New Age

Folks, I have been paying attention to the news and our world events lately. Let me give you the broad strokes, as this post is intended to be short and to the point.

The major governments of the world are bickering like schoolchildren over candy. China is beefing up its interests worldwide, by buying more resources and selling more goods. The nations of Europe are banding together, to make some sort of super conglomerate, half business and half government. The nations of the Middle East are doing what they always have done: arming themselves tooth and nail against attack from each other and from within. However, in this age that is ever more important to pay attention to because now instead of armies with bows and arrows, we have death in cold hard steel and devastating explosives which can kill millions in a single detonation. South America, Africa, and all the "lesser" countries of the world are in uproars, civil wars, turf wars, and just about every other type of war you can think of. Meanwhile, Russia is trying to rebuild itself (and if you think they have forgotten the Cold War, you better think again). Every nation is competing for the newest technology, the newest fashion, the newest foothold in a global consumer market which ranges from what sort of toothpaste you buy to the type of armament a country can purchase from the lowest bidder.  We are constantly changing, moving, adapting, renovating, and thinking up new ways to gain some sort of.... what?

What are we progressing towards here, ladies and gentleman? Are we paying attention at all to this? Where, as a species, are we going with this? Think about it. A friend of mine has told me repeatedly "All of history is just ripples in a pond" or something close to that effect. And it is true. Every major war we have ever fought as a race is a product of the Crusades. And what were those? They were a fight over land, resources, assets, and ideologies. But what was the point? In all these wars I see, I see no great benefit. You have to understand: I am a soldier. Though I have yet to be deployed, I understand the significance and overall point of defending yourself. It is why I joined. I want to serve my country. But as I look at the world today, I don't think my country is serving itself. I think we are missing the point here.

We as a species are constantly fighting and bickering over who gets this and who gets that. Does this seem like either a divorce settlement or a sibling rivalry to anyone else? Are we not seeing that as people get more and more caught up in their lust for power, we get less and less productive? It doesn't matter whether you are a socialist, capitalist, anarchist, or libertarian. It doesn't matter whether you are Islamic, Buddhist, Christian, or belong to some sort of other religion. It doesn't matter how much money you make or who you think should be president. And it sure as hell does not matter whether you buy Gucci or Prada. All those things could be gone in an instant if you die or the nukes fly tomorrow. And what will you have accomplished with your life? What will it really matter if you spend all your time fighting over things that don't matter? Shouldn't we be more focused on finding some sort of harmony within ourselves and the world around us? Notice I say harmony. I do not say peace. Nature in and of itself is not peaceful. It is hard, cruel, and uncaring. It is the reason we became civilized: to find some sort of shelter from the storm. 

However, in all our "civilization", I think many of us have forgotten what it was to have that survival instinct. So many people band together and live in major cities of the world. We have upwards of 6 billion people on this planet. And we are all working our little lives, playing out our little drama for the purpose of what?

There are some who have it right. In fact, I will be generous and say many. There are those who look up to the stars and wonder if there is more. Truly wonder, and not just look up to see if they can make a profit. But many forget that we are all simply apes on this little rock orbiting a star that will destroy our planet in a matter of billions of years. And I fear that we will end soon before then because we have no restraint, no idea of what we should be progressing towards, no clue as to what it is we are here for. I have likened human kind to a five year old who suddenly has the body and strength of a 35 year old. He has no idea a) what his capabilities are, b) what he should do with his strength, or c) how to control it. All this proliferation of technology, weapons, styles, consumerism... I am not against progress, but am I the only one who thinks we should slow down and take a minute to reassess all our priorities?

Some may say it is happening. There is talk in the wind of "change". But I see only an old idea coming back to life. One that is both unappealing and restricting. I see the winds of a "collective" society blowing about. And this, I will not accept. Read Anthem by Ayn Rand, those of you who have not. You will see what I mean.

