We are to blame.  Yes, we are all to blame, each and every person who is considered an adult.  We are the ones raising our children, we are the ones setting standards in what to believe, how to act and how to see our humanity for what it is.   We are to blame for every person who is bullied, hurt, maimed, or killed.  We are to blame for every act of violence against humans, animals and this planet we call earth. We are to blame for the deafening silence while others are hurting and every word spoken that caused harm.  We need to be accountable for our past, our present and the future of our humanity; and we need to start now.

Accepting Fear without Question

What are we so afraid of?  It’s understandable to be scared of a snake because there is a defining reason behind it.  If it bites, you might die because its venom is poisonous and others have died from it.  Can the same be said about the afterlife, that if we don’t practice a certain religion, we will go to hell?  There is not one living person that can answer that question truthfully, and we will never know until we die. 

The world lives in fear of not having a happy afterlife, instead of focusing on being happy in this life.  The reason is because mere mortal men of the church, who don’t live the same way as the majority of society does, are making the claim that fearing God to get into heaven is more important than life here on earth.  They preach this over and over again when they themselves have not experienced death yet.  They tell their followers that if they believe in the church’s created truth and do as they say (just don’t do as they do), that their heavenly afterlife will be granted.

When Columbus lived, people thought that the earth was flat. They believed the Atlantic Ocean to be filled with monsters large enough to devour their ships, and with fearful waterfalls over which their frail vessels would plunge to destruction. Columbus had to fight these foolish beliefs in order to get men to sail with him. He felt sure the earth was round.  -Emma Miller Bolensium

It just shows when the fear is gone and foolish beliefs are distinguished, the truth can be seen through all the imaginary creative truths man can dream up.  However, it can be hard to take that step into unknown territory.   But when the monsters are gone and the truth of the uncharted territory is revealed, the beauty of humanity will be within every person’s reach. 

But it can be hard to find the truth in the created truth, especially when some created truths maybe centuries old.  And even if we do seek the truth in religions or with politicians and governments, we are labeled sacrilegious or antipatriotic. The only way to move forward is to not be afraid to ask questions and to start conversations.  It can be difficult though asking questions because we have become a society of name callers.  If someone doesn’t like your question or opinion, then they call you some derogatory name to stop you from continuing the conversation.  This can happen especially when their words and actions have a profound effect on society or their own personal financial stability. 

Such individuals can be hiding a created truth so deep and embedded in our culture that telling the truth could destroy their own internal world as they know it.  Or maybe they just don’t know the answer to your question, so they become embarrassed or their fear is so great that they have no other response, but spew vile words. Regardless of the reason, we can’t let the ugliness of name calling stop us from asking important questions. 

If you think about it, kids are great at asking questions.  How many parents have heard, “Why is the sky blue?”  And since most parents can’t answer that question correctly we just say, “Because it is, that’s why.” We could tell our children that God made the sky blue, but how do we know that is true?  Most parents tell their children the same thing their parents told them and so on and so on.

Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we lose that yearning to know why something is the way it is or why we believe in something that we were told as children.  And by doing so, we as adults stop the growth of our children’s ability to ask questions.   Promoting intellectual conversations and seeking the real truth could further their development to become our future thinkers and problem-solvers.  

We need to start teaching our children to ask more questions to help build their confidence, peek their interest, keep them safe, and be able to start and be part of these conversations.  However, is the fear of retaliation from society when asking questions so great, that we don’t?  Or are we that apathetic that we just don’t care?  Or maybe the created truths of society are so easy to believe, we just don’t question them.

It’s easy to fall into the parenting roll without making sure our parenting is actually being effective.  But then how do we effectively teach our children to ask more questions, when we as adults don’t do it ourselves?  If it is just fear, then isn’t it shameful that adults place their own fear in their children and then children take that fear into adulthood with them.  There are so many attributes that we could pass on to our children.  The fear of asking questions should not be one of them.

