If you haven’t read the previous blog entry entitled “The Real Why”, then please do so, it will help to shed light on this entry.  Now we want to explore the concept I am calling the real why.  Let’s answer, why ask why, as a starting point.  What is the importance of why? 

Why gives us the reason for something.  Why gives us the cause of something. And why gives us the purpose for something.  And this often leads to confusion about the word why because it serves different purposes. (No pun intended) The reason, the cause, and the purpose for something are not always the same. 

Your car breaks down one day, why? 

The cause of it breaking down maybe a mechanical failure due to a lack of maintenance. That is also the reason it broke down. 

But the purpose for it breaking down might be different.  The purpose for something is often the meaning you give to a situation to learn and grow from it, and that is a different kind of why.  In the case of the car, the purpose could be to teach you not to be cheap in the way of spending money to maintain your belongings.  This is not the actual cause for it, but you have given the situation meaning so that it helps you to learn and grow form it, to prevent it from occuring again. 

In all three cases, the purpose, the reason, and the cause for the car breaking down, you are still answering the question why, but in a slightly different way.

The purpose for something is the reason or the interpretation you give to something to explain why it occured.  The cause is what happened to bring soemthing about and it needs no interpretation, it just is.  When I use the term the Real Why in this particular blog, it means just that, the real why, not the fake one.  The actual cause is what you are looking for so that you can predict or control whether something can or will occur again.   In the case of the car, if you know the real why or (actual cause) of the breakdown, then you can possibly predict or prevent it from happening again.  If you don’t know the real why, it can happen repeatedly and you will never be able to prevent it because you never learned the cause.

The same is true for the purpose for it breaking down.  If you conclude that the purpose for it breaking down is that you needed to buy a new car then you will not learn or grow from the experience, you will repeat the same mistake of not maintaining the new car and soon it will also breakdown as well. 

This is the value of the Real Why.  The real why gives you power and control over your circumstances.  Without the real why (cause) of something, you cannot predict or control whether or not something will occur because you don’t know what caused it.  Also if you can’t learn the real why (purpose) for something that occured, then you will not likely learn or grow from it and you are subject to repeating it. 

Knowing the Real Why, whether referring to the purfose for something or the cause of something, is the foundation of knowledge.   It is the prerequisite for living life according to your own terms.  It is a prerequisite for living the life you want.  If you live without knowing the real why of things you will likely live life as a victim. You will be subject to what appears to be random acts, and to fate, or to good and bad luck, or the wishes of the arbitrary gods.  But when you begin to always explore and find the real why, then you will empower yourself to be the keeper of what is or what is not allowed to exist in your reality.  You will have opened the door to discovering what causes something to exist. The real why.

I hope you understand a bit why the real why is so vital.

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In a recent conversation I had with a friend, he reminded me of a presentation I did where I talked about the real why. The conversation inspired me to recap the idea in this blog.  Just what is the real why? Well I will eventually get to it, but before I do, I need to first explain the reality of problems. 

Everyone is faced with problems.  Problems at work. Problems in relationships. Financial problems. Health problems.  Problems in life.  Problems in society.  Problems in the world.  This is the nature of our existence.  Encountering problems!

We all have expectations, desires, and preferences and often the reality of things doesn’t match what we expect, desire or prefer,  that is when we perceive that there is a problem.  That is a what a problem actually is. 

A problem is when a particular reality does not match what you perceive or think it should be or when the reality of something does not match what you want it to be.  That is the most accurate definition of a problem.  A problem is when someone finds a particular reality undesirable.  Hence, a problem is simply incongruence between what is and what you think or desire to be.  That is all. 

 The cube on the left can be called “what is”.  The cube on the right is “what we think or desire it to be” (which is in our mind).  When we recognize the one on the left could or should become the one on the right, then we recognize there is a problem.  The recognition of the difference  between what is and what should be or what we desire to be is the definition of problem.

