I hope that all of my fellow veterans have had a safe and excellent Veterans Day this November 11, 2024. I have had some excellent chow and encountered a number of veterans along the way. There is an overwhelming kinship for those who have served and truly love their country. I know that if you’re a veteran you know what I mean. I want to thank all who have made for a glorious day of memories. It’s not just the Marines out there, but every branch of service is filled with those who are forever faithful. Thank each and every one of you from the bottom of this sailor’s heart and soul.
“Silence is only frightening to people who are compulsively verbalizing.” – William S. Burroughs, The Job Interviews With William S. Burroughs
—
In all his phases and evolutions, William S. Burroughs was perhaps more radical than most of the Beat Generation. He ushered in postmodern fiction and post-structural philosophy and play an imminent role in the countercultural movements beginning in the 1950s. Sex, drugs, and conspiracies that the Left were okay with once. Most of this work, like The Naked Lunch, dealt with the marginalized. The rumor has it he was always in a quest for freedom.
Somehow he missed that he was over verbalizing and should have spent more time in the quiet and finding that only God can set a person free through His truth. In the above quote, Burroughs spoke to the discomfort some feel when confronted with silence. I wonder if that included himself. To find peace, a body need to learn how to be still. It’s in this stillness that one finds God. Only in God does one find true peace.
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” – Revelation 3:15 (NIV)
—
The Laodicean church was told that nothing escapes Jesus’s attention. Lukewarm faith has stern consequences. In those days, lukewarm water carried dangerous concerns. Cold water suggests coming from a spring or river, while hot water is clean. Lukewarm water was, at best, suspicious.
The status quo is not sufficient. Churches today that attempt to live in harmony with the evils found in contemporary society are lukewarm, usually worthless, and at times outright dangerous to the Christian faith. Meaningless handshakes while going through the motions of liturgy too often lead to indifference about godly matters. Jesus desires deep involvement with a committed faith. Otherwise, there is just is a lack of real faith and engagement. No neutrality can be allowed to stand when it comes to spiritual matters.
Every one of us Move from death to life We know that it's more than a fuss As we move toward peace from strife
Our values push us toward unity Living in the free land of liberty This is the struggle for me Love is the way forward, as I see
Let's remove blind spots for humanity Seven stars keep us from calamity We must wake up to true repentance God finds us in every circumstance
Those with ears will hear Those with courage will not fear Our community lives in a relationship With the God that we worship
It's a catalytic sort of conversation To see our way forward in revelation The Book is open wide on our table We follow along as best that we are able
Scriptures read to keep us from false teaching While keeping others from overreaching The Holy Spirit guides us to our completion Word-by-word in humbling repetition
Centerstage is the Holy Spirit to lead Guiding us by what we believe in every deed Indwelling and empowering our hearts This is the crux of where it all starts
Living to an audience of one, beyond all dispute It's the value beyond our social reputation We must keep alive beyond that shallow Knowing that false glory is for the hollow
We must know where we are to get where we're going Putting aside false pride and willingly knowing A church in harmony with the world's brokenness Is one we must confront as dead and with outspokenness
This, then, is how we live as the set apart Following God's word and keeping it in our hearts Discernment keeps us focused on godly achievements Impactful in these places needing improvement
Righteous lives are anchored in being dependent We cannot live the proper life by being independent Losing our question of why, we lose our way We need God to live in our very best days
From spiritual death, we roll away the stone Each of us must readily and steadily atone Removing barriers to help and love one another To come to life and remove the bandages of our brothers
To live God's love, remove life's pain Washing away this world's tired stains Into the hands of God, we go As the Holy Spirit continues to flow
Let there be no going through the motions Instead, let us encourage true devotion We must strive to keep our zeal and passion This is the truth that leads to compassion
Responding to the world's evils with love We keep our eyes aligned above As we secure our holy salvation Sincerely and completely in our devotion
(c) November 10, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.” – Friedrich Schiller, Die Braut von Messina (The Bride of Messina), Act IV, sc. vii (1803
—
This line out of that masterpiece is simply to emphasize that one must master the basics of any subject or skill before going onto the more complex. It’s always important, in whatever is being built, to begin with a strong, well-suited foundation. For example in music, I began with notes, which became scales which becomes chords which taken in different modes and used in different genres become songs. I have yet to write a masterpiece. But with a little more application of the fundamentals, maybe one day.
