And that's a wrap

Well, tomorrow night -- at midnight -- things are going to change. It is then our turn to make a lot of noise bringing in our own new year. Yes, everybody gets to have one, and so do we. However, as is part of our own particular tradition, a moment's reflection on what has transpired over the last 360 or so days is most definitely in order.

2013 was a good year for bad reasons, but a bad year for the right bad reasons. We survived the year without a major international war; we had no serious economic disasters; there were no more than usual environmental catastrophes; and there were no large-scale armed revolutions. My question is why we should only be happy about what didn't happen. It seems like second-hand happiness. On the down side, we haven't resolved any of the ongoing armed international conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, the list goes on); we know we're heading for another economic disaster because jobs aren't forthcoming and benefits are being cut, and the banks are acting every bit as recklessly as they were back in 2007, when nobody saw anything coming; though no Gulf-of-Mexico class oil spills, the Keystone Pipeline is producing daily disasters, and fracking has got it down to hourly ones, and the disease is spreading on this side of the Atlantic as well; and the only real armed-violence-at-home is coming from the government(s) to the people.

Yes, pretty much a pretty normal year. And I suppose that's why I'm particularly glad to leave this one behind. It wasn't one of those years that will stick out in memory for all its exciting and emotional events. On our shared-reality plane, it was just another year. But, maybe, it shouldn't have been ...

We all know that the absence of disaster does not mean things are great. We know that we are faced with a large number of very serious issues, including the use of armed aggression at home or abroad, the survival of the planet, the fate of the 99%, inequality of all flavors, persecution, racism, terrorism, or the fear of simply getting seriously ill. What did any of us do about any of these things this year? Yes, I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to such things.

Still, I think that both you and I know that we really can't afford to keep going on like this. We may not have had the disasters, but things didn't really get any better last year either. It just seems to me that if things are going to get better at all, in any way, then we really can't afford to just sit around and wait for someone else to make the first move. We all know that some kind of change is needed, and I am pretty sure that we all don't agree completely on what precisely and how or (more importantly, how soon. As I have been saying all along, though, talk always precedes action, and I don't hear us talking yet.

TPTB are being as loud and obnoxious as ever, but there's not a lot to drown out. Too many of us just keep our thoughts to ourselves, but we need to start expressing them and, most important of all, discussing them. Our lives are being dominated but the anonymous, removed, global, corporate Leviathan, but it need not be so. A beast that cannot be fought can be starved, and we take sustenance from that beast when we start sharing what we have with one another. Your house, your block, your neighborhood, your community ... is where we all need to start.

And, 2014 is as good a time as any to start as well. We missed our chance last year, so let's not miss it this time around. Starve the beast. Start sharing.

Just to set the record straight

In all that I've posted lately, I really hope you haven't come to the conclusion that Christmas doesn't matter. It does, probably more than ever. This time of year has traditionally been one of celebration and introspection, so while you're busy doing the former, you shouldn't forget about the latter.

To put it most directly: it doesn't matter so much why you do something, what matters is what the results of those actions are.

People of many different persuasions, cultures and backgrounds have found comfort, strength, and hope in what Jesus said, even if they never packed it all together into a single whole. I've always been inspired, I must say, by his insight, courage, and unflinching support for the underdog. If you ever get a chance to get your hands on one of those red-letter editions of the New Testament, I heartily suggest you sit down and just read the parts in red and nothing else. It won't take you long. We're looking at fewer than 2000 verses, or around half the total text. I can assure you, though, it is worth the effort. When you get rid of all the context, the confusion, the potential ideology or theology, you are just left with some very simple ideas that are, well, profoundly moving. And that's what has moved so many people in the past and continue moving people today.

Love whoever needs you, or your help, as you love yourself; don't do to others what you wouldn't done to you; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, heal the sick and visit those who are incarcerated. I mean, just how complicated is that? And regardless of what you may personally derive from such actions (though those of you who have ever tried it know as well as I do that such things make you feel a whole lot better about yourself), there's not a bit of anything there that isn't just reasonable, if not downright common-sensical. The question that begs itself, of course, why so few people actually do this?

The holiday we just celebrated was -- originally -- in honor of the guy who advocated acting that particular way. We've come a long way from that, to be sure. You don't have to believe that guy was God, God's Son, the Saviour, the Messiah, or whatever else you want to call him. You don't even have to believe that the guy ever existed. It just so happens that in the greatest part of what we know as Western Civilization, the stories surrounding this guy play a central role in our societies, economies, and political structures. The principles which that guy advocates are those that would lead to a more social, humane, and equitable world, a world of less suffering, a world in which greed, violence, and hatred would be disdained, not revered, a world actually worth living in, a world that would not be suffering the wanton environmental destruction that ours is.

