Religion and Politics ... the bane of common sense.

The subtitle for this little essay is: The Hubris of Humans. 

I'm writing this rant because I can't hold it in any longer. Religion is or was a construct of humans to gather together for mutual encouragement, sharing of faith, and worship of GOD, in whatever form he was envisioned to be by the leader of the religion. Jesus set the example of prayer, worship, good behavior, compassion, love, forgiveness, and teaching. Religion, soon after Jesus' resurrection, became a man-made bastardization, deformed by humans of great hubris. The current religious battles, Jihads, and inhumane treatment of fellow humans is proof. Mankind does not have a better idea.  

Hubris:  

 1. Christians who think 'their way is the only way' with reference to the adopted religion of each.

 2. Muslims who become terrorists to prove their point.

 3. Politicians who corrupt their leadership with the hubris of superiority of 'religion.'

There are more religions in the world than there are political positions. Yet, the two shouldn't be in bed together. They are separate parts of life. Let me paraphrase some of Jesus' teaching:

If you profess Christian beliefs, then you understand that Jesus' message was, and is, one of being a good Samaritan; leading with kindness; valuing life; refraining from wrong doing; and do you remember that Jesus said, "Other sheep I have who are not of this fold"?  What does that mean for you?  Are your beliefs superior to what Jesus taught?  Jesus was a Jewish man who taught something new and different from the Jewish base of knowledge; though it was foretold in the Jewish scriptures. Who were those 'other sheep not of this fold?'  Different ethnicity? different religious backgrounds? those who practiced things forbidden to Jews? Hmmm. Makes one think; 

Jesus proclaimed to his followers that they should "Render unto Cesar that which is Cesar's; render unto God that which is His."  Separate obligations. Separation of church and state? My thinking: keep church, religion and beliefs out of politics and government. 

Humans have simple needs: food, clothing, shelter, love, compassion, and freedom to Be. Almost all humans have the need to worship a higher Being; however, individual hubris causes some humans to make themselves into 'a god,' whom they profess to be 'all knowing.'  

Think about Adam and Eve:  they had the perfect living conditions; really. They didn't need clothing because they had been created perfect and given a home of the Garden of Eden. In their Hubris, and with a little help from a fallen angel, they decided they wanted, even needed, more.  So they broke the rules. What did it cost them? They lost their eternal lives; they lost their perfect home; then life became very difficult for them. Their first-born son became a murderer. All because of Hubris.

Warfare came along, cities developed when people feared the great expanses open to them. Existence could be very bleak; and then along came politics and government. More corruption of the lives of people; however, when you are born into something, you know no other way unless you learn. This is where Jesus' example of teaching comes in:  if you want to change your life, you must give up something to get something better.  No, we lost the promise of having it all when Adam and Eve followed one disgruntled and misguided former angel. The cry: 'Simplify, simplify, simplify' continues to ring true, more and more, every day. As an experiment, walk through the grocery store some time, with the keen eye of seeing everything you don't need. You'll find it amazing.

2016 seems to the year of religious conflicts, political garbage, and more losses due to hubris. Gandhi was right to say: "Be the change you want to see in the world."  Change takes place one person at a time.  Those who become blind followers of the loudest, strongest, cruelest, hateful, and least compassionate humans become afraid to be the person of hope, compassion, love, caring, kindness, and faith. 

Unless we change as individuals, we are lost. Humanity loses every time one individual loses sight of what really matters: faith, hope, love, and charity.  Remember which one Jesus said was the greatest? Love. 

When you are overwhelmed...

I've decided that I can be overwhelmed by the smallest of things; and thoughts are the seeds of the things that overwhelm me. Not a completely profound flashing-light realization; but a verification of years of thinking, pondering, and dealing with a broad spectrum of situations.

When I was young, too many choices would overwhelm me; so my modus operandi [MO] became: eliminate the choices and choosing. Clearly that was not a good MO. Everyone has to make choices, every day, every situation. The plight or life of a human is predicated on choice and making the right choice at every given opportunity. And that is an overwhelming thought, for sure. No one is exempt. Like death and taxes, choice is high on the scale of 'it happens,' and your choices are the direction your life takes, until death.

There are so many maxims/axioms that are shouted from the heights and depths; and I believe some are true; and by balance, some are not true. Here are some examples that have been plaguing me:

1. Drinking alcohol is bad for you. The correct translation is: Drinking in excess is bad for you.
2. Sugar is bad for you. The correct translation is: Sugar in excess is bad for you.
3. Chocolate is bad for you. The correct translation is: Chocolate in excess is bad for you.
4. Driving any vehicle too fast for conditions is bad for you. This one is actually true.
5. Crying is a sign of weakness. This one is not true, not true at all.

There are probably a million more, and that is another topic for another time. For now, it's the overwhelming thoughts that are important to dispel.

