Don't Let It Bring You Down...

...because that doesn't help you or anyone else.

I find it funny that some people think, because I have strong views about the way many people of the world are manipulated by corporate elites, politicians and religious institutions, that somehow I shouldn't be happy living within it, or I'm making a point of flaunting some 'better awareness' - I should get angry and fight back the monolithic control, or get loud and bring other people down with my insight into such matters, making them feel bad about where they are. I don't think I am better aware than anyone else, because we all live the best way we see fit. We are all in this together, and it is vital to share our thoughts and understandings about life with each other. So many times I have had light-bulb moments from regular conversations with my friends and family because of something they've said, and further a-has! from books, essays, documentaries and even mainstream movies and articles, and then more holy-cows! from silence, trees, water and the vastness surrounding us.
Still, a lot of people think that if I am happy, I'm hypocritical - safe in the place I choose to live, doing the things I want to do, living well within my society as it stands... I should instead be forming some sort of protest movement, or travelling to far places to add my presence to rallying groups like Anonymous or Occupy ______, or living under a rock with disdain...
For the record: it makes more sense to me to volunteer for positions in committees that affect the future of my local community and help the children that live in it. It makes more sense for me to volunteer for organizations like the ITNJ and New Earth Nation, where my voice is added to the work of thousands trying to lift others up in positive ways. It makes more sense to invite people to my part of the world, so they may enjoy unspoiled nature and hospitality. It makes more sense for me to write poems, prose, blogs and songs, sharing them to help give light to the darkness that traps people in anger, arrogance, sadness or despair.

The way I go about 'protesting' is in positive, localized manners - and that whole "be the change you wish to see in the world" is not some psychobabbly Gandhi meme, it is a truth that has become more rote and less lived. This blog, these words, I use to confide; they allow me to get out the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that rapture my soul, and into the hearts and minds of anyone who cares to read them. I am happy just to be able to express myself in this way, not because I may convince anyone of anything, but because it frees me up to take care of others and do the dishes and the laundry and countless other jobs, so I can do them in peace and with my full attention. This is today's rhapsody - Try not to get down about all the ludicrous things going on, find the things you can do that not only let you tolerate them, but rejoice in your ability to dissent without conflict.

Leisure Guilt - How Productivity Shames Relaxation

Productivity- The quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.  

         Leisure- Time spent free from the demands of work or duty,              when one can rest, enjoy hobbies or sports etc...

The concept of leisure dates back to elements in the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle (Leisure Ethics) - understanding free will and the growth of intelligence through art, music, drama, sport and play as foundations of a well-lived life. Happiness depended upon having the time for contemplation, self-development and philosophical musings - Although, those guys had strict views on how citizens spent their leisure time, leisure was nonetheless an important part of life. In this day and age, who has time for that?  If you're not productive, even when off work, you're seen as wasting time and money. Leisure is for those who spent the majority of their lives being productive and can now afford leisure activities, guilt free. Teenagers are experts in the art of relaxation, until they are told to 'grow up' and be productive by envious and tired adults. We also have to take into account that many leisure activities are now expensive, regulated and competitive in nature, so out of reach as everyday objectives to pursue. Vacations are the ultimate recreation, but you better save up money you've made from your productiveness, and eke a few weeks out of the year (if you're lucky enough to get more than a week from your employer). Many sports are now productive pursuits in that there are goals to achieve and rivals to quash, as well as costly equipment to buy. When did fun become something to have after all the work or productive play dates are done?  The work is never really done - there's always something that needs doing. And, that nonsense of contemplation and self-development? Who needs that? For many people, those ideas don't qualify as relaxing endeavours, let alone necessary elements of happiness.

"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."  Blaise Pascal

Doing nothing is highly underrated; but, most people can't do it. The reason is that guilt pops up to say "hey, you're navel gazing, don't you have something better to do?" Better, meaning Productive. Meditation, the art of no-minding, has become yet another productive activity, where there is an end goal of generating a peaceful state of mind, so you can go on with being productive without resentment, sadness or anger - there are pills for that, anyway. The success of the pill industry is a symptom of society in general not being able to settle down and breathe.  If we could all just relax without the guilt, meditation and all its selling points wouldn't be such a 'thing'. Our minds would be free from the chattering of "what's next?" 'how well did I do?", if we could just spend our leisure moments well...

