My last entry this morning on Ben Breedlove was written from a positive point of view because I was mesmerized by Ben's positive and wholesome outlook on life. That was unintentional for I had wanted to point out what Ben had omitted to tell us and write from a negative point of view, but I had forgotten to do so because my thoughts went toward God’s peace and within it, there is no pettiness.
While thinking of God's peace, my wandering mind attempted to revisit the moments of divine peace that I personally experienced. As much as I wanted to relive those moments, I could only recall having the peace but could not feel it. Apparently, it is not the kind of peace that is available on demand.
Far away from God's peace, I am able to post an entry that will disappoint many and will risk being labeled as opportunistic by taking such wonderful and wholesome events in Ben Breedlove’s life and turning them into weapons of mass accusation. They would be right to criticize me and deservedly so.
Perhaps after writing this, I will learn from Ben Breedlove that I would be better off by not dwelling upon the negativity of others and but by concentrating on the gifts that I have and the gratitude that I owe.
Hopefully this will be the last time I will be negative but I am not optimistic.
Ben said that as he learned more about his heart condition, that it had scared him a lot, that he hated that feeling and that he was never allowed to play all the sports that his friends did. He said, “It kinda sucks that I missed out on that part of my life. I really just hoped that I could be the same as everyone else.” [1]
What Ben did not do was ask for a heart transplant, assuming his family could afford one, and if they could not, Ben did not write to President Obama or go on youtube to plead for donations. Ben also did not show any self-pity or disappointment that he had not received a heart transplant or any anxiety if he had to wait for one. Instead Ben was calm and at peace, and he told the world about God, the very God Who gave Ben less than He gave others, a fatal heart condition [2], but Ben accepted his humble place on earth and in return, God loved him.
God loved Ben Breedlove because Ben knew first hand and accepted the inequality that he was dealt. It sucked, but he had hope. He was scared, but he was not bitter. I surmise that Ben did not have a lover (although he had mentioned on youtube the manner in which he asked Devin to go to homecoming with him [3]), but he had God’s love when he was on earth and he is with God now.
In stark contrast to Ben Breedlove, many people who have been dealt less than what they believe they deserve are angry and embittered. They demand from those who have been given more to equalize God’s inequalities. The most arrogant and/or greedy of them have even killed in God’s name. Ironically, it is not with might but in humility is one able to discover that God’s scale of justice is tempered by love and errs on the side of forgiveness and compassion which is very different from man’s scale of justice that quantifies even the unquantifiable and errs on the side of bias and corruption.
When Ben Breedlove stood in front of God’s mirror [4], what he saw was what Francis of Assisi probably had seen, the beauty and perfection of humility internalized and God's scale of justice consumed entirely by God's love.
[1] http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wozwf2i0x4Q&feature=related at approximately 1:36 – 2:27
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxlrk7zcX2o&feature=related at approximately 3:40 – 3:56
[4] http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512#p/a/u/0/a4LSEXsvRAI
Saturday, December 31, 2011
More Thoughts On Ben Breedlove’s Final Words
To recap: Ben Breedlove, 18 years old, died on Christmas Day, December 25th , 2011. On December 18th, he told us on youtube his other-worldly encounters in two parts. I reflected on Part 2 in my last entry. Today, new thoughts came up. I quote below, in part, from Part 1 of his youtube upload at http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512:
“All my life, I’ve
had a heart condition
(HCM) short for
Hypertrophic cardio-
myopathy
It is a very
serious and dangerous
condition
As I grew older
I learned more
that it is dangerous
It has scared me a lot,
and I hate that feeling
I was never
allowed to play
all the sports that
my friends did.
It kinda sucks
that I missed out
on that part of my
life.
I really just
hoped that I
could be the same
as everyone else.
The first time
I cheated death
was when I was
4.
I had a life
threatening seizure
scary right?
My blood sugar
dropped to
14
I don’t
remember too
much from that
day.
Except one
thing that I
will never forget
I was being
wheeled down this
hall on a strecher
The two nurses
that were pushing
it, and my mom
running along side
There was this
big bright light
above me..
I couldn’t make
out what it was
because it was SO
bright
I told my mom,
‘Look at the bright
light!’ and pointed
UP.