Now just like with this cube, the reality of things is not always in agreement with how we see it or how we want it to be.  And if you have noticed that fact, then you have recognized some problems. Maybe this is true of your career. Or your bank account. Or your relationship.  But guess what? Whatever the case may be, you have to get accustomed to problems.  You have to get the point where you embrace and accept all problems as the natural way to live.  You have to accept that you will encounter problems.  And I dare say you have to come to love problems.

“What! Love problems? Michael you must be crazy”.  I’m not crazy at all.  This is wisdom for you to use for ever and to pass down to your chidren and their childrens’ children.  Problems are not bad.  Problems are natural.  And if you don’t get use to them, then you are likely to be in a constant state of unhappiness as you keep encountering problems and avoiding problems or even worse, reacting emotionally or unwisely to problems and thus making them WORSE.

Problems are the bridge between what goes on in side your head (your perception) and the objective reality that you live in.  Problems can bring you out of your virtual reality inside your head and into the “real world”, if you don’t “bug out” because of the problem. 

Problems lead us to act if we are so inclined.  The people who feel capable or empowered to do something about their problems, they will inevitably take action to bring reality and the way they want things to be, in harmony with each other.  That is to say they will attempt to solve the problem.  I hope I am not going to fast on this subject as it is quite profound.  My only attempt here is to expose a few key ideas that you can work with. 

For example, on  a small scale a person who has a problem taking care of themselves materially could be said to have a financial problem.  Once they identify the problem, any attempt at solving it will move them from where they are to another point.  They may ask for help.  They may read a book. They may go back to school.  They may seek another job. Whatever they do to try to solve the problem is greater than doing nothing.  They are in progress toward solving the problem. There is now activity.  There is now improvement. They have progressed. 

Thus one could ask, “Would I have made progress without first perceiving there was a problem?”  The likely answer is no.  Problems, as I have defined them here as the incongruence between our perception or desire, and the actual reality, fuels progress.  And it is the attempt at solving problems which creates the dynamic experience of life and eventually re-creates the objective reality of which we are faced.  Learning comes from making an attempt at solving problems.  Now don’t go around making problems as a way to “help everyone”.  That makes you a problem maker, not problem solver.  Problems really don’t need your help.  They will find you and others.

So if you happen to have any problems, then Hallelujah! You have an opportunity to learn, grow, make progress and improve.  That is if you understand that they are there for you to evolve.  Because could there actually be a problem, if there was no conscious being there to consider it a problem?  There is no problem without a perceiver.  Therefore the problem is actually all about you, the perceiver.   

So when you encounter your next problem, and you most certainly will, the first thing you need to ask yourself is “What can I learn from this problem?”.  This will take you in the right direction and eventually into discovering the real Why.  So as I began the next blog is….. The Real Why.

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The idea of clarifying what is real from what is unreal is a new phenomenon.  There was a time when only what we might call real things, existed.  Nothing else seemed possible.  Real trees, real people, real books, real entertainment, real relationships, real work, real money, real friends, and even nature was real.  Now oddly we live in a time where people have to use expressions like ”real talk” and ”keeping it real”, because real appears to be a diminishing thing.  Foods like cheese are sometimes labeled “made with real cheese” so as not to be confused with being only real cheese.  Costume jewelry, reality tv, synthetic foods, implants…. nowadays things aren’t always what they appear to be. 

Listen, this is real talk. (As opposed to the usual talk) 

Most things in the  past tended to be real.  Now unfortunately many people, especially younger folks, are growing up with a skewed sense of reality and of real things.  Many people today have lives that are mostly made up of what would have been considered in the not so distant past, as artificial or fake things. 