The people who follow that guy's suggestions, for whatever reason (for you will note that there is never a demand for having a particular motivation to act in such ways), have, at least in my mind, the right to be thought of as and to call themselves Christian. Whether they do or not, is completely up to them; there's no obligation. The folks who don't would do well to not draw such attention to themselves, especially if they're claiming to be Christian. It's not what you say that makes the difference, it's what you do. So, if you want to talk the talk, walk the walk, or just zip your lip and let the rest of us try to salvage what's left of the world.

It's time

Well, here we are. Whether we like it or not, we've come to the day that, regardless of belief, is the reason that there's any kind of celebration at all here in the Western World. Irrespective of gender, race or creed, this evening is the day we have set aside to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

It's odd in a way. Be we believers or not, the celebration is here. Oh sure, we can rationalize it all off to some pagan festival that we've long forgotten, or we can ignore everything below the surface and simply join in the fun. It doesn't matter (and how often have I said that in the past month?). Here we are and I am only suggesting that it would do us all good to stop and ask ourselves why.

In my own reflections, I'm forced, by virtue of time and place of birth (both of which were totally under my control, right?), to think about why we even have a holiday now and what it is we're supposed to be celebrating.

The short answer is we live in a(n) (alleged) Christian culture, and today, according to tradition, the saviour of humankind was born. In a stall in Bethlehem, an unmarried virgin gave birth to a baby boy, cared for and protected by her estranged husband. This humble situation was the beginning of the most powerful movement that has ever swept over humanity. Well, that's the story, at any rate ... granted, in very condensed form. For some, this baby is the Messiah; that is, the one whom God sent to redeem humankind. For others, this baby was to become a prophet who would pave the way for God's true prophet. For still others, the baby was simply a troublemaker. For the rest, well, they didn't care.

The question poses itself, naturally, who's right? The answer, whether you like it or not, it everybody ... and nobody. Yes, the real answer is the one we've heard about so much recently: it doesn't matter.

You see, while there may be a number of ways to look at this, from the tradition in which we Westerners were born, there are two ways that push themselves into the foreground. That is, when you get right down to it, there are two "Christianities" out there, regardless of what we think or what we see. There is what all the Churches (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Fundamental, Pentecostal) "believe", and there is whatever it is that we have handed down to us as what the baby (later, a grown man), Jesus, had to say. They are, regardless of what anyone tells you, two very different things. The former ... the so-called "party line" -- is actually what the disciple Paul tells us (all the books of the New Testament between the Gospels and the Apocalypse); the latter is what Jesus said -- and more importantly, did -- as reported in the Gospels. You can twist and turn and force it anyway you like, but the two are, in truth, incompatible with each other.

At bottom then, this time of year is also a time of choice. If we choose to celebrate the holiday, we must choose whether we believe in what Jesus said and did, what Paul and his followers say is the only way to go, or we just want an excuse to party. The choice is yours.

Zeroing in

Let's face it. There is nothing radical or extremist about anything I have had to say recently. At the beginning of the season, I did intimate that what I had to say was not the "party line", but it should be clear by now that there may not even be such a thing. We all believe in something (or not) and we all want only the best for ourselves and those around us. So, I ask you, why is the world so screwed up? Really, none of you are ready to witness for the perfection of reality. Where are we going wrong?

You would be mistaken if you thought I knew. You would be correct, however, is guessing that I might have at least a suspicion. And here it is, a simply as I can state it: most of us are simply hypocrites. Sound harsh? Maybe it is, but I do believe it is accurate. Why am I so sure? Let me tell you.

How many of us like to make an objective and neutral impression, but are, in reality, pushing our own agenda? How many of us declare our tolerance but still have reservations about others who are not like us, including, but not restricted to, people of color, those of a different sexual persuasion or declaration? How many of us tell others that some of our best friends are , but never have them in our homes? How many of us declare our love of God or Jesus, yet blame welfare recipients for being lazy takers? How many of us declare our love of the environment yet drive to the corner store and advocate "dirty" energy? How many of us deny climate warming and simply go on consuming as before? How many of us believe we have worked hard, and therefore have earned, what we have, but refuse to admit how much circumstance and luck have played in our good fortune? How many of us think our country/culture got it right and why do all those others not realize that they haven't? How many of us apply the same measure to big companies and banks that we apply to other individuals not so different from ourselves? How many think responsibility is an important characteristic but don't think that corporations or countries should be held to the same standard? How many of us believe that violence is no solution but still possess firearms and use language that inflicts injury on others? How many of us think others are simply abnormal, because everyone knows what normal is? How many of us believe we are saved and are simply sorry that everyone who isn't simply has to go to hell?

