A Problem Avoided is a Problem Resolved

The above aphorism is a good approach to living a stress reduced life. Good for your overall health, and good for society at large. Why do I say this? Today, we Americans live our lives as if we were in a perpetual competition with each other. In war, the army that gets there first and secures the high ground, will likely win the battle. Think Fredericksburg for the Confederates and Gettysburg for the Union. In NASCAR races, the winner has to literally blast his way around everybody else, and do so despite the desire of each other driver to prevent him from doing so. The best jobs, the best seats, the best salary, and the best life require that we make certain the competition is left in our rear view mirror. In short, our lives are spent on the NASCAR track, and each moment is critical to our success. But does this attitude, and it is an attitude more than anything else, work. I submit that it does not. Look at our economy as it exists today. It is a shadow of what it used to be in the years following World War II. It is no coincidence that our best days followed the five years where we all sacrificed for each other, and rewarded that sacrifice. Every veteran of the war received a free college education. I know because I was one of them. There were ten million or so of us that got that privilege. Jobs were plentiful, and nobody was on the dole except for those who failed to take advantage of all of the opportunities that lay before them. Everybody that is except for certain minorities that had to fight for their position in society in the 50's and 60's. Most of our civil rights legislation was passed during that period. Imagine trying to pass it now with our present attitude towards each other. Somewhere along the way we lost our focus. We sent our jobs overseas rather than pay a union wage. We closed factories rather than pay taxes that would keep us strong. We shipped our money to banks in the third world who were willing to hide it from the tax agent. All designed to give us some advantage over our neighbor that we thought would help us. Today we are rapidly downsizing to a third world country, while the third world is up sizing to become what we were. Does that make any sense? If it does, you need to rethink your attitude toward your fellow man. If we want to keep our position as a free and financially sound community, there is only one way to do it. We must help one another thrive. To do that is not difficult. All we have to do is go back to what got us here in the first place. If we all begin again to look at one another, not as competition, but rather as fellow Americans, and by this means agree to help one another along the way, we will once again be unstoppable. The only way in which we can be defeated, is to continue to act as we are acting now. Getting back to the aphorism. Instead of sticking it to your neighbor, and thumbing your nose at him, give him a lift. He will do the same, and when you need it, it will be there. Is this Pollyanna thinking? Probably, but are we currently on the right track? Tomorrow's problems can be avoided. Lets get busy and do it. It is never too late.

We are Alive Right Now and That's All that Matters

Recently, we were regaled by a religious organization announcing the end of the world on May 21, 2011. Like all such prophecies, it ended up with a large Thunk. We can learn from it. The end of days is not a proper concern. It is today that matters. Why? Because today is all that we have and all that we will ever have. Jesus told us that the Kingdom of Heaven lies within us. What does that mean? Are we not the species that killed 50 million people in World War II, including 6 million Jews, and the inhabitants of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Yes, but we are more than that. Right now, as I write these words, thousands of volunteers are working in the tornado zone, repairing houses, and cleaning up streets. They are only being paid in the currency of love and affection from those afflicted by these storms. These actions, however meritorious, are not enough to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Before that can happen, we must surrender to God. Is that the same as being "born again." Sadly, the answer is no. The folks who tout the concept of "born again" are looking for an easy out. Jesus will come and save them from their folly. They fail to note that Jesus has never left. He has been here since he died on Golgotha, working with us to learn a simple truth. If we look to somebody outside of ourselves, we will fail. If we look inside ourselves and learn to find God within us, we will succeed. I haven't heard Jesus say this, you suggest. If so, you have not looked at the "Course in Miracles." Type those three words in Google, and you can change your life forever. The options are many, and those looking for them are few. We fill our churches with people looking for Jesus to do it for them. Let us fill up our homes with people studying the Course in Miracles, and we can transform the world. PRAISE GOD!

Learning to Surrender to God

This will be my first post on this subject. There will be more as time goes by. Why is the subject important? If you read the book by Whitley Strieber, "The Key," you will know its importance. The Gnostic has embarked on a search for God with the ultimate goal of joining with God in the hereafter after gnosis is fully realized. In the book, the idea of surrendering to God is emphasized. I recommend that you purchase the book and read it several times. The book will give you a new and fresh take on this process. Where do we start in learning how to surrender to God? I believe that the starting point is easy to identify. The first step is to learn to stop conning ourselves. The process is entirely up to us. Jesus is not coming on May 21, 2011 to rapture up the believers. He is not coming on any other date for that purpose. Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven lays within us. That is where we need to search. As a species we have done a poor job of controlling ourselves. Look and Libya and Syria and you will see how extreme our problems are. No nation, however, is without problems. In the U.S.A. we have plenty of people who do not see the need to deal with global warming. The extreme weather that we are now seeing is making no impression upon the thought processes of these folks. If God is going to kick us in the backside to wake us up, what better way to do so. Why is He not being heard? I suggest an exercise for anyone interesting in preparing himself or herself as suggested in "The Key." Start reading the newspapers while we still have them. Particularly the Sunday editions. Read the news magazines. Watch the shows on TV that go deeply into particular subjects about the earth. There are hundreds of them and many are repeated constantly. Start realizing that as the book says, science and religion are the same thing. If you want an example of what doomsday looks like, travel to Joplin, Missouri. Finally, read Whitley Strieber. He has many books out, and he has the guts to tackle subjects that are considered to be beyond the pale. We can all learn from this important voice. Once you have stopped conning yourself, you can begin to see things for what they really are. As the old Chinese proverb says, a trip of a thousand miles commences with a single step. Are you ready to take that step? If you are, there is hope for the human race.