I'm Far too Under-read to Have These Opinions

I need to read so much more about philosophy to truly believe anything I hear, read, see, or even what I say and think. I'm often a tad suspicious that I haven't reached Rowdy Roddy Piper status yet. Someday I hope to find those special sunglasses that will unveil what's really going on. Every time I do (and pretty often when I don't) read philosophy, my mind explodes with wordy theories. Unfortunately, these are very likely theories that would change in conversation and, in some cases, I might even disregard them altogether when the chips are down, but when they come to me, they feel right. I'm all about putting ideas out there. I love to start a conversation, stir the pot, hear other viewpoints, and hear positive and negative knee-jerk reactions. Some might see the practice as just an excuse for a blowhard only child to gain attention. On some level, that's true. I think, more importantly, I'm giving myself an opportunity to evolve and adjust my ideals (or to solidify them).

When we are born, we are not ready for the world. In infancy, we require further incubation, albeit, external. The mother isn’t finished providing nutrients to her spawn. The babe cannot yet become fully detached. Fragile and weak, it must remain close to its mother and go to the breast throughout the day for sustenance to grow and survive. If born pre-maturely, it requires even more care, effort, and resources to ensure that we’ll survive.

At what point are we no longer surviving, though. At what age or at what stage in life can a person be expected to have mastered surviving and to begin thriving and contributing. Is there ever a time when this transition occurs or are we always giving and taking, playing both Remora and Whale Shark or transitioning back and forth between the two roles of giver and taker. Until one has, on some level, mastered survival, they are a draw on society and not truly contributing. Of course, there is always a fluid ebb and a flow. There will be times when we’re able to give without harming ourselves and our community benefits greatly. There are times, perhaps even in the midst of a period of wealth, that we must look to our brothers and sisters to gain strength and cannot contribute without first taking. At this stage in our evolution, should we be more easily ready to thrive? Haven’t we had plenty of time to either learn how to survive or how to perish gracefully? Community is a wonderful thing, as long as it can thrive and grow, despite (or perhaps because of) its weakest link(s).

Ideally, I believe, a community is made of a majority of strong, able bodied and able minded individuals who contribute with goods, services, love, and care. The young are provided for and the old are cared for and the weak are given opportunities to grow and overcome their adversity. The weak should not, however, be shown that their weakness is a means to an end. The goal must always be to rehabilitate those who struggle and to find a place for them to contribute to the whole. I would never want to drain the resources of those around me if I couldn’t contribute for long periods of time because of an extended illness. Again, ideally, if an individual’s weakness can be safely studied so that future generations can anticipate, prevent, or more readily overcome certain adversities, then even the weak provide to the community.

Indonesian Death Squad

As I lie here in my comfortable bed, I struggle with my daily internal tantrum over the fact that, in twenty minutes, I must begin putting myself together because I "have" to get to work in an hour and a half. I'm surrounded by comfort and lavishness, though we're not overtly wealthy by today's standards. I have it so much easier than I allow myself to realize. It's a reality I push aside so I don't have to cope with the guilt of those less fortunate than I. So many of us dance this same Waltz.

On the other side of the globe, on a small island called Indonesia, ten human beings (much like myself) are taking their last breaths. Attorney-General Prasetyo has issued the punishment of death by firing squad for a 2006 charge of smuggling of drugs into the country. A shot to the heart and, if still the initial execution is unsuccessful, a shot to the temple.

Pleas have been made by celebrities,  representatives, prime ministers, politicians, & the like to try to save the lives of these individuals in hopes that the Indonesian government might find an alternate way of issuing punishment for the crime. Currently,  no statement has been issued by their president Joko Widodo regardless of the campaigns to spare the lives of the convicted criminals.

As an American I can hardly believe that punishment of death penalty by firing squad, such an old-fashioned, archaic method of issuing justice, is used by any country at all, let alone for the crime of smuggling drugs into the country. Death by firing squad might even be easier to accept for a more severe crime had it been something like the taking of another life or assault or molestation. For the crime of such a minuscule magnitude I struggle see the logic in such a punishment. I can't see the logic in a nation refusing to evolve their judicial system. For Christ's sake,  when I think of firing squad, the image that comes to mind is of Spanish soldiers in uniforms, standing in a line some 150 years ago or more.

