Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 09:16 PM Nov 2015

Dystopia of Endless Night

(1) “Before the Great War all intelligent people said: ‘We shall not have any more war, we are far too reasonable to let it happen, and our commerce and finance are so interlaced internationally that war is absolutely out of the question’. And then we produced the most gorgeous war ever seen.”
-- C. G. Jung

Intelligent people can debate if we are at risk of entering World War Three, or not. In part, it depends upon how one defines “world war.“ One can use the relatively limited context of WW1 and WW2, or of the majority of the most populous and economically- militarily powerful nations being involved in a number of theaters of warfare around the globe.

It is safe to say that while military conflicts may take place in some of the locations where previous wars have been fought, we no longer exist in the Industrial Age. The synergy of multi-national corporations -- more powerful than many modern nations -- in the high-tech world reduces the efficacy of the WW1-WW2 models.

The media tends to present a rather subjective package of news and analysis. Thus, for too many of the less-aware public, they project their anxieties into pseudo-wars, such as the infamous “war on Christmas,” or in the extreme violence of the white christian terrorist movement. When various sub-groups in a nation-state begin hostilities against other groups, it is generally in battles, feuds, and/or terrorism. Yet in sum total, there comes a time when, faced with crisis (or crises), this inner-strife can be as destructive as war with an external enemy.

In ancient times, people looked to Walter Cronkite to declare it: war was just, war was win-able, or a jungle stalemate. The voices of reason are less clear today, as the ghosts of generations of lies rise from their graves, and swirl around in massive miscommunication on the television, radio, and internet. Where have you gone, Uncle Walter? Our nation turns its lonely ears to you. But in the gyre, the falcon can no longer hear the falconer.


(2) “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere, the ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”
-- W. B. Yeats

There is a Showtime documentary titled, “The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs” that features interviews with all of the living directors of the agency. The “wise men” debate issues such as the proper response to terrorism; the efficacy of “torture”; and the agency’s unregulated use of drones. It attempts to address the conflict between the current use of drones, and President Ford’s law which forbid the agency from assassinating foreign leaders.

It fails to provide real context in the sense of President Kennedy’s decision to take tactical wartime operations away from the agency, and place that responsibility where it belongs -- with the military -- if we are to remain a nation of laws, guided by the Constitution. Indeed, the drone program allows the agency the ability to conduct strikes outside of the recognized theater of war, without oversight.

Those who do not subscribe to Showtime have the option of simply watching cable news, for a repulsive ad that asks, “Can a corporation have a subconscious?” Willard “Mitt” Romney certainly thinks so: corporations are people, he assured his republican audience, with passionate intensity. For those who worship the dollar, and who accept profit motives as gods, corporate greed becomes mutant soul.

The synergism of corporate greed, tribalism (in its negative potential), and militarism cuts a direct path to an assault upon the central theme of what this nation can stand for -- liberty and social justice, of government for the people, by the people. The best of politicians have anxious convictions; the worst propose walls to stop the migration of once huddled masses; those who attempt to give voice to reason are looked upon with suspicion; and compassion is declared weakness by the loudest voices.


(3) “I see fingers, hands, and shades of faces, reaching up but not quite touching the promised land. I pleas and prayers and a desperate whisper saying, ‘Oh, Lord, please give us a helping hand’.”
-- Jimi Hendrix

One of the curious dynamics in American society today is that “bad” people are more organized, and making better use of time, than “good” people. That is not to suggest this is either new, or true across the board. However, I am convinced that the rates of organized action has been expanding with the “bad” people, creating greater difficulties for those “good” people who are social-political activists and organizers.

This afternoon, on CNN, there was a “discussion” that featured a rabid republican and a gentle Democrat, regarding the gross violence aimed at Planned Parenthood. Locally, I know for a fact that Planned Parenthood has offered free services to a number of young men, primarily in the context of couples considering family planning. But, even if PP only offered services to females, it is of such value that every man should be actively supporting it.

Indeed, even if a person has sincere beliefs regarding abortion, and do not support it for their personal life choices, the best -- and only -- way to reduce unwanted pregnancies is to promote education, and to insure that birth control is readily available. Thus, even those who would not consider abortion as a personal choice, should definitely be supporting Planned Parenthood. Yet the republican woman on CNN attempted to present the “dog-whistles” from republican candidates, and the aggressively confrontational “protests” outside of medical clinics, as representing appropriate, constitutionally-endorsed behaviors.