Well, if you ask me, the answer in every case is the same: too many. I really don't know where any of us get off thinking we know what's what and why things are that way. I don't know how any of us can believe we've got that "wisdom thing" all wrapped up. I don't know how good, caring, loving individuals can hate, but you know and I know that we are not few. I don't know how we can realize that we're anything but perfect, yet expect perfection in others. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on in the heads of people who are in mosque/temple/church or elsewhere at least one day a week can act the rest of the week as if they didn't know what was said at the last service. I don't know how most of us can look at ourselves in the mirror in the morning considering how often on any given day we were one way with those we like and who are near to us and so very, very different with those we don't or aren't close to.

Yes, dear reader, we humans are anything but consistent. Which is fine as far as it goes. There is something to-be-expected about it. But what really makes us human, in the end, is that we can transcend what's only expected.

Beating around the (burning) bush

It's not what you say, but how you say it. It's not what you hear, but how you hear it. It's not what you read, but how you read it. Just a couple of simple axioms to start your day.

There are a lot of things we haven't figured out yet. There are a lot of things we just don't know; there are fewer things we know for sure. There are a lot of things we may never figure out. That's just how it is, and that's OK.

It seems to me that there are too many people who miss the point (whatever the point may be in the end) simply because they are all wrapped up in non-essential details. These might be the facts of science, the wording in a given Holy Book, or just some belief we have come to accept (either consciously or unconsciously). For those of you missing the point -- either consciously or unconsciously -- it's OK, you're in good company: most of us are with you.

As I have said, this time of year should be one of joy, hope, peace and light. Why? Because a lot of folks for a lot of time in our history have thought it isn't a bad idea, and even a minimum of reflection on that and what should be will tell you it's not a bad idea at all. Any time we can bring more joy, hope, peace and light into our lives and into the lives of those around us are, well, simply good times, memorable times, happy times. And there is not a human being on this planet who doesn't share that sentiment.

The leading cause of strife/tension/conflict/ is really due to misunderstanding or, more precisely, miscommunication. Different cultures and different languages use different images and metaphors and allusions to get their points across, and we don't always get what the speaker or writer is saying simply because we attach different values to pictures and metaphors they are using. The wonder of communication is not that we communicate, it is that we can communicate at all.

The same things can be said in many different ways. If we always simply listen with our own ears or read with our own eyes, chances are good that we're going to miss something important or just miss something period. We have to recognize that we may not understand; we must be aware that we probably will misunderstand; we must be patient with the speaker/writer for they are under extreme pressure to get it right (and probably won't); and we must suspend our own disbelief when we encounter something that doesn't make immediate sense to us. This is no mean task. This is anything but easy. This is the hardest thing we will ever have to do. And, everybody does it in their own way, whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not.

I happen to know -- and I believe it is good that you know -- that most of the images and metaphors I use come from what Christians call the Bible. The first part of that book, of course, is what the Jews call their Tanakh, and it is that same part that the Moslems hold sacred. Why? Because that is the primary source of pictures and metaphors in the culture in which I was raised and still live. In other words, to me, they are the most natural and familiar images I have at my disposal. They are, as well, the most natural and familiar images that most Western writers have at their disposal as well.

Does this mean they are the best images to use? No. They are simply the ones we can use most easily. And they are those images that will most likely be most familiar to most of those who hear or read what we have to say.

I must add, however, that this is an increasingly challenging task. Too many are becoming too unaware of too many things. My suspicion is that this does not bode well for us as a culture. I thought I would just throw that in.

The right to be wrong

Don't get me wrong: I've not been trying to say that anyone has their head where it does not belong nor that they are simply ignorant. All I'm saying is that their beliefs, in the end, are not on as firm a foundation as they would like. Given that this is the case, it would behoove them, I believe, to tone it down a little and not be so vociferous in telling others they are full of whatever.

And, don't get me wrong: this is supposed to be a happy time of year, so the last thing that I'm trying to do is sow the seed of discord. I'm merely pointing out that there are too many people who can find too many reasons to subvert making this a happy time of year. Me? I'm all for live-and-let-live. Really. It doesn't matter even a little bit what you believe or don't believe, or why. The only thing that matters -- that can matter -- to me is how you act in this world. To be perfectly honest, nothing else matters to me at all.

If you believe it is right to do good, help others, be non-violent and who knows what else because some little green creatures told you in a dream to act that way, then I've got no problem with that. If you believe it is right to heal the sick, free the oppressed, feed the hungry because your Holy Book tells you to act that way, then I've got no problem with that. If you believe it is right to succor the suffering, fight injustice and visit prisoners because it just seems like the right thing to do, then I've got no problem with that. If you believe it is right to not insult others, to show a bit of compassion for the less fortunate and to try to be happy as much as possible your favorite movie star said it would be a nice way to act, then I've got no problem with that either.

The long and short of it is: the motive, the motivation, the reason for your particular belief isn't as important as whether or not you act upon and in accordance with that belief.

