Live Free & Be Happy!

I'm back! I've selected a title I've used before for this first blog post in nearly a year. The photo is of the hat I currently sport and travel in. More about it later.

It's been nearly a year since I posted anything new on this blog. I started to ease back on my writing about two years ago. No! I hadn't run out of topics. I actually have a long list of topics I continue to accumulate. I'd like to attribute my taking time off to writer's block, but it wasn't that either. I guess I simply needed to take a break, evaluate life, regroup and, to probably be really honest, I got lazy. I love to write. I love to share my thoughts, philosophies and even an occasional rant. I was tired.

In May of 2017 I rushed back to the east side of the continent to attend the 50^th Class Reunion of my college class at Montclair State University.

A Letter To Greg

This article is actually a letter (sent by email) to a very good and valued friend of mine of 50 years. I sent this letter to Greg earlier today. I realized as I was concluding the letter that it is really a Manifesto.

There is an old cliché that says there are three kinds of people in society.

#1 People who make things happen.

#2 People who watch things happen.

#3 People who wonder what happened.

That relates to what goes on in politics, religion and other forms of social interaction. I want to be part of group #1. I, unfortunately, often find myself as part of group #2. But, I strive my hardest to avoid at nearly all costs being part of group #3.

Lately, I've found myself losing sight of who I really am by being sucked in and reacting (knee-jerk reaction) to issues, events and ideological discussions I really can't do anything about and that really are not my problems. I find myself spending far too much of my priceless time writing to inform, educate or influence people who really don't want to be informed, educated or influenced. They simply

What's It All About – Part Deux

To follow up on my last blog article “What's It All About,” I ran into this interesting video on Facebook about the education system in Finland. The U.S., the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world is being eroded from within. I believe a significant reason for this is our deteriorating educational system.

Allow me to preface my remarks by stating that 50 years ago (I just attended the 50^th class reunion of my graduation from Montclair State College - now University), I earned a B.A. degree in education with my specialty being Industrial Arts. I also was awarded teacher certification, accepted in virtually every state in the U.S., for Kindergarten through 12^th grade.

I was, myself, a product of the public education system. I skipped kindergarten, but completed grades 1 – 12 in the Clifton, New Jersey public school system. Even as a wet behind the ears, know it all, 22 year old graduate of the teaching curriculum of the (at that time) crown jewel of the New Jersey state colleges, all specializing in teacher education at that time, I saw real issues I knew were going to continue to deteriorate in the New Jersey (and U.S.) educational system. In my opinion, I was not wrong in my projections.

Defining Success . . . for YOURSELF

Success! This word may only have one other word in the English language that immediately comes to mind rivaling it in use and misuse. The other word is “love.” And, yes, I said use and misuse. Allow me to use two quotes in this article to provide the preface and conclusion for my remarks.

First, is this quotation from Walter H. Cottingham, former president of the Sherwin Williams Company,

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings!"

Photos-of-the-Week #220 The Past in the Present, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, June 2014

June of 2014 found me revisiting an important and a pivotal location from my past. I was back in Syracuse, New York visiting my dear friends, John and Pat Hottenstein and our alma mater, Syracuse University. John was (and still is, of course) an ordained minister and Pat was a nurse. John and I met as students. We were in the Masters in Television & Radio program at the Newhouse School of Public Communications. I don't remember if it was Sequence 20 or 21, the years have made that blurry. There were 52 of us in the program as I recall.

The building pictured above is Carnegie Library. It was the main library for the university at that time (1967 & 1968). It was also the headquarters for the Television & Radio Department. The very old, black & white TV studio was housed there with a selection of 1950's equipment. . . READ AND SEE MORE PHOTOS

Photos-of-the-Week #215 - A Day On The Farm, West Branch, Iowa, June 2015

What I visit I had to a family owned and operated farm in West Branch, Iowa. Some readers of this blog were born and raised on farms, so you know about what it takes to operate such an enterprise.

My friend, Jolene Brown, a woman I met through my professional speaker affiliations, has invited me on several occasions to visit the family farm she and her husband own and operate in West Branch, Iowa, when I might be passing through that area. I finally did get through her part of the world and took her up on the invitation. Wow! What an education I received about the field of agriculture. . . READ MORE AND SEE MORE PHOTOS

Intelligence vs. Education

I've learned a lot over seven decades of life. The first 18 years were dedicated to learning the basics of surviving and functioning productively as an adult. The next 10 years were dedicated to the finishing period of preparing for a lifetime career by completing two college degrees and serving four years in the U.S. Air Force. The next 22 years were dedicated to my most active professional and productive period. The last 20 years, while I remained very active in my career and even expanded into another professional direction, was the period when I began to review my life and evaluate all I learned over the preceding years. I continue that review to this day.

When I turned 50, I remember saying, "Geez! I'm a half century old. I managed to survive and thrive. I believe I have reached a point where I might actually have gained some wisdom to share with others. And, now that I'm a half century old, I don't care what other people think or how they judge me anymore." Boy! Did that feel good. I adopted the mantra, WYSIWYG (pronounced - wiz ee wig) meaning - what you see is what you get!

My father used to repeat a little bit of wisdom when I was a kid. "Everyday I learn more and more about less and less until one day I'll know everything about nothing." He never made the 50 year milestone. He died at 42. His little saying confused as a kid, after all, when I was 16 and 17 I knew everything. You just had to tell me something and my immediate reply was, "I know! I know!" My thought, since age 50 has been, I wish I knew everything now that I knew when I was 17. I'll wager there are a lot of readers who have had the same or similar thoughts.

With age comes wisdom (usually). Today I understand the profundity of my father's declaration about learning more and more about less and less. I epitomize that statement. There is so much to know and so much new knowledge being created everyday. It's probably always been impossible for any one human being to know everything. Today, impossible doesn't begin to describe the potential of knowing everything.

Intelligence vs. Education

A powerful and vitally important distinction revealed itself to me many years ago. It's proven itself to be irrefutable as the years have passed. Intelligence and education are mutually exclusive. It bothers me, I might even go as far as to say it angers me, to constantly hear this constant mantra about today's teenagers and young adults NEEDING a college education. My immediate response every time I hear that is "bullshit!"

What today's teenagers and young adults need is to learn to THINK CRITICALLY! That's where we are failing our young generations. Our focus is not in teaching young people to think critically. It's teaching them how to memorize the necessary information to pass a series of standardized tests so "no child is left behind."

FACT: Some people are more intelligent than other people!

FACT: Gaining education without the ability or intelligence to apply it is a waste of time and creates huge student loan debts (over one trillion dollars, currently).

FACT: Many of the most successful people in our society do not have college degrees.

FACT: Massive numbers of college graduates work for businesses led by individuals who don't have college degrees.

FACT: More people have college degrees in fields they will never make a living from than ever before.

FACT: Our country has fallen from (at one time) #1 to #16 (even Russia and Poland rank higher than the U.S.) in overall education. And according to the latest rankings by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the U.S. is below average ranking at #31 in Math, #24 in Science and #21 in Reading.

That's enough facts. The reality is that the U.S. and the world in general is spawning more and more educated derelicts. Please don't misunderstand my meaning. I'm not maligning education or you, if you have one or more degrees. I'm a product of the education system. I'm a high school graduate and I earned a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree. While I never applied either of the college degrees for the specific purpose they were designated for (teaching and working in the TV & radio industry), as a media entrepreneur, I applied most of the practical knowledge (not so much the liberal arts part of the degrees other than being able to talk and write somewhat intelligently) in my businesses.

