A friend recently posed the question, "Isn't the love of God, spread abroad in the hearts of the children of men, accessible to all?" The following is my response.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)
To correctly esteem a gift as good comes by way of only two paths.
The first is a recognition and knowledge of the character of the giver of the gift.
The second is by way of a conscious and visceral awareness, appreciation, and genuine gratitude for the benefits resulting from the gift.
What man or woman truly knows God?
Most believe in God, but belief is not knowledge.
The difference between belief and knowledge is that where belief is founded on hopeful desires, knowledge is based on concrete experience, sure personal evidence.
Life eternal is not belief in God. Life eternal is KNOWING God.
As all are born into this world without a memory and sure knowledge of God, we must therefore acquire that knowledge through the gifts he sends us.
How do you get to know someone you can not see, talk to face to face, or relate with in traditional daily life ways?
You must receive, use, and understand the purposes for the gifts that have been granted to you from Him.
Receive,use,and understand are all verbs. They are action words. They require work. They are action words dependent on personal choice, effort, ultimately - agency.
Getting to know anyone, including God, requires interest and personal effort.
It is personal choice, a self accepted journey for knowledge of the character of an individual.
With an understanding of a person's character and purposes we can then appropriately correlate and assimilate legitimate feelings for their works. In this way we can peer into another's mind and emotions with respect to us.
No matter how much a friend may give and do for another, no state of friendship is conveyed or established until the individual receiving chooses to accept and become aware of the importance, care, concern, and effort expended. That work must be done. And it can't be done by the giver. The receiver must do it. It must be this way because anything else would be manipulation, compulsion, coercion, unrighteous dominion, force - all varying degrees of slavery. On the flipside, it therein could not be charity - a beneficial gift given without strings attached and for the benefit of the receiver.
To truly appreciate a gift and come to know the giver of the gift requires the receiver to learn of the giver.
How else can you determine and therefore know the motives and sentiments behind the giver of a gift? How else can you recognize the thoughtfulness, care, and concern behind the giving of a gift?
Lucifer presented Eve with the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil as if it were a gift to liberate her. He beguiled her, to begin with - it was not his to give, and while it did give her knowledge, he lied to the fact that it would not bring death upon her.
Belief is not knowledge. Eve believed Lucifer and partook of the fruit, therein she was beguiled. And though she did pass from immortality to mortality, a horrible consequence, she now also had knowledge, knowledge to the effect of Lucifer's character, and in that personal experience she now knew who he was. A liar and destroyer. She learned for herself that what he offers she shouldn't receive. She also learned of the value of the commandment God had given her. She learned of his honesty - his character, his concern for her comfort and well being, his love for her.
Christ on the other hand did not need to go through such a personal experience of trial by error, to learn the character of Lucifer or Heavenly Father. KNOWING the character of the adversary, when the adversary offered him power, glory, and riches of the world untold, if he would but follow him, Christ responded in effect,"Get lost", knowing full well it was a lie.
Christ already had knowledge of the would-be gift giver. And he also had perfect knowledge of the true gift giver - his Heavenly Father. Consequently, Christ did only those things which he saw of his Father, already knowing his Father's character, and holding in proper appreciation and feeling for the gifts he had, Christ was one with the Father, the perfect example of eternal life.
We need knowledge of the gift-giver who is God. Without that knowledge, we may be subject to completely rejecting, or accepting, but incorrectly appreciating or understanding, the gifts God has sent to us. To continue accepting good gifts from God, and in the right way, we need to come to know his character, who he is. Otherwise things of God perceptively become relative to one's own faulty established views and desires, restraints and controls, instead of protections and guides for happiness and joy.
Knowledge of any truth is gained by means of a process. Like walking along a trail one begins the journey at the beginning and step by step one reaches the end.
The first step is DESIRE. Desiring to know a thing gives way to a BELIEF in that thing. This belief ineffect is an instilled HOPE in an expectation. This hope motivates a person to experiment and prove the expectation. This is the rise of FAITH. Endurant, vital, and true faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of a thing. It instead is a hope for that thing which is not yet realized but which none the less is true and can be established. Faith directs choices and behavior in order to prove the object or situation in question. The experiment once fulfilled results in knowledge.
Notice that this process is the same one EVE unwittingly undertook in her experience. Her faith however was not a true faith and resulted in an experience which taught her firsthand the effects of believing a lie, and trusting a liar.
All gift givers do not give gifts out of appreciation, acceptance, and affection for the recepient. Some gifts are designed to enslave, poison, and corrupt.
The awareness of gratitude for a gift requires the using of the gift and the recognition of how ones circumstances are ultimately benefited by the gift. Overarchingly, does the gift bring life-increase, or death-loss? this awareness must be experienced by trial and personal energy. Trials require work on behalf of the individual.
For these reasons not all men or women partake of the efforts, works - the fruits of God. Nor do they come to recognize the deep feelings of love he has within him as the motivation for giving gifts.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Mosiah 5: 13
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
To get to know God, requires a strict adherence (experimentation) upon his words. Once the experiment culminates, the knowledge will always yield understanding of the boundless love God has for us his children and ever had in all the wonderous good he has ever distilled upon us.
In essence, it's not that God's love is at that point born, but merely personal realization makes one aware more perfectly to the heights and depths of God's love and therein becomes significant to us.
In truth, God's love abounds - we just don't recognize things for what they are. Recognition requires change of perception. Change of perception requires individual work. Therefore, only those that put forth the effort in casting off the scales from their eyes can realize what has been before them all along. Such is every persons work. Recognize that even the prophets sometimes have scales that must be put aside so to realize this truth:
Alma 29
O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
I ought not to harrow up in my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.
Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.
Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?
Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.
Yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage.
Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage.
Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full.
But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.
Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!
Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.
And now may God grant unto these, my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also all those who are the fruit of their labors that they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen.
Notice the work that was done by Alma in valuing the knowledge of God's character and prior gifts given. Alma's understanding of God and His great love makes apparent to him that his desire is a sin, for God called him to be a prophet to his people, not an angel to the world, and God's proven judgements are always loving, right, and just. Alma has recognized God's great love so much so that his own feelings of love and happiness near overwhelm his physical frame at times. Knowledge of God's character and feelings consequently make it prudent and easy for him to toss away his errant desire.
Had Alma not reviewed his prior knowledge and experiences of God he might have full well allowed his passion, which at face value seems good, to overwhelm him, and possible leave open the door to sin, and thereby eventual heartache and negative results.
2 Ne. 10:23
Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of ETERNAL LIFE.
John 17:3
And this is LIFE ETERNAL, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Morm. 9: 27
O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
The love of God is accessible to all, it merely is not accepted by all. Because they don't accept the things that he has sent in love to them they stand by way of unbelief in the dark and alone, unaware and persisting as if there was no restitution made by which fallen man could return into the presence of God.
Why do people do this? Reason, because they choose to focus their attention on other things which blind them to correct or righteous matters.
Notice what Christ says to the saints of His Church:
D&C 95:5,6
But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are chosen.
They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, IN THAT THEY ARE WALKING IN DARKNESS AT NOON-DAY.
D&C 121:34,35
Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
BECAUSE THEIR HEARTS ARE SET SO MUCH UPON THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD, AND ASPIRE TO THE HONORS OF MEN, THAT THEY DO NOT LEARN this one lesson—
That the rights of the priesthood (which includes all things that stem from God - the Church, God's words and truths given through His prophets, the ordinances and covenants, etc. etc. effectually all things we have of God) are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
God will force no human mind to heaven, though he wants all there. All humans must individually come to know God and thereby become aware of the great love He has always had and continues to have for them.
The way to that place is by holding fast to the iron rod and traveling the path ALL must travel. Notice there was only one way to become aware of God's love. That means everyone's journey will be the same as Nephi's yours or mine. Only by clinging to the words of God will any of us come to feel and see the great love God abundantly spreads abroad.
Nephi only came to claim:
1 Ne. 3:7
I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
AFTER HE CLAIMED:
1 Ne. 11: 17
I know that he (the Lord) loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
WHICH ONLY CAME AFTER:
1 Ne. 2: 16
I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
HAVING BEEN EXPOSED TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, DISEMINATED TO HIM BY THE PROPHET OF THE LORD, NEPHI EXPERIMENTED ON THE WORD AND ASKED IF IT WAS TRULY FROM GOD.
God's relationship with Nephi did not begin there. Nephi's relationship and awareness to God began there. And like everyone else it developed as Nephi was diligently obedient to the commandments of the Lord. Thru those experiences Nephi had evidences. Proof so that he could claim his later declarations about the Lord, the Lord's love, and his character.
The Lord truly loves us, and it's for that reason that he will not force us to accept and realize his love, but merely, gently, calls to us to come unto Him and:
Matt. 11: 29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
John 14: 6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2 Ne. 28: 30
For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Profit-less Swimming
Life's oceans span the horizon - a world of water.
All around us water churns.
People everywhere,
flailing limbs,
struggles of heads bettering waves.
Oh precious breath.
Resilient, some swimmers last long.
Many though, do not.
The strong of body with the hardness of head,
Some set out, focused on fixed destinations,
believing hallucinations of far off Terra Firma.
Many follow in their wake.
The unscrupulous leap atop of others
Unwelcome rides,
dispatch victims to premature abysses.
Others tread water,
focus on self;
breathing and moving,
breathing and moving.
energy conserving,
maintaining buoyancy.
Maintain protocol.
Still yet, many slip silently
into the darkness of the deep,
some resigned,
many more struggling,
clawing, lungs bursting for air.
Consumed by currents unseen.
Consumed by tugs that overwhelm.
Reservoirs of strength and determination,
overtime insufficient, or all dried up.
Now and again a surge of strength
an assault on the atmosphere.
Choking lungs engorge on sweet air.
Enough for a little more, a little longer.
But more often than not
- quiet inevitability.
The oddities are those that swim for others.
When one tires or flounders
a righting,
a supporting hand hold,
a rescue,
a breathe of air to water filled lungs.
Energy expended,
self-less expression.
Profit-less swimming
Strong, weak, swimmers for another cause.
Sacrifice, struggles, pains - energy, sweet energy.
They care.
They swim with others.
They swim for others.
They care for their neighbor.
They care for the stranger.
They care for the good.
They care for what they can do.
Help! Help the drowning,
knowing well, one day
they themselves will ...
But the inevitable can't be changed;
except for today,
for the one they save.
And that makes a difference.
It changes fates.
It changes them.
Stronger they become.
Not of arms and legs
but of heart,
of friends,
and of self.
And when the inevitable finally comes
that's what will have made all the difference.
All around us water churns.
People everywhere,
flailing limbs,
struggles of heads bettering waves.
Oh precious breath.
Resilient, some swimmers last long.
Many though, do not.
The strong of body with the hardness of head,
Some set out, focused on fixed destinations,
believing hallucinations of far off Terra Firma.
Many follow in their wake.
The unscrupulous leap atop of others
Unwelcome rides,
dispatch victims to premature abysses.
Others tread water,
focus on self;
breathing and moving,
breathing and moving.
energy conserving,
maintaining buoyancy.
Maintain protocol.
Still yet, many slip silently
into the darkness of the deep,
some resigned,
many more struggling,
clawing, lungs bursting for air.
Consumed by currents unseen.
Consumed by tugs that overwhelm.
Reservoirs of strength and determination,
overtime insufficient, or all dried up.
Now and again a surge of strength
an assault on the atmosphere.
Choking lungs engorge on sweet air.
Enough for a little more, a little longer.
But more often than not
- quiet inevitability.
The oddities are those that swim for others.
When one tires or flounders
a righting,
a supporting hand hold,
a rescue,
a breathe of air to water filled lungs.
Energy expended,
self-less expression.
Profit-less swimming
Strong, weak, swimmers for another cause.
Sacrifice, struggles, pains - energy, sweet energy.
They care.
They swim with others.
They swim for others.
They care for their neighbor.
They care for the stranger.
They care for the good.
They care for what they can do.
Help! Help the drowning,
knowing well, one day
they themselves will ...
But the inevitable can't be changed;
except for today,
for the one they save.
And that makes a difference.
It changes fates.
It changes them.
Stronger they become.
Not of arms and legs
but of heart,
of friends,
and of self.
And when the inevitable finally comes
that's what will have made all the difference.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Carnal Construct - Our Bodies Exposed
The wonders of our body,
awe inspiring organizations,
whatever the study.
The intricacies of the neurobiology.
Can anyone really believe our existence is but happenstance folly?
No, to understand the systems of our physical glory
is to realize that there's more than meets the eye to our story.
All systems have one purpose in their conception.
To run their gamut and fulfill the measure of their perfection.
Our bodies are no different, they are hardwired to live.
To persist, to prevail, to endure, to remain.
The body's wisdom and our own is not always the same.
Systems of order do what they're programmed to do.
They care not for exceptions, for others, for me or for you.
They do what they're told, policy then procedure, stimuli then reaction.
Chemicals and elements determine exaction.
The wisdom of the body
a masterful conglomerate of systems of self preservation and perfect self interest
compete against the spirit of man, a more edifying disposition.
But the wonder of mankind is agency.
Amidst complex organizations of self preservation and interest
we have the power to direct and choose
and act out purposes beyond bodily manifest orchestrations.
Subdued and bridled, the carnal flesh controlled
greater works for others and self can then unfold.
It's said that all men are born in sin.
That they inherit the original one, a product of being Adam and Eve's kin.
From what I've learned
I can see how that's true.
It's woven into the very directions of life
within me and within you.
Master the carnal man.
Yield to a higher order.
Overcome the impulses of the natural charter.
Become perfected, subdue the flesh.
Choice and then effort - greater joys to establish,
Ahh, now that is this life's real great test!
awe inspiring organizations,
whatever the study.
The intricacies of the neurobiology.
Can anyone really believe our existence is but happenstance folly?
No, to understand the systems of our physical glory
is to realize that there's more than meets the eye to our story.
All systems have one purpose in their conception.
To run their gamut and fulfill the measure of their perfection.
Our bodies are no different, they are hardwired to live.