If you believe that you should look after you and yourself first, or exercise violence on others; if you have the right disparage the sick, infirm, suffering, or hungry; if you believe you have the right to look down upon the less fortunate or oppress them, or if you believe you have the right to blame the victims of circumstance for their plight, well, I do have a problem with that, and I don't care what your reason is: little green creatures, Holy Book, or favorite person, or any other "reason".

My point is this: the "reason", the motivation, the impetus, the stimulus for what you do doesn't matter at all. What matters is what you do. How you act, regardless of what you believe or why, is really all that matters in the end. If the why is more important than the what in this case, then I can only say that you need to re-evaluate your priorities.

What you believe may (or may not) be "wrong", but it doesn't matter as long as what you do (or avoid doing) is "right".

The right to be right

When we take a look at what we may call the "religious landscape" of the world today, a couple of things become fairly obvious fairly quickly. As a quick review:

• There are about half-a-dozen, so-called world religions: Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
• There are more other "faiths" than can be counted: ranging from remote, tribal, probably never-seen-before systems to "alternative religions", like Wicca and its variations, to long-standing traditional ones like Baha'i and Taoism to far-out ones, like the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
• Even non-believers believe in something: atheists are simply those who don't believe in "God", but that doesn't mean they don't believe in anything, even if it is "only" science, for example.
• Of all known religious/belief systems, to my knowledge, there are only three which are exclusive (that is, it's-our-way-or-the-highway, we're-right-and-everybody-else-is-wrong/deluded), namely Islam, Christianity (in most, if not all its major flavors), and Atheism. (I know, for some of you that last one was a bit of a surprise.)

If you've ever taken the time to talk to other believers, you quickly realize that most of them (a) don't really want to talk about details, (b) are more than willing to let you believe whatever it is you do (or don't) believe, and (c) really aren't sure why you're asking the question about what they believe in the first place. With the "exclusionists", as I like to call them, the situation is reversed. They are more than willing to beat you over the head with the details, are quick to tell you how wrong you are in whatever it is that you believe, and finally glad that they found someone to brain-dump on. That's always struck me as odd.

So, here's my question: why do the exclusionists think (believe) they've got it right and everyone else has got it wrong?

Well, for the first two, the exclusionary religions, it's easy: their Holy Book tells them they are right and everyone else is wrong. At least that's what they'll tell you. For the last group, the absolute-non-believers, they'll tell you it's because there is no empirical evidence for anything you believe; that is, no proof, so you must be wrong.

The position of the first two is built on the fallacy of circular argumentation: the Book says so, therefore it is so, because the Book says so. The latter is based only on an assumption, namely if you can't access it through our five sense, it can't exist.

In other words, the claim to exclusivity is based on nothing that can be objectively and unequivocally verified in the end. Makes it all a bit shaky, don't you think?

A word to the unwise

If you've been following the last few posts, it should be slowly dawning on you that there is a bit of method to my madness. Legends, fairy tales, and myths are not acts of deception, they are reminders of what might be good to take notice of should we want to live better lives. All of us, regardless of our true convictions, play along with this. Let's face it, not only the Christians -- of all flavors, from Catholic to Orthodox to Fundamentalists -- are well into the Christmas Season, and even our other-believing friends -- the Atheists -- are getting festive, too. Truth be told, there are even some of other faiths who are going to put up a tree or have a special meal or exchange gifts because, well, that's what everyone else is doing, so why not join in the fun? Right. When we get into the spirit of celebration, we all feel better. And that's how it should be.

Now, for those of you out there who think there's a War on Christmas or that Christians are trying to shove their religion down your throat ... get over yourselves. Either breathe deeply into and out of a paper bag or take extra doses of your chill-out pills or simply partake a bit more of your favorite intoxicants. I don't care. Just be quiet and let the rest of us have our fun. You guys are downers, bummers, kill-joys or whatever else we can think of to accurately characterize who you are. Christmas and the Christmas Season (and the Hanukah Season for our Jewish friends) is about feeling good, feeling loved, caring and sharing.

As for me, I was born and raised (as I mentioned a couple of posts ago) in a Christian environment. Why? Because I was born there by the luck of the draw. I had as little say in where I was born as anyone else. This was part of the culture in which I was raised, and I understand, fairly well I think, how it functions. Over the years, I have learned that other peoples in other cultures have different (but often very similar) reasons for celebrating when they do, and I'm more than happy to join them in theirs. And they are, at least to me, more than welcome to share in mine. Where's the problem? Right. There is none, so don't make one out of any of it.

When someone greets me with a "Happy Holidays" or a "Happy Hanukah" or a "Merry Christmas", my first thought is, "Well, there's someone who's into the spirit of the season." That makes me happier, my day brighter, my burden lighter, and it encourages me to simply pass it on.

