree. Before he got back in after a restful nights sleep next to the lake he had been happy that there was absolutely no wildlife to worry about.
Before he left he deposited excrement next to the lake. He wondered if this was a mistake because other humanoids sometimes brought life to a planet in this way by accident. "So be it!", he thought. If taking a crap next to this beautiful lake brought life to this planet so much the better. His superiors would never know, after all, because he wasn't filming this activity. He climbed aboard his time space saucer and soon instantly was at another timespace and back home on his home planet light years away.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Life of Milarepa
This book by Lobsang P. Lhalunpgpa I often carry in my backpack when I travel across the state, nation or internationally to bless my trip and to keep me and mine safe and to bless all within varying distances of my physical presence depending upon my state of consciousness at the time I pass by.
I woke up this morning and my Pocket Dalai Lama once again asked me to do something which was to read this book I carry often when traveling. So I opened it up and read the introduction. The last time I read it might have been 10 years ago but I didn't remember reading the introduction. I found it precious and decided to share some of it. There is something very magical and precious when a present day person recounts there experiences when first exposed to the dharma in the Himalayas or around the world now.
Begin quote from introduction of The Life of Milarepa by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa printed by Penguin Books.
"Lobsang P. Lhalungpa was born in Lhasa, Tibet, and has passed through the disciplines of the major branches of Tibetan Buddhism under many of its greatest living masters. His life has drawn him into all aspects of the effort to maintain the Tibetan tradition while bringing it into relationship with Western needs." end quote.
next page rare photograph of Milarepa's tower.
Introduction p. vii
begin quote.
"I recall the childhood experience of listening to Milarepa's life in the form of folktales from the south of Tibet, the home province of Marpa. Deep admiration rose up in me at his will to give his whole life for the sake of his mother and at his undying determination later to save the sinking ship of his own destiny, the ship that subsequently carried innumerable people to safety across the sea of Samsara.
To the people of Tibet and to fellow Buddhists in the Asian highlands and the Himalayas, Mila, although he lived in the 12th century, is not a myth but still a vital figure- the embodiment of supreme excellence as well as the father of awakened masters. Never, in the thirteen centuries of Buddhist history in Tibet, has there been such a man, who not only inspired and intellectual elite and spiritual luminaries, but also captured the imagination of the common people.
To those of us who read his life and songs as the true account of liberation, and who have also received the secret transmission of higher teachings to which he contributed so much, Milarepa has great significance in our lives. The experience of illumination is being quietly repeated in an almost unbroken order in the tradition up to the present, even extending to many parts of the modern world." end quote.
Having also received many initiations I understand what Lobsang is talking about. To properly explain what this means in kindness let me illustrate with the initiation of the 21 Taras.(Tara is a figure to the Tibetan Buddhists which could most easily be equated to Mother Mary in Christian traditions or to Quan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.
I was told that when I reached 1,000,000 tara mantras that I would begin to have siddhis manifest automatically in my life and that I would reach a stage of enlightenment. (a siddhi is a supernatural ability that either automatically or at will manifests like healing, being aware of things 1000s of miles away as they occur, knowing what people think, in other words things useful to know if you are a holy person whose primary function it is to lift and heal souls and thereby be lifted oneself).
Since I had already been given siddhis from previous lifetimes of Tibetan Buddhist, Christian and other initiations from many past lives that automatically carry over from lifetime to lifetime I knew that more initiations and practices would only increase my ability to help to save all beings from harm from self imposed ignorance and from without. I would say the biggest problem most beings have is simply ignorance of what life is all about. This single factor causes the most distress in beings because what they do in ignorance causes all sorts of misfortune.
So, if one can become enlightened enough in any or all ways to point out a useful way of being simply by one's example or presence or by judicious ideas spoken in right mindful extremely efficient ways one can hopefully, lead other beings out of their ignorance and into the beginnings of their enlightenment. Eventually, these beings become wise enough to lead more and more beings out of their ignorance and life becomes worth living for all.
I woke up this morning and my Pocket Dalai Lama once again asked me to do something which was to read this book I carry often when traveling. So I opened it up and read the introduction. The last time I read it might have been 10 years ago but I didn't remember reading the introduction. I found it precious and decided to share some of it. There is something very magical and precious when a present day person recounts there experiences when first exposed to the dharma in the Himalayas or around the world now.
Begin quote from introduction of The Life of Milarepa by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa printed by Penguin Books.
