During the great depression of the 1930's, the crime rate was relatively low despite 30% unemployment and widespread poverty. The reason for the low crime rate was that people, for the most part, believed in a power greater than themselves and practiced spiritual principles. I have heard many stories from the great depression era where a child would steal food, and bring it home to share with his hungry family. In most cases, the child was admonished by his parents and instructed to return the food to it's rightful owner and admit to, and apologize for his shameful thievery, while his family went hungry that night. The child was punished so that he might learn the lesson that "one's character" is his most valuable asset in the eyes of God and his fellow human beings. This generation of Americans grew up to be called "the greatest generation" and went on to make sacrifices on the battlefield and back home, during the second world war. Their sacrifice led to peace and prosperity for the next generation, the "baby-boomers".
On the other hand, today's generation, for the most part, does not know the meaning of true sacrifice, self-discipline, restraint, patience, "God" and "reward in heaven". Their whole life has been spent during a period of peace and prosperity. Even today's so-called poor, have all of life's necessities and many luxuries, provided for them. We live in a time material prosperity combined with spiritual bankruptcy.
Should our economy slip into a depression on the scale of the great depression of the thirties, I predict that widespread looting, lawlessness and anarchy will result from a generation that was never taught that are things more important than beauty, intellect, physical talent, popularity, personal success, happiness and self-esteem. We will be selfishly fighting over food, fuel and the scraps of a once great society.
How will you react if a deep depression strikes our country? True character always comes to light during times of adversity. I hope that Americans will rise to the occasion, if adversity strikes. However, without enduring spiritual principles to guide us, we will likely turn into collection of angry mobs who are just out for ourselves, our kin and our kind, during a lasting period of hardship where food is scarce.
However, adversity might be the thing that is needed to temper our collective souls and bring us back to the principles that made our nation and our people great during past periods of nation-wide hardship.
Showing posts with label spiritual principles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual principles. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Spiritual Root Cause of America's Economic Woes
I believe that all problems can be boiled down to a simple root cause. To effectively fix a problem, one must find and fix the root cause or else the problem will reoccur. Not only is this common sense, I also learned this principle in Ford technician training school. It was drummed into my head during every class that I took.
I was taught that every problem had a root cause that must be corrected or the problem will reoccur. For example: if I diagnosed that an electronic module was malfunctioning, what was the root cause of the malfunction? Was there condensation from the A/C system dripping water on the circuits? If I would replace the module, without fixing the root cause(the water leak), the problem would reoccur. If I diagnosed a defective fuel pump, what was the root cause of the failure? Was the fuel filter plugged causing excessive back pressure that overloaded the pump? If I replaced the fuel pump, without fixing the root cause (replacing the filter), the problem would reoccur. If a fan belt was prematurely worn out, what was the root cause? Was a bearing in an idler pulley defective causing excessive wear on the belt? If I would slap a new belt on, without fixing the idler pulley, the problem would reoccur. One time, a van was towed in, with a drive shaft that was severed in half. I found the root cause to be a plastic drainage hose, from a piece of equipment permanently installed in the back of the van, was routed through a hole in the floorboard and was rubbing against the top of the drive shaft. If I didn't fix the root cause (re-routing the drainage hose) the problem would reoccur. A simple root cause can often lead to severe damage if not fixed.
I can boil the root cause of our current financial turmoil down to one sentence. The bible says: in times of plenty, we must prepare for famine. You may call this idea overly simplistic, however, I believe it to be the root cause that will ultimately impoverish America, if not heeded, on a grand scale. The rest of this article spells out why I believe that we all have lived during "times of plenty" and now we must prepare for "times of famine". If we do not address this simple, root cause, the results could be devastating.
My whole life has been lived in a time and place that has arguably been the most prosperous and "safe from danger", that this world has ever seen. Proof of this lies in the fact that the world has never before been able to support such a huge population. There are 6.7 billion human inhabitants on planet Earth and the population is still growing. Even the poorest citizens of our country have more food available to them that they could possibly eat. Modern day homelessness is mostly voluntary. Homeless people have chosen to live in a way that is incompatible with society. Most homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally ill with antisocial behavior. No one dare take them in, lest they risk harm to themselves, their family and their property. I know this from personal experience. Not as a sympathetic do-gooder volunteering in a soup kitchen, not as a college student doing research for a thesis paper, but from my personal experience living as a homeless person myself, as a consequence of my long time drug addiction.
People who claim that they are a paycheck away from homelessness, in this "time of plenty" are blatantly lying. These people would surely be taken in or helped by family, friends, The Church, or government if they do not practice anti-social or illegal behavior. If you were to become homeless and penniless today; Would you be sleeping on a park bench, or would you find a friend or family member to house and feed you, and help you get back on your feet? In today's America, homelessness is a mental and spiritual problem, not an economic problem.
