It's in the pursuit of one thousand days Thing

Dear America,

Happiness

   

Happiness is the realisation 

of God in the heart.  

Happiness is the result 

of praise and thanksgiving, 

of faith, of acceptance; 

a quiet, tranquil realisation

 of the love of God.  

This brings to the soul 

perfect and indescribable happiness.  

God is happiness.

The Quiet Mind

White Eagle

this morning begins with a quote from the last page of The Quiet Mind.

Happy Mother's Day

Being excited about the day itself -- reaching the pinnacle of one thousand blogs -- my deliriously happy heart went to bed marinating on this very thought...and was just hoping that the morning would find me in the very same place.   And it did.

and just as the universe works, in the natural -- while in my corner, in the company of my coffee and that strapping and ever faithful eucalyptus tree of mine -- I summoned my little book of days, the clever collection of questions, Q & A a Day.  Lo and behold, the question this morning was "What are you exploring?"  to which I happened to have replied, without skipping a beat: "Happiness in all forms."

It didn't occur to me, until the moment I sat at my desk, just how much impact the Happiness quote -- the one laid to rest in my mind the night before --  had made on my psyche.  But there it was, in pretty pink ink swirled across the page...the exploration of happiness front and center, as if coming from the wisdom of the heavens.

Happiness -- that thing in which I give this very day -- means something different in all of us.

The thing is -- all I can do is wonder, just why our founders spelled it out, just so specifically, almost categorically...

"We hold these truths 

to be self-evident, 

that all men are created equal, 

that they are endowed by their Creator 

with certain unalienable Rights,

 that among these are, 

Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

indeed --  endowed by their Creator

For it was, in fact, Nature's Law,
and Nature's God --
when in the course of human events -- 
that gave them license, the empowerment, to separate from the British Crown in the first place.

Happiness is capitalized, as if of principal importance.

And yet, as we've noted probably a thousand times before, this Happiness is neither guaranteed nor promised by way of this declaration, or by way of one's Life, or even one's Liberty -- it is the explicit fruit of one's pursuit.

The brilliance of this seems almost too impossible to put into words, really.

But, really, why did they even mention this Happiness at all?

What did they mean by it?

And given our opening quotation from White Eagle -- was this kind of Happiness echoing the same kind of Happiness as our founders, or vice versa?

With regard to this pursuit of Happiness, could the answer be so simple:  Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance; a quiet, tranquil realisation of the love of God. 

maybe...

Our founders' wisdom came from all points of Light, of Life, of History, of Civilization, of Religion, of Government.  That was the beauty of it.  America's very presence in the world came from the world itself, as if it were an act of God.  We were birthed into existence, with significance, for a reason, from men of reason and enlightenment of the ages.

Our founders recognized the dismal life, a life under the control of the Church of England, the British Crown.  And we, the people, were over it already.

So to how to phrase this mighty fight against the Brits, in a way that makes the common man want to jump in, risking life and limb and whatever liberty they were presently enjoying...and bear arms until the war was won.

Hey, guys, any of you wish to find any Happiness in Life, like, ever?  Anyone?

oh this thing called Happiness...
what a powerful force it is.

In some ways, there may be a pretty good argument on behalf of this pursuit thereof, getting the best of us these days.  am I right?  This thing called Happiness carries the power to destroy many a civilizations over the ages.  there is that.

there's even a Facebook page in its honor:  Happiness Is.


And not to be a debbie-downer, but perhaps we should all be a little more mindful when it comes to pursuing our Happiness, no?

so leading me into the end of this day, and to follow along on a theme of the last couple days, I must say that I am slowly discovering just how simple I am these days, when it comes to things that make me happy...

happiness is a hot bath with a spot of whisky on a Sunday afternoon

happiness is a jelly donut brought to me just this morning on what might as well have been a silver platter

happiness is giving back to the community, with my time, and attention, and through the amazing works of the Daughters of the American Revolution

happiness is having a beautiful relationship with both my mom and my girl, celebrating the uniqueness of our generations, personalities, and family ties, completely and unwavering

happiness is the wealth of manhood that surrounds me -- from my own father, to my man xx, to his boys -- and the sense of earthy security they give me, deep in my heart and soul; so much so, that I easily burst into tears at the very realisation of how lucky one girl can be.  like, right now.

happiness is being an American girl
happiness is writing this Day in the Life of an American Girl

but the highest of all Happiness-es is the knowing, the realisation,  from where it all comes.

This girl is a child of the Most High God, and from here all blessings and Happiness flow.

thank you, God,
and just like the last 999, this one's for YOU.

ONE THOUSAND B's to the G power.