If you don't hear what you think you should be hearing, or if you suspect that Western Culture as we know it is about to collapse, or if you have the urge to set those jerks straight, or if you believe that the end of the world is probably near ... well, you probably need more help than all the rest of us can give you.

Lots of cultures throughout history have organized celebrations of sharing, hope, love, and light at this time of year. So, why not do something "traditional" for a change: get into the Spirit of the Season, and leave the mundane to itself. It will do you a world of good.

Do you believe in St. Nick?

It is really by chance that the topic of beliefs and faith should be on tap today. In some parts of the world (for example, the one in which I happen to live), today is St. Nicklaus Day. Ironically, it is everywhere there are Christians, even if most of the faith may not know it, however, in most places, it's not celebrated in any way. Last night, children put their shoes in front of the door, hoping he'd stop by and leave them some sweets, an orange or maybe even a small present. Well, only if they were good this year, of course; otherwise, it could be they end up with a lump of coal. My American friends should recognize elements that have been taken over and incorporated into our own Santa Claus. We well oh-so-enlightened moderns know there is neither St. Nick nor Santa Claus, but we still act in ways as if he did.

Even non-believing parents and certainly enlightened ones will still see that something gets in the shoes. Why? Well, it makes the kids happy. And if the kids are happy, well, chances are good that the parents are going to feel better, and maybe even the grandparents got into the act as well. For those enlightened souls who rob their children of all that magic and simply slam the chocolate bar down on the table will probably pass the day less satisfied. And I have to ask myself whether that is an appropriate price to pay for sacrificing a simple belief. No, I don't what to hear about how it's all a lie, how we are deceiving our children who need to be able to face the facts of life in determined and decisive ways. You should grow up before you expect your children to.

There really was a Nicklaus, who was later canonized, and his miracle had to do with seeing that children in need got help and even saving a few. Around this factual event, which is so obscured in the shadows of history, a number of stories grew, some of which became so firmly established that we understand them as legends. Legends, like fairy tales and any number of other fictional accounts, serve an important purpose, however: they remind us of what should be good and beneficial in life in spite of all the hardships and stumbling blocks we encounter. They are, by nature, not there to deceive us, but to give us a (or perhaps even the flimsiest of) reason(s) to make the world just a little bit better, even if only for a short while. I really don't see what's wrong with that. When we do these little things, we and everyone around us is just a little happier, a little more content, and feels just a little more loved than before. Again, I don't know what's wrong with that.

You see, it doesn't really matter whether there ever was a St. Nicklaus or not. It doesn't really matter whether he did any of the things it is claimed he did. It doesn't matter whether we believe in the stories or not. All that matters, in the end, is that we can be reminded to be better people and spread a little joy instead of grief. If we believe that acting so is a good thing (and I'm pretty sure most of you would agree), then that is why we should. It's really that simple.

Left holding the ...

Is it really that simple? Well, yes, in fact, it is. There are many ideas that we encounter every day that are however they are because we made them that way or we have allowed them to become that way. Let me take a common business example:

We all know what a "shareholder" is: someone who owns a share (or shares) in a business. We also know what a stakeholder is: someone who has a vested interest in a business. Simple enough. Now the question: who decided, when, and how that shareholders are more important than stakeholders? Is there some inexorable, immutable law of economics that dictates such, or did we just make it up? I think it's obvious, we made it up. So let's take a closer look at this pair of ideas:

I think it is reasonable to maintain that all shareholders are stakeholders, but not all stakeholders are shareholders. The moment someone wants to build a nuclear waste disposal facility in my backyard, I have a vested interest in that business' business, whether I own any of its shares or not. As I tried to make clear quite a while ago (Stock Market 101a and Stock Market 101b), if you just bought some paper in the market, you've neither invested, nor are you really an owner, you're just a stockholder, a speculator, and as such, you are more interested in how much you will earn when you turn over the stock. The future of the company and the results of its activities are not your primary concern, as they are for the people trying to run the business and those that are directly affected by its actions.

This is the reason that the idea of "shareholder value" is so perverse. Yes, technically you own shares, but the reason for the business' existence isn't your prime concern. Stakeholders - folks who are directly affected by each and every action of that company - are much more involved, and for that very reason, should be considered much more important.

How did this get turned around? Good question, but we can see that it is the way it is for no other reason that we allowed it to get that way. I'm not against anybody buying or selling shares, as long as they realize that their true role in the economy has little to do directly with the business itself. And, as far as I'm concerned, they should be treated accordingly.

If we made it up, then we should be allowed to change it ... but we can never change ideas alone.

The "way-it-is" fallacy

You can't expect me to do anything about all this crap ... that's just the way it is.

