Tag Archives: Poverty

Intrepidly Daring: The Adventure Awaits

It’s alright to be audacious…as I’ve said before, and, I’ll say it again. Much of what we love has to go! Sad and true. Even with my knowledge, letting go is the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted.

In my heart, I know the class system is unjust and immoral. We’ve been living in a age of imitation for much too long. Humans are as a big baby crawling around the planet with no consciousness or care for what we do.

Words like ‘poor’, ‘poverty’, ‘hunger’, ‘homeless’ must be eliminated from our language. Along with contaminated, poison, adulterated.

I like the word flourish. Let’s face it. We can’t flourish as long as those words exist! Those words define an existence of suffering and strife. Suffering and strife can not be our norm. It totally rubs me the wrong way…thank goodness I’m not alone in this thinking.

Throughout history there have always been those who have said ‘no’ to suffering and strife. I join those ranks. I say no more to the inequality running rampant. I join the long line of woman who fought and died for the right for women to vote and the rank of those who fought and died for civil rights.

Someone has always championed morality and justice for all. This too is the norm. There will always be people who protest injustice! TRump will always ‘protest’ our right to ‘protest’ injustice! Stupid. The rebellion is here! It will never go away!

We’ve always had audacious leaders like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. History is full of those who want to make the lines between the top, middle and bottom go away, or at least blur. Their ideas are not new, they’re just and need to be integrated into our government. We need Foundational Pillars that begin to blur the lines of inequality. We need Well-Being legislation, and less focus on Economic Growth as our only measuring stick for prosperity!

Nurturing: It’s in Our DNA

Outrageous!  Women have had it. We are hitting the streets, the halls of government and are saying ‘no more’. We are changing the course of our nation and the world. We will no longer be a party to what Market Watch has defined as human nature. Using Economic Growth as the single measurement of Well-Being and success maybe men’s idea and nature but not mine or the majority of women I know.

“There really is only one answer: Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Relish it. Thrive on war. War is in our genes, deep in our DNA. War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit. War thrills the American soul. Oh just admit it, we have a love affair with war. We love “America’s Outrageous War Economy.” – Paul B. Ferrell, Market Watch

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Yes, America’s economy is a war economy. Not a “manufacturing” economy. Not an “agricultural” economy. Nor a “service” economy. Not even a “consumer” economy.

Ask the so-called ‘ordinary’ human how they feel? What’s important? What they would like to change in their life. I guarantee it would have nothing to do with going to war. It would be much more personal; like not having to work two and three jobs just to break even, a home and food on the table.

I’m 73, I’ve worked all my life; still working. My fear comes from not getting a raise in my Social Security, from the fact that I will never stop working, from the homeless eyes I meet on the street, from the lines of people at the food bank, from the starving people of the world and from the violence and anger on the streets of our nation.

Did you know the United States as of September 2014 was in 134 wars around the globe? Do these wars help you meet your mortgage? Keep you well? Have anything to do with your daily life?

War has been our ‘go-to’ answer for centuries and men have been pulling the trigger. We need to look at the outcome and results. War is not working for the majority of us. War does not benefit the majority of our citizens. The main beneficiary:

“America may be a ticking time bomb, but we are threatened more by enemies within than external terrorists, by ideological fanatics on the left and the right. Most of all, we are under attack by our elected leaders who are motivated more by pure greed than ideology. They terrorize us, brainwashing us into passively letting them steal our money to finance “America’s Outrageous War Economy,” the ultimate “black hole” of corruption and trickle-up economics.” – Market Watch, 2008

Those who would do harm to life on this planet must be stopped. However, life on this planet takes many forms. We need to re-evaluate our priorities about whose life we are protecting and how we are protecting it.

Men have kept us in an ‘Age of Imitation’ long enough. Women are coming into their time and are bringing our world out of perpetual war and into nurturing life. It’s what women have always done. Nurture. It’s an innate part of our being. It’s our nature and in our DNA.

Happy Nurturing Trails

 

 

The Next Big Thing: The Most Fascinating and Fantastic Machine in Existence

Know Thyself“The human body is 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.” – World Education

The majority of the human race have little knowledge about how truly incredibly we may be. Our body is made up of millions of synchronized single-celled organisms.  Each cell doing a specific job, taking on every exposure.

Our body has the ability to heal itself, and, if given optimum maintenance; clean food, air, water and education about optimum maintenance of our body, who knows how incredible we may become. Everything we eat, breath and drink either benefits and works with our millions of organisms or our millions of organisms are at war with what we put into our body. Our societies wellness or dis-ease is a reflection of our industry, the products we’ve allowed into our world and our intellect or lack of.

Our body is of nature. Unfortunately, humans do not demand the time needed to understand what or how to be of nature. Some believe what they do is consequential only to themselves; that what they do is Insignificant and unknown to others. This belief is a symptom of an uneducated society.

The life-giving forces which are abundant in nature are our birth rite. We are the most logical choice to insure the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. It’s not just an obligation and responsibility; it’s a matter of life, death, and everything in between! We are equipped with an innate memory of everything which came before us. We just have to access it. Sweep out the chimney so to speak.

