"The OFR Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI)is a daily market-based snapshot of stress in global financial markets. It is constructed from 33 financial market variables, such as yield spreads, valuation measures, and interest rates. The OFR FSI is positive when stress levels are above average, and negative when stress levels are below average. The OFR FSI incorporates five categories of indicators: credit, equity valuation, funding,safe assets and volatility. The FSI shows stress contributions by three regions: United States, other advanced economies, and emerging markets."
"San Francisco went dark, and I’m here to talk about why your city could be next! Yesterday, over 130,000 households were left powerless due to a massive outage caused by a substation failure. Businesses, traffic lights, the BART subway system - all shut down. Even now, thousands are still without power. This is a wake-up call for all of us to prepare for the unexpected. Do you have enough food, water, and supplies at home? Make sure you’re ready for anything - a power outage, natural disasters, or even limited cell service. Electric cars and their repair costs are also in the spotlight. I share wild stories about driverless cars freezing in the street and outrageous repair bills from minor incidents. Plus, I dive into how theft and fraud are impacting everyday businesses, like what I witnessed at an Amazon Fresh store. From electric vehicles to national outages, this video covers it all."
“Which is older- the rocks you see on the ground or the light you see from the sky? Usually it’s the rocks that are older, with their origin sediments deposited well before light left any of the stars or nebulas you see in the sky. However, if you can see, through a telescope, a distant galaxy far across the universe - further than Andromeda or spiral galaxy NGC 7331 - then you are seeing light even more ancient.
Click image for larger size.
Featured here, the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy arches over Toadstool hoodoos rock formations in northern Arizona, USA. The unusual Toadstool rock caps are relatively hard sandstone that wind has eroded more slowly than the softer sandstone underneath. The green bands are airglow, light emitted by the stimulated air in Earth's atmosphere. On the lower right is a time-lapse camera set up to capture the sky rotating behind the picturesque foreground scene.”
"We humans may be brilliant and we may be special, but we are still connected to the rest of life. No one reminds us of this better than our dogs. Perhaps the human condition will always include attempts to remind ourselves that we are separate from the rest of the natural world. We are different from other animals; it's undeniably true. But while acknowledging that, we must acknowledge another truth, the truth that we are also the same. That is what dogs and their emotions give us - a connection. A connection to life on earth, to all that binds and cradles us, lest we begin to feel too alone. Dogs are our bridge - our connection to who we really are, and most tellingly, who we want to be. When we call them home to us, it's as if we are calling for home itself. And that'll do, dogs. That'll do."
"The country seems bigger, for you can see through the bare trees. There are times when the woods is absolutely still and quiet. The house holds warmth. A wet snow comes in the night and covers the ground and clings to the trees, making the whole world white. For a while in the morning the world is perfect and beautiful. You think you will never forget.
You think you will never forget any of this, you will remember it always just the way it was. But you can't remember it the way it was. To know it, you have to be living in the presence of it right as it is happening. It can return only by surprise. Speaking of these things tells you that there are no words for them that are equal to them or that can restore them to your mind. And so you have a life that you are living only now, now and now and now, gone before you can speak of it, and you must be thankful for living day by day, moment by moment, in this presence.
But you have a life too that you remember. It stays with you. You have lived a life in the breath and pulse and living light of the present, and your memories of it, remember now, are of a different life in a different world and time. When you remember the past, you are not remembering it as it was. You are remembering it as it is. It is a vision or a dream, present with you in the present, alive with you in the only time you are alive."
- Wendell Berry
"If you caught a glimpse of your own death,
would that knowledge change the way you live the rest of your life?"
"Almost daily, someone (often a European or North American) comments to me that the world is falling apart. The government is becoming dictatorial, the people are becoming more socialistic and political correctness is no longer an option, it’s a mandate and you’d better get on board. This trend is not by any means imagined, but it would be incorrect to say that “the world is falling apart.” If we spend time travelling the world, what we see is that parts of it (primarily the former “free world”) is unquestionably in a state of political, economic, social and moral decline.
The good news is that many other parts of the world are impacted less; others are hardly affected at all and, in still other cases, countries are thriving. What’s often missed, due to myopia, is that, in any era, there are always some countries that are burning out at the same time as others are on the rise.