Even more sad, people today appear unable to distinguish the artificial from the real.  They assume that everything is real because it exists in any form, not realizing that just because something is visible or exists doesn’t mean it is real.  What a tragedy.  I hope I am not confusing you.   So to minimize any confusion, let’s explore a few brief definitions.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines real as:

1.  of or relating to fixed, permanent, or immovable things (as lands or tenements)
2 a : not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine <real gold>; also : being precisely what the name implies <a real professional> b (1) : occurring or existing in actuality <saw a real live celebrity> <a story of real life> (2) : of or relating to practical or everyday concerns or activities <left school to live in the real world> (3) : existing as a physical entity and having properties that deviate from an ideal, law, or standard <a real gas> — compare ideal 3b c : having objective independent existence <unable to believe that what he saw was real> d : fundamental, essential e (1) : belonging to or having elements or components that belong to the set of real numbers <the real roots of an equation> <a real matrix> (2) : concerned with or containing real numbers <real analysis> (3) : real-valued <real variable> f : measured by purchasing power <real income> <real dollars> g : complete, utter <a real fiasco>
3 of a particle : capable of being detected — compare virtual 3

— for real 1 : in earnest : seriously <fighting for real>
2 : genuine <couldn’t believe the threats were for real>
3 : genuinely good or capable of success (as in competition) <not yet sure if this team is for real>

Unreal is defined as:

lacking in reality, substance, or genuineness : artificial, illusory; also : incredible, fantastic

Artificial is defined as:

1 : humanly contrived often on a natural model : man-made <an artificial limb> <artificial diamonds>
2 a : having existence in legal, economic, or political theory b : caused or produced by a human and especially social or political agency <an artificial price advantage> <artificial barriers of discrimination — R. C. Weaver>
3 obsolete : artful, cunning
4 a : lacking in natural or spontaneous quality <an artificial smile> <an artificial excitement> b : imitation, sham <artificial flavor>
5 : based on differential morphological characters not necessarily indicative of natural relationships <an artificial key for plant identification.

Much can be  learned from just these simple definitions.  How much of what is out here is, or is related to things that are ”fixed, permanent, and immovable“?  How much of what is observed is not illusory (deceptive or not real)?  How many things that we see and eat are actually artificial?  How often are things exactly “what the name implies”?  How much of what is eaten is “humanly contrived based on a natural model“?  How often do people encounter something or someone that lacks “in reality, substance, or genuineness”?  How much conversation and time is actually spent on things that are “of or related to practical concerns.”?  If dollars were measured by “purchasing power“, are they as real as they once were?  How much of what is believed “occured or exists in actuality“?  This shows us the reality of real today. (I couldn’t resist putting it that way, forgive me.)  The real is gradually fading as the unreal is blended in with it.  Pay attention.   It is happening right before our eyes.

So as you go about the next few days consider how much of what you say, do, hear, observe, believe, possess, eat, think, and feel is actually real.  Consider whether you even care, or prefer the real over the artificial.  And if you do prefer the real, then make an effort to build your life on and with people and things that are actually real and leave the artificial to those who are inclined as such.  

But in truth, the reality is, if you are on this blog and reading it, then it is likely that you prefer the real, because I am about as real as it gets.

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The images of devastion from a horrific earthquake which has destroyed Port-au-Prince, Haiti are heart wrenching.  If you are online you have already seen them.  The wife of musician Wyclef Jean, who was on the ground in Port-au-Prince after the quake and who knows the city well, said she fears that a in city with nearly 2 million people in the area, more are dead than alive.  This is an unbelievable tragedy.  Port-au-Prince, once a major city with a population roughly the size of Philadelphia, PA, is now being considered a mass morgue. 

The world watches in horror.  People are moved to donate supplies, food, equipment, time, and money.  I have personally given money, but I plan to do and give more.  Part of what I am giving is this narrative on how to interpret and react to this awful catastrophy. I want this narrative to spread. I want it to influence the direction that the humanitarian efforts take.  I want to influence how the people of Haiti are perceived.  And I want this narrative to influence the strategy for rebuilding Haiti.  An ambitous goal I know, but this is my intention in writing this post.