To persist, to prevail, to endure, to remain.
The body's wisdom and our own is not always the same.
Systems of order do what they're programmed to do.
They care not for exceptions, for others, for me or for you.
They do what they're told, policy then procedure, stimuli then reaction.
Chemicals and elements determine exaction.
The wisdom of the body
a masterful conglomerate of systems of self preservation and perfect self interest
compete against the spirit of man, a more edifying disposition.
But the wonder of mankind is agency.
Amidst complex organizations of self preservation and interest
we have the power to direct and choose
and act out purposes beyond bodily manifest orchestrations.
Subdued and bridled, the carnal flesh controlled
greater works for others and self can then unfold.
It's said that all men are born in sin.
That they inherit the original one, a product of being Adam and Eve's kin.
From what I've learned
I can see how that's true.
It's woven into the very directions of life
within me and within you.
Master the carnal man.
Yield to a higher order.
Overcome the impulses of the natural charter.
Become perfected, subdue the flesh.
Choice and then effort - greater joys to establish,
Ahh, now that is this life's real great test!
The Affectionate Kiss
Through the keyhole of physical affection spans the labyrinth of emotions. Feelings, often bubbling within, which rise to expose themselves, making outward behavioral manifestations amidst the realm of perceptible reality. Emotions are powerful. They are movements of inner sensations often orchestrated without immediate cognitive awareness. Feelings often move us.
Marketers know this, that is why they spend billions on advertising. Overall, commercials are predominantly designed to evoke feelings. Positive feelings associated to a product means a longer shelf life in the memory of the consumer and a likelihood of them buying. One of the strongest feelings in people, besides the drive of self preservation, are the emotions associated with sexual arousal. The advertising business knows this. Sex sells. Don't believe me? Turn on the TV and in 30 minutes count how many commercials have sexy models promoting something that isn't sexy. Want conclusive proof? Change the channel to MTV or VH1. Notice how many music videos are geared to attract and enslave teenagers. Teenagers - you know, children either entering, passing through, or having passed through the puberty dimension. You know the time where physical maturation opens the door to new sensate drives associated with reproduction. Targeting young people, inexperienced with their new world of feelings and not having had the time to fully understand and thereby responsibly reign in these impulses, notice how many music videos have gyrating scantily clad women or full on unabashed lyrical or acted out explicit sexual innuendo.
Many unscrupulous people would enslave young adults to their natural feelings. This they dastardly do so that they can line their own pockets. Its harder to snag more experienced adults. Most adults have learned that feelings with effort can be controlled. Most adults have come to understand that it isn't prudent nor safe to always allow all feelings a clear path to expression. Over time, mature individuals have learned that feelings have roots. They stem from desires that are as substantial as cognitive thoughts. They have learned that they can explore and eventual track their emotions back to their roots. They have also learned that feelings can be short circuited by concentrated thoughts, and attendant behavior.
Emotions in and of themselves are not bad. They are a type of fuel to quickly respond to the outside world and drive our beings in a direction. It matters very much what that direction is. The drive for physical intimacy is not bad. The feeling of wanting to be loved, or to love, is not bad. But like all things, even good things can be misused, misunderstood, or purposely abused, so that they bring trouble, pain, and loss. Take for instance - a kiss.
A kiss has a dual nature. It is a behavior of expression and a behavior of sensation. Though every kiss is enacted using the same means, the reasons behind the endeavor makes every kiss different. Likewise, the interpretation of receiving a kiss, determines the meaning, enjoyment, or repulsion, of such an act.
How many of us are so shallow as to enjoy being lied to, whether by someone else or ourselves? How many of us are so needy and self destructive that we would bring harm upon ourselves just to have any type of attention? How many of us would willfully put ourselves in a path that might bring us nothing good?
Intents can be discerned! Kisses, kiss and tell. A kiss of affection is not a kiss of lust. A kiss of affection means to give the pleasurable sensation and experience to demonstrate appreciation, acceptance, gratitude, commitment, and on and on. It is an act that is not for self. It is a form of expression, a form of communicating feelings more than words can do justice, for the intent and express benefit of the target individual. It is true it is pleasurable for the giver, but the act is not done for the giver.
Contrast that with the kiss of lust. The kiss of lust kisses to take. A kiss for themselves, for their pleasure, for their purposes, vanity, ego, prestige, and on and on. A kiss of lust is founded in pride. A kiss of lust doesn't take into consideration the ramification of the act upon the other individual. The kiss of lust doesn't care about the attachment that might develop and be disappointed because there is no concern to match the expression. The kiss of lust shares no equality of value with their partner. They are more important. Pride is a spectrum. A kiss of lust is just as much for a demonstration of superiority over others as much as an attempt to incorrectly and unproductively escape from feelings of worthlessness, sadness, loneliness, self pity, and on and on.
A kiss of lust is hollow. It is a fleeting pleasure never capable of longevity. It is shallow and dies fast with heightened manipulation tactics and eventual contention as relationships pushing skyward to grand vistas, crumble to the earth without the foundations of trust, respect, and sincere affection. In the midst of the rubble breeds damaged feelings of self. Self worth springs leaks of realization that it has been cheapened. The brave, those who don't sear their feelings into numbness, allow the experience to teach them a valuable lesson and look to rebuild on sure foundations. Those that are not brave, sear their inner feelings and stubbornly push forward, intent on the outer feelings, pursuing the same course again, but in more elaborate forms, and eventual greater damage.
Deny the kisses of lust. Accept only the kisses of genuine affection. People of beauty, beauty fades, kisses based in beauty are not kisses of affection, they are kisses of lust and eventually the kisses will cease. Kisses of affection center on the beauty of the inner person, that person doesn't fade over time. Kisses of character are the most pleasurable. Kisses of lust cheapen a persons worth relegating them as an object - a thing to be manipulated and regarded only so long as it provides what is wanted - people are not objects. People have feelings that are real and important and that deserve honesty and concern. People and their feelings are valuable.
For those that struggle at times with viewing their true worth and value, do not heap upon yourselves burdens that keep the distorted perception alive. Show yourself proof that you are of greater value. Accept nothing that is phony, fake, or not real. How can an individual know you after one meeting? What appreciation and affection can they have for you after relating through two hours of a movie or anything else of meager opportunity for other-person personal discovery? How can an individual know the depth of your character, talents, feelings, desires, interests, hopes, and dreams - in essence the important things that make you, you - in a couple of hours? Physical intimacy, even that of a kiss must reflect the intimacies of a person's heart and mind. What intimacies of personality can a stranger discover in confidence after a first meeting and warrant a physical expression? The drive to lock lips in these situations most often is lust. Levity and fun is no more understanding and relating than an audience at a rock concert is a family. Basic human interaction also shows that when strangers meet either defense behaviors go up, agreeable behavior supersedes honest feelings, or some mixture of the two until some level of trust is developed so that individuals begin losing their inhibitions and demonstrating more of who they really are. With so many shoots of weeds among the few shoots of flowers pushing through the soil, how can one distinguish one from the other, without more time? Hormonal instigation will not remind you in a disagreement the appreciation of past physical gratification, however a relationship built on knowing an individual provides greater patience and understanding and a pathway to a healthy way of dealing with the situation. Hormonal instigation will not evidence to your sight reasons of trust in times of uncertainty, however a clear understanding of a persons nature will dispel unnecessary fears.
If anything, kisses of lust breed insecurities in individuals because the self interested individual has already shown their true colors. Their character has been exposed, and that proof has been logged into the other person's memory. You can trust a selfish person to be selfish more than you would suspect them to be self less. What security do you have in a person that always jumps at an opportunity to take advantage of something or someone they find attractive, wealthy, intelligent or in any sense gratifying to their senses? A person desiring an individual, or in a relationship with such an individual, would live in a mind full of fear and lack of personal value. They would always have to supply the interests that attract the selfish individual back to them, and their constant quest would always convince them that they are not enough, they would never feel valuable as they are, for who they are.
Now contrast that with a relationship based on kisses that have meaning, established in mutual feelings of appreciation, concern, respect, and feelings seeking expressions of wanting the best for the other person. Kisses of appreciation celebrate the individual thus creating feelings of acceptance and value. The value is based in the relationship and feeds the expressions of value, not the other way around as is the philosophical underpinnings of the lustful kiss. Kisses of lust base relationships on expressions of the value of physical gratification. A doomed cycle. Kisses of appreciation are liberating, and provide reminders of qualities that sustain the everyday ongoing interactions within the relationship. Kisses of lust sustain a contractual, marketplace mentality, the lustful kisser suffers personally discordant personality and relationship issues so long as the physical gratification is still stimulating and the disagreeable behavior is manageable. Kisses of lust bring a sense of ownership, much like a person owns a commodity. Kisses of affection celebrate the autonomy of the individual and reflect an appreciation of who they choose to be and how they bless the kisser's life.
In truth the path of lustful kisses is strewn with heartache, deception, and pain. Eventually, enough lustful kisses lead to dead end relationships and hearts heavy with scars. Seek out the good kiss. Root out the motives, your own and that of others. Respect your own value and that of others. Be controlled by no unrestrained passion. Capture only the kiss that celebrates sincerity of personal value and that has significant meaning.
Seek out the affectionate kiss. Long after the kiss is over, its affection remains.
Marketers know this, that is why they spend billions on advertising. Overall, commercials are predominantly designed to evoke feelings. Positive feelings associated to a product means a longer shelf life in the memory of the consumer and a likelihood of them buying. One of the strongest feelings in people, besides the drive of self preservation, are the emotions associated with sexual arousal. The advertising business knows this. Sex sells. Don't believe me? Turn on the TV and in 30 minutes count how many commercials have sexy models promoting something that isn't sexy. Want conclusive proof? Change the channel to MTV or VH1. Notice how many music videos are geared to attract and enslave teenagers. Teenagers - you know, children either entering, passing through, or having passed through the puberty dimension. You know the time where physical maturation opens the door to new sensate drives associated with reproduction. Targeting young people, inexperienced with their new world of feelings and not having had the time to fully understand and thereby responsibly reign in these impulses, notice how many music videos have gyrating scantily clad women or full on unabashed lyrical or acted out explicit sexual innuendo.
Many unscrupulous people would enslave young adults to their natural feelings. This they dastardly do so that they can line their own pockets. Its harder to snag more experienced adults. Most adults have learned that feelings with effort can be controlled. Most adults have come to understand that it isn't prudent nor safe to always allow all feelings a clear path to expression. Over time, mature individuals have learned that feelings have roots. They stem from desires that are as substantial as cognitive thoughts. They have learned that they can explore and eventual track their emotions back to their roots. They have also learned that feelings can be short circuited by concentrated thoughts, and attendant behavior.
Emotions in and of themselves are not bad. They are a type of fuel to quickly respond to the outside world and drive our beings in a direction. It matters very much what that direction is. The drive for physical intimacy is not bad. The feeling of wanting to be loved, or to love, is not bad. But like all things, even good things can be misused, misunderstood, or purposely abused, so that they bring trouble, pain, and loss. Take for instance - a kiss.
A kiss has a dual nature. It is a behavior of expression and a behavior of sensation. Though every kiss is enacted using the same means, the reasons behind the endeavor makes every kiss different. Likewise, the interpretation of receiving a kiss, determines the meaning, enjoyment, or repulsion, of such an act.
How many of us are so shallow as to enjoy being lied to, whether by someone else or ourselves? How many of us are so needy and self destructive that we would bring harm upon ourselves just to have any type of attention? How many of us would willfully put ourselves in a path that might bring us nothing good?
Intents can be discerned! Kisses, kiss and tell. A kiss of affection is not a kiss of lust. A kiss of affection means to give the pleasurable sensation and experience to demonstrate appreciation, acceptance, gratitude, commitment, and on and on. It is an act that is not for self. It is a form of expression, a form of communicating feelings more than words can do justice, for the intent and express benefit of the target individual. It is true it is pleasurable for the giver, but the act is not done for the giver.
Contrast that with the kiss of lust. The kiss of lust kisses to take. A kiss for themselves, for their pleasure, for their purposes, vanity, ego, prestige, and on and on. A kiss of lust is founded in pride. A kiss of lust doesn't take into consideration the ramification of the act upon the other individual. The kiss of lust doesn't care about the attachment that might develop and be disappointed because there is no concern to match the expression. The kiss of lust shares no equality of value with their partner. They are more important. Pride is a spectrum. A kiss of lust is just as much for a demonstration of superiority over others as much as an attempt to incorrectly and unproductively escape from feelings of worthlessness, sadness, loneliness, self pity, and on and on.
A kiss of lust is hollow. It is a fleeting pleasure never capable of longevity. It is shallow and dies fast with heightened manipulation tactics and eventual contention as relationships pushing skyward to grand vistas, crumble to the earth without the foundations of trust, respect, and sincere affection. In the midst of the rubble breeds damaged feelings of self. Self worth springs leaks of realization that it has been cheapened. The brave, those who don't sear their feelings into numbness, allow the experience to teach them a valuable lesson and look to rebuild on sure foundations. Those that are not brave, sear their inner feelings and stubbornly push forward, intent on the outer feelings, pursuing the same course again, but in more elaborate forms, and eventual greater damage.
Deny the kisses of lust. Accept only the kisses of genuine affection. People of beauty, beauty fades, kisses based in beauty are not kisses of affection, they are kisses of lust and eventually the kisses will cease. Kisses of affection center on the beauty of the inner person, that person doesn't fade over time. Kisses of character are the most pleasurable. Kisses of lust cheapen a persons worth relegating them as an object - a thing to be manipulated and regarded only so long as it provides what is wanted - people are not objects. People have feelings that are real and important and that deserve honesty and concern. People and their feelings are valuable.
