America - Get Some Rest

It is cold and windy, Trump is braying like a mule with a thorn in its hoof, Cruz is lying about anything he can and Rubio is whining like a junior high kid who's date just stood him up. Bernie Sanders is trying to prove that he is a friend to all minorities while glossing over the fact that he wants to jump our taxes through the roof and Hillary, while winning, is on ever shakier legal grounds. Obama has grown delusional, thinking he can rule by Executive Order like some Third World despot and the N. Koreans are still threatening war, despite their inability to feed their own people. The Stock Market and oil markets are jumpimg around like fleas on your dog's back and Kanye West is requesting donations to help him out of the 53 million dollar debt he has somehow run up.

In other words, business as usual in modern America. What to do? Let it go. Do not worry about it, because, really, when you come right down to it, what can you do? All of our worry, all of our fussing, all of the talk, will not change one damn bit of it.

On the other hand, if we put aside all thought of the mess that our leaders and celebrities and other self-appointed big shots have created, then we free up a lot of time and energy that can ve put to good use.

Take care of yourself and those you are close to. Get some exercise, a little anyway. Eat decent foods; you don't have to be fanatic, just use common sense and relax when you eat. Get proper rest. learn a little. Keeping the brain active will serve you well as you age.Read stories, even if they are simple and silly. Play games, not just video games but simple things like borad games or word games or work puzzles. If it's nice out, just throw a ball or play badmitton or go to a driving range and hit golf balls. Such things will help you unwind, mentally as well as physically.

Take some time to look around, at people, animals, flowers and trees. Watch a river flow or the clouds stream by. Close your eyes and listen to the wind, feel it on your skin. If it's raining, watch the drops fall, listen to the sound as the drops hit. Such activities are as beneficial as any formal kind of meditation; in fact their is no difference.

Take a nap, even if you don't sleep, lying quietly is good for you. Talk to people, loved ones, neighbors, kids, your dog or cat (they love to listen to you, and respond in their own way), just try to keep things light and easy.

If all of that seems like wasting time, well, yes and no. Actually, wasting time, when possible, is anything but wasting time. It is giving yourself a chance to recharge and that is as important as anythingelse you might do. It keeps you feeling young, it energizes you. And, since I see no let up in the stress we are all going to be subjected to in the next few years, it is vital that you relax and keep calm. Folks, we are in for a bumpy ride. In fact, the next few years are going to make a roller coaster seem tame, so take care of yourselves and those around you. Chill out here and there, as often as possible, and then you will be able to rise to the occasion and face any weirdness that comes your way and, have no doubt, the weirdness is just starting.

America on Line - Part 3

The Red Queen told Alice that in her kingdom, you had to run as fast as you could, to stay in place. That is the World we are beginning to find ourselves in and the result is painfully obvious. Terrorism, enormous gaps between the rich and poor, children the World over taken captive and sold into sexual slavery, random and idiotic acts of violence are everyday events. How many times now have kids walked into school and opened fire on other kids? How many times have seemingly fairly normal people walked into their places of employment and shot the place up or driven cars into crowds. On and on it goes.

 

Much of this is driven by images on the Internet. Anyone, (don't kid yourselves, kids are better at this stuff than we are) can find, sometimes surprisingly, brutal scenes and sexual images that would shock the Marquis de Sade. Video games are brutally violent and terribly attractive and entertaining but consider this. We know, after many years of extensive and often sadistic psychological testing, that electronic signals presented to the brain, at cetain frequencies, all of those flashing lights and fiickering images punctuated by explosions and electronic noises, change the brain. They hypnotise and they open seldom touched areas of the brain and they affect behavior. Not in everyone, of course not, but in some, and those few tend to act out violently. This keeps all of us on edge.

 

As I said in ther last post, the noose keeps on tightening, especially when the disappearence of good jobs is coupled with the images of wealth and luxury broadcast constantly to the dirt poor, topped off with the constant stress of crowded urban living. I said in my last post that I think the endgame is approaching. I do, but I do not believe it will be a grand one shot thing. Instead, you will see a further erosion of our quality of life. There will be more and more incidents of little, senseless acts of violence. As people grow more and more estranged from their meighbors, you will see a steep rise in cheap drug use. In Brasil, in the poor areas, inhalents are the main source of escape, mind and body rotting hydrocarbons that are so widely used that they cannot be made illegal. We are already seeing the depraved use of kids for sexual deviants become increasingly common. Big cities are full of very young prostitutes. It is a short step from things like Ultimate Fighting to out and out blood sports. From dog fighting in death pits to humans in those same pits is not much of a leap.

 

What can be done? Resist. Use your computer, but control your use, and especially control your kid's computer usage. In fact, control all of your electronic media exposure. The content is not only frquently unsavory, the electronics themselves are unhealthy and the manipulation of frequencies of the elctromanetic signals has amazing effects on the psyche. Stay away from any man-made drugs unless you are a) absolutely sure of their purity and b) absolutely convinced of their need. Get outside, walk, socialize with real flesh and blood living beings. Talk to neighbors, call family, play with dogs and cats, watch birds and butterfies, anything to stay connected to the Earth.

 

Do not buy something if you cannot afford it and then stop and think, 'will I really use and enjoy this, or is it just more useless junk, just another silly gadget? Play games, real games with friends and family. Board games, card games, hopscotch, golf, badmitten, even just a game of catch, something involving other people, and if they won't play, get an old ball and play with the dog; they'll play until they drop.

 

Economically, do what you can. We all have to compromise our ideals to put food on the table and a roof overhead, but try not to stray too far. If you are young, consider learning a trade; computers can't fix plumbing, yet, and robots are not able to build houses, again, yet. Try to learn to do things yourself, cooking, simple repairs, easy things. Anywhere you can save money and stay out of debt.

 

And last, pay attention to the news, without wallowing in it. Watch for trends, upsurges in violence, economic tensions. You need to have an idea what's happeneing, but don't obsess over it. That will stress you even more. Especially, watch out for upturns in odd diseases or diseases that seldom show up anymore. I don't believe that biological warfare is on the doorstep because that is not necessary. Any animal population that is stressed badly enough will become diseased and start dying off. No one knows why, no one know the exact mechanism, but it is true.

 

The answer? Don't allow things to continue to deteriorate. There is time if people will begin to take responsibility for their own lives and start backing away from this dreadful game that we have been pushed into. Slow down, ease up, opt out of anything that causes too much stress. Do not allow the virtual world to become your home and stop buying every damn thing your told you need. We are still a little way from the tipping point. If we reach that point, well, get ready to run.