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Good old days and the here and now.


Neighborhood watch sign in Jefferson County, C...
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I listen and read about how every one misses the good old days, back when crime was low and the streets were pretty safe. back when neighbors knew each other and watched out for one another. Back when the word community meant a town that worked together for the common good of all who lived there. Those days may be gone, but it does not mean they can not ever return. We chose to become distant from our neighbors and chose to become less active and interested in our communities. The crime rate is one thing that was a result of the lack of community effort as well as lack of neighborhood interaction.

The loss of the closeness of neighbors striped away the network of communication and the concern for each other allowing crime to enter in without anyone or anything to stop it. We used to call the police or our neighbor when we saw a strange car driving and parking near their house. We also used to watch over the children in the neighborhood to make sure they didn’t get hurt or any trouble. We have become apathetic and blind to what is going on around us unless it involves our own property and family. This gives the criminals an easy way in to the neighborhood and allows crime to grow unchecked.

When I was a child I knew at least 30% of the neighbors on my street and my parents knew over half of them. If I were to had been hurt, harassed or even kidnapped more and likely my parents or the police would have known almost instantly. We all cared about the safety and wellbeing of all our neighbors, even the ones we didn’t like that much.

We can recapture a lot of the things we had in the good old days though the innocence we all had back then is forever lost. A neighborhood who are as a community and band together for the good of each other is a neighborhood that creates an unattractive environment for  crime and criminals. For when we band together we are harder to intimidate and we are strong enough to overcome fear. Alone we are potential victims and together we are a potential threat to criminals. Plus being friends with your neighbors makes for a happier environment for both you and your children to live in.

Basically we may bot be able to go back to the good old days but we can create a good days for ourselves and our families to live in here and now. The choice is ours and has always been ours to choose.

Raymond Barbier

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Allow distractions to interfere with our lives


100_0063Life is short and full of distractions, if we allow ourselves to be distracted by things we tend to overlook and neglect the people who are important to us. So many things left unsaid and undone every day because of our willingness to allow distractions to interfere with our lives. We tend to put our families, friends and lovers on the back burner to our jobs and sometimes to our recreational activities. This can create tension in our relationships and usually it tends to create an unhappy atmosphere. I do not think that anyone purposely puts their career or recreation above their family, lovers or friends. I believe for the most part it is you start working more hours and etc. to give your family a better life financially. Our society has went from one that focused on the family and on making sure they had food, cloths, a roof over their head along with a good education to more of a materialistic society. Sure we still focus on the family and try to give them the necessities but we also try to make sure we keep up with the Jones’s next door.

  Trying to keep up with the Jones’s and Smith’s is one of those distractions that takes away the time and energy that could be focused on your family, lover and friends. Possessions can be stolen, lost and will eventually either break down or become obsolete unlike the love and companionship of friends and family.Maybe a camping trip or fishing trip with the kids and spouse would be better than buying a new game console for the kids or that atv. Togetherness and sharing experiences is what builds strong relationships along with good character in children.Family outings teaches children the importance of family and even friends.

  Now there isn’t anything wrong with wanting to give your family the things it wants along with the things it needs as long as you don’t work so many hours you are at loss for time to enjoy life with them. Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand one must work to pay the bills and keep a roof over their head. But you should always try to find time to spend with the family and worry less about the less important thing like luxury items.There is always a way to balance out things and a way to both give the family what it need and some of the things they want. We all just need to evaluate everything in our lives and prioritize with the family as the main focus.

“Family is the foundation of the life we live”

Raymond Barbier

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So a fool I may be


021  I am just a fool seeking the path to wisdom, I am just an average Joe trying to become a sage. I had walked many paths and have taken many turns on my quest for wisdom only to come full circle to back where I had started. I am yet a fool, but some wisdom I have gained along the way. I am still an average Joe walking on the many roads of life. I keep moving forward in hope of finding wisdom and becoming wise before my time here is over.

I may be a fool but I have learned that no man or woman is greater than another. No ones life is less important than another’s because we all contribute to the world around us. I have found that being happy is just as much as a choice as being sad. We choose for the most part how we relate to this world. I also learned it isn’t how much you have but how much you love and enjoy the things your are blessed with that makes life good.

So a fool I may be, but a fool that has found wisdom through his mistakes as well as from his few good choices. I will keep learning and seeking out wisdom for that is my path to follow.

For what a man will be remembered for is not how rich, powerful or famous he may have been, he will be remembered for how he treated others along with his actions good or bad. For every one of our words and all of actions are a reflection of who we truly are within. They also affect everyone and thing around us in one way or another. Good works may not get one into heaven but they can create a better world to live in. 