My father was a non-degreed electrical/mechanical design engineer. I'm not sure if he even graduated from high school. My father had native intelligence and applied it. Because of him, the fax machine became a common place part of businesses and other parts of society globally. Also, he became a specialist in servo mechanisms used in the guidance systems of ballistic missiles and the U.S. space program. He had degreed engineers working under his supervision.

My son, chose not to attend college even though his 7th grade PSAT scores were high enough to qualify him for most colleges and universities. He is a self-taught graphic designer and Web developer beginning when he was in high school. Today, after ten plus years of working under contract for a long list of major corporations including Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile, he is employed by one of the Big Four international accounting and business consulting firms, shoulder to shoulder with offices full of MBA's. They all depend on him because he can take all their ideas and put them to work on a practical level.

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Lear, Larry Ellison, J.C. Penney, John D. Rockefeller, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Branson, Dave Thomas, Will Smith, Mark Zuckerberg, Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, Dolly Parton, Rachael Ray, Debbie Fields, Mary Kay Ash, Coco Chanel and many, many other men and women became very successful without college degrees and in many cases without graduating high school.

Was it difficult for them to become successful? Sure! Very few people attain instant success. Most successful people will make all kinds of significant sacrifices. Is it easier to reach the levels of success these well-known people have attained with a college degree. Not necessarily. It is my belief and opinion that it required raw intelligence, an idea, a dream, the willingness to do whatever it takes to realize the dream and persistence. None of these qualities require or are taught as part of any college degree program.

Can college degree holders become as successful? Of course, however, they often begin four to six years later than non-degreed successful people. Also, those with degrees may also begin tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand dollars or more in debt before they can start their careers.

Intelligence

Intelligence is a raw, genetic trait individuals are born with. Despite the idea that all people are born equal, I don't believe that. I believe that some people are born with genius levels of intelligence. Some people are born with a low degree of raw intelligence. They may be trainable and functional, however, they will not be candidates for the CEO of Ford Motor Company. The majority of the population fall somewhere between those two extremes. We could call it average intelligence, but if you're referring to those at the crest of a bell shaped curve, once again, that is still only a nominal portion of the population.

Intelligence is that quality or trait that allows an individual to function in society and all of life's situations. The gift of talent may be equated with intelligence. Some extremely intelligent people may not be able to tie their own shoelaces, yet they might be geniuses in math. Intelligent people are those who can take a basic idea and turn it into a tangible invention, product, business, etc. Those with less intelligence are the people who are instrumental in producing the product, providing a service and making the business or organization function.

Mr. Herbert Reaske, an English professor at Montclair State College when I attended there in 1963, taught me the two most important things I learned in college. He was the professor of the first class of my college career. Mr. Reaske taught me that to be successful in life I needed to be able to burn the candle at both ends and to THINK CRITICALLY. He said that everything else I would experience in the way of classes, reading, papers and exams during my college education were basically all rote repetition. I had to get through them to earn the degree, but I didn't need to focus my life on them. If I could think critically, I could find this information, again, in the future should I ever need to.

That's the secret - THINKING CRITICALLY!

Education

Here is our failure! Education. This is why we are falling so far behind the rest of the world. As I stated earlier, I don't have any issues with anyone gaining an education. However, I believe we have long ago lost focus on the concept and process of education. School systems are dropping the requirement to learn cursive writing. We no longer focus on learning the traditional math tables and doing long arithmetic because we have calculators. There is controversy over assigning homework to elementary, middle and high school students. Is this too much work?

Here are a few more facts. Asian students study far more hours per day than U.S. students. They also have higher test scores and are ahead of U.S. students in math, science and reading. Another fact, there are more college graduates in India than the entire population of the U.S. Apparently, they are highly qualified and motivated, too, which is why we find so many Indian doctors, scientists and engineers migrating to the U.S. Either we aren't graduating enough people in these fields OR the Indian graduates are more qualified than the U.S. graduates.

 Here's another personal opinion. We have become a nation of educated derelicts. Of course, we have always had a certain percentage of educated derelicts. I simply believe we are graduating more and more of them. Why? Because too many people going to college are not prepared for college when they get there. They have unrealistic expectations of what a college education is and what it's supposed to do for a graduate. They are immature and aren't focused on education, but having a fun college life. Upon graduation, all too often, carrying a massive student loan burden, they expect to find jobs that will pay "big money" so they can live comfortably, buy "toys" and pay off their loans. But, no one wants to start at the bottom.

Also, I like to remind everyone, there can only be one #1 in class ranking. Therefore everyone else falls into place where their grades and efforts place them. There are those at the bottom of the class ranking, too. Are they not as intelligent? Do they not apply themselves? Do they not care enough about their future?

We all want to live and work in buildings designed and built by the #1 in the engineering or architecture class. We also want to be treated and operated on by the #1 in the medical school class. It doesn't matter what the field or industry, we all want #1 to serve us. So, what happens to all those who are in the lower class rankings? Is this why people who often get the positions may be from foreign countries?

Education is a process. Intelligence is a gift. If you have the gift and apply it by learning to think critically, an education may enhance your capabilities. However, if the system is failing you then, maybe applying your gift of intelligence without a "formal" education may be the better route for you. Expect some discrimination. Some employers don't evaluate employment candidates based on abilities and experience, but on their degrees and the institutions that conferred the degrees.

Think Critically

This is my admonition to you. Regardless of how intelligent you are, if you're reading this article, you have at least average or above average intelligence. Stop blindly being a follower and start living your life on your own terms. If you have kids, do something unpopular - challenge them. Help them learn. Help them to think critically by posing situations they have to actually use their minds to resolve. Limit their exposure to video games (you, too). They are addictive and take massive amounts of time away from one's life.

To live free you have to think free. You have to be independent and not concerned about what "They" think or what "They" tell you is right for your life. To be free, your mind must be under your own control. Set an example for your family, friends and others you come into contact with by defining what living free means to you and then using the gift of your intelligence to achieve it. Then guide your children and others down that path by your example. 

Photo-of-the-Week #185 Pride & Disappointment - Clifton High School, Clifton, New Jersey, September 2013

50 Years! Yes, it was 50 years ago in June of 1963 that I graduated from Clifton High School. And, here I am back at this school 50 years and three months from my commencement into adulthood. An interesting factoid is that my Class of 1963 was the first class to graduate from this structure or, as we termed it back then, the "new" Clifton High School.

A lot has happened during those 50 years. Clifton High School seems to have aged well. It is still a very pretty, clean and well manicured campus. The trees are now mature as opposed to the newly planted saplings in 1962 when we first walked on the campus. Other than a new wing being added sometime during those years, the structure appears to be much as it was 50 years ago. . . READ MORE

Grades Just Don't Matter All That Much!

An old high school friend forwarded a YouTube video to me a little while ago. The title of the YouTube video was "Ten Minutes of Wisdom." Well, I'm right in the middle of a bunch of little detail stuff, plus composing another article to post, so I didn't think I'd take the time to watch the video right then. But . . .  I was curious and so I clicked on the link. It was a presentation by a speaker at a college in Abilene, Texas. One of his key points was that grades don't count for all that much, so just deal with them whether in school or career, but don't allow them to control your life. . . READ MORE and I'll give you the link to the YouTube.

