THIS LITTLE PIGGY

 

THIS LITTLE PIGGY

 

This article was inspired by the little ditty that we play with our children’s toes when they’re babies.  They giggle in anticipation.

This little piggy went to market

This little piggy stayed home

This little piggy had roast beef

This little piggy had none

And this little piggy cried, “Wee, wee, wee!” all the way home.

 

Pigs of all sorts are a favorite subject in many stories.  Most of them funny stories.  But we’re all too familiar with pigs feeding at the public trough.

 

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities, in all of my seventy odd years, I have never come across an American president like Trump, who, rather than placing his business affairs in a blind trust, as is customary, has instead opted to incorporate the entire nation into his business emporium.  Openly and blatantly he is accepting gifts and has put into motion schemes to enrich himself and his family.  He has made it abundantly clear that he can and will treat the United States of America as his personal piggy bank, ready to take from as he pleases and to do with as he sees fit.  In doing so he is treating the nation like a doormat and with total disrespect.  Acting as if he is above the law.  That he is the law.  And he can make and break rules willy-nilly, ignoring court challenges and decisions.  He is learning quickly from his fellow felon and wanted war criminal, Putin, who takes a cut from every major business transaction in Russia.

America has had its fair share of shady politicians and influential people flouting the law and convention, but Trump eats the cake when it comes to the Oval Office.  Because of Trump and his cronies democracy in the United States is skating on thin ice, despite the fact that most Americans take great pride in democracy and its values.  Honest and hard-working Americans are being taken to the cleaners by a greedy bunch of self-serving politicians and conglomerates surviving on the largesse of the taxpayer and fat government contracts.

“America first has turned into Trump’s pocketbook first and we’ll keep the destitute in the poor house because they’re used to it anyway.  And as far as the average worker is concerned, they’re helpless to stop the assault on their wallets.”  “All I want is your vote.”

Trump’s political shenanigans at home and abroad are well on their way to transform America from a global player into an America that will find itself standing alone as the world will find ways to work around it.  America isolated.  America with no allies or friends.  Subtract the American population from the global tally and you’re left with 8 billion customers who’re not American.  Under Trump’s leadership it will isolate itself from former friends and allies, shunned and distrusted by the world markets and political leaders.  America the pariah, rather than making America great again.

Foreign investments and interest will dry up when a bunch of unreliable, unpredictable weathervanes are running the show, too busy stuffing their pockets with ill-gotten gains while its citizens and the rest of the world look on.  Desperate people will do desperate things and the ultimate stick wielded by unstable leaders will be to unleash World War III when it becomes apparent that all their schemes fall flat around their silly asses.

Nothing good hails from avarice pursued with greed and vengeance.

Ancient Rome was done in by their imperial ambitions, over-extended and the cost of occupation and meddling in the affairs of other nations outstripping the income.  All empires end up in the dustbin of history.  Russia was done in by overextending its influence and costly military expenditures, and America, with over a million people in uniform overseas, is following suit.

America’s huge bureaucracy (the one extending its influence across the globe, with security and military presence) and the business conglomerates dependent on fat government contracts, are the main reason as to why America as a nation is struggling at the present time.  None of them are positive contributors to the economy.  All are detractors and a huge cost factor.  Nations are better served to keep the size of their governments to a sustainable minimum and to shy away from large military investments and foreign escapades.  Instead all should concentrate on fair trade relations based on trade agreements negotiated in good faith.

Trump and his cronies are running amok like the proverbial bull in a china shop.

In a world with over 8 billion people clamoring for a piece of the pie you either create a system that is fair and equitable or reap the consequences of conflict and outright rebellion.  We would do well to remember that war is a costly and destructive activity whereas peace is a lifelong commitment.

Draw up a psychological profile of Trump and the underlings he has surrounded himself with and you can only shudder.  His insecurity comes shining through in his insane desire to have his name plastered on as many buildings and institutions as possible, even attempting to rename buildings graced with the names of true American heroes and contributors.  Naming a building in someone’s honor usually takes place after death, not while still alive, and not by the person himself.  His narcissistic, egotistical nature comes shining through in this obsession of his to be somebody (I borrowed that one from Brando).  Don’t be surprised that when Trump is taken down from his perch that his name will be removed from all those buildings as a first order of business.

This is my take on this little piggy.

 

One little piggy ignored the other four.

It owned a golf course and loved the yell, “Fore!”

Charged the others tariffs on top of their fees.