Cultures and nations pass through cycles, much like the sine waves above. Any nation that undergoes a social, political and economic collapse ends up hitting the skids and staying there for a while. Often, the spoiled, complacent generation is unable to affect a recovery. However, the next generation learns to recognize that the only way that they can move ahead is to get out and work. Be ambitious, be self-reliant, act responsibly and, eventually, you’ll improve your life.
The next generation has this example to build upon and generally takes it to the next level, operating on the same principles. However, after several (possibly many) generations of this, prosperity is great enough that the next generation doesn’t have to work as hard. Their parents hand them enough that they can largely cruise through life. (This turning point occurred in Europe and North America in the 1960’s.)
At that point, politicians, who tend to be good at reading the mood of the populace, begin promising ever-greater entitlements – thus assuring the complacent generation that, not only do they not have to work hard, the very suggestion of hard work and self-reliance is unfair.
Another generation or two downstream and the decline has morphed into an apathetic, whining generation that wants to be told that it’s possible for everything to be free and that anyone who suggests otherwise needs to be punished for their thoughts. (Sound familiar?) This overall abandonment of responsibility (egged on by political leaders) invariably results in political, economic, social and moral decline, ending in collapse.
This natural cycle is illustrated in the sine waves above. Most countries are like the blue sine wave. The amplitude is moderate – the country doesn’t rise to a great height in terms of prosperity, but then, it also doesn’t sink to great lows. On the other hand, the most dominant countries (and empires) are more like the red sine wave – they rise to a great height, but when they fall, the amplitude of the fall is equal to that of the rise.
At any time in history, some countries are on the way up; some are on the way down. I personally grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, a time when the “free world” (the UK, US, Canada, Australia, etc.) was riding high. All of these nations are now in decline and, as the reader may have noticed, that decline is becoming increasingly rapid.
Back then, countries like Russia, China and Cuba were heavily in a state of socialistic decline. They’ve since bottomed and are now experiencing their rebirth. Each one is expanding into more of a free-market country. Each is experiencing greater prosperity and the people of those countries understand that the way forward is hard work, tenacity and self-reliance.
Looking back at the image above, an interesting aspect is that, in addition to the amplitudes of the red and blue waves being different, their rise and fall are independent of each other. Each begins its fall at a different time from the other and, consequently, their eventual rise also begins at a different point.
As we know, the former “free world” countries have been closely linked for generations and so it shouldn’t be at all surprising that they’re timing is roughly the same with regard to their decline.
So, what if we consider that there are roughly two hundred countries out there and that many are only peripherally connected to those countries and others are hardly impacted by them at all? What we’d see, if we could draw all their sine waves on the above chart, would be that, at any time in history, there would be some countries, large and small, that are beginning their upward cycle (as was, say, the US in the first half of the 19th century); others are becoming highly productive (as was the US in the first half of the 20th century); some have turned the corner (as the US did in the latter part of the 20th century), and some are speeding up in the decline and nearing collapse (as is the US presently).
And, of course, our attention tends to be focused on the US first, as it’s presently the world’s foremost empire and is well along in its roller coaster ride to the bottom. But, along with it, we see the UK, Europe, Canada, etc. tied to the coattails of the US and also along for the ride.
So, does this spell doom for us all? Well, the first part of the answer is that, historically, once the downward stage of the cycle has begun, it almost never reverses. That being the case it would be foolish indeed to imagine that our own country (whatever it might be) will be the first ever to magically reverse and go into premature recovery mode. (As the old truism goes, an alcoholic must hit bottom before he can begin recovery. The same has been true for nations for thousands of years.)
But there’s a second half to the answer, which is that, if we do an analysis of the many other nations in the world, we find that, at any moment in time, there are those that are on the rise. Some, in fact, are just beginning their rise and some are further along. If we’re pioneering by nature, we may be interested in one that’s just beginning its rebirth. If we’re seeking more creature comforts, we might pick one that’s further along on its upward trajectory, but still has a fair way to go before peaking.
