The Divinity of Truthiness

With the Nation-wide debate over the debt ceiling and the economy at large raging across the country, I figured I'd put my two cents in while it's still worth, well, two cents.

It's seems it's been the job of pundits and "experts" on ideological teams to classify exactly who is at fault during this debate, and who is the champion of "right reason" (right as in correct). The line of victims and perpetrators has been laid out, and depending on your personal world view, you have a clean path drawn for your fingers to point to villains and poor innocents alike. It's become so easy to tell who you root for and who you despise that we're collectively tottering on the edge of a cliff, feeling perfectly justified in our righteous indignation for "those" who are causing the problems.

So, what do we do when everyone's right and the problem still exists? Re-adjust our thinking and support people with real ideas for solving these finite problems? Nope... We turn to divinity!

Governors all over our country are meeting with religious leaders and calling for days of prayer for intervention in the debacle that men created by fooling the trusting majority, who counted on these "leaders" to keep us from having to make that ethereal 911 call. But with so many factions and entities to choose from, which agent of the divine do we pick for our heavenly national audit?

Well, of course there's Jesus and the big man in the sky (ala Zeus/Jupiter), his half-brother Mohamed, or the Hebrew father of them both, Yahweh... er Abraham maybe. We could lean east and pick one of the many Hindu gods or goddesses, but just who would be best suited?

Since, by the extreme percentages, around 135M people world-wide would physically assault someone for the words they speak about these entities, it's worth realizing, regardless of your personal beliefs, all these expressions, these apparitions, these deities, these examples of divinity... all these gods have power. People have proven themselves again and again fully capable of killing and/or being killed in the names of the divine.

Bearing this in mind, I propose a new suggestion. Actually, a very old suggestion. Ma'at. 

Ma'at "was the Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice." In the grand scheme of things, a little Ma'at could go quite a long way. This deity is depicted wearing the "feather of truth" in her headband, and basically called things like they actually were.

If you dance near a cliff (to continue a metaphor), Ma'at says there's a chance you'll fall off. If you smoke cigarettes (which I sometimes do, sadly), Ma'at says there's a chance you'll get cancer or emphysema. If you do something that increases your risk of calamity, Ma'at says there's a chance you'll experience just such a calamity, and rightfully so. That is the way the universe works.

Now I know that very few people even know the name Ma'at today, but that wasn't always the case. The whole Egyptian empire (millions of people) knew her well for nearly six thousand years. Even with this day's population, on an individual basis, I'd bet as many people have channelled Ma'at through time as have any other idealized figure.

Based solely on the concept, though, it's hard to argue that having our society focus on the truth of our situation, thereby marginalizing the spurious sales pitches, wouldn't be a good thing.

The facts as I understand them are these. Around 3M Americans over the past 30 or so years have set a system in place whereby they make extremely vast sums of money, largely at the expense of people who don't know what they are doing. They made sure no one knew what they were doing so well that many of them couldn't help in the current fiscal situation if they wanted to... which most don't.

The giant wealth factory that is America has been shaped and shifted to funnel the results of the average person's lifetime straight back to those 3M Americans. All the value. All the worth. All the savings and security oozes ever so unnoticeably from the embattled to the jackals who've spent so much time and effort making permanent changes to the rules of the house. (Duh, winning)

I call them jackals, but they're really just people taking advantage of the board they set up for as long as they can. More the problem now, and what could use the benevolent help of the Ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, are the pitch-men selected for there ability to talk for hours and not say anything. Our politicians.

All sorts of descriptions get tossed around when discussing this class of individuals. I prefer unscrupulous, but then I've known a few in my day.

They will brood for hours, days or even years in order to come up with a way to say that a yellow bucket is green... and they do it so well they convince half the country it is so.

And, as always, here's where the factioning comes in. Our national conversation goes from whether a bucket is yellow or green, or whether 3M Americans are now holding more wealth (without creating jobs) than some 290M other Americans, to whether or not two dudes should be able to get married, or whether anyone should pay any taxes at all!

