Life's Meaning Is Purpose

Many people believe that life's meaning is to have PURPOSE...

Purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Does your life have purpose?

Do you have a purpose in life?

At 73 years of age, I have never really discovered (realized or became aware) of what my actual purpose was or is...  and yet, I believe very strongly that I was put here on earth for SOME PURPOSE.

According to the DALAI LAMA --  life's purpose is to be happy...

and, I suppose there is some logic to that feeling...  but, I also know that happiness is an illusion oftentimes, especially when people think money, power, control will make them happy...  so, in order to find happiness, one must first UNDERSTAND the TRUE meaning of happiness.  AND...  the true meaning of happiness, unfortunately, does not exist in our mental awareness or in our mental capabilities of understanding at this time...  

When we were created (however that happened) we were born with or evolved a FREE WILL...  but, Free Will has nothing to do with happiness other than gives us the motivation to pursue what we perceive as that which will make us HAPPY.  

Some us substitute CONTENTMENT with HAPPINESS...   and, the two, in my opinion, are mutually exclusive.

OTHERS BELIEVE OUR PURPOSE TO BE THE FOLLOWING:

• explore, experience, discover
• to understand
• to love and/or give love
• exercise one's free will
• to become better....   but, the next question is:  better than what?
• live in the moment...   which is what we are forced to do regardless...
• leave a legacy
• search for one's soul
• self-actualization
• serve others
• makes a difference....   to what?  to whom?

SO...

Here is my contribution to LIFE'S PURPOSE:

Life's purpose is to survive... and procreate...

We typically have 80-100 years of potential life that has been given to us...

we try to live as long as we can and if we do not procreate the human race will eventually become extinct...

We have been give free will for this purpose...

Whatever else that we do is subordinate to that one purpose of survival and procreation...

if we were not given free will we would have automatically and eventually become extinct...  so free will was necessary...

If free will was necessary then complex evolution as a result of the big bang is theoretically impossible to have been responsible for the creation of the universe and our ultimate creation thereafter.

We were put here intentionally so that we could survive and procreate...  and anything after that purpose is predicated upon one's free will to decide what one wants/needs to do next.

Civil Disobedience: Healthcare

I have served in the military for 6 years and have witnessed first hand government incompetence when it comes to MANAGING ANYTHING in the military.   The military is a business and can manage itself and does so very nicely, but when the Federal Government becomes involved EVERYTHING GOES TO SHIT...

Once a quarter, our naval ship, the USS RECOVERY, was given a new budget, but unless we spent all the money from our previous budget, then the next quarter's budget would be REDUCED...  once you are reduced it is almost impossible to ADD BACK...

SO...

when in port, we would have beer ball games on the base, prepare too much food and have to throw it away rather than give it away to the poor.  We would also take the ship out into the ocean at least 3 miles so we could be in international waters and dump tools and equipment overboard so that we would have to replace the items...

All of this was intentionally so that our budget would not be reduced.

We have all seen the incompetence of the US POST OFFICE as it attempts to deliver mail and why UPS and FedEx were started in competition...  and now with EMAILS, we don't really need the USPO at all.

Have you ever gotten tangled up in the RED TAPE of a MILITARY HOSPITAL?

It is and can be a NIGHTMARE...

It is not UNCOMMON, for city workers to congregate and watch each other work and still get paid by tax dollars.

I my city, I recently drove by a group of city workers fixing a pipe near the road, and I counted 6 workers simply standing around watching a 7th down in a hole with a shovel.  There was an 8th man sitting in a pickup truck and a 9th man sitting in the seat of a front end loader.

This type of observation has been commonplace throughout my adult life living in VA, NC, KY, and TN including places that I have visited for vacation.

So,

we have waste in the military

we have waste in the USPO

we have waste in city government

NOW...

HERE'S THE QUESTION???

Do you think there would be waste in MEDICARE FOR ALL?

American Democracy

I have always wondered about Democracies myself especially the IGNORANT PUBLIC (both educated and uneducated) who can be easily persuaded by a dynamic speaker and walk away believing that the lies are truth and the truth are lies.  JFK was one of those politicians of the late 1950's early 1060's who saw things differently than most and convinced a nation to see his way and believe in a corrupt government that was hell bent on changing the rest of the world to be just like us Americans...  giving up their identities, cultures, and societies to think and act like Americans....  because we were the only GLOBAL TRUTH.

America or the USA is not alone...

There are other continents:  South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia

There are other governments:  Dictatorships, Communism, Socialism, Monarchs

All of these countries, their citizens, their businesses, their countries COMPETE in a GLOBAL ECONOMY and there is no reason why one country or one government should try and convince the rest of the world that their way is the best.