The US currently has, arguably, the most prosperous homeless class, and poor class that the world has ever seen. Poor people in today's America have more food, property, living space and leisure time than average people in times-gone-by. The simple root cause of poverty, illiteracy, crime and homelessness, in this prosperous land of limitless opportunity called America, is of a spiritual nature, not of an economic nature. However, liberals often call for equal outcomes, rather than equal opportunity. This corrupts man's spirit by encouraging victim-hood rather than courage, self-discipline, restraint, honor, humility, faith, perseverance and patience (all spiritual principles). I constantly hear politicians, activists, educators and the media obfuscate these simple and obvious truths with complicated and nuanced messages that are convoluted, inconsistent, and contrary to reason, common sense and my personal experience. During this presidential campaign, which I have been following for almost 2 years now, I have not heard one candidate suggest that the root cause of many of our nations problems, is of a spiritual nature, which requires a spiritual solution, not a political one.
Universal spiritual principles are constant and unchanging through-out the ages. They are just as valid today, as they were during biblical times. The same spiritual principles that this nation was founded on, and led us to become the greatest nation on earth, are still valid today. You need not believe in universal spiritual principles, for them to have influence over you. Just as you need not believe in the law of gravity, for it to have influence over you.
We currently live in the most prosperous time and place that this world has ever seen. There is no excuse for our government and citizens not to save for a rainy day. To the contrary, our government is spending more than it takes in. Government borrows huge sums of money to make up the shortfall. Citizens are also spending more than they earn. For the first time in US history, personal debt has exceeded personal savings. We are collectively living in a time of plenty and spending beyond our substantial means.
Just like with the housing market, our government and citizens are highly laden with debt. The national debt is over 11 trillion dollars, plus an additional 55 trillion dollars in the unfunded obligations of Social Security and Medicare. A moderate downturn in the economy is liable to render the federal government insolvent. Yet most of the politicians are calling for more spending, more borrowing and punitive taxes on business and investment.
The insane solution that the government has recently implemented was a 160 billion dollar economic stimulus package, which gave 600 dollars to most adults, and encouraged them to spend it, in order to stimulate the economy. Also, over a trillion dollars was appropriated to bail out the troubled financial markets. Since the country is operating at a deficit, all of this money must be borrowed. The root cause of today's economic turmoil was people and financial institutions borrowing and spending beyond their means. The insane solution that the government is implementing, is to borrow and spend beyond it's means, and to encourage the people to do the same, in order to stimulate the economy.
Today, 70% of America's Gross National Product, is represented in the service industries. A service industry that includes hotels, casinos, restaurants, nail salons, party planners, dog walkers, night clubs, auto detailers, interior decorators, yoga lessons and karate lessons, will not see us through hard times. The U.S. needs to produce wealth if its citizens are to continue to enjoy wealth. Wealth is not a number on a balance sheet. Wealth requires people producing physical things such as : factories, food, clothing, automobiles, electronic products, machinery, machine parts, fuel, lumber, minerals, appliances, buildings, building materials, houses, aircraft, ships, trains, pipes, plumbing parts, wires, steel, aluminum, plastics, fabrics, roads, bridges, tunnels, damns, power plants, refineries, steel mills, lighting, and weapons for time of war.
The US economy is living off the wealth of a previous era by liquidating entire industries, and allowing infrastructure to fall into disrepair. We are also borrowing from the future with huge budget deficits, in order to finance today. It is clear to me that this can not go on indefinitely. This is the exact opposite direction we need to go in as a country. We need to live within our means as a nation and as individuals. We need to encourage, manufacturing, exploiting our natural resources, and producing food and energy, not more casinos and nail salons. Saving should be encouraged, not borrowing to buy extravagant things beyond our means. Personal debts as well as the national debt must be payed off.
There are tens of millions of people who manage their finances properly. They carry the economic burden of this nation on their back. The top ten percent of all wage earners pay over 70% of federal income taxes. Soon their backs will no longer be able to carry the load. If our government and citizens do not manage their finances, we will undoubtedly devolve into a corrupt and impoverished third world nation with a huge peasant class. Step back and look at the big picture, I see no other outcome.