Rubbing his piggy feet he’d yell in glee,

“I’m the pig you need to fear and adore

Because all I want is more and more.”

 

The moral of this ditty: The fattened pig is the first to be slaughtered.”

 

A DAUNTING UNIVERSE

 

A DAUNTING UNIVERSE

 

Nighttime.  Look up at the heavens and try to imagine how vast it is, not just our galaxy, but the immense vastness that stretches beyond it.  Even astronomers have a difficult time grasping dimension and we’re talking billions of lightyears, not human years.  It is highly doubtful that human beings will ever travel beyond Mars.  Physically it is near impossible with conventional spacecraft.  There is no space infrastructure; no rocket repair shops, no refueling stations, no supply stores.  Nothing.  Even if alien craft have ever come near to Earth they would either have been probes or if anything left alive inside, hopelessly lost in the same ludicrous quest that occupies the minds of space fanatics; are there planets out there with lifeforms similar to ours and can we get there?  It is a dilemma faced by all intelligent life that has evolved along the same lines as ours.  We’re screwing up big time, so why wouldn’t they.  Why go in search of alternatives if life on your planet is just hunky-dory?  The universe that surrounds us is hostile, cold and volatile.  We don’t even know how big it really is, whether it is still expanding or whether it is kept in check by parallel universes.

Billions and billions of years of celestial fireworks and we’re but a spark within its infinity.

In my novel Energy & Origin I explain how everything in and around us never stops or stands still.  We can’t stop or slow down any of the universal processes that relentlessly move everything along.  You can’t stop your breathing, your brain from processing or preventing blood from flowing through your veins.  Within the greater scheme of things—time is meaningless in the cosmos that we’re part of—our presence means very little.  We’re not in control and never will be.

The universe doesn’t feel.  It has no compassion.  No emotion.  It simply is.  It only responds to its own laws of physics, with energy and momentum the stirring sticks in a constantly evolving toxic mix that on occasion will spawn something unique like a planet capable of sustaining life as we have come to experience it.  Even the brightest astrophysicists can barely scratch the surface of the mysteries of the cosmos.

Where do we fit in?  Humanity’s quest for answers will never cease.

In typical human fashion we have tried to define our role within the cosmos, as in looking for an explanation.  The questions range from, how did we get here and why?  Why are we the only species to have evolved with a superior intelligence?  Opinions and potential answers are all over the place.  A fluke of evolution—a mistake if you like—or created by design?  We like to put things in a box, with a bow and a label.  An insane need for answers.  One of my psychology professors had a wonderful take on not knowing; ‘it is so refreshing to admit not knowing, not having an answer.  There are mysteries in life that will always remain a mystery.  Learn to live with it.’  Our obsession with life and explaining origin has spilled over in all religions.  It is a lot easier to imagine in religion than in science.  Science has to answer to proof beyond a shadow of a doubt, hence religions’ aversion to all things scientific.  In our quest for explanations we have embraced some pretty strange ones, some bordering on the bizarre and macabre.  We can’t seem to accept life for what it is.  Homo sapiens emerged from a species that over time evolved into what we are today.  But we follow the same laws as everything else in nature.  Life is simply finite.  Everything in and around us is finite.  Nothing stays the same forever.  And as far as eternal life is concerned?  In my humble opinion eternity has to be a nightmare and I don’t even want to go there.  It’s one of those things imagined when defining our role.  An attempt at least.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

The universe has no consciousness.  It doesn’t care.

At some point, all life ends.  We all die.  Leave the corpse alone and a natural decomposing process takes over and it will continue until all that remains has been reduced to matter.  At which point it once more becomes part of the universe from which all life came.  Atoms absorbed and redistributed.  Not that you would care at that juncture and neither does the universe.  The universe has no awareness and it doesn’t keep score or keeps track.  History and historians are an earthly preoccupation.  Even in our absence the universe will continue to unfold according to its own erratic plans because the forces of energy and momentum never take time off.

Earth is a special place.

