Same shit, different place…

September 3, 2008 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Inspiring, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Thoughts, Watch this | 5 Comments 

Who are we? What are we doing? What are we agreeing to? With our silence? Our obedience? Our complacency? Our willful ignorance?

We can connect the dots if we so choose to, but we choose not to. Why? Ignoring reality does not change reality. Does not make it go away. Does not push it further away from us.

So scared of losing everything, of dying, that we cannot see that we lose everything in our decision to not act with humanity, with love.

We lose everything while we sit and watch others suffer, sitting idly in our security ignoring all the signs that tell us “this isn’t real.”

This isn’t real! So much of our lives, of what we do, eat, think is fake and choosing to be okay with that means we’ve already lost it all. We lost. Because we’re not living anyway.

“We will defeat this war by making it unworkable on the ground
through thousands of collected acts of rebellion and disobedience.”

“We do not walk today to ask concessions from the powers;
they will never legislate peace or freedom.
We come to you. We turn to the living.
Their armies cannot occupy our dreams and their jails cannot hold our number.
This is our world and these streets belong to us.”

What’s good? Critical Education Theory and this man…

September 2, 2008 | Filed Under Consider this, Great ideas, Inspiring, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Read this | Leave a Comment 

Watch: The End of Suburbia

June 24, 2008 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Watch this | Leave a Comment 

Rising energy costs are on everyone’s mind.  There’s no way to escape the concern, even if you don’t drive because everyone’s feeling the pinch as the rising transport and production costs are being passed on to consumers.  We have to pay to check bags on flights now.  The price of food has experienced astronomical increases with regard to their prices just a few months ago.  Electricity, gas…everything’s going up while the value of the dollar and the availability of jobs continues to decline. 

Those experiencing it the worst are the same people who, at some point, were actually saving money.  I’m talking about suburbanites.  Suburban existence is completely dependent upon car transport and the availability of cheap fuels.  Well say it ain’t so, but yeah…peak issue is a very real concern no longer relegated exclusively to energy industry.  Peak oil doesn’t mean that there isn’t anymore oil, but that we’ve reached the maximum level of production, so from this point onward, every barrel of oil will be harder to get out of the ground, of lesser quality, and more expensive.  The days of cheap energy are over.

A while ago, there was an explosion of SUVs on the market.  Little men wanted them to feel more manly.  Big men wanted them for more space…and to feel more manly.  And little women wanted them to feel more manly.  (Strange, yes?)  Then hits rising energy costs and SUVs are no longer regarded as cool, but stupid if the space was unused and unnecessary.  If you didn’t sell/trade-in your SUV when they were still “in”, the likelihood of selling/trading-in now is low.  If you live in the suburbs and drive a SUV, effectively your little toe bleeds as the gun falls out of your hand. 

We’re going to see a continuing rise in urban populations and the development of more urban spheres.  Local living is key.  Moving forward, living, buying, working, and eating locally are all going to be of increased importance, something most suburbanites just can’t do without automobile reliance.  According to James Howard Kunstler, “The Wal-Marts of North America have very efficiently and effectively destroyed almost every local and regional network of economic, commercial interdepence.  And those networks are going to have to be rebulit.”

I found a great 52-minute documentary about this called The End of Suburbia.  Watch it below.

Do you [want to] blog?

December 20, 2007 | Filed Under Learn something, Random, Spotlight | Leave a Comment 

The Scrooge

December 12, 2007 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Watch this | Leave a Comment 

Today, I received a corporate email where everyone pictured was wearing red.  “They just make everybody accept Christmas, huh?” I thought.  No matter what you practice or believe, Christmas is one of the most intrusive times of the year.   While I believe that the virtues extolled during this time of year are wonderful, I know that it’s all B.S. propoganda so I can’t deal with it.  It’s not about the virtues; it’s about the gifts.  It’s not about Jesus’ birthday because he wasn’t born in December; it’s about the gifts.  It’s not about Christ or Christianity at all; it’s about the gifts.

The concept of Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol is an extraordinarily interesting one to me.  Here you have a character, a grouch, who loathes Christmas.  Each year, his intense hatred for the “holiday” strengthens as he draws further and further into himself.  Dickens informs readers that the reason Scrooge hates Christmas so much is because of his unhappy childhood and poor relationship with his father, who forced him to spend the holiday alone doing homework.  The insinuation is that if Scrooge had received the virtues of kindness, compassion, love and tenderness, he wouldn’t have been the Christmas basher that he was.

