THE LOT-A-RAY

Human sacrifice. Looked upon as righteous, diligent and honorable. The virtuous act of doing what is necessary to bring about change and progress in one's own life. These sacrifices of time, money and energy directed toward a predetermined goal have been the way of humanity for ages. Putting in work. Doing your time and paying your dues have been the stepping stones of advancement and success. Yet there is a underlying mystery and a shadow of reality that has been lost in our hectic twenty first century.

The sacrifice of life. We see so many realms in our current century, many forms of these offerings for the gains of others. For example rape victims, bullies of every form and extreme fascism. Where the degradation of one soul reaps the empowerment towards the aggressor. Since the ancient religious sense of the word sacrifice is rooted in the meaning to do zealously has always had two players. The victimizer and the victim.

These sacrifices were once thought of as bribes to gain favor of the gods. As if these spirits were under manipulation of man to serve man. Since the exodus and the tearing of the veil these spirits have mimicked and copied the Father of Lights. No longer dwelling in physical geographical locations but with in these temples of flesh.

We may not use our temples with the thought to appease some external power but the empowerment from with in. This empowerment from with in by victimizing another soul like the rapist lusting for control and superiority. Or the tactics of character assassination to elevate ones own rep in business, social contexts or the infamous street credit.

The underlying purpose of any sacrifice is to instill a positive thought, an empowerment of right, justice and belief. That these actions, what ever they maybe, empowers an individuals faith to belief and have confidence in themselves, their success or the collective institution. That a new level of strength, victory, identity and ability is capable to prosper.

It is interesting to note that the toll of human sacrifice has produced so much fruit. Just looking back to the fight for American Independence which catapulted the world into a quest to pursue and fight for their liberties and justices for all. Birthing wars and revolutions all over the globe. Just in the American Revolution it is estimated that one out of every four enlisted soldiers had died. This excludes civilian losses and the First Nations causalities. As well as twenty five percent of the Loyalist forces also perished.

Just in this century many martyrs of the cause of human dignity and social justice have also perished and suffered at the hands of intolerance and tyranny. These precious souls sacrificed to ensure a better future and a hope that they would not taste. These will not be in vain.

All this human sacrifice brought global change. In the world wars the people of earth sacrificed a estimated thirty seven million men and women in the first great war. That was 57 % of all enlisted men and women. The second war we sacrificed an estimated forty-eight million for the empowerment of everyday people like you and me and for the pursuit of happiness. The allies it seemed had given more to the cause in both great wars and came out with the ambition of a global peace mobilized.

The centuries of bloodshed have paved the way for us as a species to evolve and learn to respect each other. These seeds sown ended the slave trade on a conscionable level, paved the way for liberty and freedom for so many inhabitants of the earth who still reap the harvest today. Providing homes, farmlands, commerce and technological advancements that we as a people take as a standard of living unknown in previous centuries. For the most part we do enjoy the free transmission of thought and idea unrestricted and with out fear.

Human sacrifice in our present context can be reconfigured over the cares of the day. The quest for money and luxury, the advancement of ones own agenda. Individuals are sacrificed daily to the ends of another in this dog eat dog reality. From corporate espionage and theft, to the bullies in the halls of our schools. Thru the inspiration of greed, jealousy, envy and lust for power, fortune and fame.

Our own selfishness empowers the sacrifice of ones own morality, dignity and even the sanctity of a sexually pure being. Selling our children into the sex trade, teenage daughters and sons to porn and the pusher to hustle poison for riches and glory at the expensive price of destroying individuals.

Since the very root demands a victim and a victimizer we see our moral actions or the lack thereof become the twenty-first century human sacrifice. Corporations selling out their own people leaving them jobless to exploit child labor and cheaper laborers over sea's. At what cost, to what end do we sacrifice our brothers and sisters for monetary gain. The cost of human sacrifices are very dynamic and widespread effecting every aspect of our societies from the insignificant degradation of a bullied individual in our grade schools to the magnitude of genocide and the Holocaust.

Some go as far as to say that capital punishment still has its roots in ancient style human sacrifice. That the ancients used this form of human sacrifice to control populations. Offering those who were deemed disruptive to the society as a whole or political threats to the established order. Removing those criminals who had a interpreted negative effect on societal stability. Today we can label them as unpopular kids, gays, mentally ill, and those that don't conform to our ideologies and those ostracized because of jealousy and envy.

Today many religions require sacrifice. They measure your loyalty, desire and belief to the commitment of the order. Determined by what you are willing to give up to demonstrate your commitment. Measured by your financial contributions, the giving of you time and resources, yes still some even enable the ancient human sacrifice. The demonstration of your commitment is measured in martyrdom. Every major religion has had those killed in the line of service. It seems that the human condition can only measure someones belief or loyalty by the amount of suffering they are willing to endure.

Some of these martyrs have sown their lives in love, peace and truth like those of a pure CHRISTian religion. While others have committed horrendous crimes and gone against the very words of CHRIST in the name of CHRIST. Then their are those thru tyranny and bloodshed force others to die thru their voluntary act of ceremonial suicide and murders.

Human sacrifice is alive and well and the many modes and avenues used to do it. Dr. Martin Luther King said "if we don't learn to live like brothers then we will perish like fools."

To many great men and women have suffered and died physically, spiritually, and mentally its time we stop the madness. Its time we look to all the human sacrifices as seed sown so that we can learn to live together. That we become objective and accepting. Acknowledging the divine in the being and maybe not the theology, philosophy or lifestyle but that all life is precious and worth the dignity and opportunity to seek knowledge, light and understanding. To produce a supply of support for themselves and their loved ones.

Let us pray and hope the human sacrifice of tomorrow will be of pride, greed, and lust where we are willing to accept the profits of today and forsake the thievery and robbery of tomorrow. That the human sacrifices of now will be a benefit to society on a whole just like our brothers and sisters who so selflessly have done in those great wars.

That the human sacrifice of now will be to our selfish and self-centered lust's built in the complexes of our insecurities and inferiority. That the human sacrifices of now will be the seeds that blossom for justice for all and the liberty to pursue happiness free from fear, oppression and tyranny. That the human sacrifices of now will be as fruitful as those who have been sacrificed to bring us the light we live in today.

I pray for that harvest, I receive that harvest for my brothers and sisters of our most precious and peculiar species.