The fact is: our world is imbalanced - We have too much Yang and not enough Yin. Yang being the Masculine - the doer, the fixer, the architect, the moving force.  Yin being the Feminine - the receiver, the exposed, the breath, the softener.  Notice how all the Yang words are actions - that's because Yang energy is active.  Yin, on the other hand, is the space - not an easy concept to convey because it is the opposite of action; but it is not exactly non-action nor is it re-active. Without Yin energy, Yang takes over and crushes all the space that gives creativity, joy and inspiration to its animation. Is it any wonder why the push to be productive outweighs the pull to sit back and enjoy the ride?

Our society sees those who readily enjoy themselves, especially if they haven't 'earned' it, as unproductive members - How dare they be happy while we have to strive?  Those smiley people need to pull up their socks or bootstraps or something. I am here to tell you that leisure is just as important, if not more so than productivity.  Do not to worry about leisurely going through life - that worry stems from guilt, one of the most self-destructive feelings there is. Relax! When you enjoy your time doing nothing, you will see the amazing results that your productivity manifests when you decide to get up and do something - your productivity then becomes an extension of that joy - a perfect balance.

Access to Freedom - An Open Sourced Life

Open Source promotes universal access, via free licensing to a product's design/blueprint, and universal redistribution of that design/blueprint, including subsequent improvements by anyone...

Take this a step further...  Promoting universal access to education, knowledge, awareness and health via free communication/love, and universal redistribution of those, including subsequent revisions and ideas.
It sounds too good to be true, but we already have it.

The only barriers to you accessing an open sourced life are your own confining mental constructs, emotional baggage, fear, and believing people who would rather tell you how not to do things, how things can't be done and what obstacles are in your way.

After thousands of years of 'progress', humanity is stuck in a mire of such scale that many of us are killing each other, and killing ourselves just to get out of it.

Is this really the best we can do?

All the answers are waiting for you to open up to them- in nature, in the lives and words of true humanitarians, in the uplifting stories and miracles that happen all the time, beneath the news of tragedy, fear mongering and debt so prevalent.  If this sounds too woo-woo for you - it is because your own barriers hold you back.  Just because you're breathing, doesn't mean you're alive! Some people say "well, it would be nice to think that..." but, if it feels nice to think something, why not just think it anyway?  What have you got to lose?  A tiresome, health stealing, depressive mood that follows you around like the cloud of Pig Pen - a cloud created by upsets, anger, envy and self-limitation. Clean yourself up. No one is going to do it for you. Get busy doing things that uncover the fact that your mind alone keeps you mired.

All the red tape and hoops, rules and regulations, paper shuffling and numbers with currency signs in front of them, the things we are told we must do to make our lives work, are only avenues of trading ideas, goods, and abilities - however, living open sourced, all of those will fall into a place that works with where you are now.  When you begrudge those 'necessities', they become things to begrudge - and the circle of red tape and hoops comes around again to prove your point. I continue to create the life I want, through nothing else but sheer will, and happenstances that were not best case scenarios, but that's because I was also steeped in historical habits, being afraid, and thinking "is this all there is?!" for many years, even though I know that I am the master of my own destiny.  Still, I catch myself in the caves of negativity and doubt - It doesn't take long to find the light at the end of the tunnel, and once I do, the freedom is so vast that it reminds me there is no other way to be. Don't believe me - listen to your own thoughts, and how many times you let them evolve to negative emotions, forcing your actions toward negative outcomes, or deriding others for exuding happiness and hope just to try to prove that you're right.  Also take note of the times that your sickness heals faster when you are in love, or the things that slide off your back when you are happy...

It is not all the horrors in the world that give rise to all the horrors in the world - it is individuals who feel stuck and oppressed that spreads across societies like a plague.  It is up to each individual to free themselves from those attachments and limited thinking.  We can take back control of our existence by researching the things we want to know, sharing our insights and stories, being with people that already live with hope and love, and taking the time to reveal our true nature - it is the most important job you'll ever have.

Natural Law is the Only Real Law

Natural Law codified with the philosophers of Greek Stoicism in the first few centuries BC - The well positioned theory is that there are basic and fundamental dictates to human nature, which are readily ascertained by human reasoning, and do not need legislative enactments or judicial decisions to accredit.  This Law was the moral ground underlying all legal systems throughout the modernizing world up until the 19th C, when Empiricism and Materialism arose.  Logical Positivism became the newest form of rational knowledge, surpassing Natural Law as the basis for constructing new systems of law and order - Man's Law.