For those that struggle at times with viewing their true worth and value, do not heap upon yourselves burdens that keep the distorted perception alive. Show yourself proof that you are of greater value. Accept nothing that is phony, fake, or not real. How can an individual know you after one meeting? What appreciation and affection can they have for you after relating through two hours of a movie or anything else of meager opportunity for other-person personal discovery? How can an individual know the depth of your character, talents, feelings, desires, interests, hopes, and dreams - in essence the important things that make you, you - in a couple of hours? Physical intimacy, even that of a kiss must reflect the intimacies of a person's heart and mind. What intimacies of personality can a stranger discover in confidence after a first meeting and warrant a physical expression? The drive to lock lips in these situations most often is lust. Levity and fun is no more understanding and relating than an audience at a rock concert is a family. Basic human interaction also shows that when strangers meet either defense behaviors go up, agreeable behavior supersedes honest feelings, or some mixture of the two until some level of trust is developed so that individuals begin losing their inhibitions and demonstrating more of who they really are. With so many shoots of weeds among the few shoots of flowers pushing through the soil, how can one distinguish one from the other, without more time? Hormonal instigation will not remind you in a disagreement the appreciation of past physical gratification, however a relationship built on knowing an individual provides greater patience and understanding and a pathway to a healthy way of dealing with the situation. Hormonal instigation will not evidence to your sight reasons of trust in times of uncertainty, however a clear understanding of a persons nature will dispel unnecessary fears.
If anything, kisses of lust breed insecurities in individuals because the self interested individual has already shown their true colors. Their character has been exposed, and that proof has been logged into the other person's memory. You can trust a selfish person to be selfish more than you would suspect them to be self less. What security do you have in a person that always jumps at an opportunity to take advantage of something or someone they find attractive, wealthy, intelligent or in any sense gratifying to their senses? A person desiring an individual, or in a relationship with such an individual, would live in a mind full of fear and lack of personal value. They would always have to supply the interests that attract the selfish individual back to them, and their constant quest would always convince them that they are not enough, they would never feel valuable as they are, for who they are.
Now contrast that with a relationship based on kisses that have meaning, established in mutual feelings of appreciation, concern, respect, and feelings seeking expressions of wanting the best for the other person. Kisses of appreciation celebrate the individual thus creating feelings of acceptance and value. The value is based in the relationship and feeds the expressions of value, not the other way around as is the philosophical underpinnings of the lustful kiss. Kisses of lust base relationships on expressions of the value of physical gratification. A doomed cycle. Kisses of appreciation are liberating, and provide reminders of qualities that sustain the everyday ongoing interactions within the relationship. Kisses of lust sustain a contractual, marketplace mentality, the lustful kisser suffers personally discordant personality and relationship issues so long as the physical gratification is still stimulating and the disagreeable behavior is manageable. Kisses of lust bring a sense of ownership, much like a person owns a commodity. Kisses of affection celebrate the autonomy of the individual and reflect an appreciation of who they choose to be and how they bless the kisser's life.
In truth the path of lustful kisses is strewn with heartache, deception, and pain. Eventually, enough lustful kisses lead to dead end relationships and hearts heavy with scars. Seek out the good kiss. Root out the motives, your own and that of others. Respect your own value and that of others. Be controlled by no unrestrained passion. Capture only the kiss that celebrates sincerity of personal value and that has significant meaning.
Seek out the affectionate kiss. Long after the kiss is over, its affection remains.
The Science of Expectations.
What drives mankind to achievement? Is it not their hopes? Is it not the desires they seek to attain. The faith that motivates to action. The glorious promise of that thing anticipated. Herein is born expectation. A result we expect. A result we anticipate. A result we look forward to enjoying. Unfortunately, we are beings devoid of complete truth, though much is known. Many times what we expect has been built upon assumptions, sometimes true, sometimes false. Many times our expectations are, like a house without a foundation, built upon what we want void of what is real, proper, established, or even good. The truth on expectations is that it is a concept that holds incredible power. It mobilizes great strength to action, but like a two edged sword, it has tremendous power to wound when wielded improperly. Used incorrectly enough times and unawares, and hopelessness, despondency and depression infect the self inflicted wounds. Some even get rid of the tool, esteeming it too dangerous and unwieldy to master. Truly, knowledge is power, literally - ability to do. We must be vigilant and seek out the right questions to ask, the right details to learn, the right methods to employ, and allow our desires to cast away the obsolete. In this way our expectations will be safe, and our joys continuous.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Borderline Personality Disorder
If a system of government, education, business, science, ethics, etc., etc., is the best in the world, then instead of going out and strategically forcing parts of the world to adopt those better ways of life, should we not instead put more emphasis on accepting, assisting, and providing more expeditious legal means for those that are willing to make the sacrifices and efforts to share in our ways of life?
Should we not prioritize the promotion of our ideals?
Should the benefits of our societal moorings not be proffered first to those that are actively seeking the benefits we enjoy and who are risking life and limb to come to our lands, live, and work among us?
The most important resource the United States can have is citizens. The more capable and productive people we have uniting with us under the same vision of responsible and liberating freedoms - the stronger the nation.
Instead of spending a half a trillion dollars, and over a half a decade, on forcibly compelling a land and its people to adopt our way of life, imagine how those resources could have benefited all, had we spent it on expediting and making more accessible the process for immigrants. Immigrants, mostly people hungry to improve their lives as well as the lives of their families. Instead of losing money in a deteriorating cause we would stimulate the economy with added talent, genius, and workers, and in over half a decade our land would have become increasingly more productive and advanced. Instead of losing a half a trillion dollars we easily would have created that amount along with the potential for continued and greater growth. This would mean: more money for better infrastructure, more money for better schooling, more money for better foods, more money for better technology, more money for better medicines, more research for curing diseases, etc., etc. Instead of the dollar losing value it would increase in value.
There is nothing beneficial about war. War is loss. Lost lives, fortunes, and resources. It is a last resort for when nothing else works for defending oneself. It is the equivalent of chemotherapy, or surgically removing a tumor or limb. War is not edifying, it is by its very nature and definition, destructive. There is nothing glamorous, romantic, or beautiful about war. It is ugly, gruesome, repulsive, revolting, and by nature is designed, and brings nothing but death and destruction. Necessary wars are those that are defensive in nature after all other avenues have been exhausted and resulted impotent. On the whole, for countries and for the masses that inhabit them, war is disastrous, however, unless both sides are annihilated, eventually, there is a side which overwhelms the other. When that happens, people of influence position themselves to lay claim to very lucrative future opportunities, as well as the immediate spoils. Wars are a very effective tool for transferring wealth and establishing networks of power. For people already in positions of power, who don't actually fight on the front lines, the exigencies of war are less weighty than the potential opportunities they can attain. Enticed by wealth and power, the temptation to send others to their deaths for causes less worthy than the value of their own lives becomes a means to an end, collateral damage.
Instead of losing U.S. Americans to untimely deaths or incapacitating and maiming life long injuries let us retain the vitality, energy, and influence of those brave U.S. soldiers. Redirect the energy and money siphoned into selfish war efforts into immigration advancements and we would add new U.S.Americans to our ranks, strengthen the country, create more success stories that would radiate the world over, and reclaim our status of friend to the world and not the next empire on the rise.
Instead of destroying our country's reputation and image among the nations of the world by waging a war of strategic empirical power cloaked in the shrouds of feigned altruism, we would radiate millions of immigrant testimonies; testimonies of gratitude and opportunity which would disseminate from our shores from goals sought out and attained. Those stories of improvement, heard from the mouths of former country-persons, together with no more suffering brought upon people negatively affected by our war efforts, would undermine the hatred and bitterness terrorist cells thrive on for recruitment efforts.
That there needs to be order in the process of accepting new citizens into the country - yes, it is needful. However, this issue must be regarded more pressing than its current status. Along with the new generations of children born into the country, immigration is the life blood of this country's future. Put a strangle hold on these carotid arteries, while we needlessly bleed from wars that destroy our citizens' lives, burn fortunes for tomorrows necessities, and we will soon feel the death throes of the nation.
Inclusion, by furthering the immigration of those wanting to enter the U.S.A., will have greater effects to spread our government process than any other. Initially, there will be little effect, however in the long term a significant critical mass will naturally promote the benefits of their experiences to those they left behind. When enough of those voices are heard, the peoples of different nations will choose the paths that bring them those things they have seen people they trust, obtain. Without compulsory means the people of different lands will of their own free will and choice stand up, organize, and demand to adopt those same processes of success.
It is easier to make friends with those that are interested and seeking out friendship than with those that never asked to be friends. Any person will tell you that willful consent is a far more powerful force for unity than compulsion.
The country's future is dependent on the care and effort we give to the rising generations - the children, as well as the good people seeking to enter into our borders. Let us be wise. Let us give priority and work on the efficiency of bringing them in, you can never have too many brother and sister citizens.
Should we not prioritize the promotion of our ideals?
Should the benefits of our societal moorings not be proffered first to those that are actively seeking the benefits we enjoy and who are risking life and limb to come to our lands, live, and work among us?
The most important resource the United States can have is citizens. The more capable and productive people we have uniting with us under the same vision of responsible and liberating freedoms - the stronger the nation.
Instead of spending a half a trillion dollars, and over a half a decade, on forcibly compelling a land and its people to adopt our way of life, imagine how those resources could have benefited all, had we spent it on expediting and making more accessible the process for immigrants. Immigrants, mostly people hungry to improve their lives as well as the lives of their families. Instead of losing money in a deteriorating cause we would stimulate the economy with added talent, genius, and workers, and in over half a decade our land would have become increasingly more productive and advanced. Instead of losing a half a trillion dollars we easily would have created that amount along with the potential for continued and greater growth. This would mean: more money for better infrastructure, more money for better schooling, more money for better foods, more money for better technology, more money for better medicines, more research for curing diseases, etc., etc. Instead of the dollar losing value it would increase in value.
There is nothing beneficial about war. War is loss. Lost lives, fortunes, and resources. It is a last resort for when nothing else works for defending oneself. It is the equivalent of chemotherapy, or surgically removing a tumor or limb. War is not edifying, it is by its very nature and definition, destructive. There is nothing glamorous, romantic, or beautiful about war. It is ugly, gruesome, repulsive, revolting, and by nature is designed, and brings nothing but death and destruction. Necessary wars are those that are defensive in nature after all other avenues have been exhausted and resulted impotent. On the whole, for countries and for the masses that inhabit them, war is disastrous, however, unless both sides are annihilated, eventually, there is a side which overwhelms the other. When that happens, people of influence position themselves to lay claim to very lucrative future opportunities, as well as the immediate spoils. Wars are a very effective tool for transferring wealth and establishing networks of power. For people already in positions of power, who don't actually fight on the front lines, the exigencies of war are less weighty than the potential opportunities they can attain. Enticed by wealth and power, the temptation to send others to their deaths for causes less worthy than the value of their own lives becomes a means to an end, collateral damage.
Instead of losing U.S. Americans to untimely deaths or incapacitating and maiming life long injuries let us retain the vitality, energy, and influence of those brave U.S. soldiers. Redirect the energy and money siphoned into selfish war efforts into immigration advancements and we would add new U.S.Americans to our ranks, strengthen the country, create more success stories that would radiate the world over, and reclaim our status of friend to the world and not the next empire on the rise.
Instead of destroying our country's reputation and image among the nations of the world by waging a war of strategic empirical power cloaked in the shrouds of feigned altruism, we would radiate millions of immigrant testimonies; testimonies of gratitude and opportunity which would disseminate from our shores from goals sought out and attained. Those stories of improvement, heard from the mouths of former country-persons, together with no more suffering brought upon people negatively affected by our war efforts, would undermine the hatred and bitterness terrorist cells thrive on for recruitment efforts.
That there needs to be order in the process of accepting new citizens into the country - yes, it is needful. However, this issue must be regarded more pressing than its current status. Along with the new generations of children born into the country, immigration is the life blood of this country's future. Put a strangle hold on these carotid arteries, while we needlessly bleed from wars that destroy our citizens' lives, burn fortunes for tomorrows necessities, and we will soon feel the death throes of the nation.
Inclusion, by furthering the immigration of those wanting to enter the U.S.A., will have greater effects to spread our government process than any other. Initially, there will be little effect, however in the long term a significant critical mass will naturally promote the benefits of their experiences to those they left behind. When enough of those voices are heard, the peoples of different nations will choose the paths that bring them those things they have seen people they trust, obtain. Without compulsory means the people of different lands will of their own free will and choice stand up, organize, and demand to adopt those same processes of success.
It is easier to make friends with those that are interested and seeking out friendship than with those that never asked to be friends. Any person will tell you that willful consent is a far more powerful force for unity than compulsion.
The country's future is dependent on the care and effort we give to the rising generations - the children, as well as the good people seeking to enter into our borders. Let us be wise. Let us give priority and work on the efficiency of bringing them in, you can never have too many brother and sister citizens.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Friend?
"Do you know what friendship is?", enquired Gringoire in Victor Hugo's 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'. "Yes replied the Egyptain (Esmeralda) it is to be as brother and sister, two souls which touch each other without uniting like two fingers of the same hand."
What is a friend?
Shared experiences do not a friend make. Acquaintances are not friends. Common experiences do not a friend make. Having pleasurable, exciting, or agreeable things to offer does not a friend make. A friend is someone that makes the time to care. It is a person that holds the interests of the other as valuable as their own. It is someone who steps out of them self for another. Esmeralda spoke correctly when she said, "it is to be as brother and sister", brother and brother, sister and sister. "Two fingers of the same hand", "which touch each other without uniting". Friendship is to have comrades, companions, through life. Friends do not come and go, those that are ecdysial were never friendships, merely embellished associations. A civil face, the empty kind word, the proper friendly deed, sacrifices without the soul's sincere concern for the individual, merely duty to an ideal of propriety without the bonds of faithfulness, friendliness alone does not a friend make. In an age of vipers, hypocrites, guileful and calculating flatterers, apparent behaviors mean very little.