Amendment 1’s reference to public demonstrations is intended -- among other things -- to allow group’s of citizens to call for an increase in rights, for a group that is currently being denied equal rights. There is no evidence that its intent is to protect, much less promote, a group’s demand to restrict the rights of others. Obviously, in the context of Constitutional Law (the decisions rendered by federal courts), even groups as toxic as the KKK are recognized as having the “right” to engage in public demonstrations. However, “rights” does not equal “license.”

Amendment 1 does not provide one with the “right” to harass people who are seeking medical services. It does not justify the threats that both health care providers and consumers are so frequently subjected to. That Bill of Rights is intended to protect and promote individual and group rights, not as a means of denying rights by way of threats and/or violence. And there is no question -- none! -- that the republican candidates are, by and large, actively sowing the seeds of poisoned thinking, that is sure to result in more and more violent outbursts.

By no coincidence, as the reporting on violence becomes the media’s obsession, more and more of the less-insightful among us uses the dangers as reason to cut back upon that Bill of Rights -- just as assuredly as all three branches of the federal government increasingly engage in “post-constitutional” behaviors and activities. The center of what represents the best potential of America no longer holds. The vacuum that is created allows for a Ben Carson to be considered, by a sizable number of republicans, as presidential timber -- and not in spite of his delusional religious system of thought, but rather, almost entirely because of it.


(4) “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
-- John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Most political-social-cultural concepts have both a good and bad potential -- with lots of room in between. Just as Amendment 1 can be used to either promote social justice, or to bring about violent oppression, issues of “religion” in American society have spanned from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s contributions, to Jerry Falwell’s intolerance. As a general rule, insightful people make use of religion for self-examination, while the dull-witted use it to justify harsh judgments of others.

The self-righteous have used “religion” to justify the slaughter of Native Americans, the forced slavery of African-Americans, the obscene oppression of gay and lesbian people, and virtually every war in our nation’s history. Small surprise that their “religion” promotes the violence against Planned Parenthood, and the inhumanity that saturates the republican platform for dealing with the current migrations of human beings around the globe. There’s nothing more violent than that old-time religious self-righteousness.

There are large numbers of people who, while not “bad” per se, are adding their energies to the unconscious rituals of violence that are wrapped in flags, and/or found in perverted readings of esoteric texts. The sum total tends to discourage rational thinkers, who often find their efforts to advocate for social justice are frustrated by the sheer force of gross ignorance in motion. Yet, as Alfred, Lord Tennyson reminds us, “Come, my friends, ‘tis not too late to seek a newer world.”

We need the united efforts of women and men of good will, not the divisions that result from none of us being perfect, or all-knowing. It’s high time for us to celebrate the human potential.

(Thank you for reading the thoughts that I was thinking this afternoon, as I was doing some of the tasks in preparation for ceremony on Friday. My older son and daughter gathered 49 good-sized cobbles of white quartz, which holds heat very well. -- H2O man)

35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Dystopia of Endless Night (Original Post) H2O Man Nov 2015 OP
Thank you for sharing these thoughtful and powerful passages. Crystalite Nov 2015 #1
Thank you. H2O Man Nov 2015 #5
And, Why Is This? We worked so Hard for Change......How can this be? KoKo Nov 2015 #2
Very good! H2O Man Nov 2015 #6
There's defintely a "lull" in Progressive Activity Support... KoKo Dec 2015 #23
Oh, you nailed it! H2O Man Dec 2015 #25
The wind that shakes the barley. Zorra Nov 2015 #3
Thank you! H2O Man Nov 2015 #7
Kick. nt Laffy Kat Nov 2015 #4
Thank you, Laffy Kat! H2O Man Nov 2015 #8
Are you going to do a sweat? panader0 Nov 2015 #9
Yes. H2O Man Nov 2015 #12
Well stated and much of what I have been pondering 2naSalit Nov 2015 #10
The past few days H2O Man Nov 2015 #13
You're welcome. 2naSalit Dec 2015 #17
I tell my son H2O Man Dec 2015 #19
Eloquent mmonk Nov 2015 #11
Thank you! H2O Man Nov 2015 #14
When you mentioned what you were mmonk Dec 2015 #15
Yep. H2O Man Dec 2015 #16
I will come back tomorrow to read in full. As always, thank you for your thoughtfulness. Hekate Dec 2015 #18
Thank you! H2O Man Dec 2015 #26
Best. Ever. librechik Dec 2015 #20
Thanks! H2O Man Dec 2015 #27
The "bad people" are paid, quite well I hear, to be bad. raouldukelives Dec 2015 #21
We have something more valuable. mmonk Dec 2015 #22
Good points. H2O Man Dec 2015 #31
Thanks for that. mmonk Dec 2015 #33
Well done! H2O Man Dec 2015 #29
Nice turn of phrase... haikugal Dec 2015 #34
K&R, with gratitude. n/t OneGrassRoot Dec 2015 #24
Thank you. H2O Man Dec 2015 #30
You are an amazing writer, H2O Man. Octafish Dec 2015 #28
Thank you very much. H2O Man Dec 2015 #32
Simon & Garfunkle Warned Us....Way Back There...When..."The Sounds of Silence." KoKo Dec 2015 #35
 

