Tag Archives: Activism

Just another Sunday morning Rant.


002Human history has proven humanity is capable of some horrific actions, from ancient conquerors , the trail of tears, world wars 1 and 2 we have seen some of the worst possible sides of humanity. There were of course some times that we rose up and done some miraculous things as well. When we are able to put behind us our differences and learn to forgive as well as forget we seem to be able to come together as a species and perform some very wonderful and spectacular feats.  The question remains of how this generation is remembered by the future generations to come. Is this going to be a generation of conflict, politics and the depletion of our natural resources or the generation that saw what was coming and took action as well as faced the dilemmas of our times. Between the media and the big corporations the average person is bombarded constantly with images and ideas of what we are supposed to look like, act like and what will make us happy. The sad part is a lot of us actually buy into all the sales pitches thrown at us. They pitch at us how a new smart phone makes our life easier or makes us look cooler or how we need to have tax cut for the wealthy. Too much information being sent at us 24/7 and it becomes almost like brain washing by seeing it so much.

Look at our food, it is so full of preservatives and unhealthy fillers or fats so that they can sell it cheap to us but anything that is good for you cost a lot more. Our meat is less nutritious than 2 generations ago and so was our fruits and vegetables. Our meat is becoming so low quality they was irradiate it to make sure it doesn’t have any bacteria or virus’s in it. It has all come down to profit, even to our governments. They spend our money and borrow from other countries and then try to cut off Social security which is by the way a paid for entitlement by the people. Our politicians are more worried about their political parties, agendas and careers than the economy or the state of our country. They are great at spinning tales, taking the words of another politician of context but they are lousy at reading and or passing bills to benefit the common worker.

To be honest, I believe some of the politicians in office really need to grow up and do the job we the tax payers pay them to do and stop playing party politics on our dime. We the consumers need to pay less attention to the illusion we need the newest thing to be happy and just be happy with what we have. We also should stop buying the unhealthy convenient foods and either buy fresh vegetables and fruits or when possible grow our own. We need to be more independent for the economy wont be getting better any time soon and the cost of food is unlikely to decrease. The more independent and self-sufficient we are the easier it will be to survive the possible hard times ahead. Even if the economy gets better it is still a good practice to be self-sufficient.

To be the generation of solutions and of change we must start changing our own lives and lead by example. We need to educate ourselves and help educate others on self efficiency and we need to get back to being more community minded. We can as a species either create a better world for our future generations or we can continue allowing the world to spiral downward as it has for years. I myself rather fix as much of the problems today in our world so that those who come after me will have a better world to live in than to leave them a mess that may not be fixable in the future.  It is our children’s and grandchildren’s world we are messing up today. Well enough ranting about this generation and the woes of the world of today and possibly of tomorrow for now.

We can be led by those in power or we can show those in power the way to lead.
Ray Barbier

Work together to better our communities and our world


062 Every one of us has a story, each one of us influences the world around us. How we influence and how much we contribute is up to us. But there is no such thing as an unimportant person, we all are important, special and unique to God. We all are a part of the great machine called life. We as individuals can change our little worlds and as a group can influence change on a global scale. This is one of the unique qualities of human beings, we can change our environments to suit our needs as well as change the course of our worlds destiny / fate.  Protests, revolutions, grass root projects and just plain speaking up can cause political, social and even cultural changes. I prefer the non violent methods of enacting change, usually the violent path only brings suffering and brings either temporary or negative results.  There are of course some circumstances that violent action is the only path but it should be the last resort.

I blog quite often about how governments tend to be out of touch with the needs of the citizens and are more focused on the rich or the powerful. How the governments fail at actually coming up with solutions to problems due to party politics and the interest groups lobbying them. We can not rely on our governments to carry the weight and should as a nation and or global community start dealing with some of the problems ourselves. Poverty, hunger, homelessness and the environment are things we as citizens can make a difference in. If we organize and work together to better our communities and our world we can achieve almost anything. Some can give money, some can just volunteer time or their expertise as well as doing grass-roots education. So much we can do on our own and probably do a far better job of it than the government could do. It is the right way to do it and almost every religion supports the idea of taking care of our fellow human beings. We can put aside our religious and cultural differences to make this world a better place if we chose to do so.