The bible says: in times of plenty, we must prepare for famine. Simple? Yes. Can this simple root cause, lead to economic devastation? Certainly
I was taught that every problem had a root cause that must be corrected or the problem will reoccur. For example: if I diagnosed that an electronic module was malfunctioning, what was the root cause of the malfunction? Was there condensation from the A/C system dripping water on the circuits? If I would replace the module, without fixing the root cause(the water leak), the problem would reoccur. If I diagnosed a defective fuel pump, what was the root cause of the failure? Was the fuel filter plugged causing excessive back pressure that overloaded the pump? If I replaced the fuel pump, without fixing the root cause (replacing the filter), the problem would reoccur. If a fan belt was prematurely worn out, what was the root cause? Was a bearing in an idler pulley defective causing excessive wear on the belt? If I would slap a new belt on, without fixing the idler pulley, the problem would reoccur. One time, a van was towed in, with a drive shaft that was severed in half. I found the root cause to be a plastic drainage hose, from a piece of equipment permanently installed in the back of the van, was routed through a hole in the floorboard and was rubbing against the top of the drive shaft. If I didn't fix the root cause (re-routing the drainage hose) the problem would reoccur. A simple root cause can often lead to severe damage if not fixed.
I can boil the root cause of our current financial turmoil down to one sentence. The bible says: in times of plenty, we must prepare for famine. You may call this idea overly simplistic, however, I believe it to be the root cause that will ultimately impoverish America, if not heeded, on a grand scale. The rest of this article spells out why I believe that we all have lived during "times of plenty" and now we must prepare for "times of famine". If we do not address this simple, root cause, the results could be devastating.
My whole life has been lived in a time and place that has arguably been the most prosperous and "safe from danger", that this world has ever seen. Proof of this lies in the fact that the world has never before been able to support such a huge population. There are 6.7 billion human inhabitants on planet Earth and the population is still growing. Even the poorest citizens of our country have more food available to them that they could possibly eat. Modern day homelessness is mostly voluntary. Homeless people have chosen to live in a way that is incompatible with society. Most homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics or mentally ill with antisocial behavior. No one dare take them in, lest they risk harm to themselves, their family and their property. I know this from personal experience. Not as a sympathetic do-gooder volunteering in a soup kitchen, not as a college student doing research for a thesis paper, but from my personal experience living as a homeless person myself, as a consequence of my long time drug addiction.
People who claim that they are a paycheck away from homelessness, in this "time of plenty" are blatantly lying. These people would surely be taken in or helped by family, friends, The Church, or government if they do not practice anti-social or illegal behavior. If you were to become homeless and penniless today; Would you be sleeping on a park bench, or would you find a friend or family member to house and feed you, and help you get back on your feet? In today's America, homelessness is a mental and spiritual problem, not an economic problem.
The US currently has, arguably, the most prosperous homeless class, and poor class that the world has ever seen. Poor people in today's America have more food, property, living space and leisure time than average people in times-gone-by. The simple root cause of poverty, illiteracy, crime and homelessness, in this prosperous land of limitless opportunity called America, is of a spiritual nature, not of an economic nature. However, liberals often call for equal outcomes, rather than equal opportunity. This corrupts man's spirit by encouraging victim-hood rather than courage, self-discipline, restraint, honor, humility, faith, perseverance and patience (all spiritual principles). I constantly hear politicians, activists, educators and the media obfuscate these simple and obvious truths with complicated and nuanced messages that are convoluted, inconsistent, and contrary to reason, common sense and my personal experience. During this presidential campaign, which I have been following for almost 2 years now, I have not heard one candidate suggest that the root cause of many of our nations problems, is of a spiritual nature, which requires a spiritual solution, not a political one.
Universal spiritual principles are constant and unchanging through-out the ages. They are just as valid today, as they were during biblical times. The same spiritual principles that this nation was founded on, and led us to become the greatest nation on earth, are still valid today. You need not believe in universal spiritual principles, for them to have influence over you. Just as you need not believe in the law of gravity, for it to have influence over you.
We currently live in the most prosperous time and place that this world has ever seen. There is no excuse for our government and citizens not to save for a rainy day. To the contrary, our government is spending more than it takes in. Government borrows huge sums of money to make up the shortfall. Citizens are also spending more than they earn. For the first time in US history, personal debt has exceeded personal savings. We are collectively living in a time of plenty and spending beyond our substantial means.
Just like with the housing market, our government and citizens are highly laden with debt. The national debt is over 11 trillion dollars, plus an additional 55 trillion dollars in the unfunded obligations of Social Security and Medicare. A moderate downturn in the economy is liable to render the federal government insolvent. Yet most of the politicians are calling for more spending, more borrowing and punitive taxes on business and investment.
The insane solution that the government has recently implemented was a 160 billion dollar economic stimulus package, which gave 600 dollars to most adults, and encouraged them to spend it, in order to stimulate the economy. Also, over a trillion dollars was appropriated to bail out the troubled financial markets. Since the country is operating at a deficit, all of this money must be borrowed. The root cause of today's economic turmoil was people and financial institutions borrowing and spending beyond their means. The insane solution that the government is implementing, is to borrow and spend beyond it's means, and to encourage the people to do the same, in order to stimulate the economy.