Politicians have tried to make this a battle over ideology, but it's really not. It's a battle to control the public perception of "truth." The people with the money have hired a giant PR firm calling itself a political party to sell the American public on the idea that they're supposed to want to work until they die for two weeks vacation a year and a flat-screen.

My revolution in thought is simple. I don't want to work for a robber-baron or a central government. I just want to work the with people around me to make a stable and secure world for my children and all the children of the world to inherit. That starts in the void left by lust and greed. Rather than being greedy for a personal wealth, I'm eager for the well-being of everyone... after all, many hands make light work and we've got a job to do.

Identity and Reality

I have the suspicion that “getting on board” with a philosophy and “buying in,” literally, to show support has less to do with the money or time one spends involved with an activity, and more to do with the power of having real conscious men and women focusing on a better world. There could actually be a special pride ('spe-ci-al like species, not 'speh-shul, but I might be making that word up) in us that can charge forth out of the ruin of what has both never been, and always was the common goal. There's one planet. There's one species on the planet that has been able to illustrate their notions about the wobble with which our spinning rock revolves around the Sun daily, and there's value in that. We have acquired tremendous means of destruction to defend against the perpetual enemy of the future to no avail... we die anyway. What if we stop acting like our children will have a different world to live in than we have? What if we acknowledge reality instead... Primary Source Reality.

I say we stop making decisions that affect the one and only planet we all have to share into the future as though the realities of those choices are inconsequential. I say you who tell us lies for the sake of money should feel the shame of doing so only as long as it takes for you to tell the truth. I do not blame anyone for making poor choices. I will simply choose not to rely on that one source alone.

What is of utmost importance to my idea of the way I'll teach my daughter about life is not that if she were to try hard enough she could be absolutely perfect to everyone around her. What is of utmost importance is the fact that nothing anyone has ever tried, or ever will try has ever been a failure. Lives are never lived in vain, we just find more consistent expectations. Thomas Edison remarked that he hadn't failed a thousand times, but had “... successfully discovered a thousand ways to not make a light-bulb.” That is my philosophy of life experience as well. If I want a better world, I've got to live to my ideals within a broad reality. The only way the coming generation will have a chance at living in peace is if we truly believe that it will happen. Then we may more easily allow ourselves to openly and honestly discuss identity and reality. As long as glaring tribalism, or nationalism , or rugged individualism ignores the sameness of our planet's life systems, the relative ease with which one may understand much more fulfilling philosophies of life fades into that selfsame ignorance.

A shock to culture - "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

I've just finished reading "Outliers," by Malcolm Gladwell. To those of you who might read this and don't know me, I've been reading and writing for about 18 years, and have recently found a reason to believe in the idea of a better world. This book does a wonderful job of describing a balanced way with which to consider one's self on the road to the phenomenon of identity. It asks wonderfully specific questions, the likes of which would likely help steer our culture toward that better world. Since I don't think I can be any more appreciative (cynics you know I love ya), I'll place my spoiler alert here.

"Culture of Honor" was perhaps the most meaningful thing I've explored in my recent re-education. The idea that my status put me high on the social ladder (height notwithstanding) due to the importance in rural communities of my grandfather's and father's experience, profession and occupation as ministers of faith was not new to me, but it was very hard to permit myself to say.

Preachers taught sermons to crowds at church. Then they taught preaching to their family at home. It is a cerebral environment that lends itself easily to curiosity. So, the reason I haven't drank myself to death, become a raging drug addict, or otherwise broke the rules of life as I could understand them was not due to a fear of reprisal at the hands of an angry god... it was because I thought about the consequences of my actions. That's not to say I always took good care, but that's a detail.

The fact is, I have very little fear of speaking to crowds and it's not just because I'm terribly narcissistic. I grew up with the expectation of a life speaking to crowds. I have found a great deal of value in being able to do what most people fear more than death.

It seems that many of our opportunities in the pursuit of a better world could be served by understanding the stereotypical aspects of seeming individual circumstances. I'm writing this review not with the assumption of impressing anyone, but rather as a signal of value to those looking for a relevant resource along the way. This book should be much closer to the foundation of education, thereby relieving the constraints we apply to our creating a better world that have to do with our acquired culture.

