Days Gone Down

How many times have you wished to go back and change the things you did in the past? If only you had turned left instead of right…

Unfortunately, the reality is that the past is gone, and we can only move forward. We can reflect and learn from our past, but we must press forward. Live in the present and strive to the future. Always remember that tomorrow’s decisions are always more important than the decisions of yesterday.

A person may still be impacted by the consequences of their past actions, but it is more important to make choices to respond to the consequences. Wishing we had chosen differently in that pas  only leads to regret, desperation, and hopelessness.

Keep your eye on the prize. Do not let the days gone down, drag you to their depths with them. Residing there will delay your race forward. The prize lays before us, not behind. As the Apostle Paul tells us, we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

“We still gotta long way, still a long way to go.”

Power in Freedom

To most people, the idea of power is equivalent to control. Power becomes synonymous with “power over” something. It could be a person, a group of people, an object, a behavior, or an idea.

Do not confuse power as control. True power comes from letting our souls free from forces that exert control over us. Power comes from a life of morality and resistance against immorality.

Real power comes from freedom in thought.

Compromising is the greatest enemy. It is important to remember that you can not control other people’s actions nor their moral compass. Each individual must make those choices though they will likely be influenced, coerced, or forced. In this we lose our power.

Our power is compromised, leaving us powerless and controlled. We become mindless drones.

Moral goodness is obtained within oneself by discovery. Take the knowledge and let your soul guide you. People are born with a conscience and the knowledge of good and evil. Do not do what is good because you are told to. It must be a desire- a passion!

Do not be a prisoner to this immoral world. Use your power to break free of its chains. Continue to pursue truth in all things every moment of your existence. There is no greater power!

Back to the Howling Dog Out in the Woods…

They say with age comes wisdom. While I believe this to be true, I feel more than wisdom is gained with age. We gain perspective. When we are young, we are adventurous to the point of wrecklessness. There is a sense of invulernabity that people approach life early on.

We strive for the exceptional life, traveling a “yellow brick road” to fame and glory. We constantly dream of being more than we are, no matter how successful our life has been. How many times have you imagined yourself as a music star or a great actor? I know all of us dreamed of fame and fortune.

With age comes perspective and the realization that the road we walk is endless and will never reach the great kingdom of Oz. No matter how much we achieve, the human soul craves more and will be unsatisfied.  It is human nature. There is a spark in each of us that strives to perfection even though we see clear as day that we are completely flawed.

We must come to a realization that perfection is impossible within the human framework. Perfection or success is not found on a road paved in gold or a penthouse in the highest building. We need to focus beyond the physical world of success.

It is the success of the soul.

Oh, I’ve finally decided my future lies beyond the yellow brick road.

Cultivation of one’s soul is where satisfaction in life comes from. It is clear there is moral right and wrong and a life focused and learned on the moral good will bring about our best life. You may or may not believe in God, but I do, and I believe that the key is to sow seeds of peace, love, and holiness while rooting out evil, hatred, and selfishness. These things will strangle one’s soul, causing misery and despair.

Now is the time…. change your perspective and let go of the unattainable. Go beyond the yellow brick road and find a fulfilled life cultivating your soul.

Big Brother Is Watching

Recently, I started re-reading the book 1984 by George Orwell, and it is hitting me quite differently from when I read it back in 1991. Thirty-five years ago, the concepts portrayed seemed unrealistic and far-fetched. It was truly a work of science fiction. Now today in 2025, I see it more like a prophecy of a world that we should fear. Authors in the late 40’s, 50’s and 60′ were able to see the danger and the “writing on the wall.” Authors like Phillip K. Dick seemed to have a premonition of the future. In his work, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, he tackles if Androids who look, act and think like humans have a soul. With the advancements in AI, we are starting to face the ethical issues Dick tackled in 1968.

We are in an age where we are surrounded with surveillance devices that can track all our moves, and we can be found no matter where we go. Police can track people from “pings” on cell phone towers, using credit or debit cards, and cameras placed all around. Privacy is becoming harder and harder to attain as we are surrounded by this expanding technology.

We are always being watched.

Not only are we watched, but we are influenced or, I prefer to call it, “conditioned.” People are spoon-fed a narrative that, over time, will cause them to indirectly think or feel a certain way. Our advancements in technology have made it easier for one group to assert its control over individuals and other groups. We are all under a large microscope with the eye of “Big Brother” looking through the lens. We are forced to play along and pretend even when it goes against the very fiber of our being.

This is not freedom.

This is conformity leading to control.

Humankind is wired to be independent, spontaneous, and free thinking (for good or bad). In 1776, the people of this nation rose up against a controlling force that they could no longer tolerate due to the stranglehold this empire had on them. Fortunately, without modern technology, the British were unable to quell this rebellion driven by desired freedom. Almost two-hundred and fifty years later, we find the weight of immoral oppression weighing down on us. The tools being used are more sophisticated and the narrative is better written, but we find our way of belief being threatened on a daily basis, just like before.