 

Just some thoughts, Right or Wrong there here for all to see.

 

 

Love, Compassion and peace are the keys to a better world.”

Raymond Barbier

We must refrain from action that may cause grief or harm


002  Why does society dictate that growing up and growing old means you have to stop being your true self? The fun-loving side of us and enjoyment of simple pleasures has to be put aside for the mature decision maker and hard-working citizen. Take away the parts of us that makes us individuals and that supports the creative, loving and compassionate sides of our nature. Is it because it is far easier to control someone who has little self-identity and is analytical without being imaginative? Though that is a good question I do not believe that is the case or hope it isn’t anyway. Though we may all be a part of the whole, we are also individuals and should experience life as who we were intended to be not what society says is socially acceptable. Of course we must refrain from action that may cause grief or harm to others and as long as we keep that in mind we should be who we truly are and care little about what society says is normal or acceptable. as long it isn’t illegal and if it doesn’t harm anyone than it is acceptable far as I am concerned. And far as the illegal things that you believe shouldn’t be against the law, either avoid them or become active in changing the law. That is the beauty of a democratic republic such as the united states. Any law can be changed or removed if enough people get behind it. It may take time to do such but if you really are behind the idea then its worth the time and effort.  Protesting and working within the system to create change is our governments and in our world is not only for the young. The older generation’s experience and temperance can enhance any cause or movement. No matter your age is, the welfare and the state of our world is a concern as well as your responsibility.

 

You are the same person now that you were when your were younger, just you have learned more and gained wisdom from your experiences along the way. The core of who and what you are is a constant and its only the filters you view the world around you with that has changed. Be who you truly are inside and cast aside your fears of not being accepted and/or liked. For there are those who don’t like you as well as those that will, that is just part of life. The only person you who must like you is you, because if you don’t like yourself it makes it harder for others to like you as well.

 

 

 

“The chains of illusion weaved by societies expectations bind your true potential and who you truly are.”

Raymond Barbier

To them I ask to remember the children.


p10061  Extreme weather from one season to the next, tornadoes and hurricanes hitting us left and right. Earthquakes all across the globe, and record heat waves across America are signs that something is up with our world. Call it global warming, climate change or just solar flares, but face the fact that there is something going on that defiantly needs our attention. Governments and scientists need to stop living in denial of the fact that our world’s ecosystem is going to change and possibly not for the good . Call me an alarmist or a paranoid middle-aged man if you wish, but I rather look at the evidence before me than to live in denial of possibilities that are before us all. As the old saying goes, better safe than sorry and I believe that more than ever a change in how we humans impact this world we live in should be changed.

Relying on carbon based fuels that are not plentiful enough to sustain the needs of a growing world population. Toxic gases and chemicals that are being pumped into the atmosphere are destroying the ozone layer as well as contaminating the soil and drinking water.What kind of world are we leaving for our children and the children of the future? The shortage of oil, drinking water and food are setting the stage for a possible world war three. As a species we have proven that we can achieve miraculous feats when we work together on a common goal. We are quickly approaching a crossroad where we will have to choose to either continue down the road of denial and blindness or a path of awakening and global co-operation. Will greed and lust of power be the way of man or will the path be one of goodwill and  global unity. The global unity I am referring to is not one world government, it is the achievement of a collective effort between all nations to better our world and the tolerance if not acceptance of each others differences.

I believe we require the different nations as well as the different religions or philosophies to keep mankind diverse as well as strong. Diversity is what allowed mankind to survive and thrive up to this point. Without our diversity we would have been a drone like society that probably would not have survived this long. The crossroads are growing closer and soon we must set our priorities and face the costs of our choices. The children of today are the ones that will be the ones to face the results of our choices both good and bad. So I leave it in the hands of those who can make the choices and to them I ask to remember the children when they do.

Just my 2 cents worth, Right or wrong it is here for you to see
Raymond Barbier