Sodaiho Sodaiho

Fences

Fences

With palms together,
Good Morning All,

Ever since I was a little kid I wondered how borders existed. I often looked at maps of the world, scouring the continents looking at the lines separating one country from another and wondering what they looked like on the ground. As a kid I thought maybe there were actual lines and that it must be some body's job to go around painting them, like they do on roads. As an adult I still wonder about these lines dividing us as a species. I wonder about how these divisions divide us rather than bring us together. I wonder about the fear that is created through groupings, the discrimination that develops, and often think about the world as a place without boundary as a place without limits.

When we drop our boundaries, in one sense, we create possibilities for expansion. Companies know this. International corporations see boundaries as impediments and actively work within them to make them non-existent. Would it not be wise to eventually find a way to live on this planet as if we are all part of the same family of man?

Creating fences, putting armed soldiers along our borders, seems unwise to me. It creates a police state of sorts, and further divides us. True security, it seems to me, comes with friendship and intermarriage, where all people see themselves as family.

Threats to the family will always exist, well at least as long as there are both vast differences between haves and have-nots and as long as groups of people suffer and die while others live and thrive.Increasing the height of the fence will not stop that.

Be well.
3,395 views 28 replies
Reply #26 Top
but oh so condescending. (once again, you seem to feel that you and you alone hold the keys to enlightenment, and those of us who disagree with you are common and limited in our ability to grasp certain concepts.)


Hello Little Whip,

I do not. I was referring to the concepts as limiting, just as concept of God limits our understanding of him. LW we limit ourselves way too often by staying within the lines. It is important, I feel, sometimes to do away with the lines altogether and truly brain storm new and challenging solutions to a problem.. Our tendency, the conservative tendancy, is to conserve, that is, keep things the same even if it means doing more of the same to achieve that different result.

I am a Chaos Magickian. Limit that, if you think you can. (smiles)

Since this is not a theological discussion, I'll leave it at that for the moment, but you really do need to check yourself because your lack of humility is unbecoming of a Buddist.


These lines are based on a misreading of my statements. I think a chaos magician would be able and willing to think way outside that proverbial box, LW.

Your naiveté is touching, but out of touch with reality. When people take things they often need them? How does this explain the Enron scandal then? How does this explain the crackhead who is stealing for dope money, and is uninterested in rehab? Does a rapist 'need' sex? How about the African despot who leaves his countrymen to starve while he squanders the aid offered by wealthier nations? Or the lazy man who would rather break into his neighbors houses than work for his living?


Greed, hatred, delusion: these three poisons explain much. The antiodotes are charity, compassion and wisdom.
We should be willing to develop ourselves so that we model these qualities, if we are going to be true leaders of the civilized world. Judgements as to the worthiness of individuals or groups are always relative, always. That is why there are sliding scales. Do you really think any of the solutions we have created thus far work? I am suggesting we work on this, not abanodon ourselves to pessimism.

As far as my naivete goes, I don't think so. I was an in the trenches child protective services worker for years and a psychotherapist in mental hospitals abnd private practice after that. I think I havce seen both the best and worst of mankind. My hope is that we can work to make the world a better place. We cannot do that with judgentalism, punitive, kneejerk solutions and a desire to hold ever so tightly to something we believe belongs to us at all costs.



Trust me, criminal behavior is not always driven by some sort of need that has gone unmet by society. It's nice to sit around and express sympathy for the poor mother who steals food for a child, but how do you propose we meet the 'needs' of these others?


Little whip, this is a very good point and one well taken. I propose that we make some real and determined effort to understand and determine the causes of such behavior, create conditions within which that behavior would be reduced or eliminated. Pie in the sky? Perhaps. But it is a proposal of hope. At this junctiure in our civilization, I believe we need all the hope we can get.

(And while we're at it, we should just absorb Mexico's entire population because it would make the Mexicans five times as rich while only making us half as poor. Never mind expecting them to lift their own resource-rich nation up out of poverty, taking a stand against their corrupt government officials in order to bring about their own version of liberty. No way, man! Someone could get hurt! Its far easier and more noble to run to a place where all thats already been taken care of, never mind the Americans who died to bring the dream to fruition.)


Mexico's entire population does not wish to come to the United States. Many of those dead you refer to were friends of mine. At the time they died they believed in a larger dream for America, I think, than we currently hold. I feel quite ashamed of much of the small minded and mean spiritedness that runs rament these days in this country masquerading as patriotism.

Do you not believe in evil? I do. I've met it personally on many occasions, and it is my firm belief that some humans do not deserve to draw breath. Some are truly unredeemable, no matter what assistance is offered them, and are barely worth the cost of the bullet needed to end their lives.


Yes, I believe evil exists. I believe we crerate evil in the behavior we do. I do not believe evil exists independent of people, however. We both have met evil, then. I have been robbed several times, my wife raped, my daughter raped, I have been held at knifepoint by a manical person with severe PTSD and a serious LSD problem. I have killed human beings, been shot by human beings, and seen things that would make you sick. Yes, wevil exists in the world. So? What are we to do about it? I suggest we face it honestly and work on its sources, its causes, and attemptto find ways of reducing and or eliminating it. I took three vows among others: cease doing evil; do good; and bring about abundant good for all beings. Regardless of the suffering in the world we must find both the courage and compassion to deal with it. All human beings are of value, LW.
It is these that I lock my door against, and not often enough. Does it keep them all out? Of course not. Do I live in fear? Hardly, lol, i just recently stood up to a pistol-waving neighbor and told him to either shoot me or stfu already. He went back into his house like the punk-assed bitch he is. (live free or die. What a fine motto.)


Well, thank goodness you weren't harmed and neither was he. Perhaps without guns you could have found a way to resolve you conflict. Guns provide a wonderful way to escalate and a seriously false sense of power and security.

No, darlin', as I said before you just keep on dreaming. You remain personally harmless that way. But it's not going to make a damn bit of difference when that heroin addict slides a knife into your neck so as not to leave a witness when he steals your wallet.


Here's the thing. It is indeed possible that this might happen. Statistically its an incredibly remote possibility. You shoot the bastard, as you say, and you will suffer for the rest of your life. I do.

Be well.
Reply #28 Top
Damn, how old are you? You had friends who settled this land, (or stole it from the Indians, depending on your political point of view) or fought in the Revolutionary or Civil Wars?


Way old, well, not Way Old...the thing is, in my humble opinion, once a person has been in combat they have been in all combat. Combat is something of a universal ass-puckering experience.