Motive and heart is where friendship is found. To hold precious the heart and soul of another, a friend can just as easily tell you how well you did, as tell you that you are wrong. Just as easily can they tell you that you are hilarious, as tell you that you are being annoying. A friend can without reservation tell you that you make them happy, as tell you that you did something that made them mad. How? A friend is couched in being real. Real to their perception, real to their feelings, real to the relationship. A friend is a brother, a sister, bound together by invisible blood that makes them relatives. Real friends are as difficult to separate as adjacent fingers. They seek each other out. They communicate. They relate. They consider. They share. Not out of obligation, not out of compulsion, but out of esteem, trust, safety of honesty, and safety of confidence. They can be real. They can be themselves without reservation. Brothers and sisters see each other in their most vulnerable of times, they are privy to the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. They have these experiences mostly due to situational proximity. Having to live together and spend so much time together, siblings more fully see the individual that makes up their brother or sister. They know their history. They know their triumphs and defeats. They can relate. They have perspective. They develop concern and care, and are committed to them. Their bond, an allegiance, dedication, and commitment to the prosperity and happiness of that individual. This heart guides and gives rise to being able to say and do even the most difficult of things to or for that individual. Friends follow suit in all these aspects. Friendship is a choice, and it is born out of love; brotherly love, sisterly love. Friendship is to be familiar, no longer a stranger but an equal; friendship thrives in trusting this cornerstone point. Remove this, and friendship is hollow. It is rote, having no life of itself, it is contrived. It is manipulative and deceptive. A machination of perception, a body without a soul. Friends value each other as the same, meaning they value the other as they do themself. Seeing others as worth-less than what they esteem as their own worth, is not friendship. Friendships based on all other reasons are also not truly friends. Friends do unto each other as they want done unto themselves.
Those that are friends, so long as the circumstances are pleasing, fair weather friends, are counterfeit. They are counterfeit friends, as well as hollow people. They are whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Hypocrites by definition. True friends are discovered in adversity. Friends are proven, not in fair weather, but in the storms of life. Friends are diamonds resulting of the integrity to stand against the time and pressures of life, supportively together. Value is ascribed by sacrifice not by ease. Journeying through difficulties with mutual support endear persons of gratitude together. Why? Clearly because they show, prove, the intent, motive, and heart of the person that sacrifices. It reveals the true friend, the real friend.
Fingers assist the cause of the hand. They don't abandon each other. They work side by side, assisting to add strength and stability in the endeavor, but more importantly, to each other. They do not work against each other. They do not neglect each other.
There are many people that are kindly people cloaking themselves in the gown of friendship though they are merely cordial associates. There are people that are wolves in friendly sheep's clothing. Then there are real friends, those brothers of another mother, and sisters of another mother that stand the test of time and circumstance.
Are you a friend? Do you have people that call themselves your friends? Are they trully friends? Are you?
What is a friend?
Shared experiences do not a friend make. Acquaintances are not friends. Common experiences do not a friend make. Having pleasurable, exciting, or agreeable things to offer does not a friend make. A friend is someone that makes the time to care. It is a person that holds the interests of the other as valuable as their own. It is someone who steps out of them self for another. Esmeralda spoke correctly when she said, "it is to be as brother and sister", brother and brother, sister and sister. "Two fingers of the same hand", "which touch each other without uniting". Friendship is to have comrades, companions, through life. Friends do not come and go, those that are ecdysial were never friendships, merely embellished associations. A civil face, the empty kind word, the proper friendly deed, sacrifices without the soul's sincere concern for the individual, merely duty to an ideal of propriety without the bonds of faithfulness, friendliness alone does not a friend make. In an age of vipers, hypocrites, guileful and calculating flatterers, apparent behaviors mean very little.
Motive and heart is where friendship is found. To hold precious the heart and soul of another, a friend can just as easily tell you how well you did, as tell you that you are wrong. Just as easily can they tell you that you are hilarious, as tell you that you are being annoying. A friend can without reservation tell you that you make them happy, as tell you that you did something that made them mad. How? A friend is couched in being real. Real to their perception, real to their feelings, real to the relationship. A friend is a brother, a sister, bound together by invisible blood that makes them relatives. Real friends are as difficult to separate as adjacent fingers. They seek each other out. They communicate. They relate. They consider. They share. Not out of obligation, not out of compulsion, but out of esteem, trust, safety of honesty, and safety of confidence. They can be real. They can be themselves without reservation. Brothers and sisters see each other in their most vulnerable of times, they are privy to the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. They have these experiences mostly due to situational proximity. Having to live together and spend so much time together, siblings more fully see the individual that makes up their brother or sister. They know their history. They know their triumphs and defeats. They can relate. They have perspective. They develop concern and care, and are committed to them. Their bond, an allegiance, dedication, and commitment to the prosperity and happiness of that individual. This heart guides and gives rise to being able to say and do even the most difficult of things to or for that individual. Friends follow suit in all these aspects. Friendship is a choice, and it is born out of love; brotherly love, sisterly love. Friendship is to be familiar, no longer a stranger but an equal; friendship thrives in trusting this cornerstone point. Remove this, and friendship is hollow. It is rote, having no life of itself, it is contrived. It is manipulative and deceptive. A machination of perception, a body without a soul. Friends value each other as the same, meaning they value the other as they do themself. Seeing others as worth-less than what they esteem as their own worth, is not friendship. Friendships based on all other reasons are also not truly friends. Friends do unto each other as they want done unto themselves.
Those that are friends, so long as the circumstances are pleasing, fair weather friends, are counterfeit. They are counterfeit friends, as well as hollow people. They are whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Hypocrites by definition. True friends are discovered in adversity. Friends are proven, not in fair weather, but in the storms of life. Friends are diamonds resulting of the integrity to stand against the time and pressures of life, supportively together. Value is ascribed by sacrifice not by ease. Journeying through difficulties with mutual support endear persons of gratitude together. Why? Clearly because they show, prove, the intent, motive, and heart of the person that sacrifices. It reveals the true friend, the real friend.
Fingers assist the cause of the hand. They don't abandon each other. They work side by side, assisting to add strength and stability in the endeavor, but more importantly, to each other. They do not work against each other. They do not neglect each other.
There are many people that are kindly people cloaking themselves in the gown of friendship though they are merely cordial associates. There are people that are wolves in friendly sheep's clothing. Then there are real friends, those brothers of another mother, and sisters of another mother that stand the test of time and circumstance.
Are you a friend? Do you have people that call themselves your friends? Are they trully friends? Are you?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Unquenchable Flames
My Father is Truth.
My Mother is Consequence.
My Sojourning Home, Earth.
My Enemy, Enslavement.
My Brother, Liberty.
My Sister, Commitment.
I am Choice.
People, what will we be? Who will we be? Are we a people wrought with beautiful words and empty husks of life? Are we a people of champions? Do you not know that not all champions are the same! What cause do you champion? Do we live the greater, nobler causes, service of heart and mind, or do we merely pay lip service, expressing what we know but that which we refuse to become? Are we a people of master devils, entangling others with sophistry and guile, or are we people of principle and sincerity?
Who is your master? Is your master Vanity? Is your master Comfort? Is your master Wealth? Is it Power? Is it Praise? What do you worship? What god do you reverence? To what god do you subject yourself? Where is your allegiance? Show me where a man or woman suffers and sacrifices, and I will show you where their treasure lies. Show me where men and women persevere and focus their efforts and minds, and I will show you their god. We journey on paths eternal. There is nothing new to time and human experience. The masters of life are principles of truth, their enforcer, consequence. We bow to no man only to causes.
My will is my own. What I subject my will to adopt becomes who I am, it makes me, me. No one wills for me. No man or God has that power. I can give my will to no one. How I choose, why I choose, what I choose; my will is what is uniquely mine. It defines me. The freedom is in choosing, but make no mistake choosing is merely the alignment of individual will to a cause subject to the governing principles of life and consequence. I become what I will. If I lie, I become a liar. If I steal, I become a thief. If I cheat, I become a cheater. If I put on a face of civility and cordialness though with a heart aloof of feeling and sincerity, I am a hypocrite. If I tell the truth, I am Honest. If I stand for the truth, I am Integral. If I suffer for what is good and right I am Brave. If I do what must be done and forget myself, I am Hero.
Life's all important first lesson; what we will, we become, in thought, in speech, in emotions, in action, in person!
What defines us as people is not what we acquire or what we can do, those are merely our fruits, it is what we are, the tree!
Life by this view becomes a defining battle. A great struggle to cling to virtue, morality, and truth. The time has come, it is now where, by our lives, and choices, we demonstrate whether we will choose the path that is easy or the path that is right and true. Knowing the path and walking the path are two distinct situations. Make no mistake it is a struggle. Not outwardly, but inwardly. To resolve to be whatever we choose requires commitment. It requires persistence. It requires sacrifice and loyalty. Vision is paramount. Reason and purpose to motivate. It requires constant proof of mind, evidences, to sustain faith. It means resistance to counter-attacks. It means rejection of alternatives. All that effort to assure, sustain, and endure. It means that in support of a cause we become the product of that cause.
We are all on the path to becoming one with something. Where does your path lead?
My Mother is Consequence.
My Sojourning Home, Earth.
My Enemy, Enslavement.
My Brother, Liberty.
My Sister, Commitment.
I am Choice.
People, what will we be? Who will we be? Are we a people wrought with beautiful words and empty husks of life? Are we a people of champions? Do you not know that not all champions are the same! What cause do you champion? Do we live the greater, nobler causes, service of heart and mind, or do we merely pay lip service, expressing what we know but that which we refuse to become? Are we a people of master devils, entangling others with sophistry and guile, or are we people of principle and sincerity?
Who is your master? Is your master Vanity? Is your master Comfort? Is your master Wealth? Is it Power? Is it Praise? What do you worship? What god do you reverence? To what god do you subject yourself? Where is your allegiance? Show me where a man or woman suffers and sacrifices, and I will show you where their treasure lies. Show me where men and women persevere and focus their efforts and minds, and I will show you their god. We journey on paths eternal. There is nothing new to time and human experience. The masters of life are principles of truth, their enforcer, consequence. We bow to no man only to causes.
My will is my own. What I subject my will to adopt becomes who I am, it makes me, me. No one wills for me. No man or God has that power. I can give my will to no one. How I choose, why I choose, what I choose; my will is what is uniquely mine. It defines me. The freedom is in choosing, but make no mistake choosing is merely the alignment of individual will to a cause subject to the governing principles of life and consequence. I become what I will. If I lie, I become a liar. If I steal, I become a thief. If I cheat, I become a cheater. If I put on a face of civility and cordialness though with a heart aloof of feeling and sincerity, I am a hypocrite. If I tell the truth, I am Honest. If I stand for the truth, I am Integral. If I suffer for what is good and right I am Brave. If I do what must be done and forget myself, I am Hero.
Life's all important first lesson; what we will, we become, in thought, in speech, in emotions, in action, in person!
What defines us as people is not what we acquire or what we can do, those are merely our fruits, it is what we are, the tree!
Life by this view becomes a defining battle. A great struggle to cling to virtue, morality, and truth. The time has come, it is now where, by our lives, and choices, we demonstrate whether we will choose the path that is easy or the path that is right and true. Knowing the path and walking the path are two distinct situations. Make no mistake it is a struggle. Not outwardly, but inwardly. To resolve to be whatever we choose requires commitment. It requires persistence. It requires sacrifice and loyalty. Vision is paramount. Reason and purpose to motivate. It requires constant proof of mind, evidences, to sustain faith. It means resistance to counter-attacks. It means rejection of alternatives. All that effort to assure, sustain, and endure. It means that in support of a cause we become the product of that cause.
We are all on the path to becoming one with something. Where does your path lead?
Monday, August 4, 2008
Exploring Love
I believe one of the most improperly used and misunderstood words in this world is love. Love is a word most people have a hard time defining due to its dual nature. It is a word that describes certain modes of behavior but it also has reference to the feelings that tend to evoke those behaviors. When the word love is used to describe unique inner feelings, communication becomes somewhat trammeled and difficult to relate. Love, as a feeling, is a word much like salty. Only those who have had the experience of tasting salt can relate to the term. While all those that have not, can only know what the experience is not, by distinguishing shared sensations which do not relate to the term.
Love is deeply rooted in a person's perception of another's value. That view, while aware to advantages, comforts enjoyed, or profits inherent to the relationship, is not what constitutes love. The value of an individual viewed through the lens of love is priceless. Love views a person's value specific to the intrinsic character relative to the person's uniqueness, and a clear view of the person's ultimate potential. Real love does not derive its value for an individual from accomodating attributes, it sees the best, the divine, the ultimate in the individual. Often, this perspective also fuels the flames for self improvement in the one who loves. This unique perspective translates into feelings. These feelings then motivate outward behavior.
Love can also work in the opposite direction. Behave in ways that demonstrate love, and practiced long enough, those experiences will cultivate a paradigm shift past ego and selfishness. It will unearth, to our view, the true composition and value of other people. We will find the good in people. Once gratitude starts bolstersing an individual's view of another's value it will inspire the bonding and motivating feelings of love within the honest heart. People can grow to love others.
Love, contrary to popular belief, is not irrational. It is the epitome of reason and rationality, even though, like most all things, it too can be corrupted. When perception gives way to feeling, love as a feeling becomes a most compelling and motivating force. However, make no mistake, love is not unbridled passion or desire. Many allow their feelings to boil over rational restraint and reasonable boundaries. Many romanticise the heart's dominion over the head. Make no mistake, feelings don't think, they don't take anything into consideration relative to consequence, agency, or futurity. Your feeler feels and your thinker thinks. For love to flourish, both must be active. Feelings when run-a-muck, soon develop into heartaches and tragedies. Something which starts off as good and wholesome can soon become twisted and destructive if left without moorings.
True love has a specific objective, design, and purpose. True love carries a discernable, guiding motive which shapes our behavior to a specific end. When we love someone we seek to protect them from evil. We seek to serve and/or provide for their best interests and outcomes. It means we desire, and work, for the best, for them. We encourage the best in that individual, for their happiness sake, which also brings us happiness. As a result, someone who is truly loving, in no way intentionally seeks to override, enslave, or control the other individual. Furthermore, social behavior, employed to demonstrate love and promote greater happiness, is never manipulative, deceptive, or coercive. Social behaviors once built upon these tenets naturally derive edifying and uplifting practices. When our feelings or behaviors become irrational to these manifest foundational points, it is no longer love what we feel or express. It is something else altogether, it is lust.
