It's a Thoreau Down Day Thing

Dear America,

"When I was 5 years old, 

my mother always told me 

that happiness was the key to life.  

When I went to school, 

they asked me what I wanted

 to be when I grew up.  

I wrote down "happy."  

They told me I didn't

 understand the assignment,

 and I told them, 

they didn't understand life."  

John Lennon

#262, from "Nothing is worth more than this day." book

indeed

now, it's not like we can run around being happy all the time, but the general sensation of happiness, satisfaction, contentment...in life... is definitely a fine aspiration, and one to hold close to our hearts and minds.

Granted, this thing called happiness seemed so essential in the early days of our founding, that it was mentioned within our Declaration of Independence..."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."

In proper context -- as it's declared, HAPPINESS, in and of itself, is NOT one of our "unalienable Rights;"  it's the PURSUIT of this thing called happiness, that is distinguished -- and even more than that, a prerequisite of action is in place, to chase this somewhat elusive quality of happiness and its full, individual, embodiment.

And really, what an enigma, right?   One person's idea of happiness can be quite different from another's...

[imagine a long pause between]

oh, pardon me...

I was just in the midst of getting lost on the BrainyQuote website, trying to hunt down the famous Henry David Thoreau quote about happiness...you know the one, "happiness is like a butterfly...yadi yadi yada...if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder."

Turns out, Thoreau may not be its author after all -- not that google portends to make that truth known.  Gotta love the fact checking.

It's a perfect example of how something takes hold, and becomes something real, even when its not even close.   Just plug in "happiness is like a butterfly" and see what happens.

The Quote Investigator website made a thorough search for proof, it would seem, aiming to get to the bottom of it.  Kudos to QI.  

The closest reference to something close to this butterfly/happiness relationship seems to have come in around 1848....and it was in a column defining a few precious things, things like love and wealth and happiness. 

AND wouldn't you know it -- the definition of wealth jumped out at me as if it came with fireworks and a sky of splendor; and I'm quoting now:  WEALTH.—The sum which gives content, whether one dollar or a million.

i just love that.

any thoughts, Thoreau, like really, any of your thoughts on this?

That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest.

There is no value in life 

except what you choose to place upon it 

and no happiness in any place 

except what you bring to it yourself.

The smallest seed of faith is better than the largest fruit of happiness.

It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.

mind blown again and again and again.

These are the kinds of things that should be ingrained upon every American, to its fullest extent, in mind and body.  These are the kinds of things, ideas, that can change lives, for real.

Instead, Americans are being fed all kinds of untruths and false promises and wayward appeals in the latest wave of contenders meeting up with the 2020 presidential election.

Whether it is upon the woes of climate change, medicare-for-all, or illegal immigration -- the price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it, whether we are talking one to 300 million.

all I want to do today is sit and listen to HDT hit me with his best stuff.

but alas, that isn't going to happen. 

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.

 ...thank you, HDT, and it would seem that I have a busy one going at the moment.

so now, given that I spent way too much time tootling around brainy quotes. I need to make my way into the rest of my day of responsibilities...you know, because.... "not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something." (also Thoreau)

Make it a Good Day, G

It's a Day for MLK; May Heaven and Earth Unite Thing

Dear America,

"10.  If necessary, 

God will move heaven and earth 

to show us His will." 

Life Principles to Live By, 

Rev. Charles F. Stanley

mighty forces are alive and well on the earth

there seems to be a constant ebb and flow of good and evil, right and wrong, no matter the personal political perspective -- you know, whether of the left, right, or center.

History proves that common ground, in America, as well as in many other parts of the world, IS,  and always will be, being a people of faith.

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was here on earth, he recognized a certain brokenness within society, and went to the Highest and Fiercest Resource available in order to mend -- Almighty God. From speaking faith over communities, to reciting a countless number of Bible verse, Dr. King used everything in his power --  and the Lord's --  to invoke peace, create change, and make all things new.

I believe, from all that I have heard and read about this fine man, he wanted America to come together -- and for each of us, through every generation to come, to live in a spirit of brotherly love and acceptance of one another.  I believe he also expected all people -- no matter the shade --  to do their duty, to God and to country, to community and to family.

I'm not so sure that we, as a people, have done just that.  It's not a judgement; it is simply an observation.

this girl just loves BrainyQuote -- here, in his own words, is MLK:

"The function of education 

is to teach one to think

 intensively and to think critically. 

Intelligence plus character - 

that is the goal of true education."

