Edsaurus

The usage of words in the 21st century ... not letting truth be the final judge, but allowing our limitations and our generational curse help with these daffynitions.

I don't believe in these daffynitions ... they are what observations have crafted for me to observe and comment on. The element of Daffy the Duck I hope clarifies the absurdity of what is being shared here. We don't live in Disneyland, after all. This points out the irony of lives being shared with one another. I hope it benefits you! It was, and is, cathartic to share.

Daffynitions: Letting today's revisions of life control your thoughts. God doesn't matter, unless convenient for us.

Truth: What is convenient for people to believe to move forward in their daily rituals. ESPN, CNN, FOX ... it doesn't matter where we get our trash!

Faith: What we believe to be true, because it is either convenient or settles a problem issue we no longer want to deal with, and can now discard. Belief is so 1900's.

Confidence: What we want to let our training dictate, instead of letting us find the truth outside of what we were brought up with ... God, after all, is not in control, we are!

Hope: Boy, she had great legs ... she was a gymnast/volleyball player/model, after all!!!

Government: Depending on who is in control, it means Satan is in control or it is my justification to be what I am today. Just look at Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Obama ...

Joy: Internal workings of news that brings satisfaction without fulfillment ... but that is being so cynical!

Seeker: One who desires truth (not necessarily the accurate one) just the most relevant one at this time and training ... that is what we were given today! Ask our parents (no, the government took that away from us), our teachers, our leaders!!!

Confidence: What we are taught is actually the truth (sans the truth); that's what we believe. I have to fight to the death to promote this fallacy!

Relief: Knowing we don't have to care about those losers ... does God really think I'm suppose to love my neighbors when they don't have a clue? It will cost me a mint!!!

I look to see the best of what people have to offer, but the "rantings and ravings," plus my own shortcomings, demand I share an honest assessment of what is occurring in life today. When we delude ourselves that we are doing "good," we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. Our we citizens? Do we have the USA's, or more importantly God's, interests at heart?

Let those with eyes to see and ears to hear take heed!

You are crafted as beautiful, powerful children of God ... make the best out of it today!!!

Is your 'question/statement' about me?

Getting into the mechanics of relationships ...

When we talk to each other, we often stop listening when self-defense mechanisms get involved. "Is this about me?" is a freezing question that stops our ability to communicate with each other on a foundational level. It is often never voiced, just felt.

Our past training ... generational curses, some people call it ... gets in the way of listening. It inhibits our continued growth to share and be intimate with the people we love. Self-defense attitudes become engaged, and we rely on what we know best. After all, that is why most of us do what we do ... our training.

Hearing the squeals of reality, enhanced by the whine of the actual motor and engine working versus what we think is going to be said ... the summations of our mind's estimation and expectation ... they engage thoughts that demands an answer from our training. It's an answer few of us are willing to follow through to the convictions demanded ... yet, we talk and fight the good fight. I know I do/did.

The growth of maturity and wisdom comes from our experiences. Our training is our strength and weakness ... I just hope I stay out of my way so the beauty that I have in me can come out to be shared. I hope the same for you.

Killing us softly with this song ... with apologies to Roberta Flack and Lauryn Hill

I heard we sang a good song ...

Mysteries of past and present keep confusion as our hand maiden.

Eat drink and be merry ... or, is it buried? The slogan has been, "Just say NO; don't do drugs." Yet, as evidenced by the obesity of our country and the number of emergency room visits to the hospital for gastro-intestinal problems, food makers (both corporate and personal) continue to pour white sugar and white flour into our foods, our stomachs ... hmm, with all the fiber being removed from our food, what is left of the sugar and flour basically acts as harmful as drugs to our systems. The ability to transform the nutrients is removed ... so we eat food that is going to stay in our bodies, transforming into fat and disease. We are eating for pleasure, not for nutrition.

Killing us softly with this song, letting our whole lives get wasted ...

A high school student found her disease (Crohn's) that numerous health care practitioners missed (8 years) ... yet, a national public health care program is being clamored for by most! Is our society dysfunctional, at best?

Telling my whole life with empty words ...

What am I missing? There is so much beauty in life. There is so much to see and do. There is also so much information being left on the table. I don't agree with government being the best governance of morality; yet, attacks on people who point out the wrongs on both sides are chastised for being condescending (see Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post on President Obama, 6/12/2009) and fosters vitriol and blindness to people who, as citizens, don't take the time to fulfill their civic or spiritual responsibilities. We are too busy, we have to make a living, we are to angry ...

I heard he had a style ...

This is what we leave our children, and their children?

Hermeneutics of our current state of events leaves beauty and truth at the doorstep, not invited in. If it goes against our training, we discard the information as meaningless, or irrelevant. Our mistakes will be visited upon the rest of our lives, as well as our children's lives, and their children's lives. Letting beauty reign in the soul has produced some of the most powerful truths and actions in history. Love of faith, of fellow man, of spouse, of children ... governments, medicine, science, art have all gained powerful successes when truth and beauty are at the core of how we choose to look at life. If we fail, as citizens, to recognize this ...

Killing me softly with this song ... wasting my whole life with these words ... killing us softly with this song ...

The character of our beings

Life is full of the unexpected. Such a cliché, yet so true! What we expect to happen, what we want to happen, what actually does happen, and what it means to us later in our lives ... the perceptions and desires all change so drastically over the course of weeks, months and years. It molds and develops the character of our beings ... it bakes into us the attitudes we carry with us today.

