Grace

I look in wonder at life gone by;

The ups, the downs, the ebb, the flow.

It gives me pause, to wonder why

I deserve this, I may never know.

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I called them wrong, I pulled away.

My bond with them, I did sever and crack.

Whatever I do, whatever I say,

They’re always there to welcome me back.

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I questioned him, I suspended belief.

I began to wonder if he was even there.

When my eyes were opened, with a sigh of relief,

I realized that he was always there.

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Through the ebb and the flow of this chapter in life,

I’ve begun to understand the purpose of,

The sorrows I’ve seen, the suffering and strife.

For from them I’ve learned the meaning of grace and love.

The Promise of Night

Turbulent skies, and seas that tossed,

By raging storm, a ship t’was lost.

The horizon to crack, the thunder did try.

The lightning which threatened to part the sky.

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The storm has finished, the winds now a breeze,

That gently leads the ship through the seas.

Steadily onward, the ship it does tread,

To a horizon, now changed from grey into red.

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As evening approaches, light begins to fade;

And the red of the sky starts to darken and shade.

The darkness of night, does a promise bring on,

For behind it, tomorrow. It brings a new dawn.

The Storm

It moves, it travels, with a vengeful wrath,

Leaving only destruction in its path.

It does this deed to reach its end,

It leaves no trace of what it hath.

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What end it seeks, no one knows,

Nor can they tell where the wind blows.

Try as they may, they will never see,

For its goals, and its ends, it never shows.

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They see the calm of the storm’s eye,

And only hope that the end draws nigh.

But they are far from safe from the storm’s wrath,

For they soon will find that only part has passed by.

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There is never a reason for the storm, nor

Is there ever an even score.

The storm passes by for only one thing,

It serves to destroy, and nothing more.

Reality, and the Inherent Flaw in Mathematics

Earlier, as I was pondering the following equation, I began to realize the inherent flaw in the mathematics we have come to understand.

2+2=5

It seems like a silly equation, in which there is no truth. I would argue that the truth is there, one must simply find it; or, more appropriately, one must create it. The inherent flaw is that the whole of mathematics is based on the standardization of symbols. However, if one were to create a legend for the equation, it could change the meaning entirely. Say, for example, I were to create the following legend: “2” is seven, “+” is minus, “=” is less than, and “5” is two, the above equation makes perfect sense.

“The result of seven minus seven is less than two.”

Our entire reality is based on standardization. Economics, language, relationships, mannerisms, and just about everything else. Even our senses are a set of standards which begins to form while we are still in the womb. Something aesthetically pleasing in one culture, may be vulgar in another. Something considered polite in one country, may be an insult in another.

So one question remains. What is reality? The answer is simple: Reality is what I say it is.

The Appeal of Pornography

I’ve often wondered what was the appeal of pornography. I was pondering this question the other night after a conversation at work on the subject. A couple of questions arose while I was pondering the concept. Why do so many people enjoy coitus in the third person? Why has pornography become more socially acceptable in recent years? Here are the hypotheses that I came up with. I, however, don’t have the ability or means to conduct any sort of experiments on these hypotheses, so I’ll just assume that I’m correct.

I was thinking about the first question, when I recalled an article I was reading a few years ago about research into possible causes of autism. During a series of experiments, in the 1980s-90s, involving monkeys wearing brain scanners, the scientists started noticing an interesting phenomenon. The experiments involved studying the activity of the ventral premotor cortex of monkeys while performing certain activities, like picking up and moving objects. What they found is that the same parts of the brain that became active when the monkey performed the action, were also active when it watched the action being performed by the scientist. Further research and study has found that these “mirror neurons,” as they were called, are a part of our everyday lives. They are the tools we use during early childhood development to learn from our parents. They are linked to certain emotions (sympathy, for example). They provide the necessary inputs for reading facial expressions and body language. They do all this by “tricking” you brain into thinking it’s doing something that it isn’t. When the subject watches the action performed, the brain (subconsciously) views the action as being performed instead of watched. The sad feeling that comes from watching someone else cry is a result of the mirror neurons. If emotion can be transferred in this manner, this could also explain why being at a sporting event is more exciting than watching the game at home. So what does this have to do with pornography? If, subconsciously, watching an action is seen as performing the action, then it stands to reason that this phenomenon also applies to sex. When a person is watching pornography; subconsciously, they are performing the act. This then activates the “pleasure center” in the brain (certain parts of the cerebellum, amygdala, and the pituitary gland) which also triggers the “reward circuit” (what makes us want to perform the pleasurable act again) . Here’s the kicker: pornography presents situations that are very unrealistic. So when the desire arises to re-perform the pleasurable act, there’s only one place to go, and that’s back to pornography.