She said she
didn’t see anything
There were
no lights on in
this hall.
I couldn’t take
my eyes off it.
and I couldn’t help
but smile.
I had no worries
at all, like nothing
else in the world
mattered.
And kept
smiling…”
Ben Breedlove was 4 years old when he saw a bright light as he was being wheeled down an unlit hospital hallway by two nurses but no lights were on at the time. His mother was beside him. His mother did not see the light and apparently neither did the two nurses, but Ben could not take his eyes off that light and “couldn’t help but smile.” He said, “I had no worries at all, like nothing else in the world mattered.” He kept on smiling.
I am not a child psychologist and cannot imagine what worries Ben had at 4 when he did not know HCM was serious. He found that out later. He said, “As I grew older I learned more[,] that it is dangerous[.] It has scared me a lot, and I hate that feeling[.]”
Yet, at 4, he felt peace in the presence of God’s light, assuming he had much to worry about, a burden too young to be carrying. Even if Ben did not have the burden of life's worries, this feeling of peace so completely filled Ben that it kept him smiling.
Ben’s experience tells much about our ability to sense things, that a child as young as 4 is able to differentiate between divine peace and a regular earthly peaceful existence, and that once a person has experienced divine peace, a gift from God, it is not easily forgotten and cannot be duplicated by human means. This peace is perfect in every way and the moment it arrives, you know what it is, it is something you desire and will always desire. Only God has this peace and only He is able to share with you this peace.
On December 6, 2011, when Ben was unconscious, he found himself “in this white room. No walls, it just went on and on… There was no sound. But that same peaceful feeling I had when I was 4.” [1] On Christmas Day, 2011, Ben left this world at the invitation of God to celebrate peace and the birthday of His Son, Jesus.
What a gift! What a blessing!
[1] http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512#p/a/u/0/a4LSEXsvRAI
“All my life, I’ve
had a heart condition
(HCM) short for
Hypertrophic cardio-
myopathy
It is a very
serious and dangerous
condition
As I grew older
I learned more
that it is dangerous
It has scared me a lot,
and I hate that feeling
I was never
allowed to play
all the sports that
my friends did.
It kinda sucks
that I missed out
on that part of my
life.
I really just
hoped that I
could be the same
as everyone else.
The first time
I cheated death
was when I was
4.
I had a life
threatening seizure
scary right?
My blood sugar
dropped to
14
I don’t
remember too
much from that
day.
Except one
thing that I
will never forget
I was being
wheeled down this
hall on a strecher
The two nurses
that were pushing
it, and my mom
running along side
There was this
big bright light
above me..
I couldn’t make
out what it was
because it was SO
bright
I told my mom,
‘Look at the bright
light!’ and pointed
UP.
She said she
didn’t see anything
There were
no lights on in
this hall.
I couldn’t take
my eyes off it.
and I couldn’t help
but smile.
I had no worries
at all, like nothing
else in the world
mattered.
And kept
smiling…”
Ben Breedlove was 4 years old when he saw a bright light as he was being wheeled down an unlit hospital hallway by two nurses but no lights were on at the time. His mother was beside him. His mother did not see the light and apparently neither did the two nurses, but Ben could not take his eyes off that light and “couldn’t help but smile.” He said, “I had no worries at all, like nothing else in the world mattered.” He kept on smiling.
I am not a child psychologist and cannot imagine what worries Ben had at 4 when he did not know HCM was serious. He found that out later. He said, “As I grew older I learned more[,] that it is dangerous[.] It has scared me a lot, and I hate that feeling[.]”
Yet, at 4, he felt peace in the presence of God’s light, assuming he had much to worry about, a burden too young to be carrying. Even if Ben did not have the burden of life's worries, this feeling of peace so completely filled Ben that it kept him smiling.
Ben’s experience tells much about our ability to sense things, that a child as young as 4 is able to differentiate between divine peace and a regular earthly peaceful existence, and that once a person has experienced divine peace, a gift from God, it is not easily forgotten and cannot be duplicated by human means. This peace is perfect in every way and the moment it arrives, you know what it is, it is something you desire and will always desire. Only God has this peace and only He is able to share with you this peace.
