A Nation Divided … Part 2

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amorality, chaos, compromise, constitution, courage, freedom, generosity, greed, honor, Intergity, kindness, lawlessness, moral compromise, moral gulf, rebellion, selfishness

A Nation divided against itself cannot stand …

Integrity. I hear a lot of banter around the political candidates concerning integrity. Who has it? Who fakes it? Why is integrity important?

Americans are angry and dissatisfied with the way business is done these days in Washington DC, and rightly so. We’ve been lied to and in many cases, deliberately misled. We are pandered to and patronized and treated like ignorant children by those high and mighty supposed “public servants.” But… what do we really want?

Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

Uh oh! I see the problem. Do you?

A Nation divided against itself cannot stand …

We say we want integrity, but how can we have integrity without moral principles? If morality is subjective, how can integrity exist?

I don’t want to be subject to your morality, and you don’t want to be measured by my morality. We are at an impasse.

Divisions have always existed in civilizations. Rich/poor, tall/short, young/old, etc. and divisions are not necessarily a bad thing. But the division (singular) we are witnessing in America (and elsewhere,) goes much deeper.

Our Founders referred to “unalienable rights endowed by our Creator,” but it is not politically correct to “force” someone’s ambiguous concept of deity on a society. What Creator? God? Which god? So again, we are at an impasse. If we deny that our rights are endowed by our Creator, where did they come from?

There has been a deliberate hammering over the last few decades, yes decades, maybe longer, the driving of a wedge between people, between ideologies. It is not between rich and poor. It is not between Democrats and Republicans. It is not between races. It is not between the various religions. It is much simpler, much deeper, and much more sobering. It has been happening slowly throughout my lifetime. Look around at how values have changed. Americans once sought virtue, moral strength, character. Now, we seek comfort, leisure, and material gain.

When asked whether the “state of moral values in the country as a whole is getting better or worse,” 72 percent said that they believe that the paradigm is worsening, while, in contrast, just 22 percent said that it is improving. More HERE!

On one side of this moral gulf is chaos, greed, selfishness, lawlessness, rebellion. On the other is structure, kindness, generosity, courage, honor, lawfulness, and … Integrity.

Do you remember when then President Bill Clinton was caught with his pants down? America collectively gasped. “How dare he … in the White House, too!” Noise was made about his indecency, but with the help of our all-but-state-run-press, we came to accept it and moved on. Just one example of our moral compromise.

“What we are seeing in our politics is the predictable result of what occurs when institutions, philosophies and faiths that once united us have either died or have been so co-opted by other considerations that when they’re most needed they lack the power to come to our rescue.” More HERE!

A house divided … moral compromise

Will we watch America crumble because of our selfishness?

The media has its “champions,” the Democrat party backs Hillary, but who does the Republican party back? Logically, it should back the leader, but if that is repugnant to them, they ought to back #2. Why don’t they? Could it be because the party doesn’t like Cruz’s conservative values, and they don’t believe Trump is a conservative at all.

I suggest this indecision is authored and fed by the media pushing THEIR choices on us. People, we are in deep doo doo, and sinking fast into the pools of our our ignorance and willful blindness. Our leaders are simply a reflection of our own indecision. We cannot have both freedom and amorality. We must choose or Hillary will win … and may God help us!

A Nation divided against itself cannot stand …

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MY “ONE CLICK AWAY” PRAYER

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ALONE, chaos, life, order, pain, past

Once upon a time, my life was full,
Family and friends one click away,
But one by one, they’ve vanished, it seems,
Till now, all alone am I.

From within my walls I watch the world,
Go by in its chaotic dance,
But here in my small world, I am safe and alone,
Watching LIFE one click away.

What happened to my heart to break it so,
And lock it away from view,
What are those small red spots on my back,
But scars from those claws of betrayal.

How is it suddenly, my alone-ness closes in,
And reveals its uglier truth,
I may have built it, but I can’t tear it down;
Help me put my past under my feet.

Take my hand and lead me out,
Out of this prison I built,
Into the fullness of the life You designed
Surrounded by family and friends.

INSPIRATION MONDAY: Angel Hair

So You Want to be … FREE?

Tags

anarchy, boundaries, chaos, LAW, lawlessness

What Does FREEDOM Feel Like?

It’s the nature of FREEDOM, a natural yearning born into the soul of Mankind, a yearning to live free, to do as one wishes, to tend ones own land, crops, home and flourish in self-reliance. Humans are created to overcome catastrophes, challenges, and tribulations. It’s in our DNA! We are resourceful, imaginative, and clever. That’s the UP side of human nature. That’s at least part of the reason we crave FREEDOM.

Choices define our Freedom

Freedom … ah, just the sound of the word is like a spring breeze. But freedom only stretches so far. At some point, your freedom will bump into mine simply because we are all wonderfully unique. At the “bumping point,” it is imperative that something, a system of LAWS, rules or morés be established to define the boundaries. Otherwise we have precisely what exists now at the various “Occupy” locations i.e anarchy. Anarchy is simply might makes right. If I’m strong enough to “keep” it, it’s mine; if not, it belong to whoever takes it from me. Most civilized people realize this behavior results in chaos. To maintain and establish order, something has to define lawlessness.

We have surveyors to define our property boundaries. Laws define our behavioral boundaries. It is beneficial to the population if these LAWS are known and understood, posted for all to see so that conflicts may be both easily resolved and even avoided altogether. The US Constitution is our LAW – or it’s supposed to be. (but that’s for another day)

What I want to discuss here is what freedom means. Is it defined by freedom of speech or freedom of expression? Is it no rules?

What does FREEDOM mean to you???