Thank you, God
Thank you, God

this day, this Mother's Day, is in honor of our Creator, the same Creator our founders had in mind, so very long ago.  and may this kind of Happiness be with you, too.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's Just a Day for Small Revelations Thing

Dear America,

we begin another week with devastation at our feet; the sheer might, the magnificent path of terror, reveals how truly vulnerable we are to mother nature.

by the end of the day, as America watched first responders pull children from the rubble, all the rest of us could really do was pray for Moore.   Moore, Oklahoma.

Just how does Moore -- a population of roughly 55,000 --  recover when left with nearly nothing remotely close to a town, a community, a village with stores, and schools, and restaurants, and everything else we can't live without?

It is in this moment that little old g thing returns to a message from Sunday's Joel Osteen.  Osteen devoted the morning sermon to holding the vision -- that nothing good comes from a defeatist attitude.  But more than that, we must remain diligent, and vigilant, playing an active role in the making of our goals, large or small, come to life.  But even more than that, we must anchor this vigilance in faith, trusting in the Divine Providence lighting the way, feeding our soul, sustaining our every move with the proper mix of humility, grace, gratitude, and spirit of transcendence and perseverance.

But even more than all that, Osteen recommended that we literally hold the vision in our hands, see it, feel it, give life to it -- cut out a picture of that new body and hang it on the fridge, make a collage of the family homestead of our dreams.  He impressed upon us the pure necessity of instilling the impression mechanism deep within our being like planting a seed; that by placing this deep, spiritually incarnate, motivating, enduring through thick and thin lasting impression, we basically make known to the unknown: this is what we want for ourselves, for our family, for our community, for our country.

Much like the quote of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

 "Whatever you do,

or dream you can,

begin it.

Boldness has genius

and power

and magic in it."

Indeed.

Strikingly, Osteen reminded us that 'anything that is seen is temporary, subject to change'  -- and instantly, Moore becomes a rather poignant, horrific example.  But to better understand the context and intention -- Osteen included this thought to convince us that we can change our circumstances, our experiences, our lives for the better.   Life in the natural can not only lean upon the Unseen -- life in the natural, as a matter of record,  is dependent upon It.

Sometime during the message, little g scribbled on her notepad, Proverbs 29:18.  So returning to The Good Book this morning, this is how it reads:

 "Where there is no revelation,

the people cast off restraint;

 but blessed is he who keeps the law."

oh but G, where are going with all this, huh?

yeah,
duly noted.

Getting there.

Patience is a virtue, you know...

I got to hear Glenn Beck for about fifteen minutes this morning as I was taking my girl to school.  In that fifteen, Beck was relaying the twitter brigade out in full force throughout the night just as he was traveling to the epicenter of disaster with his crew.  Let's just say, the comments were of the Unkind kind, poking fun at the Bible belt being thoroughly belted with God's wrath.

And Beck was like, geeze, what the $%&@ --- is this where we are at?  Really?

Which forced G to return to Proverbs for back up --

"Many seek an audience

with a ruler,

but it is from the Lord

that man gets justice."

Proverbs 29:26

"Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield

to those who take refuge in him. 

Do not add to his words,

 or he will rebuke you and

 prove you a liar."

Proverbs 30:5

We are clearly at an age in America, where God is being replaced, rebuked even.

No longer are we a nation living Under God, but a nation mocking those who believe in God, and self-righteously ridiculing the religious lot holding up the middle of America. 

While that's not all -- what began with maybe the very moment we took a moment of silence for prayer out of public schools has evolved into an all out assault against religion -- specifically, the Judeo-Christian foundation this nation was made.

• Prayer beginning government meetings are being challenged in court.  See here.  Which is funny, considering anyone in the town can step up to offer the day's prayer -- how can the town help it if those who step up happen to shape the prayer following the teachings of Christianity?   It's called the "free exercise thereof,"  in motion!   Hello!

• Religious beliefs have been ambushed and thoroughly trampled upon by the latest entitlement program known as Obamacare.

• President Obama simply leaves out thanking God during his weekly address  -- the week of Thanksgiving, of all things.  Upon Inauguration Day, the invocation for Obama leaves out "under God,"  see here.  While the recognition of being fully "endowed by our Creator" is left out all the time nowadays -- no need for back up there, just pay attention and listen once in awhile.

Our humanity is showing in Oklahoma, and everywhere.

Alarms are blaring, people.  

Radical change is transforming the way we think, the way we act, the way we respond by the root.

[Another perfect example of this -- is the targeting of Conservative Groups in the Seen.  The silencing of opposition in the press, being the second.]

Whether it is the Great Progressives of the Early 20th Century, the Great Depression, the Great Devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Sandy or the tornadoes of Oklahoma shattering the earth's record with 200 mile/hour winds, or the Great Recession of today  --- "where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law."  Dare I say, our spiritual lives are experiencing a great, tumultuous, recess.