The motivating principles of human action are: self preservation and expansion of knowledge and love.  Natural Law is based on Divine Providence - That all humans are directed by the basic awareness of Do No Harm.  The justification of harming another is for self preservation (defense of oneself from another's harm).  The desire for discovery of truth, seeking out beauty, prosperity, happiness, freedom, searching for something higher than self and establishing relationships, for their own sakes, are fundamental human objectives. Obtaining these objectives require actions that should not interfere with anyone else's pursuit of the same. This is where cooperation comes in.  Cooperation is the highest form of obtaining these objectives. Competition automatically causes one to clash with others.  I should not steal something from another because, even though that thing I want is considered good to me, there is harm done to another by taking something away, not being given by consent.

Good is to be done, Evil is to be avoided.  But, who says what is good and what is evil?  With Man's Law, certain actions are considered good on one hand and evil on another - as in the justification of killing members of the human family in the name of war being good, but killing other members of the human family living next door is evil.  Natural Law is a self guiding principle that cannot be overwritten by justifications or ideologies made up by any man.

We have come to a point that every move we want to make needs to be considered, as it may break some bylaw or new legislation.  The hard materialistic and empirical viewpoints have taken us away from inherent Understanding - and the school of thought that there are some human beings of lesser value than others because they are not 'civilized' has created a cage of regulation and governmental edicts. The problem now is that most people don't consider their innate awareness as a guide to being in the world; they look to appointed leaders to tell them what is right and wrong.  This is dangerous for everyone, except those leaders who, for the most part, exempt themselves from their own laws.

There is a dismantling, an untangling from the morass of man made control, that must be done, in order to be released from this jurisdictive cage. The first step is to clear away the cobwebs of our indoctrinated minds, and recognize the veracity of our own beingness - which is to say trusting in our own discernment of good/evil/right/wrong.  The second step is to acknowledge what has actually occurred over the past 200 years - the methodical procedure of legislative authority over us by those in power. The third step is to inform others, so they can start the first step...  After that, it is our duty to go against any imposed authority by living fully in the truth of Natural Law.  Then, the obvious extension is to direct any disputes, when a person's rights, privileges or interests are at stake, to Natural Justice:  Principles of Natural Justice

This whole dismantling is not as overwhelming as it sounds, because we each start from where we are.  There does not need to be any red tape or logistical finagling - No one needs to run down to the court house with "Natural Law Now!" signs, or oppose things for the sake of it already being written law (unless it directly opposes you in a situation).  Just start living in what the seat of your soul knows is right.  Simple.

Note: Some will say "what about all the terrorism, suicide bombings... How are we supposed to deal with that?"  The current state of the world is a direct result, over hundreds of years, of people holding power over others.  We're in the thick of it.  Take care of yourself, your family and those around you at all times.  Peace.

The American War on Drugs became the Global War on Terror... What's next?

In June of 1971 American President, Richard Nixon, declared the 'war on drugs'.  With the presidency of Ronald Reagan, the expansion of this 'war', by his wife's highly publicized campaign of "Just Say No", rose the prison incarceration rate from 15 inmates per 100,000 adults in 1980 to 148 per 100,000 in 1996.  Today, half of American prison inmates are there on drug offenses. - https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp.  $51 billion dollars are spent annually in the U.S. for the war on drugs.  Less is spent in Canada, but it relatively corresponds.  Most of the illicit drugs of today were first introduced, over the counter or through prescription, legally by doctors.  The war on drugs created more social problems and fear of drug addicts than ever before.

Enter the War on Terror.  On October 7, 2001 (one month after 9/11) President George W. Bush declared a worldwide War on Terror by imposing new security legislation, overt/covert military operations, blocking financial means 'to fund terrorism', and inciting the leaders of other countries to follow suit.  The civilian body count from this war is widely disputed, ranging from 1.3 - 4 million, mostly Muslims.  The continuing war on terror has allowed governments to further erode the rights and freedoms of people all over the globe.  Since 2001, the U.S. has spent 1.7 trillion dollars on this 'war'. Canada's spending is in the 100's of billions.  The war on terror has created more societal problems and fear of terrorists than ever before... BTW: if you still believe that 9/11 was perpetrated by 19 Arab terrorists with box-cutters, and not controlled demolitions planned and executed by parts of the U.S. Government with the inside knowledge of at least two other countries, well, take the time to go through the unwavering evidence by professional architects, engineers, those who study the laws of chemistry, physics and thermodynamics, as well as U.S. government officials and eye witnesses. 

Besides being a huge boost for the economy (because wars do that)
The U.S. and Britain 'secured' the Iraqi oil fields, and preserved the American dollar
as the world's reserve currency. 