Questions help get to the root of problems and then solutions can start to be formulated.  Making our children better, makes our society better.  We should want our future generation to be problem-solvers. But how do they become problem-solvers if they are too fearful to ask the tough questions, to further a conversation, to find the solution to a problem, and to find the truth they should be seeking for?  As a society, we should help each other become educated thinkers and masters of our own voice.  And since children tend to learn by example and mimic what adults do, let’s start becoming great role models now by asking those tough questions and being more proactive in conversations.  

But first we need to ask why we haven’t been doing this all along.  We shouldn’t feel ashamed, embarrassed or even fearful to question what our parents, religious leaders or government have been telling us for years.  Many of the things we have come to believe in are just centuries of storytelling either by the written or spoken word by past generations of mere mortal men.  There is no real way to know what is truth and what is created truth.  It can be very difficult though to know what is real and not real when a storyteller has the gift of deception. Sometimes the truth can be somewhat boring and a little created truth thrown into the mix can enhance how people perceive what is being told to them.  Many individuals throughout history have fabricated a story just a tad to make it more interesting.

We are a society that loves history and nonfiction.   We become engrossed with the creative touch of so many writers of fictional stories such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, James Patterson, George Lucas and J.K. Rowling.  The list is endless.   Who needs the truth when we can douse ourselves into a world of make-believe and escape from reality?  But in all reality, we need the truth because without it we become trapped in a world of individuals who control our minds and take away our ability to be contributing members of society without us even knowing it or questioning it.

There is no downfall to asking more questions, giving opinions, and having other people join in by asking their own questions, and ending up with a calm, sensible intelligent conversation.  The days are long gone when we should believe just to believe. There are too many individuals who are willing to lie, cheat and steal to keep the power and control what they have possessed for years, decades and yes, even centuries.  And as more and more information comes to light about these powerful controlling members of society, the more questions and conversations there should be within the general public.

We cannot move forward as a nation and as a world if we are not asking questions.  Carl Sagan said, “We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.” So why is the sky blue?  Because God made it blue; great question but an answer with no depth and not based on facts.  No wonder we have become a society that lacks the vision of conversation when adults don’t try to further conversations with each other, let alone with their children.  Most of us were never taught the power of communication which involves questions and answers, and the right to ask without debilitating fear. 

And when asking questions, it’s alright for the person asking the question and the person being asked the question not to know the answer.  It’s about starting a conversation to help find the answer together and come to a reasonable conclusion.   An educated person isn’t someone who has to know everything, but one who knows how to ask the questions and find the answers.  And it isn’t someone who has to be right every time.  Every human being will make mistakes.  There is no perfect human. 

It should never be a sign of weakness to admit to one’s own mistake as long as the person tries to correct the mistake and make it right.   Just admitting to the mistake is a sign of good character, but its offensive when individuals tout one thing and do another.  That’s called lying. There’s a big difference between the two.  There should be little forgiveness for those individuals or groups who have hidden wrong doing and hurt innocent men, women, children, animals and our planet to flourish their own greed, power and control.  Those are unforgivable flaws in character which should be condemned in all aspects of society.

And when people ask questions and/or state their opinions verbally or in writing, the intent does not have to be to mislead, hurt or condemn anyone with different opinions.  Regardless though, many times when questions are asked and opinions are given by people not in authority, their words will be misconstrued and others will say our youth and society are being misled down a path of evil and destruction. 

And when a person starts asking questions about religion, politics and society at large, they will be condemned by anyone who is gaining value such as money, power or control from their own created truth.  Someone who is fearful of the truth may feel that the created truth is far better than the real truth and to leave it alone. 

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.  -Søren Kierkegaard

However, even though it may be difficult to accept the truth after believing in the created truth for so long, keeping silent while others are being hurt is a far greater sin then asking a question and initiating a positive change.

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. -Dante

Our lives should be about keeping people safe and out of harm’s way.  Being good and kind to create a world without fear.   Love and be loved.  There is no point of living if these basic concepts are not entitled to every human being. Seems to simple, but then why doesn’t society put these simple values before everything else including religion?  In the end, if there is a God, pure basic good and kindness should be the end result of our humanity.