Is there a correlation to all the madness?  Is there a real, life-sustaining connection between the Seen and the Unseen?  Just a girl says there Is.

Good People require a Good Dose of God -- so stop making fun of us! 
And surely as it is written in the words "free exercise thereof" --  we may practice as we please, as we see fit, as we choose, or not at all.  But as a whole --  the collective, as the Left loves to call it --  it is our duty as a people to leave the impression upon every generation that there is a God and Divine Providence still rules, or we can continue to take our chances.  [It's kinda like  Powerball, only kicked up a notch.]

Make it a Good Day, G

 

It's About One Good Thing

Dear America,

so Africa has lots of roads and bridges;

Cuba has a military;

even Egypt gets the Internet (just remember how that Arab Spring spread?);

for goodness sakes, the people of Iran posted crazy scary videos....on the Internet...when they were crying for help from the leader of the free world.

What, pray tell, is the difference?

What separates America from all of these places?  How did America create the environment to grow wealth for every living breathing soul with an ambition, to pursue their own happiness?

It's certainly not the infrastructure, provided by our government (paid for by us, the taxpayers).

Hardly.

Everything America has become we owe to Something far greater than government.

Our success was earned -- every penny of it -- through the vehicle of capitalism working within and around a free market by the grace of God, our Creator.

At the risk of repeating myself, of course, Mr. President, we are indebted to Something -- and it sure ain't the government.  

Whether one chooses to accept it as their truth, or not, everything that we are -- individually and collectively -- is built upon a foundation that truly believes in our heart of hearts "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

It's not a talking point.

These words have carried the power and the might to lift all people in this fine nation to aspire for making the greatest of achievements, experience the greatest of wealth, creating the greatest humanitarians and champions for democracy in the entire world.

Nowhere in the world comes anything close....which, not surprisingly, is why other people do anything and everything to get here.

Listening to Mike Slater again this morning, I am humbled by the realization of just how great the mistakes we have made as a people, all together.   Trying my best to paraphrase, as I only caught about ten minutes of a much longer conversation, the gist of it was this:

that we, the people, have allowed the government to usurp the moral responsibility of taking care of our own.  And  subsequently, we, as a people, have left to the government to do the work that in the 'olden days' made us better people; basically, what we have done to ourselves is  "OUTSOURCED" our moral duty to each other --  allowing for the unconscionable growth of entitlements and government dependency -- and thereby greatly adding to our debt we can no longer afford -- and all the while, chipping away at the personal connection, releasing the individual from any real or perceived moral mandate and obligation.

And this downturn doesn't stop there, for we have traveled so far away from our moral obligations -- to each other and ourselves -- that we no longer acknowledge, let alone respect, from where this stirring even comes.

We owe everything to our Creator -- whether it is our voice, our athleticism, our smarts, our aspirations, our character, our gifts, our talents...to our roads, bridges, airplanes, the Internet, and any and all other flights of fancy and feats of engineering.... to our founders, our system of government, our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our Rule of Law, our People of Character... our beautiful Republic -- all of it comes from our Creator.

Sure, Mr. President, we owe much of our success to the people and opportunities and roads  which touch our lives -- whether they be positive or negative; it all grows into our character contributing to the kind of person we ultimately become, illuminating the very thing that separates the wheat from the shaft, deeply rooting us into all the things worth remembering, keeping, respecting, and honoring as we build a business and create a life all in the pursuit of Happiness.

Good people create good business, a simple principle that withstands the test of time.

Good people creating good business, under God -- only allowing for the intrusion of a small, limited good government -- characterizes America's first intention, and all in all bringing it down to the only thing that really matters right about now.

 I have nothing more to say today.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Meet your Maker Thing

Dear America,

Things, they are a'changin'...

and on that note, on this happy friday, may you consider yourself properly forewarned -- as my inner church lady is beggin' to have the floor.

First, from one of my favorite days -- in reverence to Lady Context, of course -- read G from March 2010.

This year, the Jewish Festival Tisha B'av begins on July 19th through August 9th, and like every year, includes the full reading of the Book of Lamentations within the Jewish community; the book, likely written by Jeremiah -- however, for the record, it, to this day, cannot be directly linked to anyone's hand -- is a poem lamenting the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army and King Nebuchadnezzer, in 586 B.C.  For more on the day, you can go here, for starters.  But to keep things flowing, let us move on...


This is the scene:

"The roads to Zion mourn...

Her foes have become her masters; 

her enemies are at ease.  

The Lord has brought her grief 

because of her many sins.  

Her children have gone into exile, 

captive before the foe.  

All the splendor has departed..."

