Hersheychris

The Name of the Game

So many things always have good intentions and are meant to benefit a society. Such is the case with politics. A democratic system set up to represent “the people” of our nation was created to make us free from government oppression. For the people, by the people.

Yet, like so many things, corruption has taken control, making it a system of deception and misdirection. The people have become the victims of an oppressive government.

If we peel back the skin, we find private agendas, financial gain, and ambition. While campaigning, it is about the people- the citizens first! But once that stage production concludes, politicians slip back to favoring their sponsors and, most importantly, themselves.

I am telling you what you already know. Do not believe that we are free people as we are shoved into a two-party system that forces us to choose the lesser of two evils. The politicians are only concerned with beating the other side, and the citizens get tossed to the wayside, trapped in the debris.

These people that we elect to represent us need more accountability. In a representative democracy, these individuals need to keep the citizens first and foremost.

Don’t live in the shadows any longer. We can no longer be quiet or controlled. Stop playing their games and be the change.

Tightening the Grip

How do we curb the violence that plagues our streets? Each day, we are bombarded with reports of assaults, road rage, gunshot victims, and even attempts to assassinate a presidential candidate. It spirals worse and worse each day. I should not have to worry everytime I leave my home that my life could be in jeopardy.

So, what is the response? The first thing I always hear is, “Take guns away.” OK, but it is not guns doing the violent behavior. It is people. If you take guns away, it’s like sticking a large rock in a flowing stream. The water will find a way around it. People will continue to find a way to act out this behavior, not to mention expanding the black market

What about more police? Flooding our streets with more police gives a sense of martial law. Unfortunately, the police forces are already stretched thin thanks to budget cuts and the lack of willing people to take up the task. Even now, in Pittsburgh, there will be no police presence on the streets from 3am to 7am.

Jails are overcrowded and are just holding people for their crimes. In most cases, there is very little effort to reform prisioners with the hope of being able to give people a chance to change their lives for the better. Prisons are not correcting the problem. Instead, they are like a petri dish developing a culture of deep-rooted immorality and violence.

This is NOT what prisons were meant to accomplish.

There is no “quick fix” to the expanding violence across this country. We need to push for reform and a re-establishment of morality in our country. This “anything goes” attitude is driving us deeper and deeper into chaos. We need to focus on the disease, not just treat the symptoms.

“The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” – Princess Leia

May be a quote from a movie, but a truth proven throughout history.

Valor in the Face of Despair

Today, the nation remembers the victims and honors the heroes of 9/11. It is a defining day in our history as we rose up and showed the world we would not back down. I honor those first responders, the passengers that fought back and mourn those who were lost. It is a humbling day.

I wanted to take a moment and reflect on something else about this day. This country experienced something that many other countries have gone through and continue to endure in our modern age.

As a country, we have been very fortunate to avoid conflict on our soil. We rest safe and secure and watch from a distance as other nations resist an internal or external enemy. Today marks when we became vulnerable instead of safe. American heroism and sacrifice won the day for us. Valor prevailed.

We must remain ever vigilant for enemies, both foreign and domestic. Currently, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea all pose an external threat to our nation today. Unfortunately, there is a more dangerous enemy lurking in our shadows. Hate, immorality, and division threaten to cripple us. Remember, it is the responsibility of the people to rise against these powerful forces that threaten to unravel us. Do not rely on our nation’s leaders as they can easily distract us from truth and potentially, be part of the problem. No matter who you vote for in November, we must rise up against those immoralities that eat away at our foundation. Stop hiding in the shadows, thinking you are safe! Step out and let your voice be heard.

Neither Democrat nor Republican will be able to stop the decay of morality and ethical values. We must be the ones, like the heroic first responders on September 11th, to charge into the crumbling towers to rescue our endangered values. Fight for what is right and good!

For those who were lost that fateful day, we remember you. Always.

Living the Lie

Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, wrote the following:

“The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.”

Even though this was written in 1879, it holds a truth that resonates even today. This is the trap in which our society has been ensnared. We are persuaded to lie to ourselves about our values and beliefs to the point that we no longer see what is true and what is a lie.

Society is working to replace the moral with the immoral. Why? To avoid and eliminate guilt and accountability. This is why our society pushes so hard to suppress what is morally good, dressing up immorality in a costume to masquerade and convince us that morality is an abstract concept which we are not accountable to answer.

