This is turning into a philosophical beginning to the new year for me, as it seems like it is for many others out there. Reading and watching the news makes the world feel like it doesn’t fit us. The one-size-fits-all view that we’re forced to accept completely ignores that individuality isn’t some catch word so that we can wear a button. If you think that your views can fit into the space on a button, then either: a) your views aren’t all that deep, or b) your back is going to hurt from the size of that button you’re trying to wear.

One word descriptives should come with a warning logo that states the actual size of this word isn’t the actual size you think you see in that rear view mirror (after all, not too many of us are all that forward looking, are we?). Liberal, communist, non-profit…words like this are aspirational but have been co-opted by talking points that don’t like the larger view the world requires. Conservative, pro-life, religious…these words have become defensive walls that many believe speak without listening.

Look at what’s happening at all of the large talks in places like Switzerland, and you’ll see a bunch of people that are used to being heard, but aren’t as good as they could be in seeing the world outside of their view, or listening for that matter. It’s leaders like these that have turned life into the war of life that WE (the rest of us) didn’t choose. It’s images like this that skew our own view of the world:

There’s a sector of our world that believes that everything is not only measureable, but also easily labeled. And we all fall in line with this belief. Why? In reality, there is no spreadsheet big enough to take into account 7 billion+ separate points (yes, humans) with a innumerable list of individual characteristics that combine in unique ways. That’s not even including our surrounding nature and its own inhabitants that also impact life. Any spreadsheet that can keep track of each of these moving targets in the equation called life would redefine the word revolutionary. And in case some robot is looking at individual key words in this post, then I’m talking about the definition that means “constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change”. Yeah, life doesn’t have to be a war. Most people are not even all that fond of fighting (unless you’ve got a reality tv show to keep alive).

Today’s local newspaper talked about a hospital that saved my life (can never be thankful enough) being in trouble because it’s way behind in making profits, so the owners are selling it along with other non-profitable institutions.

• Where is the owner’s care for the greater good that is this hospital’s mission?
• Why is it that institutions that make a difference in many people’s lives are not treated with the same respect as that of, I don’t know, our governments which have been batting “00” and detrimentally affecting the people it was designed to serve?
• Why is it that measureable, meaningless profits equate to the most meaningful factors that decide success or failure?
• Who gets to choose in a world of 7 billion + people what is considered the most important points to this so-called success or failure ratio? Especially when those who currently make these decisions weren’t even chosen by the majority of the world.

Maybe we should be listening to a bigger authority called LIFE instead? After all, it’s life that is responsible for our very existence. Not in some religious or biological sense, but in the fundamental sense that the universe put everything into place so that we could come into existence as another factor in the on-going equation called life. Here’s my favorite inspiration, Neil deGrasse Tyson, giving the greatest sermon ever:

http://youtu.be/u9w72HbmKeI

Life isn’t a war. It’s a wonder. Why are we so determined to make everything fit into our own independent, singular perspective, when it’s clear that all perspectives count in the true final equation that counts in life? It’s no wonder that we can never calmly talk to one another. We don’t even see one another.

just saying…

So, it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to you all. Health can do that to you. But once you’re free of the troubles that restricted your life, it’s easy to see that you’ve been given a new lease to do what you’re meant to do. The question for so many of us is: What were you put here on Earth to do? A tough question that only you can truly answer for yourself.

My favorite outspoken philosopher/economist Umair Haque just asked that same question. And it’s come at a perfect time in our world history. No matter where you look, our governments are proving that they are no longer up to the task of doing what they’re supposed to do. Our economies are in a shambles, trade agreements are being written to usurp social and legal rules (have you heard about that unbelievable horrid TPP??),  those who protect and serve no longer do so collectively, and many of our so-called legislators have shown themselves to be the deconstructers of democracy.

We’ve got a lot of news that is troubling, and it’s become clear when you listen to the dialogue that those who want change are fighting against even more of those who got theirs and don’t want to share or simply don’t care. The global climate talks aren’t moving forward because of money, our governments are moving backwards because of money. It’s all because no one wants to share equally. Equality is the moral issue of our times.

