What Is Trans?

There is a lot of brouhaha going on about what bathrooms transgender folk use. Politicians trying to avoid having to face real issues, generate false issues to divert attention from the real problems. That is unfortunate. What is even more unfortunate is the recent attacks on transgender people. It would appear that they see an easy target because most people are ignorant of transgender issues. I commented online after reading something a transwoman wrote as I found it a well thought out article regarding the bathroom issues and the affect it might have on cisgender women. Cisgender is a term that refers to people whose gender identity is in agreement with their biological sex. It was suggested that I should write about this and try to shine a light of knowledge to disperse the darkness of ignorance. I will do my best to illuminate. I have my own way of perceiving some of this and have found that some things I say are not well received in the transgender community, but I think it is the best way I can think of to present it to people who aren't knowledgeable in this area. So please, this is not meant to offend anyone, I am just trying to bring a little understanding.

Let us start with the medical/science/psychological part of it. I understand that many do not read technical journals let alone medical journals, but this snippet is taken directly from the DSM-5 on Gender Dysphoria. The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychologists/psychiatrist and counselors to diagnose and treat those suffering from Gender Dysphoria. After reading it, you may understand why many don't “get” transgender issues.

“The need to introduce the term gender arose with the realization that for individuals with conflicting or ambiguous biological indicators of sex (i.e., "intersex"), the lived role in society and/or the identification as male or female could not be uniformly associated with or predicted from the biological indicators and, later, that some individuals develop an identity as female or male at variance with their uniform set of classical biological indicators. Thus, gender is used to denote the public (and usually legally recognized) lived role as boy or girl, man or woman, but, in contrast to certain social constructionist theories, biological factors are seen as contributing, in interaction with social and psychological factors, to gender development. Gender assignment refers to the initial assignment as male or female. This occurs usually at birth and, thereby, yields the "natal gender." Gender-atypical refers to somatic features or behaviors that are not typical (in a statistical sense) of individuals with the same assigned gender in a given society and historical era; for behavior, gender-nonconforming is an alternative descriptive term. Gender reassignment denotes an official (and usually legal) change of gender. Gender identity is a category of social identity and refers to an individual's identification as male, female, or, occasionally, some category other than male or female. Gender dysphoria as a general descriptive term refers to an individual's affective/ cognitive discontent with the assigned gender but is more specifically defined when used as a diagnostic category. Transgender refers to the broad spectrum of individuals who transiently or persistently identify with a gender different from their natal gender. Transsexual denotes an individual who seeks, or has undergone, a social transition from male to female or female to male, which in many, but not all, cases also involves a somatic transition by cross-sex hormone treatment and genital surgery (sex reassignment surgery).

Gender dysphoria refers to the distress that may accompany the incongruence between one's experienced or expressed gender and one's assigned gender. Although not all individuals will experience distress as a result of such incongruence, many are distressed if the desired physical interventions by means of hormones and/or surgery are not available. The current term is more descriptive than the previous DSM-IV term gender identity disorder and focuses on dysphoria as the clinical problem, not identity per se.” DSM-5, page 451.

To over-simplify, basically a person who suffers Gender Dysphoria feels that they have the mind of one gender in the body of another. The affect on the afflicted person could be anything from a mild discomfort with who they are to such discomfort as to cause suicidal thoughts and behaviour. In 2014, the Williams Institute did a study on suicide within the transgender community in which they reported in their Executive Summary:

“The prevalence of suicide attempts among respondents to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality, is 41 percent, which vastly exceeds the 4.6 percent of the overall U.S. population who report a lifetime suicide attempt, and is also higher than the 10-20 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who report ever attempting suicide. Much remains to be learned about underlying factors and which groups within the diverse population of transgender and gender non-conforming people are most at risk.” - Williams Institute - Suicide Attempts among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults – Jan 2014

The whole report can be read here for those who wish to know more. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/AFSP-Williams-Suicide-Report-Final.pdf

So, gender dysphoria is very real. This isn't just some guy wearing a dress as some ignorant people dismiss it. This is a real issue and to those who suffer from gender dysphoria, they can feel trapped. To make matters worse, for many, if they come out to others, they are ostracized. Referring once again to that Williams Institute study:

“— Family chose not to speak/spend time with them: 57%

— Discrimination, victimization, or violence at school, at work, and when accessing health care

• Harassed or bullied at school (any level): 50-54%

• Experienced discrimination or harassment at work: 50-59%

• Doctor or health care provider refused to treat them: 60%

• Suffered physical or sexual violence:

— At work: 64-65%

— At school (any level): 63-78%

— Discrimination, victimization, or violence by law enforcement

• Disrespected or harassed by law enforcement officers: 57-61%

• Suffered physical or sexual violence: By law enforcement officers: 60-70”

- Williams Institute - Suicide Attempts among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults – Jan 2014

So this is very real. For many, the way out is death.

I am going to switch tracks for just a moment. I have given you the facts. Now I want to share my feelings and thoughts on this. I may not be very eloquent, but when I write, I try to speak from the heart. So bear with me.

I note that many people reject being transgendered as a life choice. Of course, many of the same people feel the same way about Gays and Lesbians. Science says otherwise, but some people you will never be able to convince. Oh and please don't cite passages from the Bible to support your hate. They come from the Old Testament and have passages in there about not eating bacon or shrimp or wearing that nylon/polyester shirt. Though when you counter bible thumpers with those passages they tell you they don't count. Of course not, they affect them. They prefer only to put faith in those that can support their hate and ignorance. They claim to be Christians, but Jesus said nothing against Gays, Lesbians, or Transgendered. Jesus said that he was the way and the light and left us with one commandment, Love. Not love if, or but, just love.

Okay, enough said about religion. I have been fortunate to know many in the transgendered community. We have shared laughs and tears together. They are very wonderful people. Maybe you should get to know some of them before condemning them. At odds with the workplace discrimination, one study found that many transgendered people are actually highly intelligent. They found that they were the most under-utilized segment of the population due to discrimination. This is changing as more and more companies adopt policies to prevent discrimination, but still has a long way to go. HRC's release of its Corporate Equality Index (CEI) back in March, I believe, showed the status of companies becoming more accepting and getting a perfect 100 appears to be the goal for many of the top companies.

I think that as more and more companies come out in support of transgender people, the backlash from those who feel the need to bully and control others is getting worse. Hopefully, this will change.

Okay, so what do I think is at the root? This is where I get the most flack from the transgender community. I see this as a birth defect. As the DSM notes there are those that are intersexed. These are people who were born with both genitalia. In the past, doctors would often make the decision on which sex to assign with or without the parents input. Often times, they guessed wrong. The old belief was that environment decided what gender you accepted. So if you were assigned a boy at birth, you were raised a boy and compelled to do boy things. If you were a girl, you would be raised as a girl and do girl things. Unfortunately, for some, it isn't so cut and dried. We are all born neo-female. At some point in vitro we get a burst of hormones that cause the physical changes that then end up defining us as male or female. However, sometimes those hormones are disrupted, or replaced by other influences that may cause things to “go wrong”. We can see the physical result with intersexed people. However, and this is just my thoughts, sometimes the physical change gets completed, even ata odds with what our brain believes us to be.

That raises the question, could the rise in transgender population be attributed to people feeling freer to come out and express themselves as they truly are? Or is it because we have mucked up our environment so badly that there are endocrine disruptors and other influeneces that are causing what might have once been a rare occurrence to become more commonplace? I'll leave that to the scientist to figure out. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much studies done on transgender people. I would suppose that is in part because for many they preferred to stay under the radar and not draw attention to themselves. There have been some though. One study looked at the brain and found that there is actually a difference between male, female, and transgendered brains. So there is scientific research, modest, but still there, that maybe warrants a deeper study. There was one study that actually proffered that maybe there is a third gender. Wrap your heads around that kiddies.

Okay, so between the all the studies, the documentation, there is evidence that this is a real thing. So why do we still keep hating? We hear about the courage it took for a transgender person to transition. Why is it so courageous if it is just slapping on a dress as some ignorant people say? Unfortunately it is not that simple.