I'm not a god fearing man (nor have I ever even understood the term) but my thoughts,  prayers, and love go out to the families of those being dispatched this morning by the Indonesian government including...

Zainal Abidin, an Indonesia man accused of leading a Marijuana smuggling operation,  which he denies

Mary Jane Veloso, from the Philippines. A mother of two (a 6 & 12 year old) who claims to have been fooled into bringing heroin into the country

Raheem Agbaje Salami, Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise and Okwuduli Oyatanze from Nigeria. All accused of smuggling drugs into the country inside their bodies

Martin Anderson (from either Ghana or Nigeria) who was charged worth smuggling heroin

Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte who was supposedly bringing cocaine into Indonesia inside surf boards

May you rest well. May your families find peace. May the government of Indonesia finally hear the cries of the human beings worldwide who feel that the punishment,  in this case does not, even remotely, fit the crime.

Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/apr/28/bali-nine-andrew-chan-myuran-sukumaran-executed-indonesia-mercy#block-553d9484e4b006cad0a26a12

Sharing Time

I can feel it coming my way
My own death doesn’t scare me
I embrace the future and in it, Death and I will shake hands and I trust I’ll be smiling
After that last sigh, I’ll exist only in the ether and, if lucky enough, in minds younger than mine

My own death isn’t worth worrying over
The death of those who I know will go before me is what I fear the most
My life is shaped by those wonderful beings
Their experiences, our shared memories, the laughter we create, and the love we share have all made me who I am today
When the moment comes that nothing new between us can be shared, there will surely be a dimming of light

One of the most strugglesome elements in my own life is forgetting the forthcoming emptiness my friends leave behind
I must keep my head about me and always enjoy the moments as they come
I must always remember that there was a gap in life before them and a fullness while we shared time
I’ve taught myself an addiction to new wonderful moments and memories and those who bring them

All who truly live have adopted this same addiction
We who enjoy living learn to seek the life in others
This is what makes the end of life of friends, lovers, and family so sad
But we all must seek out new candles to light, new fires to warm us

And more laughter to share

Try Something New

As children, we have such open eyes and innocent, untainted views of the world. Full of curiosity, hope, trust, and a thirst to fill our brains, we seek out new connections constantly.
It's only after we've begun making connections with those that have an agenda that negatively reaches into our own world do we start building a defense and skeptical stance when encountering new people. Once we've gone through our first big heartbreak, been betrayed by a close friend, known a close friend that simply drifted away (which can feel like betrayal), learn of evil deeds done by those who assume positions of power, and witness malicious thoughts in action do we no longer feel that the world is such a wonder filled and safe place for us to be and that we should always be cautious.
There is wisdom in caution, that can't be denied. Being completely open to anything that comes our way with reckless abandon can cause much pain to us and those around us as well as lessen our own self value when we begin to wonder what it is about ourselves that would provoke such treatment from others. Convicted predators will even say that they find themselves drawn to people who exude the meek, victim persona.
So going about life with care and caution is warranted. What is not warranted, in my opinion, is to close one's self off to new experiences, new connections, or venturing out of our established comfort zone. Comfort Schmumfort. Dig in and get your hands dirty. If you want to wear kid gloves, that's your prerogative, but it's so much better for us to experience life genuinely and organically, make mistakes, learn from them, embrace what makes us grow and toughen ourselves to what doesn't. How will you know if you really and truly don’t like it if you never try? How did you develop the little bubble you live in now? You had to have tried something new at some point, right? What tainted that experience for you? Are you ok with not experiencing these new things? What would the You from 30 years from now think?
If meeting someone new, doing something new, or something you've avoided for any extended period of time makes you feel uncomfortable, don't immediately dismiss it. Analyze it. Use your mind and heart to interpret it. Would you rather live in fear and avoid these experiences or know that you tried it out and learned from it?
I have friends who are completely fine with their current roster of experiences and it doesn’t bother them whatsoever that they’re not venturing out into something new. Not that the life they live holds no excitement or a complete shutdown to ALL things new. Honestly, everyone’s different so who am I to try to force them into changing what’s comfortable to them. It’s something for me to adjust to merely to accept that they’re doing just fine as is. I love them anyway! To each his or her own, I suppose, but it’s certainly something for both of us to think about.