Do you ever hear that one? I hear it a lot. It's one of the things that ticks me off maybe more than anything else. If we look at the big three of human existence - religion, politics and economics - there is not a single thing about any one of them that is just-the-way-it-is. Over the past couple of months, I've spent a lot of time and effort trying to show just why this is the case. This is stuff we (and by "we" I mean every single one of us, without exception) humans have simply made up. There is no natural law of religion, like there is, say, a law of gravitation, or that there are three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).

Each religion is a collection of beliefs and doctrines that human beings have - at a minimum - collected, organized and attempted to implement. In all of the Scriptures of all the religions that I've read, there was never anything anywhere that said how to do it. For the most part, they were simply collections of how one should be and how one should act. Some human being or some collection of human beings - perhaps over time even - specified what that "how" should be.

Every political system, from the divine right of monarchy to democratically elected officials is a human construct. Somebody, or some group of people, sat down, formulated some principles and others have tended to follow them. Again, there is no law of politics, there is nothing that says there even has to be politics, but that we have to have as much as we do, that we have to do it in a particular way ... well, that's just something we decided to do, not something we can't do anything about.

And my favorite, economics ... there is no natural law of money or credit or anything of the sort. As a so-called "science" (which I personally think it is anything but), it's barely 250 years old, and all of the problems that we have since we've talked about it this way haven't been solved. I mean, what good is a science if it can't solve problems. It is, as currently portrayed, practiced and propagated, is the most worthless of all. Yet, it is the one that we have placed most centrally in our thinking, and it is the one that everybody feels most helpless in dealing with.

Why? I don't know. But each and every one of these three significant parts of our lives are anything but something that is just that way. No, in simplest terms: we made them up. There manifestations and expression in our lives are simply how we "decided" to organize our existence. We could just as easily have thought of something else, but we didn't. This simple realization that much of what pains us about life are simply fictions, is tough for a lot to folks to swallow. It takes courage to admit that maybe we didn't do as well on these as we could have. I don't really think that's a problem at all.

If we don't like something, if we see that something isn't working, then we are free to change it. That is how it really is.

Are you willing to see it?

OK, short break, back to the regularly scheduled program ...

I know, I know ... I'm chapping more than one hide out there. Sorry about that ... well, actually, no, I'm not sorry at all. You got to get over yourselves. My point is, really, that when you think a thought back to its source (which is what our little thought experiment last time was about) you realize that at some point, it all become just a little bizarre, a little absurd, a little arbitrary.

To put it bluntly, at some point, we just decide to make stuff up and say, "well, that's how it is". That, dear friends, is strange. But that, dear friends, is how we make most of reality and most of our lives work.

To be perfectly honest, at the moment, I'm not interested at all in any rationalizations or alleged justifications for why things are the way they are. Whether our example had to do with Native Americans, the bushmen of the Kalahari, some Siberian tribe, or the Celts or the Cro-Magnons or the Neanderthals, well, it just doesn't matter. There was a time when no one thought about "ownership" or "property" and just because someone else came along with those kind of concepts doesn't really mean anything at all. There is no natural law that identifies, defines, or describes "property", for example. The notion is simply one that we made up at some point and that we all now just take for granted.

What amuses me most about all of this is that those amongst you who get your dander up about fiction, about made-up stories, are the ones who are feeling most chapped right now. Why? Because all that single-minded, grounded, factual, objective, this-is-how-it-is stuff turns out to be just as made up as anything else. The only thing "natural" about any of this, if you will, is the fact that we humans have a tendency to make stuff up and believe that what we made up are facts. They're not.

I would be the last person to maintain that there isn't a lot at stake here, but that's not the issue. My point, in case you may not be getting it, is that if we made this up, then we are perfectly within our "rights", actually are in tune with our true natures, if we decide to make something up to replace it. The world is the way it is because we have either made it the way it is, or because we have allowed others to make it the way it is. It's really a very simple idea. There is nothing Gd-given about it, there are no natural laws that describe it. Just about all of what is involved in how we organize and structure our social lives is a result of how we decided to organize and structure it. It is as it is, but it could just as easily have been somehow else. None of it is cast in stone.

This is, truth be told, a difficult notion. This is something that a whole lot of people have trouble wrapping their heads around. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest that it is possible. I'm not asking anyone to give up their cherished beliefs. I'm not asking anyone to deny their upbringing or what they hold to be good and true, or even sacred. What I am doing, however, is suggesting that it just might be worth your while -- in the long run, and that means for those who come after you, be they children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren or people you will never, ever know -- to think a thought or two to the end (or the beginning, depending on how you view it).

You'll be a better person for it. And, the world will be a better place because of it.

Going home

Thomas Wolfe once wrote that you can't go home anymore. I have long thought that thought has carried more than a grain of truth. But, what if you still wanted to? Or, what if you didn't want to, but ended up there anyway?