"I have a dream 

that my four little children 

will one day live in a nation 

where they will not be judged

 by the color of their skin, 

but by the content of their character."

"We must learn to live together 

as brothers or perish together as fools."

"We must develop 

and maintain the capacity 

to forgive. 

He who is devoid of the power 

to forgive is devoid 

of the power to love. 

There is some good 

in the worst of us 

and some evil in the best of us. 

When we discover this, 

we are less prone to hate our enemies."

I believe, if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would not only be influential and outspoken about the Black Lives Matter protesters, the NFL's national anthem protesters ---  he would be a weekly visitor at the White House; I believe President Trump and the Reverend would not only combine forces, heaven and earth would move in mysterious and miraculous ways, all in an effort to make America great again.

I truly believe that.

Returning to Judge Troward's, The Hidden Power:

"What we have to do, therefore, is to take the working of the law for granted, and make use of it accordingly; and since that is the law of Mind, and Mind is Personality, this Power, which is at once ourselves and above ourselves, may be treated as a Person and may be spoken with, and its replies received by the inner ear of the heart.  Any scheme of philosophy that does not result in this personal intercourse with the Divine Mind falls short of the mark....The Supreme Mind with which we converse is only to be met in the profoundest depths of our own being, and, as Tennyson says, is more perfectly ourselves than our own hands and feet.  It is our natural Base; and realising this we shall find ourselves to be in very truth "guarded ones," guided by the Spirit in all things, nothing too great and nothing too trivial to come within the great Law of our being."

amen to that

heaven and earth moves through us, with us, around us, in every possible way

"The connection itself is intrinsic, and can never be severed; but it must be consciously realised before it can be consciously used.  All our development consists in the increasing consciousness of this connection, which enables us to apply the higher power to whatever purpose we may have in hand, not merely in the hope that it may respond, but with the certain knowledge that by the law of its own nature it is bound to do so, and likewise with the knowledge that by the same law it is bound also to guide us to the selection of right objects and right methods." just more Troward

So the thing is,

as we awaken to the profoundness of this day, in remembrance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to God be the Glory that this man LIVED...that he touched our lives then, that he continuously touches our lives today; and with that, what a loss for America; oh how I wish he were celebrating his 89 years with us today. what a loss, what a loss.  

Happy Birthday, MLK, happy birthday; surely heaven made you a cake with sprinkles in every color.

I truly believe, all the right answers are in the unseen, now and forevermore.  And it sure wouldn't hurt for the masses, from one congregation to another, from one community to another, to join forces in prayer; calling upon the Holiest One of All, our Supreme Guide, in unison, to mend and heal our brokenness still, is the least and the greatest thing a people can do.

Which brings me to a perfect close; #9 from Rev. Charles Stanley's Life Principles:

"Trusting God 

means looking beyond 

what we can see to what God sees."

oh thank heaven, right.  

And finally, God's plan is moving along accordingly.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's about Bullsh**ters and Other Things on Shaky Ground Thing

Dear America,

"The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance.  Seeing a man grow rich, they say, 'How lucky he is!'  Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, 'How highly favoured he is!...They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable, and realise the Vision of their heart."  James Allen

unless you're a complete bullsh**ter, right, Mr. Former President Barack Hussein Obama... and then, in that case, we should just call you Mr. Thirteenth Rule:  Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it...."

Here's just the beginning 

of the 

Master Mister List 

-- according to me, G --

Mr.  Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. [Alinsky's 4th rule]

Mr.  If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor  [BS]

Mr.  If you like your plan, you can keep your plan  [BS]

Mr.  I heard about it when you all did, through the news  [BS]

Mr. ISIS is the J.V. team  [BS]

Mr. Let's blame Benghazi -- and the absence of security that led to the death of four Americans -- on a video, yeah, yeah  Leaving the details to Clinton and Rice, as Mr. I got a fundraiser in Los Angeles in the morning, need my beauty rest.  [BS]

Mr. Let's just spy on everybody  [BS]

Mr.  Let's use conservative groups as target practice on the down low... shhshshh IRS, you picking up what I'm putting down?  [BS]

Mr. Bin Laden is dead [Are you sure?]  and GM is alive -- according to Joe, anyway... 

Mr. "the world is less violent that it has ever been."  really?  [BS]

Mr. Let's send some money to blah blah blah and attempt to bump Bibi  and if anyone finds out, we'll just bullsh*t  our way around it and sometimes even through it.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness...this girl could do this all day.