Now, these other countries and governments have the RIGHT TO CONQUER other countries and governments if they perceive themselves to have that kind of power...   just as these other countries have the right FIGHT BACK & RESIST ATTACK...  and,  if there are countries who are allies then they have the RIGHT to help each other....  and if they are victorious then they can force the acquired country to follow their form of government.

Forcing without acquisition is WRONG...  and that is what the continent of NORTH AMERICA is trying to do so that the rest of the world will think and believe what they think and believe without WARS...

To some degree, North America is accomplishing this goal because people want to immigrate to America and have all this freedom and opportunity, but eventually North America will be too saturated with people to offer that much...

BESIDES...

the continent of ASIA is beginning to grow rapidly both economically and militarily and will soon be able to offer IMMIGRANTS that which North America is offering IMMIGRANTS except for the democratic form of government.

WHY/HOW is this happening?

North America is more concerned with its SOCIETY than with its growth economically or militarily and that is a mistake both MONETARILY and GLOBALLY...

The world will turn TOWARDS ASIA....

Socrates Was Against Democracies

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil ignorance...  SOCRATES

Knowledge is defined as:  facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

SOCRATES was not supportive of democracies because of this knowledge or the lack thereof when it came to voting for those who would govern the masses...  and, because of this lack of knowledge, the people...  the masses...  the general public...  could be easily persuaded by an individual or individuals who had convincing rhetoric, even that rhetoric mislead them...

The elections of 2016 and 2020 are examples of what SOCRATES feared regarding democracy and the evil of ignorance.

Socrates (c. 469 - 399 B.C.) was a hugely important Greek philosopher from the Classical period (often known as the Socratic period in his honor). Unlike most of the Pre-Socratic philosophers who came before him, who were much more interested in establishing how the world works, Socrates was more concerned with how people should behave, and so was perhaps the first major philosopher of Ethics.

An enigmatic figure known to us only through other people's accounts (principally the dialogues of his student Plato), he is credited as one of the founders of Western Philosophy. He is considered by some as the very antithesis of the Sophists of his day, who claimed to have knowledge which they could transmit to others (often for payment), arguing instead that knowledge should be pursued for its own sake, even if one could never fully possess it.

He made important and lasting contributions in the fields of Ethics, Epistemology and Logic, and particularly in the methodology of philosophy (his Socratic Method or "elenchus"). His views were instrumental in the development of many of the major philosophical movements and schools which came after him, including Platonism (and the Neo-Platonism and Aristotelianism it gave rise to), Cynicism, Stoicism and Hedonism.

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Wanna Relax With Me Hon?

 

What is Life's Meaning?

This is not an easy question to answer...   and, many people don't really give a shit about life's meaning as long as they are allowed to simply live their life, exercise free will, and accomplish their goals if in fact they have any goals; but, for me, I see the meaning of life as something a little bit deeper than just the superficial idea of living, accomplishing whatever, marrying and possibly having children, and dying.

The human race was put here on earth for a reason...

No one actually knows what that reason is and some believe that there was no reason at all...  that we just simply EVOLVED as a result of the BIG BANG that set everything into motion...  but, that seems a little over simplified, especially when one considered how complex the human body is and how many mutations it would have taken to get us to the point where we are today.

Something or someone created us and someone or something messed around with our DNA until the desired species was created and natural evolution could take place.  This could only have been accomplished by a SUPERIOR INTELLECT.

So, are we an experiment?

BUT AGAIN, even if we are an experiment, what is LIFE'S MEANING...  assuming that our existence is real and not a figment of our imagination or some kind of elaborate illusion (more about this concept later).

In short, we could say that Life's Meaning revolves around the concept of why are we here?

• Why were we given birth?
• Why were we given birth to specific parents?
• Why were we given birth in a specific country?
• Why were we given birth in a specific location of that specific country?

There is a randomness to our birth...   a chaos of sorts that is somewhat systematic and controlled...  just like an experiment...  and yet, the randomness is always unpredictable as it unfolds.

And, in all of this randomness and evolution of the body, we were only given 80-100 years to live, rather than 800 to 1000 years or 8,000 to 10,000 or more...

It does seem a little odd that it is only 80-100 years since the universe is millions of centuries old, perhaps billions of centuries or more.

Thinking about it from this perspective it seem more and more like an experiment.

SO...  perhaps, the meaning of life is simply to find purpose...