Today, 70% of America's Gross National Product, is represented in the service industries. A service industry that includes hotels, casinos, restaurants, nail salons, party planners, dog walkers, night clubs, auto detailers, interior decorators, yoga lessons and karate lessons, will not see us through hard times. The U.S. needs to produce wealth if its citizens are to continue to enjoy wealth. Wealth is not a number on a balance sheet. Wealth requires people producing physical things such as : factories, food, clothing, automobiles, electronic products, machinery, machine parts, fuel, lumber, minerals, appliances, buildings, building materials, houses, aircraft, ships, trains, pipes, plumbing parts, wires, steel, aluminum, plastics, fabrics, roads, bridges, tunnels, damns, power plants, refineries, steel mills, lighting, and weapons for time of war.
The US economy is living off the wealth of a previous era by liquidating entire industries, and allowing infrastructure to fall into disrepair. We are also borrowing from the future with huge budget deficits, in order to finance today. It is clear to me that this can not go on indefinitely. This is the exact opposite direction we need to go in as a country. We need to live within our means as a nation and as individuals. We need to encourage, manufacturing, exploiting our natural resources, and producing food and energy, not more casinos and nail salons. Saving should be encouraged, not borrowing to buy extravagant things beyond our means. Personal debts as well as the national debt must be payed off.
There are tens of millions of people who manage their finances properly. They carry the economic burden of this nation on their back. The top ten percent of all wage earners pay over 70% of federal income taxes. Soon their backs will no longer be able to carry the load. If our government and citizens do not manage their finances, we will undoubtedly devolve into a corrupt and impoverished third world nation with a huge peasant class. Step back and look at the big picture, I see no other outcome.
The bible says: in times of plenty, we must prepare for famine. Simple? Yes. Can this simple root cause, lead to economic devastation? Certainly
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Should We Legalize Crack or Outlaw Ritalin?
I don't think that legalizing drugs is a good idea. I believe that legitimizing psychotropic medications, whether legal or illegal, will have negative unintended consequences. I spelled out some of the negative consequences that have arisen from the medical and pharmaceutical industries pushing medications on the general public in an article called "Legal Drug Pushers and Their Victims". Also, not mentioned in this article, are millions of children that are now being put on Ritalin and other stimulants to treat so called attention deficit disorder (ADD) in an effort to control unruly behavior by school-age children.
I believe that a feminized school system is attempting to reduce boys' natural unruly, defiant, masculine nature with medication. The unintended consequence, is to stifle the natural inquisitive, adventurous, and mischievous behavior of young men. Albert Einstein was unable to concentrate on his schoolwork as a boy, he got bad grades and was quite restless. If Ritalin was available during Albert Einsteins youth, he could very well been diagnosed with ADD and putt on on this medication. This would have undoubtedly have affected his creativity and intellectual curiosity. If Einstein had been medicated as a child, he may never have made the discoveries which have had a profound positive impact on our country, and humanity. I think that encouraging and legitimizing the use of psychotropic medications, will have unintended consequences beyond our current understanding. Perhaps these unintended consequences would limit our ability to stand up to, and defeat, the "bad elements" in our global society. Another unintended consequence could be that we become, as a nation, one of these "bad elements". This is likely to happen if we drift away from the universal spiritual principles that this country was founded upon, and become a nation of people who chase thrills and pleasures, and seek to avoid confrontation and unpleasantness at all costs. Well intentioned liberals and libertarians often seek a quick fix, without considering the unforeseen and unintended negative consequences.
While an active member in the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous (NA), I learned that drug addiction is a physical, mental and spiritual illness. The physical nature of the disease is the physical addiction. Physical addiction causes withdrawal symptoms, physical discomfort, and sometimes severe illness if you stop taking the drug. The mental aspect of the disease of addiction, leads the addict to continually make the same mistakes and expect different results. There is no rational or reasonable explanation for taking the risks that we do, yet no matter how severe the consequences, we continue to use drugs and put our families, our freedom and even our own lives in jeopardy. Although our lives are clearly unmanageable, we are often in complete denial of our apparent circumstance. The spiritual nature of addiction is the most insidious. We learned that we were addicts long before we took our first drink, drug or pill. Spiritual bankruptcy accompanies active drug addiction. This is is what allows us to do whatever it takes, to get our next fix. As practicing addicts, our whole life centers around the using of drugs and finding the ways and means to get more. As addicts we lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, deceive people, use people and put people around us in danger in order to get our next fix. Some of us have killed or rapped as a consequence of our addiction. There is no bottom the the depths of the spiritual depravity of an active drug addict. I have heard many personal stories in NA, and I have shared my own. Many of these aspects of addiction are true in all the stories that I have heard including my own.
