Weekend Wise Words

Be Smart. Be Brilliant.

Try not to win, the Stupid Award. I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, but one that comes to mind most quickly, is this one. I was younger, still stupid, and not paying attention.

I once said, with my future wife in the room (this being wife 2.5 and I didn't know we'd be getting married at the time), while standing at the foot of the bed and looking at my king sized waterbed (in 1986) which I'd had for many years at that time, since 1976:

"A lot of women have slept in that bed. I guess in a way, it's a kind of trophy (here's where I realized I was in the room with someone, that it was the woman living me, and looked at her, not able to retract my words)... if you... think about... it."

The next day, her brother came over and I never saw it again.

Don't do things like that.

Why Muslim Cultures Lag Behind

In an anti-jihad article....

The author gives points on why Muslim culture tends not to "get up to speed" as other non-modern cultures have who had modern cultures and technologies encroach into their countries.

• Belief in Magic
• Belief in Conspiracies
• Lack of Innovations
• Lack of devotion to non-family/non tribal/non-clan organizations
• Lack of empowerment of women
• Lack of personal responsibility
• Lack of skilled labour
• Lack of meritocracy

The first item on the list is notable. It is one that will confuse most people who are religious, or believe in a God concept. They will think, how backward these poor ignorant people are. But they won't see that they believe similar things in their own possibly, "modern" life.



An example:


 

Practicing Ashoura

The observance of Ashoura is one of the most important events in the Shia calender. Ashoura marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in what is now Kerbala, Iraq. The death of Husayn was the beginning of the Sunni/Shia split, which persists in Islam to this day.In the past, many Shia men have demonstrated their devotion to Husayn by letting their blood flow freely from self-inflicted wounds. Today, however, many governments have tried to ban this practice, with varying degrees of success. In Lebanon, the practice is permitted, and a bloody commemoration of Ashoura takes place in Nabatieh every year.Most participants make a small cut on their head, and then beat the wound with their palm--or in this case a sword--to keep the wound open and bleeding.


Just more ancient practices. Not a big deal. Right?

Maybe not. But it's important to understand what these forms of mind altering practices lead to. We have to think clearly about following ancient practices, how useful are they, are they only useful to those groups? Or do they somehow further Humankind? Some practices are reasonable and do help move Humans as a whole forward. Meditation, for instance. But once you bring blood into it, something changes. Blood. Flesh.

The Catholic eating of the "Body of Christ". The transmutation of bread to flesh. Human flesh. Then eating it in a ceremony called "Mass". Catholics don't like to think about that. They don't see it as canibalism. It's a religious thing. God said, it his Human flesh. Really? Yeshua (Jesus) according to the Hearsay in the Bible, at the last supper, said to eat meals as if you were eating his flesh and blood, but over the centuries that wasn't good enough, and the Church, changed it into saying they were actually changing bread and wine into flesh and blood. Isn't that a telling thing? Magic, wouldn't you say? Or, is it the divine mystic's wishes?

Magic and magical thought really are what they seem to be. Belief in the unbelievable. Changing bread to flesh, wine to blood, is by definition, "Magic". Deal with it. That, is a fact. The belief of what you are doing, is not a fact. Magical thought is the belief in things that are not scientifically proven, or are not proven "facts". Not a "belief" in so called fact, but a proven fact. Saying that you have an ancient text and therefore because of your "faith" or "belief" in it, that therefore makes it a fact, is a belief in unproven scientifically supported evidence and therefore, by definition, you are believing in nonfactual, unproven, and it's a short leap of "faith" to arrive at the belief that those things are in some way, magical, or that at very least, you are participating in "magical thought".

So just how modern does that make you?

I wouldn't be so quick to laugh at these "backward" cultures, because we in our "modern" cultures, have enough of the backward still exiting among us.

When you support the belief in something that has no foundation in reality, or scientific proof, you allow the possibility for those belief's to go off in tangents, both for the good and the bad. We have also seen, time and time again, that "Historical proofs", has proven to be inaccurate and sometimes, completely fantastical. Remember that in many many cases, history is written by the winners during an era, or are self supporting in their contentions.