BUT...

there are several different interpretations of purpose, like:

• cultural
• ideological
• philosophical
• scientific
• theological
• metaphysical

Halfway When Half Through

Today is the 15th of January which means that the month will be half over once half the day is passed because there are 31 days in the month.  While this is probably not important to anyone but me, it represents only 2 months more of cold weather as opposed to 3 months when winter started.  These next two months usually go by quickly...   and, I am not sure why but once January is over, the winter seems to just fly by.

I dislike cold because the only way to get away from it is by taking a hot shower or by getting into bed with PJ's....  whereas, in the humid months of summer, one can just lower the air and feel comfortable...  

Why is this important?

It is not.

But, when one gets to an older age and has not lived in COLDER areas all of one's life, the cold seems to effect/affect the body more than normal as one becomes more sensitive...  and, it is this sensitivity that influences everything else that is done as one attempts to avoid this sensitivity.  So, perhaps this is some sort of warning to the young as to what they may be experiencing as they get older and to better prepare themselves for it.

One fact of life that is UNAVOIDABLE and that is we all get older and as we get older our bodies change and sometimes that change is UNWELCOMED.

COVID Lingering Around

One of my doctors told me that the vaccine was available, but when I checked the local health department, they informed me that it was for only healthcare workers, and seniors 75 years old and older which leaves my wife and I waiting a little longer.  And, it really is no big deal since we are both retired and don't need to go anywhere and because we vacations so much when we first retired, we are kinda "burned out" on traveling...   messing around with all the crap at airports, trying to find where to go at foreign airports, hotel accommodations, inconvenience of luggage, food availability, ground transportation, and spending hours in a car driving to the coast whether it be the east coast or the gulf coast, and the friendliness of locals and hotel staff.,

We have been on 10 Cruises, traveled to Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard, NYC, Chicago, Denver, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Vegas, Seattle, LA, DC, Gulf Coast, and numerous places in Florida with our traveling plans pretty much encompassing every other month for a week or two.

It is nice to finally stay at home and have no place to go.

But, when we do go places, only about 80% of the people are wearing facemasks and of those 80%, I would say about 10% are wearing them inappropriately...  this is especially true in places where facemasks are not mandatory.

It shows me that AMERICANS don't really listen to the advice of the doctors or their leaders and don't seem to care if they catch the virus or not.  These people are not just young, but middle aged, and older.  With this type of behavior, the virus is going to be around for a long time...

Cannot Wait

 

Coffee Anyone?

 

Preparing For Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I go to the hospital for a Colonoscopy/Upper GI and I have to be there at 6:30 am and my procedure is at 7:30 am and it should be done 2 hours later and in recovery and home before NOON, I would suspect.  Depending upon how I feel, I may go out for breakfast.

Today, all I could eat was a liquid diet along with black coffee if so desired.  I had one cup of coffee, went to the Hospital for my COVID test and came home and slept for another couple of hours since there may not be much sleep for me tonight.

My cleansing prep started at 3:00 pm with a couple of pills and the "down and dirty" stuff started at 5:00.  I should be sitting on the commode in an hour or so for the next couple of hours before I take a second dose to supercharge the process and a third does a midnight.

Two years ago, I did fairly well with this process even though it has changed a little...  The ingredients are the same, but it is spread out more...  I suppose to make sure one receives a better flushing out.  I believe that a colonoscopy is only every 10 years and then every 5 years after a certain age...  but, I am now on a 2 year schedule because of my cancer history and because I had several polyps last time.

I really didn't have anything better to do today or tomorrow...

Civil Disobedience

 

Absolute Power

 I stopped watching CNN, CBS, MSNBC, and ABC because I discovered that they were not posting ALL THE NEWS but FOX NEWS was reporting MOST ALL OF THE NEWS.  As an American, a Veteran, and a College Graduate, media censorship is abhorrent to me in all variations...   I should have the right to hear the news in FULL and then decide what it means to me.   Anything less, is not FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.

I began watching FOX but would go back and forth to those other networks during key periods of news like the Kavanaugh Hearing, Impeachment Hearings, and I again confirmed that the other networks were simply not reporting the TRUTH.

When Trump lost the election, I stopped watching FOX NEWS because if the American People did not want to know the truth then neither did I.  I decided, right or wrong, just to pay attention to my retirement and enjoy what little life I have left...

I did not know our Capital has been stormed nor did I know that Impeachment Hearings for Trump were being considered by the House again, even though there were only days left of his administration.  I also heard from this same neighbor that the Senate was now controlled by the Democrats.

ONE PERSON...   a man called TRUMP...   has forever changed the politics of America...  and the way that the rest of the world views AMERICANS.....  now that this change has taken place...

The Democrats now have the ABILITY to create two new States creating a Democratic TILT in the Senate that will NEVER be undone.  The Democrats also have the ABILIY to increase the size of the SUPREME COURT, so that the Democrats have a clear majority but also leaving the door open for a LIBERAL TILT on the court.

