FEUDS, SCORES, RETALIATION, REVENGE, TAKING SIDES & war

​​​CLICK THE ARROW TO THE RIGHT FOR AN AUDIO SUMMARY >>>>

THEY SAY: "IF WE FAIL TO STAND FOR SOMETHING WE'RE LIKELY TO FALL FOR ANYTHING." HOWEVER IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT STANDING FOR A BELIEF DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE. TAKING A "SIDE" ON ANY ISSUE ACTUALLY WEAPONIZES OUR OPINIONS. THIS IS WAR AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE "FOR" SOMETHING WITHOUT FINDING OURSELVES BEING "AGAINST" ANYTHING ELSE! THIS IS THE main DILEMMA WE must face. our opinions and personal "points of view" are important, but they MAY NOT BE ACCURATE. THIS MAY BE CALLED THE "BUT" FACTOR. AS FLAWED "BEINGS" IT IS IMPORTANT TO EMBRACE ALL FACTUAL TRUTH EVEN WHEN IT BECOMES HARD TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR SWALLOW. WHEN TRUTH IS IGNORED OR REJECTED LOOK FOR THE WORD "BUT" TO BE USED REPEATEDLY. YES, "BUT" CAN TAKE PRECEDENT OVER FACTS AND EXERCISE PRIORITY OVER CONSEQUENCES OR RATIONALE. BEING RIGHT OR AT LEAST BELIEVING WE ARE RIGHT CREATES AND ESTABLISHES A "STATE" RELATIVE TO THE POSITION WE TAKE. OUR BIASES, FEELINGS AND PASSIONS CAN GIVE "BUT" THE POWER TO JUSTIFY EVIL. THIS CAN CORRUPT THE "SEAT OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS," OUR VERY SOULS. NOBODY WANTS TO BE WRONG! AS A RESULT WE ARE INTRINSICALLY INCLINED TO SEEK OUR OWN JUSTIFICATION. WE TRY TO IGNOR THE FACT THAT WE DO SEE AND SHOULD SEE THINGS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE BY IGNORING THEM. THE WAY THAT WE DEAL WITH OUR PERSONAL CONFLICTS AND ISSUES OFTEN AFFECTS HOW WE PERCEIVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS. WHEN WE FAIL TO ADDRESS OR CONSIDER THE SMALLER BATTLES IN LIFE, EVENTUALLY WE MAY BE FORCED TO FIGHT AN ESCALATING WAR AS A RESULT. IT IS THE "BUT" FACTOR THAT ALLOWS and enCOURAGES US TO MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIAR and/OR DECEPTIVE SPIRITS. NOTHING GIVES US THE "FREEDOM OF BIAS" THROUGH BLINDNESS OR IGNORANCE LIKE THE "BUT" FACTOR.

TAKING A STAND: to STAND BY, STAND FOR, STAND WITH AND/OR STAND AGAINST 

Taking a stand means sticking to a position or standard without compromise. The postures of standing define how and to what extent we are willing to go to. To stand by implies "not to abandon." to stand for implies a willingness to substitute or represent instead. Standing with asserts agreement and support regardless of the underlying circumstances or conditions. Standing against is taking an adversarial position that opposes a known effort or objective. How are we standing in the midst of today's polarizing issues? It is our hope that these post at minimum give our readers better understanding. These are very confusing and divisive times. Conflict is a divisive force that can convert spectators into participants. There are certain spirits that specialize in "poking the bear." We are fighting spiritual wars that are manifesting in our physical environments. We mentally react to this stimulus through the bias reflected in our opinions. The psychological effects we experience allow us to attach emotions to our perspectives. Once emotions enter into any equation thinking can be easily altered. We all have feelings and feel emotions that are difficult to ignore. Feelings contain forces that can override facts. Emotions allow us to harbor feelings that we should NOT even be holding on to. We are being victimized through strong delusions from lying spirits. We have become wise in our own conceits. Fooling ourselves has become a new pastime. These deceptive spirits along with our willingness to indulge choice sins allows us to keep choosing, whether consciously or unconsciously, to remain unseeing in situations where “we could know, and should know, but don’t know because it makes us feel better NOT to know.” We should NOT underestimate feelings or allow them to fool us. Feelings are a built in feature that all humans possess. It is how we individually embrace, interpret and manage them that differs in each of us. As our feelings develop our interpretation of their meanings evolve in ways that match our ideologies. It is easy for us to believe things that fit a narrative we're looking for or want to embrace. These set of beliefs compose a system of ideas and ideals governing ethical and moral standards. Some of our feelings are also defined through this communal consciousness. An Ideology takes the form of an acceptable response that can be adopted and shared across cultural, geographic and religious domains. A shared ideology is practiced through the "spirit of its expression." This is why some "movements" sanction atrocities. Any idea, which is a by product of a thought, contains spirit. Spirit is the energy behind life. Remember thoughts are things. Whenever an idea  "seemingly" represents a righteous cause and stands against any obvious inequity or injustice it is easily adopted. The psychic energy of any idea's appeal can easily gain traction and sentiment by manipulating our feelings. We can war against one another but we can't kill an idea.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GETTING EVEN 