We don’t belong in the cold and barren environment that makes up the bulk of the universe.  Exposure for even a split second would be lethal.  Even if alien life existed somewhere within the vastness of the cosmos, they would be surrounded by the same toxic soup as we are.  In previous articles and in my novel—they were like angels—I have discussed how slim the odds are for a similar planet like Earth to exist elsewhere.  It has something to do with odds.  It is difficult enough to win a lottery on Earth with only 5 or 6 numbers to pick.  The cosmic lottery that spawned Earth is a win consisting of hundreds, even thousands of numbers.  Truly astronomical odds (no pun intended, literary license).  It could have happened elsewhere within the billions of lightyears spanning the universe, but for anyone to positively identifying such a miracle is highly unlikely.  The space enthusiasts will continue to float that lure in front of us, because their skepticism and doubt would kill any funding.  It is in their very best and selfish interests to keep the possibilities alive!  Yes, space exploration has given us new technologies, but none of those rockets going up has ever come back with a payload that actually provided a return on investment.  Promises galore of space mining and extracting precious minerals.  The space Stormtroopers are counting on government handouts and financing to keep the rockets going up.  Few are willing to acknowledge that physical space travel using conventional rockets and propulsion is a non-starter.  We don’t have the technology to effectively and safely explore the universe in a meaningful way and to provide a return on investment.

Despite our fascination with unidentified flying objects, alien spacecraft and potential extraterrestrial encounters, it is highly unlikely that we will ever hook up with other intelligent lifeforms in a meaningful way.  I don’t discount sightings and I have never paid much attention to what has been published on the subject.  We have sent out probes and why wouldn’t they—if they exist?  If they have reached earth it would likely be unmanned and functioning on remote through artificial intelligence.  They would be as lost as our probes as we lose touch with them.  Probes would follow preprogrammed instructions, and on the host planet engineers would keep their fingers crossed and hope to reestablish contact.  Our behavior at mission control would mirror theirs.  And why would they send out probes?  If they follow in our intellectual footsteps—technology and intelligence growing in strength and intensity—they would turn out as destructive as we are.  Absorbing energy and momentum at an increased pace and desperate to find a way out.  We’re looking at space and alternative planets as a potential answer, so, why wouldn’t they?

I have explained in previous articles and in my novel Energy & Origin, that intelligent life is not kind to its own species.  With a fair degree of certainty I will state that all superior intelligence is inherently self-destructive.  We will continue to extract and exploit until it all falls apart.  It is nothing something I wish for, but something I fear, based on fact, based on how we act and how we take advantage of the planet and all its resources and lifeforms, to serve our own selfish purposes.  The universe is a daunting, inhospitable place.  Earth would be our safest bet, as in taking better care of the only place we can call home. 

Space.  Nothing resembling a living lifeform would survive in cramped quarters, faced with supply issues and hundreds, even thousands of years of space travel.  Space is daunting and rescuing what is left of planet Earth is daunting, but I would rather face that challenge than pin my hopes on hurtling myself into space with a few other well-meaning souls, embarking on a one-way journey into nowhere.

Feel free to comment or share.  If you have been abducted I don’t want to hear about it.  If you are an alien, welcome home, brother.

Purchase Energy & Origin on KDP Amazon.ca

ARE YOU READY FOR SILENCE, THE RIGHT KIND OF SILENCE

 

ARE YOU READY FOR SILENCE?

Spiritual silence is a precious gift.

There are two kinds of silence.  The silence that accompanies complicity, the silence of not speaking up when we should.  It is one of the worst kinds of silence.  But there is also a spiritual silence.  A silence we should embrace more often because it is a silence of meditation and contemplation.  A silence of introspection, of listening.

I want to share with you my experience with spiritual silence and how it has affected my life and work.

For those of you familiar with my work and sometimes quirky approach to a subject I will try not to disappoint.  But why would I provide you with my thoughts (advice if you will!) on silence when you know that I harbor serious misgivings about motivational speakers and TV evangelists and I do believe in that wonderful phrase: Advice, easily given but rarely taken.  Threading on thin ice?  Well, as with all my articles, you get to decide!

A bit of background is in order to justify this transgression, an appropriate reference as I did spent a few years in a seminary contemplating entry into the priesthood, but left years later as a devout agnostic.  No, it was not the silence.  A doubting Thomas makes for a poor Christian soldier.  What it did leave me with was a sense of structure and order I found rewarding and helpful, and the one thing that stuck with me was silence.

The right kind of silence.

In a world almost bursting with noise and distraction I am an oddity, perhaps at odds with the world would be a better description as I refuse to be a gadget carrying member of society (just one example).  I have also been a lifelong walker and I live a minute walk away from beautiful conservation trails.  A daily routine that I use for contemplation and I absolutely love the silence.  The only noises that intrude are the sounds of nature, varying from a quiet rustling of the leaves to the creaking of the branches in an extreme mid-winter cold.  The permanence of the natural world is inspiring in the face of all the fleeting things that life exposes us to.  There are all kinds of silences.  Silence as in not making any noise.  Silence as in you don’t want to be seen or heard.  Silence as in not making any waves because you’re afraid.  Using silence as a statement.  Silence that intimidates.  So, is there something like an objective state of silence?  A meditative, contemplative state?

