Posts
It is that season again--Election Season--which roles around regularly every four years. I just can't ignore it, much as I'd like to, so here is my election blog. It is hard to find anything new to say about Election Season, except that this year's seams to be exceptional in many ways.
Firstly, we have The Donald. The only positive thing I can think of to say about The Donald, off hand, is that it appears that he is not part of the political establishment. However, not exactly positive, I believe he is a member of the One Percenter's, of the U.S. Population, Club! Oh, and that he is fond of firing people.
This year, we have had the phenomenon of another son, and also a brother of a past, Vice-President, and President, George Herbert Walker Bush, running for the Office of President of the United States! And, the wife of a former President, Hillary Clinton. (Also, I think unprecedented, it is likely that G.H.W. Bush and his family are also members of the One Percenter's Club.)
(It is duly noted that Jeb Bush has dropped out of the Presidential Race.) George Senior was recently seen on the TV/Internet, when the name of Donald Trump came up, making a gesture of slitting his throat, considered as a threat.
Little known, to most Americans, the Bush family is notable for another reason, that being: "George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a
director and shareholder of companies that profited from their
involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany. The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in
the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a
director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism."
"His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets
were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more
than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy."
"The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes
prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been
grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar
The election of Barak Obama was also notable, not only for the fact that he is biracial, but that his election, to the Office of President of the United States, was celebrated AROUND THE WORLD! In my opinion, there is far-too-much importance placed on racial purity in this country; when results of information gained, after the discovery of DNA, found that a fairly large percentage of, "white persons" in America are also of mixed blood. (However, you can get your DNA tested here if you really want to know.)
As to Hillary's run for office, not only is she a member of the select elite of this country, the wife of a former President, the first ever to run for that office, and, the first Woman to be named Secretary of State. Her personal achievements in life are, indeed, notable. However, her run for the Presidential office has stirred up mixed emotions in many women, including myself.
So, I will end this blog on that note.
Shirley Gallup
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
The Ego, Just What Is It?
In my last blog, I ruminated around the effort to turn women into men, in this blog I want to try to untangle the problem of the Ego, something you don't hear much about anymore.
As indicated in my last blog, it has been a long-standing idea that men and women are the same, except they have different bodies; embedded in that idea is that both men and women have egos.
It seems that all is still in confusion regarding the Ego. (Sigmund Freud, the founder of Psychoanalysis, was the individual who introduced, in the early part of the 20th Century, the idea of a human psyche made up of three aspects, the id, ego and superego, which he believed developed at different points in a person's life. One writer pictured the three as a (large) ego, a head, with the id, represented by the devil on one shoulder, and the superego, by an angel on the other--talking about mixing metaphors!)
As indicated in my last blog, it has been a long-standing idea that men and women are the same, except they have different bodies; embedded in that idea is that both men and women have egos.
It seems that all is still in confusion regarding the Ego. (Sigmund Freud, the founder of Psychoanalysis, was the individual who introduced, in the early part of the 20th Century, the idea of a human psyche made up of three aspects, the id, ego and superego, which he believed developed at different points in a person's life. One writer pictured the three as a (large) ego, a head, with the id, represented by the devil on one shoulder, and the superego, by an angel on the other--talking about mixing metaphors!)
Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that the human psyche (personality) has more than one aspect; Freud saw the human psyche structured into three parts--the id, ego and superego--developing at different stages in our
lives. For this article see here.
One doesn't hear much about Freudian theory these days, but it was the dominant theory for a long time. As far as I am concerned his idea of the Ego, has never received the attention it deserved, as it's existence is a major difference as to the psychological make-up of men and women. For many men, their identity is very much tied into their ego; for many women a good deal of their energy is spent protecting the ego of their significant other.
For those women who have adopted the idea that they are the same as men, except in a different body, a number seem to have also invested a good deal of energy in developing a strongly-invested-in image of the self. (Margaret Thatcher comes to mind.)
Having studied a large number of the various psychiatric/psychological systems over the years, in my opinion, Freud's theories, and psychiatry itself, have the most problems, however, he did manage to draw attention to, and get us to begin to examine a new field, called: "human psychology."
It amuses me to say that the, "psyche" of psychology, a non-physical something, is denied existence by that study. (That is because the sciences deny that there is anything non-physical about the physical human.)
Freud's Ego, Id and Superego were/are also non-physical, but examining whether an Ego is an aspect of one's self image is worthwhile, and whether it manifests itself in interactions with other humans is also worthwhile. To summarize, it is my view that a major difference between men and women is that many males create problems for themselves by investing a great deal of energy in maintaining the Ego, or self-image, while women find themselves, all-to-often, tiptoeing around a male's Ego defenses.
Unfortunately, until we humans recognize that there is much more to us than a physical body, and physical brain, we will not begin to understand human behaviors.
I leave this blog with that observation.