This is POWER.

This is ABSOLUTE POWER...

With the House and the Senate under the control of the DEMOCRATS, the following shifts will take place QUICKLY...

FIRST --  Trump's tax cuts will be abolished

SECOND  --  Medicare for All will be approved

THIRD  --  Open Borders will be approved...  Trump's wall will be torn down

FOURTH  --  Policies will be put into place ending the gasoline engine

FIFTH  --  Trade deals with China will be revised giving CHINA the advantage over trade

SIXTH  --  A new deal will be negotiated with IRAN and all sanctions ended

IN SHIORT....

Everything Trump DID will be UNDONE

This will take place even though what Trump did might have been in the best interest of the USA...  These actions will set a very dangerous precedent...   that only the historians will want to talk about.

UNREST in America

We spent the last six month or more watching BLM and ANTIFA stage riots all across the USA because a WHITE COP KILLED A BLACK MAN...  and, the mainstream media said that these were peaceful riots even when building were burning behind their "live" reporting....  Hypocrisy at its worst....   now, we have TRUMP SUPPORTERS who stormed and entered the US Capital bldg. and they are called DOMESTIC TERRORISTS even though there was no burning of buildings, but there was rioting and looting and some occupation of offices...   DOUBLE STANDARDS...

Even when this latest activity comes under control and the perpetrators are taken to courts, sentenced, and jailed, the part of the USA that voted for TRUMP will still see DOUBLE STANDARDS and will not let this go away.

It is entirely possible that due to DECREASED POLICE FUNDING in certain cities, BLM, ANTIFA, and Trump Supporters will travel to those cities to continue their protests against the government...

CIVIL DISOBEDIANCE is what it is called and it is one of the few tools available to the general public to use against a CORRUPT GOVERNMENT outside of voting...

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience espouses the need to prioritize one's conscience over the dictates of laws. It criticizes American social institutions and policies, most prominently slavery and the Mexican-American War.

Thoreau begins his essay by arguing that government rarely proves itself useful and that it derives its power from the majority because they are the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. 

He contends that people's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law dictated by the majority. When a government is unjust, people should refuse to follow the law and distance themselves from the government in general. 

A person is not obligated to devote his life to eliminating evils from the world, but he is obligated not to participate in such evils. This includes not being a member of an unjust institution (like the government). 

Thoreau further argues that the United States fits his criteria for an unjust government, given its support of slavery and its practice of aggressive war.  SOURCE: SparkNotes.com

Since African American Blacks still perceive that the USA in general support SLAVERY in a variety of ways and since the USA military is still fighting an unnecessary war in the MIDDLE EAST, one could easily make the case for an UNJUST GOVERNMENT still existing in the USA as defined by THOREAU...

DEMOCRATS and REPUBLICANS should UNITE..

The enemy of my enemy is my FRIEND...

Stand up against an UNJUST US GOVERNMENT...

UNITED in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

BLAMING OTHERS

From 2016 through 2021, President Trump was BLAMED for everything NEGATIVE that happened
in America to Americans or by Americans...  President Trump was never given credit for the healthy economy, tax cuts, reduced Federal Regulations, and FULL EMPLOYMENT because everyone said it was because of former President Obama that this was allowed to happen....  and, that Trump had nothing to do with it...

For FOUR YEARS, I personally watched HATRED for President Trump being UNLEASED by the Democrats and the mainstream media outlets and felt like I was living in a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY where the news was CENSORED and the people were being told only what the leaders wanted them to know...  for fear of the people not being able to handle the TRUTH....  like in the movie, A FEW GOOD MEN...

Now that Biden has been elected our new President and will start his term of office in the next couple of weeks, my new fear is that for the NEXT FOUR YEARS, everything that is NEGATIVE happening to America either to or from Americans will be BLAMED ON TRUMP as well...  with Joe Biden and the Democrats taking no responsibility for anything.

And, if that is the way that they want America to be perceived that is fine...  especially since there is not a damn thing that any of us can really do about it.

• I am retired...
• I am a Veteran...
• I live on Social Security...
• I am cared for by Medicare and a Humana Supplement...
• I have managed to save a modest amount of money...
• I am not wealthy...
• I am not middle class...
• I am not poor...

Whatever the Democrats decide to do with our TAX DOLLARS will do nothing but help me financially...

• WHAT I DO NOT DO IS...  blame others for my current situation...
• My current life is a direct result of my actions throughout my life so far...
• Whatever I did or did not do, put me in the situation that I am in...