ADDITIONAL READING:

The Way of Freedom: At Risk in America

Freedom Means

Coming Soon…..Net Neutrality, Martial Law and The New World Order

President Kill-Joy – Tea Party Nation

Sustainability and Freedom

MODERN CIVIL WAR AMERICAN STYLE

On Freedom

Where did we go off track? What happened to our America? What happened to us?

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"life lessons", anarchy, baby boomers, chaos, character training, discipline, establishment, hippies, Human nature, love children, order, reasonable boundnaries, spiritual

“Where did we go off track, Barb? what happened to that America? What happened to us?”
This was a response left by a friend to a former post: Where Has America Gone?

Do you know? Here’s my take:

Where did we go off track? We have forgotten our ROOTS, our Judeo-Christian heritage and the common sense virtue that came with it. It seems to me everything fell apart in the 60’s. When we were busy tearing down questionable and corrupt authority, we were naive enough to disregard basic human nature, which in my estimation, is selfishly corrupt. We mocked and rebelled against organized education, religion, family, … just about everything “organized,” but replaced it with only chaos or anarchy. People simply cannot thrive without reasonable boundaries. Today, parents don’t know how to establish ANY boundaries, let alone reasonable ones. Discipline, self-control, and self-reliance are a dirty words, as are responsibility and accountability. Boundaries and discipline used to mean, “I am loved enough to be taught the RIGHT way.” Now it is abuse! But that is where I always return … the disintegration of the family – the nucleus family: 1 dad, 1 mom, 2.5 kids, 1 dog or cat! Again, now, anything goes. I don’t have a problem with same-sex unions, but they are NOT “marriage.” As a WORD person, it concerns me deeply that the militants don’t want to create their own word for same sex unions, they want to re-make the standard definition of marriage to include … ANYTHING. It’s from order and establishment to chaos in 40-50 years. It’s one thing to replace a set order or establishment with another design, but we didn’t. We just “let the chips fall where they may.” Now we’re reaping the consequences of rebellion and chaos. Anything goes.

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold
is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~

What happened to our America? Without structure, the “essence” of America began to erode. Was this intentional? No clue! But I don’t think at this point it really matters. The damage is done. Self-indulgence and greed rule the day from Wall Street to Main Street. We gravitate to our private “den’s” and bemoan our sorry state, loneliness as the #1 national illness. Until WE THE PEOPLE emerge from our sleep, and re-take the reins of our present, we have no future to offer our children and grandchildren. At least, not a future in a FREE America.

Liberty is the great parent
of science and of virtue;
and a nation will be great in both
in proportion as it is free.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~

What happened to us? Somehow, as the moral fiber of our nation was slowly compromised, the population at about the same pace, became lazy, uninspired, and unmotivated. We have grown increasingly dependent on the government for just about everything from food to jobs, to our education, our information (via the gov’t backed media), to our homes. While our individual independence and self-reliance made America great, our dependence, fear and compromised morality lulled us to sleep while the “bad” rolled over us like a moral fog blurring our vision and understanding.

When the people fear their government,
there is tyranny;
when the government fears the people,
there is liberty.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~

This may be a simplistic way to see the overwhelming decline is all things solid, moral, trustworthy, and sacred, but it puts the blame where it needs to be … on me, my generation, the hippies, love children, … the BOOMERS! It’s OUR mess! God, give us a way to deal with it constructively!

Americans now are overtaxed, over-regulated, and overly dependent on the federal government! These things must change for America to thrive again.

The price of freedom
is eternal vigilance.
~ Thomas Jefferson ~

What have you done for FREEDOM?

Figuratively Speaking: Seasons Come and Seasons Go

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"figuratively speaking", "life lessons", autumn, changes, chaos, order, personal, season, seasons, spirituality, spring, summer, winter

Anyone else seem to move along with the seasons … having seasons in your personal life? Not like child, teen, adult … not those kinds of seasons, but … annual seasons …

SPRING: a time of growth, upheaval, passion, zest, energy, dreams, planting

SUMMER: a time of testing, endurance, faith, struggle

AUTUMN: changes, fruitfulness, reaping, , up-rooting, preparation, vision

WINTER: “death”- figurative, i.e deep struggle leading to resolution, surrender, rest, glimpses of new visions, thus anticipation!

It seems my life follows this pattern pretty regularly … It is both a comfort AND it is also sobering. I generally life patterns. I find them, yes, comforting. It is reassuring to know that winter does come to an end. The frosty edge on the day does soften as the temperatures slowly, and sometimes begrudgingly warm. And just when I think I cannot possibly endure another chill, the bright spring sun warms me through and through and all is well. The earth blossoms again, and color returns in the form of green trees and shrubs, pastel flowers and the azure sky. Spring.

Then, almost before I know it, I’m sweating. The heat of the same sun beats down, quietly pounding me until I must bow like the cracked earth baked under the summer sun. For days the sun pounds me, breaking everything the previous seasons have shaken loose, all in a healthy “pruning” sort of way. Summer.

The heat seems unbearable and unending. Then, right on time, a leaf changes color. More leaves change color and soon there is a shower of leaves swirling around tossed by a gentle breeze. Aromatic fragrances waft through the trees bringing with it the scent of apples, pumpkins, and spices. A hint of smoke hangs in the air, and it dawns on me the air is cooler. Autumn.

The leaves are piled in the slumbering flowerbeds. The chilled edge has made a silent approach. The trees tremble in their nakedness at the bleak outlook. Color has fled. Black and white with shades of grey paint the panorama. Life itself hides at the sternness of the cold. In sheltering caves life tucks itself away to wait for the passing of the season. Winter.

Seasons are NOT coincidence! They are a means of order in an otherwise chaotic sequence of days, weeks, and months.

This is me. Anyone else recognize patterns, or seasons in their life?

The Seasons Within