Did you ever feel that you were simply "beside yourself"? Oh, I know that phrase generally means that we're upset to no end, but I mean literally, beside yourself ... like there was another you, a shadow you, standing next to you and looking over your shoulder? Years ago there was a dishwashing-detergent commercial that used that image to get the almost-perfect housewife to switch dishwashing liquids (thereby achieving perfection ... well, at least until the laundry-detergent commercial came on). The "real" person saw the state of her dishes; the "other" person ... well, what about that person?

I think about that other person from time to time, and lately I've been thinking about him a lot. Traveling back to where you grew up can really kick that thinking into high gear. It occurred to me that I've been away from here longer than I lived here. There's no reason to be as attached as I once was. In fact, I don't think it is possible to be that attached. Thoreau maintained that things don't change, we change; but some things change as well. Oh, it's not that they get more modern or technologically advanced, rather, like fruit they ripen, and at some point that fruit may no longer be suited for personal consumption.

No, no, the fruit's not rotten, it's not just to my taste. How much it ever was is another issue, to be sure; but as far as Mr. Thoreau is concerned, yes, my own tastes have changed.

President's Day

This weekend is a holiday weekend in the States, and if you ever thought you'd forget that fact, you're terribly mistaken. Even if you only watch a little TV, you won't escape the commercials, and you won't escape the sales going on for every consumer item, large or small, just to celebrate this day. After all, what could be more fitting than taking a holiday weekend, one of those long weekends American loves so well, to pay homage to ... presidents?

Yep, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were both Aquarians. In the search for a way of avoiding offering more vacation time, those two birthdays were put together to be celebrated on the third Monday in February, and to be henceforth known as President's Day.

Two of the greatest icons of American history: the Father of the Country (Washington, first president, perpetuated on the ubiquitous one-dollar bill) and the Signer of the Emancipation Proclamation (Lincoln, 16th president, during the Civil War and perpetuated on the five-dollar bill) get to share a holiday all their own. Of course, the prominence in American society ... or should I say the American economy (I'm not sure there's much of the former anymore, but I'm convinced there's a lot of the latter) ... of these two gentlemen on the country's currency is really the tip-off to the holiday just ahead: buy, buy, buy, buy, buy.

I don't doubt for a minute that this is exactly what all good Americans will do this holiday weekend. We may like history, but we love today. And the more we spend today, the brighter the future ... or so the mantra goes. I still think, though, that a little more emphasis on history, particularly recent history, could also be in order. After all, most of the folks I've been talking to lately don't seem to be quite as optimistic as they used to be.

Reality: what a concept

Did you ever wonder what is real? I don't mean just reacting to a stupid statement or being involved in some terribly inexplicable situation. No, I mean "real" in the real sense of the word.

Did you ever ask yourself if you weren't perhaps in some alternate reality in which the laws of physics and behavior that you thought you understood just didn't apply? I don't mean that jaw-dropping reaction to something someone says or does. No, I mean "reality" in the real sense of the word.

OK, maybe there's been a science-fiction story or two too many recently. Maybe it was that last old episode of Twilight Zone I found online. Or maybe, just maybe, it's being somewhere you thought you were familiar with only to realize that even though you spent a good portion of your life there, you might as well be visiting a foreign country. Who knows?

I actually think I'm starting to get where writers get their material. Every good comedian I've ever known insists they don't make up their material, they just take it from everyday life. What's good enough for comedians, must be good enough for the rest of those who write. You don't have to make it up at all. You just have to look around you.

Could it be that the best fiction going is reality?

Toy boxes

One of the few pleasures of living away from home is the times I return to see how things are getting along without me. Last week I decided it was time to make the pilgrimage again. After being there just a short while, I realized that everything was in good hands, and, as usual, my five year-old brother dominated the scene.

Five-year olds have such an unconscious insight into adults and how they live. Sometimes it is frightening, to say the least. But, dodging the paranoia, I thought it would do me some good to talk to the boy to see how things had been while I was away.

He was not in sight when I got home, but deducing that he would more likely be in the playroom than the library, I went in there to find him. I came very close to breaking my neck as I stumbled over the toys which were strewn about the room. At first, I thought the room had been ransacked, but then I spied my brother in one corner frantically going through his toy box. "Hey," I called, "you're gonna kill someone if you don't quit throwing your toys around here!" He just looked at me as if I had committed an unforgivable sin, but being ignorant of the ways of a five-year old, and determined, with all my adult naiveté, to find out what was going on, I persisted.

"Whatcha looking for, sport?"

"My fire truck."

"Any particular reason?"

"No, I know it's in here though, so I wanna find it."

"You sure you didn't leave it somewhere? Outside maybe? Or up in your room?"

"Nah, all my toys are in here."

"It must make things pretty rough to get at – all those toys in one box and all. No wonder you can't find anything. Everything is just piled in here on top of each other. You're gonna break them all, if you keep this up."

