Life Will Go On

Immigrants are pouring toward our border. Politicians are fighting desperately for mid term election power. The President is keeping things as stirred up as possible, an effort matched word for word by his opponents. The Stock Market is becoming unstable. And, now, another possible hurricane is getting all wound up in the Gulf/
Confusion, chaos and struggle seem immanent;
Yet, more and more, I find that I just don't really care. More precisely, I have a mild interest and I keep up with what's happening, but I have no attachment to the whole mess.
The history of Humanity is a patchwork of ups and downs. Things have been much worse. If you don't believe that,, read Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and contemplate the vision of Guillotines and heads rolling in the streets. Things, in the USA have not reached that level. We, despite all the noise, still function as a somewhat civil society.
Guess what? Even if things worsen, which they may well do, life will go on. WE will get by and, from time to time. we will thrive. Just take it easy, do your work and do not get all caught up in the string of angst presented by the news media. All will be well and you just have to ride out the rough parts. Hang in there.,

Manners

Just a quick thought or two on manners. I am not talking about the formal manners of Emily Post. I am talking common courtesy.
 Take the time to say 'please', thank you, and 'I appreciate that. Be patient in crowded stores. help folks who are having a tough go of it. By that I mean help the elderly and disabled when they are having troubles with doors and items high on shelves. Get out of the way when parents are struggling with kids. Be a courteous driver and don't cut people off in traffic and never bang your horn and scream obscenities. In fact, watch your mouth in all situations. We live in an ever crowded Nation. Most folks live in cities and they are all overcrowded and that breeds tension; do not make things worse
Manners are a coping mechanism. They are essential buffers that disperse tensions and they are simple and easy to follow. You and everyone you meet will have better lives if you just display  an ease during interactions and manners are the key to that. As your Mom might have once said to you, mind your manners.

Look Around You

Now that I am retired and don't have to run around like a maniac, I have time to watch the World and its inhabitants. Here and there, I watch people. Two words for all of you. Slow Down.
Yeah, I know, it seems that you have to go full speed to keep up. Take it from someone who did just that, If you run and run, just to keep up, you are doing something wrong. Streamline your life. Get rid of what you don't need. When you work, work efficiently. Get tasks out of the way and do them right the first time.
To those who say that they have to work multiple jobs to keep up, I have a number, 7.1 million. That is the number of unfilled jobs in the Nation. They go unfilled because American workers are unqualified. The solution to a lot of problems is simple. Take whatever time you can and get qualified. There are many training programs and Community Colleges and Technical schools and they are pretty inexpensive. Give uo a few nights out with your friends and a game ot two and get busy. In the long run, actually quicker than you think, you will have the kind of job people used to have. % days a week, 8 hours a day and enough income to live well. Not lavishly. but well.
Just watch people. They waste so much time and effort and accomplish so little. They concern themselves with details of celebrity lives and local gossip. They carry on about political issues that they have no say on. trust me. despite everything you hear, big time politicians  are going to do, what they are paid to do, which is often not what people really want them to do. Rid yourselves of concerns that are not yours. Take care of your own business and do so carefully and efficiently, always remembering to be kind when called upon and to see to the well being of family and friends when they ask for help.
Then, when you find that you suddenly have time to relax, take a deep breath, open you eyes, and look around at this magnificent World. Have a Blessed day.

Open Up

There is a great line in an old Yes song. 'Don't surround yourself with yourself.'
Ever since psychiatry became a hit, people have been almost obsessed with self analysis. Just go in a bookstore and see the endless array of self help books, many masquerading as 'spiritual' guides. Look at the whole 'motivational speaker' scam. Then think of all the folks who spend years and dollars seeing therapists
Of course, we all have to, here and there, stop and take a look at ourselves, but past a certain point, that is a stupid waste of time. If you find yourself doing things you don't find acceptable, just stop doing them. For countless centuries, that is what humans did.
The only way to see yourself is through the rest of Creation. Open up. get out of your head and look. You will find a whole fascinating World at your fingertips. You will also see that your little issues fade in importance. In short, you are freed.
There is another issue. When led by a therapist, they are the ones leading you and they will apply their favorite theories to you and, trust me, those theories are deeply flawed.
You are a wonderful being, but let's be blunt. Your every thought and every urge are not that fascinating and dwelling in these things just traps you.
A character in Malcolm Lowry's magnificent novel, Under the Volcano, put it well. 'A little self knowledge is a dangerous thing.'