A spiritual silence.

How useful is it?

Honesty is important.

If hope is the one thing that you desire the most, there is no doubt in my mind that you will find it.  According to some of my fellow humanitarians hope is a four letter word that we should avoid at all costs because you’ve already admitted defeat.  If you seek answers that satisfy your expectations you can do what some of the worst thesis writers do; only use the variables that suit your narrative.  You will prove your point without a doubt.

Honesty and objectivity walk hand in hand and are the only two things that will withstand the true test of time because it is not based on hope or answers anticipated.  In science an experiment is deemed successful if it produces the same result each and every time.  Objectivity and honesty have to answer to the same scrutiny and expectations.  Therefore you can look upon humanity with hope and optimism fueled by bias, or with objectivity and honesty.  Bad science produces results hoped for, whereas good science is based on fact, on objectivity, and on results that are proven to be correct.  And that is where an objective silence plays an important part.  The right kind of silence if you will.

The screamers in our society fear silence and would ban it if they could.

Our species has a tendency to whitewash our most deplorable intentions, aspirations and activities.  We like to paint ourselves in a positive picture and use that wonderful broom of denial to sweep a lot of ugliness under the carpet.  What remains on the table is what we want to see and hear.

There is no right kind of spiritual silence and it’s the one you prefer that counts.

I have written about the power of silence in previous articles and how powerful silence can be.  In silence we can contemplate our inner most thoughts and we can concentrate on the answers we seek in quiet contemplation.  A lot of people fear silence and act uncomfortably when exposed to it.  On my walks I encounter quite a few people hooked up to their favorite devices, either talking; something that absolutely amazes me as a few decades ago you would have been locked up talking while walking; or listening to music or otherwise engaged in conversation with fellow walkers.  Few are like me and walk in silence.  I prefer to walk alone and in silence.  I try to avoid talkative fellow walkers.  They actually annoy me. 

If you love noise and distraction now is the time to disengage from this article and seek something with lots of pictures and sounds.

Practice makes perfect.

Embracing silence and appreciating its power takes discipline and practice.  In my humble opinion the right kind of silence is missing in our lives.

Silence allows us to appreciate the world around us in all its splendor and nuances because it shuts out all the unnecessary noises and distractions.  Silence brings everything into focus with much greater detail and clarity.  In our daily lives we’re constantly surrounded by noise and images, an endless assault on our senses that only distracts and confuses.

The following may not be for you.  It wasn’t for me either.

There are several monastic orders that incorporate total or partial silence into their orders: the Carthusians, Cistercians and Trappist all take a complete vow of silence and the Benedictines incorporate structured silence for prayer and contemplation.  Most faiths use periods of silence in their services.  Prayer often takes place in silence.  Although I am a devout agnostic there is power in prayer and meditation.  We all use different techniques to put us in the right frame of mind and a lot of faiths use kneeling, prostrating, silence, eyes closed or hands folded, to induce the right kind of atmosphere.  It is not about submission, but about an acknowledgement that we’re surrounded by powers greater than ourselves.  The loudest souls around us are people who’re full of themselves and love to hear the sound of their own voice.  You know who they are.

Put it into practice.

A constructive and objective silence is something you acquire by incorporating its techniques through determined effort.  It takes practice.  It is no different than developing a regimen for a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise.  I have never been a fan of total silence because I enjoy a good conversation.  However, incorporating silence into you daily routine can be extremely rewarding.  It allows you to open up your mind to the daily challenges we all face, to improve your outlook on life and to obtain a better understanding of others and the world around you.  Silence is golden!

Talkers lie a lot, especially screamers.

There is a reflective honesty in silence that is lacking in conversation.  When we speak we lie a lot.  A good listener, listens in silence because it allows you to pick up on all the nuances in speech, body language and facial expressions.  Reflection is an integral part of silence.  If the path through life appears rocky and strewn with boulders and potholes, we tend to ignore that a lot of those rocks and potholes are of our own construction.  A lot of life’s barriers are self-inflicted.

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I wanted to share my experience of what silence means to me.  Although I live a simple monkish life, total silence has never suited me.  What are your thoughts on silence?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in parliament, rather than politicians constantly yelling and berating each other, if a question put to the floor would require five minutes of total silence and contemplation?  Wouldn’t that be refreshing?