Lust is a term often confused, and in certain instances purposely counterfeit to love. Lust is strongly wanting a thing for selfish and/or improper purposes, and usually in improper, unjust, and inequitable means.
Love on the other hand is a virtue. It is a moral code of thought, feeling, and action. Where lust is unjust, as it seeks to take what isn't theirs, or in unfair ways, love is just because it does not take at all, it instead gives freely and without strings attached. Love, of it's own free will and choice, chooses to freely give of themself for the benefit of the other. In the economics of relationships, in most cases, love is immediately unfair as it is not an equal exchange, and many times remains that way indefinitely, but love doesn't care about reciprocity. Love cares for the individual.
Reciprocity, though often a wonderful by-product of loving interaction, is not the aim nor the foundational tenet for giving love. Such a motive for loving someone is manipulation. It is manipulation because inherent to the behavior is a lie. Manipulation feigns appreciation, acceptance, and affection. Manipulation lies because it shows itself to put others over self, when in reality it ultimately seeks self over others. Manipulation is a control tactic. It means passively seeking to control a relationship and an individual. These efforts almost always fall short of the intended prize and typically end in very hard feelings as expectations go unfulfilled. Deadlines to retract love, and replace it with hard feelings, are drawn specific to the manipulator's stamina in giving without getting. Instead of looking to bless the inidividual, they seek to bless themselves with the type of individual they desire. In this type of mindset it is impossible to appreciate the person for who and what they are. Contractual love relationships are also counterfeits to loving relationships. They breed manipulation techniques. What makes love, love, is that it is a free gift, ultimately undeserved. Love is not selfish! Love acts out of a benevolent character. It is expressed gladly for the benefit of the person being loved, all the while respecting moral agency. For love, the means are just as important as the ends.
Love grows over time because relationships provide greater insight into a person's true value also providing for more reasons to be grateful for knowing the other individual. Relationships are strained and break over time when they are built on obtaining inwardly self interested expectations instead of giving outwardly personalized and needed sincere attention and effort.
Love germinates from the seeds of gratitude. Appreciation is the natural fruit of that plant. Appreciation without expression is impotent, therefore affections which consequently demonstrate acceptance are needed if love is to be communicated and understood. And yes, it does need to be communicated, verbally as well as through mutually recognizable mediums of actions. The truth is that the person imbued with love wants to demonstrate it because it is not for self but for the happiness of the other. Also, mind reading is not an ability human beings poses, demonstating love means that we share how we feel using the language of affection, tailored of necessity, not to the way we would like it to be shared with us, but tailored to the fit and the form most understood by the person to whom we would show love. After all, we show love not for our benefit, but for theirs. That's worth repeating, love is expressed for the sake of others. It makes no sense to say I love you in english to someone who only speaks Japanese, just because you speak english. If love is difficult to express it shows that we love ourselves, our pride, or something else more than the individual.
Ultimately, love does not take, it gives. Love is unselfish. Love does not keep score. The expense in sacrifice and effort for the loved one is swallowed up in the desire to do all that one can to help that individual grow to the full measure of their capacity for true happiness. Love has to be all consuming as a result of the imperfect nature of humankind. Love necessitates longsuffering. It requires patience. It is kind. It inspires. Love is quick to forgive and forget. Love does not behave itself unseemingly. Love has no need for competition. Love has no need for pride. Love does not make itself out to be more than it is. Love carries no contention. Love is a choice. A choice that permeates the feelings. Feelings that make it easy to behave charitably towards someone who may or may not at face value deserve it.
Love as a choice therefore does not die, it can only be smothered by individuals who choose to murder it off by behaving in unloving ways and refusing to see the value of the individuals they once loved. Kill gratitude for another person and you kill the sustenance for any and all feelings of love. Recycle the mistakes, faults, and errors of an individual long enough in your head and you leave no room for any thoughts of gratitude, for the good they have or do. Cultivate criticizm and its cancerous properties will shrivel up any feelings of love until they are all dead. In essence, what a person does, when they do these things, is convince themself that the person they use to love is really of insufficient value for them. Inherent to that statement is the fact that the only way to kill the feelings of love is to become self centered, selfish, and self serving.
People often lie to themselves. They often make excuses for incorrect behavior so to justify themselves. What we don't instinctively realize is that if we play the audio and visual enough times in out head, our feelings will start to conform, regardless of the truth. Once our feelings conform, whenever relevant stimuli are present our feelings almost instinctively motivate us to action. People don't fall out of love. When love dies its because it was premeditated murder. They were pressing rewind far before they started showing signs.
It is a natural feeling to be hurt by expectations that go unfulfilled. However, it is insanity and unatural for us to expect things that are untrue. Unfortunately, people often lie to themselves rather than face uncomfortable realizations. When expectations of reciprocity are drawn as a basis for love, we set ourselves up for a lot of hurt feelings. Following that same train of thought, we have no basis for loving, we have plenty of reasons why not to love, we have plenty of reasons as to why that person is worthless to us, and upon that premise we shape our feelings by replaying all the things that we do good for that individual, and pitting them against all the things the other does which are hurtful. Feeling justified, eventually we do something uncouth, or we cut ties and run to seemingly better prospects. This scenario is not love, it is contractual consumerism, where objects are bought and sold at a price, consumed and/or disposed of depending on gratification and pleasure. Inherent to this mindset is the objectification of human beings. Relegated to objects we don't care about them, their feelings, their past, their present, their futures. Just as love is a choice, so too is ending love. Unfortunately, people often would rather lie to themselves and defer ability so that they need not accept responsibility.
This perspective is a means to keep real motives hidden. Lusts unfulfilled, contractually minded individuals when they do not receive what they originally believed they could acquire alway cut bait, bail, and move on to finding what they want, where they think they can find it. Love is not contractual. Reciprocity is contractual. Love might have a tendency to lead to feelings and behavior of reciprocity but love is not reciprocity. Love is charitable. Charity is not contractual, that's what makes it charity.
Finally, the principle of love is the same in all the varying modes of human relations. Romantic love is no different in principle, than the love between a father and son. While expressions of affection, acceptance, and appreciation may in truth vary, love is the same in all instances, what differs are the appropriately practiced behaviors. Behaviorally, love is always demonstrating appreciation and acceptance, through some act of affection. However, affections must be designed and demonstrated according to the requirements of the individual respectful to the relationship. That is why certain behaviors are inappropriate without the correct standing as to the association between two individuals. That is why we show love to our siblings differently than we do our spouse, or children, or individually from person to person.
One last note, married couples express affection at a level of physical intimacy that outside of matrimony would be detrimental to a person's physical and emotional stability. This is due to the fact that such a relationship is formed with the determined and publically expressed commitment to always remain together and love the other individual. That physical expression of intimacy within marriage when demonstrating appreciation, affection, and acceptance for the spouse inspires a unity unparalleled in human relationships and develops motivation to persist at progressing to become the best of oneself for each other. If those intimacies ever become selfish and self serving they have an opposite effect, consequently driving emotional wedges which destroy individuals and relationships. Physical intimacies without the marriage commitment are grossly damaging. They perpetuate a selfish carnal appetite which ever increases yet can never remain satiated, and it cheapens the feelings of worth a person carries for oneself. Without the longstanding commitment of marriage, such acts objectify people as means to a physically pleasurable end. Physical intimacy biologically carry a chemical mechanism meant to form bonding feelings. When people move on from physically intimate relationships, individuals lose a sense of affection, appreciation, and acceptance. Such results often lead many to believe that they are consequently of less worth. These consequences bring struggle and unhappiness over the longterm, that is why physical intimacies outside of the appropriate bonds of matrimony are the antithesis of showing love. Often in these instances, what is cloaked in the word love, is really the ugliness of lust. It is also another reason for integrity in oaths, vows, and commitments. These things should be seen as important promises reflecting how we esteem others and not something to be taken lightly or easily disolved once made. Inherent to the responsibilities tied to these terms are individuals with real lives and real thoughts and feelings. Too often our mypoic selfishness objectify individuals which deny love and increase self centeredness.
Pornography is a specific venue which amplifies lust and is a tool for destroying love. There is nothing good about it. It is designed to titillate and play on the individual's senses so to overpower restraint and give way to natural passions. It steals the ability for people to put themselves aside for the betterment of others. It heightens appetite which neglects the unique needs of relationships. It detracts from the ability to appreciate, accept, and show genuine affection to all relationships but most especially those of husband and wife.
Lust ultimately depraves the beautiful for the fulfillment of the sensual and selfish. It narrows vision of the worth and beauty of individuals. Lust destroys, isolates, and diminishes. Its culminating end brings unhappiness and misery as passions go unbridled.
Let us not confuse love and lust. Put away lust. Let us bridle our passions that we may be full of love. Cultivate love. It is the greatest rewarder. Love changes people for the better, both the giver and the receiver!
Jeffrey R. Holland How Do I Love Thee? February 15, 2000 BYU Broadcasting
Love is deeply rooted in a person's perception of another's value. That view, while aware to advantages, comforts enjoyed, or profits inherent to the relationship, is not what constitutes love. The value of an individual viewed through the lens of love is priceless. Love views a person's value specific to the intrinsic character relative to the person's uniqueness, and a clear view of the person's ultimate potential. Real love does not derive its value for an individual from accomodating attributes, it sees the best, the divine, the ultimate in the individual. Often, this perspective also fuels the flames for self improvement in the one who loves. This unique perspective translates into feelings. These feelings then motivate outward behavior.
Love can also work in the opposite direction. Behave in ways that demonstrate love, and practiced long enough, those experiences will cultivate a paradigm shift past ego and selfishness. It will unearth, to our view, the true composition and value of other people. We will find the good in people. Once gratitude starts bolstersing an individual's view of another's value it will inspire the bonding and motivating feelings of love within the honest heart. People can grow to love others.
Love, contrary to popular belief, is not irrational. It is the epitome of reason and rationality, even though, like most all things, it too can be corrupted. When perception gives way to feeling, love as a feeling becomes a most compelling and motivating force. However, make no mistake, love is not unbridled passion or desire. Many allow their feelings to boil over rational restraint and reasonable boundaries. Many romanticise the heart's dominion over the head. Make no mistake, feelings don't think, they don't take anything into consideration relative to consequence, agency, or futurity. Your feeler feels and your thinker thinks. For love to flourish, both must be active. Feelings when run-a-muck, soon develop into heartaches and tragedies. Something which starts off as good and wholesome can soon become twisted and destructive if left without moorings.
True love has a specific objective, design, and purpose. True love carries a discernable, guiding motive which shapes our behavior to a specific end. When we love someone we seek to protect them from evil. We seek to serve and/or provide for their best interests and outcomes. It means we desire, and work, for the best, for them. We encourage the best in that individual, for their happiness sake, which also brings us happiness. As a result, someone who is truly loving, in no way intentionally seeks to override, enslave, or control the other individual. Furthermore, social behavior, employed to demonstrate love and promote greater happiness, is never manipulative, deceptive, or coercive. Social behaviors once built upon these tenets naturally derive edifying and uplifting practices. When our feelings or behaviors become irrational to these manifest foundational points, it is no longer love what we feel or express. It is something else altogether, it is lust.
Lust is a term often confused, and in certain instances purposely counterfeit to love. Lust is strongly wanting a thing for selfish and/or improper purposes, and usually in improper, unjust, and inequitable means.
Love on the other hand is a virtue. It is a moral code of thought, feeling, and action. Where lust is unjust, as it seeks to take what isn't theirs, or in unfair ways, love is just because it does not take at all, it instead gives freely and without strings attached. Love, of it's own free will and choice, chooses to freely give of themself for the benefit of the other. In the economics of relationships, in most cases, love is immediately unfair as it is not an equal exchange, and many times remains that way indefinitely, but love doesn't care about reciprocity. Love cares for the individual.
Reciprocity, though often a wonderful by-product of loving interaction, is not the aim nor the foundational tenet for giving love. Such a motive for loving someone is manipulation. It is manipulation because inherent to the behavior is a lie. Manipulation feigns appreciation, acceptance, and affection. Manipulation lies because it shows itself to put others over self, when in reality it ultimately seeks self over others. Manipulation is a control tactic. It means passively seeking to control a relationship and an individual. These efforts almost always fall short of the intended prize and typically end in very hard feelings as expectations go unfulfilled. Deadlines to retract love, and replace it with hard feelings, are drawn specific to the manipulator's stamina in giving without getting. Instead of looking to bless the inidividual, they seek to bless themselves with the type of individual they desire. In this type of mindset it is impossible to appreciate the person for who and what they are. Contractual love relationships are also counterfeits to loving relationships. They breed manipulation techniques. What makes love, love, is that it is a free gift, ultimately undeserved. Love is not selfish! Love acts out of a benevolent character. It is expressed gladly for the benefit of the person being loved, all the while respecting moral agency. For love, the means are just as important as the ends.
I believe that many people equate love with trust and therefore incorrectly establish expectations and scenarios in their minds which ultimately ruin relationships and bring very hard feelings. Trust is not love. Love is a realist. It sees the potential as well as the actual good in a person but it also sees the less than good and recognizes up to where it is reasonable to trust that individual. A parent may love their two year old, but would you trust an unsupervised two year old to not make themself sick if left alone in a candy store? Would you trust that individual differently if it were your 65 year old grandparent? You may love both, however, the level of trust is dependent upon the level of maturity. Whether it is love between friends, girlfriend-boyfriend, spouses, brothers and sisters, parent to child, romantic love, what have you, equate trust and love and you set yourself up for ruining your perception of those you love.
Many people would argue this point. They would say no, love has to have trust. I understand them, but the definition of trust they refer to is not really trust. Implicit to love is faith. You hope in something which you do not see (a person's ultimate potential - their ideal self) yet when you are in love, you see so much evidence in the person to that end that it is easy to set up expectations. In truth, it is true that anyone can progress to their ultimate potential. However, the path to that ideal is something very different to all people. This is where people often confuse and turn from love to lust. Love is patient. Recognizing the person's failings and accepting them as they are, the loving person helps to edify and assist in the process of progressing towards greater happiness according to the chosen rate of the one being loved, the focus is on the individual being loved.