This was proven in great detail by the History book "A Distant Mirror" where Historian Barbara Tuchman went to the historical archives of bills of lading, showing what was purchased in certain events, thus "proving" (as best as possible and better so than using Historical accounts and hearsay as has been the case historically and in many cases, History books have cited History books, and so on, until coming to the beginning of the thread, you find it was based upon hearsay or common beliefs!).

Therefore, we see negative and self-serving elements within the Muslim community, terrorism, misconceptions, beliefs in conspiracies against them (some being accurate, or semi accurate) and leading to inappropriate responses to these beliefs.

To allow this kind of belief to be generally accepted, as in other religions, or any religion, then you allow these kinds of things to remain vital and alive. Therefore, Christians also has a responsibility in these terrorists actions. Any culture that believes in mythologies as reality, has a responsibility; Jewish, Buddhists (if they believe magical imaginings), whatever organized nonsense that is around. Like has been said before, if you're not sure what it is, you should be able to recognize it when you see it. But on the other hand, I don't expect everyone will be able to. Why? Because we have so many who are taught not to think critically, to believe in the imaginary. To believe in "magic" is a wonderful thing, to really believe in magic, is by definition, insane.

If they are going to retain their beliefs in questionable Historical events, then they should have a responsibility to do something about those other religions who are going about killing people. However, if you do then have those other religions taking action, you will have a religious war from opposing factions of Humanity. Something we certainly do not need.

So what is the one way to assure we don't have anymore screwed up beliefs in religious murders? That would be the elimination of organized and individualized beliefs in magic and mythology (that is to say religions, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, etc.); disbanding them, eliminating them, and then having people educated in logic, thought based upon reality, and an ethics of a Humane, Full World Community based view of living in a world of tolerance. At very least, it would take those who wish to believe, realize that they are having beliefs in things that are inaccurate or imaginary in some cases.

How can you say, if you believe in ancient myths, that the other guy over there, who also believes in ancient myths, is wrong? Even if they believe in a death based, murder based religion?

Because, what is the basis for saying they are wrong and you are right? Ancient texts with no basis in reality? That simply makes no sense at all.

Foolishness you say? If you cannot see who this is true, then perhaps therein lay the problems we face today with these religious fanatics who have diverged so far from their original intent that they have completely lost their way.

And long will be the road to fix it if everyone does not soon start to realize just what it is they are doing by believing in "facts" that are both questionable, and dangerous.

Cults in America

As I write this, I'm watching a documentary on Sundance Channel called "Join Us" about religious cults. I find it pretty despicable. And then it dawned on me that we should be treating this terrorist issue as if we are dealing with a religious cult that is armed and aggressively moving on outsiders. Whenever you are dabbling in a concept that is totalitarian, like a God Concept, you open yourself to abuse and the abuse can be total.

There is no doubt that cults prey on individuals with a weak mind and a weak sense of individuality. Cults are only religions on steroids and therefore, you have to accept that if you are in a religion, you have a weak sense of individuality. We feed religion by being a part of it. Gods need people to create them, or support them. Why else does any God want to be worshiped. Here's the hard part, to answer that question, one has to actually, THINK about it. But people will say that Faith dictates you not think about it. And therein lay the strength of cults (and organized religions as well).

One could argue that cults are a response to religion failing people. So they go more extreme in order to be "good", or better. This has a lot to do with "Memes" also, but that is another topic for another time; just understand for now that these are words or sets of words that act like a mental "virus" on a person's mind. Look it up.

A group that is all smiles, from what we have seen, if you look beneath the surface of some of them, have some very bad things are happening. As the narrator in the documentary said, now when he drives by an innocuous church along the road, where he used to see a happy congregation he now wonders, what are those people being told, is the power in the leader's hands being judiciously used, or abused? Is the leader mentally stable?