It’s like this in all we do. We learn the basics as a foundation and begin to fly, until we finally soar.
You apply this quote as a mantra of sorts. Remind yourself to gain foundational skills. These make the tough ones so much easier. And when you begin to master those with competence, you have earned your confidence. Excellence in these small things paves the way to bigger dreams and accomplishments. What skill should you be working on? Start… now….
A backstory in humanity's pages Tells of an advanced people of mythic ages We study these times with optimism Believing that humanity survived a great cataclysm
The time considered the dawn of history Is imprecise and filled with mysteries Human pre-history arose from the mud In a time and place before and after the great flood
The Ice Age found a civilization that didn't last But left its footprints in mankind's past There's a jigsaw puzzle of half-strewn evidence But everywhere we look, we see signs having relevance
Gunung Padang emerges from time's ancient mist Hinting at an ancient civilization archeologists missed There atop a mountain that was renown for its light Arose man's enlightenment from the dark of humanity's night
Here it seems a spectacle has been found There are stone slabs strewn across the ground Columnar joints left basaltic terraces that suggest Human hands at work in ways that history forgets
Layers of human traces separated by thousands of years Bring questions to be answered and perhaps a bit of fear True mysteries need to one day be fully explained Not summarily dismissed by experts who have reigned
Re-envisioned as a terrace pyramid inside a jungle This could be nature or an ancient sort of bungle It greatly alters what we thought of the capability Of these builders of ancient times and fantastic ability
To tell the very ancient and human story Ground penetrating radar and other methods revealed the glory Three chambers suggest a need for excavation There is a mystery crying out for further investigation
Testing proved Gunung Padang was built over 20,000 years ago Suggesting a big thing has been missed for us yet to know Perhaps during the last ice age, Sundaland existed And the legacy of this continent has persisted
Hunter gatherers coexisted with this megalithic society Nan Medol on Pompei compares in it similar complexity An Ice Age shifted guess as temperatures plunged low And a rising sea level took it's concealing toll
The Java Sea conceals vast stretches that conceal That one day underwater archeologists may reveal That earth has grown dirty needed to be clean Clods of earth saved mankind as the story means
New evidence deserves to be weighed and we may find That hard proof and conjecture require and open mind No final answer is more final than what we analyze Arguing as we do from what we see with our own eyes
Truths that haunt us through our myths that prevail Perhaps as pieces of puzzle to unravel and reveal That legends, rumors, and stones hint of their story Hidden in the past are tiny parts of mankind's glory
(c) November 9, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair
—
Throughout our lives, overcoming fear is essential meeting and achieving our goals. Fear of rejection and/or failure paralyzes us from taking the right actions needed to move forward in life. This does not mean to recklessly jump into the fire from every proverbial frying pan. It is to say that growth and personal development often exist outside our comfort zones. Career moves, great relationships, even self-discovery all require us to challenge our fears and take control of our lives.
One time to use this quote’s guidance is when you hesitate in making decisions or taking opportunities without determining the validity or hinderance of your fear. Another is when you find yourself stuck in stagnation and needing to break old patterns instead of moving into new opportunities. Lastly, keep this quote in mind during periods of self-doubt, low confidence and the overwhelming feeling that you want to retreat but have no real reason to do so. Success doesn’t come from an absence of fear, but in moving forward despite of fear.
There are times when this quote genuinely is not the best advice to follow. It’s a matter of common sense. Signs of emotional, physical, or mental danger are no time to suppress intuition or red flags. Another time to put aside this advice is when it involves possible damage to or the real anxieties of others. Lastly, please know that there are real mental health challenges that will require professional assistance, not just an optimistic quip. Again, common sense is required on this ride called life.
“Be Americans. Let there be no sectionalism, no North, South, East or West. You are all dependent on one another and should be one in union. In one word, be a nation. Be Americans, and be true to yourselves.” – George Washington, Washington’s Farewell Address, published in the Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser (September 19, 1796)
—
In General Washington’s Farewell Address (first published under The Address of Gen. Washington to the People of America on His Declining the Presidency of the United States), he admonishes our nation to work together in securing the bonds of our nation’s independence, freedoms and liberty. Much like the days we are living in, there was need to remind our fellow citizens that we should not regional or partisan loyalties divide our nation.
There is already talk from the Democratic Party of resistance and much hyperbole about the dangers of Trump’s second term. This is nonsense. Perhaps instead of being led astray, we should read again the words of this Farewell Address. To ease this possibility, the address may be found here: Farewell Address | The American Presidency Project
Voting solely on the lines of party loyalty is the very factionalism that George Washington sought to warn us against in devolving from our nation’s common interests. There is no need for the Democrats to engage in pettiness and revenge yet again. This is only stirred on by so-called leaders who are the very “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled” persons that are warned against in this address. They would take the reins of government, and have shown themselves as willing to destroy our economy and the operations of our government needed by all the nation.
For evidence of this, please consider the lawsuit filed in Florida in which it was found that the Democratic appointed head of FEMA instructed FEMA’s employees to skip home with Trump signs in their post-hurricane relief efforts. This cannot stand. We are one America, regardless of policy differences, and must remain united in acting justly, not with arbitrary, capricious behavior toward one another. Let us act with unity in resisting such malicious partisan actions and, also, in avoiding the influence of foreign powers, always with all of our nation’s best outcomes in mind. Our republic requires eternal vigilance for the good of all its citizens.
They whisper of love To the moon and back But they don't know real love It's something that they lack
As they stand on the roof Watching the sky change They mimic standing aloof Trying to find the normal in the strange
She turned to him as if to say The people have lost their way They need to be reminded without delay Of where their hearts should stay
The shaman sings a spirit song To heal from what feels wrong It might seem that it takes too long But it takes us back to where we belong
It may seem out of fashion But we all need compassion There's a glimmer of hope in song It takes us back to right from being wrong
She turned to him as if to say The people have lost their way They need to be reminded without delay Of where their hearts should stay
Music has a healing power That fills the night at the latest hours We sing each other's spirit songs Knowing this is where we belong
People gather round to understand Lessons learned from first people of this land A wounded world needs it's thunder song We need to make our right from this wrong
She turned to him as if to say The people have lost their way They need to be reminded without delay Of where their hearts should stay
We need something everyone can hear To stand together, loving without fear Music can heal in its tender symphony If we listen with hearts of empathy
Our thunder song takes shape together Harmonized as we find things better Our medicine helps hearts to change One beat at a time, our world can rearrange
She turned to him as if to say The people have lost their way They need to be reminded without delay Of where their hearts should stay
(c) November 8, 2024 Michael Doyle All Rights Reserved
“It’s always wise to seek the truth in our opponents’ error, and the error in our own truth.“– Reinhold Niebuhr, in the Forward of The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness(1944)
—
The man who really did write the Serenity Prayer was a rare person. In a sense seeing spirituality as a matter of duality, he became one to always seek to understand first, and then be understood. Virtues, even American virtues, can be twisted and ill-used. This why, too often our best laid plans have ended in disaster. This is, also, why it’s wise to understand a person’s or a nation’s arguments seeking whatever kernels of truth are present, while simultaneously seeking the error(s) in what we hold true.
Original sin is such an integral part of humanity’s soul that Reinhold Niebuhr felt a need to call to action those who had the political will to withstand the calamities of the 20th Century. Individuals should always choose selflessness over self and justice motived by love, not hate or fear. Whenever our leaders or any among us attempt to cluster into groups, it should be recalled that groups trend toward seeking their own advantages and do not care much about the detriment of others. Dawkins may be correct that human have a selfish gene. This can be guarded against through eternal vigilance and guarding against movements as large as identity politics and wokeness to maintain what our duties toward God and each other is remembered.
A review of Niebuhr’s life shows that the path of seeking truth in error and error in our own truth is a hard path. It is not a straight direction but one with a few twists and turns. Perhaps this is an excellent example of why we should not be so easily tempted to judge others?
Heading out of Australia to escape this Aussie winter. First stop Japan, then UK/Ireland and if work doesn't call me back, onto Chicago. I will make it up as I go along
ALOHA PROMISES FOREVER 