Shirley Gallup
For those women who have adopted the idea that they are the same as men, except in a different body, a number seem to have also invested a good deal of energy in developing a strongly-invested-in image of the self. (Margaret Thatcher comes to mind.)
Having studied a large number of the various psychiatric/psychological systems over the years, in my opinion, Freud's theories, and psychiatry itself, have the most problems, however, he did manage to draw attention to, and get us to begin to examine a new field, called: "human psychology."
It amuses me to say that the, "psyche" of psychology, a non-physical something, is denied existence by that study. (That is because the sciences deny that there is anything non-physical about the physical human.)
Freud's Ego, Id and Superego were/are also non-physical, but examining whether an Ego is an aspect of one's self image is worthwhile, and whether it manifests itself in interactions with other humans is also worthwhile. To summarize, it is my view that a major difference between men and women is that many males create problems for themselves by investing a great deal of energy in maintaining the Ego, or self-image, while women find themselves, all-to-often, tiptoeing around a male's Ego defenses.
Unfortunately, until we humans recognize that there is much more to us than a physical body, and physical brain, we will not begin to understand human behaviors.
I leave this blog with that observation.
Shirley Gallup
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Turning Women Into Men
In today's blog I plan to ruminate around the phenomenon, "Why can't women be more like men?" Sad to say, this seems to be a major complaint of many men. Unfortunately, for this apparent majority of men anyway, the more this conundrum is studied, the more, "different" women have been found to be from men.
An example of this mindset, it was found that in the development of pharmacology, research, in determining the safety of drugs for humans, the testing of all drugs was done using only men.
Probably, at least since the birth of, "science," it has generally been believed that men and women are internally the same, just their packaging is different! Going on this indoctrination, many women have gone the route of trying to turn themselves into men--becoming fighting soldiers, boxers, etc. (As well as trying to get through that glass ceiling at work!)
The earliest written-about women who rejected the idea of the superiority of men were about the Amazons; "(I)n Greek mythology, member of a race of women warriors. The story of the Amazons probably originated as a variant of a tale recurrent in many cultures, that of a distant land organized oppositely from one’s own. The ascribed habitat of the Amazons necessarily became more remote as Greek geographic knowledge developed." (http://www.britannica.com/topic/Amazon-Greek-mythology In fact, it has become harder and harder to verify that there were indeed such women in the past--one reference now places them in South America.
The latest shot fired in this particular war effort has been to create an app, or something of some kind, that lets women know when they have used the word, "sorry" in an effort to get them to stop saying it. The idea is that women are always apologizing--saying "I'm sorry" all the time. In this view, it is a failing--weakness, (something we women have to get over!) rather than a manifestation of our pacific natures!
Let me digress somewhat, (Using the accepted anthropological view, this idea can be traced back to the belief that we all are descended from those early hunter gatherers.). Resultant discussions about natures--women's natures and men's nature; probably can be reduced to the idea that early humans, men and women, bonded to crate a team for survival. Indeed, even until about the '50s, and WWII, generally men were thought of as primarily being the, "bread winners," and doing the heavy lifting, (preferably in command of all they could see!) Their wives were expected to stay at home and raise, keep up the house, and raise/care-for the children. For example in my mother's youth, the only occupations open to females were as teachers and servants; as soon as a female married, she was expected to quit work and stay at home.
(I have had a personal suspicion for a long time that back then, Mothers did not require their young sons to learn how to do practical things around the home in a soft conspiracy to make it necessary for them to marry someone to do those things for them!)
(But, what about those Chefs! How is it that, until recently, it was generally believed that the best Chefs were men?!? What about Julia Child, anyway? I think we females can thank her for changing all that!)
Then came WWII. During WWII, it was found that there were not enough men to fight the war and work in the factories, thus began the, Rosie the Riveter campaign to enlist women in the war effort, and get them to take the place of men in factories. (Much to their dismay, after the war, the male owners of those factories found that women were unwilling to go back to being just housewives, married more to housework than their husbands.) Keep in mind that, "secretaries" were men.
But, let us do a, "What if!" Supposing all that "history," about men's and women's roles in the past is wrong/skewed? This skewing has come about because the focus of the studies has been the men, (and their societies). Of course, the primary reason for that focus, was that it was male anthropologists who did the studying. (Margaret Mead,--thankfully--managed to change that somewhat.)
Because of that male research, a primary belief has been that the most important members of those early groups were the men; they brought home, "the bacon" (meat) and were, therefore, the most important members of their society, whereas, the women were an adjunct. Well, unfortunately for that idea, it turns out, these "early humans" were not, "hunter/gatherers," they were gatherer/hunters. Women, the perceived "gatherers," actually provided the majority of the food supply, whereas meat was merely a nice supplement, occasionally, to the groups diet.
In actuality, it has been established that many human societies, in the past, were matriarchal, not patriarchal, as we have been programmed to believe! That reality was, perhaps, a recognition that women seem to have a superior grasp of leadership and social order.