The ongoing recovery offered by NA is based on spirituality as spelled out in the twelve steps and the twelve traditions of Narcotics Anonymous. In NA, we come to understand how our lives have become unmanageable. We come to see how drugs controlled every aspect of our lives. We were out of control. We had no control. Drugs had all control and power over us. At the same time we were powerless to stop using drugs. We tried to stop on our own over and over again but we couldn't. We were powerless. We could not stop or control our using them and once we were under the influence we could not control our actions. Our whole life centered around getting and using drugs and finding the ways and means to get more. After attending NA meetings for a period of time,with a sponsor, it became clear to me that drugs are a power greater than myself. The solution that NA offered was to believe that another power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. That power is God. I was taught to "Let go and let God". Don't fight it, just do God's will and all will be well. Basically those are the first 3 of the 12 steps in the NA or AA program. God is mentioned in most of the steps. The other 9 steps deal with practical ways that you can do God's will. First by taking a personal inventory, next by asking God to remove our shortcomings, then, when we were wrong we promptly admitting it, then making a list of people we have harmed and making amends to them all and then by helping other addicts get and stay clean. Thus, when your words and actions are in line with God's will, you will have serenity. Basically that is the NA program in a nutshell.
NA is a spiritual program, based on an all powerful God. NA and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) have the best track record of success with drug and alcohol problems? Every rehab that I have been in, and I've been in about a dozen over the years, include NA or AA meetings as part of their treatment and they strongly recommend continuation of AA or NA meetings after leaving the program. Many drug and alcohol offenders are required by the courts to attend these spiritually based meetings as part of their probation. I was court ordered on several occasions. When the public sees Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan go off to rehab, do they know that the treatment is based on spirituality and a belief in God? Why is there no outrage on the part of the liberals and atheists because the state (the court) is ordering offenders to attend a spiritual program based on an all powerful God? Perhaps because the program works, but I think that the more likely reason is that the program is anonymous and it is not widely publicized that these programs are based on spiritual principles and God.
I know from my own 25 year experience as an active drug addict, that drug addiction is a spiritual disease, with serious consequences for the addict and everyone that he comes in contact with. I believe that widespread use of drugs in the US is only possible due to the spiritual depravity that is widespread in our nation. As with most problems, a solution that addresses the root cause of the problem is most effective. Legalizing and legitimizing drug use in our country will only exacerbate the spiritual depravity that we are experiencing and will undoubtedly lead to unforeseen, negative consequences. Addressing the spiritual depravity in our nation is the solution that I think will be most effective in fighting drug addiction. This solution will reduce the demand for illegal narcotics as well as reducing the widespread use of legal psychotropic medications . This is the only solution that has been proved to work as demonstrated by the fellowships of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.
The US has grown into a situation of unprecedented economic abundance, coupled with spiritual depravity. This is what has led us to be the leading consumer of illicit drugs as well as legal psychotropic medications. This unique situation can not and will not be self sustaining. We must grow spiritually, as individuals and as a nation, or we will lose our individual and collective prosperity as well as our freedom.
I believe that a feminized school system is attempting to reduce boys' natural unruly, defiant, masculine nature with medication. The unintended consequence, is to stifle the natural inquisitive, adventurous, and mischievous behavior of young men. Albert Einstein was unable to concentrate on his schoolwork as a boy, he got bad grades and was quite restless. If Ritalin was available during Albert Einsteins youth, he could very well been diagnosed with ADD and putt on on this medication. This would have undoubtedly have affected his creativity and intellectual curiosity. If Einstein had been medicated as a child, he may never have made the discoveries which have had a profound positive impact on our country, and humanity. I think that encouraging and legitimizing the use of psychotropic medications, will have unintended consequences beyond our current understanding. Perhaps these unintended consequences would limit our ability to stand up to, and defeat, the "bad elements" in our global society. Another unintended consequence could be that we become, as a nation, one of these "bad elements". This is likely to happen if we drift away from the universal spiritual principles that this country was founded upon, and become a nation of people who chase thrills and pleasures, and seek to avoid confrontation and unpleasantness at all costs. Well intentioned liberals and libertarians often seek a quick fix, without considering the unforeseen and unintended negative consequences.