Spiritual silence is only effective if you use it wisely and with the right intent.  Turn it into a phony circus and you only delude yourself.

What are your thoughts on silence?

Did you find this useful or will you chuck it on your discard pile with a condescending shrug?  I can imagine the comments.  Bes, is this end-of-life moralizing?  What a pill to get through!  We’re used to you contemplating all the gut wrenching ways with which humanity will extract itself from the planet.  Is this supposed to make up for some of the depressing stuff you write? (Apparently shit is bad word, so my granddaughter tells me).  You actually have one attribute that doesn’t offend and you wanted us to know about it?

Feel free to comment or share.

As far as the usual: purchase Energy & Origin from KDP Amazon.ca

And you can read it in silence in the privacy of your home.

IF YOU SAY SO

 

IF YOU SAY SO

 

Not a single human being is alike in cognitive development and awareness; we don’t look alike and we don’t think alike.

 

Every once in a while I like to take you on a philosophical journey and the topic I will address in this article is cognitive awareness and learning.  And more to the point, how reliable is it?  I will start with one of my own phrases that I’m particularly fond of.  “We all view and interpret the world from within the limited parameters of personal knowledge and experience.”  Our judgements and opinions are based on the reference points we’re familiar with.  And I will give you a very simple example.  When a 2 year old saw my puppy, Toby, for the first time (he’s a blue-merle Aussie, which basically means that his coloring is black, blue and white), his mommy exclaimed, “Look at that cute little puppy.”  And the 2 year old replied deadpan, “Doggie dirty.”  From a distance and for someone his age and never having been exposed up close to a similar dog, Toby could indeed appear as if he had slept in a dirt or oil barrel.  He associated the dog’s color with dirt.  “Wash your hands, they’re dirty.”  There was a reference point there somewhere, as association made.  In this case, black.  And dirt is black.

Nobody is the same.  Nobody learns in exactly the same way.

Accurate cognitive awareness and association takes time to develop and heavily depends on the subject material which in some people may remain incredibly limited due to a lack of interest or being the recipient of limited learning, and it therefore leads to a lesser degree of cognitive awareness and accuracy.

Most of us are skimmers.

The bulk of humanity consists of skimmers and skippers and it all boils down to exposure, opportunity and interest.  Most people skim through life, intellectual surface dwellers, because we either fail to show them the heights and depth or they simply don’t care.  No motivation.  No interest.  There is that famous phrase, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

Cognitive awareness and learning in a highly interested and motivated group of individuals will explore and tackle any subject with a much greater degree of accuracy (truthful if you like) than a group content to mimic the attitudes and behaviors of the tribe they belong to.  What we’re exposed to as youngsters, although it is foundational and haunts us until the day we die, is highly suspect.  Look no further than religion and how we’re spoon fed from infancy with religious truths and certainties.  We’re all raised to accept and adopt and not to question learning.  Drilled into us from conception is conformity and compliance.  Religious education for instance is about acceptance without question and we don’t confront our little ones with theological questions and dilemmas that academics to this day are struggling with.  “Does God really exist?  Did any of these miracles and stories every take place?  No, the opposite is true.  We want to move forward with accepted comfortable truths and associations.  What we want for our children is to give them a solid foundation and it might not be truthful or correct.  Our attitudes and morals are therefore skewered and highly suspect from birth and it illustrates that life is not necessarily about fact and accuracy, but about comfort.  Things that make us feel good.

What do we believe?  Who do we believe?

When the leader of a nation proclaims that all illegals are drug users, thugs and criminals and repeats the message over and over again, this doesn’t mean that the listeners actually believe the message, but it becomes part of a tribal camp registration with all the adherents shouting hallelujah in unison, reaffirming their faith in each other.  The tribe consolidating and it has little to do with stupid or smart people, but about taking sides, about association.  You want to be in, not out!

Genius is not the rule, they are a rare exception.

You can’t have heightened cognitive awareness without interest and fascination, without determination and ambition and I will once more entertain you with a simple example.  A mathematician can stare at a complicated math equation scribbled down on multiple chalkboards and be absolutely fascinated, his or her eyes roaming over the numbers and symbols and especially if it is something new, intriguing and promising.  I could walk past that same chalkboard and I wouldn’t be interested at all because I haven’t got a clue what I’m looking at.  What’s up there is totally meaningless to me.