But we’re actually in a much better place than we think. When things break down, they need to be fixed by someone who understands how they are designed to work. When leaders stop talking, then there’s an opening for other words to be heard. When laws no longer protect society as a whole, then they need to be rewritten by society as a whole. And there are a lot of thinkers and doers out there who can make a big difference in the first steps.

Beginning of US Constitution (source: Wikipedia)

These particular words from the US Constitution mean the most to so many people around the world. It’s given people hope that there will be a time when everyone is equally important. Well, that time is now. And those people include you and me and everyone, EQUALLY.

We know that our governments and institutions are dysfunctional. The system that has worked for so long has only worked because it’s been on life support, administered by those who have the most to lose if things change. If you want to see how bad it can get, read it in a newspaper like this: Washington’s Post Capital Gains. There has to more to life than this, isn’t there?

So, now that progress stops in status quo, then we can start everywhere, on everything. Fixing our infrastructures, businesses, social contracts, individual interactions, and so much more.

Writers and other “dreamers” see other ways of living that excite them so much that they create worlds to explain their dreams (like one of my favs, Star Trek: TNG). So, do social entrepreneurs and others who help make the world better for more of us. All of these dreams have one thing in common…WE THE PEOPLE. All of us working together, instead of competing as we are now doing. Notice how in all of thse dreams, none look like the world we actually live in? And if they do, then we are trying to escape it. Curious, isn’t it?

Cooperation goes far, and it’s been proven over the centuries. Our future will require it. Now it’s up to us to take up our part in making it happen. Something, anything that will be different from what we’ve done in the past.

It only takes a tweak and some people to make that change stick. If you’ve seen the news, then you know that we need to start now.

Talking about health, here’s a site that’s being shared on Reddit: The Battle We Didn’t Choose. The images that were shared by a husband in memory of his wife really hit home, and remind you of just how delicate life is. I am recovering from my own battle with my health, and lucky to be looking at a brighter future due to an amazing group of nurses and doctors. We talk all of the time about healthcare and choosing the right system, but until it affects you personally, you won’t recognize the importance of this talk. We can’t leave it to idiots who look at the system as an endless cash machine. It needs the heart of soul of a society that gives a damn of more than itself.

This story of a man and his wife is only one of many happening around the world everyday. We tend to focus on the causes without paying attention to the people involved. We need to stop the blind-folded feel good actions that revolve around pink ribbons or patches, which don’t help the actual nurses, doctors, researchers, and care-givers who work in the darkness to bring light to those who need it.

Here’s an opportunity to read a personal story and come face to face with the realities of failing health and an over-burdened system that gets little help that it needs. It’s a small step, but all new beginning start from tentative steps.

My condolences to the family of Jennifer. Your story helps keep her memory alive. And helps to change a world so that it can recognize its heart once again.

Hey there! It’s been a while since I wrote, but life sometimes just takes over and leads to chaos. Considering that some of us thrive on various levels of chaos, you’d think that it would be welcome. Well, some chaos is harder to accept because it tears apart your comfort level and leaves you swinging in the wind questioning it all.

Moving from a home you’re comfortable in to a situation that is unfamiliar is unsettling. Having your body break down, leaving you in throes of pain unimaginable is frightening. Trying to re-establish a life that is different from what you know can leave you floundering like a bird without wind. Having it all happen simultaneously can leave the strongest person wanting a teddy bear. For some, comfort is just too important. For others, the ripping apart of the seams from your own blanket of comfort a new blanket that embraces the you that wants to be.

The world today is in the process of having its blanket ripped apart. What was familiar has become questionable, because we do the rote actions with little thought behind them. When the thinking stops, then it’s impossible to avoid all of the potential pitfalls awaiting their opportunity to shred the material that holds society together. The thread for this blanket is full-bodied knowledge. Knowledge gathering is a life long pursuit that has little to do with going to school, and everything to do with seeing life as the ultimate schooling. No piece of knowledge is useless, because there is a place that it belongs to. Sometime that place is outside of the view of what we consider normal.

What we need to remember is that our normal will not always be THE normal. Life changes, the world changes, and so must we. If we choose our own personal comfort levels, then we are not only not growing as individuals or allowing those around us their potential to grow as well. How is that fair for anyone?

So, comfort may be the be all and end all of existence. But it’s the process of ripping apart that allows potentially new fabrics to come into being. We have more than enough materials all around us to make beauty be more than skin deep. The question is are there enough adults out there to sew the pieces into an even more beautiful piece of life?