While an active member in the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous (NA), I learned that drug addiction is a physical, mental and spiritual illness. The physical nature of the disease is the physical addiction. Physical addiction causes withdrawal symptoms, physical discomfort, and sometimes severe illness if you stop taking the drug. The mental aspect of the disease of addiction, leads the addict to continually make the same mistakes and expect different results. There is no rational or reasonable explanation for taking the risks that we do, yet no matter how severe the consequences, we continue to use drugs and put our families, our freedom and even our own lives in jeopardy. Although our lives are clearly unmanageable, we are often in complete denial of our apparent circumstance. The spiritual nature of addiction is the most insidious. We learned that we were addicts long before we took our first drink, drug or pill. Spiritual bankruptcy accompanies active drug addiction. This is is what allows us to do whatever it takes, to get our next fix. As practicing addicts, our whole life centers around the using of drugs and finding the ways and means to get more. As addicts we lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, deceive people, use people and put people around us in danger in order to get our next fix. Some of us have killed or rapped as a consequence of our addiction. There is no bottom the the depths of the spiritual depravity of an active drug addict. I have heard many personal stories in NA, and I have shared my own. Many of these aspects of addiction are true in all the stories that I have heard including my own.
The ongoing recovery offered by NA is based on spirituality as spelled out in the twelve steps and the twelve traditions of Narcotics Anonymous. In NA, we come to understand how our lives have become unmanageable. We come to see how drugs controlled every aspect of our lives. We were out of control. We had no control. Drugs had all control and power over us. At the same time we were powerless to stop using drugs. We tried to stop on our own over and over again but we couldn't. We were powerless. We could not stop or control our using them and once we were under the influence we could not control our actions. Our whole life centered around getting and using drugs and finding the ways and means to get more. After attending NA meetings for a period of time,with a sponsor, it became clear to me that drugs are a power greater than myself. The solution that NA offered was to believe that another power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. That power is God. I was taught to "Let go and let God". Don't fight it, just do God's will and all will be well. Basically those are the first 3 of the 12 steps in the NA or AA program. God is mentioned in most of the steps. The other 9 steps deal with practical ways that you can do God's will. First by taking a personal inventory, next by asking God to remove our shortcomings, then, when we were wrong we promptly admitting it, then making a list of people we have harmed and making amends to them all and then by helping other addicts get and stay clean. Thus, when your words and actions are in line with God's will, you will have serenity. Basically that is the NA program in a nutshell.
NA is a spiritual program, based on an all powerful God. NA and AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) have the best track record of success with drug and alcohol problems? Every rehab that I have been in, and I've been in about a dozen over the years, include NA or AA meetings as part of their treatment and they strongly recommend continuation of AA or NA meetings after leaving the program. Many drug and alcohol offenders are required by the courts to attend these spiritually based meetings as part of their probation. I was court ordered on several occasions. When the public sees Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan go off to rehab, do they know that the treatment is based on spirituality and a belief in God? Why is there no outrage on the part of the liberals and atheists because the state (the court) is ordering offenders to attend a spiritual program based on an all powerful God? Perhaps because the program works, but I think that the more likely reason is that the program is anonymous and it is not widely publicized that these programs are based on spiritual principles and God.
I know from my own 25 year experience as an active drug addict, that drug addiction is a spiritual disease, with serious consequences for the addict and everyone that he comes in contact with. I believe that widespread use of drugs in the US is only possible due to the spiritual depravity that is widespread in our nation. As with most problems, a solution that addresses the root cause of the problem is most effective. Legalizing and legitimizing drug use in our country will only exacerbate the spiritual depravity that we are experiencing and will undoubtedly lead to unforeseen, negative consequences. Addressing the spiritual depravity in our nation is the solution that I think will be most effective in fighting drug addiction. This solution will reduce the demand for illegal narcotics as well as reducing the widespread use of legal psychotropic medications . This is the only solution that has been proved to work as demonstrated by the fellowships of Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.
The US has grown into a situation of unprecedented economic abundance, coupled with spiritual depravity. This is what has led us to be the leading consumer of illicit drugs as well as legal psychotropic medications. This unique situation can not and will not be self sustaining. We must grow spiritually, as individuals and as a nation, or we will lose our individual and collective prosperity as well as our freedom.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Black-Jack, Jacked-Up Cars and Jacking Us Around
Yesterday I was at Hollywood Florida's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for the first time in over a year. They moved the "poker room" to a separate 2 story building in the "shopping mall" out the back door of the main casino. In the main casino, they added numerous black-jack tables located in about five clusters scattered throughout the casino. They also have three card poker and baccarat. The minimums on the new card-games are ridiculous. The cheapest black-jack tables have a 15 dollar minimum, followed by many 25, 50 and 100 dollar tables. The 25 dollar tables seem to be the most popular, but most all of the tables were filled. The parking lot was also filled, I had a hard time finding a parking spot in the parking garage.