Hate Crimes and the Fights of Yesterday

I was listening to a program on NPR about hate groups in America, today, which disturbed me with some realizations. The discussion focussed on racially charged, divisive rhetoric taking place in the halls of Congress, and from leaders like Texas Governor Rick Perry (who is openly threatening Sucession from the union). The sentiments expressed are the top of a chain of communication which is inciting hate crimes across the United States. Now, I no more want to legislate niceness, than I assume to control such a thing as hate. I just think we could stand to have more of a conversation about it. Sunshine being the best disinfectant and all.

I grew up in a small town, with a tradition of honoring our forefathers in all the ways they have been honorable. As recently as this year, the 'Sons of Confederate Veterans' placed a wreath on my 3rd-great-grandfather's grave. I mentioned to a friend of mine that I wasn't sure how I should feel about it, and the response I got was surprisingly wise. My friend said, "Be proud of your family. Just don't keep fighting old fights."

My question about the event was "why?" though. The people living today have no idea who my 3rd-great-grandfather was, or anything he might have done in the service of the Confederate States of America. I have no idea whether he was a hero who saved the lives of his company, or a stamp clerk at a military post office. I just know he came back home and raised the man who was grandfather to my grandfather.

I'm not offended in any way about my heritage, nor do I find it particularly offensive. I just know that times have changed. The things people believed about other people are different these days, and, knowing the character of my family through the years, I believe my 3rd-great-grandfather would most likely agree with my assessment of our place in the world. We are not at fault for the past. History doesn't chain our development, it gives us a foundation to grow forth from.

Which brings me to the people who commit "hate" crimes. This particular character I have in mind, is proud past the point of respect of his forefathers. He wishes to hold the glory of those years in his hands today. He finds little honor in the way he can provides for his life, and thus yearns for times and trials and moments of real purpose. He imagines stories whereby his grandfather's rag-tag group of "rebels" (which has its own appeal), fight their way to safety in defense of their family and home. Anyone who's seen the movie "The Outlaw Josie Wales," with Clint Eastwood knows these tales. But times today are different.

The people who benefit most from the division of this nation are pulling every string they have at their disposal to invigorate the cracks in the ties that bind us all together. Using my great-grandfather, and Mexican drug violence, and ridiculous stories about socialism to divide us, while using a quote from Thomas Jefferson, with which they have nothing else in common, as just call to arms. I've not been fooled into believing some crazy plan is being hatched which could not possibly exist without overt evidence of itself. We all really do have to learn to live together in this place, if we all want to continue to have this country.

It would be great for me to carve out my place... a country all my own, where everyone thinks what I think, and there is no hunger or disease. But these are the fantasies of a child... even an adult-aged child. All the realities of life must be allowed to be real in our minds.

I will admit I have had romantic thoughts of my great-great-great-grandfather's adventures, but I realize there is still a fight going on. There is a cold war raging between the people who think Columbus "Discovered the New World," and those who think he and a band of Spanish pirates swindled and killed the indigenous peoples of America and assumed control of their lands... and its ok to realize the truth.

So, remember this come November. There are some of us who read, relate our thoughts about events, and address concerns about our safety, stability and overall well-being... And, there are some who believe they are in this self-same romantic dream where Pluto is the ninth planet, and whatever else "they" say about the world is true.

When your neighbor says ignorant things, you have a mildly ignorant neighborhood. When the supposed "leaders" of the nation say ignorant things, you have an ignorant country. We must address this life as though we actually believe we are looking toward the future. Participating in stories based on ignorant, or misinformed pasts, will never provide the security I feel we deserve. When the string pullers can reach the highest offices in the land, the subsequent subjugation of huge sectors of the population can be called nothing less than endentured servitude... or serfdom.

There is no one person I can think of, who may presume to lord over the rest of us. The are several that are trying. This is still the story of America. The preservation of our family names depend on our ability to talk about everything, including uncomfortable moments in the true history of the world.

Inequality still persists in the land where all people are "created equal." Be it racial, gender, ethnic or any other form, if you look closely, we still have much to discuss.

