Triple A Consequences

Are you part of a group? By group, I mean a set of people who have something in common. If you are part of a group, is it important that you all think alike and act the same? Are there rules for your group and consequences when someone breaks a rule? What are the benefits of being in your group?

When I was young I belonged to a group of neighborhood friends. The neighborhood was what we had in common. Initially we all went to the same grammar and elementary schools. Some of us went to churches of different religions in the same neighborhood too. We liked to hang out, play games, celebrate happy occasions and sometimes even get in trouble. That was kid stuff!

By middle school some of us went to different schools and so became part of other groups like sports, theater and music groups. Then as teenagers we each had to focus on what life had in store for our individual future development. College, the trades, or work became the focus yet there was always some time somehow to reconnect with that old neighborhood group. Change for our group was inevitable because even though we shared the old neighborhood as a common bond, none of us had the same talent, skill, passion or drive. The only rule was to be kind to each other. The only benefit was that we were friends. The rule and benefit extended to anyone else who wanted to be with us and abide by the same rule of kindness.

Be kind, be friendly. These are the best rules for being in a group…Any more rules can become a clique. I’m not fond of cliques because they tend to be exclusive.

It’s not a stretch to say that some groups are social constructs. The people in the group are socially connected with a common sense of belonging. When this belonging becomes a vehicle for “social change” then it is important to be critical of the group’s goals. Goals are different from rules because goals are the changes being sought. Are the goals inclusive or exclusive? Do the goals uplift all people or deprive some people of their rights?

It is very important for an individual to understand completely why they identify with a particular group before they become engaged with them. This is the ultimate struggle humanity faces! Insidious people often build social systems (ie. constructs) that tend to erode public trust. Once the system is in place, those who identify with it on some level can be swept up by its ideology often without realizing the consequences. What are those consequences? 1) Allegiance to the group, 2) Activism without critical thought, 3) Anger toward everyone outside the group. This triple A rating (Allegiance, Activism, Anger) is a sign of danger to the freedoms we hold dear in the USA. Kindness disappears. It can be an emotional struggle to remove yourself from a socially constructed group.

I think most independent people are smart. They may not engage in many group affiliations. Usually they are committed to reason. They are the ones to discern the dangers of the triple A consequences and vote against them regardless of the propaganda narrative. And if they miss the danger the first time, they will definitely correct it the next time. As the proverb goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Don’t get fooled again…Discern the dangers, correct the consequences.

A Teachable Moment

We must get back to basics. The Shrew understands that this country has lost its way as the bastion of liberty. Notice that I did not say bastion of democracy. There is a very important difference.

Justice is being manipulated to push the United States from a focus on individual liberty toward the mob rule of democracy. The efforts to control the actions and thoughts of all citizens need to be identified and revealed. This revelation is happening now!

Pure democracies are controlled by the majority. This is a very simple concept because “majorities” only reflect the loud and aggrieved elite in a country. However, to ensure maximum liberty a balance of actions and thoughts relative to each individual in a country is necessary. This is why our federal government and any organization in partnership with the government must obey the first amendment in our Constitution.

The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Notice the limits given to government. Can a government with such limits ever wind up controlling its citizens?

This government control is playing out now. For example, what happens when the government decides to underwrite the loans that students get for the tuition to attend a private university? Please understand how the politics work in this situation! University administrators can become beholden to government because the university is dependent on the cycle of loan to student then check to university. But then universities raise tuition annually which burdens the student and obviously not the banks. The university still gets their money and the bank gets the benefit of the interest payments from the graduate. But wait! Now the government can come along and pay off the student loan which in turn burdens the taxpayer because of the inflation caused by the government borrowing money to pay these loans. In this example the government has no limits, is influencing the policies of universities and banks, and effectively controls the resources of its citizens.