 Jean Jaqcues Dessalines, Leader of the Hatian revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti 

First, the people of Haiti.  The Haitian people are proud and resilient.  The rich history of the Island demonstrates the courage and strength of a people who freed themselves from enslavement by defeating Napoleon Bonaparte and The French, and by establishing the first Black Republic in the Western hemisphere.  Ironically, as a slave colony, Haiti was a rich resource, a cash cow for the French, providing at one time an estimated 60% of the world’s sugar and 40% of the world’s coffee. However as independent nation, Haiti has suffered tremendous debt and poverty.  Why? 

Embargos, tariffs, and economic exploitation have kept Haiti from developing.  The French held a crippling embargo on Haiti until Haiti agreed to pay 150 million Francs to the French or risk being recolonized.  The debt was not paid off due to usarist interest rates until 1947 and by then Haiti was too far behind to compete.  Here is an interesting article on the Haitian French financial relationship and the moral obligation of France to help Haiti in a big way. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-01-14/why-haitis-earthquake-is-frances-problem

Since that time debt and poverty have become characteristic of Haiti, yet the Haitian people have persevered.  Now the time has come for Haiti to tell it’s story.  Tell the world that the bravery and resilience we see in the women, children, ederly, and in the men of Haiti who sufferred utter devastation from the earthquake was also there hundreds of years ago when Haitians proudly fought for independence. 

Haitians overcome Tell the world how you sang songs while you witnessed the death of hundreds and thousands of your friends, family, and neighbors. Tell the world how your people sang songs while being pulled from underneath the rubble and how those songs of gratititude and faith have carried your people through dark days in the past.   The Haitian narrative is not one of Vodoo and divine retribution, as Pat Robertson and others who are most likely spiritual unenlightened might suggest.  But instead of emotional resilience and spiritual strength.  It is a narrative of Black slaves who freed themselves, established their independence, and who have struggled to survive despite isolation and economic exploitaiton.

Which leads me to my second point, the charities.  Currently, there appears to be an outpourring of support and millions of dollars are being raised, yet it is not reaching the people as it should.  This was also the case in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.  As a result, hunger and thirst are driving the earthquake survivors into anxiety and a second wave of suffering. Consequently, violence is beginning to emerge because of the lack of distribution of food and resources and help on the ground.   Is this taking the shape of a modern embargo?  Is there any excuse for this? Are these charities operating like a modern economic tarrif imposed on the Republic of Haiti, as millions of dollars are being siphoned off for administration of charities that in the end are not able to actually serve the people of Haiti due to a “bottle neck” and security concerns?   This is unacceptable.  Haiti cannot be isolated and exploited a second time!  So what needs to happen.

There has to be a heavy deployment (thousands) of troops and volunteers on the ground in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti to immediately engage the situation in a constructive manner.  The quicker order and control is established through the provision of services, the more the people will be at ease and cooperate. 

1. Military forces need to set up distribution points and lines throughout Port-au-Prince immediately and in locations where survivors will be relocated.

2.  Rescue teams need to be deployed to continue to search and retrieve the remaining survivors.

3. Medical tents and make shift clinics, staffed with volunteer doctors from the US and elsewhere, need to be set up and secured in many locations, in and outside Port-au-Prince.            

4. Temporary housing, possibly a few “tent cities”, needs to be set up outside the city and there must be a mass relocation of survivors to other parts of the island.  Housing capacity in other cities in Haiti needs to be expanded to accomodate more people. 

5. Security, medical assistance, food and other resources have to be organized and provided at each one of these temporary housing locations and in the cities that are accepting survivors.

6. Corporations need to provide expertise and equipment to remove rubble, coordinate distribution, and set up temporary infrastructure such as  communication, transportation, burial sites, sewage, water lines, and limited electricity. 

7.  Charities need to sub contract the work of assisting the poeple of Haiti to companies and organizations on the ground in Haiti that are executing the above points or who at least have an on the ground presence commensurate with the financial support they have received.  There has to be a better reporting on the use of funds. How much of what was donated resulted in direct aid and assistance received? What are the methods used to determine the direct aid and assistance received?  How much of the donations went toward fundraising, public relations, and administration? 