Interestingly, this is all roughly measurable. For example, only a quarter century ago, Cuba was at rock bottom – socially, economically and politically. Life was far from “free.” Whenever I was there during that period, Cubans would criticize the ever-declining conditions, but, when they did, they’d first look around to see who might be listening. Today, Cuba is being quietly reborn. Prosperity is increasing, the free market is growing annually and, for the first time in decades, people do not always look around first before offering a criticism. The “fear” stage is giving up the ghost.
And, a quarter century ago, if I visited the US, people were generally buoyant, but had already become “concerned.” Still, if they had a criticism of conditions, they spoke out without any fear whatever. Today, those same people are quite a bit more worried about the political, social, economic and moral decline. And, tellingly, for the first time, political correctness is no longer an option, it’s a mandate and you’d better get on board. Those accused of an infraction of political correctness are often made to publicly apologize (whether they mean it or not). Some are ostracized. Some are fired from their jobs. Some are attacked in the courts. And, for the first time, if someone criticizes the direction the country has taken, they may look around first to see who might be listening.
This is very telling, because, just as we can see in the sine waves above, there’s a point at which a formerly great country headed inexorably downward passes another country that’s headed upward. As difficult as it may be to imagine, that’s exactly what’s happened between the US and Cuba. What this means is that, in ten years, it’s entirely possible that Cuba will be a demonstrably freer place to live than the US.
So, again, if we reside in one of the declining countries, are we doomed? Well, no, not at all. In looking at the bigger picture, what we see is that we’re by no means locked in where we are. As “ships pass in the night”, we have the choice to leave one and board another. It’s too early yet, for Cuba, but there are many other countries that are further along on their upward trajectory. They offer a far more positive future than those that no longer qualify for the appellation, “free world.”
Pack a bag. Get on a plane. Go to a few places you’ve never been that, for whatever reason, seem more attractive. But, in making your selections, choose those that are blossoming rather than those that are withering on the vine."
"Life is fragile. Hard times are inevitable. At one time or another, we will all go through a difficult time, whether we deal with sickness, catastrophe, crisis, or relational breakdown. In those times, we need each other more than ever, but it's not just enough to be surrounded by people. We, as supporters, need to be educated in the best way to love our friends and family through tough times.
1. Silence speaks louder than words misspoken. Don't ignore them. Plain and simple. If you don't know what to say, don't avoid them. Say something. Ninety nine percent of what you could say is better than saying nothing at all. Instead, if you had a relationship with them, even if it was 10 years ago, a simple, "I'm so sorry," or "I'm thinking of you," or "I'm praying for you."
2. Don't make them ask you for help. Do they need help? Absolutely. Do they want to ask? Absolutely not. There is nothing more humbling than having to admit that you don't have your life under control, and for all the people pleasers out there, asking people for something as simple as meals or free babysitting is something we'd rather avoid. We'd rather tough it out than beg. Instead, offer your help, and offer specific ways that you would like to help.
3. Don't rush them through their pain. Saying things like "I know exactly how you feel" or telling me a story of your cousin's boyfriend's aunt's struggle and how she made it through. While we may say things with good intentions, it can also serve to minimize their issues and urge them to stifle their pain. Yes, what they are going through has probably been faced before. Yes, people do survive. Yes, things might get better. Yes, to all the things.
People need to know that the pain they feel is real and they need to move through it. They need to get a little messy and be a little more honest and feel a little more, because if they move through it too quickly or try to avoid their feelings, they might not heal just the right way. A doctor doesn't just give a sling with no cast to someone who has severely broken their arm. The doctor gives a cast. The doctor prescribes time for healing, because they know that if the healing is rushed, the bone may also not heal properly. In the same way, we need to give time for others to move through their pain rather than rush them. Instead, sit with them. Listen. Let them be honest when life is hard. Let them be angry. Let them be whatever they need to be, and resist the urge to fix them, heal them, or placate them. Just be with them.
4. Don't give unsolicited advice. Even if you have been in the situation before, support, but don't preach. This includes all cliche and trite phrases and platitudes. You may have heard them said before, but that doesn't mean they are helpful. Instead, listen, love, give. Give time, energy, resources... give yourself. Just don't give advice when they haven't asked.
