Poised for the fight

In 2008, the wave of events that began as a conservative backlash (in response to the election of Bill Clinton) will have its most crucial effect. Either it will make landfall as a devastating tsunami, wiping out the spirit and will of so many that a state of pure citizen-serfdom will result, or its force will be deflected back onto itself, causing an ideological undertow whose effects can only result in a dynamic, conflicting, global society.

Or somebody may, at last, push the button down and all of us--conservatives, liberals, undecideds, visionaries, revolutionaries, prophets, murderers, demagogues, statesmen, dictators, ideologists, seminarians, priests, rabbis, healers, saints, sociopaths, innocents et. al.--will become part of the planet's next evolutionary compost pile.

It could go either way, but having lived through a few backlashes so far--post-WWII baby boom, 1950s paranoia and gullibility, early 1960s manifest destiny, 1960s revolutions, birthings, slapback, genocide of my generation, 1970s complacency, go-go 1980s, the insulated 1990s leading to isolation via computer and video games, computers, the Internet, and the new prudishness disguised as sexual posturing--I'm investing in creating the undertow.

To that end, I'd like to suggest--no, I DEMAND--that you, as a citizen of Planet Earth, make a commitment to a) learn, b) share knowledge and c) make a stand.

It's okay if you choose, instead, to do nothing. Mother Earth will make us all irrelevant in the end. It may be seductive to imagine relaxing, counting your days, planning your personal paradise, taking care of you and yours as if you had no responsibility to your brothers and sisters across the world.

If you choose that path, you're just taking up space and resources, freeloading, depleting, claiming your personal entitlement as if being born were a ticket on a free ride. That is who you are. Deal with it, admit it, but don't pretend you are anything more than an irresponsible, parasitic presence here and just one more zombie, dead spirit in greedy body, and your life is and will be counted as useless and futile.

In the end, you really can't get away from simply checking box Yes, No or None of the Above. Actions have consequences, and so does inaction. Either way, what you choose will have its intended effect.

I recommend holistic education, no matter what your point of view or personal philosophy. Read everything you can take in, no matter what source, about world politics and society, and as often as possible, check the "facts" and opinions presented therein. Do not accept as gospel any single thing you read. Remember that all words and thoughts come from human minds and hands, and they are just as human as you are.

Write. Even if you don't write, WRITE. Allow your feelings and ideas a way out of your body and mind and express them. Writing them down helps you become aware of them, and allows you to speak them and share them with others.

When you share, remember it's a 2-way street. One gives, one receives. Listening is just as important as speaking.

Accept conflict gladly. Life is conflict, from the day we are born until the day we die, so don't eschew it all. Embrace it in order to defuse it and view it as what it is: the other side of the coin known as Harmony.

Express your opinion, then live it. Take a position. Take action. Live life as if it were your only chance at consciousness. Live it like it's a gift. We're all just visitors here, after all. Wake up and participate and see the sights, interact, give and receive, help, support, and most of all, nurture.

I have added a list of blogs and resources to my home page. These are only a starting point. Take it all in, use your good sense to allow your brain to interpret and understand it all, and do something every day with the information.

2008 will be here before you know it. Be prepared, be ready, and best of all, be part of its result.