Posted by Herm on January 30, 2010 at 09:58:06:
In Reply to: howard Zinn posted by vistor on January 30, 2010 at 06:20:17:
Thank you for the read.
I guess I'm a guard in revolt. Mr. Zinn has painted a picture I can readily imprint my own experiences upon. I was a carded lay Seventh Day Adventist minister in Folsom prison during the 70's. 25 guards could keep 2,000 inmates within the walls by intentionally pitting the Black gangs against the Hispanic gangs agitated by the Caucasian gangs. An occasional knifing only facilitated an excuse for a prison wide lockdown. Who cares about the collateral damage of a convict or two? As long as the majority of survival focus remained inward toward competing to survive against each other there was never an uncontrollable united mass energy focused outward. The inmates could have walked out with less physical collateral damage if their focus had been directed toward the outside. The prison guards were as much in need of spiritual peace as were the inmates. In which direction are our efforts to survive pitted and by whom?
I am no longer an active Seventh Day Adventist Elder because my focus become looking outward to the special of all rather then inward to just the special of me. I found that Jesus, the focus of Christianity, told us we could look outward to the direct leadership of His (could be our) loving Father in Heaven. We did not have to be dependent upon the "church" leaders for our guidance and as an example He allowed himself to be crucified by His "church" and secular leaders for our good. I know that will seem hokey and sacrilegious to most professed Christians, Jews and Muslims but it is written and could be read by all. All I need to focus on is written in Luke 10:25-37, according to Jesus, and He said nothing about having to be a member of any church with any other head than himself.
One thing has become abundantly clear from the prior USA political administration and that is simply invading and killing my neighbor and showing no love to my enemy does not make things anymore secure (especially if one’s aim (focus) sometimes slips and one “accidentally” shoots one’s hunting buddy in the face). I have guns, I don’t believe in banning anything and I try to promote all life so please don’t pass off the last picture as just a liberal political innuendo.
From my spiritual perspective (which I believe to be potentially infinitely more long standing than anything physical) I see that we are all of mankind, one body, which can be very long standing only if the mortal cells, us, (each of which will certainly die) focus to work to the health of 100% of their neighbors, who in turn work to the health of 100% of the body of Man. We deplete the potential for full health when we work mainly at the discretion of the 1% self centered cancerous body manipulators. The health of the body of Man must include a concerted effort of sharing passion and enjoyment as well as all the rest of the benefits from the struggle to mature amongst all of its cells. No one cell is any more important than another.
I could go on but most (around 99%) will not read this far anyway, just as most did not read the pearl you graciously offered to each of us. Thank you, again, for that.
The manipulators have labeled the educated “guards in revolt” as intellectual "elitists" (because the manipulator’s illiterate constituents will feel more dependent upon their superior guidance to survive and thereby have no need to delve into the witchcraft of knowledge, as well as the responsibility of thinking for one’s self as an effective and equally necessary member of the whole). The manipulators in reality secretly consider themselves of the elite, 98.9% as serving pawns and the remaining few independent intellectual rebels as just pests. That condition is allowed to remain true by the inaction of the 99% who refuse to accept an equal responsible influence, which is not too much unlike the Dark Ages.
Pastors, Priests, Rabbis and Imams do the very same elitist manipulation by telling their followers that they alone have the Spirit and that “the voice you sense in your heart and mind is most likely of a very scary hell and brimstone satanic origin”. Jesus said you can choose to address directly your Father who is in Heaven and you can trust that your message is heard and acted upon by the one loving creator God, without the need of an intermediary. What if one trusted enough their own worthiness, to be divinely loved and nurtured, to utilized that address to petition their active creator God for the real truth … and only His will be done … and only His voice be heard, rather than subscribe to the 1% of present manipulators?
The constitutional foundation of the USA has the best chance in the entire history of mankind to work for the whole rather than just the benefit of 1%. The only way that can, although, come to fruition is when 100% of the voting, check and balance populous understand that the government has the potential to be in reality of, by and for each and all of them. When we all do we all might then be sufficiently motivated to complete the "short" read offered in sincerity by Howard Zinn and the off the cuff thoughts of Herm.
I grieve Howard Zinn's passing.