Feelings always demand attention. We may ignore them, but they tend to slowly gnaw at our consciousness until they are eventually ignored and forgotten or addressed. It is important to understand that the process we chose and use for dealing with our individual feelings profoundly affects societies response to the circumstances and conditions we collectively face. The way that we deal with things common to our shared collective consciousness is through laws. Laws were NOT made to be broken. Laws are created to correct offenses. However it is our application of laws that allow them to be executed fairly. It is our laws that give us all a sense of civilized society. Reprisal, retribution and revenge always accompany feelings that negate fairness and promote hostility. Law 196 from the code of Hammurabi is well known as the eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth law. The problem we have with vengeance is evenhandedness. Many of us want more then revenge. We want to "one-up." If we lose a finger, we don't feel even without taking back a hand. If they take an eye, "getting even" means taking back an eye and a tooth. This is why We must learn and practice standing for truth without "keeping score." Try this motto. "DO GOOD AND FORGET ABOUT IT!" This allows restoration, forgiveness and reconciliation. Working without a rear view mirror is liberating; it frees us from both guilt and revenge. Guilt lives in the past, revenge lives in the future but life is in the now. No matter how we look at it, life schools us and school teaches us. The methods may vary but the objective is the same. Remember, in school we are taught a lesson and then take the test. In life, we first get tested and hopefully learn the lesson. We must see ourselves as players on the field of life. The primary task is to play the position(s) designed for us. We are not referees, judges, officials or score keepers. Focusing on the job at hand requires our full effort and attention. There are three sides to any story or coin. A coin can show heads, tails or we can just put a "spin" on it. Facts follow the same pattern. There is "their view," "our view" and "the truth." Each individual view, points to and from a different perspective. We must carefully extrapolate truth BEFORE coming to our own shortsighted conclusions. Truth usually has at least three(3) points of support. Truth is constructed by facts, supported by witnesses and reveals even more truth. Most of us know that yesterday's news does NOT make tomorrows headlines. Never rely solely upon yesterday's past answers to solve today's present challenges in light of tomorrow's revelations. ​

LIFE RESEMBLES A TEAM SPORT BUT IT'S ACTUALLY AN INTERDEPENDENT JOURNEY

​As time goes by we all decide
To have a view and pick a side
In fact today it really seems
that every-body has a team.

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So, day by day we look for news
that says our team ought not to loose
And so to win, and not be beat
the other side must face defeat.

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This is the war we choose to fight
and justify because we're right
Our words unite to join the throng
of voices that say they are wrong.

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Revenge is sweet so we'll be tuff
the grudge we hold is not enough
the time has come to unleash hate
It's our turn let's r-e-t-a-l-i-a-t-e.

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​Each day we fight with one another
As Cain we hate & kill our brother.
We're polarized and have decided
​We'd rather fight and stay divided.

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COMMON SHARED VALUES ARE required to form a CIVILIZATION