"Lobsang P. Lhalungpa was born in Lhasa, Tibet, and has passed through the disciplines of the major branches of Tibetan Buddhism under many of its greatest living masters. His life has drawn him into all aspects of the effort to maintain the Tibetan tradition while bringing it into relationship with Western needs." end quote.
next page rare photograph of Milarepa's tower.
Introduction p. vii
begin quote.
"I recall the childhood experience of listening to Milarepa's life in the form of folktales from the south of Tibet, the home province of Marpa. Deep admiration rose up in me at his will to give his whole life for the sake of his mother and at his undying determination later to save the sinking ship of his own destiny, the ship that subsequently carried innumerable people to safety across the sea of Samsara.
To the people of Tibet and to fellow Buddhists in the Asian highlands and the Himalayas, Mila, although he lived in the 12th century, is not a myth but still a vital figure- the embodiment of supreme excellence as well as the father of awakened masters. Never, in the thirteen centuries of Buddhist history in Tibet, has there been such a man, who not only inspired and intellectual elite and spiritual luminaries, but also captured the imagination of the common people.
To those of us who read his life and songs as the true account of liberation, and who have also received the secret transmission of higher teachings to which he contributed so much, Milarepa has great significance in our lives. The experience of illumination is being quietly repeated in an almost unbroken order in the tradition up to the present, even extending to many parts of the modern world." end quote.
Having also received many initiations I understand what Lobsang is talking about. To properly explain what this means in kindness let me illustrate with the initiation of the 21 Taras.(Tara is a figure to the Tibetan Buddhists which could most easily be equated to Mother Mary in Christian traditions or to Quan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.
I was told that when I reached 1,000,000 tara mantras that I would begin to have siddhis manifest automatically in my life and that I would reach a stage of enlightenment. (a siddhi is a supernatural ability that either automatically or at will manifests like healing, being aware of things 1000s of miles away as they occur, knowing what people think, in other words things useful to know if you are a holy person whose primary function it is to lift and heal souls and thereby be lifted oneself).
Since I had already been given siddhis from previous lifetimes of Tibetan Buddhist, Christian and other initiations from many past lives that automatically carry over from lifetime to lifetime I knew that more initiations and practices would only increase my ability to help to save all beings from harm from self imposed ignorance and from without. I would say the biggest problem most beings have is simply ignorance of what life is all about. This single factor causes the most distress in beings because what they do in ignorance causes all sorts of misfortune.
So, if one can become enlightened enough in any or all ways to point out a useful way of being simply by one's example or presence or by judicious ideas spoken in right mindful extremely efficient ways one can hopefully, lead other beings out of their ignorance and into the beginnings of their enlightenment. Eventually, these beings become wise enough to lead more and more beings out of their ignorance and life becomes worth living for all.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Pocket Dalai Lama 7-26-09
I bought a 3 inch by 2 1/2 inch copy of "The Pocket Dalai Lama" by Shambhala Pocket Classics at the Art Museum while my wife was looking at Dutch sailing Classics of the 1600s and 1700s. She has two art degrees and an MBA and is interested in such things.
I bought "The Pocket Dalai Lama" because I needed something familiar because I was feeling a little at loose ends on the East Coast of the U.S. and very out of my element because I have never lived there. I have lived in the Seattle area(first 4 years) then mostly California with about one year in Santa Fe, New Mexico and about another year on the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui. So, the east coast is far from my comfort zone.
I have been keeping the book in my heart pocket on my shirts as I traveled since Salem which has been about a week so far. Now I'm back home on the Northern California coast about one mile from the ocean where once again I can hear the sea lions many nights and see the stars whenever the high summer coastal fog retreats. I greatly enjoy the fresh air off the ocean blowing eastward and the crisp ocean air. However, I greatly miss the warmer east coast weather which reduced my 61 year old bodies aches and pains by about 75%. I would have to go to Los angeles, Santa Barbara or the Desert to have that experience right now in California.
This is the second morning back home in California after our 2 week sojourn to the east coast of the united States from North Carolina all the way up to Salem, Massachusetts and everything in between.