Crystalite

(164 posts)
1. Thank you for sharing these thoughtful and powerful passages.
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 09:29 PM
Nov 2015

And best wishes for Friday.

Being in the lodge with the warmth, the scents, the sage, while it's so chilly outside must be remarkable.

Blessings.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
5. Thank you.
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 10:31 PM
Nov 2015

I'm looking forward to it. My lodge sets back in a tree-line, behind my pond. My sons built a large stone fire pit, at the pond's edge. It can be mighty tempting for me to stay out there, away from "civilization."

KoKo

(84,711 posts)
2. And, Why Is This? We worked so Hard for Change......How can this be?
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 09:36 PM
Nov 2015
One of the curious dynamics in American society today is that “bad” people are more organized, and making better use of time, than “good” people. That is not to suggest this is either new, or true across the board. However, I am convinced that the rates of organized action has been expanding with the “bad” people, creating greater difficulties for those “good” people who are social-political activists and organizers.

This afternoon, on CNN, there was a “discussion” that featured a rabid republican and a gentle Democrat, regarding the gross violence aimed at Planned Parenthood. Locally, I know for a fact that Planned Parenthood has offered free services to a number of young men, primarily in the context of couples considering family planning. But, even if PP only offered services to females, it is of such value that every man should be actively supporting it.


--------------

And THIS from DU POST AND LINKS, Today?

And, Joe Bageant (Deer Hunting With Jesus & other books)
Website:

http://joebageant.net/

Rep. Keith Ellison has "Deer Hunting With Jesus" as one of his top Book Recommends:



---------------

In Response to This Post:

The AGE of the DEMAGOGUES -- Chris Hedges -- MUST READ

http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/the_age_of_the_demagogues_20151129

excerpt:

A faux liberal class, epitomized by amoral politicians such as the Clintons and Barack Obama, has led many disenfranchised people, especially the white underclass, to direct a legitimate rage toward liberals and the supposed liberal values they represent. Racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, homophobia, sexism and vigilante violence, condemned by liberal, college-educated elites, are embraced by those who have been betrayed, those who now speak back to liberal elites in words, gestures and acts, sometimes violent, designed to denigrate the core values of a liberal democracy. The hatred is the product of a liberal class that did nothing to halt corporations from driving tens of millions of families into poverty and desperation as it mouthed empty platitudes about rights and economic advancement.

The Republican business elites, which declared war on the liberal class’ call for cultural diversity, allied themselves with an array of protofascists in the Christian right, the tea party, groups such as the National Rifle Association and The Heritage Foundation, the neo-Confederate movement, the right-to-life movement and right-wing militias. The elites in the Republican Party, who needed an ideological veneer to mask their complicity in the corporate assault, saw these protofascists as useful idiots. They thought, naively, that by demonizing liberals, feminists, African-Americans, Muslims, abortion providers, undocumented workers, intellectuals and homosexuals they could redirect the growing rage of the masses, sending it against the vulnerable, as well as against the only institution that could curb corporate power, the government, while they greedily disemboweled the nation.

But what the Republican elites have done, as they now realize to their horror, is empower a huge swath of the public—largely white—that is gripped by magical thinking and fetishizes violence. It was only a matter of time before a demagogue whom these elites could not control would ride the wave of alienation and rage. If Trump fails in his bid to become the GOP presidential nominee, another demagogue will emerge to take his place. Trump is not making a political revolution. He is responding to one.

The corporate state was never threatened by the liberal class’ myopic preoccupation with cultural diversity or the right wing’s championing of supposedly “Christian” values. This was anti-politics masquerading as politics. The culture wars did not challenge imperialism, neoliberalism and globalization. The dictates of the market, the primacy of corporate profit and the military-industrial complex remained sacrosanct. The mounting distress of the underclass was ignored or manipulated during the culture wars. Liberals who embraced cultural diversity did so within a neoliberal framework. Feminism, for example, became about placing individual women in positions of power—this is Hillary Clinton’s mantra—not about empowering poor, marginalized and oppressed women. Post-racial America became about a black president.....”


