2015 - Year of Activity

Come with me
Come with me
To the world of your dreams
Where nothing is as it seems.

Where trees talk
And houses balk
And nothing is as it seems.

Whence comes the love
I feel none of it.
Whence comes the hope
I see it not.

Pain is the bitter friend
It will not leave till the end
There is talk but no hope to mend.

But come let us dream
Come let us dream
So nothing is as it seems.

Copyright 2015 EC Holm

This year is a year of activity.  I say that because this is the last year that I have seen when I looked into the future in 2011.  It will be a wild year.

So with it I give this advice.  Hold to your loved ones close.  Hope and love may seem scarce this year, but it's always there to be found.  Protect what you have.  On the other hand it may prove to be a year of opportunity.  I wouldn't jump into anything too hasty.  Do your homework.

Well, it has been an interesting adventure looking into the years before they happen and then living through them.  There have been some surprises along the way.  I guess 2014 caught me by surprise but shouldn't have.  Violence erupted, and it gave way to more crime.  I have no doubt that yet more violence will come in 2015.

Take care, readers.

Precious Human Value

Value is a common word.  It's a word we use to describe something in a quantitative way.  I want to talk about the innate human value of everyone.  I use value instead of worth because worth has some negativity associated with it, such as "What's your worth?" or "How worthy are you?" or "Your worthless".  I feel value is impartial.  I'm taking you to the core definition of human value, then the past and present that shows our disregard for life, and then talk about championing human value.

Vietnam War Boat People

In this age of information,  we understand how computers work and often make comparisons between computers and the brain.  Sci-fi stories like the Matrix raise the question if we are in a simulation or not, and if we were, we would never know going about our own lives.  Therefore, our best understanding of our basic existence is 'Cognito ergo sum,' which translates into, 'I think therefore I am.'  It's a definition of ourselves that highlights the greatness of our reasoning and our sheer ineptness to affirm our own existence.  It does something else though; it shows our value as individuals to understand, change, build, destroy, and have emotional responses to the world we live in.  Now it's a statement that we more often than not apply personally.  Now consider that every human on the planet thinks.  If they think, they are.  They all have value.  They all have the same value as I do or as you do.  This is the beginning of compassion.  Their fate should be the same as mine.  The better the fate, the better for all.

If we think about how many people have died in wars, in accidents, in suicides; we can understand how lives have been extinguished before their time.  37,000,000 died in World War I, 60,000,000 died in World War II,  1,035,585 died in Vietnam War, around 2,000,000 died in the Soviet Afghanistan war, and around 14,700 and counting have died in the U.S. Afghanistan war.  There are countless wars; each with their own death count.  These wars are fought over ideologies.  We seem to adopt the notion 'Cognito ergo occidere,' which means 'I think therefore I kill.'  If we all really thought, we'd wouldn't be doing this.  If we considered that all have the same value, we would find other ways to solve issues.  What is the value of these people who died?  Well, instead of reaping the fruits of a free life and giving back to society, their value is to teach us to change.  Let it not be for nothing.

I like to talk about championing human value.  Yet, I find myself at a loss to understand how.  I suppose it starts small.  Kindness is a common word.  It's a word we take for granted.  When your kind to someone you show them that they are valuable to you.  We like to think of ourselves as kind.  We should evaluate ourselves though.  How kind are you to that shop person who is not giving you what you want?  How kind are you to the teammate on your team who is opposing you?  How kind to that person who just made fun of you and you don't like it?  As a highly sensitive person, I see a lot of frustration.  It's at work, it's in the stores, and it's at home.  Frustration can lead to anger, and anger can lead to violence.  Kindness can temper frustration.  Showing someone their value to them.

Examining what human value is shines bright in the darkness of our devastation of it.  Taking ownership of it anew and starting to show kindness to later take bigger steps is important.  We are in an era of post world wars.  Europe does not make war among its nations anymore.  Dialog has taken over.  The middle east seeks freedom.  The world is changing.  The change will be permanent.  Weapons will lessen.  We can help usher the change by being kind.

Choosing Good

Every day we have a choice.  We can choose to do good, that is by helping others.  We also have a choice to do bad, that is to disregard the lives of others.  This choice runs our lives and directs our steps.  Why should anyone choose to help anyone else?  It takes time, effort, and sometimes money.  Let us look at what is in it for us when we choose to do good by considering the Golden Rule , multiversal love, and the good feeling.

Treat others as you want to be treated.  Thus says the Golden Rule that exists in many mainstream religions.  This is a principle command or suggestion to behave.  The idea is that you should help those in need, and one day you might be in need and get helped the same way.  This kind of helping others is basic.  You see someone in physical distress, like in the story of the good Samaritan, and you provide assistance.  This is so basic that laws called the Good Samaritan laws were created.  This principle is also enacted when someone gives first aid or CPR.  I think this principle goes beyond the physical.  You can help others when they are in emotional distress as well.  Often it involves listening to them, and letting them figure things out or talk through the emotion.  The one thing you should never do is try to help someone who doesn't want help.  Yes, your time is most likely to be used when you try to help someone.  Also, your emotional expense will be required.  When you need help and find others helping you, you think about helping others in return.

Emulate love.  It's said that love comes from within.  If we love ourselves we can love others.  If we love others we love ourselves.  If we love ourselves we should love humanity in general.  Showing that love is to help others, whether you know them or like them or not.  Counter to common thinking, you don't have to like someone to show love.  You don't have to agree with them.  You don't even have to believe them.  Showing love is often in spite of the person your loving.  We have an innate need to love.  We also have an innate need to be loved.  If we withhold love for anyone, will love be withheld from us?  Life tends to balance itself.  It may just balance itself on you.

The good feeling.  Volunteers who help people often talk about the good feeling they get.  It's true.  There is a good feeling when you help others.  I've felt this when feeding the homeless, when teaching, when helping the wounded, or helping the distressed.  I guess you can say I'm a good feeling junky.  Somehow I think its a good addiction.  Conversely, I have felt bad passing by those in need.  I have felt bad ignoring those who were in distress.  When I have no time, I have felt bad.  I hate that feeling.  I'd rather help.  I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to be better.  Yeah, you can try to reason through your action of ignoring, but your just justifying and enforcing a bad habit that reflects on your person.

Taking into account the Golden Rule, multiversal love, and the good feeling, you have plenty of motivation to do good and to help people.  In these hard times, there is no lack of people in distress and in need.  Just lending an ear can help tremendously.  Consider the good today.