A person suffering from gender dysphoria, cannot just decide one day to be the other sex. They have to be in the care of a counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist. This professional often has to write letters to the doctors before doctors will begin treatment. Back in the 90's, this was the old Benjamin Protocols. The mental health professional, oh let's shorten that to MHP, would have to challenge you and make you have to prove that you were truly transgendered. As time went on, it was found a gentler approach was needed and WPATH became the standard of care for transgendered people. A copy of the recent version of the Standards of Care (SOC) can be downloaded from here, http://www.wpath.org/site_page.cfm?pk_association_webpage_menu=1351&pk_association_webpage=3926

So a person suffering gender dysphoria would seek out a MHP to help them find a resolution, whether it was simply coping, or going the full route to transition. After a diagnosis of gender dysphoria was ascertained, the person affected would have to seek out a endocrinologist to set up a course of treatment. In the past, the MHP would have to write a letter to the doctor before treatment could begin, however, in recent versions of the SOC, that has been revised. Some doctors may still require it to cover themselves. Now, I haven't read the new version of the SOC, but in the past, you would eventually have to transition and live your life as the opposite sex for one year before getting approval for gender reassignment surgery or sexual reassignment surgery, I have heard it referred to both ways. I believe in the past it also required two letters from two different MHP, but I believe that has been removed from the SOC in the recent version. I guess I should read it at some point to get caught up.

So besides the discrimination that a transgendered person faces in their day to day life, they had to prove their way to the mental health and medical professionals. I also have to note that often they are left to find these professionals on their own. That is not very helpful when you encounter a MHP that doesn't believe in LGBTQ issues. I have heard of a number of websites that have cropped up to offer this information. I believe in the Boston area, many go to Fenway Health.

Of course, that is just the medical side of things. There is also many hours of electrolysis for male to female transfolk. They could opt for laser too. They might also undergo facial surgery to better contour the face to look more feminine. They may also go for a tracheal shave to remove a prominent adam's apple. The costs are phenomenal and often times not covered by insurance as the insurance companies have been allowed to discriminate. So for many, they look to the sex trade or making pornos to raise the money.

So there is a lot of information here, but I have barely touched upon it. It is a complicated issue. However, I feel that we can make the lives of transgender people a whole lot easier if we can just remove our own ignorance and help them on their journey. There have been many people who have transitioned and are having successful careers. Some who are better known, Chaz Bono, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, and Catilyn Jenner. Oh and the Wachowski Brothers who are now the Wachowski Sisters.

All transgendered people want is to be loved and accepted just like everyone else. They didn't ask to be born the way they were. No one would choose that as a life choice. Who would choose to live in a world that hated and despised you? We need to learn to accept everyone for who they are and what they do. I hope this brought a little insight and awareness. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.  

Really? We Need a National Coming Out Day?

I saw this on another website. It got me thinking, why the hell do we even need a National Coming Out day? You would think that we, as a society, have progressed enough to be able accept people for however they wish to represent themselves, or whomever they choose to love. Unfortunately, it appears that we still need days like this. It is incredible that a society who believes themselves to be modern and enlightened, makes it so that some people actually feel they have to "come out". Of course, to understand this, we have to go back. The whole idea of needing to come out, was because so many people have felt the need to hide who they really are because of ignorance and hate fortified by religion. 

Those who choose to discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered, point to a section in the Bible, Leviticus 20;13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death ; their blood shall be upon them." This single passage in the Old Testament has been used to foster hate while ignoring other passages that might affect those who project that hate. 

Funny how they ignore Leviticus 11:10 "But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you." As they eat their shrimp cocktail or baked stuffed lobster. 

Leviticus 11 says: 4-6 “Some animals chew the cud, but they don’t have split hooves. Don’t eat these animals. Camels, rock badgers, and rabbits are like that, so they are unclean for you. 7 Other animals have hooves that are split into two parts, but they don’t chew the cud. Don’t eat these animals. Pigs are like that, so they are unclean for you. 8 Don’t eat the meat from these animals. Don’t even touch their dead bodies! They are unclean for you."

So let's see, these are just two there are more, but these are from the same book. You shouldn't be eating shrimp, lobster, and BACON!!! Oh that BLT just damned you to hell. 