We see now that universities believe they are in a prime position to influence the government about social concerns. After all, the students who “pay tuition” are aggrieved and must “educate” the educators. Who can say NO to this oppressed generation? This is why the leadership at the universities and the federal government won’t take control of the student uprising…It’s all meant to dismantle the country and systems intended to secure liberty for all.

The moment has come. The universities who collude with the elite progressives have taught the anarchists well. And those of us who have ignored the warnings have been complicit in the plot. The politics are the same whether it involves the climate, health care, the justice system, etc. Progressive leaders use activist tactics to impose fascism so that the government can control everything.

The table has been set. We must not accept the invitation.

Godly Principle vs Humanism

WHY do humans exist? Humans exist precisely because they can ask THE WHY. The universe is vast and the questions in it are infinite. This realm of infinity is anxiety provoking to most humans which is WHY humans should desire a sincere connection to their Creator.

Jesus preached that we all have the ability to connect directly to God (our Creator). We simply need to practice consistent humility with our words and deeds before Him and to acknowledge that our fellow man should be treated with the same humility (do unto others as you would have them do unto you). Moses received the blueprint for living a humble life by conveying God’s Ten Commandments, and Jesus lived this honest relationship while further relaying the Word of God. Neither man had to fight a war to give the lessons, yet both men suffered greatly to pass the lessons forward. Honoring their suffering is WHY WE EXIST, because without their example our earthly mistakes would be even more tragic. These men used Godly principles to teach effective self governance.

Think about it…No kings of man would personally suffer to that extent. Instead the king would send enforcers to implement the king’s rules and dictates. In the United States this method of governing is no different from a bureaucratic system enforcing dictates that are not specifically voted on by Congress. Who or what gives these bureaucrats their authority? Probably a law set in place by Congress who represent us. However, Congress’s power of oversight has been diminished by an ever expanding bureaucracy. Representation and the unalienable right to the self governance of WE THE PEOPLE is therefore diluted. This diluted representation allows the ideology of humanism to take control.

From Merriam-Webster.com : humanism – a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values. especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual’s dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason : secular humanism. humanist.

As you can see from the definition above, an individual’s ability to use reason to actualize self-realization (of one’s worth, dignity and character) is the preferred ideology for a humanist rather than using their inherent belief in God (supernaturalism) and His natural law. The rejection of His natural law, however, makes it difficult to comprehend any unanswerable WHY.

No one can know everything. No one can know themselves completely let alone another person. An understanding of God’s natural law along with God’s commandments and Jesus’ teachings help to provide an anchor for effective self governance and morality. A successful constitutional republic demands that we have this knowledge. Without it, the governed become susceptible to tyranny and oppression because humanists always attempt to impose their created versions of “moral” values.

Our standards for scientific research, education, governance and economic development are anchored in God’s natural law. To dismiss these standards as antiquated is absurd. We must resist the postmodern humanism that relies too heavily on social activism to force its unreliable and shifting standards.

God help us to see THE WHY and THE WAY.

Information Age Morality

We are about seventy-five years into the sociocultural evolution of the Information Age. So, how are we humans doing culturally and emotionally at this point in time? Pretty poor I would say…Poor in mind, body and spirit.

This standard of “poor” needs some serious discussion. Innovations of digital technology have progressed the most rapidly during this period. How unfortunate that illiteracy has also progressed. Whether due to laziness or miseducation, we must admit that our reliance on the information we receive or transmit through these technologies has diminished our capacity to understand each other with deep humility and honest compassion.

My engineering degree mostly strengthened my technical writing ability. I hated my reading and writing assignments in high school because the topics were not very interesting to me. Who needs Shakespeare and Tolstoy when regarding the bigger picture of life? Turns out that all of us need this rigorous education. I am so glad for the exposure to these pre Information Age literary guides.

Now that I am much older, I read and listen to the classics with enjoyment and appreciation. While reading and listening to newly produced information I tend to assess the content against the information standards of decades ago. I find that many of our modern cultural expressions in news, literature, motion pictures and lyrics are devoid of our natural human capacity toward Godly standards of metaphysical growth. Can this observation be applied to our current crisis in mental illness? Absolutely! Examples can be found in many current narratives.

