Waking Up to the Real World

Normally I would start out a blog post by saying hello, and how are you, with a very happy-go-lucky attitude, as though the whole world is full of running puppies and dancing butterflies. How unlike that I feel today.

There have been a lot of things thrown at me in the last few hours, a great deal of them having to do with the state of America, and where we, the American people, stand as a nation. With all the information I currently have at my disposal, and all the different separate issues I could write about, I'm a complete mess. I've spent the last hour trying to come up with some convincing, well written, earth shattering blog that would move all of you to action. Let me just say, its a serious hit to a person's self confidence when they start a sentence six times, only to press the delete button every three words.

Are we oblivious? Or are we aware and just don't really care enough to do anything about it? Is Glee and American Idol and World of Warcraft really so important that we can ignore the issues around is? Can we really ignore the state of the world and this country that we live in any longer?

I say no. Even if all you do is tune into the news for an hour instead of channel surfing, or get on a news site  instead of Facebook for an hour, its still something. And when I say a news channel, I don't mean main stream CNN or NBC or even FOX. I mean off the beaten path for American's, like BBC or whatever other website that is going to force you to see the news and what is really going on.

Guys, we aren't the only country in the world, and by no means are we superior to everyone else. Its arrogance like that which has gotten us into the predicament we are in. For instance, did you know there is a massive drought in Somalia right now, and that, because of UN bureaucracy, it took weeks for them to get any aid after being declared in a state of emergency? People are dieing, babies are being left behind because its easier to let them starve, and it took weeks.

Heart-wrenching, yeah?

That's just one example.

And guys, in our own country, we have to wake up and see what's really going on in our government. Does anyone really know what's in Obama's healthcare bill? Does anyone really care? Well, you should. Not one Representative or Congressman had the time to read the bill before it had to be voted on. I know its old news, but doesn't that sound just flat out shady to you guys?

And I'm not saying that its a bad idea to take care of people. On the contrary, we need a good system where we can help people who don't have the ability to help themselves.

But this bill has so much extra stuff in it that has nothing to do with healthcare. For instance, there is a provision in the bill that allows the president, any president, to form an army of private citizens as large as the US Army to be under direct command of the president should this country be declared in a state of emergency. Isn't that what the military is partly for? 

And I know a lot of you are concerned about the debt ceiling, and frankly, so am I. But trying to understand it, and where the perceived issue is, is like hitting ones head against a brick wall, and then subjecting oneself to a voluntary beating with a crowbar. That's how bad the head ache is. Common sense says stop spending. But apparently, the minute anyone says that, they become Right Wing Conservative Republicans, and its supposed to be all their fault that the nation is in the pickle it's in...but I digress.

Guys, the world around us is changing. The America we live in is about to become something we never wanted to see, all under the banner of hope and freedom. And if we don't do something, our nightmares are going to become reality. And I don't want to see that happen.

I'm not going to apologize for my beliefs. I told you that once before. And I'm not going to cast blame where it is un-due, because, really, it's all of our faults. We vote the people into power who ignore our protestations and desires. We allow ourselves to be brainwashed into believing things. And we need to wake up.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, the world is not puppies and butterflies. Its a lot darker and far more sinister. But my hope is that you are now awake and full aware. Or you have at least the smallest inner nudge to look up the information yourselves, and to not trust everything you hear and read.

So, tell me: are you awake?

Ground Rules

As most of you have already guessed, I am a Christian who has somehow found herself in the political realm of thinking. This was never my intent when I started this blog. This was simply supposed to be about what I saw and how my mind wandered as I contemplated the things around me. Almost like a journal.

But as I've pondered the world around me, and aloud said mind to wander and wonder, I have come to a devastating, all be it fascinating, conclusion. Insanity exists. And not just exists, but is in power over the country we live in.

So, here I am, once again, writing as I see fit, about my observations as an American Christian. But before I kick off this new chapter in my blogging life, I'd like to make a few observations, points, and lay some ground rules for my own thinking, just so every one is on the same page.

1) I believe God is a God of love, not war. So, on that account, I do not believe that it is necessary to lash out at someone whose beliefs are completely different from my own. However, if said person attempts to force there own thoughts and beliefs down mine or anyone else's throat, rest assured, I can find places in the Bible where God does discuss defending oneself.

2) I do not expect every one to agree with me. In fact, I welcome it. Some of the best conversations I have ever had have been with people who do not agree with me. But I do expect to be treated with the same respect I give you. I do not intend to argue, only discuss.