The mathematician could look at me with incredulity, his or her eyes feverish with excitement, bursting with enthusiasm and exclaim, “This is enormous and this equation will change the world.”  And my reaction to this revelation, “If you say so”

How we react to information is dependent on interest.  We only pay attention to what matters to us in the moment.  Life and living is basically a selfish pursuit and it neatly explains our indifference to anything that doesn’t directly affect us.  We hear what we want to hear and we are, what we are.  Everything else is window dressing.

Blame our short attention spans.

Besides dubious acquired knowledge our sensory sensations experience a short lifespan as well.  Very little we absorb or are exposed to leaves a lasting impression.  My little 2 year old is just making his way into the world.  Most of what he will encounter in his formative years is through osmosis, all the stuff that is passed on from their parents, siblings and teachers and whatever else society throws at you.  What he gets is their truths, opinions, impressions and beliefs.  Questioning, doubting and exploring starts at a much later stage and accuracy and depth will depend largely on personal interest, fascination and ambition.

Average is the norm and below average is the new norm.

I love listening to music, but sheet music is Chinese to me.  The notes mean nothing.  My interest in music is limited to listening.  I am tone deaf, can’t hold a tune or remember any songs.  I have no interest to learn.  I am a listener and not a player.  Humans are underachievers, not super achievers.  Even highly motivated people are a rarity and when they do excel it is only in limited bursts.  In the natural world there is not a single animal species that behaves like we do.  There is cognitive awareness and learning, but none display the obsessive behaviors that have evolved in humans.  None of them care what we care about, none even display an inclination of wanting to join us.  Blissfully unaware of our struggles they only care about living for today.  Their ambition is limited to take care of today and hopefully it will take care of tomorrow.

The tree of life is ours.  We’re not unique.  We just took a slightly different path

But, all lifeforms follow the same evolutionary pathways and patterns; all of us are basically lazy and opportunistic.  The lion pride will go after the young, the weak and vulnerable.  I mean, you’re not going to throw your back out pursuing the biggest, strongest and fastest.  What’s the point unless you’re eager to prove a point!  Now, that is something humans do on a regular basis!  

There is nothing sadder than watching a skinny, hungry lion slinking away after yet another unsuccessful hunt.  Nothing worse than an empty belly and it results in anger, disappointment, frustration and rejection.  All negatives.  We respond in kind and we do it with millions.  With billions!

Few of us lead.  Most of us are followers.

I have never been able to sit through an entire meeting featuring motivational speakers and put up with their phony enthusiasm, the well-rehearsed lines, the talking points and they’re all so eager to pass on their secrets and the key to success.  An energized crowd leaves the room with determination and resolve when they should be walking out scratching their heads.  “Why is he/she making a living as a motivational speaker?  Why is he still a salesman and not the owner of the dealership?  Does Bezos go out on motivational speaking tours?  TV evangelists are another breed I find disturbing, whipping up a crowd into a frenzy with their zeal and manipulative level of crowd control and their reassurances.  Some will leave you with the impression that they’ve actually met the guy and heard him speak.

Some of us do better than others.

The most powerful people in society are those who excel at getting other people do their dirty work for them, and, with enthusiasm.  Willingly; rallying, motivating, signing up new members, knocking on doors, phoning, donating, attending meetings, cheering, putting up posters, wearing party gear and extolling the leader’s virtues and charisma.

Even the best of us are limited.

When it comes to sheer genius and power, even the most celebrated and powerful usually excel at only one thing.  Few people in history have been multi-talented and excelled at two different disciplines with an equal measure of success.  Winston Churchill was a career politician, diplomat and bureaucrat and in his spare time he liked to paint.  Some of his paintings have sold for a lot of money, but had he been an average citizen none of those paintings would have made it to a gallery or auction house.  They’re mediocre.  People love to own something that has belonged to someone famous or infamous.  A nail from the cross, a gun that belonged to Al Capone.  Some collectors are simply not very fussy or discerning.  You won’t find a similar example in the animal world.  An eagle picking up a piece of scat from the fierce head of a lion pride, a memento to cherish and to decorate his nest with.  In the animal world shit is shit and is treated as such.  It is typically human habit to elevate shit to greater heights.

Explaining complacency.  We’re not raised to critically examine and question.

We’re getting back to that osmosis thing.  So many things we cherish and absorb are rooted in our tribal past and in the awkward learning processes all humans have to master.  And we’re losing the battle there as well.  Too many people and too many problems and as a result we’ve abandoned our basic tribal customs of inclusivity and caring for all.  The ‘nobody left behind’ kind of thing and I’m not referring to learning your ABCs.  And life is not fair, never has been and never will be.  In the real world somebody always gets to eat more and that is the way of the world.  We used to take care of everybody and now we’re leaving billions of people behind in a world that is disparate and divided.