For example; the next time you read or listen to a news story please look for the following criteria:

1) The headline matches the story’s content.

2) The content covers the who, what, when, where and why effectively.

3) The author addresses any missing information and commits to providing it in a future story.

4) The author uses caution to prevent misjudgment on behalf of the reader.

5) The author does not judge the people in or the content of the story unless they are editorializing.

6) The author points out that any anonymous source has actual first hand knowledge specific to this one event.

You can add a several more days to that headline lol

If what you read or hear does not follow the above noted norms, then the author is probably creating a biased narrative. There is nothing wrong with biased narratives, however the author must be up front about the content actually being an opinion piece rather than actual news.

It is immoral to present fantasy as fact. This narration of information has been happening far too often in our current culture…Media and literary pundits must pick a lane and confess their implicit bias practices before we all become ignorant slaves to the content that they generate. Otherwise we will quite literally lose our minds. Perhaps that is the goal?

I Dis Missing Information

It seems as though no one is willing to seek the truth anymore. Why is this so?

News headlines, especially on social media sites, intentionally lack specificity of facts in order to grab the reader’s attention. Missing facts IS “misinformation”…One needs to read the actual article to understand the context of the headline. Even then, one must scrutinize the language used in the article. The reader will scroll through multiple advertisements before they get to the main points of the article, and even then no relevant information will be revealed. It’s almost as though the journalists are complicit in a game of chess where cash is king. Well, many of them are complicit!!

But journalists who work within the corporate news media are only the “so called” messenger. Content comes from elsewhere. Let’s think about this because events are happening around us all the time. The events that are news “worthy” are typically what make the headlines. Journalists must track down the events, report relevant facts, and interview key sources without bias, conjecture and judgment. Words like “alleged”, “purported”, “claimed”, “unsubstantiated” are needed in a first report. If the reader/listener is not seeing/hearing these words in a first report then they are apt to misinterpret the story.

Hi standards can tumble and be easily washed away.

Likewise, an awful injustice can be done by simply reading or listening to hearsay that has no corroborating evidence. Oral history might be noteworthy, but should be taken lightly. Repeating something over and over does not make it truth. Repeatedly publishing someone else’s hearsay or leaks to the press does not make it truth.

I dislike any journalism based on the above stated flimsy methods. Let’s stop factualizing unsupported narratives and not reporting missing information. This is actual misinformation, and corporations who advertise within it are culpable of the worst kind of cronyism.

Unexpected Treasures

There is Hope. We have known about This for quite some time! Only, we ignore Its promise. Such a pity.

Look around and witness all the struggle. The hurt that blossoms forth from this struggling empties out into the world as irrational behavior. We turn heads away in pity. Instead, we must lift our hearts in prayer.

God knows this struggle. His physical world made it possible. Struggle involves mind made darkness. Yes! God did not make this darkness, only the human mind can do that. God’s darkness is only in the free and open night sky. He would never want His creation to dwell in the self created mind made darkness. Well, if that is so, why do we suffer so much? There in lies the struggle.

Whether it’s addiction, hate, despair, grievance or covetousness, our mind has made it up and our behavior has made it reality. This reality is what we are witnessing. Those who are in the struggle are intentionally sleeping in their mind made cold, yet comfortable, darkness. What those in the struggle do not understand is that our witness cannot help them. Our efforts cannot help them. Only God can help them out of the struggle.

But, you say, the struggle these people display affects my life! This struggle harms people and it harms themselves. How can we make it go away? We want to help. We care and we need to make it right!

All we can do is be a guide…Show them the way. There is truly more light in this world than there is darkness. Our prayers are only part of our guide to their path for more goodness and light. God gives the enlightenment.

