THE 3 PERNICIOUS P's - PLEASURE, POWER & POSSESSIONS

Nicknamed, the triad of temptation, these three "quests in life" tend to work at the core of corruption.  In and of themselves; pleasure, power and possessions (profit) are desirable derivatives produced within our exchanging and evolving environments.  As motivation, these states or measures of achievement, are regarded in high esteem as a degree of accepted attributes and values.  There is nothing wrong if we anticipate, acquire or work to achieve these "status levels." The caveat is that pleasure must be balanced with temperance, power with empathy and possessions (profit) with philanthropy.  These things should never be regarded as goals but rather results or by-products of effort.  Although "Hollywood" glorifies pleasure through sex and greed, power through control and riches or possessions (profit) through rarity and lavishness; it gives us only the impression without the substance or spirit of it.  There are a multiple of new powers of persuasion permeating the public.  The prevalence of these new influences are present in many aspects of our lives today but are invisible to many. 

The panacea for the perversion of the three pernicious P's is people. People possess the power to pick persons over policies. We can prefer profit or poverty.  It is that voice, the public, our voice of culture and consciousness which creates the environment to balance the scales of purposes and position with care and compassion.  We the people provide the power to our police presidents and politicians not only through our vote but also through our voice.  It is short sighted even unfair to vote and then abandon our values in the name of partisan loyalty or support.  We are obligated to hold even our locally appointed or elected officials accountable by participating in the process of both politics and protests. Today's technologies allow everyone to have a voice.  Silence is cowardice. Stop blaming the president, politicians or the police exclusively for every plight. The office of the president projects the policies we permit.  Part of our politicians purpose is to produce legislation to push various interests. The primary purpose of the police is to insure public safety, protect all participants and provide the power of ENFORCEMENT!  We provide them with their badge of authority.  By our permission they wield the power given to them.  That power, expressed through physical prowess or weaponry must be constantly sanctioned or condemned.  Some offences are prevented just by knowing the police have the power to whip ASS!  When an individual or individuals create mayhem that intentionally jeopardizes public safety a proper retaliatory reaction is justified.  The problem does not arise through use of the power it comes through abuse of the power. If some idiot runs a car through a crowded department store on a personal vendetta, "whip their ass!" (within reason)  If another idiot runs from a department store after stealing something "catch that ass without killing them." The consciousness or spirit of anarchy and mayhem should face the same intensity it projects. The precursor to the proper preponderance for the appropriate response and punishment should come from the public! "The buck stops here, there and "hear."  We are the plaintiffs that police our police, presidents and public officials.  Through our positions and participation we placate or promote policies & practices.  There is no prestige in permitting or propagating poverty, physical or psychological pestilence through policy. 

Many people who are perturbed by the direction things are going, also feel powerless to change it. Any office derives it's power from the authority which backs it. Whether that authority is traditional, legal or moral it will naturally exercise its scruples.  We must accept that principle. There are always fundamental beliefs embraced that create the chain of reasoning for principles.  Principles can direct consciousness and consciousness can illuminate the proposition behind the principles. Civility goes hand in hand with humanity. Principles are unbiased in application, they cut both ways. Tit for Tat, that eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth law of retaliation, leaves us all toothless and blind.  We must show increasing respect for any office as we exercise the prerogative to guard it from its own corruption. There must be a balance of policy and principle with empathy and consciousness to keep that respect.  Whenever the rhetoric and results are not harmonious or appear disingenuous authority diminishes. We are obligated to respect the office with regards for whoever occupies that office. Respect is not necessarily agreement it is regard for position without compromise of ethics.  Money is not evil; the love of money is.  The  elected, appointed or inherited offices are not in question; the administrators within those offices are.  With the growth of technology namely artificial intelligence, targeted content applications and data mining; results and/or effects are becoming more and more predictable. Many times the malady must emerge to preface engineering the prescription for a cure. The precursor to the prescription for progress is participation. Change is much more plausible and palatable from within. Our perplexities arise from doubts about the persuasive power of our push. Through unbiased preponderance we can determine both the cause and the effect of any circumstance.  Sometimes the best progress comes out of the worse experiences.  Keep the faith.  Faith is also active committed concern expressed by actions toward a cause.  Faith works objectively.  When applied impersonally, it works wonders which permeates all consciousness without regard for revenge.  Many times our personal bias clouds our perceptions and cripples our faith.  We must practice praying for not against people.  Remember as a culture and in consciousness we act as we believe.  The rule of law should never trump the role of love.....