Only in recent years has pornography become socially acceptable. A couple of decades ago, it wasn’t something that was really talked about. In recent years, there are movies made about the industry. It’s out in the open, and all over the place. So, why the change? One of the possibilities is that it has become more readily available. In our increasingly hedonistic society, the internet puts whatever you want at your fingertips. With access to the internet in almost every home, this gives access to pornography in almost every home; and the only limiting factor is your credit card limit. As previously discussed, pornography can possibly create a recurring desire. With virtually unlimited access, and the desire to return, it’s no wonder the porn industry brings in an estimated $10 billion annually. An industry that big is difficult to ignore. Give it some time, and people start figuring out that they aren’t the only ones hiding in the closet. They start to talk about it, and slowly it becomes more socially acceptable. Now, it’s not only socially acceptable, it’s the norm.

Connectivity

Looking at the way technology has advanced over the course of history, it seems almost logarithmic. The more advanced we are, the faster we advance. Why do we develop technology? People got along just fine thousands of years ago; even without the modern conveniences we, nowadays, just can’t live without. The answer is, we are “spoiled.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that is a bad thing.

Back when I was in high school (I know, not all that long ago), the only time I used the internet was on the school computers, and that was a dial up connection. We just didn’t have internet at home, and we weren’t the odd ones because of it. Now, if you don’t have internet at home, you are considered “behind the times.” In ten years, we have gone from dial up connections on a home computer (now considered archaic) to 4G cell phones at our fingertips, anywhere we go.

A couple of years ago, my cell phone started going out. It was time for a new one. I had a basic phone, with none of the bells and whistles. There was no camera, bluetooth, or internet connection. I had the ability to call and text, that was about all I needed. My wife tried to talk me into getting a smartphone. I argued back, I didn’t need one. I finally broke and got an android. Now my android is going out, and it is a major inconvenience. When did this happen? Why am I so reliant on my phone? The answer: because it is convenient. If I am looking for something, I can pull up Google to find the address, then use the GPS to guide me there. I can call, text, e-mail, or Facebook someone all from this tiny computer that I carry in my pocket. 50 years ago, if you would have mentioned carrying a computer in your pocket, you would have been laughed at. 50 years before that, hardly anyone knew what a computer was.

Why do I feel the need to be so connected? Most of the time, anyone can reach me, at any time, no matter where I am. It’s great for emergencies. If my car breaks down, I don’t need to hike several miles to get to a phone (something I’ve had to do in the past). If something happens to my family, they can get in touch with me almost instantly. In the past, it could take weeks to get in touch with someone. The post riders would carry hand written letters across the countryside on horseback. Later, the letters would travel by railroad. With the invention of the telegraph, the information traveled by wire, in a series of dots and dashes. Every advancement made things a little faster, all the way up to now, where it happens in microseconds. If it keeps going like this, will I eventually be able to reach you yesterday? (Sorry, bad joke)