Lust throws away patience. It tries to force the person into change. The manipulator may mentally and verbally feign to do so out of love but in reality they serve themselves. They seek the beneficial circumstances of having a changed loved one and what that translates for them. The focus is on the one doing the lusting.
Here's a hypothetical example. Two parents, believing themselves to love their children, receive a poor report from the child's teacher on the child's school work. One parent takes the time to work with the child in improving their grades. Relating with the child, the parent finds out that the child has unaddressed concerns that are distracting the child's efforts. Tending to the child's needs first, the parent assists the child by helping to resolve their concerns, which in turn give the child greater reason and capacity to do better and realize their potential. The patience exerted in this scenario is personal, edifying, and specific directed for the child. It is love. The parent's sacrifice demonstrates appreciation for the child, acceptance of the child, and affection for the child.
The second parent, upon receiving the news from school, takes out a belt and after scolding the child and telling them that they are lazy threatens the child with a couple of lashings unless they get their grades up. This treatment is based on controlling the child's behavior but doesn't take the child's perspective, understanding, and capacity into account. It has nothing to do with the child and everything to do with the parent actualizing a change in the situation. This is not a demonstration of love. This is a demonstration of lust. A certain end result is being sought out by improper means. These means discount the person at the heart of the matter - the child. These actions do not show appreciation for the child, they actually discount the child's actual internal state. These actions do not show affection for the child, they actually demonstrate aversion for who they are and instead of affection threaten violence. These actions do not show acceptance. Opposite to acceptance it demonstrates clear rejection. There is no distinction between the value of the child and the value of the grades they produce.
The same concepts of love and lust are played out in every important distinction of human relationships. Yes, even, and I would say especially, in romantic relationships.
In appreciating the good in individuals it does not mean that we polarize our vision to their habits, choices, and present character. Love in truth is not blind. Love recognizes and sees them clearly for who they are. We accept them for all that they are, in the present, a conglomerate of all their good and bad choices. It is important to not misunderstand that condoning or accepting anything bad so as to in that way show someone acceptance is never a loving behavior. It is something quite different altogether. To help fortify a behavior that perpetuates baseness in an individual is to help develop the worst in an individual and ultimately works towards the eventual unhappiness of the individual. That is definitely not love.
Love means that we recognize the great good a person holds and desire greater happiness for them. How much you are willing to invest in an individual demonstrates how much you value them, and it shows how you see them. If you are not willing to offer all that you are, in truth and goodness, then you do not love them fully, you love yourself, something, or someone else, more.Love grows over time because relationships provide greater insight into a person's true value also providing for more reasons to be grateful for knowing the other individual. Relationships are strained and break over time when they are built on obtaining inwardly self interested expectations instead of giving outwardly personalized and needed sincere attention and effort.
Love germinates from the seeds of gratitude. Appreciation is the natural fruit of that plant. Appreciation without expression is impotent, therefore affections which consequently demonstrate acceptance are needed if love is to be communicated and understood. And yes, it does need to be communicated, verbally as well as through mutually recognizable mediums of actions. The truth is that the person imbued with love wants to demonstrate it because it is not for self but for the happiness of the other. Also, mind reading is not an ability human beings poses, demonstating love means that we share how we feel using the language of affection, tailored of necessity, not to the way we would like it to be shared with us, but tailored to the fit and the form most understood by the person to whom we would show love. After all, we show love not for our benefit, but for theirs. That's worth repeating, love is expressed for the sake of others. It makes no sense to say I love you in english to someone who only speaks Japanese, just because you speak english. If love is difficult to express it shows that we love ourselves, our pride, or something else more than the individual.
Ultimately, love does not take, it gives. Love is unselfish. Love does not keep score. The expense in sacrifice and effort for the loved one is swallowed up in the desire to do all that one can to help that individual grow to the full measure of their capacity for true happiness. Love has to be all consuming as a result of the imperfect nature of humankind. Love necessitates longsuffering. It requires patience. It is kind. It inspires. Love is quick to forgive and forget. Love does not behave itself unseemingly. Love has no need for competition. Love has no need for pride. Love does not make itself out to be more than it is. Love carries no contention. Love is a choice. A choice that permeates the feelings. Feelings that make it easy to behave charitably towards someone who may or may not at face value deserve it.
Love as a choice therefore does not die, it can only be smothered by individuals who choose to murder it off by behaving in unloving ways and refusing to see the value of the individuals they once loved. Kill gratitude for another person and you kill the sustenance for any and all feelings of love. Recycle the mistakes, faults, and errors of an individual long enough in your head and you leave no room for any thoughts of gratitude, for the good they have or do. Cultivate criticizm and its cancerous properties will shrivel up any feelings of love until they are all dead. In essence, what a person does, when they do these things, is convince themself that the person they use to love is really of insufficient value for them. Inherent to that statement is the fact that the only way to kill the feelings of love is to become self centered, selfish, and self serving.
People often lie to themselves. They often make excuses for incorrect behavior so to justify themselves. What we don't instinctively realize is that if we play the audio and visual enough times in out head, our feelings will start to conform, regardless of the truth. Once our feelings conform, whenever relevant stimuli are present our feelings almost instinctively motivate us to action. People don't fall out of love. When love dies its because it was premeditated murder. They were pressing rewind far before they started showing signs.
It is a natural feeling to be hurt by expectations that go unfulfilled. However, it is insanity and unatural for us to expect things that are untrue. Unfortunately, people often lie to themselves rather than face uncomfortable realizations. When expectations of reciprocity are drawn as a basis for love, we set ourselves up for a lot of hurt feelings. Following that same train of thought, we have no basis for loving, we have plenty of reasons why not to love, we have plenty of reasons as to why that person is worthless to us, and upon that premise we shape our feelings by replaying all the things that we do good for that individual, and pitting them against all the things the other does which are hurtful. Feeling justified, eventually we do something uncouth, or we cut ties and run to seemingly better prospects. This scenario is not love, it is contractual consumerism, where objects are bought and sold at a price, consumed and/or disposed of depending on gratification and pleasure. Inherent to this mindset is the objectification of human beings. Relegated to objects we don't care about them, their feelings, their past, their present, their futures. Just as love is a choice, so too is ending love. Unfortunately, people often would rather lie to themselves and defer ability so that they need not accept responsibility.
This perspective is a means to keep real motives hidden. Lusts unfulfilled, contractually minded individuals when they do not receive what they originally believed they could acquire alway cut bait, bail, and move on to finding what they want, where they think they can find it. Love is not contractual. Reciprocity is contractual. Love might have a tendency to lead to feelings and behavior of reciprocity but love is not reciprocity. Love is charitable. Charity is not contractual, that's what makes it charity.
Finally, the principle of love is the same in all the varying modes of human relations. Romantic love is no different in principle, than the love between a father and son. While expressions of affection, acceptance, and appreciation may in truth vary, love is the same in all instances, what differs are the appropriately practiced behaviors. Behaviorally, love is always demonstrating appreciation and acceptance, through some act of affection. However, affections must be designed and demonstrated according to the requirements of the individual respectful to the relationship. That is why certain behaviors are inappropriate without the correct standing as to the association between two individuals. That is why we show love to our siblings differently than we do our spouse, or children, or individually from person to person.
One last note, married couples express affection at a level of physical intimacy that outside of matrimony would be detrimental to a person's physical and emotional stability. This is due to the fact that such a relationship is formed with the determined and publically expressed commitment to always remain together and love the other individual. That physical expression of intimacy within marriage when demonstrating appreciation, affection, and acceptance for the spouse inspires a unity unparalleled in human relationships and develops motivation to persist at progressing to become the best of oneself for each other. If those intimacies ever become selfish and self serving they have an opposite effect, consequently driving emotional wedges which destroy individuals and relationships. Physical intimacies without the marriage commitment are grossly damaging. They perpetuate a selfish carnal appetite which ever increases yet can never remain satiated, and it cheapens the feelings of worth a person carries for oneself. Without the longstanding commitment of marriage, such acts objectify people as means to a physically pleasurable end. Physical intimacy biologically carry a chemical mechanism meant to form bonding feelings. When people move on from physically intimate relationships, individuals lose a sense of affection, appreciation, and acceptance. Such results often lead many to believe that they are consequently of less worth. These consequences bring struggle and unhappiness over the longterm, that is why physical intimacies outside of the appropriate bonds of matrimony are the antithesis of showing love. Often in these instances, what is cloaked in the word love, is really the ugliness of lust. It is also another reason for integrity in oaths, vows, and commitments. These things should be seen as important promises reflecting how we esteem others and not something to be taken lightly or easily disolved once made. Inherent to the responsibilities tied to these terms are individuals with real lives and real thoughts and feelings. Too often our mypoic selfishness objectify individuals which deny love and increase self centeredness.
Pornography is a specific venue which amplifies lust and is a tool for destroying love. There is nothing good about it. It is designed to titillate and play on the individual's senses so to overpower restraint and give way to natural passions. It steals the ability for people to put themselves aside for the betterment of others. It heightens appetite which neglects the unique needs of relationships. It detracts from the ability to appreciate, accept, and show genuine affection to all relationships but most especially those of husband and wife.
Lust ultimately depraves the beautiful for the fulfillment of the sensual and selfish. It narrows vision of the worth and beauty of individuals. Lust destroys, isolates, and diminishes. Its culminating end brings unhappiness and misery as passions go unbridled.
Let us not confuse love and lust. Put away lust. Let us bridle our passions that we may be full of love. Cultivate love. It is the greatest rewarder. Love changes people for the better, both the giver and the receiver!
Jeffrey R. Holland How Do I Love Thee? February 15, 2000 BYU Broadcasting
Friday, August 1, 2008
Listen
We live in a world of senses. Relayed to us from organs designed for external stimuli, we see, we hear, we touch, we taste, and we smell. Internally however, we also have sensations, feelings, and these are not so clearly demonstrated by external ports of stimuli interaction. We feel love, we feel sad, we feel anxious, we feel happy, we feel scared, we feel hurried, we feel bored, we feel nervous, we feel close, we feel right, we feel wrong. Typically relegated to sensations of the heart, in truth the mighty pump that keeps us alive does not play a role in housing these sensations, most of which originate from chemical processes in the brain and triggered responses in the body. Such is the machinery of our bodies.
So why is it so difficult for the world to believe that spiritual experiences are real. Why is it so difficult to believe that a being far more advanced than any of our tools of perception can't stimulate the pathways of our discernable perception, whether they be memories, dreams, communicate guiding directive information, inspirational understandings, etc. etc.
I recently saw a program showing a radical new treatment for depression. The doctors hard wired a specific section of the person's brain to a device they could use to deliver an electrical impulse. While doctors were trying to find the correct pleasure point on the brain they stimulated various parts of the brain. The person undergoing the procedure of necessity was alert and awake. In response to the stimuli the person exhibited and reported different experiences. Certain points of stimulation elicited memories while others triggered at times very strong feelings and sensations.
Why is it so incredulous to believe that a perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful being can stimulate our perception in a similar non-invasive way such as to communicate information? Are we so myopic as a people to relegate perceptive feelings of consequence only as we are aware of the stimuli? We don't live that way. Who doesn't jump out of the way of danger when they hear something coming at them though they don't know exactly what it is? Who doesn't search out for food when they feel hungry though most don't consciously make themselves aware to the sensation? Why is it that when it comes to enlightenment, revelation, or spiritual matters we act completely different? Can it be that because we, as a people, are so inept at distinguishing and understanding spiritual manifestations and promptings, that we choose to disregard the topic altogether? Or could it be that we would rather live in a world without such things because the implication would mean we would have to behave and live differently?
Are we afraid of the work required in discerning what is of our own manufacturing and what is not?
The patient who was the subject of the earlier cited program really did feel sad and then happy, that was all her, meaning that it all transpired within the systems inherent to her body. However, the initiator or cause of those feelings was not her. The doctors were the source of the initial stimuli. To discern between what was of her making, and what wasn't, I suspect would have taken her some time to resolve, though it could be done. After all, she is aware of the train of her own thoughts and the status of her feelings. She could thereby realize when something imposed its arrival upon her system and then being aware she could make a clear judgement as to whether she made it happen.
Spiritual discernment is a similar endeavor. Much like learning to see and hear, anyone can become adept. Think of it as hearing, but in a different way. When you hear something you are aware that some stimulus, external to your pattern of thoughts and/or feelings has registered and thereby you perceive it. When you are grossly focused on an endeavor you may still have the stimulus present but you never become aware of it due to your state of mind, you never hear it. Likewise we can be spiritually deaf. For spiritual perception to result, one must be open to communication. One must realize their state of mind, as well as the impressions distinguishing themselves upon the stage of the mind, and the canvass of our feelings.
"A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon. . . . And thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus." - Joseph Smith
Believing God to be Love and giver of all that is good. I find no other better definition of spirituality than this:
"Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every brave suffering for the right; every surrender of self to something higher than self; every loyalty to an ideal; every unselfish devotion to principle; every helpfulness to humanity; every act of self control; every fine courage of the soul, undefeated by pretense or policy; but by being, doing, and living of good for the very good's sake - that is spirituality." - David O. McKay
I believe that the inspiration within all men for things of a better nature are born of revelation given from a kind and loving God irrespective of whether the recipient recognizes the stimuli as coming from such. Our devotion to apply unto those impulses shows the nature and disposition of what and who we choose to be.
As a consequence of the general misunderstanding and inability to discern communication of a spiritual nature, many people try to trick others. They claim revelation when there is none. They push obedience to commandments of their own making, and a host of other deceptive practices. However, just because people do these things, it does not mean that personal spiritual revelation does not exist. It also does not mean that we should not follow true inspiration and revelation. What it means is that we must become familiar with the proper means by which we can discern truth and error.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6, Bible
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is." - Moroni 10:4-6, Book of Mormon
I like truth because in knowing truth I am free to determine the consequences of my actions, and there are consequences to all our actions. It is comforting to know that I don't have to trust anyone blindly to lead me unto truth and its attendant consequences. It is comforting to know that I can talk to someone who knows everything. And it is comforting to know that outside of doing all I can do to help myself, He does communicate to us. If we'll just....