But today is your lucky day, I will spare you the potential list of a mile long and move on dot org...you're welcome.

It feels as if the Trump presidency is being virtually suspended in midair --  left totally unattended and hanging on a thread, it appears almost motionless and on a collision course with various neighboring objects of meteoric dimensions coming from the left wing media, anonymous sources of unsubstantiated stories, former presidents, bureaucrats on attack, and maybe the worst of the worst....the establishment that rotates left and right.   The corruption of a presidency begins with thoughts and escalates by word of mouth at warp speed.

And of course, just as damaging is the president's unrelenting and tenacious twitter episodes.  

"Even a fool

 is thought wise

 if he keeps silent, 

and discerning 

if he holds his tongue." 

Proverbs 17:28

But let's be clear -- Obama is the last person on earth, citing his shaky street cred legacy, to call Trump a "complete bullsh**ter."   It's like, are you for real player?  And just gotta hand it to People Magazine for the stellar distribution of enough propaganda to keep every water cooler across America busy busy busy with the flush of this sh*t, I mean, gossip. 

Mr. How dare my legacy be threatened with this bullsh**ter...  And damn you, Hillary...Courtesy of Breitbart, here's a good part:

“She wants to make sure all these narratives get spun the right way,” a longtime Clinton confidant is quoted as saying. 

The book further highlights how Clinton’s Russia-blame-game was a plan hatched by senior campaign staffers John Podesta and Robby Mook, less than “within twenty-four hours” after she conceded: 

• That strategy had been set within twenty-four hours of her concession speech. Mook and Podesta assembled her communications team at the Brooklyn headquarters to engineer the case that the election wasn’t entirely on the up-and-up. For a couple of hours, with Shake Shack containers littering the room, they went over the script they would pitch to the press and the public. Already, Russian hacking was the centerpiece of the argument.

The thing is, when it comes to the swamp known as Washington D.C., the entire area, and its inhabitants, only function on bullsh*t; there isn't a pipe large enough nor a spine strong enough to drain it.

Now, given Trump was placed into office on the belief that HE was the only candidate with the credentials to actually make headway on the restoration of the plumbing -- beginning with Obamacare, moving into building a wall, and redecorating the entire department of the Internal Revenue Service, it is a crushing blow to the spirit of America's future.  Where is the snake in the drain?

Not surprising, some of his most adoring fans are beginning to question his abilities....Ann Coulter.

"In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.  Chance is not.  'Gifts,' powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realised.
The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart -- this you will build your life by, this you will become."   

just more from James Allen

indeed

America IS results orientated in every way.

Never mind the fact that President Obama's bullsh*t didn't seem to stink...it was either well conceived, better executed, and/or aligned with a mainstream media fully glorifying his every effort, every step of the way -- and THIS PATH, reaping nearly zero results from the winning guy, is quickly becoming a nauseating spin around the sun day in and day out... Conservatives, those aligned with a return to every ideal that made America great in the first place, are growing tired of the nonsense.

WE MUST FIGHT for what we want with every ounce of strength we can muster.

There is another thing worthy of note -- the market drop yesterday.  This, my friends, is a consequence of  nothing that Trump is or is not doing; it's a reflection of the sky is falling mentality within the media, and the perpetuation of untruths by the Left --  aka bullsh*t --  for the sole purpose of derailing a presidency.  Of course the market will show a result from these efforts!  It is built upon confidence; and if the people are not feeling confident, if feeling shaky -- anxious and agitated, then how else can the market react?  The outcome can be nothing less than the complete opposite of 'if we build it, they will come.'

And even though I hesitate to quote Putin --  this is what HE SAID: 

"But at the same time, we are seeing political schizophrenia is developing in the U.S. and I cannot find any other explanation to the accusations....I'm gonna have to reprimand him [Trump]  [for NOT sharing the intelligence]."   

Going on to say...."What surprises me is that they are shaking up the domestic political situation, using anti-Russian slogans. Either they don’t understand the damage they’re doing to their own country, in which case they are simply stupid, or they understand everything, in which case they are dangerous and corrupt...”

Thoughts are things.

And America reveals what the people think about in America every single day; it is the result of our efforts, large and small; it is the outcome of our thoughts and hopes and dreams; it is the Vision we hold dear until the day it comes to life; it is the Something Great or the something not so great.

America needs positive thoughts X 300 million people and your prayers; and in closing, perhaps a greater understanding of something once said by President Ronald Reagan: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

God bless us one and all.

Make it a Good Day, G