TWO MINUTES

This is an amazing two-minute look at world history. Enjoy!

Political Corruption Can Be Overcome

Does Democracy Equal Freedom?
I deplore dealing in negativity, but I am not Pollyanna and I know you must recognize a problem in order to address it with solution-oriented  discourse and action. What my primary concerns are for our country are political corruption and mass complacency.
We were given the great opportunity to be self-governing, but over the years we have allowed a rash of greedy, power hungry individuals and organizations to chip away at our freedoms and our resolve. So many people do not even vote. Those who do, often either pull the lever for a strict party line, or they vote incidental issues of emotional hot spots.
Things that the government should have nothing to do with should not be party platform planks.
Radicalism is uncalled for, unless you want to be radical about preserving and regaining freedom from despotism. It seems there just are not enough fingers to point at each problem facing us.
That is why I will cast my vote for Ron Paul. Dr. Paul seems to know what America stands for and what America should once again be.
My favorite quote from Ron Paul to date is this: "It's important for us to remember, however, that words can be made meaningless by misuse or overuse. And when we as citizens allow politicians to obscure the truth by distorting words, we diminish ourselves and our nation."
Enjoy reading and thinking about the depth of understanding that he exhibits in the article entitled Democracy is not Equal to Freedom and other fine illuminating articles at this link:
http://www.ronpaul.com/author/admin or click on the post title.
Anyway, my point is, that as a patriot, I could never, in good conscience, vote for either the incumbent or for Gov. Romney, simply because I care too much about the present and future of the United States and all of us within her.
Ron Paul has integrity and knows what needs to be done and will do it. That is my stand on this issue.
Blessed Be
Victoria

Wise or Dumb, Your Choice

Ridiculous!

A current report reveals that women are as susceptible, if not more so, than men, to the sad phenomenon known as ‘beer goggles’ and are as apt to respond to said attraction most spontaneously.

If this is so, what, oh what has happened to the general mentality of women? If a pint and a half of beer will possibly make a loathsome toad appear to be a prince charming, why would a woman succumb to the beer in the first place, let alone to the toad/prince?

I do attempt to ‘judge not that I be not judged,’ but I feel strongly about the need to maintain standards and a sense of discernment. It is true that many a fine book may be hidden beneath an unattractive cover, and yet, it is also important to cull the chaff from the wheat.  (Forgive my mixed metaphors, but I enjoy them)

I think that there is a possibility for most anyone to be redeemed in this lifetime if redemption is sought. But the seeking is the key. One must strive for higher ground, or one will remain lost in the bog. It is not the job of someone to jump into the bog with another simply for the sake of companionship.

To me, the attraction is founded first upon intelligent conversation and clever repartee. Should someone prove themselves of equal or greater mental and spiritual standing than I, then I seek to raise myself up to worthy equality and allow for nature to take its course from that point.

In any interaction I hope to bless through encounter and both inspire and be inspired either mentally or spiritually. A challenge to learn something new is a wonderful blessing, so long as the subject is within the context of one’s appropriate value system, or the motivation to research is for the sake of an ultimate benefit to self or society.

I  sometimes feel the ‘need’ for a Guinness when out with the girls if I want to loosen up and dance or sing karaoke, but stopping with one and sipping it slowly is beneficial for me to maintain my reason and yet unstuff my excessive inhibitions. And yet, I know that I do not really ‘need’ that Guinness, because I know that appropriate meditation would achieve my desired affect just as well. Either/Or.

And so, I would caution women to embrace discernment in their quest for companionship and to embrace less alcohol or other substances that might alter their mental state of self-protective shielding.

Have fun, be well and Blessed Be

Victoria

Some Thoughts on How to Run a Planet

Here Are Some Thoughts on How to Run a Planet:

Attributes of a congenial society would include the following:

Freedom

Personal restraint

Courtesy

Kindness

Diplomacy*

Honesty

Integrity

Joy

Generosity

Fundamental concepts which, when diligently applied to daily life, lead to harmonious interaction among people and societies, and between humans and non-humans living beings:

Golden Rule or Ethic of Reciprocity, Rule of Karma or An’ It Harm Done, Do As Thou Wilt. **

10 Commandments

Beatitudes

WWJD?***

Consideration of Consequences

Development of Empathy

Assorted means by which humanity may learn to live by the fundamental concepts of harmony include:

Education

Peer pressure

Yoga

Tai Chi

Meditation

Methods for correcting aberrant behavior include the following methodologies, and though non-exclusive, rule out the use of pharmacological or chemical behavior modification. Some of these non-chemical means are listed here:

Cleansing through spiritual means

Extraction

Exorcism

Soul Retrieval

Is there a place in a perfected social structure for punishment? If the goal is reformation, the following procedures might be employed:

Shunning

Isolation

What kind of government (of the people, by the people and for the people) would be appropriate to achieve a free and peaceful society?

What are the significant elements of a healthy society, economically speaking?

Agriculture

Construction

Recycling

Transportation

Energy production and distribution

Recreation

Spiritual counseling, teaching and reformation

Is it possible to achieve this total freedom on a global scale?

How to obliterate the concepts of fascism,? Through teaching freedom as the ultimate concept and generosity and honesty as the means to achieve it.

What is the underlying principal of all of this? Love.

Agape, Philia or Platonic,  Eros, and Storge.

