Mustang Rambles

LIBERTY AS AN ABSTRACT IDEA It seems to me that most Americans are content to let the hooligans in Washington, DC slowly take our liberties away. I think that most Americans like the idea of a benevolent government running their lives, choosing their colleges, choosing their careers, choosing their doctors, and choosing their thoughts and speech. It would be very easy if the government were truly benevolent and was dedicated to allowing people the maximum of freedom. However, freedom for the people gives the people power and deletes that power from the government. The government gets smaller. Yet, as people give up their freedoms, the government gains power and grows. President Gerald Ford once said, “The Government large enough to give the people everything they want, is large enough to take everything they have.”

As we know, power begets greed for more power. Absolute power demands demonstrations of its absoluteness, those that wield that power are consumed with the demonstrations of power and by their own megalomania. The people will ultimately be downtrodden and our grandmothers will be sweeping the streets with brooms.

ATLANTIS AND THE MAYANS If you look deep into the Atlantic Ocean west of the Canary Islands, about three and half miles down, you will find a rectanglar marking filled with regular markings that remind you of a city street network. GOOGLE EARTH shows it quite well. Atlantis as you know, according to Plato was destroyed about ten thousand years ago or more. The MAYANs calendar predicts the end of civilization and a new beginning in 2012. They also say that this cycle is repeated every 12 thousand years. Maybe the demise of Atlantis marked the end of the last cycle. Interestingly enough, the Hopi are in their “fourth world” and predict that it, too, will end and another world will begin. Kind of makes you want to spend all your money before Dec 21, 2012, doesn’t it.?

The World is really in a muddle right now. There are problems economically and politically almost everywhere you look. Of course, with the population growing at such a rapid rate it will only get worse as water and food shortages compete with peace and good will. My Dad used to tell me that when people get hungry and thirsty, the first thing that they lose is their love of their fellow man.

HAPPINESS.  In discussing things with my wife this morning, without much thought I threw out the bromide, “The world isn’t out there to make you happy.” Stopped by this thought, I had to think of what I had said. The inference is that you make your own happiness. You do this by being content with what you have, both materially and spiritually. The real source of happiness is in making life a little better for someone else. If you are into Karma, or the old Hippy saying, “What goes around, comes around.”, what you put into the world is what you get back. True, there are hateful people out there who just love screwing up your life. Only you can give them the power to make permanent their hateful doings. Shrug it off, and get on with giving happiness.

PRIDE.  Pride is one of the greatest of the deadly sins. It makes fools of schoolboys and idiots of old men.

Grandchildren.  Last week my daughter gave birth to a wonderful healthy grandson. In pondering his future and my role in it, I have come to several conclusions. One, I will have a bit of influence in how he develops through what I teach him and what we talk about as he grows up. This is a responsibility that I hadn’t thought about with my granddaughters. It causes me pause. As a career Army officer, do I guide him to service of his country? Do I guide him to service of his God? If neither, I am ill equipped to guide him into the profit making world of business. Finally, I wonder why I should think I will have much influence on him at all? Maybe I’ll just teach him to make jokes and play golf. Shouldn’t be hard, if you watch my golf game you’ll realize it is a joke!

The Only Child. I read an article the other day that stated that an only child may be late to talk, but early to read and may end up more intelligent than other children. I think it goes without saying that that child has to use its imagination much more than a child with other siblings. The only child must entertain itself much more and in more different ways than others. Reading is a quiet activity that can be done anywhere, preferably alone. Personally, I think that the child who reads for recreation will always outperform those who don’t read unless required.

Myself, I was raised as an only child in rainy Oregon with few friends in the neighborhood, Many rainy days were spent just reading with the Book of Knowledge being my favorite and various library books coming in second. I did read a series of biographies from my school library in the third grade. As a result of all this reading, I had more information than most of my friends, school was easy, and I could get good grades whenever I wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the self-discipline to put it all to good use. My high school career was so-so, and I barely graduated from college. Now, I truly regret all the learning that I wasted. All my fun times of shooting pool, hanging out at the teen club, and watching TV don’t make my old age much fun. There are too many memories of not treating people with the respect or compassion they needed.

ATTACK ON THE BRAIN: Today, looking through the Hot Trends on Google, I found 19 of the top 100 trends to be related to the “Bachelorette” and “Bachelor” reality shows. That boggles my mind. Nineteen percent of the hot topics concern an inane penchant of the vacuous American public to try to find something interesting to fill their fantasies. It is a poor reflection on our society that reality shows do so well. To me, it shows that many of us don’t or can’t read, or perhaps imagine. Probably because so many young people have been constantly entertained visually and auditorily all their life. Constant images and constant sound have petrified their ability to think and to imagine.

Next time you are in a Mall, on a cruise ship, or even in your own home, listen. Can you hear music? If so, your brain is being blitzed and the creative side, the imagination, the ability to think is under assault.

What Price Glory? The human animal is a squalid miserable thing that is only elevated by civilized society. The unwritten requirements of the perfect member of society are rarely reached, and then only through the perfect sacrifice of the individual for the good of the society. Attainment of glory almost always results in destruction. Do not ever confuse glory with adventure.

Who are we? When I think of all the heroes in the world, and all the special things that have been done, it seems that each individual really doesn’t impact the world at all. There is always someone else who will do it, or did it, or could do it. When you are fired, your former office does not collapse and people commit suicide because it just can’t be done anymore. If you are absent from work, things rarely suffer, your boss may not even notice it.

Why are We Here? The most important thing we do in this world is something we do everyday. We influence others in good or bad ways. Hopefully, we strive to do the good things that others may emulate, the things that soften life for others, things that help others with their lives and how they relate to other people. This is the single most important secret of life. I think that is what Curly meant.