We are individual citizens, no matter if you live in New York, Dubai, Moscow, Beijing, Cape Town, Sydney, or Rio De Janeiro. I don't subscribe to the belief that we were meant to be a race which is a collective. Otherwise, we would have all hatched from eggs and had linked psychic abilities. But I do believe we need to help each other out for our own mutual benefit. I believe that we need to be ethical, exercise restraint, and above all be intelligent. And I think that in the years to come we will tip over one edge of the knife point or the other. We will either fall into grace or tumble into darkness. And I think we really need to take a look at who we are as humans and what we want. We need to find a way to live in our environment without destroying it, but also not believing that we are evil for adapting it to suit our needs. We need to find a way to defend ourselves from possible attack without having to be ferocious and stupid. We need to grow up and realize that we work better as individual nations all aiding one another when necessary, and not as some global synthesized society. It simply won't work. There is evil in this world, and there is greed. There are those who wish for the destruction, pain, and suffering of others. There are those who wish to further their own needs. And they day will come and is coming when they will try to take advantage of the weak, the stupid, and the weary. But they will be fought by the strong, the intelligent, and the resilient.

Think, ladies and gentleman, about what side you will be counted among. A new age is coming, whether you like it or not. You all better open your eyes and be prepared. One way or another... it will affect you.

Zen Master Teaching #69

Zen Master Teaching #69: Constant vigilance. At all times, one must be aware not only of surroundings but of body's natural rhythm as well. Just because foot is asleep does not mean one will not feel searing pain of hot needles shoot through appendage when it comes into contact with hard surface.

Proof

Haha, folks, I don't have a big ego. But I love being proved right.

This is simply more proof that capitalism works.

US To Push Crop Options To Afghans

By Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban make Afghanistan’s opium business easy, offering credit, seeds, and fertilizer to farmers to grow the drugs that fuel the insurgency.

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who wrapped up a three-day visit to Afghanistan yesterday, is determined to change that momentum by offering similar incentives to steer farmers away from the drug trade and toward grapes, wheat, and other legitimate crops.

“If the Taliban offer something, you have to be able to beat it with something else,’’ he said.

Farmers say they make five times more money growing poppies than wheat from the same amount of land.

The United States has pushed agricultural reforms to the top of its nonsecurity agenda as part of President Obama’s increased focus on stabilizing the country. Vilsack, who was making his sixth visit to Afghanistan in his current job, acknowledged obstacles, including the lack of credit facilities and poor coordination between Afghanistan’s central government and 34 provinces.

The US administration has reversed a Bush-era policy of destroying poppy crops in Afghanistan in favor of promoting legal crops. But officials have said the tactic has done little to reduce the flow of drug money.

Vilsack defended the US efforts. He pointed to incentives offered last year in Helmand Province, which produces more than 50 percent of the world’s poppy. Farmers were offered wheat seeds and fertilizer at a reduced cost and the poppy crop was reduced by a third, he said, adding the initiative could be extended to nut trees and fruit and vegetable production.

Post #100.

Folks, I have now posted 100 different thoughts, memories, ideas, teachings, and various other things on this blog. Now, this is a very special moment and I want to take the time to explain some things I have discovered about life.

Let me give you all an image. It's a cliche, but it's an image.

Take your typical fantasy/adventure drama. You always have the scene where the hero/good side is inevitably fighting insurmountable odds. I will just list some epic ones here:
-Pirates of the Carribean: fight scene on the decks of the ship with the Kracken involved, the main characters nearly die many times.
-Lord of the Rings: Pretty much every time the characters come up against some sort of obstacle, someone is lost but they defeat the enemy.
-Harry Potter: Poor Harry, every time he fights Voldemort or his cohorts it seems like he comes so close to death.
-Star Wars: The odds are always against Luke, Leia, Han, and the sides of Light. The Dark Side is just too strong, but somehow they always get through.

However, the movie which best describes this heroic, against-all-odds, back-from-the-dead mentality (in my opinion) is Avatar. Not to spoil it for you, if you have not seen it, but let's just say the movie is a constant series of impossible situations.