When we are teaching children, we endeavor to instill in them thoughts that seem important to us as adults. My inward apprehension of too many choices allowed me to instill in my daughter that she had all the choices she wanted; while encouraging her to make 'the best choice.'

When it comes to teaching children not to drink alcohol until they are of legal age; do we also instill in them that 'drinking to excess' is what is really bad for you?  Most teens want to drink alcohol at the earliest age they can sneakily get away with it. How about encouraging them to forego alcohol until their brains are fully developed [somewhere around the age of 25] instead of the 'legal age' and because alcohol kills brain cells?

Why is sugar bad for you? For one thing, it is addictive; and we make the best use of that addiction with cake, pie, candy, and highly processed foods. The problem lies in the choices we make. Juices from the grocers shelf often have high amounts of varying types of sugar in them; and what do we ply children with? Juice. Other choices include: "You were a good boy/girl, you get a cookie!" Sugar is a reward, learned early on in some countries. Now, if we could just teach moderation in the face of addiction.

The true 'life-shortening' choices we make have only one thing in common: IN EXCESS. There are many things in life that can be experienced once and that will have no negative impact on your longevity; and there are some things that carry a warning, as in 'your first experience of crack cocaine will have you addicted'.  The warnings we should provide for children, should include the understanding that some choices are to be completely avoided whenever possible; and some choices should be given consideration. Unless you are willing to understand the choices before you, one cannot make the best choice.

And, when you are overwhelmed by having to make a choice, or choices, that is the time you need to step back and educate yourself on the consequences of all the possibilities. Difficult task in itself, but thinking about consequences is better than suffering them!

We need to learn how to choose; not just make a choice. We need to teach our children that not everyone gets to win in the games: when two people, or two teams play any game, there is one winner and one loser. Losing is not shameful, and winning isn't always the greatest. However, we all get the choice to do our best, no matter what the situation is: a game, a test, a challenge, and life! When you do your best, given it your all, tried your hardest...you've made the best choice possible. That makes you the winner, no matter what! Don't be overwhelmed by losing, by loss, by struggling, by grief, by winning, by grand achievements, by anything.

Let us teach our children moderation, love, appreciation for all things, respect, and give them the tools to navigate the best they can. Teach our children to learn by observing; learn by reading; learn by experiencing; and to grasp onto all that brings them joy without regret.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3, and Genesis chapter 11 give balance, endless choices, and a look at possibilities that some might miss. Excess is what is bad for you, so don't be overwhelmed by it.

Worthy you are for all that you choose.  Live long and prosper. Your choice!

Are you listening? That's what I want to say to ...

I am becoming more of a recluse than I thought I could. When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a teacher who described himself as a misanthrope. Of course I didn't know what it meant, so I had to consult the dictionary. A misanthrope hates and/or distrusts humankind. The older I get, the more I think he was justified and I am at the intersection of staying on my path of kindness because everyone struggles, or taking the less traveled path of the misanthropic hermit.

It seems that every time I venture into the general 'public', whether to do errands in support of local commerce, or to splurge and have lunch out [instead of making do at home], I come away feeling that misanthropes have it right, and muttering to myself how much I detest stupid humans, as opposed to humans who are only ignorant.

Stupid is senseless, lacking intelligence; ignorant, on the other hand, is uneducated. The difference lies in whether or not humans are teachable, or beyond help.
 
Recently, when I drove through a fast-food place, I ordered the bacon clubhouse burger, and a smoothie. At the end of the transaction, the nameless, faceless clerk on the other end of the speaker, asked: 'Do you want the burger or the chicken?'  I replied, "I said BURGER." To which the person said, "I was just checking."  Right.  What they meant was, "I wasn't listening."

I drove away with an aversion to people who just 'don't listen.' And there are multitudes of them out there. I seem to be a magnet for them every time I venture away from home.  After that encounter, I decided to try to be more specific, and stress BURGER when ordering, and to go to different fast-food places and order the same thing.  Three out of four times, I endured the same experience: "Do you want the burger or the chicken?'  I have to say that this is disheartening. Am I actually becoming a misanthrope? I fear the worst.

I used to listen to NPR when the alarm went off in the morning. I can sometimes barely comprehend what is being said, because the speed at which they say it, and the mumbled and slurring of words spoken too rapidly makes it very annoying.  And when foreign correspondents give a report in a language that I do not comprehend, and the English speaking reporter tries to do a voice-over translation, it's even worse. I've had to turn off NPR. I don't need an alarm anymore, since I've retired and the only place I really want to go is to the sewing room; where the fabric lies in wait for the scissors, rotary cutter, needles and a hot iron. Really it's the rotary cutter and the scissors lying in wait for the chosen fabrics to be placed on the cutting mat.