Many do not know that I was a Youth Minister for the Diocese of Providence. As part of that, I was sent to Providence College for theology. I have read the Bible through at minimum three times front to back. I don't have things quite memorized, but did gain a good understanding of its teachings. What is lost on those who profess that because of that one passage in Leviticus, the whole LGBT community is damned to hell. They skip the passages on seafood, pork, women speaking out and clothes of two threads. When confronted with those passages, they tell us they don't count. They don't count because they reflect 

on them. They are only looking for ammunition to foster their hatred towards others. Jesus stated that he was the new covenant. He gave one commandment, Love. Not love but, or love if, just love. We are also told in the Bible to judge not lest ye be judged, yet we find that armed with a single passage we can condemn a wide swath of society. A swath that Jesus himself, would have embraced. 

What I find disheartening, is that they support people like Kim Davis who tried to deny marriage licenses to gay couples. She touted her religion. Yet, as it turned out, she had sex out of wedlock and was married multiple times. Once again, the rules only apply to those we hate. 

I once wrote a series called Ripples. It spoke of our impact on things around us. Our attitude towards others can cause great affects, positive or negative. Jesus told us that he gave us one commandment, Love. Yet, we are so set on trying to make ourselves feel better that we attack others who we perceive are less than us. They are not! It is only our perception. So speaking of Ripples, what is that affect of hate on the LGBT community? According to a Wikipedia report, "The Suicide Prevention Resource Center synthesized these studies and estimated that between 30 and 40% of LGBT youth, depending on age and sex groups, have attempted suicide." 30-40%!!!  That is just the youth. This is what all this hate brings about. Death! Now aren't you proud that you can quote that one Leviticus passage while ignoring the ones that condemn yourself!!! I want to add that the T in that number shoots even higher. A recent study showed that transgendered people, especially Male to Female (MTF), have a suicide rate of 55%!!!! Aren't you just proud of yourself that your hate of others due to your own ignorance has driven all these people to kill themselves???

Okay, you have to forgive me. I see that all life is precious. I believe that everyone should be accepted for who they are. As i have stated multiple times, I don't give a damn who you love, only that you love. When it comes to transgendered people, we need to learn more about the condition. Which, for those who don't have a copy of the DSM, (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders), it is listed as Gender Dysphoria. In previous manuals it was listed as Gender Identify Disorder. It was changed as calling it a disorder caused further issues with patients suffering from the condition. 

I get it. It is a human condition for us to hate that which is different. Our egos also need to find someone to step on in order to lift ourselves up. We have done this with immigrants, we are doing it with people with different sexual desires or even gender identities. We are never going to progress as a society as long as we hold fast to these ideals. The only way we can progress as a society and become the people that Jesus envisioned us to be, is to remove the ego as many Buddhists preach. We need to stop judging each other an learn to embrace the cornucopia of differences that mankind has to offer. We need to move beyond the hate and ignorance and strive, not to turn away and condemn those who are different, but rather to learn, grow, and embrace the differences. 

I was raised Catholic. I was even a Youth Minister for the church and almost became a priest. I turned against the Catholic Church and organized religion because it did not follow Jesus' teachings of love and compassion, but rather preached separation and hate. I believe that Jesus was a great teacher. He understood where we needed to go. We need to learn to love each other. 

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit. 

P.S. I dedicate this to my good friend and spiritual companion Al Anderson. His passing is a great loss to humanity. I was honored to sit at his council of the Seven. 

Back To Writing - New Home

It has been a few years since I have written. My niece has a blog that sparked my interest to return to writing. I have decided to move over to WordPress where I have registered the domain, http://thoughtsoncloudyday.com/

I have a few new blog posts there regarding the start of our small farm here. Baby steps. Hopefully, I will continue to write and be inspired to share my journey. So please, if you have liked what I have written here, head on over and check out the new site.

A new beginning, new thoughts, but the same old me.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Forever In My Heart

This is probably the hardest blog I have ever written. I mean, how do you sum up the impact someone has had on your life? How can you even put into words how someone has touched your heart? Yet, when the Creator has given you the gift of writing and sharing your thoughts and feelings, how can you not take a moment and share.

