CBrajkovich Ramblings

The modern world is in a crisis. Everywhere we look, we’ve become used to things continuing forever. Our lives moved along in an almost endless flow, like a stream upon the winter melt. But we forget that everything in life has ebbs and flow which have to be considered when moving forward. We try to sidestep the ebbs and glide with the flows. But it won’t always work like that. Because sometimes, we can come across a torrential flow that we have to work against, or maybe no flow at all which requires just as much work. Without the hard work, well, the results just aren’t all that memorable.

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I was watching a tv show about a particularly scary gang, and it got me thinking. For various numbers of reasons, we all want or have to belong to someone or something. It’s an inherent part of our nature to join together in a show of unity, as well as a form of protection. While the feelings of belonging are indeed powerful, they might also want to be looked at more closely. Are you a member because it’s a choice that you made with the depth of your being, or is it because you felt that a choice had to be made for other exterior purposes?

As you heard previously, I was raised in the cradle of the US military family system, and much of my youth was spent in Japan which is my other home. I’ve always been fascinated by the feudal era when the samurai had firm control of the country’s protection against itself and its foreign attackers. As a matter of fact, I’m amazed to watch warriors period, no matter where or when they exist. Like any institution, they swore allegiance to their feudal lord and belonged to his household. They trained and fought for the sole purpose of this belonging. But when their lord lost his power, they had an excruciating choice to make: die with honor, or lose dignity and transfer allegiance. This stood as their supreme test of their belief in their loyalty. Many chose death over dishonor. Continue reading →

We all have that line in the sand, that, when crossed will trigger violent retribution from us. I’m not talking, hopefully, of actual violence, but emotional reaction of the repercussion against who we are. Status quo is being challenged everywhere by a younger generation against the established. Actually it’s not the older against the younger, but old views against new views. They each circle around one another, much like two prized fighters just before the bell rings. Sometimes, that reaction is so severe that it doesn’t wait until a ring sounds.

What gets accomplished when denial is the answer to everything? What happens when the standard courtesy of simply listening before responding is thrown out of the window? We’re seeing the first hand results when people go out of control. It’s not pretty, and it doesn’t portray the majority’s wishes. The majority already have an opinion that serves them well, so it’s unnecessary to tolerate those few firecrackers who want to threaten the forest. The majority doesn’t need rules and regulations, because it uses its inner compass. Comfort can forge inaction when the threat isn’t seen clearly. Only when emotion overtakes logic, does everyone react like wild animals and chaos ensues. Then the threat takes on a larger-than-life persona. Like when the majority becomes threatened. Continue reading →