Thing of Beauty #065-101
I promised to write something about the 10th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq for Roundtree7 this weekend, so naturally I can't think of anything to say about the war in Iraq. I don't have much to say about war in general, although I generally have plenty to say about how the overemphasis on standardized testing has led to compartmentalizing the public school curriculum which undermines critical thinking which, in connection to other socioeconomic factors, feeds the all volunteer military and provides an endless stream of low-wage workers.
I don't have much to say about the military either. Bradley Manning's situation sums up pretty much everything anybody needs to know about the military. That most people in the US support killing little kids in Pakistan with drones just makes the whole thing worse. Here's Ethan McCord in July, 2010 in a film by The Sanctuary for Independent Media:
There are all kinds of polls showing things like 60% of the public opposes cutting the military budget by 8%, which is what happens in the event of that sequester bullshit (Business Insider). 54% of Americans support using drones on terrorists, and 29% are good with drones even when innocent civilians are blasted to bits (HuffPo). All these statistics stand to reason when you consider that public education in the US is structured so that people can't make connections. Jonathan Kozol outlines the whole thing in his book, The Night is Dark and I Am Far from Home: a political indictment of US public schools (1975). When I was getting an MA in Teaching at Webster University years ago, that book was the first reading assignment. He's written much more since then. Woody, who was a curriculum theory professor for about 20 years, is convinced Richard Nixon was looking at all the kids saying "Hell No, We Won't Go," to Vietnam and decided then and there to dumb down America. Given that Dick Cheney found his way into Nixon's White House through Donald Rumsfeld, you can see how that could happen and how the structure remains in place to this very day.
The whole thing gives me a sick head ache and is why I really have nothing to say about war except:
So while I've been thinking about anything except the 10 year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, I've run across a couple of ideas I like much better.
In deference to my atheist friends, let me just say that evolution and creation can be the same thing - and even though just we clearly did not create ourselves, that does not support the concept of Grandpa in the Sky. I don't believe in Grandpa in the Sky either, but I do believe there is a creative energetic force in the universe. Who knows what it is or where it came from? Nevertheless, as a long-term existentialist, I resist the idea that people come into being for any reason or purpose at all whatsoever - but once we start living our lives, people find their own reasons for being. Love is a good one.
To me, war is pretty much the biggest example we have of what happens when people operate from Fear instead of from Love. Marianne Williamson writes a lot about this idea, and so do a lot of other people who also reference A Course In Miracles, but Daniel Quinn's novel, Ishmael lays it out from the perspective of cultural anthropology. Fear/Love; Spirit/Ego or as Quinn says Givers/Takers.
Dick Cheney leads the Taker charge when it comes to waging war for direct, instant profits and for future profits when he and his buddies grab the mineral rights. We know there's a shit ton of minerals in Afghanistan that the New York times calls, "essential to modern industry" (June 13, 2010). Who knows what's in Iraq? We just know there never were any weapons of mass destruction.
The difference between coming from Love or Fear is so easy to see that somebody made a little chart:
Keeping yourself in the Love place is pretty tricky, however. Remembering to notice the beauty around you helps. Jennifer over at realia came up with the Explore Beauty challenge a long time ago. Seems like I've been working on my list of 101 Things of Beauty for more than a year because I always forget to add things to the list. The snow on the trees outside my window yesterday morning deserve a mention. That brings us to #065-101.
I don't have much to say about the military either. Bradley Manning's situation sums up pretty much everything anybody needs to know about the military. That most people in the US support killing little kids in Pakistan with drones just makes the whole thing worse. Here's Ethan McCord in July, 2010 in a film by The Sanctuary for Independent Media:
There are all kinds of polls showing things like 60% of the public opposes cutting the military budget by 8%, which is what happens in the event of that sequester bullshit (Business Insider). 54% of Americans support using drones on terrorists, and 29% are good with drones even when innocent civilians are blasted to bits (HuffPo). All these statistics stand to reason when you consider that public education in the US is structured so that people can't make connections. Jonathan Kozol outlines the whole thing in his book, The Night is Dark and I Am Far from Home: a political indictment of US public schools (1975). When I was getting an MA in Teaching at Webster University years ago, that book was the first reading assignment. He's written much more since then. Woody, who was a curriculum theory professor for about 20 years, is convinced Richard Nixon was looking at all the kids saying "Hell No, We Won't Go," to Vietnam and decided then and there to dumb down America. Given that Dick Cheney found his way into Nixon's White House through Donald Rumsfeld, you can see how that could happen and how the structure remains in place to this very day.
The whole thing gives me a sick head ache and is why I really have nothing to say about war except:
So while I've been thinking about anything except the 10 year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, I've run across a couple of ideas I like much better.
In deference to my atheist friends, let me just say that evolution and creation can be the same thing - and even though just we clearly did not create ourselves, that does not support the concept of Grandpa in the Sky. I don't believe in Grandpa in the Sky either, but I do believe there is a creative energetic force in the universe. Who knows what it is or where it came from? Nevertheless, as a long-term existentialist, I resist the idea that people come into being for any reason or purpose at all whatsoever - but once we start living our lives, people find their own reasons for being. Love is a good one.
To me, war is pretty much the biggest example we have of what happens when people operate from Fear instead of from Love. Marianne Williamson writes a lot about this idea, and so do a lot of other people who also reference A Course In Miracles, but Daniel Quinn's novel, Ishmael lays it out from the perspective of cultural anthropology. Fear/Love; Spirit/Ego or as Quinn says Givers/Takers.
Dick Cheney leads the Taker charge when it comes to waging war for direct, instant profits and for future profits when he and his buddies grab the mineral rights. We know there's a shit ton of minerals in Afghanistan that the New York times calls, "essential to modern industry" (June 13, 2010). Who knows what's in Iraq? We just know there never were any weapons of mass destruction.
The difference between coming from Love or Fear is so easy to see that somebody made a little chart:
Keeping yourself in the Love place is pretty tricky, however. Remembering to notice the beauty around you helps. Jennifer over at realia came up with the Explore Beauty challenge a long time ago. Seems like I've been working on my list of 101 Things of Beauty for more than a year because I always forget to add things to the list. The snow on the trees outside my window yesterday morning deserve a mention. That brings us to #065-101.
Special thanks to Susan Cella, part of the Journey with Roundtree7 group on Facebook, who adjusted the contrast on this photo I took with my phone.
posted by PENolan at
2:32 PM
4 Comments:
"......That most people in the US support killing little kids in Pakistan with drones......"
I think the logic is "Nits grow up to be lice", or some such. This presumption served the construct of Manifest Destiny quite well, or so I've read.
".......Keeping yourself in the Love place is pretty tricky......."
Not really, I found Rohypnol works a treat. Oh wait, you said "yourself", I thought you said "someone else", never mind.
A bunch of thoughts on this post Trish but will limit my comments to two. 1. As pertains to supplying uneducated drones to the voluntary military, I was told my a senior navy guy that, today, the military only accepts one out of four who apply because of obesity, criminal history or can't pass the frigging test problems with the other three. Scary huh?
2. Have you noticed that more and more our troops are beginning to look like medieval knights in armor? Slipping backwards faster than I can keep up with.
Mr. C - the scariest part about the military rejects is that they're probably cops and security guards, all getting ready to shoot at domestic terrorists like me. Yikes!
ALtoF, I'm sure you're right about the nits/lice idea. As for that particular tranquilizer, I believe I had a Rx for one of the derivatives years ago. I still had my fear of flying; I just slept through it.
I use Ativan.
Not because I have a "Fear of Flying", nyuck, but because I find long-hauls to South East Asia very boring.
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