And on a side note: Don’t ever take your body for granted. It has an uncanny knack of reminding you that it really is your temple, and the only one that you’ll ever have. If you feel strange symptoms, don’t ignore them and hope that they’ll simply go away. Being comfortable isn’t the same as being healthy and whole.

So the verdict is out for Pfc Manning and it’s not good, though there is one slim silver strand in a porous lining:

I haven’t been as diligent in following this case as I have been with the NSA surveillance, because Manning is in a much more precarious position than Snowden, simply because he signed up for the military and swore an oath that is much different from that of a private contractor. People have been ripping apart both men, and centering on their unpatriotic actions with very little indication that they understand that any system must be questioned if it is endangering the majority for the sake of status quo. For too long now, we have accepted that our governments know best, that our military is fighting for what’s right, and that our leaders actually understand the moral obligations that come with their positions. Now, we’ve found that none of this is true.

Whistleblowing is falling under the darkest of shadows because there are too many who stand to lose too much if the system were to change. Our system is no longer about how to ensure that society is secure, but is now about how to game the system the best to win the prize: grandeur, status, power, money, and whatever keeps these people on the pedestals that they designed for themselves. History shows over and over what happens when absolute power corrupts absolutely, and our global ruling class by and large are following in the steps of the gilded Caesar. Now, they are looking over their shoulders to ensure that they don’t fall under the same fate that he did. It usually happens when you perpetuate the unjust in your thoughts and deeds against the many.

And now we are faced with a continuing dilemma that is challenging us to understand the motivations of those who question systems which are inherently unjust. When a system is built so that its major participants will go against the wisdom of the ages in order to continue their golden lifestyles, then it’s time to do more than wait for the next election cycle to replace those we don’t trust. Decades of making a choice between the lesser of two evils has given us a world that is not fit for life. We see what our thoughtless actions create just by looking outside of our safe havens. We don’t want to accept climate change. We don’t want to accept martial law. We don’t want to accept that our thoughts are no longer our own. We don’t want to accept that evil is really triumphing over good, because we didn’t realize that evil has been cloaked in good for far too long. As more denials to our fate ring hollow against the stark truths that darken the light, we are now standing at the moment when we as a people have got to think about more than ourselves. Individualism gives us strength until it spills over into selfishness and destroys what we hold dear.

Today another man who stood for his principles is a victim of his circumstances. He knew that he would be punished for his actions, but he still did what he thought was best for the greater good. And today, our system let him down by accepting that civility, honor, and respect means more than what this country used to stand for. It’s hard to swallow what the US has become because none of us cared enough to change the trajectory towards the edge of a deep chasm. When a senator is disrespected by automaton lawyers for a governmental behemoth which has been revealed to be acting against mankind, which words do you trust? If you’re aware of the future, then hopefully you chose the one who has been fighting like Don Quixote or David. If you pick the giant, then many of us want to know why!

If you’ve immersed yourself in the global news of late, then you’ll probably be noticing that justice only happens periodically when someone brave stands up for the lives of individuals everywhere over what they consider to be civil order. Perhaps we’ve been living in civilization for so long that we no longer recognize what a proper act of decency looks like. It’s not about confronting the ugliness that mankind is capable of through more bloated laws, but forcing the questionable acts out in the open so that we can have a global discussion on what WE want our society to ACT like. And not how some antiquated and proper parliament or congressional member thinks society should behave.

Morals are all well and good, but when they endanger the lives of too many innocents, then morality has been tipped off the scale of justice. I for one am sick and tired of my governments telling me what I can read, write, or listen to. It’s not their jobs to do so. It’s all of our jobs to understand when you’ve gone too far in your actions and words, and hurt others around you, even if it was unintentional (those hurt the most because you thought the least). That’s what civility used to be about. Now it’s empty rhetoric tossed out through sermons by people who long forgot what their jobs really entail. That these people are in charge is our call to do our duties as a global citizens and reformat society.

CTRL-ALT-DEL the system so that we can rewrite the code of how man needs to live life. Once we understand what is wrong with our current system, we’ll know how to rebuild to try to avoid a re-occurrence. That’s when we’ll find our justice for all!