What Happened to “Proud to be an American?”

This morning I am saddened by the news I heard last night. I try to avoid news at all costs because it depresses me so much. Unfortunately, I caught a news clip when I turned on the TV last night and I can’t stop thinking about it. I keep hearing some woman’s voice screaming into the camera. What the HELL is the matter with people! I am appalled that this country is turning into a violent nation – or is this just all the media wants to throw at us.

This election had to be one of the worst ever for slander, mud-slinging, anger, hate, and now, now that it’s over, horrible violence and protesting the results. Is America turning into some kind of militant country where violence is becoming the ruling force?

Myself, I have hope for this country. This is MY country and I love it! 

The election, no matter what side of the fence you are on, is over. We have a president-elect. People VOTED and the person who won had the most votes. I don’t understand the protests and the violence is gut-wrenching. Is this an America to be proud of? And if the other side had won, would there have also been the protests and the violence?

All this violence is making me feel we are no better than other countries full of hatred and violence. This isn’t the America I know and love. And yes, I know there have always been problems. We are not perfect. 

But, we are a country built on freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is a good thing when it’s for positive results. People have the right to protest and speak their minds. I understand that people get angry (and hurt), however, destruction and violence doesn’t solve anything. It creates heartache and despair and more anger.

One big thing we have to remember: It's not the words that come out of someone's mouth, but the actions of that person that matters. Look how many make pretty promises then don't live up to what they say? A person's actions and what he or she accomplishes for the good is what we should all focus on!

How can anyone respect these kinds of action? Violence is brutal with no logic or common sense. When people lose control and let their emotions erupt in anger and they in turn get others all riled up, the situation deteriorates. No one wins. Violent acts just make the protesters/perpetrators look like idiots. Why would anyone want to listen to someone who acts like that? I don’t get it. Violence is NOT the way! Violence will only beget more violence. 

I know people think violence is the way to get their voices heard, but often when people are overly angry, they don’t make sense when they talk. They don’t really get heard because those listening and watching can’t get beyond the horrible actions.

I’m not saying I agree with everything that went on during the elections. I truly believe the entire system needs to be revamped. I believe all the mud-slinging and slander during the elections brings everything to a boiling point and people lose sense of what’s really important. What is truly best for this country and for us, its people. 

I want to be proud to be an American! However, seeing these acts of violence makes me feel ashamed. Please, people, let’s work together. We need to be more courteous to those who don't share our views. It's OK to disagree. Let's build respect for all.  I have hope – we have to hold on to hope. 

The 1960s vs. Today

I woke up this morning thinking about the ideals of the 1960s. How did we descend from an era of promoting love not war into a society overwhelmed by violence? Or it seems we are a violent society because the media hounds us with all the horror going on in the world.

I was young during the 60s so I wasn’t actually a part of the revolution. However, that decade played a huge, dramatic part in our culture. It was a time of awakening, of people finding their voices and uniting to bring freedom and awakening to the world. It was a magical time.

But what happened? The decade passed and it was like once that big hurdle was crossed, it all died away. All the passion and peace and love just dissolved as time went on. Those revolutionists of the 60s worked hard for a belief. They made tremendous strides, but the generation coming up behind them didn’t continue the work. The plateau was reached and instead of pushing higher, the momentum shifted – but what it shifted into, I don’t know.

Did the old hippies grow up and become the “establishment” they earlier despised? Once the musicians of the 60s earned fame, did their goals change as they became more business-minded? Did they become ruled by the music industry and lose their passion for changing the world? And yes, when people grow older they want to settle back and relax.

They young people coming up behind them didn’t fully understand what the adults before them went through and accomplished. Big business got bigger. The media turned more to promoting big business and the issues that so inspired the previous generation were written off. The government made a few changes and people felt an accomplishment was made. 

Apathy set in. What was hard-fought was abandoned. People turned from peace and love to… I don’t even know. The music that so changed the world… died. That’s not saying there isn’t good music now, but something is lost. It’s like we’ve slipped backwards.

Technology and big business took over, too, as people became wired in to the internet and social media. Cell phones and iPads have taken away people’s identities and causes. People are looking down instead of looking out and forward. Humanity has given way to robotics and machines.

Technology has put a leash on people. People are controlled. This is a generation where people isolate themselves physically from others as they become so entrapped by electronic devices… until something in them snaps and they do something horrible.

So, what does all this mean?

Even some of the music has an electro-techno background; an unnatural beat designed to pump people up (supposedly for dance), but that kind of beat is also hypnotic, a brain-washing tool making people further succumb to numbness. People are losing the ability to think positively, to think for themselves, for the good of all things. And they don’t even realize it. (Well, most don’t.)

Think about it. Think about what the media feeds us. Think about what some of the music is telling us… Is that what we really want for ourselves? Do we want to be mind-numbed and controlled? That’s what’s happening on many levels.

The 60s served a purpose. People came together and were awakened. It wasn’t perfect (drugs are never the answer and is also a means of controlling people no matter the generation). People need to start waking up again. It’s time to start saying NO! again. Violence is not the answer. What’s going on now-a-days is horrendous. WE are human beings. 

Let’s bring compassion, peace, and love back into our lives! Say no to violence. Say no to control. Say no to media brainwashing.

Side note: This is such a huge subject which I am only barely touching. People need to start waking up again. 

