Tag: Politically incorrect

The Shrew View: On Security

“…peace and prosperity can only happen from a place of security.” – The Shrew

Women anywhere should be able to come together joyfully to celebrate their collective wisdom and achievements.  I am, however, quite dismayed by the now annual women protest marches across the U.S. that promote a so-called resistance.  In our representative democracy we the people have a voice and a vote in our lawmaking process.  Transparency and inclusion during the process is what sets our nation apart from many other democracies.  It amazes me that our country is as big as it is and, in general, works cooperatively to achieve progress in everyday life.  So what are women resisting and why am I not at a city square marching amoung their ranks?

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It has been my experience that peace and prosperity can only happen from a place of security.  If the “resistance” is about protesting President Trump’s policies of increased boarder security and transparent participation in International affairs (as well as other things), then does this mean that women don’t want peace and prosperity?  I will admit, I honestly did not believe that Trump had the brains to implement what he has done so far, and still at times I believe his brains are lacking. But his results to me demonstrate a cryptic sensibility (this must be because he has no sense of the Washington political machine).  I contend that Hilary would have continued the same covert Obama tacticts of “say this, but do that” just as long as the “victim class” believes it will make us a better country.  But how?  This ambiguity of course is based on a moral relativism that only appeals to an emotional base.  Recall that Obama didn’t solve the illegal immigration issue while the Democrats had control.  Women should not give their power over to government elites AT ALL!!  Women as much as anyone must be smart enough to know that personal choices are protected in our nation; it’s the consequences of those personal choices that are at issue.  Ends do not justify the means in our country.  And “justice for all”, not “justice for some”, is in our pledge.   If we can argue the Constitutional protections clearly,  we have all we need to demonstrate progress for social change.

You won’t find me at a resistance rally…Instead you can find me working directly with my local community, actively engaged with citizens of varying beliefs and traditions, working cooperatively on local matters, and reaching out to my representatives.  It is hard work to dispel ignorance and create solutions.  It is not a one day soap box event!

Shrew U: Archetypes for Being

Archetypes of the Human Spirit

Part Seven

“Humans have been literally torturing each other for centuries as they grope toward a chalice of fulfillment.”  The Shrew

How do we teach each other about each other?

Our individual experiences help to shape what we believe to be true about ourselves and about each other.  Consequently, an individual is easily given to influences.  Those persons, or “influencers”, around an individual can be mistaken as the mold for that individual, and when this happens the individual is no longer that unique creature of his or her life and liberty.  Therefore, we each bear the responsibility to seek a greater awareness of our unique purpose also known as our pursuit of happiness.

These are not new concepts.  Humans have been literally torturing each other for centuries as they grope toward a chalice of fulfillment.  In the United States we have the best chance of attaining individual freedom based on actual resources of shared opportunities.  I believe this is where we are today.  It is most interestingly evidenced by the women in our U.S. Culture, and the influence here is what I call the Female Principle (FP).  Those who embody the FP are know as a Shrew.

In my first blog post (The Shrew View, Nov. 3, 2017) I describe the Shrew as having these qualities:

  • Emotional maturity
  • Openness as a condition toward wholeness
  • Fortitude
  • Humility

My story, Archetypes of the Human Spirit, recounts the metaphysical steps toward individual happiness.  It is a forward driven motion of heroic proportion that when actualized on an individual level can reveal the promise of what our “Creator” intended for his or her human creature.  The following analysis provides a deeper understanding of this story for the purpose of finding the happiness we all desire…

Archetype #1; Light and Dark

“Your light of truth will evolve as you leave the storm of darkness”

I depicted this Archetype in two ways:

  1. A vast dark area with a bright spot in the shape of a triangle pointed downward.
  2. A combination of two fetuses with a separation between them.

The fetuses represent the individual in a conflict of duality and with a separation that acts as the “waste” depository for unnecessary emotional baggage.

  • What does conflict mean to you?
  • What is your unnecessary emotional baggage?

The triangle of light represents the exit from the womb of darkness and dependency.

  • Can you think of religions or myths that rely on these Archetypes?  There are many, and this is just the beginning (Genesis!).
  • Can we consider this a Female Principle?

