Writing for Sanity's Sake

My advice to people…speaking from experience is too not accumulate too much “stuff” At least not stuff of the physical kind. There’s a difference between the physical stuff and the spiritual stuff. Over the past almost 43 years I have accumulated WAY too much physical “stuff” I hate to throw anything away. I have things which will NEVER be used again, but…I start to throw them on the “give away” truck and I say “well, I MIGHT need this again someday” and back it goes into the pile. I have been battling this demon a lot lately and I think I have won. I have gotten disgusted with all the physical stuff we accumulate in this world. I have gotten rid of several truckloads last week, and will continue to haul it off until there is not much left except what I really need. I don’t think you can accumulate too much spiritual “stuff” though. At least not the good kind. There’s a possibility you CAN accumulate to much of the bad kind: hate, envy, spite, vulgarity….such as that. You can never accumulate too much of the other kind: love, caring, compassion, giving. Their is a space in our heart for these kinds of things which can NEVER be totally filled. There is always room for more. The more you drive out the negative spiritual feelings the more room for the good feelings. Keep that in mind today when one of the “baddies” jumps into your head. Oh and by the way…..could I interest anybody in a load of junk??

I sometimes wonder when the Universe was created, what the creator had in mind?

Is the Universe like the wonderful, super high quality pocket watches that the immensely talented Swiss watch makers create? So good a product, that you simply wind them up on a regular basis, and they keep on running day after day for decades. They rarely ever needed cleaning because the cases were so tight and dust proof. The jeweled movements were so accurate that men in the streets would look at their watches when “Big Ben” chimed in the streets of old London, and say: “Hrummp, forty seconds off according to my Bregeut..”.

Yes, they were that good, and today’s modern timepieces are even more accurate! But wait, the discussion started out with a discussion about the creator of the Universe! I regress a bit, or do I?

When God created the Universe, Time was also created. We humans, in our tiny attempt to understand God, have created our own small way of attempting to keep up with one small aspect of that incomprehensible creation. It’s one of the most logical and true ways, however. Would that our philosophy of all other things having to do with religion and the treatment of our fellow man, be as logical, humane and high quality as our ability to keep up with time.

When the bill comes due one day, I suspect that even our logical ideas concerning God’s time will be archaic and childlike. Where then will the sum and substance of all our other less logical philosophies fall? I can’t even really wrap my mind around it.

If faith is really the answer, what then is the real question?

“When I was a kid I watched a black and white TV, Cowboys on that tiny screen were like superman to me.”

The opening line in a song I wrote a while back. I loved that old Philco television with the round dial that had the numbers 1 through 13 on it. We only got three channels back then though. All 3 out of Chattanooga. I thought the world emanated from there.

My world was small back then.

I worried over nothing. Then suddenly I grew up. The world became a complicated and dangerous place. People hate each other for every possible reason. Makes me think of the song “Every day People” by Sly and the family Stone. Google it and read the lyrics. They say it all. Hate…

Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a day when humans are at peace with one another. When Jesus comes back? When the Aliens come back? When the two mile comet hits us? When the bombs fly? When will we learn? When will we ever learn? (Dylan)

I swear to you, I will be at peace with anyone and everyone who will be at peace with me. I swear I hate nobody for no reason.

I’d like to go back to that small world for a day. Watch Hoppy and Roy and Gene. They had guns….yes that’s true. They always got the bad guys. You knew who was who because one wore white hats and one wore black. Now, you can’t tell. It’s all so muddled. It’s all so complicated. We have made it that way.

Can we undo the damage we’ve done? Can we leave a world for our descendants? I’m gonna sleep on it and hope I dream a solution.

Don’t lose hope.

Why is it that although we know “scientifically” that human thought and emotion comes from the brain, we FEEL as though the emotions and thoughts we have for others come from the HEART?

I believe that Love comes from the heart.

When someone hurts you, your heart is broken…..

When you feel grief, does your head hurt, or do you feel the tightness and pressure well up from inside of your chest?

When you pick up a baby, so sweet and innocent….do you hug them to your head?

I’ve looked at all the explanations of how it’s all a “chemical reaction” that takes place in our brain.

But, I wonder how scientists know where our soul really resides within us? I think we all have that spark within us, and I think it resides in our heart.

I got out an old pocket watch the other day while I was selling stuff at Trade Day and I got to thinking about things while I was winding up that old watch.

