Fighting Fire With Fire Makes A Bigger Fire!
Repeating What Does Not Work...
"Insanity is doing the same things over and over expecting different results."
~Author unknown, I have tried to find the author of this statement. I thought it was Carl Jung, but it has been attributed to several different authors.
When I write these articles, I am not looking for agreement. I am just taking the opportunity to express my opinions and observations about life. What I am looking for is mutual respect. When someone has a differing opinion, I just want them to acknowledge that it is an opinion, but respect that I have a different one than theirs and that we both have the right to our own. I would like people to state their opinion without making a judgement about me. See, here's the thing. Opinions are not based on facts. They are opinions. The definition of opinion from Dictionary.com is, "A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty." I like having the opportunity to see others' opinions and I try to write articles that are thought provoking enough to elicit others' thoughts on the subject. When a person comes to my hub and says my opinions demostrate fuzzy thinking or insanity, it makes me want to be defensive and lash back with insults myself. This is not who I am commited to being, so I am making a request that if you leave a comment that differs from my opinion that you keep it to the information in the article and not make it personal between us.
That said, what we keep doing in the world, that I believe does not work to improve it, is mirror what those we oppose do, to fight what they are doing. Fighting fire with fire makes a bigger fire. I would sincerely appreciate us finding another way to promote change in the world. If I am nasty and mean spirited to you, what it makes you want to do is be nasty and mean spirited to me, but this will never improve the situation. Doing what we have always done has created the world we live in today. It is the world where it is okay to kill someone who disagrees with you. It is the world where it is okay to give the super rich more of the assets that really belong to all of us. It is the world where it is okay to spend $550,000,000.00 to help the citizens of another country when 43.6 million of your own citizens are struggling in poverty. It is the world where it is okay to pay Wall Street bankers $135,000,000,000.00 (135 billion dollars) in compensation while we allow 15,000,000 (15 million) children to go to bed hungry every night. What we have been doing is creating this world where we are in denial about our own involvement in the results.
Peace will never come as a result of violence. Feeding hungry children will never come as a result of mud slinging and hate filled retoric. Abundance for everyone will never come from doing the same things over and over and over that we have always done. Now, you may not agree with me, and I am fine with that, but if you decide to disagree, then tell me what you think will work to change these conditions, instead of just disagreeing and assailing who I am.
Dueling opinions will not change the world we live in for the better. Defending our egos against each other will not change the world we live in for the better. Assailing each others' character will not change the world we live in for the better. Doing the same things we have always done will only bring us more of the same.
There are a number of great authors on HP who write articles which shine the light on bad politics in this country. The way they do it is by quoting the facts. The only way to change someone's mind is by giving them the facts and hoping that they are intelligent enough to see the truth of it for themselves. I applaud all those who take the time and effort required to research the facts and make their case using truth instead of opinions. Mud slinging has never improved the quality of political candidates voted into office. What has improved the quality of political candidates voted into office is when the electorate takes the time to research the actual facts about that candidate and has voted their own conscience.
Why waste your precious time bickering about whose opinions are right? Nobody's opinions are right. What is much more useful is to research the facts, write articles or campaign based on the facts and vote your conscience. Especially now that the Supreme Court has ruled that Corporations can buy political candidates. The airwaves will forevermore be filled with lies, ambiguity, and empty retoric. If we continue to vote based on our opinions we will have more of the same. If we take responsibility to do our own research into the facts about these candidates it will change the path of our country and possibly the direction the rest of the world will take.
It is my intention to create
International Love and Awareness Day
April 15, 2012
This day will begin the celebration and conversation of love and awareness for all of us here on planet Earth. It is a day to unconditionally love ourselves and each other. I am asking that on this day every year people would promote only love, acceptance, tolerance, unity and peace. As a planet of beings, we spend most of our days promoting fear. Please join me in taking one 24 hour period on April 15, 2012, to promote something that will begin to turn the direction for all of us, here. We must do this for our children if not for ourselves.
The primary difference between those who are happy and those who are not is they say so. If we recognize the impact we are having on others it allows us to have the impact we really desire.
Love and light to you...