HOW TO BE POWERFUL

   I had avoided signing up on Facebook for years because the thought of openly volunteering any personal information about myself seemed absurd. I have a natural distrust of the powers that be and giving them any of my vitals or open opinions struck me as somewhat less than intelligent.

   It was after the turmoil in the middle east known as "the Arab Spring" that I realized the true power of social networks on the internet, the ability of every individual to reach millions of people at lightning speed. Having the means to get out a message to the world before it can be twisted and spun by those who would do such things.

   It began with the Wikileaks event, once our state department communications were made public for the world to see, the people who lived in the countries described in those communications were given Carte' Blanche to examine exactly what their particular governments were doing in their names. Let it suffice to say that more than a few of them were a little unhappy with their governments behavior and boom, the uprising began and it has yet to cease.

   Through decades of diplomacy and countless hostilities the middle east remained basically static, and then a street vendor gets unjustly treated by a corrupt government official and the fuse gets lit. That last straw on the camels back was the catalyst for one of the most important events in human history. And it was all because of the internet.

   There have been thousands of incidences of corrupt governments and their agents abusing people since the beginning of civilization and we, the common citizen, are repulsed by that type of behavior from anybody, but especially from an entity claiming to be our protectors. That's the main reason governments do so many things in secret, because they are very aware that if the majority of their population knew what they were really doing then they would rise up and demand justice, just as they are doing in the middle east.

   The evidence of the internet and it's social networks immense power is not limited to third world countries, look around our own nation and it's influence is everywhere, from the videos taken of the police openly abusing their authority, to the immediate discovery of political candidates purposeful deceptions and false promises.

   The ability for all the people to instantly connect to one another has given the masses a power that has never before been possible in human history. It is a power that is little used by society in general, but it is a power that the elite decision makers of the world truly fear.

   That is the reason I began using the internet and it's social networks, to be a voice for change, a voice for telling others that they are not powerless, that they can change the status quo, that they don't have to be quiet and just accept things the way that they are. I have no delusions of grandeur, I easily recognize that my opinions and outrages by themselves are unimpressive to many people, but when hundreds and thousands of people join together in a singular voice, that voice travels around the world and it puts on notice those that need to be made aware that we see what they're doing, and woe to those who betray our trust.

   I'm still a bit uncomfortable exposing myself like this, but I firmly believe that if we can keep the powers that be from taking control of the internet and stifling the voice of the people, which appears to be exactly what they are trying to do, then we may have a real opportunity to enact the kinds of change that will bring this world together in a way that unites us all.

   Since the beginning of mankind there have been those whose only goal was the domination and rule over others, and I promise you that an educated and well informed public is the very last thing they want to see, so they view the internet as something they must control, we cannot let this happen, be a voice, you don;t have to join a party or attend a rally, but speak up, say what you feel, it is our only hope for a world that we would happily hand down to our children.




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You'll Understand When You're Older

   "You'll understand when you're older!" 

   Everybody on the planet has been told that at sometime in their lives. I have no doubt little pygmy children receive this advice from their little pygmy parents. I'm pretty sure every culture that has existed in the past, and all the future cultures to come, will be familiar with this phrase. 

   There don't seem to be any guidelines, as far as having to be a certain age to have people casually offer these five words to you. In lieu of an answer to whatever question you may have posed to them.

   Now, I know I had these words of wisdom bestowed upon me countless times, for questions that I'm sure covered the gamut of possibilities. Although, at this time, I cannot remember even one of them. So how can I be sure that what I was told is true? Do I understand everything now? Of course not. Did I somehow understand something and not notice it? Possibly. Should I have written all my questions down so I could check them off a list as soon as I understood them? Probably.

   You see, that's the problem with having a person that you trust to give you the correct information to a question you submitted, not only refuse you an answer, but then go on to suggest that in the future there will come a point where your question will be answered. So what they're telling you is that an answer exists--they seem to possess that answer--but you, for some unknown reason, are unworthy of receiving it at the present time. But, if you're nice and play your cards right, that answer will be yours down the road. 

   If you find that response unsatisfactory and push the conversation as to why you must wait for your answer, you will ironically receive the same advice. That you will also 'understand that when you're older.'

    Again, there are no guidelines as to what the term "older" refers to. I will be older in 10 seconds than I am now, is that old enough? Do I need to wait until my hair is white and others have to change my diapers for me? 

   I think either people don't know the answers themselves but they don't want you to know that, or they think these questions you're asking aren't worth their time answering. Either way, it seems like an easy way out for them.

    It has taken me years and years of observation to realize what was going on and how this game was played. So, if you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry.

YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU'RE OLDER!

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Love to Hate

   Well, I decided that some more dialogue was needed on the subject of bigotry than I spoke about in my last blog. As I previously stated, I don't understand why someone can hate another person based on circumstances beyond that other persons ability to control. 

   While growing up in the late 50s and through the 70s, my parents were not particularly racist. There would be the occasional derogatory reference regarding minority groups of one kind or another, but never within earshot of that person and never with the type of conviction you would see on television when showing racial tensions in the south. 

  But, my parents never really taught us to accept other races on a peer group level either. Perhaps, growing up in San Jose, California, where there is a large Hispanic community, got me accustomed to being comfortable around others that didn't look like me, I really don't know.

   What I do know, is that I want to scream when I see on TV a KKK march, and there in the arms of a white sheet covered coward, is a small baby dressed up in the same ridiculous attire, complete with swastikas and all. 

   Or a little five or six-year-old, marching along with the other Nazis, shouting "white power, white power!" In my opinion these children need to be removed from that environment and given a chance to grow up without role models that seem to have cornered the market on hate. The parents who poison the minds of these innocents should go to prison for child abuse. 

   I have said in previous blogs that I make a determined effort to not hate, but there is very little else that tests my resolve more than those "people" who would aggressively expose little children to the pure evil they so lovingly embrace and espouse. The only thing that keeps me from wanting to visit violence upon these ignorant assholes is to attempt whatever empathy that I can imagine is the reason for their warped thinking. 

   The only thing that I've concluded is that these morons have such a low opinion of themselves, that they can only feel better by blaming all the worlds problems on others. Convincing themselves that they are blameless and if it weren't for those damned (fill in the blank), I would be fine and life would be good and blah , blah, blah... 

     I'm astonished at times, how many people are petrified to look inward. Examine their own lives, own up to their own faults and weaknesses. It just seems easier to blame others for your misfortune, instead of acknowledging your own failures and correcting them.

    My own philosophy is the oldest one on earth and if everyone practiced it, there would be no need for any other laws to govern us. That philosophy is the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 

   All I am saying is this: we all make mistakes. We are all scared of the unknown. We all want acceptance. So remember this, don't hate. Hate hurts you, not the one you hate. If you put forth the effort to try to understand others and use empathy, not apathy, then the person you face in the mirror will look better and better.

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