I had watched a show a few days ago on Youtube, taking a break from watching “The British Baking Show”, about the science of quantum physics. It made me think that although we humans think we are REALLY smart, there are SO many things we have yet to discover….

I feel like we have only seen the tip of the iceberg, and know nothing about what lies beneath, under the cover of the ocean.

It’s all seems so complicated…this Universe, but then…just think, like I thought Tuesday at Trade day, how complicated some of the pocket watches that the Swiss used to make were. SO many moving parts, and yet…they kept time better than anything ever made. Also, when those wonderfully smart watchmakers’s got through with them, they knew all the new owner was going to have to do was “wind” the watch. They knew the quality of what they had made. They knew the time and precision and pride they had put into the making of those watches.

Now then, if HUMANS can make something that complicated, and make it work so well, just think what the creator of all things can do! What seems SO complicated to us in the existence of our Universe is a “pocket watch” to God.

We are only starting to realize his wonders.

Some days, some of the junk I read on Facebook makes me reluctant to associate myself with the species of Homo sapiens sapiens. The latin translation of Homo sapiens is “wise person” which makes me laugh. There are damn few of those around, and the ones who do seem to be somewhat wise get trolled and hated.

People get murdered and instead of uniting us as it has sometimes done in the past, it just seems to tear us further apart. The so called “media” pundits from both sides, and the politicians couldn’t agree on the rules for a game of checkers. It seems their only aim is to further divide us.

Everyone is an expert. Everyone’s stance is the right stance. Everyone has a solution. Fifty percent of everyone, disagress with the other fifty percent…so who is right?

I submit that neither of them are right. In my opinion 99.9% of all the “experts” in the fields of politics, religion, business, world affairs, and tiddly winks take their opinions on things straight out of their “agenda” playbook, which is mostly given to them by powerful organizations like the NRA, the Chamber of Commerce, the AMA, AARP, Americans for Prosperity, MoveOn.org., AIPAC, the AFL-CIO, NARAL, or the NAACP.

Perhaps they may be taking cues from the Koch brothers, Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, Sheldon Adelson, George Soros, Rupert Murdoch, Bill and Melinda Gates, John and Laura Arnold, Penny Pritzker, or Warren Buffet. Maybe from Jeff Bezos or even Mark Zuckerberg.

Or perhaps maybe it’s Franklin Graham, or Jerry Falwell Jr. Howard and Roberta Ahmanson. David Barton, Douglas Coe, Charles Colson, Luis Cortez, James Dobson, Stuart Epperson, Michael Gerson, Ted Haggard, Billy Hybels, T.D. Jakes, Diane Knippers, Tim and Beverly Lahaye, Richard Land, Brian McLaren, Joyce Meyer, Richard John Neuhaus, Mark Knoll, J.J. Packer, Rick Santorum (yes…Rick Santorum) Paul Crouch, Joel Osteen, Archbishop Timothy Dolan…etc., etc., If you have never heard of some of these people, maybe you should.

I could go on…but I hope the point is obvious.

Then you have every Tom, Dick and Harry who can use a keyboard and who knows how to prepare memes, sending out bogus BS after bogus BS. Who do you believe? You try and source your information, but before you can get it researched good, things change. It’s like trying to shoot a dime out of the sky with a bb gun.

The reliability factor on what we see on social media is very low…very low. I’d almost rather read op-eds from people who I know have half way decent walking sense. At least you know its their opinion.

Acchh…I’ve droned on and on like some of the people I’m talking about. I’m going to go and read a book now. Before I go though, I’d just like to say, when it comes to people getting murdered, or tragically killed, I’m going to try and reserve my thoughts on those matters for those people who are suffering. I’m going to try and not politisize it, and point fingers. I have my opinons on who is responsible for what. You want to know what I think? Message me. I’ll tell you in no uncertain terms. But for now, I handle this latest attack on humanity the same way I have the previous umpteen ones, and the way I will handle the next one. I mourn. I don’t read the Bible much anymore, but I remember that Jesus said: “Blessed are they which mourn for they shall be comforted.” Short and to the point. No old Testament archaic stuff. Nothing from the Apostle Paul. Just the words of Jesus.

I have great admiration for that man.

“Time heals all wounds”. That’s how the old saying goes, but it’s not really true especially when it concerns losing someone you love.