On December 6, 2011, when Ben was unconscious, he found himself “in this white room. No walls, it just went on and on… There was no sound. But that same peaceful feeling I had when I was 4.” [1] On Christmas Day, 2011, Ben left this world at the invitation of God to celebrate peace and the birthday of His Son, Jesus.
What a gift! What a blessing!
[1] http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512#p/a/u/0/a4LSEXsvRAI
Friday, December 30, 2011
Final Words Of Ben Breedlove
Ben Breedlove, 18 years old, died on Christmas Day, December 25th , 2011. On December 18th, he told us on youtube his other-worldly encounters in two parts. In Part 2, he talked about the third time he cheated death about two weeks before on December 6th, 2011. It was during his temporary absence from this world that he had the following vision:
“I then looked at
myself in the mirror,
I was proud of
MYSELF,
of my entire
life, everything I
have done.
It WAS THE
BEST
Feeling.”
See http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512#p/a/u/0/a4LSEXsvRAI
(Part 1 is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512)
In closing, he asked:
“Do you believe
In Angels or
God?
I DO." Ibid.
I do too, Ben Breedlove, but I am not ready to share on here my visions even though they are real to me, they would seem incredible to others. I have, however, confided them to a few friends who were kind enough to lend me their ears.
I have been given decades more in life than you but do not have the same proud feeling standing before my mirror as you had when you stood in front of God's. One day, when I see God's mirror, I hope to be able to say your words and feel that feeling and not be scared or ashamed.
Please pray for me, Ben.
Thank you.
“I then looked at
myself in the mirror,
I was proud of
MYSELF,
of my entire
life, everything I
have done.
It WAS THE
BEST
Feeling.”
See http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512#p/a/u/0/a4LSEXsvRAI
(Part 1 is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalRandomness512)
In closing, he asked:
“Do you believe
In Angels or
God?
I DO." Ibid.
I do too, Ben Breedlove, but I am not ready to share on here my visions even though they are real to me, they would seem incredible to others. I have, however, confided them to a few friends who were kind enough to lend me their ears.
I have been given decades more in life than you but do not have the same proud feeling standing before my mirror as you had when you stood in front of God's. One day, when I see God's mirror, I hope to be able to say your words and feel that feeling and not be scared or ashamed.
Please pray for me, Ben.
Thank you.
2011 Year-end Reflections – Disappointments And Loves Forgone
This is a year of personal awakening, venturing out of my make-belief world into one full of disappointments, inhabited by certain people existing under the guise of progressive liberalism while acting out their relentless passive aggression in petty power trips to benefit their own self-serving interests. Their abundance of envy, bitterness and/or hypocrisy together with their unforgiving nature in life may earn them a place in a Dantean-like inferno upon death, eternally watching the wasting away of their maggot-rejected bodies cheapened by the disdain they continuously and willfully harbored against God’s other children.
While few, if any, are completely selfless, unconditionally loving and free from sin, those with the compunction to self-examine one’s inner cruelty and the heart to exercise a modicum of humility and compassion and pray for God’s grace to grow in His image may one day see their prayer answered. [1]
This is also a year of personal realization, among the many lesser disappointments is one of the greater, regretting my youthful years when I wore a coolly confident exterior, leaving a trail of broken hearts while wallowing in inexplicable depression and coping with intractable anguish from the unfathomable depths of anxiety. For I had not loved well, enough or at all, I am now punished by an unfulfilled desire to know how my life would have been enriched had I lived wisely and learned patiently rather than judging harshly and prematurely. To the extent that I am able to seek redemption through prayer, I have, by asking Mother Mary to protect and love those who had given me the chance to love them. A chance to love is a gift so simple and so pure that I was, and perhaps still am, incapable of comprehending and accepting. While I am sure that Mother Mary’s love and embrace, even for a moment, would make up for a lifetime of mine, I remain regretful, even if I had been forgiven or forgotten. I am also certain that those beautiful souls for whom I yearn are far better off and their earthly lives far more happily lived without me. [2]
Another one of the greater personal disappointments, an on-going one and probably the greatest disappointment of all, is my refusal to answer yes to God’s calling because I am afraid of my certain failure to meet such high expectations. Instead, I have chosen not to fail by not trying at all, which in itself is a failure: the failure to try. Freely trapped between these two suffocating failures, salvation at once seems elusive even as salvation imagined seemed possible. [3], [4] & [5]
[1] For everybody, as well as for the reprehensible, this Fatima prayer is helpful: “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy. Amen.”