85http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027396652

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
6. Very good!
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 10:34 PM
Nov 2015

Thank you for your post/ contribution to this discussion.

Years ago, Rubin told me that in the physical world, that there is absolutely an opposite, negative response to every good action. It seems that way, sometimes more than others.

Our team needs to get busy, in order to catch up.

KoKo

(84,711 posts)
23. There's defintely a "lull" in Progressive Activity Support...
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 12:13 PM
Dec 2015

Except for our hopes for Bernie Sanders being a beacon light in focusing discussion for future efforts after this 2016 Election whether he wins or not.

The PTB have managed to whip up the National Attention on "Terra, Terra!" once again. Hillary will keep us Safe with Bill's help and experience and Trump will "Kick Butt."

It's like a watching reply of an old movie you've enjoyed in the past. You are so familiar with the plot and the cast of characters but, it seems that each time you rewatch somehow you see things you didn't notice before. Maybe your taste in movies has changed. Maybe when you were young you focused on certain characters or parts of the plot that kept you fascinated. But, with each rewatch you begin to wonder what you found so interesting that kept you going back over and over. You begin to think that maybe it really wasn't such a good movie as you originally thought -- that the plot was faulty and some of the characters really weren't what you thought they were on first view.

Sometimes it can almost seem like PTSD.

Don't mind me.

Enjoy your Sweat and lets hope for better times ahead, someday.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
25. Oh, you nailed it!
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 01:15 PM
Dec 2015

I agree 100%. There are times when campaigns & elections remind me of the old cartoon of Lucy holding a football for Charlie Brown to kick. He knows she will pull it away, but he can't help himself -- he attempts to kick it.

For a multitude of reasons, many of us just can't "kick the habit" when it comes to politics. Though we've got an accurate picture of what is to come, we are still trying our best.

Always an honor to be on the same team with you!

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
7. Thank you!
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 10:44 PM
Nov 2015

I also bought some lace curtains, even though the lodge has no windows. (grin)

Along with the quartz, I have a dozen cobbles of white flint. That combination reminded me of a young associate, who hasn't been here for ceremony in a couple years. So I invited her to come and participate; she said that she had been thinking about the lodge lately .....her job is stressful lately, etc. So that's good.

panader0

(25,816 posts)
9. Are you going to do a sweat?
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 11:00 PM
Nov 2015

Another great post.
No cold ponds where I live, but my friend had a nice sweat lodge near his pool. (Out in the boonies)
After a night playing music at the bar, we would do a sweat, two am, moonlight through the small
triangular glass in the ceiling. It could get very hot, I would have to lower my head to breathe cooler air.
And when, at last, the heat was gone from the stones, we burst out and jumped in the pool.
When we got out, in the cold am, the steam rose from our bodies.
I've done very primitive sweats while camping, branches bent over covered by blankets, but the one by the pool
was special.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
12. Yes.
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 11:47 PM
Nov 2015

It's actually been mighty pleasant weather here, for late November ....what Chief Waterman used to call "Caucasian Summer." But both my pond, and the pool below the waterfalls nearby, are certainly chilly.

I've got about a cord & a-half of good hardwood out there -- oak, butternut, maple, and locus. And plenty of pine to get the fire going good. When these rocks get good and hot, rounds usually last an hour or more. Start the fire late morning; go in at late afternoon, and finish when its dark out. What a pleasant way to spend a day!

I do wish you & others from the DU community were able to be here!

2naSalit

(86,076 posts)
10. Well stated and much of what I have been pondering
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 11:06 PM
Nov 2015

these last several days.

This statement says a lot...

As a general rule, insightful people make use of religion for self-examination, while the dull-witted use it to justify harsh judgments of others.


That is what I see too.


Have a good ceremony.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
13. The past few days
Mon Nov 30, 2015, 11:55 PM
Nov 2015

make me sad, about the world my generation is handing down (or up) to our children and grandchildren. My younger son will joke about it -- "Didn't it ever occur to young adults in the 60s and 70s to at least try to 'save the world'?"

The more that I talk with my children's friends, the more confident I am for the future, though. Even this sweat will be me, and an associate who is of my kids' generation. An opportunity to hand some things on to the next generation -- it's their turn.

Thank you for your response! I appreciate it.