When will society embrace the fact that behind EVERY physical, tangible and visible act or occurrence; there is an intangible, invisible, spiritual energy sponsoring it. Copy cat crimes are simply spiritually spread infections. Mass shootings are "the fad" now in season. The spirits of apathy and violence are being embraced within various ideologies. Is right and wrong intuitive, instinctive or intrinsic? Is it inherited, innate, inbred or inborn? Maybe it has to be learned and taught. Right and wrong are relative measures or standards that can be determined objectively or with partiality! Spirits express themselves uniquely in light of the conscious they are operating through. The word "interpretation," should also be described in terms of a how we present information. It's easy to spin, twist and weave our biases, feelings and opinions into daily thoughts and reasoning. Right and wrong is simply a way of describing how we presently "feel" about a situation. Right and wrong always follow a narrative. Narratives contain the reasoning we create and give to the stories we form. The more facts and information available the stronger our conclusions may be structured. Keep in mind, that as thought develops, the ideas we form during that process are incomplete. These ideas may contain "errors."  Mistakes are generally discovered "after the fact," and as such make error inevitable. We are fallible and must deal with an inherited disease called sin, an illness that causes even greater sickness and discomfort. Our current teacher is always our last mistake. If we're not making mistakes we're either playing it too safe or NOT trying hard enough.
Errors teach us through the process of correcting them. Mistakes themselves have no emotions. So why get mad at mistakes? Anger expressed towards, not about, error is useless. Errors are like diseases. It makes no sense getting angry at an illness of inherited iniquity. We should Cure illnesses and Correct errors. Most of us are reluctant to admit error and so we disguise and hide mistakes. We are all flawed creatures that use our inaccurate oversight full of blunders for judgement. In light of its inevitability, whether done intentionally or inadvertently "errors" will find us. The mirror that error uses to expose us to ourselves and others will ALWAYS reflect the truth if we allow it to. Error is enlightening! Error strikes without warning, reveals new truths, discloses old and present damage while teaching us how to deal with the future aftermath. Error as a "spirit" can be rejected or embraced. Either way, owned or disowned the biases that error exists through can take on a life of their own. No matter how pure our intentions were, or how sincere we are, our iniquities can FOOL us. Error never deceives us. We deceive ourselves. Error's can be analyzed in three stages. After Error's are expressed or executed then they can be exposed and afterwards examined. When we build error it is normal to observe it's expressions. Error is difficult to address without being expressed. This is why shunning or silencing the voice of dissension is often counterproductive where error is concerned. For error to be addressed; error must be both acknowledged and embraced as error. The easiest form to address error in comes during it's verbal expression! This is when we exchange preventative dialogue with gestures of understanding rather then waiting to react through remedial actions to mitigate the damage caused by inaction and neglect. Error is not our enemy unless we allow or make it to be. In fact error can serve as a guide. Scientific principles teach us to look for error. This is why we have trials for new drugs, environmental impact statements for new buildings and monitoring of ongoing processes with gauges, sensors and alarms. Remember as human beings, "spirits can inhabit our habits" and we have a bad habit of making mistakes. We cannot learn from mistakes if we allow them to be covered up! T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-C-Y allows us all to learn simultaneously. Whether blunders, errors, mistakes, oversight or transgressions are committed by us or others, we need to learn what only they can teach us. It doesn't matter who makes the mistakes as long as they can be seen and solved. Mistakes are like seeds that bear fruit. The error born out of a mistake manifests as either ripe or rotten fruit. Rotting fruit can be fermented into alcohol for fuel. Ripe fruit needs no further process to reap its benefits. Both fruit and error provide value by dealing with and learning from them. Nothing in life is useless. Extracting value from failure is no exception. It is easy to find times when both facts and popular opinion places us in a position that sides with  emotional feelings or common sentiment. Memories and other scorekeepers may not allow us to live mistakes down. In life there are public crimes, errors, infractions, mistakes and offenses that we may have to wear like badges for a lifetime. Even if we make amends or pay a debt to society, forgetfulness is not a friend of  "forgiveness." We can easily find imperfections in anyone when we search hard enough. We can work on and "point" out our own flaws or allow others to find them do it for us.  Points must be made to keep a score. With or without our consent or readiness, this spiritual warfare finds us. If we stay ready, we don't have to get ready. Even if we fail to keep track of our deeds there is a universal record. Forgiveness is both a skill and has substance. When we grant forgiveness to others it is likewise, in the same measure, imparted to us! When we "position" ourselves as life long learners and "side" only with factual truth, we no longer have a need to keep "scoring" right and wrong. As such we enable our lives to overshadow our errors and impact societies opinion and perceptions by our ACTIONS and WAYS. These are the trees that yield the fruit we bear!

 UNCOVER ALL FACTS, ACKNOWLEDGE THE HISTORY & CONSIDER CONDITIONS

Many people find it difficult to prioritize truth above personal feelings. We generally lean towards and side with positions we believe and strongly feel to be both correct and right. Our perspectives are derived, developed and formed from when where and how we get information and exposure to data. Data is basically raw information. The way we digest, interpret, relate and respond to data (news) is indicative of how our feelings are shaped regarding it. We tend to calibrate our feelings according to how we accept truth and how it affects us. Facts, error and truth all resemble one another. Sometimes error and fact appear to be identical. This is where the "spirit of truth" is needed to discern what is what. Truth can be hard to swallow. When we manipulate, soften, twist or intertwine our own narratives into truth we begin to corrupt it. We are all biased. That is how bias works. Truth never takes sides and always has a certain T-R-A-N-S-P-A-R-E-N-C-Y to it. The more truth that we uncover the more truth that is revealed. Truth can be covered and hidden but its evidence cannot. “The truth is like a lion; it is powerful, fierce, and unstoppable. It can never be tamed, but it can be embraced.”  “The truth is like a lion; it will eventually come out on its own and devour all the lies that try to keep it hidden.” The truth is NOT always apparent or obvious. As a matter of fact the truth is NOT always welcomed. The truth can be enlightening but also intrusive and revealing. People tend to shy away from truth when its NOT as expected or it sheds light upon faults and shortcomings we call sin.  Seeking out truth is necessary. Although truth makes itself fully accessible and readily reveals its pearls of inciteful knowledge, men hide it. We like to take pieces and partial truths to build a thesis upon. No wonder our perspectives are so warped. When we selectively pick and choose only the information that supports our opinion we exchange truth for our own "confirmation bias."  In a world of duplicity and deceit TRUTH HAS TO BE CONTINUALLY CHASED AND SOUGHT AFTER FOR ITS "REVEALS.