Winter

There is a human tradition, among the wealthy, to escape Winter by traveling to warmer climates for vacations or seasonal living. Many elderly people in Northern Hemisphere move from colder climates to warmer climates at retirement. They often leave community and family behind to do this. What does this say about the actual/real human commitment to environment, community and family? Is there any real reason to wonder at the state of the planet's environment and the state of the human environment? If the planet is not enjoyed and appreciated for its basic seasonal nature by those with money, influence and power, is it any wonder that the planet is abused and deteriorated by human habitation? What can change this? A human revolution can change this: A revolution in human consciousness, human ethics and human commitment to living mindfully and ethically in respect to the planet and to each other.

Infrastructure

The recent technology boom, primarily centered in the computer sciences, may indeed be less than a major advancement for mankind in the big picture. My thoughts on this come from my recent experience of having the water line to my house from the city water supply burst late on a Sunday night. Water, that precious resource, gurgled up from the asphalt in front of my house. The fountain was allowed to form a stream and several small icy ponds along the walks of my neighborhood. The police came. They stared. They were concerned, polite, responsive, but they really couldn't do a single practical thing to remedy the situation. They spoke of having to block traffic on the two-lane boulevard, where the flow was headed. Two days later, after many head scratchings, a temporary rubber hose hook-up to a neighbor's water supply, and a staggering quote from a contractor, two men showed up with a small, almost toy-sized excavating tractor. They spent the morning digging, uprooting, grumbling and removing tons of dirt. The broken pipe was extracted. The new pipe was threaded with great difficulty into the basement and to the water main. The several city representatives of the Department of Public Works inspected and laughed and blessed the work. The dirt was piled back into the hole. Everyone left well before nightfall. While the tiny tractor-cum-shovel may have been designed with the help of computer technology, the actual labor was mostly human and physical. No computer alone could have fixed the problem. The two diggers, working for the contractor, are immigrants. The contractor is an immigrant from another country of origin. It became obvious to me that the maintenance of our infrastructure, the utilities and other things that make life livable, has been jeopardized by loss of an educated native-born work force, which is dedicated to the timely and efficient fixing of things. The cost of maintaining infrastructure, especially in this case, is becoming exorbitant. And the accomplishment of timely repair of broken things is viewed as near miraculous. Where will this lead as world population both booms and ages? How can the obsession with technology benefit this impending crisis? Robots? Clones? Chimps with brain implants? Part of my practice is a consciousness that hard physical labor is honorable and necessary. In dealing with those who do hard labor, I strive to be fair-minded and expect to be treated fairly as well. But my consciousness alone cannot compensate for the general disregard of the value of hard labor and the general exploitation of our social ignorance of the problems of infrastructure.

Soldiers

It is important to study history. Without knowledge of history, a person is easily convinced that peace is impossible, or that peace is brought to the planet by war. This is absurd, of course. Soldiers are not in the business of peace. Soldiers are in the business of homicide, mutilation and destruction. Therefore, by living 'by the sword', they logically die by it or are mutilated by it. Sentimental pablum about soldiers is mirrored in civil society by attraction to other violent gangsters, like rappers, drug dealers and sports figures. The male predator is an unfortunate heirloom of our animal past. Peace is achieved by non-violence. Defense is achieved by resistance, not aggression. Currently, in Iraq, American soldiers are aggressors, not defenders. If you understand history, you understand that soldiers in Iraq are spreading death, not freedom. The greedy and power-craven always resort to lies and manipulations of emotions to achieve their personal aims in the name of patriotism. And their accomplices always intone the same sentimental chorus about 'our troops' to absolve their consciences. As Gandhi said, "Truth is God." In my practice, I look to the truth of things.

Bodies

Bodies are working 24-7 on their own. The animal brain controls most of your body's survival activities. Breathing, circulation, digestion, elimination. All this is happening without your constant monitoring and control. The mind chooses to tune in to this activity. This is the basic disconnect of being human. Another species' behaviors are determined by its body without interference from the frontal lobe. With the gift of intelligence comes the burden of responsibility. If a human is irresponsible to his/her body, disease follows. Obesity, addiction and self-harm are products of the individual's lack of responsibility to his/her body. All responsibility begins with responsibility for and to one's own body. The daily practice of personal responsibility includes cleanliness, proper diet, exercise and adequate sleep. Evolution of the mind is dependent on the proper development and maintenance of the body.

Christianity

Some unsolicited advice for followers of Christ from a former Christian, who is now a secular humanist:

Try to be a Christ. Do not just call yourself a Christian.

Seek to heal yourself and others. Do not wait to be healed.

Practice peace. Do not use your religion as a weapon.

Help carry another's cross. Do not worship a fake one.

Practice listening. Do not simply preach.

Accept responsibility. Do not just mess up and apologize.

Forgive liberally and often. Do not foster grudges.

Practice tolerance. Do not just seek it.

Seek to share. Do not look first to get your share.

Respect all life. Do not respect life only on your terms.

Practice humility. Do not use Jesus as a merit badge.

Finality

In these times of moral and ethical equivocation, it is important to understand that death is final. There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support any other opinion. So, for the time being, I would encourage my fellow creatures to wake up and understand that this moment of life is all there is to life. And, if you are fortunate enough to live into a future life, the consequences of each of these moments will live along with you until you die. Then it is over. Living an honorable and responsible life is its own reward, if you accept the finality of death. Respect and responsibility toward the world show in the bearer of these qualities. Therefore, the one who respects and is responsible tends to receive respect and fair treatment. And, if denied respect and fair treatment by the world, the honorable and responsible person can take solace in having lived the best life he/she could. Living an honorable and responsible life requires practice. Those who do not practice in this way are doomed to confusion and bewilderment in the face of adversity. They are rudderless in a sea of addictions, reactions, fears and/or self pity.