2naSalit

(86,076 posts)
17. You're welcome.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 03:49 AM
Dec 2015

I agree with your eloquent ponderings and share your perspective on "our generation" and that prospects for those who will inherit what we have or have not done. I look at my brother's and sisters' children, most are adults, and see that they get it and have answers that we need to implement now if not yesterday. I seem to be someone they come to for advice so I have to be honest in what I tell them about the world as it is and how we got here... most of them are choosing not to have children and those who want children are adopting. I think that is good, but they are also interested in other cultures than those they were raised in, only one of four has married a white American. It is in that social context that I see hope for them, they just need us to stop impeding them, their ideas are good and in many ways altruistic.

I would tell your son that we did try to save the world back in the 60s and 70s and it was much the same as it is now, police brutality, spying and stereotyping to discredit, illegal wars complete with new atrocities... and we were silenced, some by bribery some by other means but we were only taken seriously temporarily when we were enough of a challenge that we couldn't be ignored. Now it's happening all over again only worse. And some of us are very tired yet we still take action as and when we can.

On that cheery note, time for sleep.

2na

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
19. I tell my son
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 09:57 AM
Dec 2015

that we DID save the world way back then .....and that it is every generation's duty to do so. And while that may sound a bit of tongue-in-cheek, it is also true.

Off to the doctor's .....

mmonk

(52,589 posts)
15. When you mentioned what you were
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 12:06 AM
Dec 2015

preparing, it immediately hit me I wish I was there. I think I need it. I hope to return to your area soon.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
16. Yep.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 12:25 AM
Dec 2015

It's always good. But I think that for a lot of Good People, it's really important currently .....and I don't mean everyone should do this or that ceremony, but what works for them.

But you, I think, would appreciate being in this lodge. We'll do it, soon enough!

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
18. I will come back tomorrow to read in full. As always, thank you for your thoughtfulness.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 04:09 AM
Dec 2015

It has been hard lately... My one thought several nights ago was that I somehow thought that we would be better by now. It hit me that it has been 15 years since the advent of BushCheney and all they wrought. It's like a sickness the country can't shake, despite a good "doctor" (i.e. Obama), who has given his all and must be on his way soon.

Fifteen years.

All the best for your ritual on Friday. I wish I could partake as well; it's been much too long since I've done something spiritually nourishing for myself.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
26. Thank you!
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 01:24 PM
Dec 2015

I sometimes find myself thinking along those same lines ....about how the sum total of all the efforts of good people have not achieved the results that I anticipated. Yet, were it not for those sincere efforts, I know that things would be a heck of a lot worse, because -- to quote the worst president ever -- the "evil-doers" have certainly tried their hardest to destroy our nation from within. If there was justice, thugs like Dick Cheney would surely be incarcerated.

Even if you can't be here on Friday, I hope that you will be able to join us in thought. I imagine that around 5 pm/est, I'll be starting to pour some water on the red-hot rocks.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
27. Thanks!
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 01:28 PM
Dec 2015

I appreciate that. When I sat down to write the OP, I thought that I'd use the format that I used to, back in the "good old days" of DU. I figured that some of our circle of friends here would enjoy having the quality of discussion that once defined this forum.

raouldukelives

(5,178 posts)
21. The "bad people" are paid, quite well I hear, to be bad.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 11:21 AM
Dec 2015

Doing good works generally doesn't make much cash. But figuring out small ways to inconvenience us for an extra 1/10th of a cent per transaction? Of helping to fund lobbyists wrangling for leverage with complicit politicians and government agencies? Of sharing in the push for and the profits from war by being partial owner of defense contractors? Of adding their own voice to the chorus of voices singing for profits over progress?

Generations of bright toothed salesmen pitching think tank proposals meant to deceive, in just a tiny amount this one time, for themselves. Hey, no biggie. Well, after awhile, they start to add up to a big mess for those who are born into it. Unless of course, they are born into the ownership class. Then may they never know the horrors they unleash upon the least of this world.

"Some are born to sweet delight."

mmonk

(52,589 posts)
22. We have something more valuable.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 11:31 AM
Dec 2015

Awareness, compassion, empathy, and the spirit and connectedness that runs through living things. Their disconnect is to our advantage in the long run.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
31. Good points.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 04:22 PM
Dec 2015

Early this morning, as I was paying some bills, I was thinking about what a drag it is to be poor. And it definitely has down-sides. It limits one's options, in many areas of life.

Then, I got an e-mail from my oldest son. He said, hey, I just wanted to let you know that I was just thinking about you, and how you've been my hero as far back as I can remember, and you still are.