What can one person do? Just share your thoughts as I have shared mine. I'm certainly not above being wrong, but I do feel justified in feeling how I feel. If I've said something you agree with, share this essay with someone else. We can make our world better. We just have to stop fighting old fights.

Lake Worth's Housing Program Proposal

In an effort to understand my community better, on January 11, 2010, I attended the CRA/City Commission meeting in Lake Worth, FL. The topic of the meeting was the allocation of some $600,000 in funds available from the County for city projects, a part of the federal stimulus package. Mayor Varela proposed a new housing program to combat the depreciation of the housing stock in the city. Many of the houses in Lake Worth have several code violations, and some are awaiting demolition.

The proposed housing program is not a program, as it were, just yet. There are 3 initiatives that could comprise a whole package. The program will be groomed over the next few months, and will have taken shape by July, when the funds are made available. The prospective initiatives are: 1) a residential rehab program, 2) an emergency rehab/demolition program, and/or 3) a 1st time home buyer program. The overall program will contain one or all of these individual programs based on the research gleaned over the next 6 months.

Since there has never been a program like this in Lake Worth, there will be several time-consuming steps to take to find out how the funds may best serve the community. There are existing programs within city including the Community Development Corporation, neighborhood associations and local businesses, and the Adopt-a-Family program of the Palm Beaches, which was actually started by 3 local women and a radio station. The difference in the proposed program is that the funding will issued to the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) by the County, then to residents. In effect, the program is different because it is a government program which uses tax dollars repaid to the area for the stabilization of the city. Adding this measure sends a signal to all citizens that the City Commission finds the well being of the housing stock and rental percentages to be a consideration for the city government as well as community organizations.

Those who qualify include individuals making $31,000/year or less, and families of 4 making $64,000/year or less.

Concerns about the proposal came from Commissioner Maxwell, who pointed out that during the citizen proposal process for the funds, not one citizen proposed a new housing program. Several citizens present at the meeting echoed this concern as well as Maxwell's point that the goals of the plan are addressed through the previously mentioned community-driven programs.

Maxwell went on to say that he didn't “think we should be getting into the banking business,” and “I don't think we have the talent to implement a housing program.”

Commissioner Mulvehill, reading a CRA report, stated that several communities within the city have up to 70% rental rate. This means that the community is necessarily a temporary one, constantly changing with the businesses of the County.

City Manager Stanton added that the monies allocated, though not terribly much will find strength when they are leveraged with public funds, the rate of which could be as high as 7 or 8 to 1. It is, therefore, feasible that the city could find the effectiveness of the dollars added to the new program at 7 times the rate of investment.

As to the assessment that other programs exist within the city that share the same goals, Mayor Varela pointed out that since the city desperately needs a higher rate of ownership, additional programs to promote ownership is not a bad thing.

In theory, once the rate of ownership goes up, the rate of taxes collected will go up in turn. Increasing availability for middle class residents who are currently renting within the community will mean added security for the city, as well as increased property tax receipts. Currently, of around 12,600 properties in the city of Lake Worth, 1/3 of them produce no tax dollars, and 1/3 of them produce $100 or less.

The proposed housing program is an excellent way to signal to the citizens living in Lake Worth that the city government appreciates their living here, and would like to make it easier for them to stay. The current economic crisis affects everyone, but the city of Lake Worth is willing to take steps to make sure that the recovery of the area happens in a much more durable fashion than to simple allow developers to come in and scoop up all the property once the value drops to the level that demolition and redevelopment is the only answer.

Both Mayor Varela and City Manager Stanton tried to make it clear to the constituents present that this is a bold new move for the city that will not be quick or easy. The effort, however, will go a long way toward improving the lives of the people who consider themselves permanent residents of Lake Worth, and wish to see this community achieve the prominence that all our efforts can make possible.

The session yielded a motion that $125,000 be spent on a proposed gym renovation, $125,000 be spent on a traffic calming study, and $350,000 be spent on the new housing program. The motion passed unanimously, and the directive will be submitted to the county by January 22, 2010.

