2013 - Welcome To The New Year!??!

"An optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one leaves." BIll Vaughan

A wonderful quote to begin the new year. Of course, my current favorite is the one by J. Krishnamurti which I have as my email signature: "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

Which brings us back to the topic at hand - the new year. How do you perceive this rather arbitrary time distinction, of leaving one time space and moving to another? Some would strongly put forth that there is an energetic shift when we move from one year to another. Perhaps it is created by the people themselves, anticipating or hoping for a brighter new time - Hope. Of course, we know how well the proverbial new year resolutions generally go. Perhaps we should all make a resolution to express more love, to give up idiocy, and investigate the true nature of being human and alive in this world. I won't hold my breath. I started this morning by searching the internet, thinking that perhaps I would come across good news for the new year. The first article that drew my attention was "20 dark predictions for 2013 - the year of oppression and insanity." I guess it greatly depends on where you look, huh?



Of course, we had a brief discussion about it pre-midnight, and a bit afterwards - where do we think 2013 will go. Some held a certain somewhat veiled optimism, that things were "going to be better." Others felt that we would continue to have the slow, declining collapse. And me? What do I see for the new year? Honestly, I haven't an intelligent clue, or rather any predictions based on intelligently, rationally thought out ideas. Rather, my gut says, "stay tuned!" Although, on one level, I have been waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop for years, I somehow feel that this is the year. We have been teetering for so long on some kind of edge that we will either go fully headlong over into the abyss, or, somehow, by the grace of God, aliens, intelligence, or something, we actually recognize the horendous state we are in, and are causing, and come to our senses and somehow or other, pull our combined asses out of the fire at the last possible minute. But based on the history of the world over the last few thousand years, I'm afraid if I had to put money on one or the other, I'd have to go with the first. Dollars to donuts, this is gonna be the year we see all fricking hell break lose. I mean, afterall, just how many straws CAN you put on the camel's back?

Now, as everyone can see, we did pass the actual date of 12/21/12 - the now infamous Mayan prophecy date. Of course, when you're talking in thousands of years, a single date may easily be the starting point, or mid point, of something that may last months, years, or even decades. So, I don't completely discount the whole Mayan Prophecy date, whether it is for good OR bad. But in reality, who cares? The truth is, when we simply look around ourselves, the world, our behavior, our lack of ability to change, it's hard to see fluffy bunnies and unicorns. It's more like the trolls have come out from under the bridge and are making all the major decisions. Actually, it may be worse than that, because I think even trolls have some kind of rules they have to abide by. Those who run our world obviously don't - and if you think they do, boy, have I got a bridge I want to sell you.

I have failed to mention the cartoon above. It was sent to me by a friend and, to me, it encapsulates much of the truth of human society. We were far better off thousands of years ago. I know that most people see this as entirely insane - look at what we have today in health, science, technology, democracy, and blah blah blah. But it is many of these very items that are destroying the very planet that we live ON. I say 'on', because most of us really have next to no connection with this planet and, therefore, don't live in the world at all. Many of these technologies and advances are the very things which are pushing us over the brink and destroying the many resources, even the core of the planet's health itself.   So,the basic premise of the cartoon is, "Turn Around... the way we're heading is nothing but disaster."

Obviously, this is hardly the sunshiney beginning of the year that one would want, but unless we face the realities of what is, we choose ignorance by choice. So, how to make this more positive???

Perhaps some actual suggestions on how to make it a better year and better life.

1. Stop voting or doing anything that involves the government. Any and all governments are simply a method for one or more people to control, by force, the rest of the people. Do not think that you can change the system from the inside. That is simply lunacy. People have been trying it for hundreds of years to no avail.

2. Stop buying things. Our entire human 'civilization' is based on an illusory economic system that gives the sense of many receiving benefits, when truly, only a very few actual reap huge, unimagninable profits, which the rest of us are basically stealing and cheating from each other in the name of postive global economy. It is a complete sham. Rather, buy only those things you absolutely need, barter when you can, make or grow your own when you can.

3. Two sayings: "Live simply so others can simply live" and "Be the change you want to see in the world." Quotes are generally notoriously misquoted, but the meaning can still be effective. Both of these have been attributed (falsely) to Mahatma Gandhi. The first has also been attributed to Mother Theresa. But aside from the debate on source, both of these are very good examples of how to live, particularly the first one. In going over point 2 above, each and everything you buy makes an impact. Each thing that does not come from your own hand, home, or yard, makes a very large petroleum impact. Some thing in your home have travelled thousands of miles, some multiple times, to go from manufacturer, to wholesaler, to producer, to retailer, to you. Even separate items of a larger item makes many trips and impacts many. Also, each of those stops makes someone money and costs you in the final price. Each middleman and transporter takes a cut. It ALL impacts all of us. Something you buy impacts me. All the things we buy impacts all the less developed countries. That money we try to save in our greed cost the food of starving nations. Our entire so called 'civilized' and advanced way of life destroys the lives of millions upon millions. The consumption of meat and gasoline alone causes the deaths of thousands upon thousands. So see the big picture. For the whole world to live as the west lives, it is said it would take the resources of FIVE earths. Whether that is accurate or not, it certainly gives you some idea of the damage we cause on a daily basis. So live simply so that others may simply live. Think and experience what you can do without. Don't live in an illusion.

4. Builld Community. A friend of mine is currently travelling around the world, including a number of communist countries. He notes that the people in these countries are often considered to be more under the control of their governments, but he finds that they appear to move above it and are very alive and happy. Remember Happy? he writes. And I sincerely believe that much, if not all of that is due to the fact that they have strong communities, strong families, friends and tribes. Our friends are 250, 650, 5000 friends that are on Facebook. Probably not a one of them would take a bullet for you or hold your hair while you puke in the toilet. They are pretend friends. They are just 0's and 1's on an internet page, a digital decoy. Our society has so proclaimed the glories of individualism, that it has all but killed community, family, even real friends - a real friend who you could tell ANYTHING to without fear of any kind of judgment or humiliation. How many actually have more than 1 or 2 if any friends like that. Several years ago a read a book called "Bowling Alone" by Robert Putnam where he outlines the decline of community in America over the last 40 or so years. Organizations, clubs, granges, some of which had been in operation for decades or even hundreds of years, suddenly started declining and closing in the early 70's and continues to this day. Television, computers, cell phones, rather than increasing our social intimacy, have all but destroyed it.

Okay, I'm tired to writing. So think about some of these things. Think about how you would like to live in the world. Think of how you can love and help others.