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” …fear surrounds me like a fence. I wanna break free. All I want is the wind in my hair. To face the fear but not feel scared.” – Natasha Bedingfield Lyrics

Those lyrics echo what those horses want…and what we want as well; to face fear and not be afraid; to break free and come alive! We are brilliant and must claim it (being brilliant)! We know so much more than we did when we began. Technology has made it possible for us to obtain more knowledge and become more connected than ever before.

Let’s be ‘outrageously open’ about all the possible ways We the People can ‘do better’. Lets bring stability and sustainability to all!

A few special interests are padding the changes they want to see with money!  As a society we must re-visit this equation. It is working. However, as we all know, it’s only working for a few. So, what do we need to do? It’s simple. We need to do what’s best for life in general; as any educated person will tell you, we are a living planet with intricate connections.

Where the money comes from to make changes must be re-defined. In order for life on this planet,  to have what we want; free education, well being, clean water, air and food. We the People must take on the responsibility of funding government elections. No money from corporations…no special interests.

It’s about re-defining what governing responsibility each individual citizen has to their community.  It’s re-defining our community. What do we include in our community?  Are we connected? If so, how? We can do better. Much better.

How do you and I break free? Do you feel our societal foundation shaking? The ‘shaking’ you feel is change! Change or crumble. You and I are the foundational structure of this world. We need to be well and strong to live up to the task of breaking free from fear and making changes. We can do better. We do not have to accept chaos as our norm.

Change is all about learning how to act on discovery and knowledge; it’s about establishing appropriate priorities, like the well being of the planet and all its inhabitants! Knowing who we are beyond our names is crucial to achieving a population and environment that is strong and well. Living in Optimal Well Being. What does that look like? A question our children and their children must continue to ask.

Let’s begin by exploring and having a deep understanding of the ‘Human Body System’.  Why? How else can we understand how to best maintain our bodies and achieve Optimum Well Being when we know so little about our bodies. We’re in the 21st Century and we haphazardly skip over ‘knowing ourselves’.

“The human body being the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts.” -Education World

I find this just a tad outrageous!

Knowing myself as a young girl was kind of hit or miss. I can’t remember any discussion about my body in grade school, junior high or high school.  Discussing ones body was pretty much taboo!

I knew nothing of these ‘many mysteries’. However, according to our ancient ancestors ‘Knowing Thyself’ was important enough to carve the  message in stone over the mythical tomb of Apollo! These ancient sages surmised that to ‘Know Thyself’ creates a rippling effect:

“Self-knowledge is all-encompassing. What is learned on one scale of experience can be applied to all scales. It is the highest form of knowledge, surpassing all other knowledge. Self-knowledge is also timeless, which means that what is gained in one era, benefits all subsequent generations.” 

I’ve re-read this statement over and over…it truly makes since. If you can give yourself time to do a little digging, it’s the same as the knowledge animals pass on from generation to generation. We can do this as well if we make ourselves a priority. However, some would keep us from doing so.

Our National Science Standards curriculum’s focus is:

“To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students’ interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field.”

Oops, what happened here? Did you ever take a look at who is supporting this kind of curriculum?

When did we decide it is okay for industries to have a say in how we educate ourselves? When did we decide this is acceptable? What kind of value are we placing on our lives?

The Livestock, Tobacco, Pharmaceutical, and many others industries want business as usual. They have the power and money to guard their interest and they keep people working at such low wages they’re too tired and overworked to participate in governing. Let’s put their money in perspective:

For every one member of Congress, the influence industry produces about $12.5 million in lobbying.  By comparison, the average 2012 budget for member of the House of Representative’s office was only $1.3 million.  So, in 2012—a presidential election year, in a down economy, during arguably the least productive Congress ever—“government relaters” accounted for more than nine times the typical House member’s official operating expenses.

Yes, industry wants business and education as usual. They want to make sure they have our governments ear. Why would they listen to you or me?  It works well for a few, but not for the many.

Some things seem right out of science fiction. Who knew? We know in order to govern ourselves better we have to engage ourselves in governing. We have the ability to make changes which support people, all inhabitants and the planet! ‘Business and education as usual’ will not do anymore. Business as always, will follow along with what We The People dictate! Business can not afford to be rigid…it will only break!

The cultural change I want would not allow this kind of governing. I want to see a more integrated approach. One which puts restraints on influential industry. We the people deserve to experience Optimal Well Being. We the People deserve  a 40 hour a week job that pays enough to secure Optimal Well Being!  We the People deserve to have  time to discover what ‘Optimal Well Being‘ looks like! We the People deserve to have an educational curriculum which makes mandatory knowledge of our Human Body System! How else can we understand how to best maintain our bodies and achieve Optimum Well Being when we know so little about our bodies. We should be counting bones in Arithmetic, not just numbers!

I don’t know about you, but to base our foundational knowledge on ‘the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce’ seems a little short sided…who benefits from this focus? Perhaps we need to get back to the basics.  Elect officials who value humans, other inhabitants and the Earth as our focus! Who benefits if we make this change? Sustainability for all, not just a few. Parameters which allow for the appropriate time to ‘Know Thyself’, other inhabitants and your planet. Industry has always been adaptable and will follow our lead.

Happy Knowing Thyself Trails!