Photo-of-the-Week #158 - 150 Year Old Civil War Artifact, Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, December 2004

Here is the H.L. Hunley, the first combat submarine used to sink a ship in battle. The Hunley, with a crew of 8, sunk three times losing a total of 21 crewmembers. It had only a single successful mission before sinking the final time with its crew and being lost in 1864 during the Civil War. . . . READ MORE

The Two Great Motivators - Pleasure and Pain

Perhaps you're familiar with this philosophy and psychological concept. If you've studied any Freud or, more recently, Tony Robbins, you'll have been introduced to this concept. Certainly other psychologists, motivational speakers and philosophers of the 20th Century used these two concepts as the base for basic human motivation. The reality is that this isn't a new discovery by modern psychologists or philosophers. In fact, Aristotle spoke of it in his book, Rhetoric, some time around 400 BC. And, if you want to go back to the Book of Genesis in the Bible generally accepted that the creation of all things by God began at 4000 BC, you'll see the pleasure-pain (also construed as reward-punishment) concept repeated in numerous scenarios.

If you are a follower of any number of motivational speakers and organizations that use motivation as a basis for advancing and becoming successful in any number of endeavors (music, art, athletics, business including multi-level and network marketing, other career paths, education and so on), you have probably been led to believe there are a slew of motivators. Let me name just a few of these so-called motivators: money, happiness, success, freedom, awards, promotions, homes, cars, expensive bling and toys and the list goes on. Some of the negative motivations or demotivating ideas include: failure, loss, divorce, being fired, being passed over for promotion, lack of money, lack of the home you believe you should have, the same with vehicles and other stuff.

Here is the reality. Everything I just listed and anything else you want to add to these lists ALL revert directly back to the two Great Motivators, gaining pleasure and avoiding pain. Success equates with reward and gaining pleasure. Gaining all the money you want (unfortunately, that never seems to be enough for the majority of people) reverts back to what the money can be used for to gain pleasure. There is no intrinsic pleasure in money itself. It's only what money can do for someone that matters. This applies to every other superficial motivator. The negative motivators are the things that cause pain (emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual and economic). The negative motivators are what motivate us to do things we may not like to do, maybe even despise those things, but if they will prevent failure, loss of family, bankruptcy and so on, one will do whatever it takes.

It is generally accepted by most legitimate psychologists and behavioral scientists that the stronger of the two Great Motivators is the avoidance of pain. Take only one simple example, working hard at a job or jobs that one dislikes, despises or hates for 40, 50 and even 60 years. Why would a person work all that time at something they hate? To avoid the pain of not providing for their family, putting food on the table, putting a roof over their head (regardless of how conservative that shelter may be) and failing in life as measured by the standards established by society. This society goes by many names including the Jones's (as in "keeping up with the Jones's") and "They" (as in what will "They" or "everyone else" think of me or, as I term them, "The Committee of They").

To Gain Pleasure

Once again, I'm not preaching Judeo-Christian doctrine or ethics, but simply illustrating the basic principles that were pretty plainly laid out by these early books. You can go to any number of other ancient philosophies and find the same thing. But, why did God create the Garden of Eden and put Adam and Eve there when he "created" them? Because this life we have was meant to enjoy pleasure. Adam and Eve were given everything they needed to be free and happy and enjoy an abundant life. The miracle that is this planet has always had the capability of providing people and the animals on the planet with a fulfilling and abundant life. But, when that "snake in the grass," Satan, tempted humans to want more than the abundance, freedom and happiness they were endowed with, everything changed.

Instead of relating this to religion, simply look at it from this perspective. Humans are greedy and easily corruptible. I dare say there has been no human who has walked on this Earth (other than, supposedly, Jesus, The Son of God - relating back to religious convictions, again) who has not expressed and displayed greed and can be easily corrupted (tempted). Depending on our origins in geopolitical terms, societal and familial standards and ethics, some are more greedy and corruptible than others. Read this carefully, please. People who are born into poverty, slums and a low class of living are not anymore corruptible or greedy than those born into great wealth and an opulent lifestyle. I would even go as far as to say that those who have more are far greedier and more corrupt than those on the lower end of the scale.

Those in the Middle Class may be the worst of all. They consider themselves above the lower class people and have no problem stepping on them and exploiting them in their efforts to realize the pleasure of living like the wealthy, opulent class. Of course, I'm making broad generalizations with this description. However, most of us don't have a conscious clue as to what is actually motivating us - other than more is better and will make us happier. Unfortunately, that's not true. More can make most people more comfortable, but not necessarily happier. And worse, yet, at what price?

Gaining pleasure is certainly what life is all about in my estimation. But, it's how you define pleasure that really makes the difference. Going back to Biblical references, virtually all religions, in some manner, describe a heavenly afterlife of some kind. It might be called Heaven or Paradise. In Asian religious philosophies this relates to a state of Nirvana. One reaches Nirvana when the spirit is free from the material, lust and avarice of the greedy, corrupt being. However, achieving these idealistic states is only possible with work, learning, change and practice. I also believe that Nirvana doesn't have to follow some Eastern philosophy, but that we can each define our own Nirvana and strive to reach that state.

We've often heard and likely said ourselves, "the best things in life are free." And this goes back to the Garden of Eden. Essentially, Adam and Eve had it all. They could want for nothing in the Garden. But, God put one temptation there and instructed them not to go down that path or they would pay a severe penalty. We know the rest of the story. It only took one serpent (Satan, Evil, The Dark Side of the Force, whatever you want to call it) to lure them down the path. Eve was the first to partake, but Adam went along with it. Personally, I don't think it matters if it were Adam or Eve, human nature is what it is and the results would have been the same either way. They sought more pleasure by following the snake's lead and they suffered much pain as a result.

My personal belief is that we deserve all the pleasure we can derive from this limited life on the planet. The very concept of working for 40 or more years doing things someone hates or even dislikes is abhorrent to me. I look at my own life and, now, realize how much of my time I spent working at avoiding pain and putting off pleasure. Don't get me wrong; I've experienced much pleasure in my lifetime. I am not bitter or angry about anything. I just realized that with some adjustments in my personal conditioning and orientation, I could have spent a lot more or maybe even most of my lifetime realizing pleasure. However, our parental, religious, educational, occupational and moral education and conditioning is really about avoiding the pain factor.

Avoiding Pain

Do not misconstrue my meaning. I'm not saying that we should not work or have purpose in our lives. I'm not suggesting that we be irresponsible regarding choices and obligations we assume. I'm also not passing judgment on anything that anyone has or wants. I'm simply saying that gaining the greatest pleasure in life may have nothing to do with the amount of money we accumulate, the size of the house or houses we own or occupy, how new or expensive our vehicles are, how much stuff and bling we have in the form of toys, jewelry, furnishings, designer clothes, RVs, yachts, private aircraft, etc., etc. It's even entirely possible that all of this accumulation may actually result in pain or cause pain for others in any number of situations.