The average citizen living in Lake Worth can clearly see the degradation in the housing stock. There are homes in every district of the city that are condemned and/or set for demolition. I believe I represent a segment of people that is willing to do the work to make this place stable and secure going forward. If we are given the opportunity, we will take ownership of our city and be more capable of holding our city to a higher standard than what is possible today.

This city will see no such ownership if it sells the town to developers who will add more and more rental units to an already high market as it is. Why would someone care about the future of a town when they only consider themselves temporary residents?

This shift in policy by the city commission will create a reach back from the community as more people own, and even more look to own.

As for me personally, I was renting a place in Lake Worth so that I could pay off all my debts and move back to North Florida, where I already own land. I didn't expect to love living here, and Lake Worth is truly different from many of the other cities I've lived in during my time in South Florida. I believe this place can be great, and the steps taken by the city government in recent months has convinced me that many other people in town feel the same way.

Holy &^%$ it's everywhere!

It seems, on the subject of political issues, the most common quote I hear is, “Man, this health care thing is everywhere... you can't get away from it.” On every channel. Even on the little side-of-the-page ads online. Its like you can't help but pay attention.

The unfortunate part comes when you actually do decide to pay attention. This guy or that lady or some old dude is saying “that job-killing bill,” or “Most people... Americans... the majority of America wants...” and all the other clips of direction this or that person is leaning. “Comprehensive plan...” and “step-by-step approach,” or even “people are screaming 'don't pass this bill!'” I wonder just who in the hell they're talking about?

The fact is, this argument matters a great deal for the way you will see America develop. The big choices, and broken promises of the past have both conspired at this moment to form what will be the United States of America... or not.

We were used to the people on the evening news telling us who was doing this or that way off in Washington some where. Or at least somebody's dad knew a congressman that would explain what's happening with the things the police or some lawyer will eventually say is the law. Since our old sources aren't working well enough, we must find another way. I'm trying with these things that I write and post online.

I have a question for you... What kind of country do you see when you retire? We've had a mass-brainwash that has convinced sectors of at least the last 4 generations of Americans that life ends around 33, through whatever means. This thinking, or not thinking, must end as quickly as it can, just in case we actually want a world we're proud of once our days of working are over. Pull the shade off your idea of the future, and let's get our heads together. Start thinking about how you can affect your life, rather than having someone tell you how its going to be.

I've heard comment after comment from mostly Republican officials in the House of Representatives and Senate about what the majority of America “wants” or “screams for” or “will allow.” The fact is, the American people are trying to find something else on TV because they are so far removed from the idea they have a say! Republican representatives have no idea what the majority of America wants, they just say what they say is it.

“Stop telling the rest of the world what you think we want!!!”

The fact of the matter is, Republicans don't speak for the majority of America. Those American people picked someone else to listen to last November. America wasn't lost, or stolen. We weren't hijacked or confiscated or anything else that sounds like we're in distress because of the crazed fashion with which our leaders are moving this country forward.

I get up and go to work for around the same money, living in much the same fashion as I have for the past 6 or 7 years. I'm growing up the way I'm trying for, and my plans are shaped around the idea that Our Nation holds the history and strength that has made me proud to be from here. I am made painfully aware of the mistakes we, as a Country, are capable of, but that only stirs my desire for justice and tranquility even more.

I don't shout or scream with insane fear for the horrible future when I think about which domestic policy our government adopts. I weigh the pros and cons for myself. I judge this country by the rules we live by, as well as the ways we allow ourselves to live.

I'm afraid that we must unite even more significantly in the coming years in order to ensure that we can leave the trivial this or that's of Washington to itself again. Here's the argument: What do we as a country consider to be basic human rights? One side thinks we should use the government to ensure basic human rights. The other side thinks that government should not interfere with the everyday lives of the country (this means they believe that they shouldn't pay a lot of taxes).

Are all human beings created equal? It says so in the Declaration or Independence, even though it wasn't really true then. The fact that it wasn't true when it was suggested is terribly important because it shows the steps we have taken to get to where we are. We had to develop into the country we are, and we will continue to develop into the future. I have seen no finish line. Nothing in life has told any of us that it is over. We decide the future, and we must use our voices!