Now. Why do we idealize this sort of thing? Ask anyone on the street, and they will tell you that life is not a movie. Life is cold, hard, and rough. You get spat on, tackled in the dirt, and kicked in the teeth. I guarantee you many people out there will tell you they would think it more likely that money would grow on trees than their lives would go well. Life is too damn hard, and we as human beings know this. So why on earth do we not just accept the inevitable? Why do we keep these sensations of hope about us when the universe is crashing down our ears?

Part of it is psychology. We need external validation, we need a reason to keep going with our lives. Otherwise, the suicide and mortality rate would skyrocket. Another part is... we simply do not wish to believe that good will not triumph over evil.

However. There are several issues with this. To many, and rightfully so, right and wrong are subjective. As a good friend once told me, "Wrong is not wrong, but left." What is right? What is wrong? What are these moral constructs we hold ourselves to? Is there any real reason for it? All of these are valid questions. After all, take World War II. A prime example of how an "evil" force conquered and wreaked havoc. Did Hitler believe he was evil? Evil people rarely do. They simply have a different outlook, different motivations. Examples of mass butchery and genocide are evidence that sometimes, the "bad guy" wins.

But, ladies and gentleman, let me tell you something. There is a right and their is a wrong. You have to traverse miles and miles of swampy marsh, climb cold mountains, and fry on vast desert plains to see the real reasons behind morality... but it is possible. Let me explain in further detail.

There are a few things in life which are certain. One of them is that when a certain action is performed by being, it either has a negative or positive effect. For the sake of not getting mired too deep in the weeds, let's say that anything that is "positive" is something that provides growth and productivity, and anything which is "negative" destroys that. If we look at the actions we take in life, we will see that this is true: every action we take either has a negative or positive result. Now, the complication arises (with most people) when on either side the choices are nearly ambiguous. If one is to choose something less painful but more pleasurable over a hard choice which is more fruitful than the other, who is to say what is wrong? Should human beings not be happy? I say yes... to a certain extent. The problem lies in the maturity/experience of the person and their choices. Children will reach for a stovetop because they want to... that does not necessarily mean it is the right thing to do. So, inevitably, we see that there actually is an outcome which is "right" and which is "wrong."

This may seem like common sense to many. But look at it. How many people are going around just existing without any thought to their actions? How many people are living solely for the purpose of gaining power for themselves? How many people do not have a respect for the righteous things in life? Many. People do not understand that their is a middle ground between being in it for yourself and being in it for the collective. It is the struggle between capitalism and socialism: one side is more "selfish" and the other is more "selfless" in theory. Now, the systems are utterly imperfect, but you see the point. We little apes on this planet have not yet received the message that if we don't find some sort of harmony with ourselves, our universe, and most importantly with each other, we are going to have problems.

This is not to say there should not be conflict. In fact, conflict is necessary for growth. Therefore, conflict is actually a positive thing. However, conflict for conflict's sake is a fool's errand.

We need to get our minds straight, people. If you are paying attention, you will see there are some big wheels turning out in the world. And soon, we are going to be facing a situation where we can either pull ourselves out of the down spiral, or just go ahead and destroy each other. Either way, it will be by our own doing.

There are more efficient ways to exist. Some people don't like that word, efficiency. However, this is how I define it: efficiency is anything that provides the growth and successful propagation of the species. The systems we have now are becoming obsolete. We really need to consider expanding our minds and opening up our souls to new ways of thinking. Because make no mistake... their is a good and their is an evil. At times, we may have to actually define them and they may switch places. I am not denying there is gray area. But overall... there are two ends of the spectrum. We need to figure out which end we want to land on.

Otherwise, the choice might be made for us.

Zen Master Teaching #68

Zen Master Teaching #68: Thoughts are as wild animals in jungle. One must have proper equipment to catch and admire. To chase tiger with butterfly net will end in disaster.

Start. Paying. Attention.

Here it is, folks, right here in black and white. We need to start understanding what exactly is going on in the places we are operating. All the people in the US living their lives in their little bubbles, concerned with themselves, are going to get a real wake-up call (again... don't we remember Sept 11th?) if/when the fecal matter hits the wind propelling device.