John, Jack, Jackie, Poppa. These names all tell us who we are talking about, but who the man was. Poppa had a heart of gold. I first met Poppa about ten years ago when I started dating Cindy. I as nervous that day I first was to meet her parents, but within minutes, I was made to feel like I was family. Poppa was a big part of that. Quick witted, and always playful. You could always count on Poppa saying goodbye to you out the back door and before you came around the house, he had run through the house and was on the porch waving goodbye.
His heart went beyond family as he was always at my niece Nicky's softball games. Oh not like most parents or grandparents who came and cheered. No, Poppa would hit BJ;s and get a big container of bubble gum or something to pass out to the girls on the team.
He always had that twinkle in his eye that made you know he was "up to no good". He would always be prodding one of the kids to pull a prank on someone at the family gatherings. Bring out cake and ice cream and Poppa was just one of the kids.
Not long after I came to meet him, the signs of Altzheimers started showing. Soon he lost his mobility as his license was taken away. We got him a golf cart to get around the over-55 village he lived in.

Eventually, even that was too much. Slowly we watched the man we loved dwindle away. The past few months he spent in a nursing home. You could sense his frustration as he tried to communicate but words would not come together. Finally today, he let go of this life.
For those of us left behind, it is bittersweet. While we love Poppa and will miss him so much, in the end, he is in a much better place. He has joined his son, Eddy, and his daughter, Cheryl.
We love you and we will miss you Poppa, but know that you are forever in our hearts.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

America's Last Great Hope - Education

According to a recent AP article the US ranks ninth for 24 to 34 year olds with a high school education. We tied Belgium for seventh for college education in the same age group. Just twenty years ago, we were 1st in both categories. So much for no child left behind! Despite that much touted program it appears we have slipped. Part of that is due to the cuts to local aid that towns have had to absorb into their school budgets. This means that some teachers had to be let go. The smaller class sizes that was once the supreme target, were now doubling in size.
As if that wasn't bad enough, recent articles have stated that some Tea Party representatives are pushing to privatize schools. They say that the taxpayers should not have to foot the bill, it is up to the parents to educate their kids. Well, what happens to the middle class who are struggling to get by, or the poor who can barely afford to feed their kids?
Another noteworthy thing in that AP article was that the US is an information economy. For the time being, we are still number one when it comes to information, but do to our falling education level, we are slowly slipping on that slope. So the one thing we are good at outside of war and weapons, we are starting to slide on that too.
The Tea Party and some Republicans think that our education system is broken so rather than try to fix it, they say we should do away with it and let the parents take up the responsibility. How is that going to keep us number one and get us back into first for education? We need to stop flapping our lips and saying things like, "It takes a village" or "No child left behind", hollow words. We need to actually put education first in this country. Yes, get in there and find out what isn't working and why? Sometimes, we may find that the reason is that we aren't funding it right. Sometimes it might be because of text books that are just plain wrong. Pretty sad when a student points it out to a teacher and the teacher says, yeah, they know but they have to teach it that way or get fired. Maybe part of the problem is like with medicine, we have bureaucrats calling the shots and telling the professionals what to do. Maybe the first thing is to let the teachers teach. The other thing is that we need to double down on education not pull it apart. We need to make it more affordable for our students to progress beyond a high school education. It is just getting way too expensive.
My daughter is ready to go to college. She wanted to go to a state college out of state. In the end, she would graduate owing over $800 a month for fifteen years. That is no way for a young person to start their life. Deval Patrick, the Governor of Massachusetts, announced a program to help. If Massachusetts students go to their local community college and can maintain a 3.5 or better, then when they graduate, they can go to UMass Amherst tuition free and reduced room and board. Think about that for a moment. They still get the education. They graduate from University of Massachusetts, which is what appears on their resume. Yet the cost will end up being about half. Why can't there be more programs like that? At least here in Massachusetts, we still believe in education.
According to the Institute of Economics and Peace, Global Peace Index which measures how peaceful each country is, the US ranks below China. Yes, China. China is 80th, we are 85. Is this how we want our country to be known? Or do we want to raise the US from the ashes and become the leaders in innovation, education, knowledge, and the ability to solve problems. Solve them, not by blowing them up, but by finding real solutions to real problems. In that ranking the UK is 31, Canada is 14. I challenge the US to rise up and move up the list and ahead of at least the UK. Wouldn't you rather be known as a country of wise men and wizards than barbaric orcs?