Next, I will reveal the Archetype of the number 3…

I’m Shrewd: On Being Thankful

On Being Thankful…

My minister this past Sunday preached on the topic of “Decolonizing Our Faith” during what is traditionally our service of Thanksgiving.  She took a hard line approach on how the greed of Europeans who came to the Americas for riches eventually lead to the genocide of 98% of the Native American people.  I must admit that I was taken aback by the topic and tried my hardest to open my mind to how it related to Thanksgiving.  I left the sermon thinking that I should feel very guilty about my privilege rather than thankful for the blessings of community and my part in sharing with others the bounty of my hard work.

The dilemma of the current trend to identify white privilege and associate this with the term white supremacy I think keeps the United States focused on a regressive experience of shame.  It also assumes that there has never been progress achieved for healing deep wounds of our struggles around racism.

I love to reminisce about what pre-discovery Native American culture must have been like.  They cared for the earth and honored the changing climate by understanding that all of their possessions were not totally secure.  Mother Nature and Father Spirit could be unpredictable and it was necessary to move from time to time and adapt.  We know that there were boundaries between the tribes.  At times they challenged these boundaries among them, and death and destruction would occur.  This is the unfortunate truth of our human species.  As one native might have rationalized, “If I need to go onto unfamiliar lands to hunt buffalo in order to feed, clothe, and provide shelter for my family, I am going to take a chance and do that for our survival.”  Then, as another native of a different tribe might have rationalized, “Your tribe has killed our most honored buffalo on our ancestors’ sacred lands.  You must pay for your actions with your life!”  And so, the human struggle plays out as it has for generation upon generation on every continent.\

For a moment, let’s leave out how imperialist countries used their wealth and power to colonize American soil.  Let’s instead turn our focus on the Pilgrims.  Freedom to worship God in their own way was their cause for escape from their homeland.  They took a chance and came to unfamiliar territory.  And with an open mind the natives helped the pilgrims through a harsh winter.  The Pilgrims were thankful for the blessings of community and shared with their neighbors the bounty of their hard work….That’s it!  That is the message of Thanksgiving.

Without guilt or shame, a struggle to save lives was met with shared courage and deeper understanding.  This is the Female Principle in action all those many years ago.  Why do we ignore this?

Shrew U: Religion and the History of Violence

 

Higher Learning

Fields of Blood…

In this first installment of Shrew University, I would like to challenge you to read the non-fiction book, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence By Karen Armstrong.

In this anthology of humanity’s struggle with spiritual vs. animal instinct I give Ms. Armstrong much credit for her research and cohesive presentation, however I do believe she is reaching at times in order to present a picture of what Utopianism could be as opposed to what reality actually presents.

Even peace may be purchased at too high a price. – Benjamin Franklin

 

I have begun to question why a group like Isis (or ISIL if you wish) has sprung up from what seemed like nowhere!  Sure you have your Taliban and your Hamas with their hate-filled demands and their suicide bombers, but this latest group of terrorists knows no bounds; they bring their social media propaganda directly to us from their desert!  And where is the religion?  I am here to tell you that there isn’t any…

Islam in this manner is simply the next form of political control.  When a group forms, or a “State” in this case, it needs rules and laws and a point person.  The point person is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known as Caliph Ibrahim and the rules and laws are the Caliphate.  ISIL is out to control the world…No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Armstrong’s book always has a leader who is central to the conflict.  She argues that it really is not religion that is to blame for the warring but rather secular motivations most times brought on by greed.  I think this is pretty safe to assume since to truly practice a religion requires one to humble themselves before their creator and uphold life; think “The Golden Rule”…All religions have this aspect to them.  If Islam is trying to form a “State”, then the religion of Islam is not being practiced as proved by their terrorist actions.  This is certainly not Utopia!  ISIL is trying to stream-line (as in secularize) Islam for the greedy motivation of universal control.  It is an invasive seed choking out the roots that uphold “natural” rights (read my Shrew View 11/3/17).

Natural rights are equal to rights of human liberty and the individual’s direct relationship with their Creator.  ISIL is in direct conflict with this idea. As rational beings, we must challenge any state or religion that puts women in a subservient position to men.  Why does Isis hate Chritianity so much? Consider the parable of the leaven which is directly after the parable of the mustard seed (out of a small concept sprouts a transformative belief available to everyone).  In the Gospel of Luke Jesus said:

“To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?  It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in 3 measures of flour until it was a leavened.”

Leaven means to transform something for the better.  Women own this central idea as the Female Priciple.  Jesus knew this and developed this idea from his Jewish roots.

Next up…Shrewd Awakenings