Make no mistake, the gravity of this book of the Bible is huge; it rests in a simple truth -- that God keeps His promises -- God responds to us like a loving father.  Yes, it is true, He loves us unconditionally, for we are made in his image and it is good (usually); but when we break away from Him, it works the same way.  There comes a time for judgment, as in there really is a time for every season under heaven.

Jerusalem fell; and fell badly.  And they did it to themselves.

Now, just so you know, the prophet, Jeremiah, saw it coming.  He warned the Israelites to wise up, to straighten out and fly right; but they ignored it, continuing down the path of destruction, hardly believing that ultimately there would be consequences. 

The thing is, to be people of faith, we actually have to ACT like people of faith. [go back to the last couple of days featuring William Wilberforce]  And sometimes, when we stray too far away from the principles, the firm foundation from which we gain our strength and good character, all a father can do is allow for a pure 'meet your maker' kind of moment to take over.

America is experiencing this Meet your Maker moment everywhere we turn -- Debt Ceiling Debate, Balanced Budget, Overspending on Entitlements, liberal indoctrination of our children, living indebted to other nations, lawlessness within our own government, unethical representatives, an administration hell bent on creating Class Warfare and spinning America into chaos...only to name a few.

But the greatest fall comes with our unprecedented cultural decline from living our lives from... through... by...for... the Grace of God; through and through, as a people, we are falling and failing God in every way. 

The final words of Lamentations (Jeremiah) leave us on our knees:

"You, O Lord, reign forever; 

your throne endures from generation 

to generation.  

Why do you always forget us? 

Why do you forsake us so long?  

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we 

may return; 

renew our days as of old 

unless you have utterly rejected us 

and are angry with us beyond measure."

Make no mistake; It is a God who responds to us--  while to be sure, He answers to many names. Which is why our founders often referred to "It" as our Creator; for the word God IS magical, creative, natural; It can be anything we want It to be.  And just to keep the atheists from having a coronary this happy friday morn, let me say this:  you do not have to believe in God to talk about God (just like you do not have to believe in global warming to have an opinion on it and be part of the discussion); just because you give God no power over you, doesn't mean It doesn't dwell all around you.

IT. God.  IS.  It is the creative life force back of all things seen and unseen as according to your own beliefs. And, to be a non-believer of such Greatness, Omnipotence, clearly puts you in a huge minority,  no matter where you live around the globe.  It is just a fact.  But let's not dwell, shall we...

William Wilberforce followed the path much like a certain prophet, Jeremiah.  He gave his fellow countrymen a fierce warning, relying in whole, or in part, of his fellow man to be of good conscience in every way, to live by an authentic faith,  to restore a real Christianity actively demonstrating in their lives.

"The path they are now pursuing

is not the one made 

by the work of Christ 

and will not lead them to the life 

they are desiring 

nor the peace for which they crave."  

Wilberforce, 1797 A.D.

And here we are today, on a happy friday in July, in the year of our Lord, two thousand and eleven.

And so what brought this stark Meet your Maker experience through the eyes of this American girl upon this happy friday morning?  An alert sent to me in my email...


As a nation, we need to be well aware that MAN does not SAVE or CREATE anything (including jobs).  The source of all that man is -- everything that man can be, do, or have --  comes from One Creative Life Force (whether you are in agreement with it or not).

It is time to be on our knees "to renew our days as of old."  It is as simple as that.  We have royally &^%#'d up as a nation, as a people, as a keeper of the Peace that passes all understanding.

And that email...  It sent this happy little heart to this.

This is historic.
Whether we do a rain dance, kiss the Temple wall in Jerusalem, happen to show up at Reliant Stadium in Houston on August 6th, or simply bow our head and give thanks to the grace of God every day from here on out... let it be done.  Let it be done. For it is all good.
While it is only prudent to point out, history proves, we don't stand half a chance if we don't.

and hey, to my little inner Church Lady, you go girl...no really, it is time for you to go.

Make it a Good Day, G 


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Dear America,

happy monday.
it is a brand new week... the birdies are chirping... the fishy's are jumpin'...I just might sing me a round of Moon River on the steps of a fire escape, strumming my old guitar, before the day is done (and if you clicked Dear America you would get that)... for Congress has just bought themselves another week of life!  It's a good thing.

And yet, there was something off with the first whispers from the president immediately after the announcement of a deal on Friday night (or was it Saturday morning).  He said "I normally wouldn't be in favor of these sort of spending cuts" ... [and carried on anyway, almost begrudgingly... saying "but we have to"...ho hum...heavy sigh later... "we have to live within our means" now...]