I hate the word “conformity ” with every fiber of my being. To me, it means that we obey even when we disagree and know that it is wrong. Yet, we must overcome this fear and fight the conformity and control that continues to grow within our society.

Morality and truth always stand above any government or institution. These man-made entities are not the ultimate authority in determining the way we live our life. Institutions are the engines of conformity and will lead to our moral destruction. Just as the story of Sodom and Gamora, we see ultimate abandonment of what is good and just into a hedonistic society will result in ultimate destruction.

Where do we go from here? How do we stop this society into becoming the world of 1984? You must resist and live the way you were intended to live. It is not a violent revolution that is needed, but rather, a mass ethical movement from us forcing the tide again those who wish to control us.

Do not let Big Brother control your life. Remember to never take all information as “truth” no matter what the source is. Hold up your moral level and see what the bubble tells you. Don’t be afraid to tell the world that the bubble is off.

The bubble doesn’t lie.

The Wealth of Knowledge

This weekend, I was mulling over my next article, but I wanted to reach out to those reading my blog. Topics come to me from listening to news, reading books and articles, and many times, music ignites a thought. This time, I would like the audience to ignite a thought or two.

What about you? Is there a topic or thought that you would like me to write about? I would like to pursue topics that my audience is interested it.

Please share in the comments any topics you would like to hear about. The pursuit of truth always continues, and we must persevere, persisting in the hunt.

I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led. -Thomas Jefferson

I look forward to your responses!

Leave a comment

Just Another Day

How many days do we spend doing the same things over and over? Are we trapped in a monotonous existence, doing the same things expecting different results?

Insanity.

As humans, we are dynamic creatures that need to grow and expand.  We are wired to live a progressing life, growing both spiritually and mentally. Yet, we continually find our lives trapped in a never-ending cycle of routine. 

Are you stuck in the mud with your wheels spinning? All you are doing is making a muddy mess and unable to make it to the store for Tide.

The first step is to recognize the problem. Admit that your life is stuck in a vicious cycle – a “groundhog day” if you will. Problems can not be solved overnight, as much as we would like it to be. I challenge you to break the cycle and give yourself a nudge every day.

Change your way of thought. Throw off the mundane and explore the possibilities that are out there. Your soul craves adventure, even in the smallest amounts. It could be taking a hike, calling an old friend, or even mending a burnt bridge. It is never too late to heal, and healing can be an adventure of its own. We need to stretch and test ourselves and our limits to grow as individuals.

We are not and never will be at our full potential. Not even close. Humans are imperfect with a desire to be perfect. A successful life is always making steps forward.

Stop spinning the wheels, and don’t make today just another day.

The difference between being ordinary and extraordinary is doing the right thing while nobody is watching. -Jim Rohn

Into A New Year

We close another year and begin what has been labeled as the year 2025. Resolutions will be made and may last to February. We will promise to lose weight and be a “better” person. All of us start with strong resolve, but it almost always seems to fade.

Many years ago, I gave up on making the New Year resolution. It seemed an exercise in futility, because shortly after they failed (as they always did), the feeling of regret and disappointment took over the remainder of the year. Change can be so stressful, difficult, and nearly impossible. Why is this?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word, “institution”, as a custom, practice, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society.

Make note of the term, “behavioral pattern.” Society has institutionalized the people to fall into a certain behavior pattern. From birth, people are conditioned to act a certain way. They let this institution mindset bleed into every aspect of life, and it makes a person resistant to change. We are conditioned to conform and set ourselves into a pattern or cycle that is extremely difficult to break. Have you learned to conform and just accept things in your life as they are? Do you find yourself wanting to break out and change everything but feel trapped or ill equipped to accomplish it?

Resolutions to change should not be made at the beginning of a new year. These should be made every day. Make small steps to break free from destructive cycles every day of your life, slowly chip away at the wall of the prison that has you trapped. Over time, you can begin to drop the bad and replace it with the good, getting one step closer to reaching the higher morality.

I have decided to change my cycle and make a resolution for 2025. I know that I just contradicted myself, but for me this is a break from my usual cycle of refusing to make resolutions. Flawed logic? Wouldn’t be my first time. I am going to spend my 2025 year focused on pushing to break from the institutions that trap humanity and control its way of life.

I hope you continue to follow me on this journey. My hope is that you will continue to stretch your mind, question everything, and be a force of change. I am not asking you to agree with everything I write, but I am asking you to a least listen and consider; constantly challenge and explore all options.

That is how we grow. That is how we change.

This is man’s search for meaning.