Choosing the Words I Want to Instill in My Soul

I can’t help think about the negativity we are bombarded with daily. We can’t get away from it and it’s all some people talk about. If it isn’t the newspapers (but not the InterTown Record because we don’t go in for that depressing media-hype), it’s TV blaring everywhere, radio commercials, Facebook trends, and people constantly on their i-Pads and cell phones.

I refuse to put up with it! Remember all the repetitive messages imprints into your soul! After all, repetition is how we learn – how are parents taught us words, alphabet, multiplication tables, etc. We are taught to repeat over and over to learn. 

So think about what all this negative messaging does to you. Is that the kind of stuff you want to embed in your very being? What about all the commercials trying to get you to buy products? How often will you need to be told, “Buy my product and you will feel great” before you totally believe it? And the saddest part is, these commercials do not have to tell the truth.

Think about it. How have we all been being brainwashed all these years? How often have you been told something multiple times only to find out later it really isn’t true? (There are even findings now that some of the history we’ve always been taught isn’t the real truth.)

Well, I refuse! I put my foot down and I will no longer buy into what the media is trying to force me to believe and buy. 

This made me think more of my new plan to be a better me. I am happy… and most of the time I am. This is one phrase I repeat and in reading more of positive I Am theory.

How am I going to do this? How am I going to make myself even more positive and manifest my goals? This idea of bombardment of words from TV and commercials gave me an idea. What if I take colored index cards and colored markers (I’m all about pretty color), write down little positive sayings, and post the cards all over the house? This way, wherever I go, I’m getting the messaging that I choose to put into my soul!

For instance, I started with a series of I AM cards. I am love. I am peace. I am happy. I am healthy. (You get the picture.) I am a writer. I am a photographer. What I am and what I choose to be.

Then I changed it up a bit. “I make a great living being a writer!” I am taking lines from the “Tao te Ching” and “Course in Miracles” among other great books to help me reinforce the good. 

One of my favorite sayings I read years ago came from Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life.” She said, “In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole, and complete.”

I’m going to go back through some of my books and write up new cards. Imagine what our lives could be like if every one of us filled ourselves with positive, loving, peaceful thoughts?

Today I wrote: “I am breaking old brainwashed concepts” (all those years of being told I was ugly, fat, unprofessional, etc.) and “I am building new, better me by positive reinforcement and reminders of the wonderful person I am.” 

And a trick to this is feeling what is written. When I write “I am peace,” I am feeling it and believing it. The more I repeat the words, the more I do feel it and it makes me happy. And of course, the best to do is “I am LOVE” and feeling the love; a universal, omnipresent love. (Note the feeling between saying, “I am Love” as compared to “I am loving.” To me, the “I am Love” makes it radiate outward.)

What do you think? What would you put on your positive reinforcement cards? (I’m calling them PR Cards – a double entendre as to the other meaning of PR as in public relations because this new me will be out in public.) 

Have a fantastic day, Everyone! 

To Find Peace, Be Peace

Often in my editing work, I put my own beliefs aside and stay open-minded. I don’t have to share the same views of others to do the best job I can with the editing. Many times I put the context of what is being said aside and focus on grammar, punctuation, and flow; just doing the job (which I love).

However, yesterday there was an article that really touched me. It was from David Keller, the pastor of the South Newbury Church. His message was about peace and he said, “Taking care of our desire for peace, brings peace.”

Wow, how could I forget? Lately I’d been allowing my thoughts to get caught up in the negativity of world violence, political dealings and lies, and the lack of ethics in big business. And I know: what you think you become – which is one of the reasons I usually avoid the news and all the crap the media tries to pound into us.

Keller’s words made me remember something I read years ago. I had done a short stint with studying “A Course in Miracles” and remembered I have a couple of small books with selections from the bigger study. I dug through my piles of kept books and found them. One is called “A Gift of Peace” and the second is “Accept This Gift.” The selections within are short pieces, easy to read, but are also inspiring and make you think.

Now, I am not a follower of any one religion or faith. I pull concepts from many that hold what I believe to be true and good. Every so often, something really resonates within me when I read it. 

“Nothing outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can give you peace.” This line sunk to my core early on as I realized that I am in charge of my own happiness. My happiness and inner peace can only come from within me. If I rely on someone else or something else for that, I am only setting myself up for disappointment.

“Offer peace to have it yours.” I take this line to mean if I am not willing to feel peace towards others, how can I feel it within myself? It is easy to project how we feel onto others. I know, there are times when I’m feeling miserable and, in those moments, I don’t care who knows it. But, in that moment, if I remember to breathe and think peace, I become peace. (No, it isn’t always easy. It’s work. But it’s worth the effort!)

What would this world be like if the media were putting these kinds of messages in the news?

What would it be like if we could carry peace in our hearts?

Can I, every time I start to think a negative thought or how horrible the world has become, can I turn to peaceful thoughts instead?

What do I feel as peace? Breathing in, breathing out; flowers; birds; beautiful landscapes, remembering good conversations and good meals with friends, letting my eyes see the beauty around me. And this reminds me of the old Navajo saying, “Walk in beauty every day.”

I have to remember that. I have to remind myself every day. It comes easily when I stop letting my thoughts run rampant; when I stop focusing on the negativity of the world. No wonder I refuse to listen to news. (That doesn’t have to mean I close my eyes to the world.)

“The only way to have peace is to teach peace.”