Working at jobs that we have to take and dislike or hate in order to pay for indulgences is really not gaining pleasure. It's actually avoiding pain. The pain comes when you don't have those things and feel emotional or psychological pain because you're not keeping up with the Jones's or meeting your parents, sibling's, spouses or offspring's expectations. We start our life off with all kinds of dreams and once we become adults and responsible for our own lives, the dreams get shelved and life becomes a rut, a drudge and sometimes a nightmare. How many people do you know (maybe you're one of them) who keeps putting off living the life they want, their dreams (pleasure) for when they retire? But, a lot can happen over all those decades including death, becoming physically disabled, emotionally and psychologically maimed by death of a spouse, a bad divorce, your offspring making poor choices and ending up incarcerated or imprisoned by aging parents who refuse to make age appropriate decisions for their stage of life and straddle you with the responsibility (and, often, guilt) of giving up your life and taking care of them. It's not that we don't care or respect them. It's simply that in today's society, at least in this and other developed countries, there are better ways for older people to have a very fulfilling life (a better life than sitting around a house doing nothing and having no one their own age to relate to) right up until the end with other people they can relate to in their own age bracket.

Life is very complex and for most people, though they've learned to cope, painful. Most of life, for most people seems to be about avoiding pain and making choices, often-poor choices, to do something, not to avoid or alleviate the pain, but to act as a painkiller. For some people it's gambling and playing the state lotteries. For other people it's alcohol, prescription drugs or recreational drugs (often used with the excuse of it being for medicinal purposes). For others it's buying "stuff." Women will buy shoes and purses and all kinds of clothes, not because they don't have any shoes, purses or clothes to wear or use, but because it's a diversion from feeling the pain - pain avoidance, in other words. Men will buy new cars and trucks, ATV's, boats, fishing gear, etc. The current vehicles may be fine, fully operational and low mileage, but there is a big sale at the dealership and they feel they need it, despite the fact that their payments will increase and stretch out another six years. They don't need the ATV or motorcycle or boat. They want it because for a short period of time it distracts (avoids) the pain in their lives. Yet, they don't use the toys enough to justify the pain the payments, interest, insurance, storage and upkeep costs.

Here's an interesting example of how the greed factor plays into this picture of pain. A man (or a woman) plays football in high school, college and then gets drafted into the professional league (it is likely a different physical sport for a women). These people began experiencing the pain of this choice during their first practice, but it really became apparent during their first actual game against an opponent who's intention (as is yours) is to tear the other team's heads off. But, as a professional player you will realize a contract, potentially, worth tens of millions of dollars. So, in search of the pleasure, you assume the pain that is inevitable. It goes with the turf, so to speak. You play the game for ten years and earn millions of dollars, often making way too many bad choices in using those millions. Your body is banged, bruised, lacerated and broken over and over again, but the greed to gain all that money that will supposedly bring pleasure drives you forward.

One day you realize that you just can't face taking another hit or the coach makes that determination for you. You retire or are retired (fired, in other words). But, now your body is pretty well worn out and broken up. Within a few years terrible arthritis and other debilitating physical ailments set in. You continue living everyday in pain that grows worse. One day in your 40's or 50's (a relatively young age in today's terms) you start realizing that you can't remember things or you can't do some simple thought processes that once were easy for you. Now, you realize that you have serious, irreversible brain damage. You traded a life of pain for all that money that's now being expended on medical treatments, medication and other necessities related to your situation. So, what's the answer? Start seeking sympathy from your "adoring" public about your terrible physical situation and passing the blame to the game and the league that paid you tens of millions of dollars for enduring the beating that you took. No one put a gun to your head to accept the pro football (or whatever sport it might be) job. You did it for all that gold you were going to be paid. You knew what to expect. You'd already played the game for six or seven years before the pros. But, now we should all feel sorry for you. And worse yet, you're going to hold the teams, league and the spectators/fans to blame and expect to extract more money from them because of your choice.

Pain vs. Pleasure

You could have followed another dream or maybe your real dream instead of selling your body and soul for the gold. Maybe you wouldn't have been paid millions on top of millions of dollars, but you might have loved everyday of your life doing something that still served a purpose and other people, while fulfilling your own dreams and life.

I certainly could have made any number of other choices in my life that not only would have avoided the pain, but actually gained me the real pleasures I was truly seeking. Indeed! I will not, hypocritically, blame my father, mother, sisters, teachers, college professors, friends, my Uncle Sam, clients, banks, my former wife or anyone else for my choices. I made them entirely on my own. And by the same token, I cannot and will not pass judgment on any decisions and choices you or anyone else made or makes. That's way above my pay grade. I simply want to suggest that everyone, myself included, needs to REALLY understand that there are only TWO GREAT MOTIVATORS that control every single choice we make from the time we're old enough to choose to spit out those strained peas we don't like as an infant until we are ready to head to Heaven, Paradise or whatever awaits us when we die. If we're smart, we'll choose to seek our own Nirvana while we're still alive on this Earth.  We'll focus on the choices that will take us toward the paths to the pleasure we seek and not be diverted down the paths that get us into the wrong relationships, debt, jobs we hate, but have to have in order to pay for the other bad choices we've made. Life is as complicated as we each want to make it for ourselves. But, it can also be as simple and easy and pleasurable as we want to make if for ourselves. What is your main motivator?  

"I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag . . .

of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

Yes! That is the Pledge of Allegiance that most everyone I know in the United States grew up repeating everyday we attended public school. It may have also been part of the daily ritual of private schools as well. I don't know that since I always attended public schools.

So, why am I writing about it? Well, it's because I'm angry. No! I'm not angry at the Pledge. I'm angry at the Board of Education in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If you haven't caught the news bite about the Sioux Falls Board of Ed determining that there is no time in the schedule to require the ten seconds it takes to repeat the Pledge, watch for it. It's one more little nail in the coffin of losing what the United States is all about.

No! I'm not some conspiracy theorist. And, I'm certainly not a big fan of government, especially when it interferes more and more with our personal freedom, privacy and lives. But, this is different. The Pledge of Allegiance is a ten second, 31-word recitation that bonds all Americans. It was composed in August 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and the chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education of the National Education Association. The Pledge was adopted and has been part of the American way of life ever since.

I see it as a real simple thing. We are very lucky to be Americans. It's not that we're the only free country in the world. As of 2013 there are 90 free countries and another 58 partly free countries. But, those 31 words and the ten measly seconds it takes to recite them is the one thing that binds American to American. They are simple words and they show respect for our country, our Constitution, our heritage and the legacy of bravery for the millions and millions of men and women who have fought, bled and died for our rights and our freedoms.

A group of veterans appealed to the Sioux Falls Board of Ed to not eliminate the Pledge of Allegiance from the high school daily schedule. Unfortunately, the adults who make up that Board of Education showed no respect for those men who served so the board members could have the right to show how little respect and regard they have for those who fought for them. They simply found that after 121 years, there just wasn't ten seconds left in the busy day of doing a poorer and poorer job of educating our next generations to say the Pledge and giver our future leaders a feeling of belonging to something great.

Well, maybe you don't care. Obviously, the people of Sioux Falls don't care. It makes me sad to think that my newly adopted home state has so little regard for our heritage. Between everything happening in Washington, DC and to see things like this happening simply indicate to me that we may have seen the peak of this experiment in freedom. There are even several counties in Colorado petitioning to secede from the state of Colorado and forming a fifty-first state. 

I am not very much of a traditionalist. But, having grown up in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and volunteering four years of my life to serve this country during what was probably the most unpopular war in the history of the country, I do hold that Pledge and saluting that flag dear. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Maybe it's no longer politically correct to feel connected and have pride in the country that has provided me with a life and opportunities I likely would not have had in most other countries. But, this little issue just burns me up.