As I awoke this morning I saw the smiling face of the Dalai Lama on the book and he said clearly to me, "Listen to 'The House of the Seven Gables'" I thought this a strange request at the time but have learned through years of experience when a holy man or woman(Jesus, angels,Masters etc.) speak to me through a photo or drawing of them to take them seriously. So, I dutifully listened to a few chapters of "The House of the Seven Gables" and soon realized he was teaching me about karma. In this illustration Mr. Maul was hanged as a wizard or witch and Mr. Pinchon, a rich man stood happily by while this happened then acquired Mr. Maul's properties as soon as he was hung as a witch and proceeded to tear down his house and build the house of the seven gables. What is even stranger was that Mr. Maul's son was hired to build the house for Mr. Pinchon. Stranger still just before being hanged Mr. Maul cursed Mr. Pinchon to "Drink Blood" which meant he considered himself wronged by Mr. Pinchon. Later after the house was built Mr. Pinchon did drink blood as he died in his office in the house of the seven gables.
I had a conversation in my head with the Dalai Lama and it went something like this: "As you can see, Fred, Karma is also revenge. However, for an evolved being the point is to go beyond karma. The past should be forgotten so that infinite states of revenge aren't created for beings to endure. As a holy person you must learn to "let sleeping dogs lie". In otherwords don't activate anger hatred cycles of retribution when it isn't necessary. There is only now. The past is gone. The future isn't here yet. There is only now and all must do the best with now that they can. Being a holy person is about creating infinite states of grace for all beings for miles and miles around. In this way we lift up all mankind into a permanent state of grace for all beings."
I felt very honored and amazed by this exchange and asked almost immediately if I could share this newfound wisdom. This request was honored.
I bought "The Pocket Dalai Lama" because I needed something familiar because I was feeling a little at loose ends on the East Coast of the U.S. and very out of my element because I have never lived there. I have lived in the Seattle area(first 4 years) then mostly California with about one year in Santa Fe, New Mexico and about another year on the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui. So, the east coast is far from my comfort zone.
I have been keeping the book in my heart pocket on my shirts as I traveled since Salem which has been about a week so far. Now I'm back home on the Northern California coast about one mile from the ocean where once again I can hear the sea lions many nights and see the stars whenever the high summer coastal fog retreats. I greatly enjoy the fresh air off the ocean blowing eastward and the crisp ocean air. However, I greatly miss the warmer east coast weather which reduced my 61 year old bodies aches and pains by about 75%. I would have to go to Los angeles, Santa Barbara or the Desert to have that experience right now in California.
This is the second morning back home in California after our 2 week sojourn to the east coast of the united States from North Carolina all the way up to Salem, Massachusetts and everything in between.
As I awoke this morning I saw the smiling face of the Dalai Lama on the book and he said clearly to me, "Listen to 'The House of the Seven Gables'" I thought this a strange request at the time but have learned through years of experience when a holy man or woman(Jesus, angels,Masters etc.) speak to me through a photo or drawing of them to take them seriously. So, I dutifully listened to a few chapters of "The House of the Seven Gables" and soon realized he was teaching me about karma. In this illustration Mr. Maul was hanged as a wizard or witch and Mr. Pinchon, a rich man stood happily by while this happened then acquired Mr. Maul's properties as soon as he was hung as a witch and proceeded to tear down his house and build the house of the seven gables. What is even stranger was that Mr. Maul's son was hired to build the house for Mr. Pinchon. Stranger still just before being hanged Mr. Maul cursed Mr. Pinchon to "Drink Blood" which meant he considered himself wronged by Mr. Pinchon. Later after the house was built Mr. Pinchon did drink blood as he died in his office in the house of the seven gables.
I had a conversation in my head with the Dalai Lama and it went something like this: "As you can see, Fred, Karma is also revenge. However, for an evolved being the point is to go beyond karma. The past should be forgotten so that infinite states of revenge aren't created for beings to endure. As a holy person you must learn to "let sleeping dogs lie". In otherwords don't activate anger hatred cycles of retribution when it isn't necessary. There is only now. The past is gone. The future isn't here yet. There is only now and all must do the best with now that they can. Being a holy person is about creating infinite states of grace for all beings for miles and miles around. In this way we lift up all mankind into a permanent state of grace for all beings."
I felt very honored and amazed by this exchange and asked almost immediately if I could share this newfound wisdom. This request was honored.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
California 7-25-09
The poor are leaving California now but I don't know how far they will get. Maybe to the edge of town to live in a tent, maybe to a relative or friends apartment in another state with a functioning welfare system. Or maybe they've had enough and will just end it all.