Morality has become a collection of immoral values in a pickle barrel. Pick one, what the heck, take two!

In reality, society is not trying to show us what is moral. Instead, they are trying to cover up and justify their beliefs and behavior. These lies become so rooted and entangled within our minds that nothing seems clear, and we fall victim to this deception. We find ourselves floating in the pickle barrel.

Stop lying to yourself. Don’t assume what society feeds you is moral and good. Unfortunately, most of it is false or a diversion so that you cannot find the truth. An individual must be honest with themselves and stop choosing to accept the world’s lies. Governments and institutions are not the ones to decide our values. We must look to a higher standard.

As I have said before, this is an insurrection! Hold fast to your morals and be unapologetic! Stop living the lie.

No Compromise

Many people take comfort in the shadows. We hide in them and close our eyes to the world around us. Avoiding confrontation is a way of life for many people, especially those of us who believe in a higher force at work. We watch human nature spiral out of control as what we know to be wrong and immoral becomes an acceptable and moral behavior. Those of us who have chosen to follow moral path such as Christianity or Judaism, are being constantly forced to hide our beliefs or be outcasts and labeled judgmental or racist. Many chose to hide deeper in the thick shadows, hiding from persecution and judgment.

Those who do not hide take an easy road of compromise and conformity. They sacrifice their values and accept what society has told them to accept and celebrate, yet in their soul it conflicts, weighing them down. This guilt and conflict destroy any joy they should have from their spiritual life. These fluid values have no room in a heart focused on divine principles. People continue to let society, rather than God, determine what is moral and immoral. The media parades the “alternate” lifestyle which has no room for what “Godly” life is meant to be.

So, do we accept the world as it has become? What is moral and good for you does not have to be the same for others. This world tells us that we can choose our own values, but we cannot enforce them on others. Individuality and hedonism to their fullest. Accountability has been tossed to the wayside as we are told that we should not correct or judge people’s actions. This even spills over into parenting, as discipline has now become negotiation and compromise with parents told to not correct their children. Children will be able to determine for themselves what they should and should not do. This detached parenting has a huge negative impact on our children and society’s future.

What is the answer? How do those who want to follow a morality within this “woke” mentality? Stop the compromise! Do not conform, instead hold to your principles. Morality always has a higher priority over governments or the masses. There is a proverb from the Bible that I believe rings true to those of us who believe in a higher moral standard. It reads:

If the wicked are ruling the nation, sin will be everywhere, but those who live right will win in the end. Proverbs 29:16 ERV

Do not live in the shadows; move out into the light and don’t accept what society tells you to accept. Live out your convictions and rebel against the control that society has taken over you. There is no need to fear because, in the end, morality and ethics will prevail.

Bigfoot in the Backyard

Many years ago, when my kids were not driving cars and working full time jobs, I decided to have a little fun. When I was growing up, for the longest time I believed that my grandfather fought in the French and Indian War and still had a piece of arrow stuck in this chest from that conflict. Many years later when I was older and wiser, I realized it was a part of his rib that was protruding not an arrow and that the war took place in the 1700’s, long before he was born. Come to think about it, according to him, he fought in the British in the Revolutionary War, the trenches of World War One and sailed on battleships in the Second World War. The man always had a story, most of which were not true. He was just being a grandfather and telling tall tales to amaze me.

So, what did this older and wiser me decide to do once I had kids? I decided to pay it forward.

At this time, my family and I lived in a townhouse apartment in Midwest. My wife and I made a challenging decision to homeschool our children, which was not an easy feat, but we feel it was the best decision and, as a result, our children have grown into amazing adults. While teaching, we would also record educational programs to help with their studies. On one of these programs, the mystery of Bigfoot was the topic. My boys were fascinated! An eight- or nine-foot hairy man playing hide and seek in the woods. It was absolutely astonishing to them especially when some of these “sightings” were reported in Kentucky, one state south of us!

A few days following this program, we had a day of rain which made everything muddy outside. This apartment had a small fenced-in patio out back with a sliding glass door. Suddenly, I was struck with a great idea. I went out back that evening after the kids were in bed and dipped my hand in the mud. Carefully pressing it on the outside glass of the sliding door, I slowly moved it around to create a large handprint. Bigfoot was making a visit to our townhouse here in the city. It was a masterpiece! I cleaned up and went to bed anticipating the following morning.