And asking questions shouldn’t be applied just when there is controversy, but also in the happiest of relationships to continue to build on those relationships.  You can be religious or spiritual and should still be able to feel comfortable asking questions about religion without being called an atheist or sacrilegious.  You should be able to love your job and still ask questions to improve the safety and quality of your work dynamics without the fear of being retaliated against or terminated.  You can be young, middle-aged or elderly and start conversations by asking questions to build a healthy and happy life.  And there’s no right or wrong question.  It just needs to be asked with calmness and confidence to anyone around you such as your spouse, children, parents, boss, priest, politician and anyone else where a question and conversation are warranted.   

We all make up our own created truths on a daily basis just to get through our day and our lives, but in general they don’t have a direct impact on society.  However, there are individuals and groups of individuals who have created their own truths that have had a profound effect on society.  It is imperative for all of us to seek these individuals out, especially if they include world religions and governments where created truths could harm our way of life and our love for humanity.

If we are not questioning the people who run our government and our religions, then we are up for grabs for the next person who would like to become a dictator or the next great charlatan.  These types of individuals have only one motive, which is to control our every thought and our every action, even if it is harmful to “We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.  George Orwell

George Orwell was considered a Democratic Socialist.  Socialism may not be the answer to keeping America great, however, sitting back and doing nothing and letting world leaders and religious orders do as they please, will end humanity as we know it.  So why has our Congress relinquished its duties to form a “more perfect union?”  What happened to the justice, tranquility, and common defense, promotion of general welfare and blessings of liberty to everyone?  Aren’t those the foundation of Democracy? 

What if we didn’t define ourselves as a Christian nation, but a Nation of Humanity instead?  Humanity is defined as “the quality or state of being human”.  Maybe if our nation’s laws emphasized that worshipping each other is far more important than being a Christian, the health and welfare of every person would have the utmost priority.

However, greed, control, and power have changed the course of the real truth of what our nation was founded on without any of us questioning it.  The same thing been going on for centuries with governments and religions, which has affected our past, our present and the future generations to come, if we let them.  The Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, was on Meet the Press with David Gregory on March 9^th 2014.  He said Pope Francis was going to use his notoriety and turn the attention to Jesus and his church, and that part of the Pope’s strategy is for people to start asking questions.

For all the Christians who live and breathe by the Pope’s every sacred word, he has given you permission to start asking questions, so why not start with the tough ones first.  However, very few people are ever willing to ask the hard questions and connect the dots.  Most individuals don't go that next step to make sure that our government and the church’s words and actions are in line with what is best for the majority and for the sake of humanity; and not just what is best for those in authority themselves.

And anyone who tells you that you can’t or shouldn’t be asking questions about God, religion or government, can only be telling you that because they themselves are benefiting from their own created truth.  Especially when they themselves either have conjured up or have kept a created truth alive out of fear or personal gain.  When someone lives a life of “do as I say but don’t do as I do”, then they created their own truth trying to hide it from society. 

For instance, individuals who state they are Christian, but molest children or say they are against abortion, but have been personally involved in an abortion or denounce homosexuality, but are caught in a homosexual act.  Or even someone who pushes abstinence on other parents, when their own children have had children out of wedlock.  Or individuals who tout their Christianity to the heavens, but judge anyone who lives and thinks differently than they do. 

In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.  -George Orwell

Is it even possible to dig through the layers and layers of created truths throughout the centuries to reveal the real truths of society?  It’s similar to knowing if heaven exists, we won’t know until we die. The same principal applies to finding the real truth, we won’t know until we start digging.

Asking why is the right of every human being, regardless if the topic of discussion is about humanity, politics or religion.  If we are not asking the questions, then we will never know the real answers.