Why I Disagree With Socialism

Collectivism

Social collectivism is built on the concept of altruism. The things we do must be “for the good of society.” Altruism, in its basic form, is complete selflessness. When a person devotes their life to altruism, they are completely sacrificing themselves to the satisfaction of others. This is being taken advantage of. Leaders of a collectivist society speak for “the good of society,” without telling the whole story. Nothing is free. When they bring a project to the table, they speak of the good that will come from it, but never answer the question of who will pay for it. As an example, I will use socialized healthcare. Everyone receives free healthcare, provided by the government. It sounds great; nobody has to worry about sickness, disease, etc. They don’t take into account the doctors who will be paying for this “free healthcare.” Medicine is currently an open market. In order for a doctor to survive in this economy, they have to be something better than mediocre. The best doctors get paid the most. Doctors must work harder to get paid more. With socialized healthcare, every doctor is paid the same amount by the government. Where, then, is the drive for advancement? Healthcare will become mediocre at best, because there is no drive for the doctor to be better than the rest.

When you remove free market, you remove competition. When you remove competition, you remove product quality. The free market is being removed without choice. When we don’t take into account those who are doing the sacrificing, we are forcing them to make the sacrifices. When someone is forced to sacrifice themselves “for the good of society,” we have reintroduced slavery. America is built on the concept of freedom. The founders of this nation, in the Declaration of Independence, spoke of certain unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One cannot pursue happiness in the state of slavery. Slavery most certainly isn’t liberty. Social collectivism denies us our individual, unalienable rights… “for the good of society.”

Hypocrisy

Socialism is everything we have stood against for so many years (United Soviet Socialist Republic, anyone?). We fought it in WWII (Nazi Germany). We stood against it in the Cold War (U.S.S.R.), and The Bay of Pigs (Communist Cuba). We still have embargos on trade with Cuba because of their socialist economy. When is the hypocrisy going to end? Nobody had a problem fighting socialism when it was called communism. Congress formed committees to purge this nation of the idealists who were ‘tainting’ our image with communism (regardless of their first amendment rights). But nobody has a problem with the direction we are going. Nobody has a problem socializing everything we do, from healthcare to retirement. People see the benefits of socialism without seeing the cost.

Unconstitutional

The more a society relies on the government for provision, the more power the government has. Under socialism, the government has total power. This is unconstitutional. The Constitution of the United States was written, not to rule the people, but to protect the people from the government. It was written, not to empower the government, but to set the boundaries of the government’s power. The more power and control the government takes from us, the further we deviate from the Constitution. I was shocked and appalled recently at the outcry of the people when the validity of the Constitution was called into question by Time magazine. The outcry was based on the picture on the cover of the Constitution being fed through a shredder. Where is the outcry from those people when the basic premise of the U.S. Constitution is being violated on a daily basis? The intrusion of socialism into our society is so subtle that nobody notices. They won’t notice until it’s too late.

The Fallibility of an Infallible Institution

Everyone seems surprised when an institution collapses. Institutions, when based on human ideals, are fallible. Governments are no exception. As an example, I will use social security. We currently find ourselves in a position of wondering whether our government can afford social security or not. What is the cause? It’s the Republicans; they are spending too much money on themselves. It’s the Democrats; they are spending too much money on everybody else. It’s everybody else’s fault for us not getting our money. Has anybody given any thought to a root cause? Instead of laying blame on everybody else, let’s look at our own actions. It seems like a great idea at a glance (notice a recurring theme here). We give the government money now, and they give it back later with interest, monthly like a paycheck. It seems like a great idea, if you view the government as infallible. If the government were perfect, it just may work. The problem isn’t the government spending too much money; the problem is we put the government in a position to have to afford it. We have relied on the government too much; and when you rely too much on a fallible institution, they will fail you. If you base your livelihood on the return of this investment, you lose your livelihood. So who is to blame for the social security crisis? I would say we are. The government, as an institution, is failing us. People can see it. We see it on the news, politicians arguing back and forth about pork-barrel spending and “for the good of the people.” The thing is, it’s almost like we expect them to fix it for us. The institution causing the problem is the same institution expected to fix it; and they are trying to fix it by sliding further into socialism.