Yes. These are the times we live in and at least in California it looks more and more like the 1930s all over again. Yes. There are those of us like myself that are still okay because we had parents and grandparents that actually lived through the Great Depression and so prepared us in every way in case it happened again by brainwashing us during the 1950s and ever since for baby boomers like myself. So, luckily we are prepared because of the sufferings of our parents for times like these. However, many younger people under about 40 are not so lucky as we to have had such determined forebears that made sure we did not forget the Great Depression or World War II.
As the taxes raise as they inevitably must businesses will be the next to leave California. Because, being a state it isn't allowed to go bankrupt because it can always raise taxes. So, as the taxes raise businesses will leave. It appears inevitable now.
6 months from now California will go through all this once again trying to balance the books but by then they likely will have no choice but to raise taxes.
However, for now, maybe the IOUs will stop and state contractors will once again be paid with real money. So I guess that's a good thing.
Even with all this I still prefer to live in California because here I feel free and I understand here what is expected of me. The further east I travel the less I understand what is going on and what is expected of me. I found myself in North Carolina wondering what level of politelness was really happening and what it meant. I never figured it out.
In Massachusetts men seemed angry with attitude all the time. In California I think there is just more wide open spaces so people just don't have to get so testy all the time. A man in North Carolina from the north said to me, "You've got to watch out for me." I had no problem with that. I had a lot more problem with northern attitudes because I couldn't figure out what was going on. Everyone just seemed pretty pissed off. However, it might just be the terrible recession because it wasn't this way 10 years ago. But it is now.
Anyway, I like California because I can usually see mountains and wide open spaces that I like. My father bought 2 1/2 acres in the desert because he could see about 50 miles in one direction from his property. He would look 50 miles to the east and say to me, "Isn't that a wonderful view?" and I would say, "Yeah. It's beautiful, Dad." He's been gone since 1985 now when I was 37 and Mom passed away this year. "I still like the views in California, Dad!"
Yes. These are the times we live in and at least in California it looks more and more like the 1930s all over again. Yes. There are those of us like myself that are still okay because we had parents and grandparents that actually lived through the Great Depression and so prepared us in every way in case it happened again by brainwashing us during the 1950s and ever since for baby boomers like myself. So, luckily we are prepared because of the sufferings of our parents for times like these. However, many younger people under about 40 are not so lucky as we to have had such determined forebears that made sure we did not forget the Great Depression or World War II.
As the taxes raise as they inevitably must businesses will be the next to leave California. Because, being a state it isn't allowed to go bankrupt because it can always raise taxes. So, as the taxes raise businesses will leave. It appears inevitable now.
6 months from now California will go through all this once again trying to balance the books but by then they likely will have no choice but to raise taxes.
However, for now, maybe the IOUs will stop and state contractors will once again be paid with real money. So I guess that's a good thing.
Even with all this I still prefer to live in California because here I feel free and I understand here what is expected of me. The further east I travel the less I understand what is going on and what is expected of me. I found myself in North Carolina wondering what level of politelness was really happening and what it meant. I never figured it out.
In Massachusetts men seemed angry with attitude all the time. In California I think there is just more wide open spaces so people just don't have to get so testy all the time. A man in North Carolina from the north said to me, "You've got to watch out for me." I had no problem with that. I had a lot more problem with northern attitudes because I couldn't figure out what was going on. Everyone just seemed pretty pissed off. However, it might just be the terrible recession because it wasn't this way 10 years ago. But it is now.
Anyway, I like California because I can usually see mountains and wide open spaces that I like. My father bought 2 1/2 acres in the desert because he could see about 50 miles in one direction from his property. He would look 50 miles to the east and say to me, "Isn't that a wonderful view?" and I would say, "Yeah. It's beautiful, Dad." He's been gone since 1985 now when I was 37 and Mom passed away this year. "I still like the views in California, Dad!"
Three Sovereigns for Sarah
"Three Sovereigns for Sarah" is the true story of the Salem witch trials that took place in 1692. The movie was made in 1985. When we visited the museum connected to "The House of the Seven Gables and Nathanial Hawthorne's house my wife bought a DVD of the movie starring Vanessa Redgrave.
Historically, it is a very important movie. It documents the hysteria of those times and reminds me a lot of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists today. It is the same extremist mindset once found in some Puritans who conveniently called people witches in order to take their land and property. 19 innocent people were hanged and one died in jail. And 190 people were in jail. Sarah, of whom the movie is primarily about barely survives after being kept in a chicken coop with no heat and a dirt floor with just her clothes and straw to keep warm through the winter of 1692. And she somehow survived alone with only food and water but both her sisters were hanged.