U.N. Envoy To Afghanistan Offers Dismal Outlook

Eide warns U.S.-led coalition of failure if it doesn't pursue effective civilian strategy

By Colum Lynch

UNITED NATIONS -- The top U.N. envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday delivered a gloomy assessment of the U.S.-led effort to restore stability in the country and warned "we will fail" if the strategy there relies too heavily on military force.

In a presentation to the U.N. Security Council, envoy Kai Eide called on the United States and its Western allies to invest heavily in Afghanistan's economy and its civilian institutions. He said the Obama administration's "military surge must not be allowed to undermine" those goals.

"What we need is a strategy that is politically and not militarily driven," Eide said in his final briefing to the council before he steps down in March. "If we do not take these civilian components of the transition strategy as seriously as the military component, then we will fail."

Eide's assessment comes just three weeks before the United States and its military allies meet in London for a conference on security in Afghanistan. His remarks, which stressed greater investment in education, agriculture and infrastructure, marked one of his final efforts to leave an imprint on Afghanistan policy.

He also advocated for better salaries for Afghan government administrators, and a peace and reconciliation process that would allow the integration of Taliban insurgents who renounce violence.

After Eide's remarks, Rosemary A. DiCarlo, the U.S. representative for special political affairs, sought to underscore the Obama administration's avowed commitment to beefing up civilian participation in the Afghanistan transition. She said the United States, which is preparing to send 30,000 additional troops there, will soon triple its civilian presence in Afghanistan, from 320 last year to nearly 1,000.

"U.S. experts are also working with their Afghan partners to help rehabilitate Afghanistan's key economic sectors so that Afghans themselves can defeat the insurgents, who promise only more violence," she said. "To help reverse the Taliban's momentum, we are focusing our reconstruction effort in areas where we can quickly create jobs, especially agricultural ones."

The United States also has supported Afghan calls for integrating reformed Taliban insurgents into society if they lay down their weapons. Afghanistan's U.N. ambassador, Zahir Tanin, asked the council to lift sanctions on Taliban members "willing to renounce violence and join the peace process."

The United States and European countries have sought to drop sanctions against former Taliban members who have cooperated with the government, but Russia has resisted such a move.

Eide said that he is "deeply worried" about waning public support in the West for the mission in Afghanistan, the failure of Western forces to counter the Taliban insurgency and the growing frustration among Afghans over what they see as the failure of the international community to improve their lives.

"If these negative trends are not soon reversed, then there is a risk that they will become unmanageable," he told the 15-nation council.

Eide said the Western alliance operates "in a way that Afghans perceive as disrespectful and sometimes arrogant." Such behavior, he said, "fuels suspicions of unacceptable foreign interference and breeds a sense of humiliation."

The United Nations is concerned that billions of dollars in foreign assistance for Afghanistan have not been used to strengthen the nation's institutions. Less than 10 percent of foreign aid has gone directly to the Afghan government, and most of that is earmarked for projects supported by donors.

U.N. officials said they think Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has settled on a replacement for Eide, Staffan di Mistura, a dual Italian and Swedish national who headed the world body's mission in Iraq. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, a French national who headed the U.N. peacekeeping department, and Ian Martin, a former U.N. representative in Nepal and East Timor, also have been under consideration for the job.

Zen Master Teaching #67

Zen Master Teaching #67: Most important rule. Never underestimate ability of Universe to topple logic. When thinking one has life figured out, one Will be turned directly upside down like hourglass then thrown against wall like plaything.

Resolutions.

Yeah, yeah. I should sleeping. Not important.

I am really holding myself to these, people.
Some may have been left out... but these are the big ones.
New year... New rules.

