The point of it all.

I'm tired of being called racist because of my skin color.
I'm tired of being called ignorant because my viewpoint differs from yours.
I'm tired of using labels to justify and vilify.
I'm tired of building walls held together by excuses and fears.
I'm tired of a civilization that needs to lash out to be civil.
Take my hand.
Walk with me.
Talk with me.
Listen to me.
Let me hear you.
Let me work to understand you.
Let go of me so I can share what I learned from you with someone else.

Today's insight

Sometimes doing good is as simple as letting evil people fail.

What is the arrangement?

If a writer is an arranger of words, then is an editor a re-arranger of words?

Poem

I have a little secret,
I would like to share it with you.
I hate humanity,
with good reason, too.
You see we hurt each other,
no matter what we do.

We presume to know
that what is good for ourselves
is what's best for the rest.
So we seek out assurance
by setting up test after test.
To weed out the infidels
and calm our fears.

If I didn't do this,
What else could I do?
Let you see behind the curtain,
To know that I am hurt, too?

Tyranny

"Not individuals but institutions are the enemies, and they most afflict the disciples who the most generously serve them. They insinuate their tyranny under a hundred guises and pompous names, such as Polite Society, the Family, the Church, Sound Business, the Party, the Country, the Superior White Race; and the only defense against them, Carol beheld, is unembittered laughter."

- Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 - January 10, 1951), American author and playwight, Main Street.

An Election Year Poem

A Poem, March 26, 2016

Sauerkraut colostomy
feasting on sunshine.
Cuddle up against
your teddy bear of fear.
Lock yourself in
the closet of ignorance.
Bind your mind with
the chains of intolerance.

Stand the words of
your prophet on their head.
Justify your antithetical behavior
with the sayings of religion.
Find the hate in words of love
to save a few dollars at the store.
Megalomaniacs are eating politicians
as a symbol of freedom.

The walls are Tumbling up,
the gates are closing in
celebration of openness.
The Man riding a burrow
carries a briefcase and
Does a statistical analysis
to measure the belief of the faithful.

The poor are atmosphere.
The disenfranchised are collateral damage.
In the Marketing War for your soul.
The draft board infiltrates your screens.
Your deployment orders are songs in the air.

You can turn in product points
for a free fear blanket.
Don't share it with anyone
that is not one of us.
They can get their own
if they just sell their soul for product points.

Why are you sitting there naked
with that ridiculous smile?
Have you not been listening
to a word that I have said?
Wait until we start funding
the regulators again.
They’ll want you as one
of their first cases
unless you do as I say.

The best non-fiction graphic novel of 2015

Darryl Cunningham has provided a solid primer for 2016 politics in his graphic novel The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, Morality and the Financial Crisis.

Here is a review by Paul: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1546293062

Best Quote

“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

[Kung Fu Monkey -- Ephemera, blog post, March 19, 2009]”

― John Rogers

A Question About Humanity

Why is it that humanity seems to be a struggle between those who want to find evil in good people and those who want to find good in evil people?

Dude, Buzzkiller

I don't want to bum you out, but humanity really sucks. We get all angry and take it out on people we claim to love for feeling good or buckets of bucks.

Our words never match our actions.
We do the wrong thing thinking
that it is the right thing. Violence is used as compassion. Degradation is called empowerment

We intervene handing out charity
while thinking we are creating
self-sufficient individuals. Selfishness is rewarded as beneficial to the community. Greed is called economic benevolence. Social offense is considered a virtue.  Personal morality must be made manifest in congregations and communities to dispel personal doubts, fears and worries.

The food from the tree of knowledge and wisdom has made humanity ignorant brutes. These ignorant brutes look at themselves when they are told that they are made in God's images and tremble in fear. Their ignorance makes them see God as the worst of themselves: venal, judgemental, detached, conditional, vain, greedy and painful.

The simplest counterpoint to all this is unseen, intangible, immeasurable and independent. It is faith, the unseen, intangible, viscous belief that events, intentions, feelings that are not dependent on you can actually be helpful to you. It doesn't make sense. It has no logic. It has no rationale. This means it has no impact on nor value to me.

I hope you get what I am saying.