The patrons were a curious mix of silver haired seniors and young hipsters showing off their bold tattoos, enhanced breasts, weirdly colored hair styles, pierced lips, brows, noses and navels. The most common symbol tattooed on the bodies of the youth, printed on their clothing and molded in their jewelry and belt buckles was the "skull and crossbones". I would estimate that 25% of the young hipsters sported this hideous symbol which represents poison, death, degradation and decay. Printed prominently on the wall of this magnificent casino was a quote from an idolized rock star and drug addict Todd Rundgren. It read: "I don't want to work, I just want to bang on these drums all day". While the young and the old alike were mesmerized by their hopes of thrills, fortune, good times, and euphoria, I could not help but notice how spiritually bankrupt our materially wealthy society has become.
How can the politicians claim that we are in a recession that has caused total economic devastation if so many people are gambling (and mostly losing) at such high stakes at the casinos? Apparently the gas prices, now down to $3.70 per gallon in FL, are not stopping people from driving their huge pick-up trucks and SUVs that were clogging the roads on a Sunday, when few people needed to get to work or drive out of necessity. Many of the vehicles on the road had expensive, yet frivolous modifications such as custom wheels, some costing up to $1,000 for each wheel, custom sound systems with huge sub-woofers, also costing thousands, custom paint jobs, also costing thousands and of course, modified exhaust systems that also draw attention to their vehicles costing hundreds of dollars to install.
Of course you may argue that there is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. However, the casino hires thousands of workers and the custom auto industry is mostly run by small independent businessmen. What I see with my eyes greatly varies from what I hear on the news and from the democratic candidates. Most people I see, have plenty and are living and gambling above their means.
Politicians are also talking about the masses of people who were duped into taking out home loans that they couldn't afford and are now facing foreclosure and homelessness due to the mean, cold-hearted banking industry. They fail to tell you that all of the foreclosures that I personally know about are due to people using the real-estate market like they use the Hard Rock Casino's high priced black jack tables. Due to congressional legislation that encouraged home loans to be made available to poor people (people who have a track record of being unsuccessful at earning and managing money), many loans were issued to people who were irresponsible with their own money and their own financial future.
I personally know of several cases of people who were issued huge mortgage loans, with little or no down payment, based on documentation that was fraudulent and false income levels that went unchecked. Salesmen, who were more interested in their monthly commissions, rather than the future of their industry, were only too happy to bend the already lenient rules. Salesmen, mortgage brokers and loan officers also looked the other way by not checking accuracy of loan applications and accepting or encouraging inflated home appraisals.Of course the banks should have checked their applications for accuracy, but how can individuals blame the banks because they lied on their applications and the banks didn't bother to check. Illegal aliens were even granted home loans with fraudulent ID and social-security numbers. When they were unable to repay their loan, the bank refinanced their loans and gave them several hundred thousand dollars more, based on the increase in the appraised value of their home while the market was soaring. Instead of using this money to build their future and/or stabilize their economic future, most high risk homeowners, with few exceptions, spent this windfall on vacations, cars, trucks, custom wheels, paint jobs, sound systems and exhaust, and living living above their means. When the real estate market stopped rising, they were unable to pay their loans and blamed their misfortune on the banking industry for taking advantage of them.
The entire real estate debacle has been cause by spiritual depravity on many levels. Just like the hard Rock Casino lures in its unsuspecting customers with the promise of something for nothing; the government, the real estate industry and the banking industry dangled the same "carrot" in front of millions of spiritually bankrupt folks who thought that greed and luck would solve all of their problems. The unspoken truth is that hard work, responsibility, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, humility, gratitude, honesty and integrity is what creates material wealth as well as spiritual growth. These principles build individual character, promote peace and prosperity, reduce crime, as well as improving our eternal souls. Why don't I ever hear this from our political leaders and activists?
Currently, our economy is based upon borrowing from our future instead of building our future. Our entire economy, including government and individuals is borrowing for luxuries instead of saving for necessities of the inevitable rainy day. Cities are building new sports arenas while bridges and other infrastructure decay in disrepair. Most Americans are living beyond their means in order to seek thrills, show off and keep up with the Joneses. Our government is in the hole for 55 trillion dollars including the unfunded liability of our Social Security and Medicare programs.For the first time in American history , personal borrowing is larger than personal savings. Chasing greed and hoping for luck will inevitably bring our economy and our high standard of living down the the level of struggling for our very survival. What has taken twenty-four decades to build up is being squandered before my eyes in only a few decades. All that is needed to reverse this alarming trend, is to return to the spiritual principles that this nation was founded upon and made us the wealthiest, freest, most powerful nation on earth.