I guess this is one more reason for my choice to downsize, leave my old life behind and pursue a lifestyle of "living free." One of my objectives is to seek out those places in the U.S. where I may find pockets and remnants of those qualities and values I remember growing up with.

Sorry if this post may sound like a rant, but sometimes there are just things in the news that get to me. At least I'm not going off on Congress, the "so-called" Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) or any of the myriad issues in Washington, DC.    

Dreaming, Experimenting, Experiencing and Living

That is my interpretation this morning of what life is all about after reading some blog posts and on-line newsletter articles from some of the other people I personally follow. You may interpret life differently and that's just fine with me. Share your ideas, definitions and opinions in the comments after this post. Each of these four words can inspire an individual post, a feature length periodical article or even one or more chapters of a book. Actually, each of the words could easily inspire an entire book. Who knows what the future holds. Maybe I'll undertake one or more of those as challenges.

Dreaming

So, let's begin with the basics. Everything begins with a dream. I won't go into what inspired our conception. I hope we're all familiar with the mechanics of this miracle. The next miracle for all, but the tiniest percentage of human beings, is "The Dream." You and I are who we are and where we are today because of "The Dream." According to an article in Scientific American, researchers have found scientific evidence that dreaming may actually begin in the womb as early as the 23rd week of gestation. More research says it begins between the age of 5 and 7 years. Yet, experiential evidence suggests that children will speak of dreams as soon as they are able to talk and articulate reasoned thoughts at the most basic level. Personally, while I don't have a lot of memories from before the age of four, I do recall small "snapshots" from before that and they included some nightmares. How about you?

Dreams begin to take on more sophistication and meaning as we become more aware and knowledgeable about the world we live in. I think this probably begins by the age of four or five. Of course, our world is very small at that time. Our circle of relationships and experiences is very limited and, accordingly, so are our dreams. For young boys, those things they see in nature and their small surrounding world typically impress them. Policemen, firemen, soldiers, doctors, teachers are their outside the home influences and may be why in early years boys dream of these occupations for their own future. Young girls, on the other hand, even today, though, perhaps less so than in the past, seem to see teachers, nurses, women doctors, mothers and similar as their early influences. Of course, much of our earliest literature focuses on these kinds of occupations, after all, what five or six year old is ready to comprehend a graphic designer, computer programmer, hedge fund manager, etc.

There are lots of stimuli in the current, developed world with all forms of literature, audio, video, broadcast and cable television, movies and the Internet. Most of us had only a fraction of this kind of stimulation when we were children. But, dream we all did. And as our brains became filled with more and more knowledge and we expanded our minds through more and more experiences, so, also, did our dreams expand. The exciting thing is that human potential is almost limitless. By the time we reach puberty and those exciting, yet often painful teenage years, we begin to believe we know where we want to go with our lives. Most teenagers become overly anxious to spread their wings, leave the nest and soar. We envision (dream about) falling in love, finding THE "One" who will be our permanent mate for life, the place we want to live, the kind of home we want to have, the occupation/profession we will earn our living from, the lifestyle we'll lead, the places we'll visit and the adventures we'll experience. In essence we've created our dream "magic carpet" that will take us through this glorious life we envision. Oh, yeah, and that glorious life we envision usually will not exactly emulate the more mundane, hum-drum life of our parents, unless, of course, we're never allowed to think outside that box.

Those dreams are what propel us into adulthood. Regardless of how simple they may be or how complex, adventurous, exciting and glamorous they may be, they are our launching pad. And then comes...

Experimenting

So, it's not like we didn't do any experimenting during our developmental, teenage years. Sure we did. We wanted to learn about all kinds of things including sex, love, what was outside the boundaries established by our parents, what it was like to have money of our own, how to express ourselves culturally, socially, fashionably, intellectually, physically, creatively and occupationally. Most of us muddled through this challenging stage of life without many serious consequences. But, oh baby! Once we were 18, out of high school, maybe in college and away from home on our own recognizance, working a job and earning our own money, free to come and go as we pleased, maybe even getting our own cave/nest or sharing one with one or more roommates and so on, the experimenting with all things "life" took on a much bigger meaning.

This is truly the time of our lives when the rubber started to meet the road. This is also when certain stark realities began rearing their ugly heads. All of a sudden our responsibilities and obligations expanded beyond those of helping with household chores and keeping our rooms cleaned up (to a greater or lesser degree depending on our parents strictness or leniency). We may have experimented with drinking alcohol and with some drugs while we were in high school, but now, NOW we had the option and choices to make about how far down those roads we wanted to "experiment." Now, we could dress anyway we wanted to. Now, we could run with a "fast" crowd all hours of the night and weekends. Now, we could travel whenever and wherever we wanted to. Now, we could try different jobs and careers. Now, we could do and be anything we wanted to whenever and wherever we chose to. Or so it seemed.

Well, that was part of the "dream," anyway. But, along with this time of experimenting came those stark realities. We began learning new lessons during this major experimental phase of our lives. First, we are responsible for our actions. Second, we are always accountable to someone. Third, obligations must be met and fulfilled. Fourth, there are ALWAYS consequences, positive or negative to all our choices and actions. As examples, I'll use just two areas of human behavior that are major areas of experimentation during this time in particular, sex and alcohol.

Responsible sexual behavior will lead to a lifetime of joy, respect and fulfillment for both individuals involved. Irresponsible sexual behavior can lead to the conception of one or more (by one or more partners) unwanted children and all the responsibilities thereto attached. It can also lead to disease that may detrimentally impact one and possibly others for their rest of his or her life and their lives. Of course, in the worse case scenario, it can end in an early and usually ugly death. Most of us have made it through this stage of experimentation. Unfortunately, far too many pay the consequences.

Responsible use of alcohol is another area of experimentation. I make no judgments and am not going to be hypocritical about alcohol. But, one of the great questions that remains in the back of my mind is why do alcoholic beverages exist and why to we partake in them? Please don't reply to this question. It's rhetorical. While the "health industry" and the medical profession both keep coming up with ways and reasons that consumption of alcohol is beneficial in moderation, I see this as a feeble justification to support this industry. If alcohol is good for us, why does the same medical community vehemently demand that pregnant women not drink alcohol? It all seems like another double standard to me. Hey! I did my share of drinking, my drink of choice was Scotch - on the rocks. I am one VERY, VERY lucky individual who has driven an automobile numerous times (in Manhattan, one time, I might add) so drunk that under today's laws they would slap me in jail and throw away the key. I never had an accident, injured anyone, any property or myself, but I sure could have. Stupid and irresponsible doesn't begin to describe how I feel about my actions at that time of my life.

I just described my experience with alcohol in which I was extremely fortunate. Unfortunately, way too many young "experimenters" have maimed and killed innocent men, women and children because of their experimenting and irresponsibility. They found the negative consequences. Many people will self-medicate with booze. The pain of dealing/coping with those stark realities of life weakens them to use alcohol to temporarily relieve them of the pain. What most people don't realize is that  the pain is probably a good thing. There are lessons to be learned. But, that's a topic for another time. Unfortunately, for too many people, the body (and mind) develop a dependence on alcohol (like any of the many other addictions). Fortunately, the majority of people do not become alcoholics and "bad drunks." But, for those who do, the harm they do to themselves, their loved ones and others they may have maimed or killed is beyond any reason. They may spend some time in jail and many may permanently lose the privilege of driving any kind of motorized vehicle.