3) I own that Christianity has made some mistakes. Religion is made of people. And no person is perfect. Please do not hold me personally accountable for 2,000 years worth of idiocy. Do I look immortal?

4) Jews, Muslims and Christians all share a common ancestry, therefore are entitled to some degree of respect from each other. But if you are going to call me an infidel or a goyim, allow me, with utmost respect, to call you a heathen.

5) I will use the Bible. Deal with it.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope this begins a new and beautiful chapter in our relationship as blogger and blog reader.

Love to my Readers,
The Wondering Mind

True Repression

Before you rail against me, remember this: I write it as I see it. And I see it as a Christian.

It has come to my attention in recent days events in society which have driven this nation to the edge. Once, if you followed the marked paths of thought you arrived at a conclusion that made sense...where reason had a rhyme. But, we have done the unthinkable and stepped off the path and followed our strange thinking to a conclusion that has no real reason behind it...it is simply a thought with nothing to provide a foundation. In a more "close minded" society, this was known as insanity. Those we hail as genius where once locked away behind iron bars, there thoughts confined to the walls of the asylum. I'm not so sure they should have ever been let out.

Where am I going with all this?

We, as a society, no longer have the ability to think intelligently without being told. We have been conditioned to take our cues from those around us, be it political or practical and simply follow. This a complete contradiction of my previous statement, but think about it. We have replaced silence with the sound of heavy metal on our Ipods. No longer do we listen to the wind whistling through the trees.We have replaced contemplating the world around us by video games and pc's. No longer do we watcha sunset over an unsuspecting sea. We are constantly tied to society, our latest technology cell phones the leash which holds us.

It is in this vast nothingness of thought that the seeds of deception are placed. We are taught in our schools, and in so called higher education, to accept things that any moral society would see as completely outrageous. We have become a Sodom and Gomorrah of sorts, where anything goes.

Under the guise of freedom of speech, we are told to except everything that is presented to us, or at least here them out. We are taught in our classrooms that respect for all beliefs and ideals must be tolerated. We are taught that any good ideal must be tested, and that if it is sound, it will come out on the other side stronger then before. But, when we challenge the ideals of others, we are instantly shot down, told that our teachers will not tolerate repression.

But isn't this, in itself, true repression?

A young man has the freedom to walk out of his class room and bow towards Mecca. No one stops him. The young women is free to speak of her religious beliefs, quoting the Quron and Allah through her veil. No one speaks against her. The young Jehovah's Witness boy is not forced to stand and pledge his allegiance to the country in which he was born. No one makes him. The homosexual is free is give a presentation of gay sex in front of his whole college class. No one tells him his lifestyle is wrong.

And yet, I am not free to pray before my final exam in my classroom begins. I am stopped. I am not free to read my Bible in class or wear brands that advertise my faith. I am persecuted for it. I am not free to say the Lords prayer or sing of my Gods greatness in my classroom. I am not permitted. I am not free to present an argument against Evolution in my Biology class. I am told that I am close minded, and I am wrong.

This is true repression.

But we refuse to shout of this repression and speak against it. Why? Do we fear persecution based on our belief system?

Yes. We are so terrified of being "politically incorrect", that we've forgotten what it means to be morally correct. We are so terrified of being failed in our classes, that we do not speak when we know we should. Where once people died for their faith, we refuse to even read of it.

This is true repression.

They persecute us because they know that they are wrong. They can not look at the cross that lays on my chest with out seeing our God looking at them with sadness in his eyes at their sin. They refuse to turn from they're wicked ways and do what is morally right. They choose.

But what they fail to realize is that it is this very same God that we glorify who gave them this choice. They have the freedom to follow, or to turn. They believe that they will be oppressed if they choose to follow the paths of righteousness. But in true righteousness, one finds freedom. Freedom from the confines of this world and human thinking. This is the choice we are given. And still they choose to persecute us.

This is true repression.

Under the guise of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression, they have allowed the unthinkable. We truly are a corrupt nation, driven by insanity, and walking the narrow edge to its own destruction. But they view destruction as a salvation of sorts. And when we do choose to follow our hearts and do what we believe is right...walk away from the edge towards true salvation, we are silenced.

I am not free to speak my beliefs in public. I am not free to believe as my fathers have done before me. I am not free to express myself, be it in words, pictures, or thoughts. It is unacceptable in a society which accepts everything else.

This, is true repression.