The patrons were a curious mix of silver haired seniors and young hipsters showing off their bold tattoos, enhanced breasts, weirdly colored hair styles, pierced lips, brows, noses and navels. The most common symbol tattooed on the bodies of the youth, printed on their clothing and molded in their jewelry and belt buckles was the "skull and crossbones". I would estimate that 25% of the young hipsters sported this hideous symbol which represents poison, death, degradation and decay. Printed prominently on the wall of this magnificent casino was a quote from an idolized rock star and drug addict Todd Rundgren. It read: "I don't want to work, I just want to bang on these drums all day". While the young and the old alike were mesmerized by their hopes of thrills, fortune, good times, and euphoria, I could not help but notice how spiritually bankrupt our materially wealthy society has become.
How can the politicians claim that we are in a recession that has caused total economic devastation if so many people are gambling (and mostly losing) at such high stakes at the casinos? Apparently the gas prices, now down to $3.70 per gallon in FL, are not stopping people from driving their huge pick-up trucks and SUVs that were clogging the roads on a Sunday, when few people needed to get to work or drive out of necessity. Many of the vehicles on the road had expensive, yet frivolous modifications such as custom wheels, some costing up to $1,000 for each wheel, custom sound systems with huge sub-woofers, also costing thousands, custom paint jobs, also costing thousands and of course, modified exhaust systems that also draw attention to their vehicles costing hundreds of dollars to install.
Of course you may argue that there is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. However, the casino hires thousands of workers and the custom auto industry is mostly run by small independent businessmen. What I see with my eyes greatly varies from what I hear on the news and from the democratic candidates. Most people I see, have plenty and are living and gambling above their means.
Politicians are also talking about the masses of people who were duped into taking out home loans that they couldn't afford and are now facing foreclosure and homelessness due to the mean, cold-hearted banking industry. They fail to tell you that all of the foreclosures that I personally know about are due to people using the real-estate market like they use the Hard Rock Casino's high priced black jack tables. Due to congressional legislation that encouraged home loans to be made available to poor people (people who have a track record of being unsuccessful at earning and managing money), many loans were issued to people who were irresponsible with their own money and their own financial future.
I personally know of several cases of people who were issued huge mortgage loans, with little or no down payment, based on documentation that was fraudulent and false income levels that went unchecked. Salesmen, who were more interested in their monthly commissions, rather than the future of their industry, were only too happy to bend the already lenient rules. Salesmen, mortgage brokers and loan officers also looked the other way by not checking accuracy of loan applications and accepting or encouraging inflated home appraisals.Of course the banks should have checked their applications for accuracy, but how can individuals blame the banks because they lied on their applications and the banks didn't bother to check. Illegal aliens were even granted home loans with fraudulent ID and social-security numbers. When they were unable to repay their loan, the bank refinanced their loans and gave them several hundred thousand dollars more, based on the increase in the appraised value of their home while the market was soaring. Instead of using this money to build their future and/or stabilize their economic future, most high risk homeowners, with few exceptions, spent this windfall on vacations, cars, trucks, custom wheels, paint jobs, sound systems and exhaust, and living living above their means. When the real estate market stopped rising, they were unable to pay their loans and blamed their misfortune on the banking industry for taking advantage of them.
The entire real estate debacle has been cause by spiritual depravity on many levels. Just like the hard Rock Casino lures in its unsuspecting customers with the promise of something for nothing; the government, the real estate industry and the banking industry dangled the same "carrot" in front of millions of spiritually bankrupt folks who thought that greed and luck would solve all of their problems. The unspoken truth is that hard work, responsibility, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, humility, gratitude, honesty and integrity is what creates material wealth as well as spiritual growth. These principles build individual character, promote peace and prosperity, reduce crime, as well as improving our eternal souls. Why don't I ever hear this from our political leaders and activists?
Currently, our economy is based upon borrowing from our future instead of building our future. Our entire economy, including government and individuals is borrowing for luxuries instead of saving for necessities of the inevitable rainy day. Cities are building new sports arenas while bridges and other infrastructure decay in disrepair. Most Americans are living beyond their means in order to seek thrills, show off and keep up with the Joneses. Our government is in the hole for 55 trillion dollars including the unfunded liability of our Social Security and Medicare programs.For the first time in American history , personal borrowing is larger than personal savings. Chasing greed and hoping for luck will inevitably bring our economy and our high standard of living down the the level of struggling for our very survival. What has taken twenty-four decades to build up is being squandered before my eyes in only a few decades. All that is needed to reverse this alarming trend, is to return to the spiritual principles that this nation was founded upon and made us the wealthiest, freest, most powerful nation on earth.
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