“Forgiving yourself is just as important as forgiving others”

Raymond Barbier

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When we were young, As we grew older


001  When we were young we lived each day without any care or fear of what the future may bring. We accepted what was before us and embraced change as if it where a brother or sister. As we grew older we started learning to fear the unknown as well as to worry about what may or may not happen in the near future. We went from truly living life in the moment to fearing the future and losing the ability to live in the here and now. Fear has its purpose but it is not meant to be a every day thing. Let the past lay in the past and let the future take care of its self, for the only time and moment we should think about or live in is the present.

Live in the here and now, Love those we have been blessed to have in our life and embrace every moment we have to live. The present is a gift that we should cherish much like the past is something we should remember but not live in. The future is something we can not really control though many live in the illusion that they can. When we were young we also accepted others for what they were and rarely looked for fault in their character. We judged no one and rarely judged our own selves. We looked for the good in all things instead of looking for the bad. Some call that innocence, I say it is living life the way it was intended to be.

If one goes through life only looking for fault in themselves and others then that is all that they will find. Obviously we all have faults and none of us are perfect so finding fault in someone is so much easier than seeing the good in them. We can not ignore the faults but we can try to see beyond them and accept them. We should focus on the good in ourselves and others, we should also try to help bring out the better qualities within ourselves and those around us. For we only have this one life to live and should try to make the best of it.

Live for today and seize the moment
Raymond Barbier

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Just a Saturday Morning Political Rant


The western front of the United States Capitol...
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  Corrupt politicians and big businesses that care more about a profit than the people who work for them rule the modern world we live in. So many voices crying out for change and freedom and very few ears in places of power willing to listen or even care. Revolution and civil wars across the globe with little change or evolution. Greed and the lust for power overrule the needs of the people as well as the needs of the planet. Storms raging across the face of  both land and sea devastate populations and yet they play politics in the houses of government.

Forcing people to work longer and to an older age before they can retire while trying to keep them from a good healthcare system while taxing the poor to death. It definitely time to put term limits on congress as well as time to make them work for minimum wage with the same low end benefits if any at all. If those in power had to live in the conditions of the common working man they might be able to do more on capital hill. But with 6 figure salaries and their grand benefits they can not see the wrong in dismissing or the dismantling of social security, welfare, Medicaid or Medicare. They are rich enough and have government subsidized insurance along with a federal government retirement to live off of.

  Too much political banter and saber rattling and not enough intellectual discussions on the true problems at hand. Yes we need to balance the budget, the fat needs to be trimmed and the dead weight dumped. But to once again put all of the burden on the backs of the working man and elderly is not acceptable. We need a fair tax system that eliminates  all the loopholes and tax shelters for the rich and forces a more level playing field in the taxation of the citizens. The notion that because they make so much money they shouldn’t pay no more in dollars than a working man is just hogwash. It should be based on an a percentage of the total income. If a man that makes 25,000 would have to pay a certain percentage of his income for taxes why shouldn’t the man who makes 2,000,000 do the same?

Putting the fact the income tax system is not fair or balanced, the fact we need to cut spending is a fact we can not ignore. We need to study each and every program, agency and political office to see where the fat is and cut it out if not at least trim it off a bit. There are so many government projects/programs that are not financially efficient or are no longer effective. Revamp or eliminate such projects/programs and fine tune the rest of them. We also need to stop borrowing money to only give it away as foreign aid, there is plenty of nations and political organizations we could work with to direct foreign aid to the countries in need. This world is not just the responsibility of the United states it is the responsibility of  the whole world. We are all civilized and intelligent beings and we should be able to work together as a world community to address the issues at hand.

  There is also the fact that we are in a trade deficit, most of what we import is not taxed. More and more of our businesses are manufacturing offshore to escape paying taxes and to have a cheaper workforce. This takes away jobs from Americans as well as tax revenue for the government to balance the budget. Just way too much to get into on the problems we face when it comes to trade. Being I am no economist nor am I any kind of expert concerning the tax code I do not know all the answers. I do know that the congress is looking in the wrong direction for solutions when dealing with our national financial problems. And it does not take a rocket scientist to see that they are more concerned with their own political agendas than they are with actually coming up with actual working solutions to the problems.

“We the People of The United States” Means all of us not just the Elite.

Raymond Barbier

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Just an opinion of a common man


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As usual the Congress has half way done their job and gave themselves more time to act like children fighting in a school yard. They keep trying to cut entitlements and yet they are not putting their own wages and benefits on the line to save our national budget. The poor and lower middle class always seem to either pay the bills for the government or loose entitlements to help the government to spend money on earmarks and pork. I think they really need to take a look at all the projects they are funding that doesn’t help the citizens nor the nation and cut them off from funding. Leave Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare alone. Far as welfare it should remain but should be structured to be an assistance program not a life long support system. Unfortunately there is a lot of entitlement abuse and fraud going on in our great country, many people who are capable and unwilling to work use the entitlement system in our country. But there are many who need the assistance and either are denied or are too proud to accept the help. Should we get rid of entitlements? No, To become caulis and uncompassionate is not the answer. More regulation and a better system on confirming the need of assistance is a must. Follow up inspections of the recipients and their residences to confirm that they are indeed in need and not just abusing the help is what must be done.