Millions of people worldwide are tired of the charade.  They're tired of being tied to a system that creates war in order to make money, hold unrestrained power, and methodically reduce sovereign rights.  The very constitutions that were put in place to protect citizens from an overreaching government have been cut apart...  let the overstepping begin.

American rights that have been lost:

 http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/02/lost-constitutional-rights.html

Canadian rights that have been lost:

http://bill-c51.ca/

These expensive and deadly wars have bankrupted the morale and faith of the very people they are supposed to be protecting.  The agenda behind these wars are based on greed and ultimate power. We can't feel that government has our best interests at heart - it has no heart.  We are not protected.  We are not free.  And we are not unruly children who need parents to send us to our rooms for our own good.  We are intelligent individuals who can no longer allow this type of rampant restriction of our very natures. 

On the eve of Remembrance Day, I honour all those who valiantly fought for all they knew was right. We should learn from them. We dishonour them by allowing those in power to take our god given rights away.

What's Next?  

The Evolutionary fight for Humanity in all it's Glory.

Noam Chomsky on the Magna Carta for the International Tribunal for Natural Justice.

If you would like to join us, sovereign and independent citizens who value their rights and freedoms, please volunteer and add your energy to the dismantling of unjust systems... 

http://www.itnj.org/

Connecting the Dots - Truths, Dares and Consequences

"Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence."

-Thomas Jefferson

"The day will come when our Republic will

be an impossibility because wealth will be

concentrated in the hands of a few.  When that

day comes, we must rely upon the wisdom

of the best elements in the country to readjust

the laws of the nation."

-James Madison

 "The duty of youth is to challenge corruption."

-Kurt Cobain

“The more you can escape from how horrible things really are, the less it's going to bother you...and then, the worse things get.” 

-Frank Zappa

Oh no - yet another discourse on power and corruption..

We can get so tired and beat down with simply trying to live, that there is no time to think about having a better life - what other choices do we have? Or, maybe you're just fine, thank you - well, you can go back to regularly scheduled programming - and, please try to help others who are not fine.

Onward - There is a reason so many compelling people warn us of corruption in powerful institutions, all through history, as in the above quotes - but, we go along our daily grinds thinking that there's nothing we can do about it.  Most of us can't go and protest for a few weeks or months, eking out food and water, putting ourselves in danger - Most of us don't have time to research and connect the dots because we're trying to pay the bills and keep a roof over our heads.  If we did have time to research and connect the dots, what are we supposed to do with the information?  Besides, protests only work to the extent that they bring awareness of a situation to a larger section of society - for the most part, they haven't proven to bring about lasting change, so what's the point?

The point is - each individual has the potential for great things - For living a life worthy of the biggest dreams - You feel it - You know what I'm talking about.  What keeps most of us from living the life of our dreams? Fear.  What keeps people from taking any steps towards fulfillment? Fear. So, where does that fear come from?

I have connected some dots for you -  I'm sure there are many other dots, not everyone will agree with what I've lined up here, and who knows what kind of beast will be revealed when I look further in to it over the coming years; but this is how I'm starting...because, I have now given my life up to living the way I want to.  I stopped being afraid of taking chances, what people might think, started taking risks with how I live, not knowing what could happen - and, even though some tough circumstances arise, they rise to push me over the edge of uncertainty into the greatest Security there is: Autonomy - Self Guidance - Love & Trust in a conscious multiverse that governs with more awareness than any human could possibly know (as of yet, anyway).

There is a growing movement of people in developed/capitalist/industrial countries, who have had the time, willingness and energy to break through the fog of a frustrating reality, that keeps a lot of us tethered to livelihoods, needing drugs and distractions to block the mental anguish, just to get through it.  These people have taken that time, willingness and energy to write about it, research it, and give the information freely to others. LINK-This is the first cohesive group of sovereign individuals, from all over the world, aiming to bring about Change. What you do with the information is your choice - but, it can no longer be said that there is nothing you can do. Denial is not an option.  

Here, I will state some facts, sources, consequences and actions you could take- You Do have a Choice.  Even though there are plenty of folks who are aware of what I'm talking about, there are plenty who are not... You can take this in, mull it over and decide for yourself - at the very least, you can share the information with younger generations who may not have to spend their lives in debilitating depression/anxiety or ending their lives by suicide, violently rebelling, or stomping out their own dreams... 

(each numbered statement has a link...)

1. There are some 10-20 families that have been controlling the functionality of 'western world' nations for hundreds of years

They have gone beyond western world nations and in to financially strapped, yet resource wealthy countries to continue their movement toward world domination...  this is a fact, not a theory - it is no longer hidden, even by those very same families. (As an aside, not all members of these families were/are aware of this agenda - and some may well be against it despite their names).  