Any religion or ideology that promotes or dwells on struggle as its basis purposefully brings darkness to our world and that is evil. God does not condone this arrangement. The Judeo-Christian model is God’s guide. The Ten Commandments point the way. We know this! Jesus was and is a living guide to open our eyes and in turn our hearts. Pray that you are like Him, a living guide to light us towards the treasures for which this life is worth living.

Struggle is an illusion. Give the gift of light this season. He made you in His image for this reason.

Fatalism or Free Will

These are some very dark days. How does your ideology help you to cope?

Sadly I see that many turn to activism. However, there are two types of activism we must be aware of.

The first type is personal … It’s plan of action is rooted in direct experience and uses principles that have been proven to work among close relationships with family, friends, and local community members. The system is designed for success to help the most people possible without disenfranchising others.

The second type of activism is what I call “tangential”… It’s plan of action is rooted in empathy and uses emotions as swords for justice. It’s appeal is not based in principle at all. The hook is projected outward from a guttural and primitive perspective. The system is designed for chaos and mass psychosis.

While personal activism is grounded in Truth, tangential activism has no grounding. If there is no grounding then the activism is nihilistic. Nihilism rejects all moral and religious principles in the belief that life is meaningless. Today’s group activism in the streets and meeting places is replete with catchphrases and chants yet has no solution. How is this activity useful for coping? Think about it.

To bring light into these dark times we must reject the fatalism of the tangential activism that we are witnessing around us. The goal of this activism is to eliminate the useful systems that have brought human prosperity. Yet, no matter how difficult the situation may become there are always people who work together willingly and freely to protect the lives of individuals. This light is the Creator’s promise of life everlasting in our world.

Reject fatalism and embrace your inherent free will to choose human prosperity. The evidence is clear: https://www.policyed.org/human-prosperity-project

The Gods of Revolution

Why should we have a Constitution and why should our elected leaders swear an oath to abide by it? The easy answer is that the leaders who work in government need rules to govern our republic and they must say out loud that they will abide by those rules. Interestingly, we the citizens who are not elected must put our faith in those whom we elect. But who among us really understands what that faith can and cannot do?

I put faith in the process and not in the elected officials. Process is the rules…Just like a football or baseball game, teams compete and fans pray that their team’s talent along with a little luck can win the game. Rules keep the outcome fair. Yet, politics is another game altogether! The rules are very hard to follow. The DNC and the RNC give off the impression of fairness, but their ultimate goal is the acquisition of power and so the representation of we the people seems to take a back seat. These political “teams” involve many power brokers that offer little transparency to the voters. It is this lack of transparency that removes fairness from the process. Faith therefore is fleeting because personalities have been deemed more important than the rules.

These personalities believe themselves to be as gods. Just like the many gods who were worshipped in ancient times, these personalities consider themselves “gifted” with their own abilities of transformation. Unfortunately for we the people the transformation is not always part of a shared vision. It is as if the ancient war of the gods has returned to modern times as a revolution without a clear cause. How will the war end?

Governing bodies that use loose rules tend to usurp power for their own benefit. It doesn’t matter if the body being governed is a State or your own body. If the practice being used becomes unhealthy then there is a problem. Those being governed know the problem exists but are limited to interventions…It’s easy to see then how the power addiction turns into chaos (war).

Our Judeo-Christian God has the best process from which to draw faith. That which is real and objective, ie those things He created, hold the Truth. Therefore through God all things are possible. Once a person or government is driven by hubris, greed or power their ego thwarts the humility necessary to reveal Truth and to then turn chaos into mature and rational human behavior and actions for the betterment of others.

Be vigilant and pray for our country as well as an honest peace in the world.

When Feelings Don’t Lie

Since the time of Aristotle and no doubt even before, human kind has contemplated our existence. Every individual’s life experience is unique yet we all are conceived, born into existence, live, die and “feel” along that journey.

