Seven Sins and Heavenly virtues

After contemplating the seven sins and the seven virtues for quite some time I have come to the realization that there is and eighth.

Silence and Prayer.  The seven sins and virtues are temporal and I understand how they are conclusive. However, they do not recognize the spiritual even though they are relevant to it.

If we do not communicate with our worldly partners then our lives are wasted. If we fail to communicate with our other-worldly partner then our eternities are wasted.

Maslow's 5 needs

I think a sixth can be added. Spirituality.  Some will argue that it is included in self-actualization but in reality it supersedes it because even after we are actualized there is a feeling of incompleteness and that can only resolved when me is replaced with we or more profoundly you.  When I am so concerned about you that I forget myself I will have superseded self.

Covey's Eighth Habit

I like Stephen Covey's Eighth habit, "find your voice and help other find theirs". It was easier to do when I was employed. Now I an not very successful in even finding mine.  I have been given credit in saving someone's life because I was brought into their life at a very critical time and inspired her to enrich her life and find her voice.  I didn't realize what I was doing just that I see value in those around me and naturally encourage them to make the most of themselves.

At her graduation party she reminded me that five years earlier I told her that if she were still working at the same job, in five years, I was going to fire her. She told me that was what motivated her to go to school and get her life back on track.

Tank tracks

A pendulum metaphor used to describe the political modulation from liberal to conservative needs to be replaced with a tank track metaphor.  If each track pad represents the political philosophy of each incumbent. No mater how conservative it is it still travels left while the tank is moving to the left. At best the conservative tract pad stands still while the reminder of the tank moves left. Then as soon as a liberal government is elected the speed left is even faster.

A tank moving to the left represents our county politics even when we elect a conservative government.

Credit

It is going to be rather interesting, if that is not an understatement, to see if the, vast majority, of the american people can be dissuaded from the uncollateralized credit habit.  Everyone is so used to having more that they can afford for so long that we believe it to be normal.  We drive on roads we can't, honestly, afford.  Eat food, out of season, from places exotic with little realization that every aspect, from the farming to the shipping, was done on credit. Plan to retire, with no savings account, pretending that the credit extend to the previous generation will be extended to us. The light switch is flipped without realizing that the relative low price for doing so is subsidized by the printing of, funny, money in washington. Our skies are clear and the air breathable because of the ability to borrow money and put off what is due tomorrow.  We will gladly buy today what we have fooled ourselves into thinking we will pay for tomorrow. The american taxpayer has been lied to by the self-serving politicians for so long that when when Paul can't continue to pay Peter the spectacle of whose ox gets gored may be much more than interesting.

After the low hanging fruit, like NASA and the military, is plucked from the tree of credit what is next.  When will the social programs that make it possible for American's to not work for their livelihood be eyed by the picker of credit unworthy fruit. When will the rotting, from the inside subsidies, fruit fall naturally under the pickers feet.

Not easily, not soon, and not without a lot of consternation because you see the tree of credit is the most prized tree in this garden of fools.

What?

Is all of this inevitable ? Are we predisposed to arrive at this point in-spite of our potential and individual agency simply because of the group dynamic imposed on us by chance and indecision? Do we prescribe socialism because it is the lesser of the two evils anarchy or totalitarianism? all the while democracy is promoted is it being subverted on purpose? As liberty is practiced are we forfeiting it because of indiscretion? Is freedom taken for granted until it is lost through in-action?  Are we condemned to mediocrity because we will not discipline ourselves? Is this country great because we stand on the shoulder's of giants or the bones of our progenitors? If we choose not to be stewards is the future of the earth pollution and consumption. If we chose not govern ourselves will only a few end up governing us all? Will the next generation care or will their lack of education facilitate the inevitable.

Nanny state

The US has become a nanny state. RIP rugged individualism. Big government's response this past weekend in the forced evacuation of the east coast residents will lead to, my guess, the vindictive prosecution of the those that ignored the orders. This heralds the demise of the american spirit.  Couple that with the political outcomes of a socialist regime, the complicity,  apathy, and ineptitude's of the american people to make a difference and the transition is complete as of this week end's hurricane.  There is no place left to escape, no where absolute corruption has not been achieved, and no individual activity which can not be prosecuted. The End.