Now, that got me thinking .....and I think that all of my kids, who are very aware of my imperfections, are proud of having a father who attempts to stand up for what is right, even if at times it was controversial and unpopular with "the powers that be."

Before having children, I had been employed in positions that paid significantly more than social work. But I opted for social work, and am happy to see that all four of my kids either have been or currently are employed in social work, or are currently studying it at a university. I do hope they consider teaching, too; it's something I did part-time for years. Again, one can earn more money in other jobs, but things like social work and teaching can enhance those things that you mention in your comment.

mmonk

(52,589 posts)
33. Thanks for that.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 05:32 PM
Dec 2015

I was at least somewhat successful but never lost my morals. Maybe it is because I understood economics rather than ideology (and trickle down and deregulation for the financial sector are ideology, not economics at least on the macroeconomic side). I fully understand what wiped out 30 years of work for my children with the collaboration of Democrats with Republicans that lead to my personal crash. Whether before my family's personal tragedy due to a decision by the Clinton White House to collaborate with the likes of a Phil Gramm, I always was able to understand and stay on a moral compass. My children have that same moral compass. That is worth is more than when I successfully had them a secure future. They understand the darkness they face two fold. I still understand the difference between someone who would screw the majority of people for a profit but are not racist and homophobic between those that screw the majority of people and are racist and homophobic and prefer those that aren't. But in addition, I prefer those that won't screw the people period. Now that I have been humbled as much, I'm more than ever committed to trying to present a moral compass. I'm successful in knowing my children have a moral compass too. Now that it is involving hate and murder, I am more determined to express compassion, level headedness, and humanity as well as protecting our home, the earth, for future generations. It is only recently I have begun to tire. Therefore, my sons have to carry the load.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
29. Well done!
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 04:05 PM
Dec 2015

I appreciate your posting an outstanding response -- material that is certainly the makings of a heck of an OP -- here. Nice touch at the end (of the night).

This is what DU should be. And can be.

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
28. You are an amazing writer, H2O Man.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 03:16 PM
Dec 2015

You have the gift of letters. Your essays are masterpieces of logic and rhetoric. What you do, unlike anyone I've read, is put it together in a way that requires the readers to reach the destination within themselves.

We are on the path of no return apart from cockroaches crawling out of the mine-shaft condos after the nuclear fires are out. If we want to live, we can. All it takes is for us to want to -- individually and together. That requires, in your understanding and mine, democratic action the likes of which beat the Great Depression and won World War II. The money's there, hidden offshore by high net worth individuals and the corporations they own. Ask David Stockman and William K Black, as almost no one from either major political party will.

In the above essay, you no where write: "Love is the Greatest Power." This is the essence of the Teachings from around the globe. It is sorely missing in this age where those with the most gold make the rules and own the biggest guns anywhere. The power of Love, I believe, is the point of your essay and this thing we call the cosmos make. After I was done reading it, I knew that place. Not only that, whether just found or uncovered or rediscovered, it is now a place I won't forget: As opposed to chaos or whatever it is, we are nearer the day when light pours from our hearts and the mountains move at our command.

H2O Man

(73,333 posts)
32. Thank you very much.
Tue Dec 1, 2015, 04:43 PM
Dec 2015

I absolutely appreciate your compliments, and for a variety of related reasons. In part, of course, it’s nice to have a good friend say something that nice. Someone that I respect as a member of that small group that seeks to tell the truth -- even if that’s frequently unpopular with a sub-group within a democratic discussion site on the internet. So I like that.

Also, because it is good to know that there are people who really understand what it is that you are trying to communicate. Because no matter if it is a face-to-face conversation, a group discussion, or an interesting site like DU …..it is very easy to experience difficulties in trying to get certain points across. And I know that it is my inability to put into words that often keeps me from really expressing things that I think …..for there are Truths that are beyond words.

One of the best things about DU -- at least in my opinion -- is that there is a much higher percentage of like-minded people here, than in the general public. I’d include a number of people who I tend to disagree with, including on important issues, but who are entirely capable of engaging in a serious, good-spirited debate.

The ability to look inside of one’s self honestly and as objectively as possible is something to be valued. It’s no coincidence that those most lacking in this ability tend to be the most aggressive and violent of human beings. Those who are self-aware tend to be non-violent, in speech and deed. And so having you say that my essays might encourage looking within is the highest compliment.

Looking forward to our next telephone conversation …..

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Dystopia of Endless Night