Hell

Growing up Catholic, we were always afraid to sin because it was guaranteed we would go to hell...unless of course we went to confession and told on ourselves, said a few prayers and went on our merry way. Although I have many issues with the Catholic religion, the idea of
hell and going there is one of my top 3 (1. Molestations by priests, 2. the amount of $$ the church has and 3. Hell!). As I have discussed in many previous blogs, religion has mastered the art of instilling fear to create order. The idea of hell has shown to be THE best tool to contribute to that fear; However, I would like to argue, there is no such place as hell after you die. Hell is already a place of existence. Where is it? It is in the evening news, where they report on people killing each other. It is in the statistics of how many people are going hungry every day. It is in the statistics of how many people are dying of terrible diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS and Heart Disease. It is in the hands of a greedy man who would step on whomever necessary to make their millions. It is in the minds of addicts. It is in the intentions of malicious people who do terrible things to children. So instead of living life trying not to go to it, live life trying to be the solution to the problem. Donate, participate in charity work and bring those to justice who continue to contribute to that hell.Educate yourselves, keep an open mind and understand that God made this world but WE are the ones ruining it...not some devil character.

Perception

We are all concerned about our "image" in some ways. Whatever it may be, financial status, physical appearance or intellect; We work on ourselves so others can have the perception we would like for them to have of us. However, when we really think about it, the perception
that someone has of us is influenced by the perception they have of themselves. It is not about if you really are what you want them to think you are. It is about how you fit into their perception of themselves and vise versa. As manipulative as it may sound, this all may be necessary. It may be necessary to create a version of yourself so you can be perceived as someone to be the perfect fit for a job, a social group or even another person. What is crucial though is how honest you are about YOU to yourself. Figure out the person you want to be for you and then be it; No facade and no perceptions! At the end of it all, the best part of your life is YOU:The person you see when you are alone, without the pressures of what you have to be for others.

WHO MADE GOD?

My son is 4, and as many parents know, this is the age of ASK A LOT OF questions.
It is amazing how many things he wants to know and very flattering that he genuinely believes
I know all of the answers to them. One particular question he asked made me really cautious as to what my answer would be. The Question: "If God made me, WHO made God?" Yes, he is 4 and that is how he thinks. I am very proud of his analytical thinking but this was a moment for me to make sure I did not plant the seed of my beliefs in his super absorbent brain.
So, I just told him LOVE made GOD. Thankfully, he did not ask any further questions. However, that question made me realize more people should ask themselves just that "WHO MADE GOD?". If we open our minds and look past our "religious" beliefs, we may be surprised at what we actually
find when we ask ourselves that question.
Although I do not have a satisfactory answer for this question I can definitely say depending on what GOD is to you, answers will vary, and when we decide to be honest with ourselves about this question, we may treat each other, ourselves and GOD differently.

Looking Back

I find it very hard to make decisions. I analyze my options and let it take over my thoughts. I question every corner of those options and often find myself swaying back and forth only stopping to be distracted by what is currently real.
The difficulty in my making a decision lies in the fear of regretting my decision later. I know we all should live without any regret and hope to look back at life regretting the things we did not do instead of the things that we did...but how many people really do that?
I know every step I take today makes an impact on the outcome of tomorrow. I envy those that just walk, smell the roses and only look back to smile. Maybe they too feel a small fear of regret?
I try to find comfort in having faith that life is doing exactly what it needs to do for me and that no matter what decision I make, it will work itself out the way it is SUPPOSED to...not the way I desire...or do I? that is always the question... :)
Looking back today I have done some stupid things, brave things, beautiful things, ugly things weird things and smart things. All those things have made me what I am today;the good, the bad and the ugly. Those things have also had an impact on the way I decide on life today....and my decision today is to trust life. Trust it will carry me to where I should be and where it will flourish in a field of roses, preferably with not very many thorns....just need to make that one request.

Obama, politics and such

I am usually not one to speak about politics or give my opinion on what I think of our current president; however, after having dinner with a wonderful friend I have decided to speak on what I hear about Obama, politics and such....

Obama-Rome was not built overnight and neither will Obama be able to "fix" the American economy, housing market and all the other BS people are bitching about. Remember we are all responsible for ourselves. Pay your taxes, don't take advantage of the system and live within your means so we do not have to continue to pump the financial situation with debt.
Politics- Tea party, Republicans, Democrats, douche-bags, Mofos etc.....at the end of the day, if it is hurting someone's pockets, they are going to scream about it. When you watch the news remember that....what is that person's motive? And why are they talking about politics when they are going on a book tour trying to make millions off of that American who is collecting unemployment and has not worked in over 2 years...hmmm....
and such-If you are like me, you are just another person trying to live that illusive American dream. What the hell is that anyways? After being fortunate enough to work with people who are living in Western European countries, I cannot say the American dream is that enticing.....work work work, buy above your means so everyone thinks you are well off and then bitch about how the government is taking our money and charging too much tax.....indeed the American dream...you know, the one that attracts those illegal aliens to this country, just so people can hire them for cheap labor and then kick them out when Arizona says so.
Ok, so there is my piece on Obama, politics and such.....now let me go back to watching Fox News so I can find out what is REALLY going on in the world!!!!!!

G-R-E-E-D

G-R-E-E-D=excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserve.

Thus, that is the world we live in.

We spend more than we can afford.

We expect more from people than we give.

We want jobs but are not willing to work.

We want more than we need.

We use more than we should

We speak more although we know less

We speak more than we listen

WE ARE G-R-E-E-D!

Natural Pessimists

Observing life, I have found humans to be naturally pessimistic. Even when they verbally express any optimism, there is that pessimistic darkness that looms inside.
When good news is received, there is that doubt. When something is going the right way, there is FEAR it may not go that way much longer.
My theory has continued to prove me right with the upcoming date of Dec 21, 2012.
There are numerous "beliefs" circulating; the most popular: the world will end at that time due to the planetary alignments which will change the Earth's magnetic field and cause natural disasters....have you seen the movie 2012? Other theories discuss the return of Christ (may not be on that date exactly) or the end of a great empire which many interpret as the fall of China or the U.S.A as a super power in the economic sense. Fact is, all of these theories have a pessimistic undertone. I have only learned of a couple of positive theories from people who are actually studying astronomy, geographical, meteorological and geological changes or who are relying on their spiritual connection with the universe to guide their emotional attachment to the date in 2012 (which in their studies, Dec. 21, 2012 does not play a significant role).
Regardless of what theories bombard us every day or what we chose to watch and believe, why do most decide to believe in the pessimistic view? Why would Hollywood put movies out which show NY city being destroyed by huge tsunamis and continue to make movies about "the end of world"? Why do humans DOUBT themselves and each other before believing?
For myself, I have chosen to allow positive energy to guide my life. I refuse to watch films depicting the end of the world, I catch that fear and pessimism inside of me and hold it in its own cage fighting to keep it there and I look to human beings as a way to understand myself.
We have been taught to be pessimistic. Pessimism=fear and fear=order...something the media, government and religion have mastered to create. Now it is time to have a brighter outlook, believe in yourself and BELIEVE in that faint light in your soul that provides peace when you allow.