Selfless and generous, and of God; friendship; romantic and erotic (Eros and Venus); and situational/familial.

“…for love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Little else is needed but the most significant portions of the Bible.

That does not mean that Christianity is the only way. It simply means that the Bible contains a great compilation of factors that can also be found in an assortment of other sources, all of which, if distilled into a compact format, without prejudicial denominational titles, would provide humanity and earth with all that is needed for creating a peaceful, free and happy global society.

The importance of separation of Church and State is predicated upon the fact that there are many religions and a tendency for adherents thereof to become fascist in their religious beliefs and to want everyone else to adopt their particular belief patterns and theologies. Also, there is the (sad) tendency for some individuals to choose to believe in nothing and to adhere strongly to that outlook. Consequently, Freedom of Religion is a necessary constituent of any successful society.

There must needs be certain constraints thereupon, however, and these are best based upon the fundamental precepts of freedom for all, kindness, generosity… essentially the precepts found in the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes. (Regardless of their source.)

Religion itself can actually serve a purpose as an instructor of the precepts that create a society of peace.

Warlike behavior is generally predicated upon greed. Greed for power and greed for land and resources,

King Arthur had a pretty good idea when he sat his constituents down at a round table to discuss their issues of importance. A populist concept, the round table or the circle, is comprised of those who wish to be listened to and those who are willing to listen. Representatives of peoples from assorted areas coming together to establish concord and to confirm alliance to the principles of the social network should not need to make up more rules or laws, but should simply discuss how the fundamental precepts may be applied to any given circumstance.. If a group is having difficulty with something, then  persons with ability would be selected to advise or teach or perform the needed function or provide the remedial service.

How should representatives be chosen to sit at this ‘round table’ or discussion circle?

Each area would randomly select a man and a woman who have achieved adulthood and who have no incapacities and two post-pubescent children to attend and represent their group. By randomly, it is meant that all names would go into four ‘hats’ and four toddlers would pick out the names of the representatives that would serve for that session. There would be no campaigning, no voting, and no competition. Everyone would have an equal chance of being chosen and those who have served in that capacity could choose to decline to participate in additional drawings. This would be the format of ‘government’ at each level, local, continental and global. ‘Government’ would be called ‘Council.’

What would constitute ‘punishment’ for infractions of the general codes of conduct?

Would ‘police’ be required, or some type of enforcers?

What would protect people from mob rule?

It would probably be best for shamanic practitioners to perform remedial work to rectify any situation that results in harm to another or to others or to an aspect of the planet.

Participants in a crime would undergo spiritual cleansing, extraction soul retrieval,

Participants in an incidence of mob rule would also be individually subject to the same metaphysical healing work.

And so, to reform society requires us to actually re-form society from the ground up, casting off the concept of corporations as ‘entities with rights’ beyond that which a human or biological entity possesses. What corporation (perhaps excluding Zappos) holds the rights of the individual as equal to its own?

The current corporatocracy in which we find ourselves has taken over rule of society in a very global way. From the outsourcing of jobs from one country to another, the shipping of resources and products back and forth across our vast oceans, the negligence of enforcement of safety standards in the oil industry and in the building and re-building of communities in fragile shoreline areas, the punitive requirements pressed upon small businesses and individuals wishing to be self-employed, the kow-towing of all levels of government to the mega-corporations who have taken over healthcare, agriculture and energy, there is little room left on this planet for the individual who wishes to carve out a meaningful and productive self-sufficiency.

Complacency and depression have been the psychological results of this megal-o-manic takeover of the economic systems of Earth.  I have seen so much complacent (if annoyed) acceptance of encroaches upon personal freedom in my prior work at an international airport, that I am saddened, angered and inspired to write, blog and speak on this topic wherever and whenever called upon to do so.

Standing up, speaking out, prayer and fasting, boycotting and peaceful, passive resistance are the primary tools at our disposal at this time. That seems like a pretty paltry inventory. Numbers though, that is where it will begin to actually count. Remember the Hundredth Monkey Effect. Once the tipping point is reached, the effects of our actions/inactions will snowball into a noticeable populist force that will (yes, WILL) have an affect upon our governments and the corporations that run them.

Where there is darkness, let us shine our Light!

Blessed Be

Victoria Lea

*Diplomacy would be strictly defined as polite and honest disagreement with another point of view. There would be no prevarication and no ‘political correctness’ involved in diplomacy.  No ass-kissing and no special favors would be tolerated. Simple and courteous honesty would be the rule of the day.

** Variants of the Golden Rule can be found explicitly in nearly all religions from Anabaptist to Zoroastrianism, with only several notable exceptions. In Islam, for instance, one has to work quite hard to discern the concept through implication. Also, there are intellectual treatises which dissect the rule into ridiculous absurdity, for instance, John loves to be spanked, therefore, John is obligated to spank those he encounters. In ancient Babylon, Hammurabi’s code of honor although of similar concept, was in practice, retributional: an eye for an eye and did not seem to get the concept of blessing.

*** WWJD, or What Would Jesus Do? Is a predominantly Christian bumper sticker. One need not be a Christian to ask and answer the question, as throughout the world, Yeshua has been known as an exemplary, loving, kind and forthright individual, who healed and expressed honesty in His daily life. One might also say WWBD or What Would Buddha Do? What indeed, would any perfect archetype do? Take stock and think about the consequences of an action in light of the precepts discussed to create a better human society.