I have a vision of the US becoming number one again. I would like us to start with education. Maybe one day, we will be number one at peace.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

The Failing of isms - A New Paradigm Needed?

More and more we see the news coming out about the injustice in the American way. We hear how the cards are stacked against the average Joe as they struggle to pay their mortgage, rent, put food on the table, pay for healthcare and the gas to get to work. While they are working longer hours with less help, they are hearing about corporations skipping out on their taxes, or worse, getting subsidies while raking in billions. They are inundated with news about credit card companies jacking up rates and foreclosing on people's homes after the taxpayers bailed them out. As a further slap in the face, if they are lucky enough to get a vacation, it is a staycation, while the execs of the financial companies are reaping huge bonuses and vacationing in the Caribbean.
Yet, we are told that capitalism is the best system in the world. We are told how good we have it. We are told that we have the best health care, the top education, freedom of this, and freedom of that. When we tried to improve healthcare, the rants went up about socialism and how bad it is and how we are becoming communists. We are led to believe it is bad. And to the point, the example we had, the USSR, was bad. Yet, those who have combined the two systems, like England and France, and other European states, seem to have managed to get systems that work. According to the WHO, it is France that leads in health care, not the US. I think the US ranked about 37. Oh we will hear that we have the best doctors and hospitals and how others come here, but our own people can't afford the same. If you are in the upper income brackets, the US is a great place, but for most Americans it is a struggle.
One of the things I find interesting is how a segment of America goes on and on about how they want their country back. They go on and on about how America is being turned into a communist country. They go on and on about how we need to put God back in America. We even hear some complain about how we need to put the pledge back in schools. Though, I am curious on that one as I hadn't heard they stopped saying the pledge. Interesting point to note. The Pledge of Allegiance that they are pressing so hard for, was actually written by an American Socialist in 1892 named Francis Bellamy. Hmmm, pledging to a socialist pledge, do they even know that? Even worse than the pledge is the idea that they go on and on about how we need God in this country, how we need Jesus. Yet, they do everything that is the antithesis of what Jesus would do. Jesus cared for the people, all people, not just the ones who agreed with him. He opened his heart to all people. But let's leave that for now.
During the health care debate we heard about the system in France, England, and Canada. We were told these systems were evil. We were told horror stories about these systems. Yet, the wonder of the Internet allows us to connect to people around the world. Friends from these countries asked what the heck were they talking about. I even had an expatriot living in France tell me that he loves the French health care system and told me that the lies about the out of control taxes were a joke. Yes, they have higher taxes, but for the people, they have much more. They have free health care. If a student qualifies, higher education is also free. They even get 37 days of vacation time a year. Yet, that system, is evil. Evil for who?
The current paradigm in this country is to dismantle everything from health care to prisons, and even schools. There was an incidence down south I believe, the fire department was privatized. The people had to pay for the fire department. No pay, no protection. Well, a guys house caught fire. He called the fire department and they showed up, at his neighbors. It seems his neighbor had paid for the protection, but he hadn't, so they let his house burn down. Ah, capitalism, got to love it.
You see, that is the point, pure capitalism, just like pure socialism, can't work. The best systems are those that provide the core services from education and health care, to police, fire, and roads. However, companies are allowed to compete and make profits. Though, a smart government, puts checks and balances in. Our unbridled capitalism has allowed things to become so unbalanced. The average worker is lucky to get a 2% raise, while the average exec is reeling in a whopping 25% or more increase plus bonus. There have been some who say that if this continues, we could be up for a revolution. Personally, I think people are way too distracted these days and are more interested in their crops on Farmville, than standing up for their rights. Shame. I have often asked, where are the hippies? It just seems that back then, there were more people standing up for the rights of the people, standing up against the wars. Indeed, where are the hippies?
What we truly need is a new concept. A new paradigm. A more humane system of government that works for all the people and not just the elite few or corporations. Maybe a blend of the various isms working together, but with its core principal that all people are equal. Maybe the US has grown too big. Too big to fail, not hardly.

