Rambling

I once thought that I thought too much, then I realized I was only thinking about what I was thinking about so I could figure out what I know that I know :)

The Balance

"The idea is unnatural naturalness or natural unnaturalness, I mean, it's a combination of both. I mean, here is natural instinct and here is control; you are to combine the two in harmony. Not, if you have one to the extreme, you will be very unscientific; if you have another to the extreme, you become, all of a sudden, a mechanical man, no longer a human being; so you, it is a successful combination of both...and that way it is a process of continuing growth." -Bruce Lee

This saying is a great example as to the beauty of being a human being. We are unique organisms in that, not only do we have the ability to consciously experience our physical world, but we also have the ability to measure and record what we observe so that we can actually explain what it is we are experiencing. But the real challenge in being a human is the balancing act of it all.

Yes, we still exhibit some traits that we share with our animal friends such as greed and war. But we forget that what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is we have the ability to reason, and use logic to elevate thought to a level that pushes us over what hinders us from the potential that we can actually attain.

But because things are unbalanced, because we are not learning how to listen to our instincts while at the same time observing what is going on around us, we suffer. You can see it in the way we relate to one another, in the business that we conduct, in the way that we exist within our planetary environment. The methods that we use to live and to conduct civilization are self defeating. Of course there are pockets that show the contrary: we have the red cross feeding and clothing people, and programs like habitat for humanity providing shelter and a clean environment. But we also have profit-driven business, which puts the profit before the customer. We have energy extraction procedures that do more harm to the environment than we will even know right now. We are out of balance with the nature in which we exist.

Until we as a species figures out a way to exist in balance with our surroundings, we are doomed to defeat ourselves. And I hope we can attain that balance before it is too late...

I'd like my change back?

So I'm a little bit of a politics follower and I've been keeping my eye on Mr. Barack Obama and I have to say that when considering all of the things he has gotten done and all of the changes that he's made...I'm pretty disappointed. Now I know I've got critics on both sides, and some will be like "I told you so," and some will be like "C'mon give him another chance," but after much deliberation I've come to the conclusion that Mr. Obama has been nothing more than a politician who had a good sale pitch. A really good sales pitch.

I kind of knew after the public option, which I think it's safe to say the public really wanted, was tossed out on the health debate, we had another politician. And my suspicions kept revealing themselves after Gitmo wasn't closed, then after the Bush tax cuts got extended, then after the budget agreement, then after...well I could go on, but you get my drift. Now this is not to say that some good things have not been done. DADT got repealed among somethings, but the military's budget is still sky high, while I learned a short time ago that around the country some of the humanities are being cut from university's programs. I smell fascism.

But Ive come to a conclusion; if there is really some change that we want to believe in, why do we keep electing businessmen to our public offices and think things will change? These guys sell themselves really well, get elected and then it's business as usual when they start their terms, I say if we as a country are really talking about change we have to really change something about the way we do our politics. STOP ELECTING THESE SUITS TO OUR PUBLIC OFFICES!

The suit and tie really have been a spectacle to be pondered. It has been the representation of business in America and in other countries for a very long time. I'm definitely not saying that suits and ties are bad, because who doesn't like to get dressed up once and a while. But because the suit and tie has represented some sneaky underhanded s*%t in its history, why should we also associate it with the way we run our country full of human beings as opposed to the country being run like a business full of employees? When you think of the bailout, what do those banker wear? When you think of oil tycoons cutting deals with politicians what do you imagine them wearing? When you think of a cold lifeless corporation taking over all of the revenue of an area that used to be littered with "mom and pop" stores, what do you think they wear in their boardroom making all  of those decisions (that was a little dramatic but I'm sure you get the point).

That's why, (I've done a google search and I couldn't find any evidence of one, but correct me if you know there is one) I am going to start the No Suit Party right now. It's a party for people who don't want to been in the two party system, who follow politics, know their government, know their constitution, but are tired of seeing the business as usual that goes on in "Warshington". It's a party for people who want a better choice than just one of democrat or republican. It's a party for people who know you don't have to be a lawyer to know the law. It's a party where the candidate know you won't change the political scene until you get private money out of it. It's a party where the candidates....don't have to wear suits. I like it already :)

A product of DCPS

I was talking with my mother last night about a movie called, "Waiting for Superman". Critically hailed and a whole bunch of other labels that tout it as work that reveals what the problem with public schools is. The problem is...it's propaganda. That's right, more separation media giving argument to the widening of the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Needless to say that my mom was pretty upset about how the movie goes about delivering its message that public schools are messed up. And it pretty much blames a lot of it on teachers unions and such. I see a flash to wisconsin at this point. But it makes me ask, why are we demonizing those that are teaching our kids 8+ hours a day, ahem for free (of course it's paid through taxes, but wouldn't you rather pay someone from a pot everyone contributes to than pay an insanely expensive tuition). Do you really want to think of the people that have possession of your kids most of the time that you aren't there as inefficient or inept?

Lets give this another look. I think the point that people are missing through this whole deal is that this is a cycle that we are caught in. The first thing that my mom brought up when considering teaching these kids is the parents aren't giving them any help, and this is solely from her point of view, which is an elementary school that you could say is in the hood.  Reading and talking with your kids has always been stressed, at least it was in my house.

There is something very wrong here. In our society we have to pay to live (house, lights, heat, food, etc) In order to pay those bills you have got to work. But now a days in a system that requires you to pay way more to live than we've had to in the past, you get both parents working or one parent working twice as hard just to pay those bills. Now the parent doesn't have time to give the children the mental stimulation needed to keep up with what is going on in school. In some cases the parents just suck as parents due to drugs, alcohol, and other social disparities causing a lack of money therefore causing a lack of food etc, and if you ever tried to learn something on an empty stomach you'll know how difficult these kids have it. And now the student performs poorly in school because they lack the tools to keep up with the standards. This falls back on the test scores which get reported to the bureaucrats who in turn take it out on the teachers, and this is what we see now.

The problem is not the teachers or the unions. The problem is the system on the whole. If we took better care of people all together we wouldn't have this problem. If people didn't have to work so hard to live they could give more time to their children which would make it easier for the teachers to teach them. The most devious thing done in this system of america so far I've noticed is convincing the people without money that the people with more money need more of it.

The Witness

I have been conscious before time was time and I have been traveling for a very long while now. I've witnessed the birth of existence itself and I have beheld the death of stars. I've observed the coalescence of gases and gravitational collection of rocks and metals and I have watched those same elements come together and form planets, then dominate the systems that they occupy. I've raced from one end of a galaxy to the other, in no time and I've watched asteroids collide with enormous rocks to create satellites orbiting their celestial bodies. I've watched some of those same large rocks snatch comets from their flights paths and hold them hostage probably until time will stop again, or they've given up more of their time than they realize and can slowly drift back away. And though I've witnessed all of these happenings and endless events...I don't remember any of it...