Because many times, you cannot tell unless you have contact with the outside to gauge your progress; and that is always the first things these leaders do, to begin to remove any possible questions to their authority. As one expert said, if you begin to realize you cannot make decisions for yourself any longer without your leaders direction, and you may not notice this due to the nature of this type of insidious brainwashing, then you are definitely in trouble.

Your "self" is beginning to dissolve. Religion should raise your "self" up, energize it, individualize it, make it productive and gregarious, not secretive, unable to function without the group. You shouldn't be wondering why you are feeling at odds, questioning things, etc., if "God" wants you, why would you feel that something is wrong. These leaders will say, it's the Devil or some other form of demon; they LOVE demons.

I'm starting to see that was only the kernel that allowed it to breed this other type of problem. The brainwashing, the cultist abuses of their own people for mislead religious reasons, using individuals as martyrs for their own purposes and outright maniacal purposes.

Consider those who blow themselves up in the name of God, of Allah. What would make someone do that. Up to this point I just thought it was their anger at our abuses over decades of their natural resources and our superiority at their condition and different beliefs.

If we look at these individuals as absorbed by a cult, we have to view their religion as some of them practice in their own country, as a cult positive organization. This may be the fastest way to make this problem go away. It would mean less people being killed in the battle against religious murder, to handle this issue in this way. It would mean a reorienting of religions the world over. But it would have to start with those attacking others, in those countries where it is allowed, supported and happening.

We need to view it as a microcosm within the macrocosm.

As we dealt with massive cults in our country, such as the Moonies, the Branch Dividians, the Jonestown church people, they have now broken into smaller units when they happen, like the Mountain Rock Church as shown in the documentary. We need to educate our police and courts on this. Since 1986, there has been only one place in the US to handle these people on a live in basis, to help them when they escape these types of churches and cults: Wellspring Retreat.

People think that cults are people who are cut of from society and live in a compound, like the Branch Dividians. But the modern cult is different. In one example, they actually built a housing development and moved among people. But they had to cut themselves off from friends and family, give their things to the Pastor until he had completely control over them and they had no sounding boards from the outside to country the Pastor. So whatever he said was God's word.

How is this different from those terrorists who have nothing and go for training, then are told to die for their God who is everything, and this is supported by any who they see on a daily basis, until they literally explode?

And other people around the world should sit back and accept this because it's a religious thing?

I don't think so. I think we need a reorientation on the concept of God world wide. I do believe that the best effort toward this coming to be are cults and especially, the religious terrorists. So, thanks guys.

The two most important things about the terrorists is that we need to find a way to protect these people from themselves and so they don't hurt others, and that we realize they need to be treated like they are abused by a mindwashing cult and deprogram them when necessary.

But for those of you who think that is too easy on them, we will still need to blow some of them away until we can get this under control. Not to worry.

What we need to do in the end, is stop the killing. We need new ways to think our way out of these things. That includes the greed we have put on third world countries, corporate greed and discare of humans, both their employees and those they take from in other countries.

There is a comment from the mother in the new film, "The Tree of Life" that goes, "There are two ways through life: the way of nature and the way of grace," as the mother tells one of her sons, stating the film's theme early on. The trouble seems to be that in organized religions and worse in cults, what "grace" really is, becomes distorted, abused, and can ruin people's live. I find "grace" in life, far more accessible in a museum, or a field in the mountains, than I ever have an any church, or with any religious group.

If you will seek "God" or a large supernormal being or ideal outside of yourself as a way to give meaning to your life, let it enhance your life and those around you; and if you find that it isn't doing that, do something about it, protect yourself and those around you. Perhaps tell the authorities. Just know that if you do tell the authorities, there is a good chance, because of our culture and the place the religion holds with Human beings, they may not be able to help in any way, or even believe or understand you. And there in lay a large part of the problem.

HUMINT over SIGINT

I am watching a documentary on the Crimes and Investigation channel, called, "Uncovered".

They are saying that for decades we have not had enough feet on the ground to cover our intelligence needs and this, lead to the rise of Bin Laden and 9/11 and other attacks.