Experimenting is an important part of who we become and leads us into...

Experiencing

Experiencing is truly when the rubber meets the road and stark reality truly faces us, head on...sometimes whacking us up the side of the head with a 2x4. Reality is when the dreams and the experimenting land us smack, dab where most people will end up spending most of or all of the rest of their lives. That's why I've heard many people wiser than me say, "No matter where you are in your life, it's exactly where you want to be, otherwise...you'd be someplace else." This is the time when we typically make all kinds of excuses, blame someone else for the path our life took and why we're basically not happy, not joyful, not fulfilled and taking way too many anti-depressant drugs (the drug industry and the therapists are happy, though).

I've heard people say "I'm lucky, I married the right man/woman, have/had great kids, have/had a job/profession/career I love, work/worked for the best employer, live/lived in the perfect home, reside/resided in the best village/town/city in the world, etc." I don't think luck had much to do with any of that. I think you have/had dreams, you pursued them, you experimented and found what worked and didn't work for you and focused on what worked, didn't settle for a partner but sought one who shared your dreams and values, had great kids because you again, shared your values and dreams (and included them in your dreams) with them, respected them and earned their respect by sticking by your values and established fair, meaningful, reasonable boundaries for them based on your values. The same goes for the career, the home you live in and the village/town/city you chose to live. These were all conscious choices you made based on your dreams, the values you developed and the experimenting and determining what worked and didn't work for you. Sure, there is always some small element of chance in life. For example, there is a chance some freak act of nature could happen and change your life. There's a chance you could contract some terminal disease and die way too young. There are always "chances" of things happening. Heck! If you buy a lottery ticket in the PowerBall, there is a chance you could win millions of dollars. But, most of us don't live our lives waiting for that PowerBall winning ticket.

You can't blame other things or people or circumstances. As the old saying goes - "Shit Happens!" We have to deal with it. That's part of experiencing life. If you're married to (or even divorced from) the wrong partner, don't blame the other person. In any relationship, it takes two (in a marriage) or more (in other forms of relationships) to make the relationship work or fail. It always amazes me how many people love to beat dead horses. For some reason, we want to have and use the latest technology in the form of smart phones, computers, tablets, the Internet, high-tech appliances, cars that have more techy bells and whistles than Carter had little liver pills (for those who remember Carter). But, we cling to archaic values, standards and ideas that should have ended eons ago (maybe when they stopped burning witches). If your marriage isn't working, DEAL WITH IT! The only reason (poor excuse) to stay in a dead or abusive marriage (or relationship) is because of insecurity and fear (often fear of failure). Change it and move on. Life is short. The same applies to not liking where you live or where you work or whom you work for or what you do for a living. CHANGE IT! Easier said than done, you say. Of course, it's always easier to do nothing and stay in the pain, despair, anguish, discontent, abuse, etc. that you're in. Besides, there is also the fear of the unknown. What if it's worse on the outside? Well, you'll never know if you don't go find out. If I get any comments at all on this, I'm sure you're going to give me a million excuses.

Hey! I've been there! I've done that! I've been divorced twice. My family that I grew up in disintegrated in one day by one single action when I was 21 years old. I've had businesses fail. Sure! There are many things I haven't experienced, but I'd credit that to making choices that didn't put me in a position to experience those things (score one for good choices). Everything we do during our life from the moment we're born until the moment we die is, in some form or another, experiencing...

Living

This is the bottom line, brothers and sisters. Life is about living. I cannot accept the idea that we take those beautiful dreams we start creating as soon as we're able to begin comprehending what tangible life is all about, build and expand those dreams, experiment and manage to live through doing some really stupid things (all too often) to ultimately allow circumstances take control of this miracle and gift we call life. Maybe we don't set high enough expectations. Worse, yet, maybe we don't even have any real expectations. If you don't know where you're going, you're very likely not going to like where you end up.

No! This is not a motivational speech! This is simple philosophy. I'm not some brilliant sage. I'm a simple guy who was fortunate enough to pursue some education, develop some dreams and follow those dreams. I stumbled. I fell. I failed. I lost my shirt, my family, my marriages (and a significant other) relationships and some businesses. But, I determined a long time ago, no matter what the outcome of a situation or circumstance, I AM ALWAYS THE WINNER! I may lose a wife or money or a business, but I always gain far more in Experience than I lose. Multi-millionaire, successful business consultant, best selling author, Brian Tracy says, "We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves." Low or no expectations and we'll have low outcome and fulfillment. High expectations and we'll have a high-level outcome and fulfillment - even if we miss the final mark. Wendy Wasserman says, "Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable."

Each of has a finite amount of time on this Earth. I don't care if you have an unshakable, devout religious belief in some kind of eternal afterlife or if you believe in reincarnation or if you believe that when you take your last breath that's all there is and it's over for eternity. That is all up to you and I'm not even going to suggest I know anything about what happens at the end of this life. What I do know is that by some miracle each of us was born and endowed with various talents, degrees of intelligence and the ability to dream. We were born somewhere in this world under a broad range of possible circumstances. It is not our parent's or anyone else's responsibility to create our future. That's the beauty of living free. No matter what the circumstances of our birth, we are ultimately in control of and responsible for our own lives. As the best selling author of the classic book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill said in his book, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." He also said, "It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."

So, there you have it. In four words, what a life is all about. Dream...Experiment...Experience...Live this life to all you want it to be. Don't measure it in money and investments, how much property and possessions you gather or touchdowns, home runs, partners you've had sex with, places you've visited and experienced, etc. Measure this life in freedom, joyfulness, happiness and contentment. Everything else is simply numbers and measurements that don't count for anything in that last moment of life. The only thing that really matters is how you lived your life and how happy and content you are at that final moment.     

Photo-of-the-Week #119 - Really? Hollywood, California, May 2009

Really! Hollywood, California! What more is there to say? Just when you think you've seen pretty much all the weird stuff there is to be seen, something like this comes along to restore your faith in the perversity and depravity of the human mind. And, does this leave any wonder why people like Charles Manson exist.

I took this photo on my "Last Hollywood Tour" in 2009 when I spent a couple days in Tinseltown to see what I could find of the Hollywood recording industry scene that I hung around in during the 70's and 80's. The answer is - Not Much! As technology changes, so does most everything else. The building where I had a Hollywood address during the mid 70's at the corner of Hollywood and Vine had been razed and there was just a hole in the ground where they were preparing to construct a new monolith. Most of the studios were gone, torn down, boarded up or repurposed for some new use.

But, this! This was something I don't recall seeing in the 70's or 80's. No! I didn't go in. Personally, I just don't find An Industry of Death Museum about psychiatry or anything related to death as something I hold any serious fascination with. As a matter of fact, since I've entered the third half of my life, I tend to avoid the subject since I know I'll learn about it soon enough.

By the way, I've recently acquired a new digital camera. My old Konica-Minolta Dimage Z6 has served me very well for about the past seven years and continues to do so. Konica-Minolta discontinued the Z6 and all of its cameras when it left the camera business in 2006. But, time and technology march on. The Dimage Z6 only sports 6.3 mega pixels of resolution. Newer cameras make that look paltry.