Listen.
So why is it so difficult for the world to believe that spiritual experiences are real. Why is it so difficult to believe that a being far more advanced than any of our tools of perception can't stimulate the pathways of our discernable perception, whether they be memories, dreams, communicate guiding directive information, inspirational understandings, etc. etc.
I recently saw a program showing a radical new treatment for depression. The doctors hard wired a specific section of the person's brain to a device they could use to deliver an electrical impulse. While doctors were trying to find the correct pleasure point on the brain they stimulated various parts of the brain. The person undergoing the procedure of necessity was alert and awake. In response to the stimuli the person exhibited and reported different experiences. Certain points of stimulation elicited memories while others triggered at times very strong feelings and sensations.
Why is it so incredulous to believe that a perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful being can stimulate our perception in a similar non-invasive way such as to communicate information? Are we so myopic as a people to relegate perceptive feelings of consequence only as we are aware of the stimuli? We don't live that way. Who doesn't jump out of the way of danger when they hear something coming at them though they don't know exactly what it is? Who doesn't search out for food when they feel hungry though most don't consciously make themselves aware to the sensation? Why is it that when it comes to enlightenment, revelation, or spiritual matters we act completely different? Can it be that because we, as a people, are so inept at distinguishing and understanding spiritual manifestations and promptings, that we choose to disregard the topic altogether? Or could it be that we would rather live in a world without such things because the implication would mean we would have to behave and live differently?
Are we afraid of the work required in discerning what is of our own manufacturing and what is not?
The patient who was the subject of the earlier cited program really did feel sad and then happy, that was all her, meaning that it all transpired within the systems inherent to her body. However, the initiator or cause of those feelings was not her. The doctors were the source of the initial stimuli. To discern between what was of her making, and what wasn't, I suspect would have taken her some time to resolve, though it could be done. After all, she is aware of the train of her own thoughts and the status of her feelings. She could thereby realize when something imposed its arrival upon her system and then being aware she could make a clear judgement as to whether she made it happen.
Spiritual discernment is a similar endeavor. Much like learning to see and hear, anyone can become adept. Think of it as hearing, but in a different way. When you hear something you are aware that some stimulus, external to your pattern of thoughts and/or feelings has registered and thereby you perceive it. When you are grossly focused on an endeavor you may still have the stimulus present but you never become aware of it due to your state of mind, you never hear it. Likewise we can be spiritually deaf. For spiritual perception to result, one must be open to communication. One must realize their state of mind, as well as the impressions distinguishing themselves upon the stage of the mind, and the canvass of our feelings.
"A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon. . . . And thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus." - Joseph Smith
Believing God to be Love and giver of all that is good. I find no other better definition of spirituality than this:
"Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every brave suffering for the right; every surrender of self to something higher than self; every loyalty to an ideal; every unselfish devotion to principle; every helpfulness to humanity; every act of self control; every fine courage of the soul, undefeated by pretense or policy; but by being, doing, and living of good for the very good's sake - that is spirituality." - David O. McKay
I believe that the inspiration within all men for things of a better nature are born of revelation given from a kind and loving God irrespective of whether the recipient recognizes the stimuli as coming from such. Our devotion to apply unto those impulses shows the nature and disposition of what and who we choose to be.
As a consequence of the general misunderstanding and inability to discern communication of a spiritual nature, many people try to trick others. They claim revelation when there is none. They push obedience to commandments of their own making, and a host of other deceptive practices. However, just because people do these things, it does not mean that personal spiritual revelation does not exist. It also does not mean that we should not follow true inspiration and revelation. What it means is that we must become familiar with the proper means by which we can discern truth and error.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6, Bible
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is." - Moroni 10:4-6, Book of Mormon
I like truth because in knowing truth I am free to determine the consequences of my actions, and there are consequences to all our actions. It is comforting to know that I don't have to trust anyone blindly to lead me unto truth and its attendant consequences. It is comforting to know that I can talk to someone who knows everything. And it is comforting to know that outside of doing all I can do to help myself, He does communicate to us. If we'll just....
Listen.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Flaming Gorge
Friday, July 25, 2008A group of about 14 friends and I left friday evening and drove the 4 hours to Flaming Gorge National Park in eastern Utah, bordering Wyoming. We camped out at the Red Canyon camp grounds. The clear night sky was inspiring. The milkyway and the countless stars were enchanting. Saturday morning we drove down the gorge to the river and tackled the 7 mile stretch complete with some rapids. The water was frigid but that didn't stop us from laying siege on each other's rafts and their occupants, it was great fun!! Good company, good food (tin foil dinners), it was a great adventure. We made it back home at 3am on Sunday morning tired but happy.
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Red Canyon Lake
Saturday, July 12, 2008About 50 friends and I, all members of my university student church ward (the BYU 189th Ward and the BYU 206th Ward), went to Rock Canyon Park, near Heber, Utah, for a day of fun in the sun and water. The location is beautiful. Driving there was a treat in and of itself. The canyon was full of switchbacks and towering heights boasting breath-taking panoramic vistas of the area. Once at the lake, two motor boats were secured. One was assigned for skiing, wake boarding, and anything with a board or ski's. The other one was for tubing. There were also a couple of kayaks, and enough food to keep us going all day. The trip began at 8 in the morning. The first caravan made the hour and a half trek and set things up. There were second and third waves of caravaners, each arriving about every two hours. We got to enjoy each others company and gratefully the weather couldn't have cooperated any better. It was a glorious day with a lot of fun, thrills, and spills.
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Beware of Nationalism
I hear fools on the radio and TV spout their venom and pass off their hypocrisy and stupidity as genius as it touches to the future of this great nation, The United States of America. All the while they create a picture of their "America", what it means to be "American", and the infidels that thwart their purposes and way of life, whether they be domestic or foreign. Hannity, you and O'Reilly, and all those like you, are a danger to the United States. Your provocative banter and frivolous conversations are geared to incite mindless passions and are more for your ratings than spreading peace, understanding, sound truths and principles for the good of this nation.
My friends beware of these characters and those like them. They incite people to contention for their own purposes. They seek to retain controllable minions in positions of power, and in positions of followers, so to advance their shared gainful aims, at the expense of the freedoms and power of the majority of the citizenry and the world. They would build their advantages by denying the same opportunities for financial security, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from those that they trick into supporting them.
Webster's Dictionary defines "Nationalism" as:
1: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups
2: a nationalist movement or government
This concept has been a major tool throughout history in persuading the citizens of countries to do things that they otherwise would never do. The perfect example is that of the people of Germany under the leadership of Hitler and his Nazi party. Nationalistic propaganda spurred, convinced, and motivated, the otherwise good and industrious people of Germany to follow a madman's vision. A madman who cunningly painted his intentions as something that would be to Germany's benefit and wrapped it in the shroud of nationalism.
Today we have people that are just as dangerous amassing followers, popularity, resources, and power within this very nation! They too are using the guise of nationalism to gain and retain supportive followers.
To support a nation because it is the nation in which one was born, is to be a puppet. It reflects a weak mind, resistance to think for oneself, and slothfulness in seeking out common sense virtues and truths. This is especially true if one is trying to fit the definition or mold of what others re-define (for their own purposes) as patriots, nationals, or in our case, Americans. I do not hold up The United States of America as the ultimate nation, though I esteem it as a great nation, why? Simply put, because that which makes an individual or a nation great is its adherence to truth, virtue, and morality. Contrary to popular belief, especially most republicans I have heard, might doesn't make right, and shows of force are not more powerful than sincere shows of virtue.
"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea." - James Madison
Of consequence, a virtuous nation would be the world's greatest servant not it's greatest police force. It would understand the all encompassing principle of agency. Such a nation of necessity would protect itself but not by forcing others to live the way that they want them to live and forcefully do what they want. Such a nation would understand that the benefits and advantages of obeying truth can only result from a free and willing mind. That mind, informed, and willingly accepting of the sacrifices and efforts needed to obey and maintain truths obligations and duties, virtues, and moral standards of living, willingly gives themselves over, along with all their energies, to the observance and enactment of every correct and necessary detail to the obtaining and maintaining of correct behavior's abundant way of life. This process is owned by the individual, and consequently becomes a self imposed life choice and character aim.
This is why a forced hand can not easily create, and ultimately can not maintain such a standard of living. They neither own the endeavor, wholeheartedly espouse the endeavor, see the truthfulness of the endeavor, and honestly never chose to take upon themselves all its attendant and requisite sacrifices and efforts. Ultimately, not understanding or believing the truthfulness of the cause, or regarding the price of the process too high and frivolous, they abandon the struggle and conform to more familiar ways. Forceful compliance is but another version of slavery, and oppressed individuals have a threshold of endurance, after which, they always retaliate and revolt against their oppressors.
This is why the struggle in Iraq is a gross error. It displays the lost virtue and ulterior agendas of the United States' leadership. It also demonstrates the majority of the citizenry's disconnect in enacting their power to oust dishonest men who would hurt the union and diminish the nation's virtues.
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Benjamin Franklin
Three warring groups of people, on their own unable to live together in peace and harmony, were only able to live together, as a nation, by the applied force of a dictator, a ruthless, barbarous master. Had the majority of the people of Iraq joined together in unity, on their own, for equality and freedom, forming a rudimentary government organization, militia, and the nucleus for a new nation, then it would have been prudent and proper for the United States to have assisted them once asked. Is it any surprise, that in trying to dole freedom as if it were some material commodity, we have had such a hard time winning hearts and minds in Iraq for their own unity? Is it any wonder that having gone contrary to the proper and necessary process, it has been increasingly difficult to find the stability needed for a United States type Iraq to stand up on its own and face the responsibilities of maintaining freedom. A virtuous nation would recognize the difference between assistance and compulsion.
I remember when the President of the United States pitched his lies on invading Iraq. Stories of weapons of mass destruction and supposedly verified reports of imminent threats pointing towards the like of 9-11. I remember when he launched his attack without the express consent or needed command from Congress.
The Constitution of the United States reads the following under Article 1 section 8, "The Congress shall have Power.... To declare War,...." The President had no authority to do what he did. There has been a long list of his administration overstepping their authority and aggrandizing the measure of their office. When will we recognize that these usurpation's of authority are undermining our future freedoms. When will we recognize that they are laying the foundations for our slavery, not our protection.
"Towards the preservation of your government ... it is requisite ... that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown." - George Washington
When I celebrate the United States of America, and I do celebrate the good in it, I celebrate how well we as a nation are moral, how well we keep to truth, and how virtuous we are. I do not celebrate our military, economic, or technological stockpiles or superiority. To celebrate the fruits at the expense of the roots is to hurry the day of famine. Remembering the virtues that brought about the grains and the planes is more productive than just remembering what we have. I realize criticism is never pleasant, and I am aware I may sound pessimistic, unpatriotic, and critical of our great nation at first glance, but that is furthest from the truth. I believe in the power of doing that which is good and right irrespective of its popularity, and that's why the United States of America is a special nation for me. It's birth came from the same character. It troubles me to focus so much on the negative at the opportunity cost of highlighting the great good that belongs to the United States family. However, there have been a long enough train of events clearly establishing patterns of public moral degradation at the hands of private interest groups, and their patterns and systems are not diminishing, but intensifying, and captivating greater numbers to the point of becoming the majority. Only a return to virtue and morality, will save our nation from the painful foundational erosion which is setting us up to walk the path of every major super power civilization in times past. We must get back to our roots as individuals and as a nation. This country was founded upon the virtues and morality of a God following, God fearing, people. When we lose the fear for living moral lives we place ourselves squarely in the path of the consequences. Arrogance, pride, lies, greed, sensuality and avarice have their consequences. They all espouse disunity, increase selfishness, self-centeredness, egotism, narcissism, and blast loyalty to the common good. The foundation upon which this the United States stands is in the very name - United, and to what, to all the truths that promote and bring about life, liberty, and happiness, for all. As soon as the happiness, life, or liberty of a few becomes more important and encroaches and denies the same for the rest, be assured, contentions, manipulations, injustices, cruelties, and suffering will follow like darkness at the setting of the sun. We must return to the principles of happiness. We must stop feigning allegiance through dead works and truly turn our hearts to the great lessons on morality that have come to us from the Son of God.
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens... Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education... reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." - George Washington
There is a difference between CLAIMING to be virtuous, truthful, moral, and actually BEING virtuous, truthful, and moral. One merely provides a song and dance, lip service, all for the crowd, while the other is rooted deep in personal character. The word hypocrisy comes to mind. Are the actions of our nation hypocritical. Can stealing and lying really be redefined as good once the mightiest nation on Earth says it is, and that, for its own self interest. Does that go along with doing unto others as you would have them do unto you? Or is our national philosophy now, do to others before they can do to you? Are we denying unto other nations and peoples what we ourselves demand for ourselves? Are we more interested in keeping to the extravagances we know and amassing more, more than respecting the agency and disposition of those that actually own what we supposedly need? Are all men really created equal, or is it just all men that are like us, or maybe all men who carry a big enough stick so that we have to respect them?
As a consequence, when I go to celebrate our great nation, and especially when I look to remember the sacrifices and efforts of just men in times past who have provided for the liberties and advantages I enjoy, of necessity I must assess the present. This means that on some 4th of Julys instead of celebration, I mourn. I mourn for lost virtue, diminished adherence to truth, and the open attacks to morality as it is denounced and spit and trampled upon. I mourn for the shackles I see being fitted around me due to unrighteous dominion from public servants leashed by private agendas.
I do not everyday feel the same about our great nation. When the systems of government change in such fashion as to restrict past commonplace freedoms and distort agreed upon organizational powers and duties, this is when I do not support the new powers even though they call themselves after the old defenders of freedom.
