I you like to sleep, you'll love death.
In any democratic government, which is the only way to go, greed and the lust for power must be contolled if we are all to remain free and equal. The only way to curb the unfortunate evils of capialism is through socialization, which means caring for the people (i.e. all of us)at the expensive of he greedy few. To us an analogy, if we are to be free and equal, the sheep in us must be proteted from the wolves in us.
To know that we are one is a sign of your maturity.
No one should have three pairs of shoes if there is one of us who has no shoes.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
BREAD AND CIRCUSES
As the gap widens between the wealthy 5% who own and control the politics of this country and the bottom 65%, there is a great danger arising.
The wealthy who own and control this country seem to have forgotten what the wealthy and powerful in Rome, who ruled for 400 years, instinctly knew, that if you want to continue to rule without danger of revolution, you have to keep the masses (the bottom 50% of us) peaceable by providing us with sufficient bread and circuses to keep us from thinking about the reality of our situation.
In our modern era the "circuses" are provided primarily by )the media (publications, radio,TV, and sports}. These they are taking away: by reducing the funding for NPR and PBS, by turning publishing and sports into money-making machines, and by buying and controlling the print media and sports.
The "bread" they are taking away are medical care, education, unemployment benefits, social security, medicare, and anything else that might help most of the rest of us survive. We have the illusion of freedom: we can speak without being heard, we can vote for the political candidates funded by the money interests, we can watch on TV and hear on radio whatever it is they support with the advertising for their products, which we are expected to purchase to keep the programs going and the money flowing into their pockets. We have the illusion of having power through stock purchases, when even that is controlled hy those who really own everything.
This is not the first time, of course, it has happened in this country, and everywhere else in the world. The greed for power and money (they greatly overlap) is in all of us, but it has to be controlled, as do the many other forces in us as human beings (and prinitive animals). And we must not be distracted by the trivial and the superficial, as we are wont to be. Those who have an excessive hunger for wealth and power are not distracted by the superficial, only those of us struggling to make a living in a hostile world kept hostile by those who have the power, are.
I am not, of course, necessarily speaking of the politicians, but those who control the politicians, not those who have stock in a company, but those who have the majority share and who control the company. And, by the way, to those who seek only power, among the superficialities of life are art, history, theoretical science, compassion, giving, forgiveness, and love. The evil do not strive for these; only the good do.
The wealthy who own and control this country seem to have forgotten what the wealthy and powerful in Rome, who ruled for 400 years, instinctly knew, that if you want to continue to rule without danger of revolution, you have to keep the masses (the bottom 50% of us) peaceable by providing us with sufficient bread and circuses to keep us from thinking about the reality of our situation.
In our modern era the "circuses" are provided primarily by )the media (publications, radio,TV, and sports}. These they are taking away: by reducing the funding for NPR and PBS, by turning publishing and sports into money-making machines, and by buying and controlling the print media and sports.
The "bread" they are taking away are medical care, education, unemployment benefits, social security, medicare, and anything else that might help most of the rest of us survive. We have the illusion of freedom: we can speak without being heard, we can vote for the political candidates funded by the money interests, we can watch on TV and hear on radio whatever it is they support with the advertising for their products, which we are expected to purchase to keep the programs going and the money flowing into their pockets. We have the illusion of having power through stock purchases, when even that is controlled hy those who really own everything.
This is not the first time, of course, it has happened in this country, and everywhere else in the world. The greed for power and money (they greatly overlap) is in all of us, but it has to be controlled, as do the many other forces in us as human beings (and prinitive animals). And we must not be distracted by the trivial and the superficial, as we are wont to be. Those who have an excessive hunger for wealth and power are not distracted by the superficial, only those of us struggling to make a living in a hostile world kept hostile by those who have the power, are.
I am not, of course, necessarily speaking of the politicians, but those who control the politicians, not those who have stock in a company, but those who have the majority share and who control the company. And, by the way, to those who seek only power, among the superficialities of life are art, history, theoretical science, compassion, giving, forgiveness, and love. The evil do not strive for these; only the good do.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Change
One of the greatest truths, "all is change," was stated by the early Greek philopher, Heraclitus. His analogy was that it is impossible to step into the same stream twice.
This is absolutely true. No moment ever repeats itself. Not only are no two moments ever the same, no two people, no two events, no two anything are ever the same.
Everything that happens in life happens only once. One of the best ways to realize this is to lie on your back and watch the clouds go by. Such an infinite variety is awesomee.
We are living in the midst of a gigaantic explosion which, measured by our determination of time has been going on for something like 14.5 billion years, but which in cosmological time may be closer to 14.5 minutes.
This is absolutely true. No moment ever repeats itself. Not only are no two moments ever the same, no two people, no two events, no two anything are ever the same.
Everything that happens in life happens only once. One of the best ways to realize this is to lie on your back and watch the clouds go by. Such an infinite variety is awesomee.
We are living in the midst of a gigaantic explosion which, measured by our determination of time has been going on for something like 14.5 billion years, but which in cosmological time may be closer to 14.5 minutes.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Random Quotes
Matter is energy slowed to the point of visibility. --Joyce Franz
Old age arrives at that point in time when it is no longer mind over matter.
Faith in a holy cause is o a considerable exent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves. --Eric Hoffer
Old age arrives at that point in time when it is no longer mind over matter.
Faith in a holy cause is o a considerable exent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves. --Eric Hoffer
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