The next day, the handprint was discovered, and the house was a bustle. Bigfoot must have come to Indiana and made it to our backyard! The kids analyzed the print with the wildest look of amazement in their eyes. Next came all the questions and I did my best to answer them in with as much ridiculous information as I could. When the dust settled, the question of what Bigfoot eats led to the next phase of this plan. I told them that he ate twigs, rocks and dirt. I know, ridiculous answer. That day, though, they gathered all these things up and placed them in a frisbee that was repurposed as a plate.

I tell this story to show that things are not always as they seem. Many of us still think with our minds like a child and trust that people in authority positions are telling us truth. We may be grown adults, but a lot of times we think like children. We look for answers and direction from others, but when we do that, we run the risk of being misled. Why is it we want someone to tell us how to behave and what to believe? We desire to have someone tell us that bigfoot is real and all the time telling ourselves that we are free thinkers. We want answers that are buried deep, but we don’t want to take a shovel and dig it up.

One needs to break out of this child-like mindset and realize that things may not be what they seem to be.

Pick things apart.

Question everything.

Years ago, when I went to college, I entered with a very weak mindset that had been shaped my entire life by those around me. Confidence shrouded me like a cloak of the finest material. Suddenly, I realized that I lacked a foundation to stand on. I only believed those things because others told me to. They left me the muddy handprints on the sliding glass door.

The process began as I cast everything aside and began building a new mindset by starting with a new, strong foundation and investigated where I stood in this world. It was a harrowing task, but I left behind of my child mindset and formed beliefs that have been weighted, vetted and tested.

This is the first step: Toss it all out and start with the clean slate. Don’t take anything as true and let yourself feel lost. This is the beginning, but one of the most challenging things you will ever do. Don’t take the child’s mind and rebuild it, instead break it down and replace it.

Don’t be a follower or a leader. Be the individual!

A Condition with a Bleak Prognosis?

Many people have written about what has been known as “the human condition.” Humanity is riddled with struggles and plenty of faults. It has become its own worst enemy and continues to tear itself apart with no hope in sight.

To deal with problems, we wage war both physical and verbal, enforcing our will upon others. Many conflicts cover the pages of human history, all to enforce one’s will onto another. People verbally attack (sometimes physically) others, never accepting a difference of opinion. Wars continue to rage today due to nations wanting to enforce their will upon another group or nation.

“If you don’t agree with me, then you are wrong and need to change your opinion or there will be consequences.”

We are definitely in a war here today in this country and honestly, in this world also. There is a strong divide, and both sides have “weaponized” morality and are constantly attacking, degrading, and festering a climate of hatred. Right and wrong has migrated into a hazy grey that leaves morality as an abstract concept.

We find ourselves lost in a forest with a broken moral compass; unsure of which direction to go. Do we look to our nation’s leaders for direction? Can we find morality within the walls of religion and the church? Maybe morality resides somewhere deep within our soul, and it looks different for each of us. It could be that there is no morality or ethics. Do we exist in anarchy and create this concept to maintain order in an otherwise chaotic world?

I know, I know… so many questions and but no answers. Yet, that is where we must start. One must recognize and properly address these questions before answers can be found. Society has locked us into a mindset and tell us how to think and to not question. Our minds are not free to think and explore as we believe them to be. Instead, our minds are trained and conditioned to think a particular way that is a form of control over the mind. Many who realize that we can be controlled this way, exploit it and take control of how we live our lives.

The time has come to rise up against this way of thinking and challenge the disease that creates this seemingly hopeless human condition. It is an insurrection of the mind, if you will. We must address the disease and then work to cure it, for it cannot be cured without fully understanding how it controls us.

The intent of this blog is to diagnose the human condition and find a “cure” in order to live our best life in this confusing, chaotic and controlling world. I am not asking you to agree with me or like what I have to say. All I ask is that you raise the questions to yourself and not accept everything you have been taught at face value. Explore deep within yourself! It is time for an insurrection, rising up against the fabricated principles that are enslaving our conditioned minds.

The insurrection of the mind.

CJH

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