[2] “Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
“Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.” http://www.carols.org.uk/auld_lang_syne_song.htm
[3] In Your infinite justice, please grant us Your infinite mercy. Amen.
[4] “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Your mercy. Amen.”
[5] Perhaps there is still time. Lord, please grant me the vision and the voice, the courage and the confidence, the strength and the stamina to do Your will. Amen.
While few, if any, are completely selfless, unconditionally loving and free from sin, those with the compunction to self-examine one’s inner cruelty and the heart to exercise a modicum of humility and compassion and pray for God’s grace to grow in His image may one day see their prayer answered. [1]
This is also a year of personal realization, among the many lesser disappointments is one of the greater, regretting my youthful years when I wore a coolly confident exterior, leaving a trail of broken hearts while wallowing in inexplicable depression and coping with intractable anguish from the unfathomable depths of anxiety. For I had not loved well, enough or at all, I am now punished by an unfulfilled desire to know how my life would have been enriched had I lived wisely and learned patiently rather than judging harshly and prematurely. To the extent that I am able to seek redemption through prayer, I have, by asking Mother Mary to protect and love those who had given me the chance to love them. A chance to love is a gift so simple and so pure that I was, and perhaps still am, incapable of comprehending and accepting. While I am sure that Mother Mary’s love and embrace, even for a moment, would make up for a lifetime of mine, I remain regretful, even if I had been forgiven or forgotten. I am also certain that those beautiful souls for whom I yearn are far better off and their earthly lives far more happily lived without me. [2]
Another one of the greater personal disappointments, an on-going one and probably the greatest disappointment of all, is my refusal to answer yes to God’s calling because I am afraid of my certain failure to meet such high expectations. Instead, I have chosen not to fail by not trying at all, which in itself is a failure: the failure to try. Freely trapped between these two suffocating failures, salvation at once seems elusive even as salvation imagined seemed possible. [3], [4] & [5]
[1] For everybody, as well as for the reprehensible, this Fatima prayer is helpful: “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy. Amen.”
[2] “Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
“Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.” http://www.carols.org.uk/auld_lang_syne_song.htm
[3] In Your infinite justice, please grant us Your infinite mercy. Amen.
[4] “O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Your mercy. Amen.”
[5] Perhaps there is still time. Lord, please grant me the vision and the voice, the courage and the confidence, the strength and the stamina to do Your will. Amen.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Reflections Of Christmas 2011
What is Christmas?
Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, Jesus, the Son of God. He was born from the womb of Mary, the Virgin Mother, and in humility, among stable animals that would one day be slaughtered and fed to nourish the body, and He, paralleling their humble fate, too, would one day be crucified and fed, but to nourish the spirit.
Christmas is a season to be thankful for the gift of God, His Son, who walked on the same earth that we walk on, walked into history that we live with and showed us the way to eternal peace that some have rejected and others are struggling to follow.
Christmas is a season to admire the obedience and humility of Mary, the Virgin Mother, who accepted fully the shame of an unwed and pregnant mother to bear the blessed fruit of her womb, and the obedience and humility of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, who took the already-conceived Mary as his spouse.
Christmas is a season to think of the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, when they all took part in the greatest miracle of all, the virgin birth of Jesus, the Son of God. It was the God, the Father of humankind, Who willed His Son to be man, Who willed Mary, the Virgin Mother, to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and Who willed Jesus to be born.
Christmas is a season to think of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the human daughter of God, the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the mother of God's Son, Jesus.
Christmas is a time to listen to Christmas carols. “O Holy Night” sung by Leontyne Price and recorded circa 1961 with Herbert von Karajan is a heart-felt performance that makes my eyes well up. In this recording, Ms Leontyne Price’s immortalized voice is spatially limitless and spiritually uplifting. Hear it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8g5cpNUzyY&feature=related.
Above all, Christmas is taking time off from all the shopping, traveling, eating, drinking and partying to say a prayer of gratitude that Jesus has come so that each of us can feel safe even in the most scared, lonely and painful of times because He is here to help.
Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, Jesus, the Son of God. He was born from the womb of Mary, the Virgin Mother, and in humility, among stable animals that would one day be slaughtered and fed to nourish the body, and He, paralleling their humble fate, too, would one day be crucified and fed, but to nourish the spirit.
Christmas is a season to be thankful for the gift of God, His Son, who walked on the same earth that we walk on, walked into history that we live with and showed us the way to eternal peace that some have rejected and others are struggling to follow.
Christmas is a season to admire the obedience and humility of Mary, the Virgin Mother, who accepted fully the shame of an unwed and pregnant mother to bear the blessed fruit of her womb, and the obedience and humility of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, who took the already-conceived Mary as his spouse.
Christmas is a season to think of the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, when they all took part in the greatest miracle of all, the virgin birth of Jesus, the Son of God. It was the God, the Father of humankind, Who willed His Son to be man, Who willed Mary, the Virgin Mother, to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and Who willed Jesus to be born.
Christmas is a season to think of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the human daughter of God, the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the mother of God's Son, Jesus.
Christmas is a time to listen to Christmas carols. “O Holy Night” sung by Leontyne Price and recorded circa 1961 with Herbert von Karajan is a heart-felt performance that makes my eyes well up. In this recording, Ms Leontyne Price’s immortalized voice is spatially limitless and spiritually uplifting. Hear it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8g5cpNUzyY&feature=related.
Above all, Christmas is taking time off from all the shopping, traveling, eating, drinking and partying to say a prayer of gratitude that Jesus has come so that each of us can feel safe even in the most scared, lonely and painful of times because He is here to help.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Poverty & Redistributing Wealth
Pope Benedict XVI Wants What?
This is truly funny for me. No sooner than just a few days ago when I posted an entry on poverty, this headline: “Pope Benedict Peace Message Calls For Wealth Redistribution” shows up at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/pope-benedict-wealth-distribution_n_1154798.html?icid=maing-grid7|maing7|dl1|sec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D121064. The first three paragraphs read: “VATICAN CITY (RNS) Noting a ‘rising sense of frustration’ at the worldwide economic recession, Pope Benedict XVI said that a more just and peaceful world requires ‘adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth.’
"The pope's words appeared in his message for the World Day of Peace 2012, released on Friday (Dec. 16) at the Vatican.
"The message laments that ‘some currents of modern culture, built upon rationalist and individualist economic principles, have cut off the concept of justice from its transcendent roots, detaching it from charity and solidarity.’" Ibid.
Perhaps the Pope himself is detached from the core of Catholicism and in desperate need of continuing education on the vow of poverty, Francis of Assisi, Holy Poverty and religious hypocrisy.
This is truly funny for me. No sooner than just a few days ago when I posted an entry on poverty, this headline: “Pope Benedict Peace Message Calls For Wealth Redistribution” shows up at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/pope-benedict-wealth-distribution_n_1154798.html?icid=maing-grid7|maing7|dl1|sec3_lnk3%26pLid%3D121064. The first three paragraphs read: “VATICAN CITY (RNS) Noting a ‘rising sense of frustration’ at the worldwide economic recession, Pope Benedict XVI said that a more just and peaceful world requires ‘adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth.’
"The pope's words appeared in his message for the World Day of Peace 2012, released on Friday (Dec. 16) at the Vatican.
"The message laments that ‘some currents of modern culture, built upon rationalist and individualist economic principles, have cut off the concept of justice from its transcendent roots, detaching it from charity and solidarity.’" Ibid.
Perhaps the Pope himself is detached from the core of Catholicism and in desperate need of continuing education on the vow of poverty, Francis of Assisi, Holy Poverty and religious hypocrisy.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Holy Poverty & Avarice
I have wanted to write about poverty for quite some time but after reading the passage quoted below, I no longer feel the need to for the subject had already been written on and far more eloquently and succinctly than I ever could.
The topic of poverty is particularly apropos during the Christmas season when we are being reminded of those who are poor and deserve to have the things they cannot afford. While we must not forget about those who are suffering financially, it is also important to realize that society is continually brainwashing us into believing falsely that satisfaction or happiness can be had by possession of new toys or the latest electronic gadgets and that sin and guilt can be washed away by donations.