5. Don't give them magic formulas. If they stand on their head, count to 30, twice and backwards, confess everything they have ever done, change their past mistakes, then this tough situation would no longer be happening to them. There is no magic formula. Life is hard and messy and it doesn't negate the goodness in this world, but it does assign blame and guilt to the situation, one of the last things that someone who is suffering needs is to be shamed. Instead, let them know you are thinking of them, praying for them, loving them, and cheering them on.
6. Don't make it about yourself. Essentially, don't complain about how your friend's tough time makes you feel. If you are close, you will be affected, but if they are closer to the problem than you, then they are not the person to whom you should vent. Instead, you should offer them support. Check on them. Love them. Let someone else support you. Instead, focus on supporting them.
7. Don't forget the person. With all of the above tips, don't just follow them like a black-and-white guide. The beauty in each of us is that we are unique individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, experiences, and circumstances. Instead, consider the recipient. Some people want hugs. Some people aren't touchy-feely. Some people want company. Some people prefer to sit alone. Some people want you to do things without asking, some people want you to run it past them first. Some people want someone to cry with and talk to, some people reserve that trust for a select few. Consider who they are before you act, and support them accordingly.
The bottom line? Love them selflessly and support them unconditionally, or as I remind myself... Say a little less. Love a little more. Life can be messy, but with love, we can help each other survive even the toughest times.”
"We will start this magisterial explanation of everything with the time-honored approach of the philosopher, beginning with the things we know beyond doubt and then reasoning from them to suitably astonishing truths. As we know, Descartes began by saying, “Cogito ergo sum,” I think therefore I am.” (Ambrose Bierce, a more profound thinker, said, “Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum. Cogito.” Butthis way lies madness.) So with what certain knowledge can we begin our quest?
Our only certain knowledge is that we don’t have any. Acceptance of this condition will diminish the world’s output of philosophy, or so we may hope, but this column faces reality with a brave front. We may now list our certainties: We don’t know where we came from, where we are, why, what if anything we should do while we are here, and where if anywhere we go when we die.
On this bedrock we shall construct our philosophy of everything. However, before we begin thinking about these profound matters, we need to take into account one more certainty: Thinking is impossible. I will explain. But what it comes to is that while we know nothing about which to think, it doesn’t matter because we couldn’t think about it if we did know something.
Why? Consider the brain. It is an electrochemical mechanism, blindly obeying the laws of physics and chemistry (chemistry being the physics of the interactions of atoms). For example, consider a nerve impulse propagating along a neural fiber, depolarizing, sodium in, potassium out. Pure chemistry and physics. When the impulse comes to a synapse, a neurotransmitter diffuses across the gap, pure chemistry and physics. It can’t do anything else. Even chemicals with long, imposing names cannot make choices. The neurotransmitter then binds to receptor sites, because it has to. Textbooks of neurophysiology state it thus: “A brain has less free will than a wind-up clock.” Or at least if it were so stated, it would be. This is close enough for philosophy.
Putting it precisely, the state of a physical system is determined entirely by its previous state. This establishes beyond doubt that we have no free will, and that what we think are thoughts were determined at the time of the Big Bang, if any.
Now, no philosophical essay can be held in repute unless it contains words ending “ism.” The reigning creed today is materialism, the philosophy of the wantonly inattentive. Many who believe in materialism are of high intelligence, and so can only be sufficiently inattentive by great effort. Anyway, a materialist believes than nothing exists but space, time, matter, and energy, however hyphenated. That is, physics. As the physicist Joe Friday said, “The physics, ma’am, just the physics, and nothing but the physics.”
This means that the Big Bang, if any, was set up, or I suppose I should say, set itself up, like one of those billiard-table trick shots. You know the kind: The balls seem randomly placed on the table but bounce around a lot before miraculously running into the pockets like birds returning to their nests. In the Bang, if any, all those subatomic whatsamajigggers erupted forth at exactly the right angles and velocities so that, billions of years later, they formed Elvis, San Francisco, and Hillary. (This had to be by chance, since no one in his right mind would form Hillary on purpose. QED.)