8. There has to be a debt forgiveness from all Haitian creditors so the country can rebuild.  See this article. rich_nations_call_for_haiti_debt_relief_-_nytimescom

9.  The story of triumph has to be told.  The triumph of the Haitian people to endure.  The triumph of quick direct aid and assistance delivered to the people of Haiti from millions around the world who were moved by compassion.  The triumph of Haiti as a nation to rebuild from poverty and ashes and have a new future as a nation now longer isolated and despied, but REVERED AND EMBRACED AS A BEACON OF STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND RESILIENCE.

My prayers go out to the people and Nation of Haiti. May God illuminate the way for you. Protect you. Supply your needs.  And comfort you during these most trying times.  God bless, and long live The Republic of Haiti. 

Also here is a link to the blog of Wyclef Jean, a young emerging Haitian American leader who is doing much to assist his native Haiti.  He deserves support.  http://wyclefjean.wordpress.com/ 

Here is also a video from his press conference. Wyclef Jean on Haitian relief

Here is also the Red Cross website where you can help. http://www.redcross.org/

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Wow. It has been a while since my last post.  For my regular readers, forgive me.  All I can say is that sometimes life throws challenges your way and can impede your forward progress, but if you stay the course and are committed to progress, you will get through it.  This is a great lesson for the new year. 

It is intelligent to set new goals for the new year.  It is even better to write them down and create a plan for their achievement.  Goals give us direction and urge us to move forward and take action.  Their achievement can be a great source of personal satisfaction and joy, so by all means set some goals.  However, one thing you have to consider is that life is quite complex.  If personal satisfaction  were as simple as setting a goal then we would all be fine, but unfortunately it isn’t that simple.  The unexpected can happen.  So can the undesirable. 

Sometimes things can be far more difficult than they appear.   It is in this context of life that your goals must occur and that is what makes them challenging.  It is also what makes them more rewarding.  We have to learn to embrace both apsects of life, the parts we like and the part of life that challenges us.  It makes for good drama.  Adversity sets us up to give a greater performance.  In sports, business, entertainment, and in life, the bigger the goal, the bigger the challenges or opposition.  It just comes with the territory. 

As you move into the new year, hopefully focused with a few well crafted goals, be prepared to overcome some challenges.  Be prepared to learn, to grow, to make adjustments and to work hard for what you want.  There really aren’t any handouts, because even if you happen to get one, you will pay some price for it eventually, even if you don’t see it.

Don’t make excuses.  But do find out why things are the way they are and how to make your desires happen.  You deserve the best that you can secure for yourself so go for it.  Here is a lesson I learned learned in past year or so.

Facing difficulty or challenges is a natural part of life. It is unavoidable. If you set a big goal you will face challenges to achieve it.  The same is true for a small goal. If you want a better job you will have to overcome challenges to get it.  Or if you decide not to be bothered with working or earning an income, you will then struggle against homelessness and hunger.  In relationships the same is true, you will  always face challenges.  It is nature of life, not the other person, not the circumstances, or the supervisor or any external factor, it is the nature of life itself.  Life automatically brings you challenges, this isn’t the exception, it is the rule.

There is duality or oppostion built into everything, so try to get used to it.  Don’t live life trying to avoid difficulty or challenges.  Go for what makes you happy.  This is the lesson:  Since facing difficulty and opposition is the natural way of life, then at least face it while in pursuit of your own happiness.  You owe that to yourself. 

Here is a lil song to take you in the new year. My dad used to play it in the house alot when I was young and it is a profound classic.  Enjoy.  Pursue your Happy New Year! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlQlddQV9Zs

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Please, if you haven’t already done so, then read the previous blog entry entitled “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?”, it will provide context for what you are about to read.  In the posting, I exposed in part, through the use of a metaphor, the truth about the current healthcare reform legislation in the United States.  The hidden hand  behind the current push was revealed for my readers and to the world (if they read the blog).  And since then, credible third party verification of my assertions, was leaked and reported in the NY Times on November 14, four days after my blog entry was written. 