There are many ways to reduce the national debt, one is to reduce our foreign aid, Borrowing money to give it away to another country is just plain stupidity. Instead we could help the developing countries and countries in need by getting them loans from those countries able to lend. The tax code also needs to be revamped, The rich have too many loopholes and tax breaks while the middle class and poor have very few tax breaks at all. Both rich and poor should have to pay the same percentage of taxes per dollar earned. Why should someone who makes millions pay less per dollar in taxes than some one who makes thousands? Another big strain on our budget is all the military actions (wars) we are involved in, The world seems to want the U.S. to play the role off planetary policeman but yet none of the countries seem to want to help pay the bill for our involvement. This is a world of many countries and or nationalities and therefore it should be a global effort to enact change and also to police the rouge nations. The U.N., N.A.T.O and the rest of the global organizations should work together to improve the quality of life for all of mankind and be a part of the global solution.

Not one man nor one nation should shoulder the responsibility for our world alone, it should be a totally global responsibility and universal effort to fix the problems our world faces today. Regardless of ones religion, race or creed we are all part of the great human race. Not one life is greater or lesser than another and all life is sacred.

I think all the governments of this world need to either grow up and face reality or they need to wake up from their dream state.

Well once again I rambled on long enough.
Peace and Truth Be your Guiding Light
Raymond Barbier

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Take out the trash


028  Self image is both the creator and destroyer of ones happiness.in life. Without a good self image and some self confidence its very hard to keep a positive attitude or to maintain any level of happiness. Low self esteem is the major cause of self doubt, poor self image and some forms of depression, if one wishes to be happy one must elevate their self esteem and create a positive self image. The problem is most people have so much emotional and mental garbage stored in their memories it makes it a very hard task to achieve any type of good self image or self esteem.

  First thing we must do in order to create a positive self image and to elevate our self esteem is to take out the trash. We have to face each and every negative thought about ourselves and either accept them or disprove them. Those that are factual and accepted then must be overcame or learned to be an accepted fault within ourselves. I have noticed that if I make a mistake it is far worse a crime than if someone else does. I am far more severe on myself than I would ever be on any other human being. This is not a balanced view of life and causes me to have a very poor self image and low self-esteem.

  Besides being a strict judge of my own life I also hold on to the judgment of others such as my parents, sibling and peers. Even though I understand that most of the judgments passed on me were usually wrong if not just exaggerated  ones, it takes time to root out those old scars and demons hidden in my psyche. I have learned that to put the hurts and pains caused by others in the past I had to forgive them as well as myself for the transgressions and misjudgments.committed on both sides. No matter who or where the scars and demons I have came from, I am the one responsible for holding on to them all these years.

  We are the masters of our own destinies and fates, external forces may effect our course but we ultimately choose our own destination.In the end. It is our own choices that form our self image and effect our self esteem. Freewill does not come without a cost and nor does it come without rewards.

  Enough of my babbling for today.
Peace and Love be your Guides in life
Raymond Barbier

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Ramblings of a Middle Aged Average Joe


007-2 Social Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, Earthquakes, Tsunamis and threat of an nuclear meltdown in Japan. Anchovies and sardines dying is the millions in a San Francisco harbor. The honey bee population dwindling and still no explanation as of why they are dying off. Something seems out of balance, change is coming to our world and it isn’t looking too good to me. Change is unavoidable and paying for our neglect / disrespect towards our home plant earth. Greed and lust for power outweighs the welfare of mother earth and those who live on it. The Select or Elite rule our world and care little about anything but their own gain while the masses stand by watching it all fall to pieces before them.

Violence is not the way for change though it is an unfortunate reality in our world. War and violence is a necessary evil at times to keep the balance in our world. Peace, love, understanding and cooperation are the best ways to enact change. Also Truth is a great igniter of change, for knowledge and truth are the building stones for a better world. The fact we all are responsible for this world we live in and we must find better ways to do so. Better ways to generate electricity and an alternative to Oil.

Oil, coal and natural gas will eventually become depleted and the pollution from their use will further damage our environment and also our economy. The world needs to wake up and see the wisdom in both renewable fuel sources and power sources like solar wind and hydro. Our children and grandchildren have to live in this world we leave them, so we should try to leave them with a Ecofriendly and wiser world. The fact that eventually oil sources will become scarce and depleted brings to light we need to have an alternative fuel source to avoid possible wars over the dwindling supply.

There is so much we need to change in the world and in the way we both view and live in it. It is going to take the effort of governments, businesses and the civilian  population to make the changes needed to get our world on the right track. There will have to be some sacrifices in the process but so many benefits will be found along the way. Nothing of great value is ever gained without hard work and sacrifice, Neither does any good deed done go without an award in the end. Even if our labor and sacrifices don’t bring forth fruit until several generations it will still be worth the effort.

The good thing about truth, love, peace, understanding and change is that they all can start in one person.  Just like one seed can grow a orchard if not a forest  , one persons voice can become a nations or even the worlds in time.

Well enough of my tree hugging ramblings for now.
Peace to all

Raymond Barbier

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Heart full of Sadness, Mind full of Awe –Thoughts of an Old Man


Japanese People
Image by aelena via Flickr

  My heart is full of sadness from the current death and suffering across the globe. Between the problems in the Middle East and North Africa to the ruins left in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan there is a lot of work to be done by the international community. The tasks at hand are not easy ones due to the fact too many governments playing politics while so many suffer and are dying each day. While N.A.T.O. and the U.N. debate over possible solutions the crisis is becoming more and more critical with each day that passes. We should come together as a world to help Japan avoid the Nuclear disaster that is looming on the horizon. We should do something to keep Libya from becoming a nation soaked in the blood of civilians and revolutionaries.

  My mind is full of awe from the discipline and courage of the Japanese people in the face of such great danger and devastation. Workers and military personnel willing to get so close to the reactors as they are going critical and doing so knowing there will be great health risks involved if not death. People such as those are what we call heroes and great humanitarians. They put their own life on the line for the good of all of mankind. I pray their heroic efforts succeed in stopping the looming nuclear disaster and that we can learn from this serious situation. Nuclear power may be a financially ideal source of energy but the possible costs involved such as nuclear waste and the chance of nuclear meltdowns. Maybe the situation in Japan will open the eyes of the world to the dangers in playing with nuclear power and that we should be investing in alternative power sources such as solar , hydro and wind power technologies.

  The Libya problem is one that effects not only North Africa and the Middle East but the whole world. The United Stated should be leading the way in finding a solution to this problem and should do so soon. Each day America wastes playing political games the more people are slaughtered by the Kaddafi Regime. Strong words and sanctions are not going to stop the slaughter of thousands of civilians and rebels. The situation in Libya went from a political struggle to a humanitarian crises and something needs to be done soon.

  Just the thoughts of some old man, May God watch over those in Libya and Japan.

Peace
Raymond Barbier

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Just some babbling about the self and happiness


014 I often have wondered what is the secret to a happy life and for the most part the answers seemed to change with each situation I experienced during the course of my life. So needles to say the answers I thought were correct were just reflections or shadows of the true secret. The real question is if there is a secret to living a happy life or not. Obviously no one can be happy 100% of the time and I am not even sure that only one secret or answer could be found to the question.  The main thing I have learned is one must let go of the prioritization of the self and its desires. The self is the most time and resource consuming part of being a sentient being. Since the self must exist in order for one to be self aware / sentient then we must learn to restrain its ever present demanding voice.

The tendency for humans to be selfish and self centered is basically a natural part of our psyche and though it can not be totally avoided it can be muffled or muted. Therefore Discipline of the mind is also one of the secrets of a happy life, for without mental discipline the self would become center of all and selfishness would be the main controlling factor in our daily lives. To sustain the self and to take care of its needs is something we must do, but to fulfill its wants and desires is something we can all together control or avoid. The self  usually is like a little child who is spoiled and gets all he or she wants with no restriction. In a disciplined mind the self learns that not all it wants will be fulfilled and that there is higher priorities that must be focused on.

Having concern for the welfare of others seems to be somewhat instinctual to most humans though I have noticed a few people who seem to have no concern for others. This is probably because they allow the self to take high priority to the point of selfishness and become apathetic to the concerns of things that are not of any benefit to themselves. For most of us though the welfare of others usually plays at least a small part in our lives if not a major one. Being social creatures that seem to group up to survive and thrive makes the welfare of others a necessity in maintaining the group.

Maybe a lot of the problem in modern society is that not everyone has a social place, there is a lot of people who are just transient social outcasts. People that are either not accepted by the social circles of modern society or who never could find where they belong. Without purpose socially they seem to either become a social ostrich or turtle by hiding their head in the sand and or retracting into their protective shell. This makes them feel unwanted or unneeded so they float from one social circle to the other having no purpose or destination.

So I guess the secret to happiness is to find your place in society and be needed as well as being satisfied with what blessing you have. To care for others and put the self second to the more important things of life. Maybe there really isn’t no real secret or just one formula to happiness, maybe the secret is to find your own path to walk.

Well enough of my truly random thoughts and babbling

Peace

Raymond Barbier

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