So, in an effort to be both more stealthy and ready to capture something on a moment's notice and not having to drag around a larger, heavier, bulkier camera, I have acquired a Samsung (yep, there's that Korean name again) WB250F point and shoot. This camera sports 14.2 mega pixels, a 3" LCD screen, a Schneider (German) lens with a focal length ranging from 24mm to 432 mm optically, plus a 4x digital zoom that effectively increases the focal length up to 1728 mm. It also shoots full 1080p HD video. The small point and shoot camera appears simple and easy to operate (important for capturing things on the spur of the moment) and has an amazing array of features for a $300 camera (that I got on special from Amazon for under $200). That $200 also included an array of extra accessories like an external battery charger and a couple extra rechargeable batteries.

But, the proof is in the pudding, er . . . photos. I haven't inaugurated it, yet. But, I shall, very soon and I'll post my findings. BTW, this fits very nicely in one of my travel vest's pockets. 

America, The Land of the Free

This is a slightly different post than you've come to expect from me. While I always want my writings to be informative, educational, inspiring and illuminating in some manner, I do my best not to be overly pedantic, close-minded or political.

So, I believe that what you're going to gain from this post will definitely be informative and educational. I hope it will be illuminating. But, I don't think it will be inspiring or at least not inspiring in the way I usually want to inspire readers and to be inspired myself.

I am also not being pedantic and I believe my mind is open (like the parachute, the mind only works when it's open). And, while the actual topic could be construed as political in nature, I am not espousing any position, supporting or denigrating any candidate or current elected government politician at any level of government.

The purpose of this post is simply to encourage you, the reader, to gain a better understanding of the forms of governance operating in our world and how they impact people and the, so-called, concept of "Freedom." I contend that politically, we are not a free society, or at least we are not a free society as the phrase is bandied about. I find it to be an oxymoron to call a society free when there are tens of thousands of laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, covenants and so on, that all the, so-called, "free people" must live under, obey, adhere to and comply with.

I dare say that the statement that we are the freest country in the world is a misstatement of reality. When you think back to some 4,000 or so years ago, the Jews basically had Ten Commandments or laws, if you will, that constituted the foundation of their governance. It would be my guess that there weren't even a small fraction of the laws that were part of the underlying causation of the French Revolution and, certainly, while there were injustices and unfairness, including taxation without representation, that precipitated the American Revolution to gain independence and, so-called, freedom from England and the monarchy, I doubt that the laws on the books were a pittance compared to modern day America.

The point being that we need to all have at least a reasonable basic knowledge and understanding of the various kinds of political, governing systems that rule the countries of our world. And even further, to understand how these systems each impacts us and our quest for personal freedom. This isn't a matter of Republican or Democratic or Libertarian or Socialistic or Communistic or Fascist or any other kinds of political parties. It's an understanding of the system that is the foundation for these parties and factional groups and organizations to exist and control societies, "free societies" or otherwise.

So, recently, a fellow in Texas (yes, the Great Republic of Texas), by the name of Jim Foreman posted the following YouTube link on a Yahoo group we both participate. I watched this 10-minute video and found it very elucidating. It's basically a primer or a recap of 10th grade Civics. Unfortunately, much of this, perhaps none of this is currently being taught. And, also, unfortunately, many of us as 10th graders weren't as focused on this as we were on rock and roll, girls/boys, popularity, souping up our cars and high-school sports back then. So, I present this for your information and education (reeducation) and hope you gain what I did. You may change some of your thinking and understanding of exactly where we stand in this concept of "freedom."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZPZOpFLHVE

Freedom Requires Courage . . .

Freedom Requires Courage! I find those three words about as compelling and impacting as the late M. Scott Peck's opening statement, "Life is difficult." in his best selling classic, The Road Less Traveled.

Indeed, true freedom does require courage. I picked up this thought from a fellow responding on one of the Yahoo groups I subscribe to about Vandwelling. One individual posted about his solution to acquiring a van type vehicle to travel and live in and others were weighing in with their thoughts on the subject.

Steve A., posted his contribution to the subject and it went like this, I quote him:

. . . I avoid debt like the plague. I count being debt-free as important as regular maintenance. A credit card for emergencies is wise, but don't trade your freedom to the banksters except as a last resort. Debt = slavery, and it will destroy your peace of mind. Rent is also a losing proposition, helping to pay someone else's mortgage. No property means no property taxes. Van dwelling is considered hostile by the authorities because they can't stand the thought of people not being chained to the economic "system" and not slaving to pay taxes. Freedom requires courage, which is why van dwellers are the most interesting and thinking people you will find.

I think it's important to clarify that van dwelling or full-time RVing people do not evade taxes. They simply choose to avoid paying any tax they feel they are not legally bound to pay. So far, there is no "law of the land" that I know of that demands, commands or in any other legally binding way requires anyone to own real estate or help anyone else finance the other party's real estate and pay that party's real estate taxes through the rent they would pay to occupy the other party's real estate. In other words as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, "The legal right of an individual to decrease the amount of what would otherwise be his taxes or altogether avoid them, by means which the law permits, cannot be doubted." So, avoiding paying any taxes you are not legally bound to pay is fully sanctioned. This is not to be confused with evading taxes that you are subject to by law or tax code.

Many people make decisions and choices in life that are, all too often, influenced by misinformation, lack of knowledge, intimidation and fear. The tax codes and all the levels of taxation one may be subject to including local city or town, county, state and federal are voluminous and intimidating. Many people take the "safe" route and pay everything they believe they must pay. They live their lives believing they must live within the lines or inside the box that seems to be the standard established, once again, by an unknown committee of people or authority we refer to as "They."

That's the reason Steve A's comments and most significantly, the three words, "Freedom requires courage," really were meaningful to me.

Condemning the 1%

It never ceases to amaze me when people bad mouth and condemn the "so-called" 1% or the "Rich" people for not paying their fair share of taxes. The problem is, in probably 98% to 99% of the cases, the 1% have indeed paid their fair share as prescribed by law. And, why shouldn't they? They have been blessed with the good fortune to be wealthy. They can afford to pay their taxes. The problem is that those who haven't been as financially blessed see things through a "them and us" filter and pass judgment using a double standard. But, the wealthy pay CPA's and tax specialists to go over their finances with a fine tooth comb and prepare their tax returns taking every legal tax deduction, exemption and credit allowed by the current tax code of the current time. Most very wealthy people contribute more money annually to qualified charitable causes than the average family earns in a year and sometimes as much as many average families earn in a year.

I have a personal friend who is very wealthy. No! He's not a billionaire, not even close, but his net worth is still far more than most people could imagine. His church wanted to buy a new concert grand piano for some of the fine concerts and musical events the church sponsored and hosted. The piano was going to cost $35,000.00. Now, that's a lot of money. He knew the congregation couldn't raise that kind of money within any reasonable time. So, he told the pastor to present a fund raising proposal to the congregation to raise the money. This gave the congregation a feeling of "ownership" in the project; they had "skin" in the piano. They set a time limit to raise the funds. When the deadline was reached, a brand new $35,000.00 piano graced the front of the sanctuary. In fact, the congregation had only raised $10,000.00 of the $35,000.00 required for the purchase. My friend funded the other $25,000.00. However, the congregation never knew that. They believed they had raised those funds. My friend stipulated with the pastor of the church that his contribution was to be kept in total confidence and go to the pastor's grave with him or the deal was off. In other words, my friend wanted to remain anonymous and allow the rest of the congregation to believe they had achieved this worthwhile goal. 