Abstract this characterization and apply it to our culture.  Often times, when people have an unpleasant demeanor around this time because of Christmas, they’re made out to be a Scrooge or a Grinch.  Reality is Christmas has nothing to do with what it’s said to be about–NOTHING–and it’s unfair to make those that know this wear the Scrooge cap because the rest of the world believes contrary due to the successful indoctrination of the so-called holiday.

When I have kids, no, I will not celebrate Christmas.  They will not receive Christmas gifts or any other kind of gift on or around December 25^th.  No.

If you’d like to do the knowledge, watch the following video called The Unwrapping of Christmas: Its History, Myths, and Traditions.

Your new water filters

December 6, 2007 | Filed Under Do your research!, Learn something, Moment of Truth, Pay attention, Watch this | Leave a Comment 

In light of the truth about tap water and fluoride, I’m switching my Brita faucet filter to an Aquasana faucet and shower filter.  Until December 15th, Aquasana is offering both together for $159. 

This action is in lieu of the larger initiatives I’d take if I had my own house.  In that case, I’d get a whole house filter for about $1,000.  Not bad for a filtration system that requires maintenance once every three years.

If you’re uncertain or skeptical about the dangers of fluoride in water, please see the videos below.  In this 3-part interview with journalist Christopher Bryson who uncovered the secret history of fluoride in his book The Fluoride Deception.

In addition to using water filters which significantly reduce the amount of fluoride in water, you should start using natural toothpastes that contain no fluoride.

To learn more, contact FluorideAction.net.

Just a few things…

November 28, 2007 | Filed Under Learn something, Pay attention, Random | Leave a Comment 

• What makes you unique?  Most people are keen on what makes them like other people–great; but what makes you different?
• What can you do to put more love and care in your work today?
• How much do you free others from the tyranny of your needs and desires?
• Love and fear are the only two emotions; everything else is a derivative of one of the two.  Which predominantly guides your mode of being?

The Path of Wisdom

November 26, 2007 | Filed Under Consider this, Health, Inspiring, Learn something, Rewritable words | Leave a Comment 

I started reading this book a while back called Chance and Choice and found it thoroughly fascinating.  The good news is it’s online for free.  Print it out, read it, and open your world.

1. Know your body.
2. Create your body energy.
3. Create your meaning in life.
4. Participate in a global network of friends where your meaning can be fulfilled in history.

I dig it.  It’s a challenging read but well worth the effort.  Truth…the highest good.

Zen zen zen-zen

November 25, 2007 | Filed Under Health, Learn something, Website | Leave a Comment 

 

The benefits of meditation are marvelous.  I haven’t been able to institute a regular practice, but I’m getting there.  For some, it’s so elusive.  Learning Meditation helps to make it a little more understandable. 

When I was meditating, I was much more calm and focused.  Life was less elusive.  If you’d like to partake in the benefits, learn more at Learning Meditation.

If you want to meditate the lazy way, try Hololsync.

Ethical shopping

November 12, 2007 | Filed Under Do your research!, Learn something | Leave a Comment 

For the past few years, I’ve been a big fan of Chuck Taylor’s.  As one of my favorite shoes, it’s become a quintessential character piece for me.  So imagine my shock when I found out that Nike owns the company.  Ghastly horror.  I’ve had this vow not to buy Nike because of their sweatshop labor.  Then someone pointed out that I don’t know who makes anything and that I may as well buy Nike because the other shoe companies are engaged in it too. 

In that case, what do I buy?  How do I know that my dollars are going towards products created with practices I believe in?  Thanks to Consumer Ethics, Inc., which also operates HybridCars.com, and their website EthicalShopping.com, those of us that care can be pointed in other directions.

It’s not Chuck Taylor that I share a connection with, but the style of the shoe.  Lucky for me, No Sweat Apparel makes their own version.

EthicalShopping lists companies you’ll feel comfortable supporting and companies that you won’t and should boycott.   Money is one of the three sources of power.  Where you spend yours does have an impact on what’s available in the market and what practices business comply with.  The site could use more frequent posts and collaborations with like-minded people and companies to expand itself into the source it could be.  Check it out.

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