You normally wouldn't be in favor?  ...of little... puny...hardly making a dent...less than 2% of the budget...spending cuts?  seriously?  what is going to happen over the course of the discussion about the 2012 budget, the upcoming debt ceiling debate, or your overall response of the insistence by 'we the people' to return our government to responsible fiscal policy? and going back to our questions of just last week -- what about your campaign promises to go "line by line" and ultimately "halve the deficit before the end of your first term" (instead of quadrupling it)?  You say you "normally wouldn't be in favor of these sort of spending cuts"...um, just what would the conditions need to look like for you to abnormally be in favor of it (if that even gets us any closer)?

but let's not dwell, shall we.
it's spring time by golly.

So, in light of my american girl diary being abruptly hijacked with the hi-jinx of congress all last week, I certainly don't want to dwell on the past any more than I have to; what's done is done; what is left undone, is yet to be done -- or will never get done; what's undone and broken is now a matter of record -- and how.  History will decide, as they say.

This week officially begins 'spring break' for me and my girl. And I very much intend to move forward looking forward...in every way.

And proving the magnificence of the universe (again) -- because there are no accidents -- just the right stuff arrived fresh and flirty in my Saturday's mail to help me along (of course, a certain William McGurn might find that context a wee bit odd).  But pour me a scotch and light my ciggy anyway, I do believe a little spring forward is overflowing with possibility with ah, how do you say, a certain je ne sais quoi now that I have something truly tantalizing in front of me.  Oh darling, move over Holly Golightly, "dismal science" is so yesterday.

A Publication of Hillsdale College, the Imprimis, has arrived: "The Not so Dismal Science: Humanitarians v. Economists" is an adaptation from a speech given March 3, 2011, presented by William McGurn, while at Hillsdale taking part of a two-week residency "as a distinguished visiting fellow in speech and journalism."

As he prepares his audience for the argument in store for them, he begins:

"...when it comes to seeing the potential in even the most desperate citizens of this earth, our economists, business leaders, and champions of a commercial republic are often far ahead of our progressives, artists, and humanitarians."

McGurn leads us through a number of windows in history, from slavery to population control to impoverished nations, from the economics side to the humanitarian supply side, from the civil war on through to the present, and for a second, all the way back to the book of Genesis.  He makes ample and abundant the relationship of sound economics when applied with the firm belief that "free men and free women can accomplish for themselves."

Building upon the cornerstones of our society, he reminds us of "the unalienable dignity and matchless potential in every human life...The book of Genesis tells us we possess this dignity because we have been fashioned in the image and likeness of our Creator.  Adam Smith told us that we are equal because we share the same human nature."

and adding an observation from a conference McGurn attended nearly a decade ago, he quotes Gary Becker saying, "I am struck by the similarity between the church's view of the relationship between family and the economy and the view of economists -- arrived at by totally independent means, Economic science and spiritual concerns appear to point in the same direction."

And making a strong close, McGurn gives us this:

"One does not have to be an economist to recognize that societies that open their markets are better fed, better housed, and offer better opportunities for upward mobility than societies that remain closed and bureaucratic. Nor does one have to be a religious believer to recognize that the source of all man's wealth has been just this: that he does not take the world as given, but uses his mind to find new and creative ways to take from the earth and add to its bounty. 

If, however, we do believe, can we really be surprised that the Almighty who created us in His image also bequeathed to us a world where we are most prosperous when we are most free?"

I am feeling so springy that I believe I'm beginning to feel, ah, how do you say, a wee bit woozy.   hiccup.

In the beginning, of America, a long, long time ago, the connection with our Creator wasn't necessarily out of an organized religious force, as something that we had to do, as perhaps a stipulation against our will or fancy, under the commandment of some kind of heavy handed, vengeful, mean God who just wanted to rule the world in conjunction with a power synonymous with government control.  No.  We purposefully aligned, as individuals, and together as a society, protected Under God, endowed by our Creator, because doing so opened our hearts and minds to the creative Life Force that is God, that is Love, that is Creative (just look around and this sort of Intelligence affirms It's Presence everywhere...in every tiny living breathing thing).

And as McGurn pointed out, we don't even have to believe, or follow, an organized religion to do it, to create; all things being equal, whether accepted as your Truth, or not, all people, of all walks of life, are fully equipped to tap into the Source and create something out of nothing (shhhh, we are even doing it unconsciously at times, shhhh).  

We do it following natural urges and inclinations, for better or for worse, because we are kinda free like that to do so (emphasis on "kinda"); it is purely our talents, our application, our ability to transcend the trappings of humanity that may test our souls and stifle our god given purpose with a vitality and passion that is uniquely "fashioned in the image and likeness of our Creator."  We, as human beings, tap into the very same Goodness and Godliness of the Creator Itself.