Next, consider plane geometry as taught in high school. (You may wonder why we have to consider it. Well, we just do.) Plane geometry deals with planes, lines, points, angles, and nothing else. It is useful and interesting, but it cannot explain a cheeseburger, Formula One race, or political hysteria. Why? Because cheeseburgers exist in three dimensions, which plane geometry doesn’t have. Formula One races involve matter, energy, and motion, which plane geometry also doesn’t have. Hysteria is an emotional state associated with liberal co-eds in pricey northern colleges who, thank God, do not exist in mathematics.
What it comes to is that a logical system is defined by its premises, and all downstream results are mere elaboration. (Of course, as established in the beginning of this luminous essay, we have no premises except the lack of premises, but philosophy readily overlooks such minor hindrances.) Plane geometry is not wrong. It is just incomplete. To state it in mathematical terms, you cannot flatten a cheeseburger enough to fit into a plane.
Physics, the foundation of the current official story of everything, also depends on its premises. Physics is just mathematical materialism. From its equations one may derive all manner of fascinating and useful things, such as planetary motion, npn transistors, smartphones, nerve gas, and hydrogen bombs. (Some of these may be more useful than others.)
But, just as you cannot get strawberry milkshakes from plane geometry, because they are not implicit in it, there are things you cannot derive from the equations of physics: Consciousness, free will, beauty, morality, or curiosity – the whiches there just ain’t in physics. This would not worry a rational thinker. He (or, assuredly, she) would simply state the obvious: Physics is not wrong, but incomplete. It does what it does, and doesn’t do what it can’t. Not too mysterious, that.
However, the true-believing physics-is-all Neo-Darwinian matter-monger cannot admit that anything – anything at all – exists outside of physics. Since some things obviously do, the only-physics enthusiasts have to resort to contorted logic. I think of kite string in a ceiling fan. Or simple denial.
For example, sometimes they say that consciousness is merely an “epiphenomenon.” Oh. And what does that mean? Nothing. (Actually it means, “I don’t know, but if I use a polysyllabic Greek word, maybe nobody will notice.”) Epiphenomenon of what?
Sometimes they will say, “Well, consciousness is just a by-product of complexity.” But if consciousness is a byproduct what is the primary product? A computer is somewhat complex, so is it somewhat conscious? Is a mouse less conscious than a human or just, in some cases, less intelligent? A materialist ignoring consciousness is exactly equivalent to a geometer ignoring cheeseburgers.
We will now examine the question, where did we come from? The answer is ready to hand: We don’t have a clue. We make up stories. The physics-only folk say, see, there was the Big Bang and all these electrons and protons and things flew out and just by chance formed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company in the most motingator a-stonishing pool-table trick shot ever set up. Just by accident. Damn! Who would have thought it?
Of course any sane person, to include materialists when they are thinking of something else, would say that TSMC was designed by hordes of Chinese engineers. But of course designing anything requires mind and intelligence (or a computer designed to simulate these things), But Mind cannot be derived from the equations of physics. Therefore we are all mindless. In general human behavior supports this.
Of course other stories exist. Yahweh created the world, or maybe Shiva, or Allah, and I think some remote tribes believe that it just appeared on the back of a giant turtle. I have no information on the matter, though frankly I incline to the turtle story, but will let the reader know the instant I find out.
The weakness of creation myths from Bang to Turtle is the question of the five-year-old, “But Mommy, where did God come from?” or “Who made God?” Fifteen years later in dorm-room bull sessions he will phrase it differently, “Well, what came before the Big Bang?” Same question.
A sort of second-echelon creation myth now in vogue is Darwinian evolution, also a subset of physics and therefore completely determined. Mutations are chemical events following the laws of chemistry. Thus trilobites had no choice but to form, and so they did. Metabolism is physical from the level of ATP to animals eating each other.
There is of course no such thing as a sex drive, teenagers notwithstanding, since no sort of drive can be derived from physics. (This will no doubt devastate Pornhub.) From this the inevitable conclusion, proven by physics, that we cannot reproduce. Therefore we either have always existed or do not exist at all.
To give oneself an aura of overwelling wisdom, one may say things like ontology, epistemology, entelechy, and teleology, but these do not detract from mankind’s underlying and perfect ignorance. It’s all a trick shot, I tell you."