Why?

These families own, organize, and put in place others who operate governments, banks, military, and the businesses that distribute and control money, natural resources, food, technology, pharmaceuticals, news media, and entertainment. 
- Link -http://allnewspipeline.com/NWO_Insider_Exposes_Global_Elites.php

If you think that these families are just go-getters, keen on living the American Dream, having 'made it' - you are wrong. They created the American Dream so you had some kind of hope of reaching that kind of 'prosperity', by working hard, usually for them in some way or another, with or without your conscious knowledge, in what can be termed compartmentalization .  But you were never going to make it, because Money is not the key goal - it's Power. 

Do you really care to control anything or anybody but yourself? 
Probably not.

What are you supposed to do with this information?  By being aware, you have the knowledge and personal power to get outside of it - Start your own business that doesn't have connections to these monolithic cartels - Grow your own food or buy it from local farmers - Support new technologies and green energies - Help your family, neighbours and friends - Create art, music and poetry - Get back to nature, fresh air and not feeling like you always have to Do something - Feel joy whenever possible... but, whatever you do, don't allow any person or state impinge on your personal sovereignty.

2. There has been an alarming increase in mental illness the world over.

Comparison of mental illness in a developing country (Pakistan) and a developed country (Canada)

Why is that?  What are we, as humans, doing wrong, that this is a fact.  Does it really matter why?  This is a symptom of human potential being wasted.  No one needs anti-depressants, mood stabilizers and anxiety medications - People need people who care about them - People need resources and services - People need to relax without having to take a pill or vacation in order to do it.  You know what usually happens when a person stops taking the medication they've been on for decades?  You don't want to know. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped.  Don't give your kids any pharmaceutical - Teach them how to cope, better yet, let them play outside with their friends, in the dirt, and stop being afraid that they will break or get some disease.  The dis-ease is simply not knowing how to live well.

3. There are proven, naturally occurring, remedies and foods that help us with our ailments.

The medicinal knowledge of indigenous people everywhere has just about been wiped out - to make way for factory made, chemically laden tablets, with all sorts of side effects. Even with new science in the search for cures, they are still kept from mainstream knowledge.   

 Why?

It's a major money maker.  It is well known that humans have great healing ability -yet, many still think that they are not in control of it, so they totally rely on a health system that makes money from unwell people.  Think about it.  This is not to say that health practitioners are not needed, they are wonderful people who dedicate their lives to healing others - so, if we accept that we are all in control of our own personal healing, the weight on nurses and doctors will be well lifted.  A system of holistic care, surrounding each and every one of us, would be a much better option.

LINK - Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice

4.  There is a deliberate 'dumbing-down' of our population, by a faltering institutionalized education system .

It is much easier to control a population that doesn't know any better.  We are kept in a constant state of paranoia, perpetual apathy and ignorance - We're misled and then wonder what happened.  We have been manipulated into fighting one another over inconsequential differences.  You cannot hand over the education of your children solely to institutions maintaining that perception of reality, and then assume you'll raise some free-thinkers, movers and shakers - All you're going to get are some confused adults who don't know anything other than what they were told; because they weren't given the space, or taught to independently use their intellect.

5.  All religions point back to one fundamental tenet: Do unto others as you would have done to you... We are One.

What is the driving force behind people's desire to understand the underlying question of:  Why are we here?  You might not really care about that, but a lot of other people do.  There is a force to be reckoned with, and that force is called Divine Grace.  When you stop the endless racket playing with your mind - When you stop trying to control everything to the minute detail - When you allow life itself to lead you wherever it does:  You are in that Grace, and realize that there really is no other way to be.

There is another ubiquitous point - now on t shirts, hallmark cards, bumper stickers, and in a self-help book near you - That is: Be in the Present Moment. Well, that's nice... but, Can you Do It? What does it really mean anyway?  It means you don't have to waste your time worrying about things you can't change, or things that haven't happened.  It means you tap into that divine grace, make decisions, take actions or feel a sense of peace - from a place of right now.  Right now is all you're ever going to get.  So, Be in It, and all the corruption, sicknesses, fear and loneliness may stop by to bother you, but you will see them with new eyes - and start thinking there is nothing you Can't do... 

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Francis of Assisi

Thanks to my Grandmother, Susie Bertram, for taking the time to discuss life and the world with me - without her encouragement and fastidious nature, I would not have the inquiring mind, or the balls, I do now.