Why? Because, as I've been saying for two decades now, we needed people on the ground. I came to realize this before the first war in Iraq. All the writings by ex spies, those in charge of our spy agencies, and in other countries, all pointed at an attempt of government to do spying on the cheap, to use satellites and monitoring over that of actual people to be inserted in groups to ask actual people questions, to do real espionage.

I first heard of this in the 80s with the Reagan Administration. They wanted to cut taxes, and cut government, cut spending. Great, except that you need to expend money, LOTS of money in some areas to do a good job. Nothing works like a personal relationship on the ground, in a room with those directly involved in the area, the culture, and what's going on. Normally, I'm all for cutting expenditures.

The thing is, you cannot do espionage on the cheap. That is how you get Intelligence Officers, agents and civilians killed (please refer to 9/11). We of course cannot just blinding throw any amount of money into a black hole. But then again, yes we can, and have to. We do need oversight, but we also cannot have complete oversight. And therein lay the problem. When we do it right, there isn't enough accountability and so there is a back lash; so things change as they did, but then you have dysfunctional, as we've had now for years.

So what IS the answer? I'm not sure there is one. You need a blend of different types of espionage and some of it will, by its nature, be unaccountable. But we need to bite the bullet and do it. When it comes to light that your operatives have gone off the deep end, then you will need to take action. With good infra and command structures, if you hire and well train good people, this is of less concern. The issue usually is in trying to cut corners. We cut corners on the strangest things: teachers, espionage, infrastructure. It's like we are totally clueless as a people on what is important.

Most of the answer, I believe, lay in having professionalism. Quality people, quality training and quality support. Provide those things? And quality things happen.

But that's not cheap.

 A web site has an article on it with an overview. It also has a nice graphic of the hierarchy.

But it all really comes down to money: "U.S. expenditures for intelligence are allocated among three distinct programs or aggregations: the National Foreign Intelligence Program (NFIP), the Joint Military Intelligence Program (JMIP) and the Tactical Intelligence and Related Activities aggregation (TIARA). The NFIP is controlled by the Director of Central Intelligence. JMIP and TIARA are controlled by the Secretary of Defense."

 Finally as I mentioned,  there is the oversight situation. This page have a good review of all this so I won't go into it here.

The bottom line is we need better intel and it is not easy, nor is it cheap, but it has to be done. Think of it as a football game. We go onto the field with an understanding of our own capabilities and the other team's capabilities. But we also go on the field with an understanding that we are playing American football (not soccer, rugby, baseball, or hai lai). But we have been entering into the field, or the theater of war not even fully understanding what game we are playing. In the arena of out side of the theater of war, in the espionage field, it's even more blindly penetrated.

In the end, we need a blend of all possible forms of intel that we can get, coordinated and delivered to those who need the intel. Keeping intel secret and not using it, has also been a problem. There is nothing simple about it.

But first, to get to where we need to be, at the level we need to be in it, we need to not only open our eyes, we need to first have eyes available that we can open and open them in the right places as much as possible; which takes intel, before the intel, to get the right intel.

Espionage has always been a shady and hidden endeavor. To "win" (and the "win/lose" dichotomy is the wrong one, but one everyone seems to understand) one simply has to be better at it than the other guy. But in our case, we have to get into the field of play to begin with. And that takes not being so afraid of being found out, lacking the funding, etc., that you simply don't do anything.

Live it OutLoud, a music camp for kids

Remember Rock School, with Jack Black? What a blast that was. What a blast that was if you were a kid, dreaming of being a Rock Star.

Well, there is a very cool program like this for kids in Tacoma, WA called, "Live it OutLoud!" And they're on FaceBook. We need more out of the box programs like this for kids. But there is this one for now and there kids that could use a sponsor to pay their way, kids who would do good in this program but would never have the money to attend something like this. So if you have some spare funds and would like to support a young Rock Star, give Joe a call. If you'd like to sign up, here is an entry form.

Those who have set this program up, Ted Brown Music, Joe Wilson, etc., are trying to get some of those kids in the program using scholarships. Each student is placed in a band with a professional music mentor to create, develop, and perform on a professional level.