"Americans are now living in storage units, sheds, tents, and vehicles because rent has become completely unaffordable. This isn't about bad decisions or laziness, this is about a housing market that stopped working for everyday people. In this video, we hear directly from those going through it: families in cars, single moms in RVs, workers sleeping in storage units just to survive. And the hardest part? Many of them have jobs. Some have two. They're still homeless. This is the new reality for millions of Americans, and it's only getting worse. If you've been feeling the squeeze or wondering how people are getting by right now, you're not alone. What are you seeing in your area? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. And if this resonated with you, consider subscribing for more real conversations about what's actually happening out there."
"Black Friday was supposed to be the rescue - this year it wasn’t. Instead of overtime and extra crews, two thousand twenty five brought layoffs in the hundreds of thousands, draining wallets long before anyone even reached the checkout line. It did not just change one weekend. It changed what “normal spending” looks like day to day. So what happens when the weekend that used to patch weak quarters stops doing its job? Chains cut payroll, vendors tighten terms, and stores tighten policies - quietly, carefully, while acting like nothing has changed. That is why this collapse does not always look like a collapse. It looks normal… right up until it doesn’t. So in this video we are revealing fifteen big retail chains that are falling apart, starting with one that still looks sleek, modern, and safe…"
"Since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, military activity has occurred over much of the globe. The advent of gunpowder and the acceleration of technological advances led to modern warfare. According to Conway W. Henderson, "One source claims that 14,500 wars have taken place between 3500 BC and the late 20th century, costing 3.5 billion lives, leaving only 300 years of peace (Beer 1981: 20).] An unfavorable review of this estimate mentions the following regarding one of the proponents of this estimate: "In addition, perhaps feeling that the war casualties figure was improbably high, he changed 'approximately 3,640,000,000 human beings have been killed by war or the diseases produced by war' to 'approximately 1,240,000,000 human beings...'" The lower figure is more plausible but could still be on the high side considering that the 100 deadliest acts of mass violence between 480 BC and 2002 AD (wars and other man-made disasters with at least 300,000 and up to 66 million victims) claimed about 455 million human lives in total."
“Life passes like a flash of lightning, whose blaze barely lasts long enough to see. While the earth and sky stand still forever, how swiftly changing time flies across man’s face. O you who sit over your full cup and do not drink, tell me – for whom are you still waiting?”
"Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally.Using an earlier example, if I see you on the street and I say, "Hey, you are so stupid," without knowing you, it's not about you; it's about me.If you take it personally, perhaps you believe you are stupid.Maybe you think to yourself, "How does he know?Is he clairvoyant, or can everybody see how stupid I am?"
You take it personally because you agree with whatever was said.As soon as you agree, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped in the dream of hell.What causes you to be trapped is what we call personal importance.Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about "me."During the period of our education, or our domestication, we learn to take everything personally.We think we are responsible for everything.Me, me, me, always me!
Nothing other people do is because of you.It is because of themselves.All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.
Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you.What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Their point of view comes from all the programming they received during domestication.
If someone gives you an opinion and says, "Hey, you look so fat," don't take it personally, because the truth is that this person is dealing with his or her own feelings, beliefs, and opinions.That person tried to send poison to you and if you take it personally, then you take that poison and it becomes yours.Taking things personally makes you easy prey for these predators, the black magicians.They can hook you easily with one little opinion and feed you whatever poison they want, and because you take it personally, you eat it up.
You eat all their emotional garbage, and now it becomes your garbage.But if you do not take it personally, you are immune in the middle of hell.Immunity to poison in the middle of hell is the gift of this agreement.
When you take things personally, then you feel offended, and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflicts.You make something big out of something so little, because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong.You also try hard to be right by giving them your own opinions.In the same way, whatever you feel and do is just a projection of your own personal dream, a reflection of your own agreements.What you say, what you do and the opinions you have are according to the agreements you have made- and these opinions have nothing to do with me.