The thing is -- being at the start of this happy-go-lightly spring break from school and normal routine -- is that it has equally stirred my senses to think about our schools and normal routines just the same. (weird)

Unless attending a private school to which time is generally, if not specifically, allotted, NOT once in our children's day in the public school system is turned over to reflect on the Creative Life Force within, or without; not once.

No moment of silence.  No re-alignment with the Great Equalizer that can shape a life from a pea to a princess, a pauper to a king, a Lula Mae into a Holly Golightly (I know, I know, a strange twist and a stretch, but humor me, if you will).  But in this modern era, even though we are said to have "progressed" over time, we now create children only to send them off to school to have their God given life force snuffed right out of them, or simply ignored altogether, if not also, demonized and sent to the back of the class.

...because, heaven forbid, we try to teach them a moral conscience, a connection to mankind, the differences between good and evil, and the essence of the Creator itself planted deep within their soul, individually and collectively, and their inherent duty to live in relationship with It, whatever you want to call it...or even, for just a moment, THINK about just what It Is, and ponder It, question It, learn something from It.

yeah, heaven forbid we do that.

We used to teach these things -- back in the eighteen hundreds -- every day.  In addition to church on Sunday, our schools would teach our children through stories, like those captured in what became known as the McGuffey's Readers.  These books used fables and prose, poems and Bible verse, all to make a point:  to urge children to think, ponder, dwell upon the deeper questions and concerns we all have in common with being human.  And not only think about these things within themselves, but debate them with one another -- further allowing the creative life force to work It's magic through the classroom, and ultimately touching each and every child through osmosis, if nothing else.

Of course, McGuffey's Readers were not used everywhere, but when people joke about the olden days and only having an eighth grade education (yes, like the beginnings of certain Abraham Lincoln) they may not have considered how serious the studies were way back when...you know, back in the day. Some might even say, immediately following the age of enlightenment, came the age of what comes next -- how to best use this new found enlightenment in daily life for the betterment of the whole (taking into account economists and humanitarians alike, of course) while, not to mention, making striking advances for oneself.

From the author of Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach, came a companion book simply called, Something More.  In it, she makes an incredible claim saying, "We're not meant to fit in.  We're meant to stand out."  think about that!

And goes on to tell of a response to such a quandary for self-esteem from Marianne Williamson -- who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest New Age writer's of our day (especially during the 90's, when she was often on Oprah). Marianne laid things out like this:

"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  [But] actually, who are you NOT to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  [You] were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within [you]."

Adam Smith meet Marianne Williamson.

Yes!  Don't you just love that, "your playing small does not serve the world."  (and yet, if we get just one more charlie sheen...oi vay)

Our Judeo-Christian heritage, following the great escape from the Church of England, in order to create a more perfect union separating the church and state, had nothing to do with creating a separation from our Creator, nothing of the sort.  Whether authentically Christian, Jewish, or Deists, our founders connected to God as a Life Force, and a Life Force NOT intended to ever be separated.   For this creative principle is always beginning and never ending.  They believed in the manifestation of Divine Ideas through and through, and likewise, equally shared within each person, making it very easy to devise a system of government surrounded around freedom, liberty with as little government intervention as humanly possible (oops).

From the Science of Mind visionary, Ernest Holmes, "The profound thought of all ages has stood in awe of Life itself, realizing that here is a power and potentiality, the highest possibilities of which the human intellect cannot fathom.    Universal principles are never respecters of persons; the Universe has no favorites."  Another way to look at it, respective of the law that Thoughts are Things, is  -- what you think about expands...so be very, very careful of where your thought goes in the first place (but that we shall save for another day).

This is the stuff that we are made.  It is incredibly powerful -- while also wondrously fair. Our founders gave us the greatest gift ever by recognizing certain unalienable truths and principles  for all people -- for all free people, that is.  To be certain, societies falling under the unlimited, overzealous government umbrella, those perhaps deemed "closed and bureaucratic," fail to teach, and reach, potentialities and divine destiny every time.

While in one final argument, made by another stellar professorial type, Dr. Tibor Machan of The Daily Bell, reminds us how lucky are we that even our own morality, and choices thereof, must remain free to be or not to be (and perfect timing if I do say so myself... in my In Box.... just this morning....strange):

"It is impossible to do the  morally right thing at the point of a gun.  Coerced morality is a contradiction in terms.  Only when one does what is right or wrong voluntarily, of one's own free will or initiative, does it amount to something morally significant...But if one has a moral obligation to help one's unfortunate fellows, promote the arts, conserve resources, or guard against the destruction of ancient ruins – all of that and anything similar has to be undertaken voluntarily, not at gunpoint.  That's the nature of moral or ethical obligations and responsibilities."

exactly;  which is why the left (and right) cannot simply make it so by force through regulation by government commandments; which is why the education of our children must include simple discussions examining just that -- with no child left behind.