What this means is that I do not support or exalt the manifest agendas and purposes of every war. This means that of consequence, at times, I will be at odds and will not lend my support to the direction and intents of leaders that follow standards which will jeopardize the future unity and prosperity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the millions under the name - The United States of America. This means that while I recognize, learn from, and appreciate the sacrifices of past citizens, to make this nation great, I do not erroneously associate the support of the past with decisions that guide the nation in the present. Anyone that would call me unpatriotic for viewing our nation in this manner is a fool and either does not understand the great truths this nation originally was founded upon, or is actively seeking to thwart them. I would say to them that they are the ones that are unpatriotic. They are the ones that have sold their patriotic birthright, neglected their duty, and handed over their power in exchange for mind numbing traditions, festivities which obscure the problems, and enough blinding glitz, glamour, and sensationalism to eclipse the sun. Our allegiance is not to a land, or a flag, or a history, those things don't make us great, they are merely the vehicles, the tabernacles, the vessels, of that which we should pledge our complete loyalty unto, and that is truth, virtue, and morality.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" - John Adams
"In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened." - George Washington
The decline we are witnessing in our nation is a direct result of the cumulative loss of virtue, morality, enlightenment, and observance of common place principles and truths, both by citizens and elected officials. The economic hardships we are enduring are direct results of prominent individuals as well as hordes of working people being more concerned in their greed, self-interest, self-centeredness, and pride than the mathematical human relation realities of the day, the economy of life. The housing troubles we are witnessing are a perfect example. The more people try to take from society what they refuse, or can not realistically give back to society, the more we witness our economic decline. Whether it be the unethical exaggerations of a loan officer spinning a pitch that would secure a loan, not in the best interest of home buyers, but which will result in a nice commission for themselves, or whether it be the home buyer not wanting to understand the specifics of the agreement entered into and racing through the process merely to acquire what they want, and, or getting into a home and loan much bigger than what they can afford or even need, morality lost in the daily transactions in the marketplace add up, and eventually when enough of their natural consequences have amassed they have an all encompassing effect. The more lies abound, the more the consequences to those lies result.
In truth, in our day honesty is being lost, lies are shielded with words like creative ideas, luxurious living is the entitlement, and self-centeredness, arrogance, and egotism the fad, all the while keeping us blind to the mounting problems, until tragedy and disaster hit, and we are powerless to do much if anything at all. Our entitlements have to come from somewhere and often they unjustly originate from the disenfranchised, less intelligent, less powerful, or poor, whether they be from our own lands or that of others. Today is the great day of ME, and ever more difficult to find is the concept of WE, not just for the sake of WE, but the WE that also includes commitment and allegiance to principles of honor, virtue, honesty, truth, and morality.
When will we understand that any disparagement, immoral act, unvirtuous and slandering act, breaks our allegiance to our fellow countrymen, breaks up our union, and thereby causes divisions which ultimately weaken our country and thereby diminish its progress. When will we realize that the united in "The United States of America" means unity to virtue, honesty, morality, truthfulness, and in those ways to each other. When our country, as a whole, again remembers these things and throws away the idolatry of the pagan gods of nationalistic rhetoric we will again shine bright as a city set on a hill.
My friends beware of these characters and those like them. They incite people to contention for their own purposes. They seek to retain controllable minions in positions of power, and in positions of followers, so to advance their shared gainful aims, at the expense of the freedoms and power of the majority of the citizenry and the world. They would build their advantages by denying the same opportunities for financial security, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from those that they trick into supporting them.
Webster's Dictionary defines "Nationalism" as:
1: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups
2: a nationalist movement or government
This concept has been a major tool throughout history in persuading the citizens of countries to do things that they otherwise would never do. The perfect example is that of the people of Germany under the leadership of Hitler and his Nazi party. Nationalistic propaganda spurred, convinced, and motivated, the otherwise good and industrious people of Germany to follow a madman's vision. A madman who cunningly painted his intentions as something that would be to Germany's benefit and wrapped it in the shroud of nationalism.
Today we have people that are just as dangerous amassing followers, popularity, resources, and power within this very nation! They too are using the guise of nationalism to gain and retain supportive followers.
To support a nation because it is the nation in which one was born, is to be a puppet. It reflects a weak mind, resistance to think for oneself, and slothfulness in seeking out common sense virtues and truths. This is especially true if one is trying to fit the definition or mold of what others re-define (for their own purposes) as patriots, nationals, or in our case, Americans. I do not hold up The United States of America as the ultimate nation, though I esteem it as a great nation, why? Simply put, because that which makes an individual or a nation great is its adherence to truth, virtue, and morality. Contrary to popular belief, especially most republicans I have heard, might doesn't make right, and shows of force are not more powerful than sincere shows of virtue.
"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea." - James Madison
Of consequence, a virtuous nation would be the world's greatest servant not it's greatest police force. It would understand the all encompassing principle of agency. Such a nation of necessity would protect itself but not by forcing others to live the way that they want them to live and forcefully do what they want. Such a nation would understand that the benefits and advantages of obeying truth can only result from a free and willing mind. That mind, informed, and willingly accepting of the sacrifices and efforts needed to obey and maintain truths obligations and duties, virtues, and moral standards of living, willingly gives themselves over, along with all their energies, to the observance and enactment of every correct and necessary detail to the obtaining and maintaining of correct behavior's abundant way of life. This process is owned by the individual, and consequently becomes a self imposed life choice and character aim.
This is why a forced hand can not easily create, and ultimately can not maintain such a standard of living. They neither own the endeavor, wholeheartedly espouse the endeavor, see the truthfulness of the endeavor, and honestly never chose to take upon themselves all its attendant and requisite sacrifices and efforts. Ultimately, not understanding or believing the truthfulness of the cause, or regarding the price of the process too high and frivolous, they abandon the struggle and conform to more familiar ways. Forceful compliance is but another version of slavery, and oppressed individuals have a threshold of endurance, after which, they always retaliate and revolt against their oppressors.
This is why the struggle in Iraq is a gross error. It displays the lost virtue and ulterior agendas of the United States' leadership. It also demonstrates the majority of the citizenry's disconnect in enacting their power to oust dishonest men who would hurt the union and diminish the nation's virtues.
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Benjamin Franklin
Three warring groups of people, on their own unable to live together in peace and harmony, were only able to live together, as a nation, by the applied force of a dictator, a ruthless, barbarous master. Had the majority of the people of Iraq joined together in unity, on their own, for equality and freedom, forming a rudimentary government organization, militia, and the nucleus for a new nation, then it would have been prudent and proper for the United States to have assisted them once asked. Is it any surprise, that in trying to dole freedom as if it were some material commodity, we have had such a hard time winning hearts and minds in Iraq for their own unity? Is it any wonder that having gone contrary to the proper and necessary process, it has been increasingly difficult to find the stability needed for a United States type Iraq to stand up on its own and face the responsibilities of maintaining freedom. A virtuous nation would recognize the difference between assistance and compulsion.
I remember when the President of the United States pitched his lies on invading Iraq. Stories of weapons of mass destruction and supposedly verified reports of imminent threats pointing towards the like of 9-11. I remember when he launched his attack without the express consent or needed command from Congress.
The Constitution of the United States reads the following under Article 1 section 8, "The Congress shall have Power.... To declare War,...." The President had no authority to do what he did. There has been a long list of his administration overstepping their authority and aggrandizing the measure of their office. When will we recognize that these usurpation's of authority are undermining our future freedoms. When will we recognize that they are laying the foundations for our slavery, not our protection.
"Towards the preservation of your government ... it is requisite ... that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown." - George Washington
When I celebrate the United States of America, and I do celebrate the good in it, I celebrate how well we as a nation are moral, how well we keep to truth, and how virtuous we are. I do not celebrate our military, economic, or technological stockpiles or superiority. To celebrate the fruits at the expense of the roots is to hurry the day of famine. Remembering the virtues that brought about the grains and the planes is more productive than just remembering what we have. I realize criticism is never pleasant, and I am aware I may sound pessimistic, unpatriotic, and critical of our great nation at first glance, but that is furthest from the truth. I believe in the power of doing that which is good and right irrespective of its popularity, and that's why the United States of America is a special nation for me. It's birth came from the same character. It troubles me to focus so much on the negative at the opportunity cost of highlighting the great good that belongs to the United States family. However, there have been a long enough train of events clearly establishing patterns of public moral degradation at the hands of private interest groups, and their patterns and systems are not diminishing, but intensifying, and captivating greater numbers to the point of becoming the majority. Only a return to virtue and morality, will save our nation from the painful foundational erosion which is setting us up to walk the path of every major super power civilization in times past. We must get back to our roots as individuals and as a nation. This country was founded upon the virtues and morality of a God following, God fearing, people. When we lose the fear for living moral lives we place ourselves squarely in the path of the consequences. Arrogance, pride, lies, greed, sensuality and avarice have their consequences. They all espouse disunity, increase selfishness, self-centeredness, egotism, narcissism, and blast loyalty to the common good. The foundation upon which this the United States stands is in the very name - United, and to what, to all the truths that promote and bring about life, liberty, and happiness, for all. As soon as the happiness, life, or liberty of a few becomes more important and encroaches and denies the same for the rest, be assured, contentions, manipulations, injustices, cruelties, and suffering will follow like darkness at the setting of the sun. We must return to the principles of happiness. We must stop feigning allegiance through dead works and truly turn our hearts to the great lessons on morality that have come to us from the Son of God.
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens... Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education... reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." - George Washington
There is a difference between CLAIMING to be virtuous, truthful, moral, and actually BEING virtuous, truthful, and moral. One merely provides a song and dance, lip service, all for the crowd, while the other is rooted deep in personal character. The word hypocrisy comes to mind. Are the actions of our nation hypocritical. Can stealing and lying really be redefined as good once the mightiest nation on Earth says it is, and that, for its own self interest. Does that go along with doing unto others as you would have them do unto you? Or is our national philosophy now, do to others before they can do to you? Are we denying unto other nations and peoples what we ourselves demand for ourselves? Are we more interested in keeping to the extravagances we know and amassing more, more than respecting the agency and disposition of those that actually own what we supposedly need? Are all men really created equal, or is it just all men that are like us, or maybe all men who carry a big enough stick so that we have to respect them?
As a consequence, when I go to celebrate our great nation, and especially when I look to remember the sacrifices and efforts of just men in times past who have provided for the liberties and advantages I enjoy, of necessity I must assess the present. This means that on some 4th of Julys instead of celebration, I mourn. I mourn for lost virtue, diminished adherence to truth, and the open attacks to morality as it is denounced and spit and trampled upon. I mourn for the shackles I see being fitted around me due to unrighteous dominion from public servants leashed by private agendas.
I do not everyday feel the same about our great nation. When the systems of government change in such fashion as to restrict past commonplace freedoms and distort agreed upon organizational powers and duties, this is when I do not support the new powers even though they call themselves after the old defenders of freedom.
What this means is that I do not support or exalt the manifest agendas and purposes of every war. This means that of consequence, at times, I will be at odds and will not lend my support to the direction and intents of leaders that follow standards which will jeopardize the future unity and prosperity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the millions under the name - The United States of America. This means that while I recognize, learn from, and appreciate the sacrifices of past citizens, to make this nation great, I do not erroneously associate the support of the past with decisions that guide the nation in the present. Anyone that would call me unpatriotic for viewing our nation in this manner is a fool and either does not understand the great truths this nation originally was founded upon, or is actively seeking to thwart them. I would say to them that they are the ones that are unpatriotic. They are the ones that have sold their patriotic birthright, neglected their duty, and handed over their power in exchange for mind numbing traditions, festivities which obscure the problems, and enough blinding glitz, glamour, and sensationalism to eclipse the sun. Our allegiance is not to a land, or a flag, or a history, those things don't make us great, they are merely the vehicles, the tabernacles, the vessels, of that which we should pledge our complete loyalty unto, and that is truth, virtue, and morality.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" - John Adams
"In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened." - George Washington
The decline we are witnessing in our nation is a direct result of the cumulative loss of virtue, morality, enlightenment, and observance of common place principles and truths, both by citizens and elected officials. The economic hardships we are enduring are direct results of prominent individuals as well as hordes of working people being more concerned in their greed, self-interest, self-centeredness, and pride than the mathematical human relation realities of the day, the economy of life. The housing troubles we are witnessing are a perfect example. The more people try to take from society what they refuse, or can not realistically give back to society, the more we witness our economic decline. Whether it be the unethical exaggerations of a loan officer spinning a pitch that would secure a loan, not in the best interest of home buyers, but which will result in a nice commission for themselves, or whether it be the home buyer not wanting to understand the specifics of the agreement entered into and racing through the process merely to acquire what they want, and, or getting into a home and loan much bigger than what they can afford or even need, morality lost in the daily transactions in the marketplace add up, and eventually when enough of their natural consequences have amassed they have an all encompassing effect. The more lies abound, the more the consequences to those lies result.
In truth, in our day honesty is being lost, lies are shielded with words like creative ideas, luxurious living is the entitlement, and self-centeredness, arrogance, and egotism the fad, all the while keeping us blind to the mounting problems, until tragedy and disaster hit, and we are powerless to do much if anything at all. Our entitlements have to come from somewhere and often they unjustly originate from the disenfranchised, less intelligent, less powerful, or poor, whether they be from our own lands or that of others. Today is the great day of ME, and ever more difficult to find is the concept of WE, not just for the sake of WE, but the WE that also includes commitment and allegiance to principles of honor, virtue, honesty, truth, and morality.
When will we understand that any disparagement, immoral act, unvirtuous and slandering act, breaks our allegiance to our fellow countrymen, breaks up our union, and thereby causes divisions which ultimately weaken our country and thereby diminish its progress. When will we realize that the united in "The United States of America" means unity to virtue, honesty, morality, truthfulness, and in those ways to each other. When our country, as a whole, again remembers these things and throws away the idolatry of the pagan gods of nationalistic rhetoric we will again shine bright as a city set on a hill.
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