Truth V. Created Truth

So Many Questions, So Few Truthful Answers

Of all the things that society worries about in this world, the truth has been the most ignored.  In many ways, truth has taken a back seat to the created truth for centuries.  It seems far easier to believe what has been told to us by religious leaders and politicians as fact, then to seek out the real truth. We see this in other countries all time, but it’s easy to put blinders on when it is happening within our own great nation as well.  If the truth revealed itself, how many members of society would be willing to accept the truth and ban the created truth for any false claims against humanity?

Would we even allow the truth to be exposed?  Have centuries of created truths become so embedded into our society that we couldn’t see the truth even if it were blatantly staring us in the face?  All of us, us being the humans on this planet, live our daily lives under the umbrella of information which has been told to us by governments and religious leaders around the world for centuries.  Centuries seem like a long time, but in fact centuries is how long we’ve been discussing the bible, religion and different aspects of government that govern our beliefs and our laws.    

Some individuals in our society call other members sacrilegious if they question the authenticity of the bible and religious beliefs.  Also, when people question our government, America’s way of life, or the Constitution, they are depicted as unpatriotic.  It has become easier in our country to shut down these questions instead of encouraging more questions and conversations.  We need to ask ourselves just how closed-mined are we as a society?  Would we be willing to go back to the time of Christ to prove or disprove the accuracy of the bible?  What if we found the opposite to be true to our beliefs?  Would we change what we believe in and then tell others?  Or would we keep the information to ourselves and continue to live our lives as we did before?

What if we could go back and speak with the founders of the Constitution, and tell them what life is like in the 21^st Century including religion, gun laws, discrimination, immigration, and global warming?  And upon hearing what we had to say, they wanted to make changes to the Constitution based on the future knowledge they didn’t have back then.  Would we endorse the changes, even if they went against our current beliefs and values?

Obviously, we cannot go back in time to prove or disprove the bible or speak with the Constitutional founders, but what we can do is ask appropriate questions and engage in intelligent educated discussions.  This will help determine if created truths have dictated our decisions, thought processes, and laws that have become a guide for how we live today.  No one can argue the fact that life today is far different then when it is said a man named Jesus Christ walked the earth or when the Constitution was written.  However, we should be willing as a society to consider the differences, find the truths hidden in the created truths, and do what is best for our society today in the twenty-first century.

Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance.  And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.  -Frantz Fanon

Asking a lot of questions is important and relevant, but it’s the ones that people refrain from asking because of fear, that are the most vital.  They sit in the pit of one’s stomach aching to be asked, but most of the times are not.  And why, because of fear, gut wrenching fear.  It stops people from moving forward.  And if we are not moving forward to understand the environment we live in, the world will not be able sustain itself for much longer without knowing the real truths.

There are so many answers to these questions about our society that each and every one of us just takes for granted, because we have been told to do so.  We do this instead of thinking for ourselves, asking the questions, and possessing a real desire for not just the answer, but the actual truth; not someone else created truth.  However, in today’s society it seems nobody wants to ask, but we all pretend we know.

People need to start asking the important questions which have a direct impact on our well-being, our way of thinking, and the way we treat each other.  Our world has been constructed in a way in which society feels they do not have the right to question anyone with authority.  Centuries ago people would do whatever the King and Queen decreed upon them.  The church also put forth a list of bylaws their congregations could do and could not do.  Then of course, priests and teachers were to be obeyed without question.  And for parents, they were to be obeyed until their very last dying wish without hesitation.  And all this was to be done, even if the people in authority were cruel and dishonest.

To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.  -Voltaire

Throughout history and in present day, it is seen as normal to be fearful of asking questions to the people with some sort of power or status like our bosses, religious leaders, politicians, parents or anyone who has some sense of control over our emotional, personal, professional or financial well-being.  And in many cases, especially in regards to religion and government, even when the questions are asked, the answers that are normally given seem based just on one’s own belief and then spread throughout the universe as if it is everyone else’s opinion.