Our focus on economics, relationships, personal goals and development ... these basic ingredients all participate in what we offer our families, friends and communities. What life has given us shapes our beliefs that we live by, expecting to accomplish what we set out to do, whether it is bringing home the bacon or having that next relationship ... or, being angry and drowning our sorrows in that next glass of whatever, or puffing/snorting/shooting up whatever is the drug of choice, or being a workaholic, narcissistic, pessimistic, angry, a sex-addict, etc. We trust in the Bernie Madoffs in this world, and then we find out we were actually being lied to all along!

"We become, too late, smart and are too dumb when young" paraphrases a joke I often hear. Impatience, lack of knowing what tomorrow brings ... all of these have an impact on our actions of today. Too often, it seems, the phrase, "If I had only known ... " reflects our lack of knowing our best course of actions. The real estate meltdown, the economic meltdown, our country in turmoil, the divorces, the disappointments that reflect that activity that permeates our country and societies demonstrate that quite effectively.

Having a strong, well reasoned foundation will help take that heat and passion of youth and turn it into something marvelous, something wholesome and healthy for us to live by. We are able to let the experiences of our lives turn from disappointment and regret into something marvelous ... the power of truth in our lives. We must protect the ingredients of our lives with honor and intelligence!

Living under Duress - the sin of being proud

Life is challenging. No news flash there. How we deal with the challenges are often what do produce the news flashes. (Man kills self and family over debt. Baby found in suitcase. etc., etc.)

Do we have a humble heart, or a prideful heart is the question I find myself asking. Pride is the main "problem" element of how people respond to whatever challenges and/or situations arise in life. Pride is a sin. That is what Satan had before God; yet, how many times do you catch yourself saying how proud you are of yourself, your family, your job, your ___________ (fill in the blank). Where do you think that leaves your gentleness of spirit or your character?

People look at their own situations and forget the power of meekness and humilty that will help them respond to situations in power. Meekness is having the strength to handle a situation without responding out of pride ... strength under control, not responding to our training. Living under duress provides a lot of opportunities to demonstrate how we have been wronged and how we are injured ... our responses come out of our duty or out of our "stations" in life.

A gentle spirit is not a weak spirit, but one of strength. Our desire to be strong to others provide our own stumbling blocks, usually resulting from being proud. It has often been said one's biggest strength is also their biggest weakness. Duress will bring out the best and worse of our strengths. How we respond is based on cultural bias, social bias, economic bias ... rarely out of faith-based strength and knowledge.

People are killing themselves over money, over a lack of stability ... duress provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate what we truly believe in. It demonstrates what we believe ... no matter what we say. Actions speak louder than words.

"The Fight" ... Right and Left versus common sense

It appears to me the Right and the Left are fighting for the same things ... different ways to approach it, mind you, but they are fighting for the same thing for our lives.

Both sides want control!

It appears the first thing both sides will tell you is liberty is what they want for constituents ... freedom to accomplish their goals. I would look at their comments, then look at their actions; finally, apply the two results together.

Abuses are occurring on both sides ... about as frequently per each side. They cheat on their wives/husbands/mates ... so does the other side. The one wants same sex relationship, the other side wants divorce easier. Abortion is a toss-up on both sides. The leaders both cheat ... excuse me, make mistakes, on their taxes ... both sides offer this. It goes on and on. Now, I've I committed adultery, so I can not claim innocence! Let me get that out of the way, I cast stones at my own actions as well. I am a product of my times.

For the life of me, I am really having a hard time distinguishing between the two sides of this coin. It implies there are differences, fundamental differences ... I am learning more and more how much I don't find that much choice between the two sides. A different color collar seems to be most appropriate! Different choices with the basic same results ... people's libertine or preferred approach versus ... common sense.

Life is happening so fast right now, information is coming so fast and furious it is hard to make sense out of nonsense ... that is why I have my devotionals. That is the only thing making sense that has lasted for more than 50-100 years that are current leaders offer. No, not back to the beginning of our country ... God was still in public life then!

The politics of rhetoric

If it wasn't so important to my country, I would be LMAOROFL right now. Eloquence and debt. Bigotry and debt. Hysteria and debt.

Both democrats and republicans have been dipping into the public till for a long time.

My mother built houses, and she used to tell me how the big grants that got projects done (by very conservative, wealthy people ... mostly republicans) were government/taxpayers dollars. This, under the auspices of what's best for the economy, helped create "caste" systems, as well as jobs that never really panned out as promised due to glass ceilings ... except for a fortunate percentage (small) of workers.

On the other hand, government programs, initiated by mostly democrats, seem to have failed our country miserably! Programs like Head Start, the numerous job program/training, etc., have a dubious ROI, IMHO. Jails filled, social services swamped ... because the programs only take a person so far. These programs have not changed most of these people's spirit ... just their circumstances for a while.

I have perceived a weakening of American spirit ... and a reliance on making our country more "global." Jobs were being shipped overseas long ago ... unions had to be circumvented, profits had to be maximized. Unions, seeing the injustices to so many workers, started digging in harder. More and more corporations found it easier to ship jobs away.

Look at our economy now. Both parties are sending signs about weakening the greatest country in modern society ... with rhetoric. Spending has gotten ridiculous, yet we are poorer as a people. We can't blame it all on either party.

The banking system, the housing "crisis," insurance ... all of these present greed and hysteria from different perspectives. All are in trouble.

Ahhh, the politics of rhetoric.