Once the memory of ‘everything that came before’ is awoken, survival seems obsolete. A ‘flourishing’ planet seems more appropriate. It’s not just a choice, it’s who we are meant to be; flourishing. Demanding what is right and just in the world is not just an obligation or responsibility, it’s who we are… male adolescence is done. ‘Just getting by’ will no longer do. We are so much more than a workforce in industries hunger for competitiveness. We are significant with brilliant possibilities.

Somehow, I’ve awakened memories of who I am meant to be. The memories come rushing in and the never ending knowledge causes me to demand what is right and just in the world. What’s ‘right and just’ is clear. Do no harm. Respect all life. Be kind. Integrate those principals into development.

Women are taking our rightful place in world management. As we take the helm we navigate a more sustainable course. Not only pledging allegiance to our flag, but pledging allegiance to our land, water, air, and wildlife.

We are more than a workforce. We are significant with brilliant possibilities and like any olympian, we must have time to train. Each of us is significant and deserve greatness. As soon as the majority of humanity admit and subscribe to this belief; put on some breaks; slow down, the sooner we heal our planet and those who live here.

Education World says,

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

What do you think? Look around. Departmentalization and standardization in education are choking every bit of creativity out of our children; giving focus to certain things, minimizing the importance of other things and leaving some things entirely out.

Education should mirror the human body and work in synchronization! I believe the Ancient Sages, from Greece. They were philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers. They laid the foundation for western culture and gathered in Delphi to inscribe in stone, “Know Thyself” at the entry to its sacred oracle and believed:

 “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.”

What influenced these sages’ to chisel in stone? Why was Knowing Thyself so important? Why didn’t I hear about ‘knowing thyself’ in any of my curricula? Philosophers have been philosophizing about ‘Know Thyself’ for centuries. Is it too late for us to know ourselves?

Knowing the human body was not included in my studies until the eighth grade and avoided what was uncomfortable, the reproductive system was pretty much taboo. And, what about those millions of synchronized single-celled organisms with each cell doing a specific job, taking on every exposure? No one said anything about them being important!

Self-knowledge surrounds everything: All life. Having self-knowledge integrates all other knowledge; reading, writing, arithmetic, science, etc.. Self-knowledge is timeless. What we learn in one era, benefits all generations that follow. This was the message of our ancient sages. Just as our 21st Century educators admit,

“The human body is 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.” – World Education 2014

Is this our new norm in the 21st Century? I want to feel good. I want my family and friends to feel good. I want to find out what is possible. As much as I’ve tried to be kind to myself over some 40 years, I’ve been battling unseen forces and toxins we’ve been producing for decades. These toxins have manipulated my essence, your essence and taken much of our nature away.

Continual education about my body has set me on a new path. I want to change our education’s focus. I want to change much of our industry. Playing catch up is difficult and time-consuming. However, we are the logical and only choice for this journey. Shaping our future is a tough job.

A few sustainable steps each of us can take:

  • coordinate rides and errands with a friend.
  • ride the bus.
  • ride a bicycle.
  • buy organic products.
  • engage in governing.
  • run for water commissioner
  • run for city council
  • run for mayor, governor, senate, congress, president
  • learn as much as you can about how extraordinary you are

We can no longer afford to skip educating ourselves about what makes us extraordinary and how we get there. We owe it to our society to do ‘justice to our many parts’. We can no longer afford to be thought of as ‘ordinary’ when we each have the potential to be extraordinary!  We can no longer give so much control over our bodies to doctors, pharmaceuticals and much of industry.

Happy not so ordinary trails!

City of Colorado Springs: Homelessness and Poverty

Tree Guard in Stratton Open Space
Tree Guard

September 3, 2015

Honorable Mayor Suthers and City Council Members,

I understand your dilemma with regard to the issue of people displaying themselves in what you have deemed as inappropriate places and in inappropriate manner.

It saddens me to see our beautiful city streets filled with poverty and homelessness. No one in our nation or the world should be living in such a manner! We the people have been lazy. You only have to look at our voting records and the state of so much dis-ease in the world to see how little involvement citizens have taken in governing ourselves better.

It is everyone’s job, not just yours to find positive and long term solutions to homelessness and poverty.  We are not alone in this struggle. Our entire nation struggles with this scourge on our planet. Now, our city has an incredible opportunity. We can become a beacon in this endeavor; if we all put our heads together and take time.

I believe you could postpone acting on ORD 9.2.112 and give the citizens, businesses and organizations of Colorado Springs an opportunity and time to assist you in coming up with more positive and long term solutions.

I have a few idea:

  1. Lets get our community businesses (Home Depot for instance) and people who have graciously contributed to Habitat for Humanity to rise to this emergency by creating more housing for the homeless.
  2. Lets began a City of Colorado Springs Work program which many of the homeless could fill; With this creative effort our tax dollars would be spent to give people pride and encouragement. Good will goes a very long way to keeping peace and justice!  Much more so than jail and fines.

These kinds of ideas are what is needed. Ideas which bring positive and long term solutions. I want to live in a city that shines and is a beacon for other cities. Colorado Springs can be that city if our focus and attention address the root causes of poverty and homelessness.

Thank you,

Gail Black