Eye of the Storm

My New Years resolution is to be better about my blog posts. I will be linking to Facebook for anyone who is interested so they can check it out at their own leisure and will (for obvious reasons). Some topics might be considered too negative or too political for the average Facebook user. OK? Good.

"There is never enough of that which does not satisfy" -Nirmala

What has happened in 2010? Are we on the path to new things? We had an earthquake in Haiti and now the country is crippled more than ever. Then we had the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. An earthquake in Chile and a Pacific tsunami. Earthquake in China and volcanic ash over Iceland stopping air-traffic in Europe. The Deepwater Horizon exploded killing 11 people and spewed oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Greece fell into massive financial trouble and required a bail-out. Earthquake and Tsunami off the coast of Sumatra India. Mt. Merapi in Indonesia Erupts. Ireland also fell into financial trouble and required a bail-out. Wikileaks released a collection of more than 250,000 American cables.

A great many other things happened, but those are a few of the big ones. The list is, of course, not exhaustive by any means. What is in store for 2011? The Arizona shooting spree in an attempt to assassinate US lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords wasn't a good start. I am not trying to imply that 2011 will not be a good year because of that, however. What can we draw from this if anything? Well, I guess just that we must first accept that the world we live in is never a static place and that we should be thankful for a lot of things. Thankful because most of us were not (directly) negatively affected by these events. Much of our lives are spent trying to create a permanent and pleasurable environment for ourselves. The truth is all things change. Let go of the desire to stop the fluidity of transforming conditions. Instead of jumping ahead in your mind to small moments of fulfillment (that really never seem to come) try living in the immediacy of the present moment. If you might accept that long-term satisfaction can not be fulfilled by external experiences (or objects) then your pursuits might not end in disappointment. "Desire only leads to more desire" - like being stuck in a feedback loop. We won't be able to stop earthquakes or tsunamis but, we can create a safe path that can go right through the middle of the eye of the storm.

The Great Recession

The Great Recession has been going on for a few years now. I won't get into a lot of details about why and how we got here. I think that has been discussed ad nauseam in a lot of circles. Despite a decent holiday shopping spree by a still dazed and confused American public the situation we are in is going to be with us for quite a while. There are still ways to make a lot of money in the current economic environment - it just won't be available to everyone. That means that a large portion of Americans are going to face job loss, wage loss or stagnation. The opportunities for some will be nonexistent. Many people in this country are going to have to face a harsh reality. The division of rich vs. poor will widen to create an uneasy and inflammatory social situation. Survival will be more than just about creating money - for some of us - because creating money might not be an option unless it is done illegally. Just look at what is happening right now in Mexico. But here in the U.S. large numbers of used-to-be middle class forced into poverty is bound to create some real tension. I think we've only had a small preview thus far of what could occur in terms of wealth destruction. What will we do? Right now we've taken a wait and see attitude because, by God, if we can get the wheels of this machine turning again we will do it. The repayment of debt can only occur if there is growth in the future. What happens if growth does not occur? What if, for some reason, economies and/or cities shrink? Anyone been to Detroit lately? I'm not going to get into the many reasons why shrinkage could happen. There will be much resistance from many different people. The resistance will come in the form of disbelief of what is actually happening. It will be like a rubber band being slowly stretched and stretched until -POP- it just snaps. Being positive means that we believe we can grow closer as communities because we will need to rely on each other more than we have in the current technology age. Being ignorant means that we refuse face reality because it is too painful and consists of things that we do not wish to hear. Can we stomp our feet and throw a tantrum like we did with Mom to make it go away? How ignorant do we need to be to deny future growth could be limited in some fashion? As far as I can tell, the Government, the mainstream media and the large financial institutions fall into the ignorant category. Of course, their time will come too. Not everyone can be a Goldman Sachs executive, but they will prey on the hopes of all the little guys underneath who desperately wish to be in their expensive Italian shoes. They will continue to be ignorant because they will be part of the crowd that might be able to still make money until the rest of America is in complete ruins.

Delusional Space Cadets

We only have ONE planet. Yet somehow people are lost in a fantasy that we can do whatever we want. Lost in a fantasy that science and technology will solve all of our problems. Lost in the belief that if we ignore our problems they will simply just go away. Lost in a fantasy that when we have exhausted all the resources of this planet we can go live in space. Space? The same place without oxygen and water? Why do we want to live there? It is childish and irresponsible to think that we will live or can live like the Jetsons. Space dreams will not happen here, on the moon, Mars, Venus or anywhere. It is really time to get back "down to earth" about the problems we are facing as a human race. The voices of opposition are loud and mighty. Production, money and progress are all they can selfishly talk about. Progress? Progress to where? Where will we spend the money that we have made in the name of progress? Space? Trade it in on inter-galactic currency? The future will not be filled with robots to cater to all our needs and wants. We ARE already robots. We are people fused with machines. We have cars, computers and cell phones attached to our bodies. We stare hopelessly at TV and computer screens. Is this the life we are intended to live? Is this the life we want to live? It happens little by little and we may not even notice the transformation. What we truly fear is life - real life - and not the exaggerated movie version of life. We avoid nature because nature is too harsh. We know deep down that isn't really true. Nature gives us what we need. Nature gives us tough love just like a good parent. The life we've created for ourselves is harsh. The concrete and metal we surround ourselves with is harsh. The way we enslave ourselves to technology and the people who control it is harsh. Will you listen to yourself or the delusional space cadets? Is your life filled with the deafening sounds of the movers and shakers, money-makers, bankers, politicians, talk-show hosts, anyone with a sporty new Lexus and Bluetooth in their ear or the simple rush of a mountain stream? It is important to be aware of the changes going on around us. Turn off the TV or computer and go experience nature. Take a moment to sit quietly and just listen. Watch the leaves of the trees shake in the wind and listen to them "shhhh" your mind. Go to the ocean and listen the earth breathing in a peaceful state of relaxation. Climb a mountain and experience something of real inspiration and achievement. You may deny your place on this earth as a PART of this earth, but you are a chicken on the way to the chopping block fighting over the last piece of grain.