The final nail in the box came when I was trying to purchase a couple of lottery tickets:  I wanted one line for multiple draws.  I got four lines for one draw. The $20 I spent was supposed to last for two weeks' worth of fantasy lottery winning. The twit at the counter, whom I'll label stupid, [see above for the reasoning] blew my fantasies in one shot.

Slow down people. Teach your children to listen. Really listen. Turn off the TV; the X-Box; and other distractions that aren't necessary; and read the dictionary; read a book; grow some food; watch the birds; take in the beauty of the world we live in instead of making it unbearable for others. Cacophony, any time of the day is undesirable. I'd rather listen to the birds!

Go forth and listen!

Students spent spring break learning from the old ways - Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Local

Students spent spring break learning from the old ways - Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Local

Do you ever get tired of the lectures from "friends?"

I'm not sure how our friends are issued to us. Do we choose them? Do they choose us? Are our friendships accidents waiting to happen? Or do they happen for a reason?

The reason I'm so full of questions is because March is going out like a lamb, but I'm feeling like an angry lion ready to pick a fight. In the last few months I've had 'friends' give me lectures like I am child or an incapable adult; or a complete nincompoop; or an inept person who needs direction; or an indecisive person who needs someone to give me orders.

The more I ponder the unpleasantness of being lectured to about different aspects of my life, the more I want to scream. I want to shout: "JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE." "I'M NOT AN IDIOT." "I DON'T WANT YOUR ADVICE."

However, I try to remain calm and endure the verbal pummeling without resorting to anger or defense. Instead, I turn to my computer and write an essay that I store away and no one ever reads it except for me. I sometimes revisit the essays, and sometimes I edit them for clarity, because hind-sight is 20/20.

I've had unnamed persons tell me I need to lose weight, a lot of it, and real fast. When I say that I've lost 42 pounds since November, I've heard how that's lame, and it's nothing, I need to lose XXX pounds; and here's what I need to do. I've had unnamed persons tell me I need to clear out my house, and just throw away the 'stuff;' and I need to build... everything from more or better raised beds, to a fence, to a deck, etc., and while I'm at it, I should get rid of my fabric stash because I'll never sew it all in my life time.

It dawns on me that these people have no right to exert such domineering posture towards me. They have their own problems, but they forget to 'take the timber out of their own eye, before they try to extricate the speck from my eye.'  I question their motives.

Like my Mother, I don't offer advice to people unless they ask for it, and then it is always prefaced with: "You have to do what you want to do. I might do something different, 'twere me."

In the end run, I won't invite these people to my home any more. They are not my friends, really. If they come to judge me, my home, my yard, or my choices, they are just not my friends, and I don't want them to be close to me. I would prefer the company of people who can be kind, understanding, positive, and helpful.

I'm tired of being worked-over and bludgeoned verbally by acquaintances.  Live and let live. Or, as my daughter used to say: "Eat shit and die."  I understand her sentiment much better now.

On that note: Live the life you desire, not the one others desire.

Remain calm. Carry on! And enjoy the Spring!

Indecision is the thief of time...

How many people have difficulties with the big decisions in life? I've been contemplating a relocation for many reasons: I miss my daughter and granddaughters; I'm just not that fond of winter any more; I'm feeling isolated; I'm terribly lonesome...

The positive energy in me wants to analyze all the little stuff into submission; but the negative side of me just wants to point out all the reasons why I shouldn't move.  The key words: wants and shouldn't.

I would have been married for 50 years this September. But, it lasted only 18 years and six months. I've actually been divorced longer than I've been married. That, in itself, makes me sad. My Mom and Dad, in spite of lots of ups an downs, were married for 63 years. I made a new start in life when I got married: built a house; grew lots of flowers; planted trees; had a huge garden; worked my butt off trying to please the man; never succeeded in that. After the divorce, I stuck around for a few years, putting up with the ex stealing my sheep, my sheep dog, and generally being a jerk. When I decided to sell my part of the farm he even refused to follow-through with the agreed upon settlement of the farm. He 'changed his mind' and it cost me an extra $1,500 to have the land re-surveyed.  My attorney at the time asked the right question: Do I want to pursue the 'right thing'  for $5,000 -$10,000, or do I want to get out of hell for a mere $1,500.  He agreed that I was being 'taken for another ride,' but I could take control and go.  So  I did.