Our children require the tools to make up their own mind and construct the moral foundation from which they choose to live... creatively, abundantly, freely, in the pursuit of their own happiness...I mean, for goodness sakes, can't we at least talk about It?

Our children require time open for discussion -- giving ample time for real, deep, meaningful thought and debate to occur...so that maybe, one day, they too, "add to the bounty" of this great earth and not simply take things away. 

Our schools could be designed as miniature THINK TANKS for good, all over the country.  Not out of coercion, but from a place of learning, giving, for broadening horizons and even, "winning the future."  But a shutdown of the debate itself not only hinders our growth and expansion, but it suffocates even the tiniest possibilities to bud.  Our last hundred years took Spirit out of our schools and routines, may in the next, we bring It back.

At one time, we were all taught to tap into the Divine as if it were child's play, as if every day was like spring time. How on earth did we get here?  Think progress?

I think NOT.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

Happy Wednesday.

You know why 70% of our economy relies on consumer spending?  It's because, up until about high noon yesterday, we were a nation built upon wealth building in every facet, rain or shine, from sunrise to sunset; and then, only to awaken and get up and do it all over again the next morning.

But just what, pray tell, is messing with us these days?

Just what seems to be robbing us of our livelihoods right under our very noses, leaving a legacy of debt to our children, while extinguishing all hope of keeping to our common sense and sensibilities once more?  What in Sam Hill will bring this runaway train to a complete stop, safely and without further injury, I dare ask? 

Seems that with the age of Obama, enlightenment comes by way of redistribution, no skills necessary, neither labor nor aptitude required; as we give way to the lowest common denominator rule of outlaws, honed by progressives and socialists alike -- as we can't tell them apart anymore.  Yet it is this very nature, precisely, that runs counterproductive to the inherent philosophy of building America from the ground up, from bouncing baby to chief engineer and maker of one's life, and goes against everything our founders set forth to accomplish and protect.

How they must be rolling over in their graves, as they are set to witness a rally come 10-2-10 centered solely upon the collectivization of our dear country, capitalizing on the disparity between the haves and the have nots, and turning us into a nation that punishes wealth, promotes an entitlement society built not to contribute to but recklessly take, and squanders the abundance of our most precious resource, once made in America daily, our self-reliance. (for more on the ONE NATION rally...start by going to the Communist Party USA...and travel thru time and the links...crossing paths with Obama's Organizing for America...and you will get there, eventually -- for "we are all socialists now" according to Newsweek, under Obama rule)

As we brought up yesterday, The McGuffey Readers are an elevated collection of tools for proper use and deliverance of the English language, that turn the task of communication into a thing of beauty and elegance, really -- and if I may be so bold, almost romanticizing the common duty for one and all, in the most uplifting and thoughtful way.  Never mind that they are older than dirt.

How the world, and how we read about it, through it, and in it, has changed, no?

You see, the magnanimous side to Glenn Beck offers us a snippet of how we have changed as a nation, when it comes to our learning, and the processes thereof, almost daily, when he asks of us one thing.  What is that one thing?  To QUESTION with BOLDNESS.

From this perspective, one cannot help but wonder how our children could continue to benefit from such "old fashioned engineering" like questioning -- with boldness; and how at the turn of every page, placed at the very fingertips of every child, from back in the day of horse and buggy, how such workings via such tools as the McGuffey Readers could permeate into the minds of young Americans, totally transforming the common day right before their very eyes, while fundamentally teaching the basics and enriching the spirit, from the inside out; suffice it to say, the all encompassing collection outweigh the standards of any English language study of the twentieth (or even the twenty-first!) century -- but go ahead and question it.  I dare you.

A system, like McGuffey's, swaddles the pre-reader and cradles him all the way through high school, in a series of books that gradually steps up the learning process, weaving together the very basics, like phonics -- decoding the relationship of letters and sounds -- moving seamlessly into understanding the fluidity of our voice, our inflections, and reading aloud -- to discovering how in fact we take it all in and comprehend what we read -- to the advancement of recognizing the timelessness of grasping the fullness of any language -- to the creative genius of writing, speaking, and thinking about what it is we have just read, to the level that continues to test us -- and leaving us well within the confines of a long pause -- as it's never really enough; only finding ourselves hungering for more, as we reach out for the next nugget of information as if it were our last meal.

This is the way English was taught.  It was an art, it was a pleasure, it was an extension of the Divine, working and meandering through the young and porous mind with an unimaginable thirst for the purity of knowledge, the ability to think for themselves, and most of all, to question -- anything and everything -- with boldness. 

