We have to live life in the moment… As much as humans require grouping for support and kinship, ultimately we remain individuals. For as beautiful as loving human community is, no grouping or partnership can fully define us. For our own benefit, we mustn’t let it fully define who we are or we get lost in the idealism of the collective. We must come to terms with our own identity and truly love OURSELVES before any partnership can truly blossom. Wisdom is attained when life is lived in the moment. Embrace the moment… for life experienced in the moment will produce the questions that must be sought – and, magically, the answers will be given. Live to YOUR own, unique, individual potential… when we align with other independent, wise, talented, loving individuals the group dynamic provides room for the individual to grow. When we are aligned in human community, we must let the LOVE that we have filled ourselves with overflow into each member of the group. The group as a collective, and the individuals within the collective, will benefit, grow and evolve. Take advantage of every moment; use it as an opportunity to learn/grow/share/love/evolve. Being happy and content in the moment will keep us from needless worry about the future.
Life with too much structure, too much direction, too much pressure inhibits our ability to be alive in the moment. We need to nurture spontaneity, not seek to destroy it. Don’t be afraid to drift with the tides; we will all reach our own shoreline eventually. Tear down the constraints of habitual routine… our heart, body, mind and soul operate optimally when they are FREE.
I would like to add a very important side-note (especially with regards to the recent posts I have made…. )
I think the most important skill we can develop today is the ability to think critically. The ability to absorb information and then ask the appropriate questions to (attempt to) ascertain the authenticity and validity of the information cannot be stressed enough. First and foremost…. learning to recognize the bias inherent in all sorts of media is vitally important. Certain media outlets are considered by “experts” to be more reliable and credible than others: BBC is considered by many to be the “spinach” of the media diet, while Fox news is deemed by many as the “fastfood” alternative. Media outlets are ‘regulated’, and are supposed to live up to certain journalistic standards. Whether these media outlets are being held accountable to these standards is anyone’s guess, but there certainly seems to be a lot of speculation that they are not. Reported incidents of ‘propaganda’ and factual distortion have been quite rampant over the past 60 years on many of the major news networks. That being said, I have seen some wonderful examples of truly investigative journalism from even the biggest media outlets. The problem, however, is that the ‘bread and butter’ of mainstream media’s quality investigative journalism is usually buried behind a main section article on Britney Spears, or is strategically located on a page with glossy advertising aimed at taking your attention off the targeted article. Regardless, understanding who stands to gain from the outcome of the article is usually a good place to start when becoming an informed, critically thinking, media consumer.
When viewing information on the internet we must also be extremely careful; being a completely unregulated source of media has its pros and cons. The credibility of internet ‘authors’ is always questionable. Are these people ‘experts’ on the given topic? What are their credentials? Why do they want me to believe their point of view? These are all good questions to ask and as you begin your quest for truth you will find it necessary to conduct further research to determine the validity of certain quotes, certain historical facts, certain details that could easily be manipulated. Read the rest of this entry »
Big phone and cable companies are trying to get rid of Network Neutrality, the fundamental principle that prevents them from discriminating against your favorite Web sites and services.
Our broad coalition wants to keep the Internet free and open for everyone.
A lecture by Naomie Wolf, author of “End of America, A letter of Warning for a Young Patriot” at the University of Washington. She has carefully studied the political and social environments that led to the ‘installment’ of totalitarian regimes in the 20th Century (Stalin, Mussollini, Polpot, Hitler and numerous other ’smaller’ dictators) and concludes that there is a blue print of 10 characteristics that each of these regimes has followed. All 10 of these characteristics were present in the lead up to all of the totalitarian regimes, and all 10 are currently present in America right now… YOU are NEEDED to save democracy in America. Action needs to be taken immediately.
Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (Introduced in Senate)
Go to this link and type in “S 1959″
http://thomas.loc.gov/
You may have heard the fuss about it as HR 1955. Well, it passed the house, and now YOU may be considered a terrorist the next time you THINK about using force to protect your civil liberties.
Do you care about a political issue or religion or social change? Do you care about the Bill of Rights?
Here is language directly from S 1959:
“The term `violent radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.”
Take out the word “violence” and you’re looking at a law that threatens belief systems, ideology, politics, religion, and social change.
This bill is an offensive threat to our civil liberties.
How far will they go to silence any and all dissent? Will it soon be a threat to our security and freedom to protest, to question, to demonstrate, to think? Would Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Eddie Vedder be considered terrorists for the lyrical content of their songs? Even when the vast majority of all thinkers believe that peaceful means is the only means for facilitating change, is it still ‘unpatriotic’ to question the direction of our leadership? Are you a terrorist for wanting a better and brighter future that believes in equality, freedom, justice and peace? Is such thinking going to send you to jail for believing in an “extremist belief system”? Our freedoms and rights took thousands of years and innumerous suffering to gain, and many of us have had the luxury of living in a democracy our entire lifetime. But now, that luxury may very well be a thing of the past if this bill passes… What would the founders of America think if they knew what was happening to their treasured nation?
Please become politicalized. Learn about what is happening in our domestic politics, because the future of our nation and the world is at stake. Your voice counts. Failure to understand these issues coupled with an apathetic attitude could land those of us who believe in the ideals of freedom, love, peace, justice, and equality in some serious hot water.
For more information on this terrifying Orwellianish scenario, check out this link:
