Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! Yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep – while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
-E.A.P-
I decided to rework this blog and concentrate the posts on dreams, dream interpretation, astral projection and paranormal activity. Still a wide range of topics but slightly more focused than the current format. I find these topics to be most interesting and I enjoy writing about them the most. If you are interested in these topics you might want to visit the archive and read Dreams 0001 and Dreams 0002 (if you haven’t already).
Occasionally I will highlight works of poetry and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe and other authors. There are many amazing stories and poems out there that explore dream worlds, sleep disorders and nightmares. I thought it would be appropriate to begin this new format with the complete Edgar Allan Poe poem, A Dream Within A Dream (above), I figure that it shows respect to Poe considering I took the title of his poem for the title of my blog! (plus it’s something for you to read while I write some fresh material). I hope you enjoy it. If you get as much pleasure from reading Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry as I do, you may also want to read Dream Land or The Sleeper. Another work of Poe which I am quite fond of is a short story entitled, Silence – A Fable (originally published in 1938 under the title, Siope – A Fable).
I hope you enjoy this new format. As always, please feel free to comment and please include your own opinions and experiences.
The next post will be along shortly and it will discuss the origin of dreams and dream interpretation.
Thanks for reading…
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Entertain This!
The average cost to make a mid-level Hollywood motion picture is approximately five to ten million dollars. As a society do we really need to spend that kind of money on a crappy movie that nobody would miss if it didn’t exist? Can’t we (as a country) do something better with that 10 million dollars? Of course we can but the developers of that movie are not about to give all their funding to the hungry and homeless, after all, then they couldn’t make their movie, they wouldn't earn any profit and they wouldn’t be able to get any funding to make the movie to begin with, it’s a paradox. Plus, is making a bad movie really hurting anyone? Well, I guess that’s debatable… If the starving, homeless people don’t get food because the money is being used to make a crappy movie, then yes, it is hurting people but I guess that’s a big stretch. Maybe we need to look at this in a different way...
If a Hollywood Producer wants to spend 10 million dollars making a big screen version of Gilligan’s Island, he knows that most people who grew up watching that program will go see the movie and the movie will make money. What if a percentage of the profits from the movie were used to solve some of our countries (or global) problems? Of course this solution would have to apply to all movies, not just crappy ones, and maybe even other forms of entertainment. For example: Let’s just say they make this movie for 10 million dollars and it earns 20 million dollars at the box office. For arguments sake let's say after everyone is paid there is a profit of ten million dollars. Two and a half million dollars of that profit should be allocated to a cause such as world hunger, affordable housing or rehabilitation for the homeless. I’m not saying to hand the money over to some corrupt organization that’s going to disappear with the money before anyone knows what happened. The projects would have to be legitimate and covered by the media to show the public that the organizations are true and that process is genuine. I know a system like I describe here sort of contradicts an American’s right to free enterprise but if we truly want to change things we have to develop a logical way to do it.
I see so many actors, directors, producers, toy companies and even fast food restaurants profiting from movies and entertainment, isn’t there a way that some of this money can be put to a good use? Maybe profits from certain merchandise or even from concession products could go towards charities? Even in sports there are players who are awarded millions of dollars. To me it seems unfair to pay a person millions of dollars simply because they were good at gym class, or they can hit a ball over a fence. Baseball players don’t even have to be able to play the entire game! just as long as they can hit, pitch or catch they have the ability to earn millions of dollars. I don’t mean to say that what they do is easy or that they don’t deserve to earn a living playing ball, but to me the salaries often seem to be way out of the ballpark! We have doctors, surgeons and scientists doing jobs that directly affect the well being of society, who are saving people’s lives on a daily basis and don’t make nearly as much money as some actors and sports figures. The main reason for this imbalance is that doctors and surgeons don’t have the ability to push products and make money for a multitude of third party vultures. Maybe the teams and players that don’t make the cut should have to contribute a quarter of their salaries to charities! That would certainly make them play a little harder!
I realize that it would be unconstitutional to force certain people and companies to hand over their profits to charity but maybe there’s a better way to do it utilizing a system that's already in place. What if people were able to vote on how their tax money is spent? Serious issues could be voted on by the people instead of just a handful of bureaucrats who are easy to manipulate. (Maybe we can even vote on whether or not Hollywood makes that crappy movie)! I'm just joking about that but I’m sure there are countless issues that people would like to see handled in this way, after all it is our country so why shouldn’t we, the people have the right and ability to vote on how serious issues are handled and how our tax money is spent? Billions of dollars are collected every year from taxes, tolls, traffic tickets, fines, etc.. the list is endless. Does anyone really know where any of this money goes? These days almost everyone has a computer, smart phone or at least access to some type of computer. It doesn’t seem like it would be a difficult task to set up a system where people voted directly on important issues through the internet using their Social Security number or something like that. I don’t know, maybe if enough people get fed up with the way the current system works (or doesn’t work), we can eventually develop a better way. I certainly don’t have all the answers but history shows us that sometimes all it takes is a handful of people with a good idea. When the good idea gains popularity, more ideas are developed, supporters come out of the woodwork and progress begins to take motion. When the motion spreads to others it gains even more support and becomes a movement. As the movement gains more strength and momentum it starts turning and becomes a revolution!
Thanks for reading….
If a Hollywood Producer wants to spend 10 million dollars making a big screen version of Gilligan’s Island, he knows that most people who grew up watching that program will go see the movie and the movie will make money. What if a percentage of the profits from the movie were used to solve some of our countries (or global) problems? Of course this solution would have to apply to all movies, not just crappy ones, and maybe even other forms of entertainment. For example: Let’s just say they make this movie for 10 million dollars and it earns 20 million dollars at the box office. For arguments sake let's say after everyone is paid there is a profit of ten million dollars. Two and a half million dollars of that profit should be allocated to a cause such as world hunger, affordable housing or rehabilitation for the homeless. I’m not saying to hand the money over to some corrupt organization that’s going to disappear with the money before anyone knows what happened. The projects would have to be legitimate and covered by the media to show the public that the organizations are true and that process is genuine. I know a system like I describe here sort of contradicts an American’s right to free enterprise but if we truly want to change things we have to develop a logical way to do it.
I see so many actors, directors, producers, toy companies and even fast food restaurants profiting from movies and entertainment, isn’t there a way that some of this money can be put to a good use? Maybe profits from certain merchandise or even from concession products could go towards charities? Even in sports there are players who are awarded millions of dollars. To me it seems unfair to pay a person millions of dollars simply because they were good at gym class, or they can hit a ball over a fence. Baseball players don’t even have to be able to play the entire game! just as long as they can hit, pitch or catch they have the ability to earn millions of dollars. I don’t mean to say that what they do is easy or that they don’t deserve to earn a living playing ball, but to me the salaries often seem to be way out of the ballpark! We have doctors, surgeons and scientists doing jobs that directly affect the well being of society, who are saving people’s lives on a daily basis and don’t make nearly as much money as some actors and sports figures. The main reason for this imbalance is that doctors and surgeons don’t have the ability to push products and make money for a multitude of third party vultures. Maybe the teams and players that don’t make the cut should have to contribute a quarter of their salaries to charities! That would certainly make them play a little harder!
I realize that it would be unconstitutional to force certain people and companies to hand over their profits to charity but maybe there’s a better way to do it utilizing a system that's already in place. What if people were able to vote on how their tax money is spent? Serious issues could be voted on by the people instead of just a handful of bureaucrats who are easy to manipulate. (Maybe we can even vote on whether or not Hollywood makes that crappy movie)! I'm just joking about that but I’m sure there are countless issues that people would like to see handled in this way, after all it is our country so why shouldn’t we, the people have the right and ability to vote on how serious issues are handled and how our tax money is spent? Billions of dollars are collected every year from taxes, tolls, traffic tickets, fines, etc.. the list is endless. Does anyone really know where any of this money goes? These days almost everyone has a computer, smart phone or at least access to some type of computer. It doesn’t seem like it would be a difficult task to set up a system where people voted directly on important issues through the internet using their Social Security number or something like that. I don’t know, maybe if enough people get fed up with the way the current system works (or doesn’t work), we can eventually develop a better way. I certainly don’t have all the answers but history shows us that sometimes all it takes is a handful of people with a good idea. When the good idea gains popularity, more ideas are developed, supporters come out of the woodwork and progress begins to take motion. When the motion spreads to others it gains even more support and becomes a movement. As the movement gains more strength and momentum it starts turning and becomes a revolution!
Thanks for reading….
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Visions of Bedbugs Crawl Through Your Head
It’s December and once again the holiday season is at our throats. Many people will travel and be forced to stay in hotels, motels and country Inn’s. What better time is there to talk about one of my most ludicrous fears, BUGS!
I love nature and I have learned to respect all living creatures BUT if there’s one thing I can’t stand its bugs. I certainly respect a bug’s right to exist and I understand their importance in the grand scheme of things, just as long as they don’t come in my house. Certain bugs are welcome, like ladybugs and lightning bugs (fireflies) but of course those aren’t the ones that come in my house, the ones that do are ants, spiders and those giant Jersey Mosquitoes that will impale you like a shish-kabob. I don’t even mind ants too much, as long as there isn’t a whole army of them and they aren’t great big mutant ants. I always look forward to first frost because that pretty much ends the bug season and I can once again turn my outdoor lights on without having a swarm of insects flying all around my head.
This past Summer I was mountain bike riding between Woodbury and Bethpage and I was amazed at the number of gnats flying around in the woods during the day. I grew up close to the Bethpage State Park and I certainly understand that there are bugs in the woods BUT, I never had to worry about eating a mouthful of gnats while bike riding! It’s absolutely hopeless, you’re eating gnats no matter what you do. Sure, you can keep your mouth shut but they’ll still go right up your nose. I’m no expert but I always thought gnats only come out at night. I don’t know if there’s been an increase in the gnat population or maybe the bug people just don’t spray pesticides as much as they used to? Either way I’m still going to enjoy nature and riding in the park so I’ll just have to eat the bugs!
Gnats aren’t the only bugs on the rise; the most recent concern around New York is the dreaded bedbug invasion, yuck! It sounds absurd but this latest infestation could end up costing the city millions of dollars in lost revenue. Everyone from vacationing families to corporate convention planners are canceling their trips to Manhattan due to this influx of bedbugs. The problem isn’t limited to lower end motels and theaters either; they have been reported everywhere, from the subway to some of the most exclusive places in town. If you are planning to stay in a hotel this holiday season, as disturbing as it sounds it’s a good idea to pull off the sheets and check the seams of the mattress for bedbugs. You can easily find out more details on the subject (and how to perform a proper inspection) if you simply “Google” it. I’m not going to elaborate here because the whole thing makes me ill.
Many bugs also carry bacteria and disease. One of the most well known bug diseases in this region is Lyme disease. This is a debilitating disease that attacks its victim in many ways. It can virtually settle anywhere in the body and reap all kinds of havoc. Lyme disease is transferred to its victim by the tiny Deer Tick. Many conspiracy theorists believe that Lyme disease was created in a laboratory just off Montauk Point, Long Island on a tiny government research facility known as Plum Island. I recently learned (while watching Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory” show) that Nazi Scientist, Dr. Erich Traub was the so called “Godfather of Lyme Disease.” In fact, his specialty was bio-warfare and his research revolved around delivering diseases to the enemy via bugs, more specifically, ticks! Now I don’t hear things on TV and just take them as fact, so I did confirm all this with other sources and the report was accurate. I don’t want my blog to become a hot-spot for conspiracy theories and paranoid hype but I’m already afraid of bugs… the thought of insects being used as a delivery system for diseases is horrifying. Even if they are only being used for scientific experiments there’s always the chance of a containment breech. It may have already happened, who knows?
Another bug that is out of control and seems to completely outnumber people is the wily cockroach. There are billions and billions of these little critters in New York alone. When I used to live in Rego Park, Queens I dealt with the issue first hand. I won’t gross you out with all the disgusting details but in the end I packed my bags, abandoned my apartment (and everything in it) and ran to the hills. I’m not exaggerating; I left my furniture, stereo equipment, clothes… all of it! The building I was living in at the time was in Park City. (The big apartment buildings you can see from the LIE as you pass Junction Blvd). The infestation problem was compounded by the religious beliefs of many of the other tenants. It was against their religion to kill in any way, shape or form. Even calling an exterminator was the same as killing the bugs themselves. I have the utmost respect for religion and completely understand, and even agree with that way of thinking. Even if you do exterminate them, roaches (German Cockroaches specifically) leave tiny egg sacks behind which hatch hundreds of babies and the problem starts all over again. If you aren’t careful you will simply pack them up and move them right into your new home. We all know the ultimate cockroach theory; that the only species to survive a nuclear blast would be the cockroaches. If that’s the case cockroaches might be the next species to evolve on this planet! If there are still any people around, they could end up being the intruders in a cockroach’s apartment, or even a roach motel! Let’s hope that the cockroaches evolve with the same religious beliefs as my former neighbors!
Please forgive me if you feel that this topic is not appropriate for the holiday season. Just remember that this is the time of year the biggest, scariest bugs appear! I’m talking about all the cockroaches that invade your wallet and try to eat up all of your money! These bugs are relentless, but they are also the easiest to avoid.
Thanks for reading…
I love nature and I have learned to respect all living creatures BUT if there’s one thing I can’t stand its bugs. I certainly respect a bug’s right to exist and I understand their importance in the grand scheme of things, just as long as they don’t come in my house. Certain bugs are welcome, like ladybugs and lightning bugs (fireflies) but of course those aren’t the ones that come in my house, the ones that do are ants, spiders and those giant Jersey Mosquitoes that will impale you like a shish-kabob. I don’t even mind ants too much, as long as there isn’t a whole army of them and they aren’t great big mutant ants. I always look forward to first frost because that pretty much ends the bug season and I can once again turn my outdoor lights on without having a swarm of insects flying all around my head.
This past Summer I was mountain bike riding between Woodbury and Bethpage and I was amazed at the number of gnats flying around in the woods during the day. I grew up close to the Bethpage State Park and I certainly understand that there are bugs in the woods BUT, I never had to worry about eating a mouthful of gnats while bike riding! It’s absolutely hopeless, you’re eating gnats no matter what you do. Sure, you can keep your mouth shut but they’ll still go right up your nose. I’m no expert but I always thought gnats only come out at night. I don’t know if there’s been an increase in the gnat population or maybe the bug people just don’t spray pesticides as much as they used to? Either way I’m still going to enjoy nature and riding in the park so I’ll just have to eat the bugs!
Gnats aren’t the only bugs on the rise; the most recent concern around New York is the dreaded bedbug invasion, yuck! It sounds absurd but this latest infestation could end up costing the city millions of dollars in lost revenue. Everyone from vacationing families to corporate convention planners are canceling their trips to Manhattan due to this influx of bedbugs. The problem isn’t limited to lower end motels and theaters either; they have been reported everywhere, from the subway to some of the most exclusive places in town. If you are planning to stay in a hotel this holiday season, as disturbing as it sounds it’s a good idea to pull off the sheets and check the seams of the mattress for bedbugs. You can easily find out more details on the subject (and how to perform a proper inspection) if you simply “Google” it. I’m not going to elaborate here because the whole thing makes me ill.
Many bugs also carry bacteria and disease. One of the most well known bug diseases in this region is Lyme disease. This is a debilitating disease that attacks its victim in many ways. It can virtually settle anywhere in the body and reap all kinds of havoc. Lyme disease is transferred to its victim by the tiny Deer Tick. Many conspiracy theorists believe that Lyme disease was created in a laboratory just off Montauk Point, Long Island on a tiny government research facility known as Plum Island. I recently learned (while watching Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory” show) that Nazi Scientist, Dr. Erich Traub was the so called “Godfather of Lyme Disease.” In fact, his specialty was bio-warfare and his research revolved around delivering diseases to the enemy via bugs, more specifically, ticks! Now I don’t hear things on TV and just take them as fact, so I did confirm all this with other sources and the report was accurate. I don’t want my blog to become a hot-spot for conspiracy theories and paranoid hype but I’m already afraid of bugs… the thought of insects being used as a delivery system for diseases is horrifying. Even if they are only being used for scientific experiments there’s always the chance of a containment breech. It may have already happened, who knows?
Another bug that is out of control and seems to completely outnumber people is the wily cockroach. There are billions and billions of these little critters in New York alone. When I used to live in Rego Park, Queens I dealt with the issue first hand. I won’t gross you out with all the disgusting details but in the end I packed my bags, abandoned my apartment (and everything in it) and ran to the hills. I’m not exaggerating; I left my furniture, stereo equipment, clothes… all of it! The building I was living in at the time was in Park City. (The big apartment buildings you can see from the LIE as you pass Junction Blvd). The infestation problem was compounded by the religious beliefs of many of the other tenants. It was against their religion to kill in any way, shape or form. Even calling an exterminator was the same as killing the bugs themselves. I have the utmost respect for religion and completely understand, and even agree with that way of thinking. Even if you do exterminate them, roaches (German Cockroaches specifically) leave tiny egg sacks behind which hatch hundreds of babies and the problem starts all over again. If you aren’t careful you will simply pack them up and move them right into your new home. We all know the ultimate cockroach theory; that the only species to survive a nuclear blast would be the cockroaches. If that’s the case cockroaches might be the next species to evolve on this planet! If there are still any people around, they could end up being the intruders in a cockroach’s apartment, or even a roach motel! Let’s hope that the cockroaches evolve with the same religious beliefs as my former neighbors!
Please forgive me if you feel that this topic is not appropriate for the holiday season. Just remember that this is the time of year the biggest, scariest bugs appear! I’m talking about all the cockroaches that invade your wallet and try to eat up all of your money! These bugs are relentless, but they are also the easiest to avoid.
Thanks for reading…
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Dreams 0002
By a route obscure and lonely, Haunted by ill angels only
Where an Eidolon, named night, On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly, From an ultimate dim thule
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space – Out of time.
-E.A. Poe -
I thought it would be appropriate to begin my second dream post with a segment from another work of Edgar Allen Poe, this one entitled, “Dream Land.” I feel Edgar Allen Poe really captured the essence of the dream world in his poetry.
The other night I had a dream that really moved me. Technically I would call it a nightmare but I rarely have scary nightmares. In the unusual instance that I do, the fear usually gives me a certain level of consciousness (within the nightmare) and I’ll move it in another direction. The dream I had the other night was a recurring dream. I find that nightmares and recurring dreams are the easiest dreams to “wake up” in. Recurring dreams especially because there’s a point in the dream when you realize that you've been there before (sort of like a Déjà vu). This is the point where you can “wake up” and become consciously aware that you are still inside of a dream and possibly seize control of your surroundings.
This particular dream started in an unknown house with a couple of friends, I didn’t recognize them but I felt like they were friends. The general atmosphere was very pleasant, as if I was anticipating a party or some sort of good time. It didn’t take long before things started to get weird. I felt that my new friends were setting me up or planning to harm me in some way. Eventually my “friends” went away and were replaced by several older, deformed looking, hillbilly mountain men who were not friendly at all, they chased me around the house and I was forced to defend myself from their attacks. The problem was that every time I defeated one of them, he was replaced by two more! I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to get out of there. When I ran out of the house and down to the street I was suddenly confronted by a large bulldozer, it blocked my way by pushing a bunch of debris and cinder blocks across my path and then took position behind the debris pile. I quickly turned around and tried running the other way but there was now a great big semi truck (like an 18 wheeler) pulling up and blocking the street on that side. I looked to my side and realized at that very moment steep gravel embankments appeared on either side of me. I was boxed in and knew that it would be impossible to get out. I noticed that there were some construction workers on the other side of the bulldozer so I tried to yell out to them, to let them know that I was trapped in there. My attempts to get their attention were unsuccessful, I think they were in cahoots with the deranged mountain men and were just ignoring me. I attempted to walk up the steep embankment but I couldn’t escape that way either because all of a sudden I was on crutches. This is the moment that I realized I was dreaming.
In reality I recently broke my ankle and I’ve been walking with crutches for the past couple of months. I don’t think my crutches were with me throughout the dream, only when I tried to climb up the embankment. Realizing that the dream was constantly changing, to keep me trapped, is what made me aware that I was dreaming. It’s common to wake up (for real) when something like this happens. Learning not to wake up is very difficult and typically only comes with practice and experience. Once that part of the dream passed the crutches were gone, fortunately I didn’t wake up and the dream started over. I felt like I just got off a roller coaster and ran around to the back of the line to ride it again.
I went through the same scenario a second time except this time when I left the house, instead of running out the door I tried jumping out the bathroom window. I remember thinking that if I went out a window I could run to a different street and avoid getting boxed in by the bulldozer. I jumped out the window and found myself in a junkyard type of place. While I was trying to find a way out of this massive collection of junk, I remember looking closely at some of the items in the lot. There were antique stoves, refrigerators, all kinds of strange things. It was like a gigantic labyrinth made up of antique appliances and furniture. I enjoyed climbing through all this stuff but the bottom line was, I was trapped again and couldn’t get out.
When you think you are trapped in a dream it’s instinctual to wake up (for real) because of the fear and panic that envelops you. Sometimes you might even remember making the conscious decision to wake up knowing that it’s a way of escaping. Learning not to be afraid is the key to staying in the dream and possibly achieving consciousness inside of the dream.
Once again I managed to stay asleep and the dream started over. Each time the dream started over I was able to keep the enjoyable part going longer than before. This time I also started to remember how the dream played out in the past. I worked my way outside yet again, this time everyone who was out there, which mostly seemed to be construction and utility workers, stopped what they were doing and came after me. I thought it was funny how they all just dropped whatever they were doing and came towards me, like some sort of zombie movie. This part of the dream played out exactly like it had at some other time (not during this sleep session). For some reason I knew that all of these deformed people who were trying to attack me, had only a limited time to do it (why I don’t know?). I fought them off one by one, I remember running around smashing their heads with some sort of bat. To balance out the equation someone else had also joined the battle to help me escape, it may have been Matt but I’m not 100% sure. I noticed a couple of the deranged freaks talking to each other and saying that their time was running out, they had to get back but to where I don’t know. I knew that I had succeeded; I found my way out and knew that it was over. The last thing I remember thinking about was whether I wanted to wake up or not and the next second I was truly awake. I was lying in bed and I remembered everything, as if I just came back from a vacation or something like that. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t stay in and do some exploring but at that point I had no choice, the moment I thought about waking up I was instantly awake.
As I lay in bed awake I was looking around the room to make sure I was truly out. The dream was so vivid that it took a few minutes to make the transition back to waking life.
I knew I needed to write this stuff down quickly but I didn’t have my book, or even just a paper and pen handy. The only thing close to me was my lap-top so I grabbed it and started typing away. There were a few problems that impeded my progress; I type slowly, the TV was still on and whatever show that was on was distracting me. My thoughts started clouding and the dream memories started slipping away. I did manage to retain the main parts of the dream but I had originally remembered many more details. Lately my dreams have been repressed and difficult to remember so this dream was very refreshing. Even though I became conscious inside the dream, this experience still only skims the surface of possibilities. Sometimes it’s possible to wake up in a dream and have much greater control of your actions and surroundings. You might just change the dream into a totally different dream, or even take the next step into Astral Projection. You might find yourself awake inside of a dream analyzing all of the things that make up your dream world. It’s fun to stop and look at these things, even if it’s just a can of soda or a piece of furniture, in your dream world it will have a very unique look. As you look around at the building blocks of your dream world, you might take it a step further by taking your consciousness out of the dream world and into reality, while still remaining in your dream vehicle (for lack of a better word).
Many people have had an experience where they wake up and realize that they are floating above their beds, looking down at their sleeping bodies. (A person may experience this while their body is undergoing some type of unpleasant trauma, such as an operation, an injury or even an attack). It may come in the form of a fall, often as we literally fall into sleep, or you might find yourself floating up towards the ceiling. (Sometimes your mind translates this into a falling sensation). 99% of the time we immediately wake up (for real) from the fear of falling, or the fear of landing! but if you can ride it out and not wake up, you may find yourself outside of your body. Even when this happens the fear is overwhelming, you literally feel that you are dead and your instinct is to jump back into your body. With practice you can conquer these fears and truly have some amazing experiences. There is a cord that attaches your consciousness to your body and as long as that cord is there, you will always be able to get back to your body, usually just by thinking of it. I will elaborate more on Astral Projection in future posts but if you find this topic interesting, I encourage you to go to the library (or bookstore) and take out several books on the subject. There are important things that a person should learn before practicing Astral Projection. The important thing is not to be afraid, all of these things are normal, human functions that simply require a bit of practice and patience to understand.
The main theme to all of these topics is conquering fear, which is not easy in a country run by fear mongers. It’s also important to be as sober as possible. Some people do find success in using certain substances to enhance their dreams or to loosen up their consciousness but as discussed in my first dream post (“Dreams 0001”) many substances will suppress your dreams and hinder your success. Years ago I used to smoke “Wild Lettuce” to enhance my dreams and it worked great. This stuff had no effect in reality but it would make my dreams much more vivid. The next morning I would also have no problem remembering most of my dreams. For some reason Wild Lettuce was outlawed and is now very difficult to find (I guess the government doesn’t like things that promote self discovery).
Thanks for reading…
Where an Eidolon, named night, On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly, From an ultimate dim thule
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space – Out of time.
-E.A. Poe -
I thought it would be appropriate to begin my second dream post with a segment from another work of Edgar Allen Poe, this one entitled, “Dream Land.” I feel Edgar Allen Poe really captured the essence of the dream world in his poetry.
The other night I had a dream that really moved me. Technically I would call it a nightmare but I rarely have scary nightmares. In the unusual instance that I do, the fear usually gives me a certain level of consciousness (within the nightmare) and I’ll move it in another direction. The dream I had the other night was a recurring dream. I find that nightmares and recurring dreams are the easiest dreams to “wake up” in. Recurring dreams especially because there’s a point in the dream when you realize that you've been there before (sort of like a Déjà vu). This is the point where you can “wake up” and become consciously aware that you are still inside of a dream and possibly seize control of your surroundings.
This particular dream started in an unknown house with a couple of friends, I didn’t recognize them but I felt like they were friends. The general atmosphere was very pleasant, as if I was anticipating a party or some sort of good time. It didn’t take long before things started to get weird. I felt that my new friends were setting me up or planning to harm me in some way. Eventually my “friends” went away and were replaced by several older, deformed looking, hillbilly mountain men who were not friendly at all, they chased me around the house and I was forced to defend myself from their attacks. The problem was that every time I defeated one of them, he was replaced by two more! I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to get out of there. When I ran out of the house and down to the street I was suddenly confronted by a large bulldozer, it blocked my way by pushing a bunch of debris and cinder blocks across my path and then took position behind the debris pile. I quickly turned around and tried running the other way but there was now a great big semi truck (like an 18 wheeler) pulling up and blocking the street on that side. I looked to my side and realized at that very moment steep gravel embankments appeared on either side of me. I was boxed in and knew that it would be impossible to get out. I noticed that there were some construction workers on the other side of the bulldozer so I tried to yell out to them, to let them know that I was trapped in there. My attempts to get their attention were unsuccessful, I think they were in cahoots with the deranged mountain men and were just ignoring me. I attempted to walk up the steep embankment but I couldn’t escape that way either because all of a sudden I was on crutches. This is the moment that I realized I was dreaming.
In reality I recently broke my ankle and I’ve been walking with crutches for the past couple of months. I don’t think my crutches were with me throughout the dream, only when I tried to climb up the embankment. Realizing that the dream was constantly changing, to keep me trapped, is what made me aware that I was dreaming. It’s common to wake up (for real) when something like this happens. Learning not to wake up is very difficult and typically only comes with practice and experience. Once that part of the dream passed the crutches were gone, fortunately I didn’t wake up and the dream started over. I felt like I just got off a roller coaster and ran around to the back of the line to ride it again.
I went through the same scenario a second time except this time when I left the house, instead of running out the door I tried jumping out the bathroom window. I remember thinking that if I went out a window I could run to a different street and avoid getting boxed in by the bulldozer. I jumped out the window and found myself in a junkyard type of place. While I was trying to find a way out of this massive collection of junk, I remember looking closely at some of the items in the lot. There were antique stoves, refrigerators, all kinds of strange things. It was like a gigantic labyrinth made up of antique appliances and furniture. I enjoyed climbing through all this stuff but the bottom line was, I was trapped again and couldn’t get out.
When you think you are trapped in a dream it’s instinctual to wake up (for real) because of the fear and panic that envelops you. Sometimes you might even remember making the conscious decision to wake up knowing that it’s a way of escaping. Learning not to be afraid is the key to staying in the dream and possibly achieving consciousness inside of the dream.
Once again I managed to stay asleep and the dream started over. Each time the dream started over I was able to keep the enjoyable part going longer than before. This time I also started to remember how the dream played out in the past. I worked my way outside yet again, this time everyone who was out there, which mostly seemed to be construction and utility workers, stopped what they were doing and came after me. I thought it was funny how they all just dropped whatever they were doing and came towards me, like some sort of zombie movie. This part of the dream played out exactly like it had at some other time (not during this sleep session). For some reason I knew that all of these deformed people who were trying to attack me, had only a limited time to do it (why I don’t know?). I fought them off one by one, I remember running around smashing their heads with some sort of bat. To balance out the equation someone else had also joined the battle to help me escape, it may have been Matt but I’m not 100% sure. I noticed a couple of the deranged freaks talking to each other and saying that their time was running out, they had to get back but to where I don’t know. I knew that I had succeeded; I found my way out and knew that it was over. The last thing I remember thinking about was whether I wanted to wake up or not and the next second I was truly awake. I was lying in bed and I remembered everything, as if I just came back from a vacation or something like that. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t stay in and do some exploring but at that point I had no choice, the moment I thought about waking up I was instantly awake.
As I lay in bed awake I was looking around the room to make sure I was truly out. The dream was so vivid that it took a few minutes to make the transition back to waking life.
I knew I needed to write this stuff down quickly but I didn’t have my book, or even just a paper and pen handy. The only thing close to me was my lap-top so I grabbed it and started typing away. There were a few problems that impeded my progress; I type slowly, the TV was still on and whatever show that was on was distracting me. My thoughts started clouding and the dream memories started slipping away. I did manage to retain the main parts of the dream but I had originally remembered many more details. Lately my dreams have been repressed and difficult to remember so this dream was very refreshing. Even though I became conscious inside the dream, this experience still only skims the surface of possibilities. Sometimes it’s possible to wake up in a dream and have much greater control of your actions and surroundings. You might just change the dream into a totally different dream, or even take the next step into Astral Projection. You might find yourself awake inside of a dream analyzing all of the things that make up your dream world. It’s fun to stop and look at these things, even if it’s just a can of soda or a piece of furniture, in your dream world it will have a very unique look. As you look around at the building blocks of your dream world, you might take it a step further by taking your consciousness out of the dream world and into reality, while still remaining in your dream vehicle (for lack of a better word).
Many people have had an experience where they wake up and realize that they are floating above their beds, looking down at their sleeping bodies. (A person may experience this while their body is undergoing some type of unpleasant trauma, such as an operation, an injury or even an attack). It may come in the form of a fall, often as we literally fall into sleep, or you might find yourself floating up towards the ceiling. (Sometimes your mind translates this into a falling sensation). 99% of the time we immediately wake up (for real) from the fear of falling, or the fear of landing! but if you can ride it out and not wake up, you may find yourself outside of your body. Even when this happens the fear is overwhelming, you literally feel that you are dead and your instinct is to jump back into your body. With practice you can conquer these fears and truly have some amazing experiences. There is a cord that attaches your consciousness to your body and as long as that cord is there, you will always be able to get back to your body, usually just by thinking of it. I will elaborate more on Astral Projection in future posts but if you find this topic interesting, I encourage you to go to the library (or bookstore) and take out several books on the subject. There are important things that a person should learn before practicing Astral Projection. The important thing is not to be afraid, all of these things are normal, human functions that simply require a bit of practice and patience to understand.
The main theme to all of these topics is conquering fear, which is not easy in a country run by fear mongers. It’s also important to be as sober as possible. Some people do find success in using certain substances to enhance their dreams or to loosen up their consciousness but as discussed in my first dream post (“Dreams 0001”) many substances will suppress your dreams and hinder your success. Years ago I used to smoke “Wild Lettuce” to enhance my dreams and it worked great. This stuff had no effect in reality but it would make my dreams much more vivid. The next morning I would also have no problem remembering most of my dreams. For some reason Wild Lettuce was outlawed and is now very difficult to find (I guess the government doesn’t like things that promote self discovery).
Thanks for reading…
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Whatchya' Watchin?
That’s a tough question to answer these days. There are so many choices, who knows what to watch anymore? Many of us just skip around the channels watching fragments of shows. Thank the Lord for DVR’s, TIVO and hard drives. This way we can be sure to catch every single episode of whatever piece of crap program we happen to be following. Trust me, I don’t care what program it is or how much you like it, it’s a piece of crap. Why am I being so hostile to television? Because television is no different than any other addiction, it robs you of your ambition, creativity and personality.
I admit that I watch TV way too often. I tune in for many of the ridiculous shows and classic reruns like Seinfeld or Home Improvement, you name it. I will even reluctantly admit to being a Trekker but, although it’s crap, I do believe that Star Trek has a positive message. How many new shows have a positive message? I had trouble finding any, that weren’t made for little children, and even then they were just lame...
“Lost” was a great show, right? They kept us hooked for 6 seasons not knowing what the hell was going on. I guess the finale was positive, I really don’t know… Did they die and go to Heaven? Are they all still lost in purgatory somewhere? Who knows? Who cares anymore? Personally I wanted to see “Smokey” toss them all right into the ocean! How about “The Sopranos,” there’s another great depiction of the American dream! Let’s look at something more current, like “Dexter.” Now there’s a positive message, vigilantism! Don’t get me wrong, I love Dexter. I actually believe there is a positive message in there somewhere. In essence, that our legal system is corrupt and citizens should take the law into their own hands. I like it! Lord knows there is no justice in our legal system, it’s simply a negotiation tool for criminals. I’m not saying that I support the death penalty because I don’t, BUT if the government can’t keep murderers off the street, give the job to whoever can.
(WARNING! - TANGENT AHEAD).
Our government claims that they create lots of laws for our own safety, such as seat belt laws and helmet laws for children, but is anyone any safer with “big mother” watching? Statistics may show that these laws save lives (you can find statistics to back up just about anything) but should the government really be telling us that we MUST wear our seatbelt or else be fined? To me it seems like a convenient way to pull people over to check them out and give them a ticket. The helmet laws might save one kid from cracking his head open but many other kids are getting hurt in other ways because they never learn from their mistakes. It gives some kids a false sense of security because with that little piece of plastic on their head, they’re going to build a ramp and try to jump over some obstacle with no sense of the actual danger. If the kid had fallen off his bike when he was younger and banged his head on the ground, he would know better. Sure, nobody can say that helmets aren’t a smart precaution, I just question whether or not it should be a law? Now back to bashing television…
Have you noticed lately that programs are taking things to greater and greater extremes? Mostly I’m talking about those fake reality shows but it’s evident in most forms of programming from bullshit news shows to cooking challenges. I certainly don’t stand against freedom of speech but where does it all end? Have you noticed the food channels lately? The ingredients are getting weirder, the cakes are getting bigger and bigger and the food challenges are becoming more “cut-throat” than ever. They have shows that show people eating hamburgers the size of manhole covers and pizza’s the size of the kitchen table! The newest show, which premiered in November, highlights slobs eating the biggest hamburgers and sandwiches anyone has ever seen! The producers certainly aren’t going to go backwards and show people eating tiny little sandwiches, who wants to see that? Maybe they’ll develop a program where little people have to eat the giant burgers! They can call it “Little People, Big Burgers!” that should boost the ratings for another few months! P.T. Barnum would have loved to be alive in this era. American television has become a circus side show! I just wish someone in Hollywood would have an original thought or idea once in a while. They constantly revamp the same old ideas, or even just re-create old shows and movies like, “The Karate Kid” or “Land of the Lost.” The remakes are never even as good as the originals! How many hungry and homeless people could be fed with the money it costs to make one of these piece of crap movies? Couldn’t we live without a remake of “Gilligan’s Island,” (trust me, it’s coming) especially if the money could be used to feed the poor and homeless? There are at least 10 movies that came out this year alone that nobody would miss for one minute. And now every movie seems to be made in 3D, so that everyone runs out and buys the DVD’s that they can watch on their new 3D televisions. (Personally, I would hold off on the 3D television because once they sell a shitload of them, they will introduce the new and improved model that doesn’t require the viewers to wear stupid glasses in their own home just to enjoy the thing.
I know my words are a bit harsh but all I’m really saying is to think twice before you spend your hard earned money. How many people went out and bought all their favorite movies on VHS tape? Just so they would have the ultimate video collection. Where are those VHS tapes now? In a box in the attic, or basement, right? I don’t have the heart to say anything about the poor suckers who bought them on Beta (oops!). Now we all re-buy the same crap movies on DVD when it’s obvious that they will all be replaced with downloads very soon. Many clever people are already downloading them right now, and for free! If you have the ability to do that, go ahead, while you still can! We live in a unique time; the technology is moving so fast that industry can’t keep up with it. It won’t take long for the powers that be to figure out a way to prevent people from downloading video and music completely. My guess is that they will slowly phase out desktop computers (and all of the accessories) and they will be replaced by your cell phone. Your cell phone will then connect to your home entertainment system similar to an I-Pod. Of course there’s a lot more to it, I’m merely speculating but trust me, it’s coming. Obviously the technology is already here, it’s just a matter of time before it evolves and industry finally grabs control of it.
One thing I must say is that when it comes to music and artistic expression, I support the artist’s right to protect their work. The difference is that when an artist (not mainstream Hollywood) makes a song or indie film, many of them want their message to get out to the public. Sure, it’s nice if they can get paid every time someone looks at, or listens to their work, but it’s not always the artist’s main goal to get rich off of it. It’s usually all the leaches that want to get rich off of the artist! Recently the semi-popular jam band, Phish, started making a free copy of a live show available to anyone who went to the concert. Sure, most Phish heads know how to find a free copy of it on-line anyway, even if they didn’t buy a ticket to the show, but it’s nice that people have the opportunity to get a great sounding, professionally recorded copy of the show that they went to. Industry tries to control mainstream products so tightly that it becomes a crime for you to obtain it in any other way than paying top dollar to own it. I know not everyone will agree with me but I feel that there are enough people willing to pay top dollar to have the premium quality, nice packaging and liner notes, that come with a store bought item, so if someone wants to download an inferior version of it, so be it. Who is it really hurting?
Thanks for reading…
1. The phrase "Big Mother" was taken from the recent Roger Waters, The Wall concerts. He did a parody on the phrase "Big Brother" during the projections.
2. The info regarding the free Phish downloads for concert goers was taken from "PHISHBILL" 10/31/10.
I admit that I watch TV way too often. I tune in for many of the ridiculous shows and classic reruns like Seinfeld or Home Improvement, you name it. I will even reluctantly admit to being a Trekker but, although it’s crap, I do believe that Star Trek has a positive message. How many new shows have a positive message? I had trouble finding any, that weren’t made for little children, and even then they were just lame...
“Lost” was a great show, right? They kept us hooked for 6 seasons not knowing what the hell was going on. I guess the finale was positive, I really don’t know… Did they die and go to Heaven? Are they all still lost in purgatory somewhere? Who knows? Who cares anymore? Personally I wanted to see “Smokey” toss them all right into the ocean! How about “The Sopranos,” there’s another great depiction of the American dream! Let’s look at something more current, like “Dexter.” Now there’s a positive message, vigilantism! Don’t get me wrong, I love Dexter. I actually believe there is a positive message in there somewhere. In essence, that our legal system is corrupt and citizens should take the law into their own hands. I like it! Lord knows there is no justice in our legal system, it’s simply a negotiation tool for criminals. I’m not saying that I support the death penalty because I don’t, BUT if the government can’t keep murderers off the street, give the job to whoever can.
(WARNING! - TANGENT AHEAD).
Our government claims that they create lots of laws for our own safety, such as seat belt laws and helmet laws for children, but is anyone any safer with “big mother” watching? Statistics may show that these laws save lives (you can find statistics to back up just about anything) but should the government really be telling us that we MUST wear our seatbelt or else be fined? To me it seems like a convenient way to pull people over to check them out and give them a ticket. The helmet laws might save one kid from cracking his head open but many other kids are getting hurt in other ways because they never learn from their mistakes. It gives some kids a false sense of security because with that little piece of plastic on their head, they’re going to build a ramp and try to jump over some obstacle with no sense of the actual danger. If the kid had fallen off his bike when he was younger and banged his head on the ground, he would know better. Sure, nobody can say that helmets aren’t a smart precaution, I just question whether or not it should be a law? Now back to bashing television…
Have you noticed lately that programs are taking things to greater and greater extremes? Mostly I’m talking about those fake reality shows but it’s evident in most forms of programming from bullshit news shows to cooking challenges. I certainly don’t stand against freedom of speech but where does it all end? Have you noticed the food channels lately? The ingredients are getting weirder, the cakes are getting bigger and bigger and the food challenges are becoming more “cut-throat” than ever. They have shows that show people eating hamburgers the size of manhole covers and pizza’s the size of the kitchen table! The newest show, which premiered in November, highlights slobs eating the biggest hamburgers and sandwiches anyone has ever seen! The producers certainly aren’t going to go backwards and show people eating tiny little sandwiches, who wants to see that? Maybe they’ll develop a program where little people have to eat the giant burgers! They can call it “Little People, Big Burgers!” that should boost the ratings for another few months! P.T. Barnum would have loved to be alive in this era. American television has become a circus side show! I just wish someone in Hollywood would have an original thought or idea once in a while. They constantly revamp the same old ideas, or even just re-create old shows and movies like, “The Karate Kid” or “Land of the Lost.” The remakes are never even as good as the originals! How many hungry and homeless people could be fed with the money it costs to make one of these piece of crap movies? Couldn’t we live without a remake of “Gilligan’s Island,” (trust me, it’s coming) especially if the money could be used to feed the poor and homeless? There are at least 10 movies that came out this year alone that nobody would miss for one minute. And now every movie seems to be made in 3D, so that everyone runs out and buys the DVD’s that they can watch on their new 3D televisions. (Personally, I would hold off on the 3D television because once they sell a shitload of them, they will introduce the new and improved model that doesn’t require the viewers to wear stupid glasses in their own home just to enjoy the thing.
I know my words are a bit harsh but all I’m really saying is to think twice before you spend your hard earned money. How many people went out and bought all their favorite movies on VHS tape? Just so they would have the ultimate video collection. Where are those VHS tapes now? In a box in the attic, or basement, right? I don’t have the heart to say anything about the poor suckers who bought them on Beta (oops!). Now we all re-buy the same crap movies on DVD when it’s obvious that they will all be replaced with downloads very soon. Many clever people are already downloading them right now, and for free! If you have the ability to do that, go ahead, while you still can! We live in a unique time; the technology is moving so fast that industry can’t keep up with it. It won’t take long for the powers that be to figure out a way to prevent people from downloading video and music completely. My guess is that they will slowly phase out desktop computers (and all of the accessories) and they will be replaced by your cell phone. Your cell phone will then connect to your home entertainment system similar to an I-Pod. Of course there’s a lot more to it, I’m merely speculating but trust me, it’s coming. Obviously the technology is already here, it’s just a matter of time before it evolves and industry finally grabs control of it.
One thing I must say is that when it comes to music and artistic expression, I support the artist’s right to protect their work. The difference is that when an artist (not mainstream Hollywood) makes a song or indie film, many of them want their message to get out to the public. Sure, it’s nice if they can get paid every time someone looks at, or listens to their work, but it’s not always the artist’s main goal to get rich off of it. It’s usually all the leaches that want to get rich off of the artist! Recently the semi-popular jam band, Phish, started making a free copy of a live show available to anyone who went to the concert. Sure, most Phish heads know how to find a free copy of it on-line anyway, even if they didn’t buy a ticket to the show, but it’s nice that people have the opportunity to get a great sounding, professionally recorded copy of the show that they went to. Industry tries to control mainstream products so tightly that it becomes a crime for you to obtain it in any other way than paying top dollar to own it. I know not everyone will agree with me but I feel that there are enough people willing to pay top dollar to have the premium quality, nice packaging and liner notes, that come with a store bought item, so if someone wants to download an inferior version of it, so be it. Who is it really hurting?
Thanks for reading…
1. The phrase "Big Mother" was taken from the recent Roger Waters, The Wall concerts. He did a parody on the phrase "Big Brother" during the projections.
2. The info regarding the free Phish downloads for concert goers was taken from "PHISHBILL" 10/31/10.
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Thrill of it All
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have grown up in a loving family on Long Island. I have a Sister and two wonderful Parents. I had a normal childhood and there was nothing traumatizing that affected me in a negative way. Any choices I made were my decisions and were not because of some deep, underlying issue.
When I turned 15 I was having the time of my life smoking pot, drinking beers and hanging out with my friends every night, what more could a kid want? Eventually cutting classes and poor grades caught up with me and I had no choice but to drop out of High School. Back then my priorities were not what they should have been and I didn’t understand the value of education, plus with all the crazy things I was experiencing in school, I really wasn’t learning anything anyway. Eventually I did go back and earn a High School Diploma but this is all part of a different story. I just wanted to point out that a kid doesn’t have to have some past trauma or a horrible home life to start experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Often it’s merely because of peer-pressure and curiosity.
What was exciting for me back then was the thrill of getting away with something that I shouldn’t be doing; whether it was cutting class, ditching school or driving around town in someone’s car, (long before I actually had a driver’s license) I had fun doing things that I was told I wasn’t old enough to do. Smoking pot and drinking were the ultimate thrills because not only were they things that I shouldn’t be doing, they were illegal! I considered it a challenge, and an accomplishment not to get caught. In retrospect I realize that I really didn’t get away with too much of anything. Somehow my parents always found out whenever I tried to do something wrong. Sometimes they would catch me the first time I would do it (whatever it was). Other times they knew before I even attempted to do the thing! I guess you can call it a parent’s intuition.
The law says that a person under the age of 21 cannot drink alcohol. Not only is it illegal for an adult to serve alcohol to a minor, it’s illegal for the minor to drink it at all! How can a civilized, advanced country like America say that an 18 year old, who can vote for public officials, fight in wars to protect our country (or push the agenda of bureaucrats) and even join the police force to help uphold our laws, is not allowed to drink alcohol (FOR THREE MORE YEARS!)? Does that make sense? I certainly understand the logic of these laws but do laws like this actually “protect” anyone, or do they just create an exciting challange?
The restrictions American Law puts on drugs and alcohol seem somewhat ridiculous to me. Did America learn anything from prohibition? During prohibition organized crime took over the flow of alcohol in this country and people were going blind and dying from the low-grade alcohol that was flooding the speak-easy’s. Criminal organizations were prospering because this multi-million dollar industry was handed to them on a silver platter. If you take away something that people enjoy, they are going to find another way to get it. Plus, restricting the act obviously creates an underground market for criminals to provide these things to satisfy public demand. The day after prohibition was abolished, the criminals who were supplying the public with alcohol (such as the illustrious Kennedy family) were instantly out of business. If they legalized drugs in America the same thing would happen. The cheap, dangerous street drugs such as crack, crystal meth and crank, which are often made with fillers and even toxic chemicals, would cease to exist. All the crime which stems from the illegal drug market would decrease exponentially. Control would be back in the government’s hands and the gangs and criminals would instantly be out of business. (Of course the government would probably put age restrictions on the drugs anyway so punks and gangs would still be able to supply the drugs to schools). The answer is education, not restriction.
Many kids in this country start experimenting with alcohol at an early age. When they finally do turn 21 they go out and celebrate at the bar with their friends simply because they are finally allowed to, it’s practically a rite of passage. If alcohol wasn’t restricted to begin with, would that 21 year old be just starting his (or her) party life at that age? In many other countries, where there is no age restriction on alcohol, people are more concerned with their future at the age of 21. They already had their experience with alcohol and are over it by then, or simply have no interest in it because it’s been there all along. Of course there are plenty of twenty-something’s going out drinking in those countries but I feel that many of them have a more responsible attitude about it. Since the drinking age in New York was changed to 21, many people consider younger persons “minors.” Many children these days don’t leave their parents homes until well after their 21st birthday. There seems to be a conflict here. On one hand the laws are conveying the message that people come of age at the age of 18, and on the other hand they say that you aren’t really an adult until you turn 21. When a young person is told that they are not mature, they often find ways of proving that they are mature by doing things that they are not old enough to do. I suppose it makes them feel more grown up and in control of their own lives.
I'm sorry if this post is a little confusing and if I strayed from the topic of addiction. The underlying message here is that many people get a thrill from getting away with something that they shouldn’t be doing. Many drug addicts start out as children just trying to feel more grown up. What scares me is that today’s teenagers don't want to do what their parents did, they want their own secret thing. If their parents smoked pot when they were young, there's no big thrill for them to do it too. Currently the big taboo’s are heroin, meth, cheese, the list goes on and on. The problem is that these drugs are hardcore and almost always lead to serious drug abuse and addiction. If the government was truly concerned about the safety and well being of its citizens, they would stop funding this ridiculous, artificial “war on drugs” and take control of the situation. The only reason I can think of for the government not taking control of the drug market is that there must be more profit and/or benefits in keeping them illegal. Plus the programs that are getting this funding (wherever they are?) want to keep getting it so it's not in their best interest to rid the world of drugs. It really makes me wonder who is at the top of the food chain of the drug world.
Remember, a population addicted to drugs is easy to control. People aren’t concerned with political or social issues when they are anxious to get home and kick back in front of the TV with their favorite drug, beer, wine, illicit pills, pharmaceuticals… you get the idea.
This is my last post about drugs and addiction for a little while but please feel free to comment on this, or any other post at any time.
Thanks for reading.
When I turned 15 I was having the time of my life smoking pot, drinking beers and hanging out with my friends every night, what more could a kid want? Eventually cutting classes and poor grades caught up with me and I had no choice but to drop out of High School. Back then my priorities were not what they should have been and I didn’t understand the value of education, plus with all the crazy things I was experiencing in school, I really wasn’t learning anything anyway. Eventually I did go back and earn a High School Diploma but this is all part of a different story. I just wanted to point out that a kid doesn’t have to have some past trauma or a horrible home life to start experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Often it’s merely because of peer-pressure and curiosity.
What was exciting for me back then was the thrill of getting away with something that I shouldn’t be doing; whether it was cutting class, ditching school or driving around town in someone’s car, (long before I actually had a driver’s license) I had fun doing things that I was told I wasn’t old enough to do. Smoking pot and drinking were the ultimate thrills because not only were they things that I shouldn’t be doing, they were illegal! I considered it a challenge, and an accomplishment not to get caught. In retrospect I realize that I really didn’t get away with too much of anything. Somehow my parents always found out whenever I tried to do something wrong. Sometimes they would catch me the first time I would do it (whatever it was). Other times they knew before I even attempted to do the thing! I guess you can call it a parent’s intuition.
The law says that a person under the age of 21 cannot drink alcohol. Not only is it illegal for an adult to serve alcohol to a minor, it’s illegal for the minor to drink it at all! How can a civilized, advanced country like America say that an 18 year old, who can vote for public officials, fight in wars to protect our country (or push the agenda of bureaucrats) and even join the police force to help uphold our laws, is not allowed to drink alcohol (FOR THREE MORE YEARS!)? Does that make sense? I certainly understand the logic of these laws but do laws like this actually “protect” anyone, or do they just create an exciting challange?
The restrictions American Law puts on drugs and alcohol seem somewhat ridiculous to me. Did America learn anything from prohibition? During prohibition organized crime took over the flow of alcohol in this country and people were going blind and dying from the low-grade alcohol that was flooding the speak-easy’s. Criminal organizations were prospering because this multi-million dollar industry was handed to them on a silver platter. If you take away something that people enjoy, they are going to find another way to get it. Plus, restricting the act obviously creates an underground market for criminals to provide these things to satisfy public demand. The day after prohibition was abolished, the criminals who were supplying the public with alcohol (such as the illustrious Kennedy family) were instantly out of business. If they legalized drugs in America the same thing would happen. The cheap, dangerous street drugs such as crack, crystal meth and crank, which are often made with fillers and even toxic chemicals, would cease to exist. All the crime which stems from the illegal drug market would decrease exponentially. Control would be back in the government’s hands and the gangs and criminals would instantly be out of business. (Of course the government would probably put age restrictions on the drugs anyway so punks and gangs would still be able to supply the drugs to schools). The answer is education, not restriction.
Many kids in this country start experimenting with alcohol at an early age. When they finally do turn 21 they go out and celebrate at the bar with their friends simply because they are finally allowed to, it’s practically a rite of passage. If alcohol wasn’t restricted to begin with, would that 21 year old be just starting his (or her) party life at that age? In many other countries, where there is no age restriction on alcohol, people are more concerned with their future at the age of 21. They already had their experience with alcohol and are over it by then, or simply have no interest in it because it’s been there all along. Of course there are plenty of twenty-something’s going out drinking in those countries but I feel that many of them have a more responsible attitude about it. Since the drinking age in New York was changed to 21, many people consider younger persons “minors.” Many children these days don’t leave their parents homes until well after their 21st birthday. There seems to be a conflict here. On one hand the laws are conveying the message that people come of age at the age of 18, and on the other hand they say that you aren’t really an adult until you turn 21. When a young person is told that they are not mature, they often find ways of proving that they are mature by doing things that they are not old enough to do. I suppose it makes them feel more grown up and in control of their own lives.
I'm sorry if this post is a little confusing and if I strayed from the topic of addiction. The underlying message here is that many people get a thrill from getting away with something that they shouldn’t be doing. Many drug addicts start out as children just trying to feel more grown up. What scares me is that today’s teenagers don't want to do what their parents did, they want their own secret thing. If their parents smoked pot when they were young, there's no big thrill for them to do it too. Currently the big taboo’s are heroin, meth, cheese, the list goes on and on. The problem is that these drugs are hardcore and almost always lead to serious drug abuse and addiction. If the government was truly concerned about the safety and well being of its citizens, they would stop funding this ridiculous, artificial “war on drugs” and take control of the situation. The only reason I can think of for the government not taking control of the drug market is that there must be more profit and/or benefits in keeping them illegal. Plus the programs that are getting this funding (wherever they are?) want to keep getting it so it's not in their best interest to rid the world of drugs. It really makes me wonder who is at the top of the food chain of the drug world.
Remember, a population addicted to drugs is easy to control. People aren’t concerned with political or social issues when they are anxious to get home and kick back in front of the TV with their favorite drug, beer, wine, illicit pills, pharmaceuticals… you get the idea.
This is my last post about drugs and addiction for a little while but please feel free to comment on this, or any other post at any time.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Sorry, We Can't Help You...
One of the most popular illicit drugs being used and abused today is the same drug that has been destroying lives for many years, dope. People nowadays use that term to describe many different drugs but to a Heroin addict “dope” only means one thing. Heroin has made a big comeback at all levels over the past several years. I consider opiates to be the most horrible, life-draining addiction there is therefore this post will focus on opiates and heroin exclusively. (I have another post in the works that will discuss other substances and different types of addictions). The modern heroin addict isn’t some shabby, disheveled character that lurks in the shadows, it’s an innocent looking teenager playing ball in the park, a well groomed executive with a family and a beautiful house in the suburbs, maybe even the receptionist at your doctor’s office.
Many heroin addicts unknowingly and unintentionally get hooked by starting out with legal prescription drugs. They might take Oxycodone or Vicodin for a thrill or even to treat pain from an injury. All of these drugs are classified as “opiates” and they are all capable of destroying your life. At first the drugs seem harmless, enjoyable even. People don’t realize how fast those addiction “hooks” dig in and what’s going to happen when the prescription runs out. Now they are hooked and can’t get more of the pills (unless of course they have a crooked doctor). Inevitably they discover that what they are experiencing is opiate withdrawals and they will eventually end up using heroin just to make themselves feel better, just to get through the day. Heroin used to have a dark stigma attached to it because it was always associated with hypodermic needles. Today’s heroin can be ingested in other ways, it can be smoked or sniffed but many addicts ultimately end up using needles because it is the fastest, most intense way of feeling the effects of the drug.
Not too long ago local newspapers ran several weekly stories about the new heroin epidemic on Long Island. The stories were hard hitting and accurate but unfortunately it didn’t spark enough public concern. Recently a more powerful, cheaper form of Heroin has been gaining popularity, it’s called “CHEESE.” (Similar to what happened in the 80’s when crack was introduced to the world). Cheese is made with black tar heroin and Tylenol PM. Some heroin is white in color and resembles baking soda or Cocaine, this new version is somewhat darker, generally beige or brown in color and resembles Parmesan Cheese, hence the name, “Cheese.” Drug pushers are always looking for ways to make their product more affordable to children. They want the $5.00 you give Junior every day for lunch. They often target children because it ensures that their business will survive. As with any business, it’s important to secure the next generation of customers. Cheese is a potent form of heroin and it can kill instantly. An innocent kid who doesn’t realize the risk involved can die the first time he (or she) tries it. This heroin epidemic on Long Island is nothing new. It’s something that most of us try to ignore, or we pretend it doesn’t exist at all, until one of our family members is hooked.
Only through educating the children and the public at large will we ever be able to stop these drugs from destroying peoples lives. For some reason our community leaders think (or hope) this problem will go away by itself. It’s an issue that most politicians ignore because there is no profit in rehabilitating drug addicts. The big, “War on Drugs’ is a joke. If there is such a war it’s a war that America is losing. America has spent TRILLIONS of dollars and there have never been more illicit drugs available on the streets (or in schools) than there are today. Where does this money go? If you are addicted to heroin and want to get off of it, you will quickly discover how hard it is to get help. You will hear, Sorry, we can't help you four or five times before someone will actually listen to you. Clinics all over are not accepting new patients and some are closing their doors completely. Doctors will promise you amazing results with new miracle drugs, but in reality it’s just another way for pharmaceutical manufacturers to cash in on people’s problems. Most doctors will only accept (a lot of) cash, up front for these treatments. Insurance companies will not authorize the treatment and the pills cost an average of $10.00 a piece, and may or may not be covered by insurance! These “miracle drugs” might be helpful to a very mild addict, but if you have a substantial habit you are not likely to achieve positive results.
Please join me in examining this problem in depth and feel free to share your stories and comments. I am certainly not a person qualified to give medical advice but I can share with you what I have learned through my personal experiences. I’ve lost many friends to drugs over the years and feel that our world leaders have let us down. My next post will start at the beginning of the problem. Not the beginning of drug problems in America, the beginning of addiction, the beginning of an individual drug addict. Why does a person take drugs? What compels children, or even adults to try drugs in the first place? From there I will explore different theories and possibilities, and attempt to answer some of the most common questions. I can’t offer an instant solution but I can offer some new ways of looking at the problem and dealing with it. Before you jump off the roof, pull your hair out or give some doctor a wad of cash, please listen to what I have to say. Maybe together we, the people, can figure this thing out because our faithful leaders aren’t doing a damn thing about it.
I feel it’s important to mention that William Floyd High School and Daytop are planning to open the first in school clinic for student addicts. I first saw this story on News 12, Newsday has also run the story. The decision will have to be authorized by N.Y. State but if it is given approval to move forward, it will be the first of its kind in New York State. Personally I feel that this decision should be voted on by the community, not some bureaucratic, detached politician. I can only hope that this plan moves forward. I have personally witnessed some of the problems that teenagers who want to get help encounter and I feel that this program is a giant step in the right direction.
Some facts regarding “CHEESE” were retrieved from the following web sites:
http://www.us-winston.com/mexicans-ultra-pure-form-of-heroin-can-kill-instantly/
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/05/18/the-new-designer-heroin-in-cheese-form/
Many heroin addicts unknowingly and unintentionally get hooked by starting out with legal prescription drugs. They might take Oxycodone or Vicodin for a thrill or even to treat pain from an injury. All of these drugs are classified as “opiates” and they are all capable of destroying your life. At first the drugs seem harmless, enjoyable even. People don’t realize how fast those addiction “hooks” dig in and what’s going to happen when the prescription runs out. Now they are hooked and can’t get more of the pills (unless of course they have a crooked doctor). Inevitably they discover that what they are experiencing is opiate withdrawals and they will eventually end up using heroin just to make themselves feel better, just to get through the day. Heroin used to have a dark stigma attached to it because it was always associated with hypodermic needles. Today’s heroin can be ingested in other ways, it can be smoked or sniffed but many addicts ultimately end up using needles because it is the fastest, most intense way of feeling the effects of the drug.
Not too long ago local newspapers ran several weekly stories about the new heroin epidemic on Long Island. The stories were hard hitting and accurate but unfortunately it didn’t spark enough public concern. Recently a more powerful, cheaper form of Heroin has been gaining popularity, it’s called “CHEESE.” (Similar to what happened in the 80’s when crack was introduced to the world). Cheese is made with black tar heroin and Tylenol PM. Some heroin is white in color and resembles baking soda or Cocaine, this new version is somewhat darker, generally beige or brown in color and resembles Parmesan Cheese, hence the name, “Cheese.” Drug pushers are always looking for ways to make their product more affordable to children. They want the $5.00 you give Junior every day for lunch. They often target children because it ensures that their business will survive. As with any business, it’s important to secure the next generation of customers. Cheese is a potent form of heroin and it can kill instantly. An innocent kid who doesn’t realize the risk involved can die the first time he (or she) tries it. This heroin epidemic on Long Island is nothing new. It’s something that most of us try to ignore, or we pretend it doesn’t exist at all, until one of our family members is hooked.
Only through educating the children and the public at large will we ever be able to stop these drugs from destroying peoples lives. For some reason our community leaders think (or hope) this problem will go away by itself. It’s an issue that most politicians ignore because there is no profit in rehabilitating drug addicts. The big, “War on Drugs’ is a joke. If there is such a war it’s a war that America is losing. America has spent TRILLIONS of dollars and there have never been more illicit drugs available on the streets (or in schools) than there are today. Where does this money go? If you are addicted to heroin and want to get off of it, you will quickly discover how hard it is to get help. You will hear, Sorry, we can't help you four or five times before someone will actually listen to you. Clinics all over are not accepting new patients and some are closing their doors completely. Doctors will promise you amazing results with new miracle drugs, but in reality it’s just another way for pharmaceutical manufacturers to cash in on people’s problems. Most doctors will only accept (a lot of) cash, up front for these treatments. Insurance companies will not authorize the treatment and the pills cost an average of $10.00 a piece, and may or may not be covered by insurance! These “miracle drugs” might be helpful to a very mild addict, but if you have a substantial habit you are not likely to achieve positive results.
Please join me in examining this problem in depth and feel free to share your stories and comments. I am certainly not a person qualified to give medical advice but I can share with you what I have learned through my personal experiences. I’ve lost many friends to drugs over the years and feel that our world leaders have let us down. My next post will start at the beginning of the problem. Not the beginning of drug problems in America, the beginning of addiction, the beginning of an individual drug addict. Why does a person take drugs? What compels children, or even adults to try drugs in the first place? From there I will explore different theories and possibilities, and attempt to answer some of the most common questions. I can’t offer an instant solution but I can offer some new ways of looking at the problem and dealing with it. Before you jump off the roof, pull your hair out or give some doctor a wad of cash, please listen to what I have to say. Maybe together we, the people, can figure this thing out because our faithful leaders aren’t doing a damn thing about it.
I feel it’s important to mention that William Floyd High School and Daytop are planning to open the first in school clinic for student addicts. I first saw this story on News 12, Newsday has also run the story. The decision will have to be authorized by N.Y. State but if it is given approval to move forward, it will be the first of its kind in New York State. Personally I feel that this decision should be voted on by the community, not some bureaucratic, detached politician. I can only hope that this plan moves forward. I have personally witnessed some of the problems that teenagers who want to get help encounter and I feel that this program is a giant step in the right direction.
Some facts regarding “CHEESE” were retrieved from the following web sites:
http://www.us-winston.com/mexicans-ultra-pure-form-of-heroin-can-kill-instantly/
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/05/18/the-new-designer-heroin-in-cheese-form/
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Dreams 0001
“Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?” I suppose Edgar Allen Poe thought so. He originally asked the question, and answered it, in his poem, “A Dream within a Dream.” I have always been intrigued by dreams. My first journal was actually just a dream-log. It’s amazing what you discover when you study your dreams. I would try to remember as much as possible and then write it down. Even if I could only remember a little fragment of a dream, as I would write it down more and more details would come back to me. Later I would analyze and try to interpret what I wrote. I still look back at my old dreams occasionally and I'm amazed with what I find. I’ll discover elements of a dream which made no sense back then, makes perfect sense now. I’d dream about places I would visit or work at years before I actually got there! After a while standard journal entries, like daily thoughts and events, became more frequent and dream entries became less frequent. Lately I don’t write down and study dreams as often as I used to. As I got older I had too much trouble remembering my dreams and finding the time to devote to the cause. My dreams also became so suppressed that it would frustrate me. (I’ll get more into suppression later).
Sigmund Freud was considered an expert in dream interpretation. His book, “The interpretation of Dreams” first published in 1899 was one of his earliest, and favorite works. It helped set the stage for modern psychoanalytic theory and dream interpretation. Freud wrote, “Dreams are disguised fulfillment's of repressed wishes.” Many of Freud’s interpretations revolved around latent sexual desires and repressed memories. Some modern scientists believe that dreams are nothing more than a by-product of waking life or the “residue of the day” (Domhoff, 2001, 2003).
I wonder if a person making such a claim ever actually studied their own dreams? If they did I doubt they could seriously believe that is all dreams are?
Personally I have practiced memory techniques, dream control and waking up in dreams. I have also dabbled with astral projection a bit. I find all of these subjects fascinating. One of the biggest problems for people who are serious about studying their dreams is having the ability to wake up naturally and peacefully. Waking up naturally gives you a much better chance of remembering the content of your dreams and writing it down. Most of us wake up to a horrible alarm clock blaring in our ears which violently rips us right out of our dream making the memories slip away rapidly, as the alarm clock hits the wall! Another factor that can seriously affect our ability to remember dreams is suppression. Many of our favorite vices, such as alcohol and drugs, suppress dreams making them hardly noticeable or virtually non-existent. These substances can keep you in deep, non-REM sleep (stage 4) where you don’t dream at all. In fact stage 4 is where most sleep disorders exist. I believe that suppressing your dreams too much can cause stress, attitude problems and confusion. On the other hand, if you have quality, healthy REM sleep, you will have greater energy and more lucid thoughts.
These days who has the luxury of waking up naturally or the time to write down their dreams? Most of our lives are too chaotic with work, taking care of our families and hanging out with friends to worry about dreams. These things are set in reality and are very fulfilling so why should anyone waste time and energy concentrating on their dreams? Wouldn’t that be like trying to escape reality and living in a fantasy world?
The answer is both yes, and no. Dreams certainly can be an escape. You can live out your fantasies and do all the things you can’t do in real life. On the other hand, living out those fantasies and achieving your goals in the dreams might actually make it easier to accomplish those tasks in reality. The dreams can help build your confidence and add structure to your normal life in a profound way.
I’m not going to elaborate at this point but I will in future posts. If you are interested in learning more about dreams and dream control there are many good sources of information available. Freud’s book might be a good place to start. I wouldn’t say it’s the best dream book out there but it is where modern dream interpretation began! There are also tons of other good books out there and lots of information on the internet. Be cautious! There are also many books and publications that I would consider sub-par. Do some research and see where it goes. Just don’t move too fast. Start slow by simply writing down what you remember in the morning. If you have trouble getting started don’t get frustrated, just try to figure out what might be creating the block.
Thanks for reading.
Sigmund Freud was considered an expert in dream interpretation. His book, “The interpretation of Dreams” first published in 1899 was one of his earliest, and favorite works. It helped set the stage for modern psychoanalytic theory and dream interpretation. Freud wrote, “Dreams are disguised fulfillment's of repressed wishes.” Many of Freud’s interpretations revolved around latent sexual desires and repressed memories. Some modern scientists believe that dreams are nothing more than a by-product of waking life or the “residue of the day” (Domhoff, 2001, 2003).
I wonder if a person making such a claim ever actually studied their own dreams? If they did I doubt they could seriously believe that is all dreams are?
Personally I have practiced memory techniques, dream control and waking up in dreams. I have also dabbled with astral projection a bit. I find all of these subjects fascinating. One of the biggest problems for people who are serious about studying their dreams is having the ability to wake up naturally and peacefully. Waking up naturally gives you a much better chance of remembering the content of your dreams and writing it down. Most of us wake up to a horrible alarm clock blaring in our ears which violently rips us right out of our dream making the memories slip away rapidly, as the alarm clock hits the wall! Another factor that can seriously affect our ability to remember dreams is suppression. Many of our favorite vices, such as alcohol and drugs, suppress dreams making them hardly noticeable or virtually non-existent. These substances can keep you in deep, non-REM sleep (stage 4) where you don’t dream at all. In fact stage 4 is where most sleep disorders exist. I believe that suppressing your dreams too much can cause stress, attitude problems and confusion. On the other hand, if you have quality, healthy REM sleep, you will have greater energy and more lucid thoughts.
These days who has the luxury of waking up naturally or the time to write down their dreams? Most of our lives are too chaotic with work, taking care of our families and hanging out with friends to worry about dreams. These things are set in reality and are very fulfilling so why should anyone waste time and energy concentrating on their dreams? Wouldn’t that be like trying to escape reality and living in a fantasy world?
The answer is both yes, and no. Dreams certainly can be an escape. You can live out your fantasies and do all the things you can’t do in real life. On the other hand, living out those fantasies and achieving your goals in the dreams might actually make it easier to accomplish those tasks in reality. The dreams can help build your confidence and add structure to your normal life in a profound way.
I’m not going to elaborate at this point but I will in future posts. If you are interested in learning more about dreams and dream control there are many good sources of information available. Freud’s book might be a good place to start. I wouldn’t say it’s the best dream book out there but it is where modern dream interpretation began! There are also tons of other good books out there and lots of information on the internet. Be cautious! There are also many books and publications that I would consider sub-par. Do some research and see where it goes. Just don’t move too fast. Start slow by simply writing down what you remember in the morning. If you have trouble getting started don’t get frustrated, just try to figure out what might be creating the block.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Its Gotta Start Somewhere
Its gotta start somewhere so why not start here and now? Maybe it’s too late or maybe it isn’t but let’s hope it’s not. Ultimately that’s not for us to decide. Start what you ask? The blog for one thing, this is my first post. Secondly I am referring to a different way of thinking. Not some radical new system but simply thinking of the world as a whole and learning to co-exist with people who are like yourself, or who may be much different, tolerating those differences and respecting every person’s right to exist. Let me say right now that I am not political in any way and I am not very religious. I don’t believe in the “man in the sky” type of God who is watching our every move because that’s an archaic principle based on fear, (simply Santa Claus for adults). I do believe in God but at a somewhat different level. My view is that each of our minds is a piece of God. Every one of us is literally a child of God and all of our minds together (the universal mind) are God. For God to exist again we would all have to cease to exist. I know this sounds strange but I believe that all humans have the power to control their own destiny. I also believe we are all capable of tapping into that universal energy.
I don’t know about the rest of the world but lately I’ve been looking at the “big picture” and feeling like something has changed. I feel like people have given up on the system and adapted an “every man for himself” attitude. Much of this is probably related to the economic situation. Even though things seem like they may have leveled off, I think most people realize that we could still be in for a bumpy ride. Another big factor is that people have given up on the government. This country was formed around The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These great documents were designed to prevent a dictatorship from forming and taking over the government, to put the government in the hands of the people in order to insure our rights and freedom. The problem is that the two main political parties in this country have been running things for so long that the system is now corrupt and broken. It looks to me like there is only one party made up of two sub-parties, Democrats and Republicans. Is there any chance of an independent party actually breaking through? Some people have tried and have naturally failed. What if a third party did manage to break through and somehow get their candidate elected to the presidency? Wouldn’t the electoral votes overrule the popular vote? (We got a taste of that in 2000). I love this country and the principles it was founded on but I feel it's important to keep ourselves in check in order to maintain a true democracy. Every human being on Earth should have the right to lead their lives however they choose and to pursue happiness for themselves and their families.
This blog will explore many issues ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary. I will elaborate on some of the issues that I already mentioned and I will also introduce some new thoughts and ideas. This blog is not meant to preach at all, I am looking for answers too.
Thanks for reading…
Feel free to comment on anything.
I don’t know about the rest of the world but lately I’ve been looking at the “big picture” and feeling like something has changed. I feel like people have given up on the system and adapted an “every man for himself” attitude. Much of this is probably related to the economic situation. Even though things seem like they may have leveled off, I think most people realize that we could still be in for a bumpy ride. Another big factor is that people have given up on the government. This country was formed around The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These great documents were designed to prevent a dictatorship from forming and taking over the government, to put the government in the hands of the people in order to insure our rights and freedom. The problem is that the two main political parties in this country have been running things for so long that the system is now corrupt and broken. It looks to me like there is only one party made up of two sub-parties, Democrats and Republicans. Is there any chance of an independent party actually breaking through? Some people have tried and have naturally failed. What if a third party did manage to break through and somehow get their candidate elected to the presidency? Wouldn’t the electoral votes overrule the popular vote? (We got a taste of that in 2000). I love this country and the principles it was founded on but I feel it's important to keep ourselves in check in order to maintain a true democracy. Every human being on Earth should have the right to lead their lives however they choose and to pursue happiness for themselves and their families.
This blog will explore many issues ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary. I will elaborate on some of the issues that I already mentioned and I will also introduce some new thoughts and ideas. This blog is not meant to preach at all, I am looking for answers too.
Thanks for reading…
Feel free to comment on anything.
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