Anything and everything is available in many different formats all over the internet. The Whitehouse, Congress and Supreme Court all have websites, as well there are news clips on youtube, or full videos on CSPAN.org that will tell you virtually all aspects of everything that's going on. Every level from City to County to State to Federal, it's all available to you.

I say the Democrats are on the right path with regard to health care... If I'm wrong, read and develop an argument against this legislation and bring it! I have heard no Republican Representative in either body make anything that seems like a just and fair argument against this reform, and I've damn sure have been watching!

The consequences of a presidential address to eighth-graders

Recently, Pres. Obama announced he would be addressing students returning to school from their summer break. Spokespeople said that the president wanted to address students in a general manner in order to encourage their education. For reasons which are unclear, some people reacted by inventing a sinister motivation, then objecting to the speech under their false pretense.

The idea that Pres. Obama was attempting to indoctrinate America's youth with his rhetoric should be labeled exactly what it is: a terrible false accusation. I agree, however, that any time someone constructs a speech, they indicate and must refer to their philosophy. This is what made reviewing Pres. George H. W. Bush's address to the eighth grade class at Alice Deal Jr. High School, back in 1991 terribly enlightening.

Though overall it was clear Bush's message was meant to be inspirational, his worldview (and the worldview of the majority of the voting public) set clear boundaries and definitions for success that were out of touch with the way our country was growing.

The roughly 15 minute speech (available at http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2009/09/04/HP/A/22807/US+Presidents+Address+Students.aspx ) paints a picture of the president's expectation. His stated goal in his direction of efforts was a 90% graduation rate by 2000. He attempted to make the students responsible for reaching his expectation by defining success. According to Pres. Bush, if you go to school, get good grades, and graduate college, you'll have fulfilled your dreams and be successful. Your life will be better than those goof-offs who “chicken out” and let the “bad people” take over schools... all of whom end up with “dead-end jobs” and/or on drugs, and “running the streets.”

President Bush said, “if someone goofs off today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now when they're stuck in some dead-end job?” The idea behind this question indicates the conservative philosophy that constructs unrealistic ideas of success. Bush estimates that success is the balance between only two dynamics. In other words, the president divided the children into “winners” and “losers,” which begs the question of his own attempt at indoctrination: Is it correct to assume a “winners” and “losers” posture about the lives of a generation? I have neither won, nor lost, and I do not live my life as though I must live up to some one's expectation of a “winner.” We all have our experiences, and living through tough times is not an example of us being “losers.”

Bush's decree that being a dropout is equal to failing at life leaves no room for the reality of life in the 21st century. I suggest that it is not we who failed President Bush in his attempt to see a 90% graduation rate, but rather his philosophy did not lend itself to the realities of life outside what he was willing to experience or understand. Meaning, his ideological standard wasn't in touch with the direction the world was going to go.

It is in this time that we must make more earnest efforts to view things the way that they actually are. We must make progress in a fashion that makes sense for the future. We should set realistic goals for the future, and strive to achieve them over time, rather than dictate to everyone the wishes of a few of us.

In-depth experience and the ability to translate this experience in a manner which sufficiently demonstrates the aspects of it, will serve to aid the consciousness of humanity. All aspects may be made available to the individual, who may judge the value of a potential experience absent of prohibitive opinion, which may lack credibility or merit due to ignorance of experiential data. Attempting to limit the curiosity of a potential experience by demonstrating percieved character flaws within the individuals who partake in an activity, rather than addressing the merits of the experience itself, is ineffective and misguided. This means that it is inappropriate for someone to tell someone else that some action is "wrong" if they have neither experience in the matter, nor logical understanding of it.

Bush spoke about dead-end jobs and drug users as loathsome parcels of an intolerable existence. Now that these terms are regular aspects of the American lexicon, it appears the former president was either less than motivational, or insufficient in his direction.

We are forced to deal with people of all walks of life. Molding the nation into one ideologial box is not realistic. A strategy for the peaceful existence of all people must consider the characteristics and sensibilities of all people. Some find solace in the ways of the past, while others look to newer or more diverse ways of life. Neither philosophy is wrong, so it would behoove us to stop trying to vanquish either one.