If you have read my previous blog entry, then you will see the significance of this article and it’s revelations. Here is an excerpt from the article from the NY Times, along with a link to the entire article.

WASHINGTON — In the official record of the historic House debate on overhauling health care, the speeches of many lawmakers echo with similarities. Often, that was no accident.

E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans.

The lobbyists, employed by Genentech and by two Washington law firms, were remarkably successful in getting the statements printed in the Congressional Record under the names of different members of Congress.

Genentech, a subsidiary of the Swiss drug giant Roche, estimates that 42 House members picked up some of its talking points — 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats, an unusual bipartisan coup for lobbyists.”

They go on to say …”In recent years, Genentech’s political action committee and lobbyists for Roche and Genentech have made campaign contributions to many House members, including some who filed statements in the Congressional Record. And company employees have been among the hosts at fund-raisers for some of those lawmakers. But Evan L. Morris, head of Genentech’s Washington office, said, “There was no connection between the contributions and the statements.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/us/politics/15health.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1258287359-Tuaqs4ii7u7V8Q2qbtpaIQ 

As I originally wrote in the previous blog entry, “The gigantic pharmaceutical companies who fund politicians stand to benefit most by expanding the number of participants in this massive, nationalized forced health insurance plan, ie drug game.” .

Now there is public evidence to support that conclusion.  The drug companies were caught red handed in
writing the dialogue for both sides (Democrat and Republican) in the debate on healthcare reform.                                                    

This clearly demonstrates that in either scenario, a Democratic oriented healthcare bill or a Republican oriented healthcare bill, the drug companies win.   Although it is affirming to have public evidence for the critical analysis I present in my blog, it is not my goal to say I told you so. 

Rather, I exposed this scheme so that in the light of truth, a rational wellness, prevention, and health care plan could be developed that would address the real needs of people without bankrupting them or the country.  Equally important, the plan would be based on people having an actual choice of whether or not to participate, not mandatory  participation and a faux choice about whether or not there is a “public option”. 

Hopefully, I can complete a short book on the subject in time to affect the current evolving healthcare debate and legislation.  But while I am working on that you can help by sharing this blog with others and continuing to keep yourself informed. 

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Late in the evening on Saturday November 7, 2009, the United States House of Representatives passed the new healthcare reform legistlation.  The bill, which has to meet approval in the United States Senate, is one of the most substantial bills ever passed in US history, in both scope and costs.  The 2,000 pages of legalese, has roughly 400,00 words and is the size of a major metropolitan city’s phone book, both yellow and white pages.   

Fortunately for everyone, House members, who are known not to read bills before taking a vote, had a whole week to read it carefully and decide.  Thank goodness they can read so fast. 

Anyhow, Am I my brother’s keeper?  These are the famous lines from the Old Testament uttered by Cain when speaking to his father about the whereabouts of his brother, Able.  Of course Cain had secretly slain his brother but kept the truth from their father.  These are also the words spoken by the character Nino Brown, a drug kingpin in the 1991 classic urban film, New Jack City.  Whenever Nino Brown wanted to reaffirm his fairness and generosity to the community and his organization, sometimes by giving away goods or help, he would ask rhetorically, ”Am I my brother’s keeper?”.  Strangely, Nino couldn’t see the impact he was having on the community.  People were strung out on drugs and increasingly poor.  His own organization was rife with corruption, but he was too blinded by greed and the bundles of cash rolling in.  What does any of this have to do with the healthcare legistlation?

Well I asked myself, where is the good in this plan?  Expanding a system that is already dysfunctional and overly expensive?  Expanding health insurance costs to everyone whether they want it or not?  Whether they can afford to pay it or not?  And the only thing that came to mind was the line, asked by Nino, ”Am I my brother’s keeper?”  It’s good politics to appear to look out for the poor and the sick.  It’s good politics to force the healthy or wealthy to pay for treatment of the sick and the poor.  But how about reducing illness thru education, good nutrition, and healthy alternatives?  How about helping the poor get jobs or raising their income at a time when inflation is rising and unemployment is at 10% and rising? Unfortunately, that isn’t the plan.