"Well, Mommy says I gotta keep them all here. She says if I don't I'll lose them. But I still can't find my fire truck."

"Want some help?"

"No. Oh! I found it! I found it!"

Sure enough, out from beneath the ton of debris in the box, he pulled his fire truck. It seemed rather small and not worth the search, but I guess to him it was, and off he ran, leaving me sitting there amidst his mess. Many people think that young children can teach adults a great deal, and my experience with my brother bears this out. It was a lesson well worth learning. But I'm going to have to sit and rummage through my mind though and find out exactly what it is.

Simplicity

Max sat hunched over his paper. "Gawd, it's hard to put anything down anymore."

He sat for while looking out his window, but it quickly degenerated into an empty gaze. There was never anything to put down on paper. All that is never was, and all that was not ever wasn't either. It all seemed so simple.

The trees were swaying ever so slightly, being restrained, however, by the fact they were leafless. The lack of leaves made them unable to whisper those same truths Max had been so desperately trying to translate into words that everyone could understand. It was so simple in theory, but it was obvious that too many people were afraid of what the trees might say. It's not an uncommon problem, but a chronic one.

Max got up and went to the window so he could get a better view of those same things he had been looking at for so long now. They never changed, or so it seemed. He couldn't imagine why no one ever saw that. It seemed so obvious, yet here he was trying to get it across to those vast, unseen, faceless masses who really couldn't care less if they knew about it or not. Stagnation oozed through the window.

Everything he saw was saying the same thing at the same time and all those voices quieted themselves into a hushed chorus of unimaginable harmony.

"It is all too simple," he thought, "when taken as a whole, it is beyond expression, and when taken one thing at a time, it becomes garbled. No wonder so many artists decide to shoot themselves."

Max never entertained suicidal thoughts himself. There didn't seem to be much point in it. Disillusioned drunks were a dime a dozen. Lonely people went for half the price. Max knew which category he fit into.

"It's not so bad being lonely," he figured. "Hell, there must be millions of us out there – somewhere."

Fear of creativity

There is a huge difference between how things are and how they could or should be. Likewise, there is a huge difference between how things are and how they got that way. We need to think about both, though I sometimes get the impression that we don't really think about either.

Let's take Occupy Wall Street as an example. It hasn't ceased to amaze me at how many people who make statements about it haven't looked at it close enough to know what it is. In other words, their perception is blurred. It also hasn't escaped my attention that some want it to be one thing, while others want it to be something very different. In other words, their interpretation is confused. Finally, there are those who will tell you what it is not, who will try to discredit it for discreditation's sake. In other words, their comprehension is incomplete.

Contrary to what (too) many people believe, being against one thing doesn't automatically make you for its opposite. Also, agreeing part of something doesn't automatically mean that you agree all of it. For example, I might be pro OWS, that doesn't mean I'm automatically against capitalism. I can agree with them that corporations have undue influence in the American political process, but that doesn't mean I agree with all the tactics they employ to make their point. In other words, what I'm making a plea for here is discernment.

All that we are dealing with in the wake of the financial crisis and bailout are things that needn't be the way they are. Anything involved could be different if we choose to make it so. We have made money the measure of all worth, because we can't agree on higher values anymore. We think the economy is more important that society because we can't talk to each other reasonably anymore. We have fear of losing what we have because we no longer know who we are. Every issue we are facing are problems that we humans have created for ourselves. Money is not natural; the organization of human society is not natural; economies are not natural. They are all things that we, in one way or another, for one reason or another, consciously or unconsciously, have simply made up. None of these arise from some unalterable natural law, rather cultures, living spaces, ways of interaction, values, organizations are things that we humans have called into existence. They are as they are at the moment, but we all agree that they were not always that way, nor need they necessarily be that way now. They are as they are because we more or less decide to have them this way.

We, I'm afraid, have simply backed ourselves into a corner and are being controlled by our fears. Is it really an unalterable fact that some banks are too big to (let) fail? No, that's a perception. Is it the consequence of some natural law that some countries are seen as too big to save? No, that's an interpretation. And do we really, truly believe, well, things have always been this way? No, that's simply miscomprehension.

My question is, what are we afraid of? Of losing what's not ours to begin with? Of having to listen to someone we disagree with? Of respecting another simply because s/he is an other? Of having to share or (gasp!) care about something other than ourselves? Of having to think about how you feel about something that affects all of us? Of maybe having to learn that whatever you think, feel or believe is one way of thinking, feeling and believing, but not the only way? Of finding out that just because I don't think what you do that both of us may be right (or wrong) in different ways? I don't get it.

Anyone who thinks that things are just fine the way they are simply doesn't get out enough. I would maintain the changes we need to make are simpler than we now imagine, but only if we start working together. It's a choice, not a law of nature.