This goes on everyday in our country, hundreds or perhaps thousands of time a day. So, why should these wealthy people not be able to take advantage of the tax laws as written? But, there are factions in our society that want to create divisiveness. It could be in government, religious organizations, educational institutions, the corporate world and other places including within families. The fact is that nearly 50% of the people in this country don't pay any taxes at all. They have no skin in the game, but they condemn those who do pay taxes for not paying enough. In fact, many of those who don't pay any taxes not only don't have any skin in the game, but their share is being paid by those who do pay. And, further, these same people are actually receiving financial benefits (often referred to as entitlements) from the tax funds of those who are paying their fair share. I'm not passing judgment against anyone. It is truly unfortunate that anyone finds them self in a financial or medical situation to need such financial benefits. However, my point is that those who are not paying any taxes are actually using the same laws to not pay any taxes that allow the wealthy people to avoid paying some taxes. It's one of those double standard situations I mentioned.

Freedom Requires Courage . . .

It truly does require courage. First, you must be willing to become educated and stop being influenced by those who are misinformed. Some one much wiser than me once told me when I was a young man, "If you want to learn how to make $100,000.00 per year, you have to listen to and learn from people who are making $100,000.00 per year. Do not expect ten people who each make $10,000.00 per year to show you how to make $100,000.00." Now, that sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Of course it does. That's because it is a simple truth and fact. And, most truths and facts can be broken down to the simplest and most common denominator. Don't get your tax information from hearsay and others who have never had to file taxes or who don't have to file taxes because their income is so small.

Second, freedom requires the courage to stop living in fear and being intimidated by the government (at all levels), in the case of taxes. Becoming educated in the tax knowledge that impacts your life is one way. "Knowledge is power!" Then you can't allow yourself to be intimidated by the people who you pay to work for you. Remember, every government employee, no matter at what government level and no matter what his or her job is, is paid from taxpayer money collected from the hard working, productive members of the private sector. Governments don't do anything that produces revenue. They get their money by collecting (or confiscating as they just did in Cypress) money from the private sector. The only place money is produced is in the private sector.

Every government at every level has a department of tax collection. The most feared agency in the U.S. is the Infernal Revenue Service at the federal level. I almost had to vomit while listening to some of the testimony, under oath, by the acting (forced to resign) head guy of the I.R.S. about this current scandal targeting specific kinds of organizations and individuals for political reasons. This is no different than the way dictatorships, communist and similar governments target their opponents and dissidents. If this man were a civilian in the private sector, he'd be facing a judge and a jury and probably facing a lot of years in prison for, among other things, perjury, obstructing justice and criminal negligence. Instead, he'll likely retire on a six-figure income with a bounty of additional benefits at taxpayer expense.

It requires courage to stand up for what's right and your personal freedom and my personal freedom are our right. It's not the amount of money we don't have that deprives us of our personal freedom. It's the amount of debt we get into that deprives us of that freedom. It's the misinformation, the lack of knowledge, the fear of the unknown that may befall us if we don't march in step with some authorities' drummer and buckling to intimidation of a variety of thugs in our society. It's not much different than "protection rackets" operated by organized crime lords. They just have different titles including I.R.S. agents, bill collectors, bankers, bosses, neighborhood bullies, police officers and you can add any other labels and titles you want to.

Yes, Steve A. is right, "Freedom requires courage . . ." People who choose to live free have to, at some point, take a stand in their own mind and heart. If you want to live free you have to define what that freedom looks like and how you define it. You have to determine the cost since you know that freedom is never free. You must stop being intolerant of others. Some of the others are the people who have become known as the "1%." Sure, there are some real greedy, exploitive, uncaring people in that group. But, remember, you may be partially or even completely living your current lifestyle because of the generosity 1% or the businesses they created that provide jobs. And, believe it or not, if it were to be your dream and goal to become a member of the 1% you could do it (a lot easier than winning a half billion dollar PowerBall lottery). So, you might actually become one of those that a lot of people loath and condemn. Are you really a bad person?

You'll have to prepare yourself by learning all you can about the choices you are making. That knowledge becomes the power to face the thugs, their intimidation and not fear the unknown because you're making it known. This may take you days, weeks, months or even years to fully achieve. You may not be ready or in a position to walk into your bosses office tomorrow and tell him or her to "take this job and shove it." That's probably not the best way to do it, anyway. Then you have to decide on a myriad of details. Where you'll live. How much space you'll need. Will it be a fixed location or on wheels? How much money will you require to live as you've outlined your living free lifestyle? Where will that money come from? What things will you pursue with your freedom? And there will be other things you'll have to determine. Then you can begin making the changes and moving toward your living free goal.

Freedom is both intoxicating and additive. I know very few people who ever want to go back to their former lifestyle once they have experienced living free. While I'm still becoming acquainted with a number of people who identify themselves as van dwellers, I have found them to be one of the most interesting groups of people I've encountered in my lifetime. They are all very individual. They are intelligent and resourceful men and women of all ages from young adults to Golden Agers, from a variety of backgrounds and careers and they all find interesting ways to support their lifestyles. And the thing they all have in common is that they love their freedom.

Be Courageous! Live Free! 

Photo-of-the-Week #107 - The Symbol of Freedom and Controversy, Washington, DC, May, 2006

It was seven years ago. It was dusk. I was in Washington, DC attending the Book Expo America trade show; the largest trade show for the book publishing industry in the U.S. The show was actually at the DC Convention Center. I shot this photo from the area surrounding the Capitol Building near Union Station and the U.S. Post Office building on Capitol Hill.

Photos of this building fill me with bittersweet thoughts and mixed emotions. On the one hand it is the symbol of "freedom," as defined by what most people describe as the greatest experiment in a functional republic and democracy the world have ever known throughout the thousands of years of civilization. On the other hand, it is also the seat of scandal, controversy and exploitation - all three in many forms. As an idealistic youth studying world history and American history and due to my lack of experience, limited knowledge of the world and naiveté, I believed in mother, apple pie, baseball and the American flag completely and without questioning. This building, the White House and the other great government buildings of Washington, DC represented what I understood as good, as true freedom and The American Way.

My views began to change a bit when I HAD to register with the Selective Service (Draft Board) at 18. My college and graduate school years opened my mind even more as I began to understand "critical thinking" and my view of our government began changing dramatically when I HAD to serve in the military at age 24. I chose to "voluntarily" enlist in the U.S. Air Force because I could serve my county in my chosen career in the recording industry in Washington, DC. I was right in the thick of it all. My view of Washington, DC and our great American experiment changed forever during and after this experience. Now, 40 years after that Air Force experience I have grown wiser, more realistic and pragmatic.

I'm still glad and thankful I was fortunate enough to be born in this country and I'm glad and proud I served my country. But, the flaws in our government and our system are so pronounced to me at this time that the future concerns me. No, not my future. I know what my future is and I don't have a lifetime ahead of me, only the natural culmination of a life lived. My concerns are for the future generations. Perhaps, sometimes it's just better to go along with the false notion that "what you don't know can't hurt you," and just go through life fat, dumb and happy. No! That's not right! I'm glad I didn't go down that road.