It is all about perception?  How do I look? The same Nino who sells the drugs gives away free turkeys to the community at Thanksgiving to keep up a good image.   What are we really talking about here with health care reform?  Are we really talking about helping the poor?  The same poor who are given sub standard education?  The same poor who are unemployed and underemployed?  The same poor with little to no income?  The same poor who are a majority of America’s prison population?  Or is this thanksgiving and Nino is handing out the turkeys to the poor? 

The problem with health care is largely that it isn’t about health.  It is mostly about the sale of prescription drugs and vaccines.  Massive, unconscionable amounts of toxic drugs.  Which brings me back to Nino Brown and the famous lines “Am I my brother’s keeper”?  The reality is that Nino Brown wasn’t his brother’s keeper. He sold drugs and lots of them.

The gigantic pharmaceutical companies who fund politicians stand to benefit most by expanding the number of participants in this massive, nationalized forced health insurance plan, ie drug game.  Worst of all the costs are passed on to those who are healthier and younger, who will be forced to pay for what they won’t often use.  And to those who are wealthier, through a mandatory additional 5% tax on their income.  And to unborn citizens, who will inherit the ballooning federal deficit. 

These folks really are their brother’s keeper, only not by choice, by force.  I’m sure Nino, who only had an aparment complex (The Carter) on lock down, would be envious of this operation, which locks down the entire United States. Wow! 

Are there any benefits to the national health insurance plan? Sure, if it was made available by choice. If it was actually affordable.  But to compel participation?  That is wrong, even if it comes with the distribution of the ”free insurance” for the poor.  And look, it is right around Thanksgiving.  Am I my brother’s keeper?

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This is a very difficult subject for me to write about.  In all honesty, I am a bit torn about the enforcement of things that are government mandated.  Allow me to explain my reservations.  I drive a car and as such I am required to have car insurance since I could endanger myself and others.  Children are required to be in school at least up until a certain age, presumably for a basic education and for socialization purposes.  In order to drive a car you have to have a driver’s licesnse, also because you could be a danger to someone else while on the road.

I can understand those requirements.  But now there is talk about manditory vaccines and that makes me very nervous.  I have grave concerns about mandatory vaccines.  Why you may wonder?  Well ultimately it is a trust issue.  Secondly, it has to do with who controls my body?  I can’t cover the subject here as I would like, so you have to be patient until I publish my little book on Healthcare in America, to get a more detailed explanation of my ideas.  

However, I came across two brief videos that I think support in a visual way why I ultimately reserve ALL RESPONSIBILITY for my health to MYSELF.  I make the decisions about my body.  It is my human right. My birth right.  My divine right.  If people can clearly see how women have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, then who can question someone’s right to choose whether or not to be injected by a substance.  I told you it was a tough subject.  Bear with me.  

Since my life is by far the most precious thing I have or will ever have, then I will not place it at risk blindly off of someone else’s recommendation, if I choose not to.  Particularly when there are financial and political interest involved in the mandatory requirement.

Does anyone remember the official documentation, Congressional hearings, Congressional oversight, military intelligence and international media barrage that all verified for us that Sadaam Hussein not only had weapons of mass destruction but was likely to use them?  Oh, then you know all of these official sources can and do get it wrong sometimes when big money is involved.  And when it comes to mandatory vaccinations of hundreds of millions of people at $20 a pop then billions are at stake, no pun intented. 

So only I can make that decision of whether or not anything  will be injected into my body.  Because it is so serious and people can be compromised, only I have the right to choose.  Having the right to choose is as American as apple pie. 

