Friday, March 26, 2010

Fight Mode

Every spiritual guide known to the human race throughout history has clearly set forth the path to enlightenment. Quiet acceptance, diligence of thought, and peace of mind and heart. With ourselves and others, compassion and kindness take the lead as we attempt to achieve success throughout our lives. Fighting together for world peace seems more than advisable.

What about these statements appears to be completely lost and forgotten today? Everything, as we see. Financial structures throughout the world are in meltdown . . . millions of our planet's inhabitants are without basic requirements such as pure water, adequate food or shelter, and even safety from predators - more often the human type.

Media circuses tend to exaggerate and promote contention, along with advocation of retaliation, often reaching such intense proportions that it becomes abusive, even predatory. Political parties daily fling insults toward dissenters . . . employing vandalism and vicious verbal abuse, while attempting to sway public opinion toward whatever 'cause' they currently espouse.

We're missing something here. Some integral, essential qualities . . . notably cooperation, understanding, composure, and dignity. The world we face each day is a morass of furious, pointless squabbling . . . desperation's ugliest countenance.

Take a deep breath. Become aware of the state of humankind. Remember good. Believe in positive change. Think carefully. Know that no matter who wins the petty fight, war continues . . . and certainly will lay waste to quality of life so long as it exists.

Lose righteous anger, careless use of ridicule, willingness to inflict damage, defensiveness, deceit. Acquire love, empathy, patience, care for others, all others. Cultivate a generous spirit, employ mercy. Damage, inflicted purposefully or accidentally, does not usually confine itself to a small area.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Respect

Now that the National Enquirer deserves (someone, somewhere's) new respect for "stakeouts, paid informants and various sources" having exposed a politician's dalliance with a staff worker, what comes next? A literary prize? Attention from the public? Heavy increase in sales?

We've become a mass of punitive, small-minded, petty activity, this culture. Media successes skyrocket when the public is treated to squabbling, foul-mouthed, asinine behavior by featured 'guests' who attempt to best each other by exhibiting as much of their vacuous ignorance as possible.

What do we now respect? That is, what do we hold in high esteem, what is valuable to us?

Surely it cannot be knowledge, thoughtfulness, consideration. Nor does it appear that most of our fellow citizens have much more on their minds than the latest fashion or scandal, or where the next drug or quick 'high' can be procured.

Shallow, artificial functionality has come into its own. Marketing industries clamor toward banality, actually insulting normal intelligence with most commercials which are heaped non-stop in our laps daily. Any attempt to obtain daily news is met with this constant bombardment; rarely can we expect to view, on any TV station, an entire half-hour of uninterrupted information or entertainment.

And we wonder why so many people suffer panic attacks, anxiety? Why stress is steadily on the rise, why so many take prescription drugs daily to ward off a complete inability to function? Try sensory overload . . . consider constant noise, an urgent deluge of unintelligible nonsense.

So much for quiet dignity . . . for honest, aware communication. Sensationalism has arrived -- in all its mindless hunger. When we begin to see merit in, much less truly admire, publications which set out to annihilate others; when we feel the need to behave as judge and jury; when we relish decimating lives for our own entertainment -- the concepts of goodness and integrity have been lost in the shuffle.

Get into learning, loving life, generosity to others. During the human race's habitation of this planet, there's been enough killing. Let's live.