Time simply allows a scab to grow over whatever wound has been dealt to us. It’s a permanent scab, which never heals. Some are thicker than others, but it only takes the right thing to rip off even the hardest of protections. Then the wound is as fresh ever. A picture, a song, a sunny day, something someone says, seeing a certain person, being at a certain place, even just opening your eyes to a new day. Triggers that open up old wounds are all around us.

Sometimes, even time does not partially heal. That’s the other non truth about that old saying. Depending on the person, and on the wound….it may never scab over. When that occurs, there is a constant feeling which can vary from a nagging annoyance, to an agonizing, searing, nerve wracking hurt. How you feel just depends on how well you distract yourself from the pain that day.

Nothing in this life is simple, nor do all generalities apply to all people. Sometimes even the toughest of humans need to seek professional counseling and help.

Being well meaning and concerned about other people, especially when it comes to the grieving process can be a double edged sword. A little support helps, but too much may hurt. When unsure, the best policy is “first do no harm”. Back off and stay quiet, and give others the space to try and develop their scab on their own.

That’s all it will ever be though. Just a scab over a wound in the heart, which will never fully heal. It’s always there, believe me I know.

There will always be obstacles in our path. People who want to bring us down. Organizations that tell us what to do, who to be and how to be. Always remember that we are individual minds and that nobody can take away the privacy of our inner thoughts and the singularity of our being. When outside influences are acting against us we can retreat within ourselves and find peace. Life is too short to let the world totally rule and ruin our journey.

This lovely cloudy morning has changed into a beautiful sunny day. It’s like a colorful and interesting caterpillar changing into a wondrous and unique butterfly.

I keep hoping and questioning whether or not we humans are still in our “caterpillar” stage. Will we leave behind our prejudices, hatred, mistrust, violence, bigotry, covetousness, and anger and embrace the beauty that can reside in each of us if we will only let it out. Can we leave the husk of all that is bad behind and soar into a new paradigm of living?

Many will say that only God can bring true peace to Earth, but even so I question why humanity would not want to try and evolve to a more loving species without the intervention of a divine being. I believe we have it within us… Otherwise why do butterflies exist?

If you have loved the people around you during your life, then every time you meet a gray haired old man, think of your grandfather. Did you go fishing or hunting? Did he teach you how to plant a tomato, or how to sharpen your knife?

When you meet a gray haired woman, think of your grandmother. Did she always call you “sweetie” or “darlin'” even when you were in your twenties and beyond? Did she ever make a bad biscuit? Was her cornbread the best you ever ate? Did she always make the bed for you, or give you 50 cents for the ice cream truck. Did she tell you no as much as your Mom?

When you deal with people who are trying to get you to do the right thing, think about your parents. You didn’t always want to do what they told you, but…did you love them anyway? Did they pay for things you took for granted? Your blue jeans or your boots? Did they wait up late at night until you got back home? Did they teach you to drive? Did they have misty eyes when you moved out of the house to live on your own? If they did…you didn’t see it, they didn’t let you.

When you see a younger person, rebellious…with different ideas about how to live life, think of your son or your daughter. Headstrong or graceful. Know it all, or know nothing. Did you love them anyway? Do you still? Have they changed? Have you?

When you see a little child, blonde or black headed. Blue eyes or brown. Smiling up at the clouds in the sky. Singing the “ABC” song, and reading you a book…in gibberish you could never understand. Stacking blocks and knocking them across the room. Running at full speed and tripping over their own feet. Growing so very quickly that days seem like hours and years seem like weeks. Grinning up at you so sweetly. Laying in your lap napping.

When you see a little yapping dog, or a big gently mutt, or a purring kitty, or even those who run free in the streets and are not cared for, do you….would you…think back on a beloved pet you had at some point during your life. How would you treat them?

When we see people who are perfect strangers, we must think that all people we see are somebody’s grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. No matter what their race, creed, color, sexual orientation, religion, etc., etc., etc. No matter where they are, or where you are. Everyone is someone to someone else.

Life is not only just a circle and a cycle, but a circle within a circle, and a cycle of many things, for many people. We cannot know what anyone else is going through in their lives. I’ll tell you this, sometimes I can barely keep up with what’s going on in my own life!

We jump to conclusions. We judge based on looks, or based on information we hear second hand. We speak first without thinking about what we are saying.

As an old Clint Black song once said: “Put yourself in my shoes, walk a mile for me!”

I know for sure I ought to be doing more of that. I wish we all would do more of that.