Where do “feelings” come from? This question is definitely hard to answer. I believe it’s more important to ask what feelings are grounded in. Plato developed more understanding around the latter question. Each individual has their own body/soul linkage…neither are independent from the other because one needs the other to form the basis of the human capacity to feel whether it’s the tangible aspects or the emotional aspects. Yet the body will one day decompose so humans are left with one more question, “What then?”. In this post I will focus only on those feelings that happen while we are alive.

Let’s start with the notion of “world view” which is different for everyone because we all have various family, religious, educational, cultural and geographic situations. This is our immediate experience, our “grounding”. Is the experience (aka grounding) “normal”? Heavens no! There are too many variables to account for. The grounding is the individual’s acceptance of their earthly experiences. It’s all relative to the order that is necessary for procreation of the human race without which we would not exist. This order is actually that which is normal. Societies are meant to thrive by bringing forth life within a structured familiarity (i.e. world view).

Our “world view” experience can expand with the help of modern technology. Travel, communication and media connect us with even more variety, but is this experience “grounding”? Heavens no again! These technological advances are a marvelous tangible distraction, but they do very little to advance our metaphysical sensibilities. The human soul was already a package deal from conception…Life on this planet is a distraction from the soul’s real purpose which is a oneness with God’s love for us. Ultimately He created us and wants us to live our physical lives graciously with each other before returning to Him in the metaphysical world.

As I have pointed out in my previous blogs (see https://shrewview.com/2019/04/03/a-religion-for-our-time/), order is based in the Male Principle (MP). Feelings that are grounded in the MP are orderly and cause no emotional distress. On the other hand, feelings that are grounded in the Female Principle (FP) are chaotic and cause much emotional distress…our metaphysical selves are always trying to balance these two Principles while we live in the physical world. Our feelings are expressions of this dual energy. Hence, our physical capacity to exist in this duality may or may not “fit” into the physical order of earthly circumstances. We see extremely ugly expressions of these dualistic feelings revealed as depression, anxiety, addiction, self harm or harm to others. The oneness with this ugly energy is our satan, our evil. There is no grounding, only physical and metaphysical unrest.

Honor your feelings but learn their value. The awareness they bring is for only you to understand because there is a much deeper duality at play…The middle path is not necessarily the safest and each extreme is not always the only choice. You must comprehend the metaphysical Male (order) and Female (chaos) Principles to actuate a balanced life in the physical world. The lie comes when you shun this reality and exist on a merely physical basis…living life becomes chaotic and difficult in a real sense.

Soon humans will be sold a non-physical experience in order to create a more “perfect” concept of “reality”. This experience is not metaphysical even though the Company logo identifies itself as “meta”. This will be corporate cronyism at its finest. Remember what I said previously, societies are meant to thrive by bringing forth life within a structured familiarity. We are not meant to be used and manipulated by others for a social purpose…The Male Principle and the Female Principle will be replaced with radically formulated principles in this new non-physical experience. This artificial “grounding” will give us everything we want and need for a fulfilling yet manipulated life experience. It “feels” wonderful, but it will cost us our God given free will…just what satan wants.

Lies can be easily sold to you if your feelings are not grounded first and foremost in God’s love for you. Removing the familiarity of God from society IS destructive to your soul.

Turn, Turn, Turn

Ecclesiastes 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. I know the verses better through how the Byrds sang them in a song called “To Everything There Is A Season” by Pete Seeger and originally released by the Limeliters in 1962 which happens to be the year I was born. I’m sure you know it:

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rain, a time of sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

This song has entered my thoughts many times over the last year. Recession in our economy, war in Europe, and sparring leadership in the federal administration have given me an uneasiness. Yet when I am able to focus on my own work, family and community my tensions ease and all seems right in the world. Things change and time changes…It’s how we build wisdom. Life was never meant to be easy, but we can certainly turn lemons into lemonade with a willing mind or even a good biblically inspired verse or song:

To everything turn, turn, turn…