 

Our explanations are all over the place.

The residue of tribal learning and the efforts humans have put in explaining the world and all its mysteries and tribulations have led to an institutionalized acceptance of the weirdest things.  Leaving the natural world behind and deviating from natural processes we have been busy orchestrating the most bizarre explanations to give life meaning.  To explain things.

I will give you an example most of us are familiar with.  You’re setting out on a religious retreat and you do that to either affirm or reaffirm your faith.  You hope to leave rejuvenated, strengthened, inspired and energized.  Kind of getting back to that motivational thing and why I personally shy away.  However, you’re not expected to emerge in jubilation yelling, “God doesn’t exist, it’s all malarkey.  Free, free at last.”  Sorry, Martin, I just couldn’t resist!

All of us move forward based on established, comfortable truths.  That is how most of us are raised. And the truth is based on what you believe, have been told and raised to believe.  No challenges.  No critical thinking or an up close examining of fact.  We’re all products of past experience, passed on from one generation to the next.  Is that so?  Yes, all that muddling is ours and always will be.  We’re struggling so hard to be different, to be better and once more it is that so-called superior intelligence of ours that at times is a cause for celebration, but we usually disappoint. 

I hope you didn’t expect a cheering section emanating from my court.  I am not a pessimist nor an optimist.  I’m a realist.  Going with the flow preserves my sanity but as a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I love to share my observations with you.  Feel free to comment or share.  Join the conversation.

A lot of the articles on my blog hail from my novel: Twilight Musings, a compilation of essays and articles of our times.  You can receive a free e-copy of this novel by sending me an email at wbes6646@gmail.com

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SAY THANK YOU

 

SAY THANK YOU

 

As a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities it sometimes feels as if the world at large is reaching out to me with yet another lifeline, as if it fears that I might be running out of topics or subjects to write about.  Have no such fear.  I would love nothing better than for humanity to take a break; a nice extended and peaceful vacation free from murder, mayhem and conflict.  There are times I feel inundated by this avalanche of insane and irrational human behaviors and lately it only seems to accelerate and multiply.  It doesn’t help that the current and most powerful psychopath to ever inhabit the Oval Office is leading the pack with a severe case of verbal diarrhea (very much a constant affliction) and an inflated ego (something he was born into).  An ego that matches that of equally demented world leaders that have preceded him in history.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what spews forth from his mouth or why.  What came out of his mouth in Davos while addressing some of the most powerful people in the world had me stumped.  There are four year olds in kindergarten that display better elocution than Trump.  “Some people I like a lot, some people I don’t like at all.  Some I really like.”

Our esteemed Prime Minister, Mike Carney, was singled out in front of the world at a meeting of the super wealthy in Davos as being ungrateful (Apparently he didn’t say thank you.  Exactly for what is a bit of a mystery, unless, not unlike Zelensky, it is something he expects world leaders to say after he insults them).  Carney didn’t perform a Karl Schuschnigg for Trump either by refusing to play dead and hand over Canada, the way the Austrian Chancellor handed over Austria to Hitler without putting up a fuss.  Perhaps Carney forgot to present Trump with a shiny little trinket, a golden beaver or Maple Leaf.  Trump loves to insinuate himself into the foreground as the leader of the entire world to whom all bow.  Hell-bent on grabbing headlines with a non-stop barrage of threats and insults followed by personal platitudes expressing his importance and role on the world stage.

We (Canada and Carney) have to show gratitude in the face of annexation threats?  Express gratitude for being at the receiving end of insults and belittling remarks such as; the US doesn’t need Canada.  Without the US, Canada would not exist.  Canada doesn’t produce anything we need.  Demolishing economies (including that of its closest allies and trading partners, Mexico and Canada) around the world with ludicrous tariffs (my favorite weapon).  (Excuse me, he actually admitted that he’s weaponizing trade through tariffs?).  It doesn’t really matter, because the tirade of nonsensical barbs is ongoing as is his incessant need to comment on anything and everything as if it enhances his power and status.  As if we’re supposed to care about the nonsense that emanates from his mouth?  Or what he thinks? 