Did I get All of the Pigfat out of my Beard?

     It was Friday evening after I'd gotten off work. We grabbed the remaining beer from the Lincoln backroads brewery, the tequila, two dogs and headed to my homeland: The Placer Hills of Thermalands CA. Two or Three days prior, our fantastic, off-the-grid livin, DIY efficianado friends reported that two 400+ pound mangalitsa porkers had escaped and begun roaming the hills and oak groves of their neighbors' pastures.  I knew the hunt was either in full force or perhaps would be over by the time I made my way to our friends' farm. Not to be left out of a mischevious adventure and knowing that the pigs had reached the right age, size, AND demeanor to have outstayed their welcome as consumers (and would soon become the consumed, pardon the morbidity), I had an irresistable notion that I wanted to be there. After all, the best way to prevent  an ovine escape artist from carrying out it's craft is to give it a new purpose in life: turn it into a series of delicious meals.
     On our way, the poor nervous doxie got sick twice in my lap. It's so much fun having such a...special...dog for a pet. Both times in my agony (and undoubtedly, the agony of the sorry canine) I looked in the back seat at the German Shepherd...passed the eff out.  Such a good car dog, but that's just not in the cards for poor Kyu.
     As we pulled up to the house and got out of the car, I looked at the two masses of wooly, fatty, doubtlessly tasty hogs mounted atop a trailer attached to an atv. The hunt had succesfully taken place in my absence (fine by me) and the two hogs I'd previously fed scraps from my own kitchen and garden were found and I was told that they were put to rest by two young lads from down the road. My mind instantly reeled with the possibilities of what the night might have in store for this former farm boy. A farm boy (me) who in his late childhood passed out while observing a sheep being operated on for purlapse issues, much to the entertainment of the house calling vet. I wondered if I'd make it very far into the next steps in the process before my constitution and weak stomach gave up and gave in.
     An hour later, the pigs were hoisted into the air by a recently purchased tractor as two inexperienced but hopeful lads watched a well experienced gent begin the skinning and gutting process. I was surprisingly at ease and couldn't resist but to dig in and help out however I could. It was absolutely hilarious just how intrigued and excited the boys who found and shot the pigs and their sister were.  One could hardly see what was going on with all the young people clamoring and crowding around the hanging carcasses. Bill Nye schmill schmye, this is real science.  It's cold?  One 14 year olds solution was stick your hand in the guts. Hilarious and awesome.  How many 14 year olds do you know that would stick around for any of this, let alone wanna shove their hands into the belly of the beast, literally?
     Eventually, pig one was skinned and clean. Danny & I were steadily working on the other hog, havin a time (and several beers). Another hour or two passes and we've got 4 halves of mangalitsa hanging, heads in a wheel barrell for cheek meat removal, offel taken care of, and we're lugging the four halves into Danny's meat locker for further cooling and drying. I could hardly believe all we'd accomplished, but WHAT a way to spend a Friday. The rest of the evening was spent trying not to boast of how proud we were of ourselves and each other (and by that I mean that's all I could do), enjoying some homemade fried rice (DELICIOUS, Eve), more beers (until they were gone, then moving onto the furnet), and sharing laughs until the midnight hour.
     By no means would I claim that I had any sort of large part in the entire process when considering the big pig picture of start to finish, but if I can jump in and say that I helped (and especially get to dig into the rewards of a well raised and butchered pig), I'm a well satisfied and happy man. To have friends to share such experiences with, experiences that I somehow avoided in all my years of 4H and FFA, fills me with delight, near constant joy, and many many memories. One of my favorite memories this time around: having to ask to borrow a jacket because of previously mentioned dog-car-sickness episodes; then, as the night drew to a close, realising that the jacket had become thoroughly encrusted with bits of rich pig fat and laughing uncontrollably at the fun mess I had made.