It is not important to me what you think about me, and I don't take what you think personally.I don't take it personally when people say, "Miguel, you are the best," and I also don't take it personally when they say, "Miguel, you are the worst."I know that when you are happy you will tell me, "Miguel, you are such an angel!"But, when you are mad at me you will say, "Oh, Miguel, you are such a devil!You are so disgusting.How can you say those things?"Either way, it does not affect me because I know what I am.I don't have the need to be accepted.I don't have the need to have someone tell me, "Miguel, you are doing so good!" or "How dare you do that!"
No, I don't take it personally.Whatever you think, whatever you feel, I know is your problem and not my problem.It is the way you see the world.It is nothing personal, because you are dealing with yourself, not with me.Others are going to have their own opinion according to their belief system, so nothing they think about me is really about me, but it is about them.
You may even tell me, "Miguel, what you are saying is hurting me."But it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that you have wounds that I touch by what I have said.You are hurting yourself.There is no way that I can take this personally.Not because I don't believe in you or don't trust you, but because I know that you see the world with different eyes, with your eyes.You create an entire picture or movie in your mind, and in that picture you are the director, you are the producer, you are the main actor or actress.Everyone else is a secondary actor or actress.It is your movie.
The way that you see that movie is according to the agreements you have made with life.Your point of view is something personal to you.It is no one's truth but yours.Then, if you get mad at me, I know you are dealing with yourself.I am the excuse for you to get mad.And you get mad because you are afraid, because you are dealing with fear.If you are not afraid, there is no way you will get mad at me.If you are not afraid, there is no way you will hate me.If you are not afraid, there is no way you will be jealous or sad.
If you live without fear, if you love, there is no place for any of these emotions.If you don't feel any of those emotions, it is logical that you will feel good.When you feel good, everything around you is good.When everything around you is good, everything makes you happy.You are loving everything that is around you, because you are loving yourself.Because you like the way you are.Because you are content with you.Because you are happy with your life.You are happy with the movie you are producing, happy with your agreements with life.You are at peace, and you are happy.You live in that state of bliss where everything is so wonderful, and everything is so beautiful.In that state of bliss you are making love all the time with everything that you perceive.”
"We would not make good communists. We of the democratic nations. Not the proper kind. Not the disciplined, purified kind. We would try - briefly - with the awkward sincerity of people wearing borrowed clothes. We would recite the words, mispronounce the vows, trip over the rules. Even if we meant well, we would break it. We always do. We know this about ourselves. Somehow, they do not.
They would attempt the reshaping. They would ration hunger into virtue, align our homes like teeth in a jaw, file down difference until it passed inspection. They would tax us into gratitude, choreograph our steps, teach our necks the correct angle for obedience. They would borrow our children for “the future,” our voices for morning hymns to the ruler of the week. They would bleach the color from things - walls, words, weather - and send us out masked and careful into their tidy grey little worlds where nothing is far and nothing is free.
They would try. We might even cooperate. It would last fifteen minutes. Soon we would itch for tattoos on our skin - and then everyone would need the same tattoo, because variation is a threat. We would crave stories chosen by accident, music found at the wrong hour, images that do not behave - except most would be sealed away, some thoughts declared unspeakable, some devices never issued.
Some days we would want sweetness instead of sustenance - chocolate instead of bugs - but desire would no longer count as a category. The store would decide. The shelves would be obedient. The shelves would hold bugs.
We would remember the forest.
The ungoverned green.
The place that does not ask permission.
But the forest would require paperwork. Two days a year. Weather permitting. We would last fifteen minutes. This is not rebellion. It is anatomy. We are not designed for this boundaried shape. We are human. Forgive me for explaining this to the elites - to the Predatory Class - but humans revolt the way lungs breathe. History is a pulse of it. Again and again we have risen for a word that tastes like air: freedom. Once it has passed the lips, nothing else nourishes. We did not merely sample it. We lived inside it. We grew old beneath it. We buried our dead for it. We expect it now.
We paid in blood.
We paid in sweat.
We paid in names no one remembers except stone.
And war - the old kind, the blunt kind - we are done with it. In this, at least, we have learned. We are more civilized than our rulers believe. The Predatory Class will need a new idea. Humans have changed. They have not. How such wealth can coexist with such primitiveness is a mystery. For all their cleverness, they remain ancient. They do not adapt.
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