Debate was merely a tool from which it played; the sharp exchange of attitudes and ideologies were the colorful bounty from which we came; and the freedom to actually think, amongst our peers, deep, thoughtful wonderings of how we came into being, what makes our world go round, to mindful contemplation as to where we might possibly, individually and collectively, not only find our happiness -- but labor in it, make it, promote it, sell it, and build honest to goodness wealth from it.

The finer point under which McGuffey preached his higher learning was simply this: "AFTER A CHILD LEARNS TO READ HE CAN READ TO LEARN." 

Common themes under the "advanced comprehension" stage included subjects venturing into areas now considered very much taboo -- truth, religion, patriotism, life values, spirituality, eternity, free enterprise; all these things, according to progressive teachings and the current steamrolling over our fundamental principles, would call for a class action law suit, spearheaded, of course, by the ACLU, today.

But I ask you, what good does this do for any of us? 

Where is the harm in having a simple discussion of what makes us tick, and why, and how does this information lead us, protect us, serve us, and unite us, as a people -- as individuals and as a whole? 

Since when did the discussion of that which makes us strong, vibrant, good and meaningful become so threatening to those who fear to question with boldness at all, unable to comprehend the beauty of all sides, the full monty, the differences between and the commonalities that bind? 

Why can't it be safe to bare all and show our vulnerabilities, to fall on our knees in thanksgiving and praise, or connect to the Universal Source of all that is good -- and talk about it?!

I don't understand why it is acceptable for the Nancy Pelosi's of this world to be able to articulate "the word" as a matter of civic duty, pointing to the word of God as the Way, the Truth, and the Light only when needing support for her monstrosity of a health care bill, masterminding the social justice angle meeting up with our moral compass, as if they simply bumped into each other at the corner store; and yet our children cannot utter a word of it, if only as a matter of discussion and debate, in school??? I don't get that.

The McGuffey Readers use moral lessons often -- going so far as to ask questions like, "What  feeling is most necessary to social worship?" (after a reading entitled, Thoughts in a Place of Public Worship -- by HANNAH MORE)  or

"How was the political prosperity of our country obtained?" and "Why would the destruction of our present form of government be an irretrievable  loss of liberty?" and "In what is our chief hope for the premanency of our government to be placed?" (after reading, Evils of Dismemberment -- by WEBSTER)  sidenote...where, oh where, is a webster now?

And then there is this, following a piece simply called, No Excellence without Labor -- by WIRT: begging us to answer, "How does it appear from facts, that it is labor rather than genius which gives eminence?"

Oh to be a fly on the wall and observe a classroom of America's finest discussing that!  Now that would be wonderlust.

The thing is, when a society loses its ability to delve deep into it's soul, we start showing that we have none; when we begin to worship secular musings over the transcendent, we begin to live lives disconnected at the heart; when we cease questioning and connecting to the Divine, we begin to act like we don't need It, and ultimately, stop teaching it, we stop illuminating the stories that fill us with grace and peace, charity and hope, stories that fill us with the knowledge and guidance to overcome all obstacles in our path.

Falling back on one of my favorite books, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, by Thomas Moore,

"Enchantment needs its own specialist, and mystery its own lobbyist.  A theology of daily life, practiced by us all, would open our eyes to a dimension solidly sealed off by the modern secularistic imagination, and it would restore soul, because soul is fed by the eternal and the spiritual as much as it finds nourishment in the temporal and the physical."  

Mystery its own lobbyist!  I could eat that all day long.

Our life, as we know it or imagine it could be, needs a soul to survive; while 70% of consumer spending depends on it...

oh really, bite me, so you say?  well, you can jump aboard the progressive gravy train all you want, but if you don't watch the signs, you could be in for a major drop just up ahead.

Without our connection to Life, to the Divine, to the Creator of all things seen and unseen, we not only cease in our ability to make it in this world in which we live with a humble and gracious heart, we cease making everything.

But don't take my word for it, or Glenn's, go to the Source -- question it, with boldness, indifference or with enough vitriol to fill a church if you must.

When we cease teaching our children to live with soul, our world, and the bounty that comes with, will in turn drop into a vast, empty, weeping chasm of antiquity, sealing the coffin of an age gone by; at that point, it really won't matter what we make, let alone if someone buys, for the stark reality of our dirty deeds will be thrust upon us. 

We will have buried the one thing that made us truly good -- made us prosperous -- and virtually made us into who we are today, or yesterday -- the shining beacon on the hill for all the world to see and read all about it -- as we haphazardly keep throwing dirt and plenty of collective hot air upon the one thing our children should know more about, or at the very least, have a chance to discuss.. and maybe even dwell on, sit a spell on, and dither the whole darn day away on.  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

make it a good day, G