Oh, as for the videos, clink on the links at the end of this paragraph.  It is so tragic. My heart goes out to this young women and her loved ones.  As was in the case of the Iraqi people, this women deserves more than an “Oh I’m sorry, we got it wrong.”   Maybe her story will protect others and maybe this blog will help us to recognize how sacred and precious our life is and that it has to be protected and regarded as such.  Click the links below:

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/health/dpgo_101309_woman_disabled_by_flu_shot_reaction_dystonia_4027780

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVQKA_CpQfk

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Here is a video sent to me by a friend.  The video is of a gentlemen who allegedly creates microscopic sculptures.  Take a look, click on this link and return to finish reading this blog.  Micro Sculptor.

Some would dispute whether or not this is true or a hoax, but for the record, nanotechnology, which enables microscopic creations, does exist.  But what is the significance of this that I would like to point out?

Here is a man who is making something that is valuable, in this case worth millions of dollars, and it is literally smaller than a grain of sand.  His work is built upon an entirely different way of viewing value and it gives clues to direction of the future.  In the past bigger was better.  Bigger held all the value.  In the very near future we will better exploit the infinitity that exist between atoms and molecules to create value.  Soon we will have to reconsider our notions of scarcity and lack.  As the tools of creation take us further in the direction of the microscopic, we will create new industries in health, finance, art, culture, information, and more.

So while the world is panicking over the global economic crisis, others are seeing infinite value right where there was nothing.  This is what it will take in part to tap into the fortunes of the future.  The ability to see and make something, where others see nothing.  I encourage you to take time to begin to look for opportunities and you will start to see them.  They are all around you.  See what the positive possibilities are that surround you right now.  

Stay away from information sources, media, and people that orient your mind in the direction of the pessimistic or trivial.  It is only likely to blind you to what is available and possible for you.  I could go on and on expanding on this subject, plumbing it’s depth to create more and more meaning, but hopefully by now you see what I have done. 

As you have read this blog I have created something valuable, which is this narrative on value and possibility creation, where there was nothing prior to my writing.  I have made something out of nothing.  Sorry Bill Gates, I created MSN, and now the world knows it.  Huh, maybe that is one of the reasons why I am known as Billion.

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A great deal of attention was granted to the Faith Based Initiative of former President George Bush Jr.  The initiative was an approach taken by the Federal government to address many of the social challenges facing The United States by funding programs operated by churches at the community level.  Many churches lined up to qualify for and accept millions of dollars from the Federal government to aid in helping local communities with social service programs. The program came under fire from critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for being in violation of the separation of church and state. Some viewed it as a way to pass money on to churches that in return might feel obligated to offer political support come election time. But this is not the faith based initiative to which I am referring.

Lets first define initiative. Initiative is defined as a leading action or an introductory step. The root of the word initiative is the word initiate.  Initiate means to begin, to set going, or to originate. Faith is confidence or trust that is not based on evidence or proof.  Simply put, your faith based initiative is when you get something started or initiate something but you don’t have evidence or proof that you will succeed and thus you have to rely on faith.  This is the great challenge that we all face from time to time.

Whether you are starting a business, a new program, a marriage, a new career or investing you may find yourself without evidence that you will succeed and it is then that you need faith. To initiate anything is difficult enough.  It is easier to leave things as they are.  Ever tried to commit to a workout regimen or lose a few pounds? If so, you know leaving things as they are is easier. But sometimes for whatever reason, usually a desire for something better, we will take a leap of faith and initiate something, and we will get something started. And it is that willingness to try that drives progress.

So I encourage you during these seemingly challenging times to use your faith to get something started.  Use your faith to make your situation better.  Difficult times means there is less evidence or proof that things will improve.  It is easy to fall into inertia and pessimism. But have some faith. If there is a course of study you need to embark on but you are not sure if you’ll succeed, rely on your faith.  If you have an idea but don’t have proof that you will succeed, have some faith.  Faith is a powerful tool in the process of making things happen.  The great thing about faith is that it comes from a limitless source. Get started on your faith based initiative!   

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