This year, I resolve to keep my resolutions.
-I resolve not to slip up.
-I resolve to read the D&C/BOM cover to cover before my birthday.
-I resolve to lose 10 lbs by my birthday.
-I resolve to get more in touch with Heavenly Father.
-I resolve to read all the books I own.
-I resolve to learn how to draw better.
-I resolve to learn Spanish.
-I resolve to write down my philosophies.
-I resolve to begin my first novel.
-I resolve to get better at writing poetry.
-I resolve to be original.
-I resolve to not say or think anything hateful to/about anyone. ... Congress/This administration not included.
-I resolve to have my go-bag completely ready by January.
-I resolve to talk more to my parents, siblings, and friends.
-I resolve to be objective about myself.
-I resolve to finally start learning card tricks.
-I resolve to start learning how to dance.
-I resolve to start learning martial arts.
-I resolve to take life as it comes and live true to myself.
-I resolve to have fun this year.

If you know me... help me keep these.

Zen Master Teaching #66

Zen Master Teaching #66: Food is essential to survival. One must not go without sustenance for long period of time. Not eating anything for over 28 hours will produce feelings equivalent to angry bear clawing inside of stomach.

What You Get With State-Run Utilities

An interesting little article.


Oh yeah, and they aren't going to get me for this... I will post the link, but not the whole article, so I am not "re-publishing" ;) Haha, sorry, but you aren't going to nail me for that one...


http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.227e6a4e11ba39c08630e5729d693330.9e1&show_article=1

Oil-rich Venezuela ushered in 2010 with new measures rationing electricity use in malls, businesses and billboards, as Hugo Chavez's government aimed to save power amid a crippling drought.

The new regulations came into effect January 1, with businesses required to comply with reduced consumption limits and authorities warning of forced power cuts and rate hikes if the measures are not followed.

A decree published on Christmas Eve states that commercial centers may operate from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm on the electricity grid, but beyond that establishments would have to operate off-grid, using their own generators.

Venezuela is flush with oil -- the country's primary export -- and natural gas, but relies mainly on hydroelectric generation to meet domestic energy demand.

With the country in a widespread drought, late last year Chavez announced a sweeping campaign to reduce widespread energy "waste," stressing that rationing was necessary to avoid a systemic "collapse."

Shopping centers in Caracas Saturday opened at the appointed new hour, although industry representatives called for extending the time frame, arguing that night-time energy consumption is less than 10 percent of the total.

The power crunch is expected to have an impact on a wide variety of businesses, including cinemas, casinos and bingo halls.

Establishments failing to comply with the measures could face outages for a period of 24 hours, and up to 72-hour suspensions "in case of recidivism," according to the decree.

The regulation also orders businesses to institute savings plans aimed at shedding consumption by at least 20 percent, a measure that will be evaluated monthly by the newly-created ministry of electricity.

Tariff surcharges of up to 20 percent could be imposed on violators.

Rationing is also to apply to lighted advertisements.

Introductory measures were evident in Caracas last month, with the neon signs that traditionally welcome Christmas left unlit.

The state-controlled aluminum and steel industries halted some of their production lines in order to reduce energy consumption by some 560 megawatts (MW).

Electricity demand in Venezuela is more than 16,500 MW, far higher than what is currently generated. Experts say the power sector requires 18 billion dollars in investment through 2014.

In 2009 there were four nationwide blackouts, with daily failures common in several cities.

No headline. Sorry, guys :D

Season

           open buds, your beautiful bloom

              breathes away the frosty air

                leaving no memories here

                among Green march grass

                    you slowly push away

                          all that remains

                            of bittersweet

                                  sorrow

                                    and

                                   grow 

                                   anew

        only you bring constant joy 

leaves on trees grow rough and firm

    a steady rhythm soothes the air of pain

 everything shines in sunlight yellow

new perspective comes day by day

       allowing each new thing to

                 find its place

a new wind blows

colors all the same exact hue

are now cast into shadow and red glimmer
  allowing things to be thrown into fresh interpretation

   only you know what it is to see things from angles

            skewed with the shifting light of moon

                    days begin to grow short

                      hours fade quickly away

                              minutes pass

                                     falling

                                      away

                                        into 

                                       dark

                         snow

                    lays upon

              hard ground and

         leaves no errant traces

     of sweet new life or blossoms

  only the glint of light off reflected flakes

   brings hope that all may soon come 

                      back to 

                           warmth

                     however 

                             even 

                              that

                            grows

                              faint