As for Joe, I know him very well, ever since I was in Jr. High School actually, and he's one of my favorite people. He's got entertainment in his blood, and in the blood of his children, who are also in the entertainment industry. Joe's worked with super bands in the past and during their high days in the sun, like Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart and others.

It's a good deal. Tuition is $250.00 per student for the entire eight week program. There are only a limited number of need based scholarships available from Ted Brown Music OutReach. 

Contact Joe Wilson at 469-964-1415 to learn what is available and how to apply.

"Live It OutLoud" is an eight-week Summer Music Program for aspiring (12 to 18 year old), non-professional musicians produced by Ted Brown Music Outreach and sponsored by Ted Brown Music. 

 If you are a child who is lucky enough to enter this program, then you're going to "Live it OutLoud!" No more singing in the shower. The program is educational, inspirational, nerve wracking (get used to it now, being a rock star is no easy or relaxing task) but most of all fun! 

The Professional Adrenalin will flow…the Power of Rock will be intense! Space is limited so Sign Up Now!

Here is one of the kids from the project with her video of a song she wrote called, Broken, by Cat Dewell.

Sign up. Be a Rock Star!

Here are two versions of the same video, they are very slow to load and I'm working on that.
Click here to view video of opening of the 2013 Finale

"With my dying breath, I do apologize to all I've known"

I was just watching Bill Maher's "Real Time show". They were talking about Rep. Anthony Weiner's (corrected: Democrat) photo of his briefs and his tiny appendage therein and his claims that it may have been hacked and sent out to demean him. Republicans in office don't need much help in demeaning themselves. This merely points out that neither do the Democrats. And apparently, neither do some readers. One might assume it has something to do with a lack of power and control issues.

Tony Weiner

Regardless, they got on about Carl Rove's mentor, Lee Atwater who Bill said was the "Grandfather of dirty political tricks".

Producer Adam McKay was on the show as comic relief and said he's doing a film about Atwater with a script by Jesse Armstrong who wrote the script for the film "In the Loop".

They said, get ready for a tangent, but about that Atwater apology situation... well let's get this Weiner thing out of the way first:

Gennette Cordova, is the 21-year-old college student from Seattle who received the photo.  She issued a lengthy statement over the weekend, saying that she has never supported Weiner’s claim that his account was hacked.

“Her name is Ginger — it makes sense he might have mixed us up,” Cordova said, referring to Ginger Lee, a stripper and porn star who follows Weiner on Twitter. 

According to Politicao.com: "In March, Lee tweeted about wanting “sexual relations” with Weiner and, less than two weeks later, she wrote that she’d received a private direct message from the congressman. Weiner had also followed Lee on Twitter but said he stopped doing so when he found out who she was."

Okay, whatever.

Atwater. It seems he got a brain tumor and was dying and sent out apologies to people for his actions during his lifetime, especially his nasty politics and lack of any kind of reasonable moral compass. Some of those people said they discounted his comments since he did it under the duress of dying.

And therein lay my point in all of this. 

A few years ago, I started trying to contact people I've known in my life. Those who I haven't already made contact with, or who contacted me over the years. I have no fear of near death, though I have had many near death experiences: hanging off of cliffs, parachute malfunctions, car accidents (not one, was my fault by the way and most were someone else driving), and other things. So I expect to live for more decades to come, hopefully very pleasant and interesting ones (and hopefully not the ancient Chinese curse types).

I have been writing for years. Some of my writings have touched on reflections (like my story, "Marking Time"). What have I done in life? Who have I affected? And most importantly, how positive have those relationships and interactions been? Have you thought about that? Have you done anything about it? Have you tried to change yourself consciously for the better through your life? Have you checked those conclusions with the actual people you no longer know, to find if your fantasy matches up with the reality of another's perception of you?

Is it important? 

My point here is that if you only do this on your death bed, it appears that many people do not give it much importance, especially, I'm sure, if you believe in any kind of religious reaction after death. Because then you aren't doing it for any kind of real reason, but for a self centered reason of saving your ass from burning in Hell for all eternity, which you should have been thinking about a long time before death was ever a consideration. 