A Graeagle Morning

Buma's house has always been a wonderful place. When I was a kid, we always had a great time together. She always took me on magically fun adventures and her home was always perfectly decorated, welcoming, and filled with the best food smells. The world would be a better place if everyone had a Buma.
Now that I'm "grown up", with a wife, a crazy busy life, instead of spending every last dime on vacations, often times, we go to Buma's house. She lives in the Sierra mountains in a cute little town called Graeagle. She's lived here for years and the neighbors and acquaintances of the community have become like an extended branch to our family. Buma even encourages us to come up and use her home as a motel of sorts when she's away.
This Thanksgiving was one such occasion. It's been family tradition to do Thanksgiving with friends, not family, and for years my parents did just that until last year when Keli and I decided to break off and start our own non family, friends only Thanksgiving. Plans to hang with friends ON Thanksgiving this year ended up falling through, so we decided to head up to Buma's to get away from it all.
Our three day getaway was just what I needed. We took a walk with Kyu, our Dachshund and collected rocks and pine cones (for crafts...Keli IS a fourth grade teacher, after all), enjoyed great food and drinks, and even got to see some local wildlife (racoons) visit the back porch for leftovers we'd tossed out.
Now, as I sit finishing my coffee on the morning of our departure, I'm getting a chance to take in a little more nature. The sun is rising over the yard behind Buma's house. She has a bench right at the edge of her lawn which drops into a ravine where, after the rain begins, has a quiet stream that trickles by. From the dining room table, I can see the dew dripping off of the bench as shadows of pine cones dance on the living room floor. No cars are driving by, no fire engines, no rumpus salsa music is wofting across the street. Just us and nature as the fallen pine needles and dirt warm under the rising sun. As a matter of fact, the only noise i hear right now is coming from an old pendulum clock Buma has had hanging on her walls since I was born (probably before that).
I wish everyday could start and end like this. If it did, though, I may not appreciate it as much. What's your favorite quiet gettaway?
  

Thumbs Up Chris Christie, Thumbs Down Conservitive Religious, Ignorant Parents

SPOILER ALERT: Contraversy ahead

      Reading the news is a great way to get my blood pressure to careen out of control. I read an article this morning about Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey. He has recently come under heat in the media for not passing legislature that would legalize gay marriage, but the law eventually/recently went through without his consent (you probably heard about this). Apparently, he also recently did something a little out of character in comparrison to his stance on gay marriage (mentioned negatively above). He voted down a bill that would allow “gay conversion therapy” which lets people attend counseling to help them “get over” same sex tendencies and sexual “confusion” (obviously a religiously backed idea and he actually voted to keep this kind of counseling from happening).

     There is a married, straight couple who is suing him, stating the illegality of this type of counseling violates their rights. Their son is showing “unwanted” sexual confusion and tendencies and has contemplated suicide and without this counseling, they fear for his safety (from himself). How about this: He doesn’t feel welcome in his own home; in his own world; amongst those of his own bloodline, who should be loving and accepting him UNCONDITIONALLY. Maybe THAT’S why he feels that suicide is the answer. The world they've raised him in has led him to believe that the way he is and feels is wrong and he feels helpless so he sees suicide as his only option for peace. Flip your ideas on their end and try LOVE for a change and change YOURSELVES instead of trying to get your son to accept YOUR ways.

     Even the most minimal knowledge in commmunication and conflict management teaches us that ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOU AND IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS TO CHANGE OTHERS. This makes me absolutely sick and I feel for the child AND for Chris Christie, who has done something to alter the public’s opinion of him and now is being punished (potentially) for doing what’s right. To some, this may have been a ploy to gain votes considering the upcoming election, I certainly see the potential for that, but let's look at it for what it it instead of what it could be.

     Organized Religion is poisoning our sociey. Just because the masses say it’s right, that doesn’t make it right. Just because it’s “what we’ve always done and been told” doesn’t make it right. Obviously, hate kills. I wish I could giv ethat poor kid a hug and let him know that someday, he’ll rise above adversity BECAUSE of his struggles and should never succomb to the hatred of others. Obviously, this issue has me a bit heated.