Trump’s ego knows no boundaries and his so-called board of peace is yet another ludicrous indication of how out of touch he is with reality and his delusional obsession with autocratic power.  Inviting Netanyahu (bombing Gaza to smithereens) and Putin (bombing Ukraine into oblivion) to sit on this ‘peace’ board?  Although I can see why Donald would feel more comfortable with a few fellow convicted felons to rub elbows with, but what about the inclusion of Palestinians?  How about Zelensky?  No, all he wants is people and nations that bow and grovel.  Trump loves to throw his weight around by thumbing his nose at global institutions purposely designed to deal with global issues.  The peace board is all about Trump. (I’m in charge until the day I die and I alone can veto anything).  It is all about Trump, his vision of the world and those who will support him (the candidates chosen don’t hail from nations with a reputation for democracy and adhering to the rule of law).

Trump’s new world order is about his thirst for autocratic power and he uses all the dictatorial strategies employed by those who preceded him in past lives.  Divide and conquer through distraction, lies, confusion and distortion.  He employs the same methods as his idol, Adolf Hitler.  He likes his current cabinet and in that regard he follows his idol as well.  Hitler surrounded himself with a coterie of psychopaths, losers and malcontents.  Hitler couldn’t believe his luck when his following mushroomed and crowds of people started to adore him.  An image craftily cultivated by people like Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler.  He purposely chose people who blindly followed and obeyed and who didn’t question.  Once they were well ensconced within his inner circle his true psychotic personality rose to the fore and he ruled with absolute brutality, relishing his power and the fear he instilled.  There was not a single, sane, competent person in his entire cabinet and those that were stayed quiet, because saying no led to a kind of termination that was rather permanent.  People were rewarded for spying on each other and betraying their secrets.  Hitler encouraged duplicity and cruelty and turned it into complicity.  Once you cross the threshold of what is legal and acceptable there is no turning back.

Trump has used the same kind of bullying techniques his entire life, cruel strategies to subvert all who work for him.  Carrot and stick, reward and punishment, fear and intimidation (firing, blackballing, suing, prosecuting, whatever works to destroy people’s lives and careers).  Once you’ve got your minions to do the dirty work for you, they’re yours forever because there is no honorable way out.  Look at all the people in the United States that have been at the receiving end of his wrath and revenge.  Lives and careers destroyed.  We’re living in precarious times; Hell is empty, because all the devils are here.

When world leaders, and that includes Carney as well, utter words like the New World Order, I shudder.  Goosebumps.  Increasingly we’re dealing with leaders that treat the entire planet like an economic proposition and that they decide who gets what and how little.  It is a delusion brand of hypocrisy that turns all of us into psychopaths because there is no such thing as a superior race, color or religion.  You can’t dominate, exploit and control others—people or nations—because it suits your agenda.  We have a world order, it’s called the United Nations, far from perfect because a few countries have exempted themselves with a convenient veto right.  But its tenets will never go out of fashion; diplomacy, consultation and negotiated agreements without intimidation or fear.  Everything based on the sovereignty of nations and that all are equal before the law.  No childish statements such as, some of you I like and some of you I don’t.

I have always studied body language because there are telling signs in facial expressions and body stance.  All his cronies are starting to develop the same demeanor; the same sullen, surly look, mouths downturned, arrogance, defiance and pretending that all of them can rule and act with impunity.  They’re adopting the leader’s attitude and posturing.  It reminds me of a new president who was appointed to a large company I worked for.  He sported leather sport jackets and a full beard.  Within six months all the senior managers adopted the same dress and sported facial hair.  Pathetic!  The man got fired within a year because he was an absolute disaster.  Loe and behold, within two weeks of the man’s firing the jackets and beards were gone.  Trump needs to be impeached because as a president he is an absolute disaster and a threat to world peace. 

We are the true North, strong and free.

I can’t speculate on what we can or should be doing because the pressures exerted by an 8 billion plus human population don’t allow for a peaceful reset approach when global belligerence has reached stratospheric proportions.  What has been put into motion will not subside when hotheads ratchet up the tensions and all the old conflicts remain firmly in place.

Donald Trump is not a comedian and he is not funny.  Appeasement was used with Adolf Hitler and look where it got us!  More than 50 million people killed and many more were wounded and crippled for life.  Trillions of dollars in destruction and property damage.

The world needs to take a stand and damn the consequences because doing nothing gave us World War II.

He has been showered with platitudes, trinkets, gifts and smiles.  Plenty of people saying thank you, lavishing praise and offering firm handshakes and he still expects everybody to bend over and spread their cheeks.  It’s time to wake up and tell the man where to go and where he can stick it.

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