Below is an excerpt from “The Evening Sermon on Saint Francis Preached at Paris, October 4, 1262” by Saint Bonaventure:
“As the heavens are arranged in spheres of high, higher, and highest heavens, so there is a poverty borne in patience that is good, a poverty that is desired and longed for which is better, and poverty embraced with joy in which a person glories and rejoices, which is best of all. Poverty, therefore, is the reason why a person can be likened to the heavens, because it leads to the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poverty excludes those who do not love it, or who malign it, from the kingdom of heaven, as Scripture says: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, that is, for a rich man who has set his heart on riches and placed his trust in them. Avarice drags a person down because those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. Take note that avarice casts a person into the depths. Poverty, on the other hand, uplifts a person to the state of heavenly life and, above all, that poverty in which a person glorifies and rejoices.” Emphasis original.
Bibliography:
Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume II, The Founder. Pages 718, 722. New York: New York City Press, 2000.
The topic of poverty is particularly apropos during the Christmas season when we are being reminded of those who are poor and deserve to have the things they cannot afford. While we must not forget about those who are suffering financially, it is also important to realize that society is continually brainwashing us into believing falsely that satisfaction or happiness can be had by possession of new toys or the latest electronic gadgets and that sin and guilt can be washed away by donations.
Below is an excerpt from “The Evening Sermon on Saint Francis Preached at Paris, October 4, 1262” by Saint Bonaventure:
“As the heavens are arranged in spheres of high, higher, and highest heavens, so there is a poverty borne in patience that is good, a poverty that is desired and longed for which is better, and poverty embraced with joy in which a person glories and rejoices, which is best of all. Poverty, therefore, is the reason why a person can be likened to the heavens, because it leads to the kingdom of heaven. Our Lord says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poverty excludes those who do not love it, or who malign it, from the kingdom of heaven, as Scripture says: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, that is, for a rich man who has set his heart on riches and placed his trust in them. Avarice drags a person down because those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. Take note that avarice casts a person into the depths. Poverty, on the other hand, uplifts a person to the state of heavenly life and, above all, that poverty in which a person glorifies and rejoices.” Emphasis original.
Bibliography:
Armstrong, Regis J. O.F.M. Cap. et.al. Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, Volume II, The Founder. Pages 718, 722. New York: New York City Press, 2000.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Used Drone On Display In Iran
Impeccably cleaned and shiny with damages artfully covered up, a downed US drone is on display in Iran. See it at http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=I06OmspZlMQ. Like seasoned used cars dealers, the Iranians are showing off its inventory in the best light possible.
Here is a comment on the same youtube page that is pretty funny: "I bet there[']s an international auction going on right now. Chinese factories will soon be knocking these out for $200. Dubwise78"
Here is a comment on the same youtube page that is pretty funny: "I bet there[']s an international auction going on right now. Chinese factories will soon be knocking these out for $200. Dubwise78"
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Blessings In Disguise -- The US And The EU Debt Crises
While I believe it is legitimate to blame the debt crises on leadership incompetence and societal lethargy, pork-barrel spending and unrealistic entitlements, I also think that the current global economic slowdown is a temporary blessing. The alternate extreme is a race to own the last bits of natural resources left on this planet leading to an ultimate world war. It will be at the last moment that the arrogant in life will show their cowardice and the poor in spirit will finally have true peace. But it does not have to end this way. There is hope that this human race still has time to restore a symbiotic relationship with this planet and with one another but human nature does not usually change quickly or quickly enough to bring about a truly civilized world until it is too late.
Will Obama Start A War With Iran?
@realDonaldTrump tweeted on November 29, 2011, “In order to get elected, @BarackObama will start a war with Iran.” Although I am not always in agreement with Donald Trump, this was a statement that I feared would come true and with which I reluctantly concurred.
Today “U.S. military officials have confirmed with NBC News and The Washington Post that the American drone recovered by Iran last Thursday was an advanced RQ-170 drone flying on a secret CIA mission,” see http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/12/what-iran-can-learn-cias-fallen-drone/45795/.
In the last few days there had been articles online saying that Obama had planned to send troop into Iran to recover the fallen drone but that the Iranians had already taken it. Were that to happen and US troops to be shot dead by Iranian soldiers during the recovery process, there would be an uproar and a war with Iran would almost be a certainty.
When Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday, November 29, and made his strong allegation, he must have already known about the drone. Perhaps Obama jettisoned the drone because Trump's allegation, whether true or not, hit too close to heart.
In the international arena, I thought GW Bush was scary and Obama saintly. I am so naive.
Today “U.S. military officials have confirmed with NBC News and The Washington Post that the American drone recovered by Iran last Thursday was an advanced RQ-170 drone flying on a secret CIA mission,” see http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/12/what-iran-can-learn-cias-fallen-drone/45795/.
In the last few days there had been articles online saying that Obama had planned to send troop into Iran to recover the fallen drone but that the Iranians had already taken it. Were that to happen and US troops to be shot dead by Iranian soldiers during the recovery process, there would be an uproar and a war with Iran would almost be a certainty.
When Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday, November 29, and made his strong allegation, he must have already known about the drone. Perhaps Obama jettisoned the drone because Trump's allegation, whether true or not, hit too close to heart.
In the international arena, I thought GW Bush was scary and Obama saintly. I am so naive.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Big Black Holes
UC Berkeley astronomers found two black holes, the largest yet discovered, each one measuring 10 billion times bigger than Earth’s sun. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/05/black-hole-scientists-discover-huge_n_1129727.html?ncid=webmail1.
Interesting. Now what? Or should the question be “so what?”
To be more productive, perhaps they should look for one 15 trillion bigger than the sun to absorb the $15 trillion US debt and another just slightly smaller to contain the EU debt.
Interesting. Now what? Or should the question be “so what?”
To be more productive, perhaps they should look for one 15 trillion bigger than the sun to absorb the $15 trillion US debt and another just slightly smaller to contain the EU debt.
Ferrari Pile-up In Japan
"Police and video reports say the wreck began when a 60-year-old businessman from Fukushima driving a Ferrari F430 attempted to pass a Toyota Prius, but instead hit the guardrail. That set off a chain reaction among the cars driving in a tight formation behind the lead Ferrari, eventually wrapping up seven other Ferraris — namely a 360 Modena, F355 and a white Testarossa — along with a Lamborghini Diablo and a couple of high-end Mercedes," see http://autos.yahoo.com/news/eight-ferraris-wrecked-in-million-dollar-pileup-.html.
Too bad there is not a live footage showing an uncoordinated 60 year-old geezer racing an outdated and likely poorly maintained Ferrari F430 (likely older than 60 in car-years) hit a guardrail when passing a Prius and causing a pile up of old sport cars probably also driven by his other uncoordinated geezer buddies. LOL!! Possibly having been exposed to a dose or two of radiation from the equally poorly maintained Fukushima nuclear plants did not help.
Update:
12/30/2011 - I am not proud of this entry but have decided to leave it published for readers to see the ugly side of me when I am in a punchy mood and being stupid (not that my ugly side is not already apparent). 1:40 AM
Too bad there is not a live footage showing an uncoordinated 60 year-old geezer racing an outdated and likely poorly maintained Ferrari F430 (likely older than 60 in car-years) hit a guardrail when passing a Prius and causing a pile up of old sport cars probably also driven by his other uncoordinated geezer buddies. LOL!! Possibly having been exposed to a dose or two of radiation from the equally poorly maintained Fukushima nuclear plants did not help.
Update:
12/30/2011 - I am not proud of this entry but have decided to leave it published for readers to see the ugly side of me when I am in a punchy mood and being stupid (not that my ugly side is not already apparent). 1:40 AM
Tax The Rich - Sounds Good But Does It Really Work?
According to an article entitled “The World’s Billionaires” by Forbes, “[t]his year's list broke records in size (1,210 billionaires) and total net worth ($4.5 trillion),” see http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires. Taking away all their wealth would not pay off America’s debt of $15 trillion. Add to that “the combined net worth of the 400 wealthiest Americans, as measured by Forbes magazine, was $1.5 trillion; and the combined net worth of the poorer 50 percent of American households was $1.6 trillion,” see http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/mar/10/michael-moore/michael-moore-says-400-americans-have-more-wealth-/, the total would be less than $7.6 trillion (after subtracting out the wealth of American billionaires including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, the Waltons, the Koch brothers, the Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, etc. to avoid double-counting) which is less than half of the nation’s debt. So even if the government confiscates the wealth of everyone person in the entire USA and the wealth of the rest of the world's billionaires, it would still be broke.