The Saufis

Our relationship with the Saudis is sinking fast. There is likely some connection between the death of a journalist and the Saudi royal family. Okay, why are we surprised.
The Saudi regime has long been considered, by Amnesty International, to be one of the most brutal and oppressive in the World. We speak of them as great allies and friends and, for that, shame on us. We sold our souls for oil. We do not need them as military allies and, at this point, we can get by just fine without their petroleum.
We must stop supporting them in their war in Yemen, which is just a proxy war with Iran. We must stop selling them arms. We must hit them with sanctions as stiff as those we have placed on Iran and N. Korea.
Will we? That is hard to say. There is fear that any sanctions will stifle our marginally growing economy. There is fear that we can throw off ant stability that exists in the Muddle East.
Gere is the question. Will we act in a moral manner or will we continue selling our souls for cheap oil and a shaky chance at getting a Mid East peace treaty, which really is for the benefit, bit of the USA, but for Israel Our best strategy would be complete withdrawal from all alliances in that idiotically warlike region, but there is about as much chance of that as I have of sprouting wings and flying away.
Nations, as well as individuals, are subject to the laws of, for want of a better word, karma. We certainly have a history of doing great and wonderful things in this land, but we also have a history of dealing, on uncomfortably friendly terms, with some of the most inhumane regimes the World has ever known. This will, one fine day, come back to haunt is.
There is an old saying my Daddy was fond of. "When you lie down with dogs don't be surprised if you get up with fleas.",

Flow

The saying,'go with the flow' has some merit. A lot of merit.
We tend to see life as a series of discrete events, snap shots in the flow of rime. That is simply the way our brain functions. What continuity we perceived comes when our brains fill in the gaps. It is sort of the way digital music is heard. Tiny bits of music are strung together and we fill in the spaces. That, by the way, is why analog recordings sound more natural, more alive.
In reality, there are no gaps. Events flow seamlessly through time and space. What is more, they are all intertwined. The separations of space are an illusion. Nothing stands alone.
Quiet your mind and you begin to perceive the flow of everything. That is ab excellent strategy for getting along in the World. You perceive more of reality and can see the motions, the flow.
Going with the flow does not mean that you like, or even accept, everything going on. You see it, and, much like a martial artist, you turn that energy to your own advantage.Sometimes you win, sometimes not. Either way, it is usually a more effective strategy than standing firm and fighting.
A prime example comes from our recent hurricane. The might oaks fell. The flexible palms. while badly battered, stood.
Anyway, it's something to think about as you go through your day's struggles. Here's hoping that those struggles are few and light and that you win your share of the battles. Remember, it's all just a grand game. As mu Daddy used to say, 100 years from now, no one will care or remember. Go lightly and easily through the coming week. Blessings to all.

Kanye's Big Day Out

Just a quick post today to ask a question. Who really cares what Kanye West says. A huge deal is being made about his White House appearance and rambling speech. One may agree or disagree with what he said, once you decipher it, but, really, who cares? And, if you do, why?
When are we going to get past our juvenile obsession with celebrities and their opinions? They have no more knowledge, and usually much less than your average working American. The same goes for academics. They all live in an insular World and there day to day concerns are not the same as yours and mine.
We do not need these folks to tell us what to do and what to think. Same goes for career politicians
Learn all you can about problems and come up with your own solutions. Then get together with like minded people and get to work.
We have no time to even give thought to the half baked ideas of celebrities.
Have a wonderful and Blessed weekend