Right?

I have tried to find these people, important to me at one time in my past but no longer in my life. I have found some of them, I have gotten contact information to others. And sadly, I couldn't find some of them anywhere.

So, my mind is at peace. For the most part anyway, because it may be those I haven't spoken with, who are the most incriminating, who have the biggest mirror to hold up to me. And in not talking to them I can continue on with my fantasy of my being a good guy in the past. The people I have talked to, and have in some cases reestablished a relationship with, have not always had the best of things to say, but I would say that for the most part, they have to the point that I can rest assured in my beliefs that I wasn't that bad a guy and that my view of my past was an accurate one. That is not to say, I was an angel, but that I knew where my good and bad sides and actions where.

One ex girlfriend, when I tried to apologize for any actions of being a jerk in High School just said that we all have done things and it's all in the past, let's let it go and we're more mature, have learned a lot through life and hopefully have become and tried to become, better people because of it all. A sigh of relief. But then, I didn't think I did anything that bad to her, the situation was reversed actually and I had most definitely forgiven her in my mind. But then, I wasn't here either. My downside with her was that I didn't break up with her in person, or on the phone. But hey, I was seventeen at the time.

It's a good thing to check your moral compass against reality, or against your best version of that, in other's evaluation of you and who you were. Then put that up against who you are now, how you see yourself, how your friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances see you now. If you don't like what you see, do something about it. If you do like what you see, take another look, because you have to then ask yourself, are you deluding yourself just to self stroke your ego to feel good? Or, are you really a good guy (or girl)?

I've been a proponent for a long time, of people not having to do big things to affect change in the world; they don't have to make grand gestures to change the world.

Some of us aren't destined or designed for that. And that is okay. IF every person, people who would never make any kind of change in the world, were to simply do a small thing, have an attitude that is positive, do one thing, produce children who change something, and if there are many of those kinds of people, and each only did one thing, the world would indeed, be a better place because of it. I think this is played down a lot by people who do, telling people who don't (or appear to don't) that they don't count unless, they do something bigger and better and often. But that's not realistic. Better that everyone do something small, than think they can do nothing. Because if everyone thinks they can affect change, but only doing small things, or thinking a good direction, that itself can affect change in its own ways.

As long as life is, life is short. Don't come upon the conclusion, on your deathbed, that you've mucked things up and then is the time to rectify things. Leave this world with people missing you and carrying on good thoughts about you, don't just take that belief to the grave with you, inaccurately. Sometimes, changing the world a little for the better, isn't by running for office, joining Doctors Across Borders, or giving everything to charity. Sometimes, it's just in leaving people with a positive thought about you as a person, after you're gone. Or their thinking, "I wish I would be more like that", or "I wish I did something like they did". 

Maybe, just maybe, because of you, someone might do even one little thing to add some positive to the world; and you will be the one to thank for it. And that, in itself, is a quiet legacy all unto its own.

Weekend Wise Words

Be Sharp! Be Brilliant!

My son who is in his twenties, has taken a shine to the writings of Heraclitus. And so for this weekend, I give you, Heraclitus:

Heraclitus by Johannes Moreelse

"Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play."

"Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its particular details."

Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor, birthplace of Heraclitus

"If you do not the expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail."

"It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have it buys at the cost of soul.

‎

Heraclitus by Hendrick ter Brugghen

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‎"Bigotry is the sacred disease."

"A man's character is his fate."

Heraclitus of Ephesus (Ancient Greek: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος — Hērákleitos ho Ephésios; c. 535–c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. From the lonely life he led, and still more from the riddling nature of his philosophy and his contempt for humankind in general, he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".

"Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, as stated in his famous saying:

"You cannot step twice into the same stream".

"He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same", existing things being characterized by pairs of contrary properties, and other explorations of the concept of dualism. His cryptic utterance that "all things come to be in accordance with this Logos" (literally, "word", "reason", or "account") has been the subject of numerous interpretations." - Wikipedia