Sunday Musing

As I ponder life, and the world I often am reminded that "I" tend to take things very seriously, and that life is to be enjoyed. Enjoyment is an activity that happens most easily when my focus of attention on my enjoyment is either absolute or non-existent.

 

Anything between the two and my enjoyment is less than absolute. There is a varying degree of dialogue in "my" head about what's going on, a less than total surrender which results in less than total enjoyment.

 

So back to musing on life. A friend sent me one of those silly e-mails about what some people were doing on the morning of 9-11 rather than being at the place of others death.

And it does allow one to wonder at the miracle of life and the reality of death and the simple fact that if one believes in GOD that all of it is good, in my book. What we call evil, the active enjoyment of suffering, is essentially confusion and not something to be taken too seriously.

 

Now this is not to say that we should or could not strive for clarity (i.e. Good) but that the absence of clarity is not "evil" and should not be construed as such, more as the natural state of humanity, the background of life, and so Beauty and Joy arise when we glimpse or experience the absence of confusion and see the beauty and love that constantly surrounds us all, as it is.

 

Death I've been told is less traumatic than many traffic tickets. Supposedly, it's not such a big deal. Of course this makes dying a lot easier, especially if your worried about it, or contributing to your own (smoking, eating poorly, lack of exercise, drug abuse) or others, capitalistic consumerism, war, taxes, violence et al.

 

But back to the story about 9-11. If "god" saved those people who otherwise would have been "there", then all the rest that died, were meant too, and just got a pass out of this world, into the next. . .

 

Maybe I'm missing something profound here, but it seems that faith is like pregnancy, it's all or nothing, you either believe (or know) or you don't. Every sparrow that falls does so with god's love and blessing, or there simply is no god.

 

Yes, I'm aware that some people see God as allowing evil to "teach" us that good is better etc. but that is just a watered down version of what I'm saying. Essentially it's all good, it's all perfect, and it's "our" or my perception of life that is in conflict with reality or "God's will". 

 

So from this place suffering is resisting what is. Whether what is is war and violence or  the publishing of "secrets" on public websites that are then a crime for American to view if they are members of the armed forces. . . The truth is a crime, and the crime we call war is legal. . . It's all a bit overwhelming at times, yet I'm grateful for my life and "my" freedom, that has grown deeper and more profound as I have recognized my blind habits as my greatest jailer and torturer. Perhaps I will not remain so sanguine if I am imprisoned or tortured by others, yet I am inspired and given hope by those souls who have endured such realities only later to gain their freedom and shine more brightly in the world.

 

We need heroes, we need examples of clear thinking and right action. Wherever you find them, who ever they are, I hope the point you to greater peace, love and enjoyment.

American Government at war with Wikileaks and the internet

It appears that the U.S. Defense department and the President of the United States has again bypassed the constitution. the congress and the "people". Today the Pentagon in its demand that wikileaks retract its posting of the "Afghan war diary" and other information took the first step in  declaring  "war" on the strongest voice for the free dissemination of information in the world. The Defense department, the Pentagon and the President appear to have joined forces with the worlds most despotic regimes to destroy Wikileaks and the Sun Shine press.

 

It is of course obvious that the interests of power are at odds with the interest of an informed democracy. The fact that the FCC has expedited the monopoly on broadcast news is itself, not news. What is news is the bold, and violent desperate oppression, opposition and fear that the United States is expressing in its opposition to Wikileaks. We are now declaring war on the purveyors of information to protect the guilty and the interests of the powerful, the rich and the violent. It is of course only a matter of time before any news organization that reprints or disseminates wikileaks information, becomes a target as well. We are embarking upon the end of the free press. In months or days we will see America join forces with China, Russia, North Korea, and Zimbabwe among others as censoring free press and the exchange of ideas and the eventual destruction of the internet as it is. The overt intimidation and harassment and theft from of employees and volunteers of wikileak personal has already begun. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/02/jacob-appelbaum-wikileaks_n_667665.html

 

It is one of the ongoing tragedies of America, that we the people, are both unable and unwilling, to reign in the endless violence that the American Government as empire, has adopted as its standard operating procedure in it's defense of itself and its growth. The "defense" of it's stolen resources, or it's championing of the theft of such resources if they are then "fenced" to "us" (the American consumer) cheaply.

 

While America has never had a strong history of open minded dialogue or negotiation, we (as compassionate loving beings) have the reasonable expectation that it might develop these capacities in the hope to demonstrate that we can indeed lead the world in "what is right". As a nation that identifies itself as "Christian" we have always ignored the primary teaching of Christ: "To love your enemies, as yourself".

Of course, one could argue that we do. That we are a profoundly conflicted nation of individuals, who are at war within ourselves, knowing that the luxury and peace we "enjoy" is paid for by the suffering of both our troops, our enemies, and most sadly, the countless innocent children, bystanders and citizens living in the countries where we are waging war. Whether the war is against terrorism, against drugs, against other governments is irrelevant in our willingness to kill, to pollute, and too fund oppression of democracy with outcomes other than rampant capitalism that profits those who fund the US Senate and Congress. And until or unless we address this inherent flaw in our "democracy" we have little hope of meaningful change.

 

It is sad and tragic in the years since 9/11 that not once has the United States leadership honestly asked itself or the world, why we might reasonably become a target of hatred and intolerance. It is indeed telling and obvious that we have a department of defense, a department of secrecy and torture, but not a department of peace or a department of reconciliation. We have become so addicted to violence and oppression of dissent that we can no longer even imaging open dialogue with those that think or feel differently. Yet it is our obligation as citizens to take the lesson of history and be willing to be oppressed, tortured and killed for the principles of truth, equality and love. It is only a matter of time that those who will not silently consume the lies we are offered every day, become targets of our own governments oppression.

 

Our courts and leadership have chosen to protect the interests of the rich at the cost of the poor, the innocent and the unrepresented. We have chosen to protect the auctioning of election through advertising rather than the examination and dissemination of truth or even position. I fear there is no end to the hypocrisy of our violence, oppression and hatred of those that might dare to think differently.

While as Americans, who supposedly have a government that represents us, we have many values. Sadly, Honesty, Truth and Compassion cannot be truly said to be among them.

And while today the enemy is called wikileaks, in truth what will be the casualty is the internet and the ability of Americans and humans around the globe, to access and discuss issues and ideas that are deemed a "threat" to Americas "national security".