Tax the rich is a cheap battle cry for the bitter, black-hearted bohemians. If they are truly holy, let them follow the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi and live an exemplary life of Holy Poverty rather than the life of someone wholly hypocritical.
Tax the rich is a cheap battle cry for the bitter, black-hearted bohemians. If they are truly holy, let them follow the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi and live an exemplary life of Holy Poverty rather than the life of someone wholly hypocritical.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Change
When Obama spoke of change, I had no idea he meant that I was going to change from a liberal to a libertarian.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
McDonalds Humiliates San Francisco
Under its police power, the City and County of San Francisco passed an ordinance that prohibits restaurants from including a free toy with its meals unless they have less than 600 calories, contain fruits and vegetables and include a beverage that is not too sweet or fattening. This ordinance is to prevent McDonalds from luring kids into buying and eating its high caloric Happy Meal to obtain a Happy Meal Toy since these Happy Meals toys are not only cute, but some have also become collectibles.
Since a low-calorie meal with fruits and vegetables and a vapid drink would not likely sell with or without a toy, McDonalds is unable to comply with this new, intellectually-crafted ordinance and still turn a profit. Instead, it neutered the law by offering the consumer a choice starting today to purchase a Happy Meal Toy separately from a Happy Meal for a dime with the dime going toward Ronald McDonald House children charity on the condition that a Happy Meal Toy can only be purchased with the purchase of a Happy Meal. This is a win-win for McDonalds and its charity.
This is also a win for parents who can use the opportunity to educate their kids that while they have the fortune to afford a McDonalds Happy Meal and purchase a toy along with it, there are kids who are unable to afford such a luxury.
Legally, this is also a win for the commerce clause and its supremacy over certain state activities unless of course the City and County of San Francisco, its mayor and its supervisors take McDonalds to court to see who is more powerful economically and intellectually and more constitutionally American and wins. That is a case I would like to see filed and go all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, it would not happen. “Eric Mar, the San Francisco supervisor who sponsored the ordinance, called the 10-cent charge a ‘marketing ploy,’ but said he doesn't plan to make any changes in the ordinance to address the tactic.
“The goal of the law was not to micromanage fast-food chains but to raise awareness about the nutritional content of the food, he said.” See http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/1201/McDonald-s-skirts-Happy-Meal-law-by-charging-10-cents-for-toys
I wonder if there will be another law written to ban free fortune cookies that are handed out to consumers who purchase food at restaurants that sell unhealthfully greasy and overly salty foods so that they would be made aware of the risks of obesity and heart failure.
Since a low-calorie meal with fruits and vegetables and a vapid drink would not likely sell with or without a toy, McDonalds is unable to comply with this new, intellectually-crafted ordinance and still turn a profit. Instead, it neutered the law by offering the consumer a choice starting today to purchase a Happy Meal Toy separately from a Happy Meal for a dime with the dime going toward Ronald McDonald House children charity on the condition that a Happy Meal Toy can only be purchased with the purchase of a Happy Meal. This is a win-win for McDonalds and its charity.
This is also a win for parents who can use the opportunity to educate their kids that while they have the fortune to afford a McDonalds Happy Meal and purchase a toy along with it, there are kids who are unable to afford such a luxury.
Legally, this is also a win for the commerce clause and its supremacy over certain state activities unless of course the City and County of San Francisco, its mayor and its supervisors take McDonalds to court to see who is more powerful economically and intellectually and more constitutionally American and wins. That is a case I would like to see filed and go all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, it would not happen. “Eric Mar, the San Francisco supervisor who sponsored the ordinance, called the 10-cent charge a ‘marketing ploy,’ but said he doesn't plan to make any changes in the ordinance to address the tactic.
“The goal of the law was not to micromanage fast-food chains but to raise awareness about the nutritional content of the food, he said.” See http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/1201/McDonald-s-skirts-Happy-Meal-law-by-charging-10-cents-for-toys
I wonder if there will be another law written to ban free fortune cookies that are handed out to consumers who purchase food at restaurants that sell unhealthfully greasy and overly salty foods so that they would be made aware of the risks of obesity and heart failure.
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