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." -Thomas Jefferson

Capitalism has become an ugly beast that is devouring its children. We need to rethink this paradigm and maybe come up with better ideas that will work for most of the population instead of a select few.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.

Wisdom From a Fortune Cookie - Keep a Cool Head

Keep a cool head and bide your time. A chance is bound to come.

Hmmm, how many times have I gone off half cocked because I have let my emotions get the better of me? Quite a few. I can be very impulsive. I have long believed that the deck was stacked against me so I had to grab what I could when I could. Yet, sometimes, in hindsight, I have found that had I but waited a brief moment, either the funds would appear, or the help I might need. Of course, with age comes wisdom. Well, okay, it could be a stretch for the wisdom part, but at least the voice of experience plays into things. I have started to take a breath and be patient. Usually, somehow things will get done, or money will arrive. Of course, it is only just enough money to barely make the need. You would think, just once, it would be much more than I need so I could actually enjoy it. At least it meets the need.
I have learned over time to not let anger get the better of me. There were many times when I have exploded, mind you, I am usually alone as I try to keep that out of people's view. Usually I go for a long walk deep in the woods. Serves two purposes, gets me away from people so that, in my frame of mind, I am not exploding at the wrong people. It also allows me to vent and then the long walk back, allows me to think more rationally about the situation and how best to resolve it or at least accept that I cannot change it. The thing is that I give it time and a release so that a cooler head can prevail.
Even with buying things, I have tried to curb my impulses. Sometimes you see something really cool and you get that "just got to have it" feeling. You know that buying it would put you in a financial bind, but you do so anyway. Then a day or two later, you see the same thing marked down somewhere else. When I wanted to upgrade my bike, I started to look around. I really fell in love with the Fury. I liked the long rake that gave it that chopper look. I was going to find a way to get it. I stopped though and figured, I should shop around. I hit the motorcycle show in Boston and fell out of love with the Fury, and in love with the Stryker. The jet black coolness of the Stryker just seemed right. Okay, so we take a step back and compare the two. So I then head out to look at bikes around the area. The Fury still appeals to me, but now the Stryker caught my eye. What to do, what to do. Patience. I went to check out the Stryker at the local Yamaha dealer figuring that buying local and servicing local, I am giving to the local economy. I went in and was looking at the Stryker and a few others. Then the dealer pointed out the one in the window. He told me that a big guy like me might find that bike better. The Stryker being a 1300 and the one in the window, a Road Star 1700. I tell him, yeah, but I really didn't want to spend too much. I had just paid off the old one and was hoping to keep my payments low. He told me that the 1700 was a leftover and he could give it to me for $900 less than the Stryker. Wow. It was a sweet looking bike, in cherry red. Lots of chrome. It looked great. So I bought it. So by being patient, I got a bigger bike with more horsepower that will last me a long time and I got it for less money. A chance is bound to come.
Now, not every thing we wait on is going to give us the same result. Sometimes, we might even miss out on an opportunity. In the end though, we may find that in waiting and working things through, we may end up better. That goes for relations as well as purchases.
In relations, we may get upset and want to end a relationship, or not talk to the person. Yet, if we were patient, the truth might emerge and we might find that the reason they blew us off on the date, or didn't come home as expected, had a good reason. Sometimes, they don't share that reason because the other person that they might have been helping has asked that they not tell anyone. Yet, after a bit, we eventually find out. Someone may tell us that they saw our partner hugging someone else downtown. We get all worked up thinking the worst and are ready to explode, only to find that the other person may have lost a relation and our partner was consoling them. They may have lost a job. The thing is that we take the time and let cooler heads prevail.
So keep a cool head in all you do. Learn to count to three, take a breath, whatever tool you need to use, to give that moment to step away from emotion to allow you to think things through. Sometimes you may find that chance you were waiting for is bound to come.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.