I was excommunicated from the religion I was born in and so suffered a near experience suicide from this over the next two years. Thousands of people commit suicide every day from bad experiences in their churches. Some kill themselves after having been molested by priests. Some kill themselves because of crazy priests and ministers and church workers. Many are so insulated within their churches dogma that they have no hope alone without their church in the world.
I'm not saying all churches are bad just as I wouldn't say that all families are bad. The problem is that if people can't think for themselves for whatever reason there is a good possibility that they will not survive a real crisis in their lives.
This movie gives me and all rational people the creeps and gives new meaning to the similarities to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. It is this kind of 12th to 17th century kind of fundamentalist thought in all religions that kills people from without and/or within.
If one is a thinking person this movie is far scarier than any horror movie because it is all real and true.
It reminds me a lot in some ways of the fictitious movie, "Lord of the Flies" because it is the children who create the deaths by a game they play with a little guidance from adults. IT is creepier still because it is all true and really happened.
Historically, it is a very important movie. It documents the hysteria of those times and reminds me a lot of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists today. It is the same extremist mindset once found in some Puritans who conveniently called people witches in order to take their land and property. 19 innocent people were hanged and one died in jail. And 190 people were in jail. Sarah, of whom the movie is primarily about barely survives after being kept in a chicken coop with no heat and a dirt floor with just her clothes and straw to keep warm through the winter of 1692. And she somehow survived alone with only food and water but both her sisters were hanged.
I was excommunicated from the religion I was born in and so suffered a near experience suicide from this over the next two years. Thousands of people commit suicide every day from bad experiences in their churches. Some kill themselves after having been molested by priests. Some kill themselves because of crazy priests and ministers and church workers. Many are so insulated within their churches dogma that they have no hope alone without their church in the world.
I'm not saying all churches are bad just as I wouldn't say that all families are bad. The problem is that if people can't think for themselves for whatever reason there is a good possibility that they will not survive a real crisis in their lives.
This movie gives me and all rational people the creeps and gives new meaning to the similarities to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. It is this kind of 12th to 17th century kind of fundamentalist thought in all religions that kills people from without and/or within.
If one is a thinking person this movie is far scarier than any horror movie because it is all real and true.
It reminds me a lot in some ways of the fictitious movie, "Lord of the Flies" because it is the children who create the deaths by a game they play with a little guidance from adults. IT is creepier still because it is all true and really happened.
Dangerous Tactics
The latest Taliban/Osama bin Laden tactics being used in Afghanistan and probably soon in Pakistan and likely we will see these same tactics used against Iran and China within 20 years.
Why this is dangerous is it is a combined attack of suicide bombers with fighters with Kalashnikov rifles who move in as quickly as the bodies of the suicide bomber fly apart and massacre everyone left there as they did with the suicide attack on the government buildings in Afghanistan this week. This is relatively inexpensive and steals headlines away from billions spent by western coalition forces and creates psychological havoc worldwide through the news.
The only real effective tool that the west has is to educate the populations of Afghanistan and Pakistan for now of just how crazy and insane the Taliban/Osama bin Laden group really are. Education is now the best weapon to create a lasting peace and sanity in that region. Otherwise, it will spread into Iran by Sunni/Osama bin Laden terrorists and eventually into China too in the Islamic areas over time. Education and a real western Military type of presence is the two pronged way to get this under control. I agree with General Petraeus and what he said this week.
Why this is dangerous is it is a combined attack of suicide bombers with fighters with Kalashnikov rifles who move in as quickly as the bodies of the suicide bomber fly apart and massacre everyone left there as they did with the suicide attack on the government buildings in Afghanistan this week. This is relatively inexpensive and steals headlines away from billions spent by western coalition forces and creates psychological havoc worldwide through the news.
The only real effective tool that the west has is to educate the populations of Afghanistan and Pakistan for now of just how crazy and insane the Taliban/Osama bin Laden group really are. Education is now the best weapon to create a lasting peace and sanity in that region. Otherwise, it will spread into Iran by Sunni/Osama bin Laden terrorists and eventually into China too in the Islamic areas over time. Education and a real western Military type of presence is the two pronged way to get this under control. I agree with General Petraeus and what he said this week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)