WHY DO OUR LEADERS ALWAYS HAVE TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE FOR OUR PROBLEMS, NEVER TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INCOMPETENCE...

a rhetorical question...

Globally Perceived American Stereotypes

Stereotypes of American people (here meaning citizens of the United States) can today be found in virtually all cultures.  They often manifest in America's own television and in the media's portrayal of the United States as seen in other countries, but can also be spread by literature, art, and public opinion.  Not all of the listed stereotypes are equally popular, nor are they all restricted towards Americans; and although most can be considered negative, a few actually assign neutral or even positive or admiring qualities to the stereotypical US citizen. Many of the ethnic stereotypes collide with otherwise unrelated political anti-Americanism.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

POSITIVE STEREOTYPES OF AMERICANS

• Generous
• Optimistic
• Hardworking

NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES OF AMERICANS

1. Obsession with guns
2. Materialistic
3. Over Consumption
4. Extreme Capitalism
5. Lack of cultural awareness
6. Racists (on both sides)
7. Environmentally Ignorant
8. Arrogant
9. Nationalistic
10. Military Zeal
11. Workaholic Culture

COMMENT:  If someone were to ask me whether or not I felt Americans were concerned as to how they were being perceived by the rest of the world...   I would have to reply by saying "I believe that 98% of all AMERICANS don't really give a shit what the rest of the world thinks of them...  and that Americans generally perceive the rest of the world thinks what they do because they are JEALOUS and ENVIOUS..."

As a retired American Worker (45 years) who is also a Vietnam Veteran and who is educated with a BA and an MBA and who spent most of his career in and around EDUCATION both public and private, I would have to say that I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE with the world's opinion of Americans...  and, while it saddens me to see this happening, it is the direct result of our inability or lack of desire to control our own GREED.

When I turned 40 years of age, I realized how evil the control of greed was on people and spent the rest of my career and lifetime so far making sure that I was not infected with the disease of GREED.

I don't think that I have missed too much of anything actually...  even being careful spending and buying only that which one needs.

COVID has helped us reduce our greed but I fear that once we have that under control, greed will skyrocket as people will again want what they perceive they have missed out on...

Breaking Down Capitalism

What the Wealthy Control                              What the Wealthy Do Not Control

Employment                                                                    Education

Wages                                                                              Art

Taxes                                                                               Writers and Writing

Wars                                                                                Recreation

Healthcare                                                                       Fishing/Hunting

Government/Congress                                                    Buying Habits

Freedoms                                                                        Who to Marry

Logistics/Transportation                                                 Having Children

Resorts                                                                            Religion

Automotive Production                                                  Voting Decisions

Hollywood                                                                      Our Free Wills

Music Industry                                                                Our Hate/Love

Marketing Influence                                                       Passive Resistance

Professional Sports                                                         Our Minds/Thoughts

News Media                                                                    Our Drug Use

Law Enforcement                                                           Our Alcohol Use

Military                                                                           Our Breaking Laws

Money Supply                                                                Social Media

                                                                                        Bill of Rights

                                                                                        Socialism                            

NOTE:  CAPITALISM is what gives the WEALTHY their POWER...   SOCIALISM takes power away from the wealthy and gives it to the POOR and those that are RICH but not wealthy.  SOCIALISM increases the size of government but REDISTRIBUTES the wealth...  and in time, the wealthy and their control will begin to disappear...

LET'S ASK THE WEALTHY TO GIVE HALF OF THEIR WEALTH BACK TO THE PEOPLE... JUST HALF OF THEIR WEALTH...  AND, IN SO DOING THEY WILL STILL BE WEALTHY BUT THE REST OF AMERICANS WILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT BETTER LIFE...

Another Perspective

I have been told by my Oncologist to get the COVID VACCINE since it is a dead virus that they have used in its creation.  My NP at my Oncologist's office has already gotten the vaccine and says she is still going to wear a face mask and limit her time in public anyway as a new norm....  and, I suppose that my wife and I will also do the same or something similar but I doubt that we ever return to a Cruise Ship.

At the end of March and after having stopped for a year, I agreed to teach a College Class and the requirement is to wear a face mask and stay 6 feet away from students...   Interestingly, I have a couple of team assignments which I am curious to see how they play out.  The class is one that I have taught several times before, but I have changed things around a little, and added a couple of exercises to take the place of other exercises.

However, I am not sure if my wife and I will go on vacation this summer or any other summer even with a COVID VACCINE in hand as there are just still too many ways that disease and viruses can be spread by an ignorant public who think they know best and can do what they want because they are living in a free country.

Those expressions of freedoms will be used to curtail their freedoms... and then what will they do?