However, in most cases people in power like the sense of fear to exist.  It keeps the people below them in a state of passivity and from stirring the pot.  And because of that, the fear itself needs to also be questioned and answered to.  And it’s not about condemning society, but changing society so that good and kindness can occur.  We can’t change the past, but we can change the present and the future.

Fear is the key to obedience – Reverend Richard Skaff

The Right To Hit A Child

So often, children are punished for being human.
Children are not allowed to have grumpy moods, bad days,
Yet we adults have them all the time.
None of us are perfect.
We must stop holding children accountable
To a higher standard of perfection                                      
Than we can attain ourselves
Rebecca Eanes - PositiveParentingToddlersandBeyond

 A law which was proposed by Representative Gail Finney, a democrat from Wichita, Kansas proposed that it is within the parent’s right to spank their child to the point of bruising as long as a parent doesn’t strike a child more than ten times.   

Spanking is defined as “a number of slaps on the buttocks delivered in rapid succession, as for punishment.”  Is there a spanking chart that goes along with this thought provoking law so parents of newborns, one year olds and on up know how many times they should spank at each stage of a child’s development, and how hard to hit them?   Does a colicky newborn require one or two slaps on the buttock to quiet them?  Does a two year old who is being potty-trained deserve ten spanks with bruising for peeing in their pants?  It would be so hard to know how many times and how hard to hit based on the horrible offensives of these children.   
                                                                                                               
Does Rep. Finney also agree then every adult should be slapped up to a maximum of ten times when someone doesn’t agree with what they are doing?  Shouldn’t that go along with a law that deems it necessary to strike a child up to ten times because a parent, caregiver or another adult doesn’t agree with what the child is doing?   It only makes sense that if we are going to make laws which allows adults to hit children to the point of bruising, then the laws should also hold true for adults.  And with Congress’s approval rating only at about ten percent, then they wouldn’t be able to sit down without pain in their buttock, ever.  

Hitting to the point of bruising should be considered abuse, especially in children.  There already is enough violence against children without making laws to enforce it.  Rep. Finney just wanted to “restore parental rights and improve discipline.”  Why not start with education for parents first so they understand childhood development and stages before we give them the go ahead to spank their children to the point of bruising.   However, Rep. Finney was human enough to ban a child from getting hit by a fist in the head or body with a belt or switch. How kind of her, but shame on anyone who votes in any governmental official who thinks it necessary to abuse children to make them behave. 

Accepting Fear without Question

"When Columbus lived, people thought that the earth was flat. They believed the Atlantic Ocean to be filled with monsters large enough to devour their ships, and with fearful waterfalls over which their frail vessels would plunge to destruction. Columbus had to fight these foolish beliefs in order to get men to sail with him. He felt sure the earth was round."  -Emma Miller Bolensium

We are still trying to prove our own existence today while sifting through the layers of truths verses creative truths.  However, when we start using our intellect to decide right from wrong, and we let go of the fear and confusion of what all the different politicians and religions are saying; the charlatans and monsters will start to lose their magic.  And then, all that will be left is the wonderful state of being human.  It's exciting to be in charge of our own destiny and make this world a better place just by loving and caring for others, and doing what’s best for the masses.  And if there is a God, those pearly gates should open wide with pride because we lived according to the love of humanity, which is said to be his gift to all of us.

So when the fear is gone and foolish beliefs are distinguished, the truth can be seen through all the imaginary creative truths man can dream up.  However, it can be difficult to take a leap into any unknown territory, but it's worth the effort when the integrity and safety of others prevails.  Then and only then will the beauty of humanity will be within every person’s reach.  

 

Love and Kindness

Goodness is about character, integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like.  More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. - Dennis Prager

Isn’t that what life is supposed to be about, keeping people safe and out of harm’s way?  Providing love and being kind to create a world without fear?   Love and be loved?  What’s the point of living if these basic concepts are not entitled to every human being?  Seems to simple right, but then why doesn’t society put these simple values before everything else including religion?  In the end, isn’t pure basic good and kindness what so many individuals want from God?