I made a second new start in life by moving to Idaho in 1991. It was a horribly difficult decision: I had to sell my flock of sheep, some of whom had names and were cherished pets; I had to sell my home/farm and pack up my stuff. For the first few months I didn't have a job; I was living on my money from the sale of the farm; I didn't have a place to call home; and wasn't sure I'd made the right decision.  In July of 1991, I went to work for the County. In September of that year, I bought the piece of which I'm still living on: wheat land with nothing but stubble on it.  In February of 1992 I had a well drilled: 12+ gallons a minute!  Then I bought a used [read dilapidated] Forest Service office trailer, which would be my temporary home; then I had a road excavated and gravelled; brought in the trailer and waited for the natural gas to be piped to the house and the electricity to be brought to the site.  In August of 1992, my daughter announced that she and her boy friend were going to move to Las Cruces, NM and get married in September. My father was helping me to get the trailer into a livable place and my daughter wanted me to make her wedding dress.  This was cause for anxiety and arguments:  I was anxiously sewing the dress; my father was telling me to quit wasting my time; and I thought my life had just been dumped into the big trash can of life.

Needless to say, the dress was made; Melody and Glenn made their move to Las Cruces; may parents and I went to the wedding in Las Cruces; and in October of 1992, I was still waiting for natural gas and electricity so I could move into my home. The water piping was done. Wow.  By the end of October, I had natural gas, electricity and a place to live. It was rough going for a while: I had a 1985 Ford Ranger truck, 2-wheel drive, that didn't always make it up the driveway in the snow. My job at the County improved; I was lonesome as hell but I had my dog and he would console me when I cried.

Now, here is 2015 and I'm in a quandary about what to do, again. My family is far-flung: some in Illinois; some in North Carolina. The weather is better, usually, in NC, but the part of the family that I'd like to be closer to is in Illinois: otherwise known as tornado alley. But the bigger issue that bedevils me is: do I really want to start over again?  I've planted trees here since 1992, and most of them are now well over 20 feet tall; I got out of the used Forest Service office trailer in 2003, and have a nice home on a crawlspace with hardwood floors; I have a garage, with an attached studio which I have yet to use because it's stuffed full of 'stuff' that is too painful to go through and eliminate most of it while keeping the important stuff.

This indecision is taking a toll on me: I don't think I have it in me to start over, and yet I signed-up for a dating website, but now I'm even sorry I did that. After all, several months ago I sent a man packing because he was a couch potato/slug/leech who wasn't contributing to the expenses and we were both unhappy. Do I want to go through that again too?

Indecision is the thief of time, and energy, and happiness. It's a good thing I have a dog who knows how to console me!  How do other people deal with this sort of stuff? Better than me? I can only hope.

I need to go make another quilt to feel productive.  Count your blessings. She who hesitates is lost and a long way from the next exit.

A memory to start the new year on a high-note...

When my Dad got to be in his late 70s he loved to remember the past, whether it was funny, sad, rough, or sentimental. He used to tell me that there are only two things in life: anticipation and reminiscence.

On this second day of the New Year, I just want to reminisce. In 1989, my Father had a heart attack and I drove across the country from Pennsylvania with my daughter so we could see my Dad, and so she could find a place to live since she was going to attend WSU that Fall to earn her Master’s Degree in Analytical Chemistry.  The short story of my Dad: he lived through the heart attack, and on into his 85+ year, and died in 2006. But that is for another day.

My daughter, Melody, loves to teach, and in fact, she is going to be student teaching in middle school in a week or so.  She found out how much she loved teaching at WSU.  Her rules for her classes were very simple: show up, do the work, ask questions, and for her Lab classes: keep your Lab notebook up to date; it must be legible [if she couldn’t read it, you failed]; show your work so that she could help you figure out where you went wrong if you didn’t come up with the correct answer [no work to see, you failed].

Her peers, other Teaching Assistants who knew her, nicknamed her HELGA, Iron-booted Lab Instructor from Hell.  They knew  Melody wasn’t nearly as tough as the name implied, but that didn’t stop the tormenting of her with HELGA!

She relayed the story to me, so my evil-side made a T-shirt for her. It was shocking pink with black lettering: HELGA TA FROM HELL. The TA part was 6” tall and the rest was only 1” tall.

HELGA

TA

FROM HELL

Melody got a kick out of the T-shirt and wore to her first Lab Class one semester.  As she tells it, she was sitting on the desk in front of the class, feet dangling, waiting for the students to file in and find seats. One girl was quite late and the only seat left was right in the center seat of the front row.  Melody described the girl as slinking in, head down, trying to avoid eye contact.  Melody continued to talk to the students, and finally the late girl looked up at Melody, and saw her T-shirt.  The first words the girl whispered were: “Oh, Sh*t” and that brought laughter from Melody.  I just love remembering this story.

The girls who took her class found that they were already chemists: Melody taught them that if you bake chocolate chip cookies, or anything else for that matter, you were already a chemist, and all you needed to add to it is the nitty-gritty details. For the young men in her classes she had other analogies.

I spent the first day of this year anticipating football winners: Go Ducks! Go Ohio State! And, today, I reminisced a little. 

Now it’s time to go back to some knitting and quilting!