To summarize, in recent research regarding male and female's brains, it has been found that they are very different in their workings, see for example: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/news_releases/2013/12/verma/, Also, whereas, it is, currently, generally believed that our physical bodies are more similar than different, recent discoveries are also calling that belief into question. Further, without knowledge of the role of DNA in human lives, the modern scientists trying to determine the natures of either men or women are as handicapped as the proverbial blind men trying to describe what an elephant looks life!
With that, I end this blog.
Shirley Gallup
An example of this mindset, it was found that in the development of pharmacology, research, in determining the safety of drugs for humans, the testing of all drugs was done using only men.
Probably, at least since the birth of, "science," it has generally been believed that men and women are internally the same, just their packaging is different! Going on this indoctrination, many women have gone the route of trying to turn themselves into men--becoming fighting soldiers, boxers, etc. (As well as trying to get through that glass ceiling at work!)
The earliest written-about women who rejected the idea of the superiority of men were about the Amazons; "(I)n Greek mythology, member of a race of women warriors. The story of the Amazons probably originated as a variant of a tale recurrent in many cultures, that of a distant land organized oppositely from one’s own. The ascribed habitat of the Amazons necessarily became more remote as Greek geographic knowledge developed." (http://www.britannica.com/topic/Amazon-Greek-mythology In fact, it has become harder and harder to verify that there were indeed such women in the past--one reference now places them in South America.
The latest shot fired in this particular war effort has been to create an app, or something of some kind, that lets women know when they have used the word, "sorry" in an effort to get them to stop saying it. The idea is that women are always apologizing--saying "I'm sorry" all the time. In this view, it is a failing--weakness, (something we women have to get over!) rather than a manifestation of our pacific natures!
Let me digress somewhat, (Using the accepted anthropological view, this idea can be traced back to the belief that we all are descended from those early hunter gatherers.). Resultant discussions about natures--women's natures and men's nature; probably can be reduced to the idea that early humans, men and women, bonded to crate a team for survival. Indeed, even until about the '50s, and WWII, generally men were thought of as primarily being the, "bread winners," and doing the heavy lifting, (preferably in command of all they could see!) Their wives were expected to stay at home and raise, keep up the house, and raise/care-for the children. For example in my mother's youth, the only occupations open to females were as teachers and servants; as soon as a female married, she was expected to quit work and stay at home.
(I have had a personal suspicion for a long time that back then, Mothers did not require their young sons to learn how to do practical things around the home in a soft conspiracy to make it necessary for them to marry someone to do those things for them!)
(But, what about those Chefs! How is it that, until recently, it was generally believed that the best Chefs were men?!? What about Julia Child, anyway? I think we females can thank her for changing all that!)
Then came WWII. During WWII, it was found that there were not enough men to fight the war and work in the factories, thus began the, Rosie the Riveter campaign to enlist women in the war effort, and get them to take the place of men in factories. (Much to their dismay, after the war, the male owners of those factories found that women were unwilling to go back to being just housewives, married more to housework than their husbands.) Keep in mind that, "secretaries" were men.
But, let us do a, "What if!" Supposing all that "history," about men's and women's roles in the past is wrong/skewed? This skewing has come about because the focus of the studies has been the men, (and their societies). Of course, the primary reason for that focus, was that it was male anthropologists who did the studying. (Margaret Mead,--thankfully--managed to change that somewhat.)
Because of that male research, a primary belief has been that the most important members of those early groups were the men; they brought home, "the bacon" (meat) and were, therefore, the most important members of their society, whereas, the women were an adjunct. Well, unfortunately for that idea, it turns out, these "early humans" were not, "hunter/gatherers," they were gatherer/hunters. Women, the perceived "gatherers," actually provided the majority of the food supply, whereas meat was merely a nice supplement, occasionally, to the groups diet.
In actuality, it has been established that many human societies, in the past, were matriarchal, not patriarchal, as we have been programmed to believe! That reality was, perhaps, a recognition that women seem to have a superior grasp of leadership and social order.
To summarize, in recent research regarding male and female's brains, it has been found that they are very different in their workings, see for example: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/news_releases/2013/12/verma/, Also, whereas, it is, currently, generally believed that our physical bodies are more similar than different, recent discoveries are also calling that belief into question. Further, without knowledge of the role of DNA in human lives, the modern scientists trying to determine the natures of either men or women are as handicapped as the proverbial blind men trying to describe what an elephant looks life!
With that, I end this blog.
Shirley Gallup
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Thoughts Are Things!
In this blog, I want to present anyone reading it with a major gift; it being that time of year. This is a gift that can, and has, changed lives!
This gift its the revelation of a great secret I have learned over time. It is the secret underlying much that has been written and published about what has come to be known as, "The Secret." It is tha: Thoughts ARE things!
When I say, "thoughts are things", I am stating something that is contrary to what is built into our language: things are physical; thoughts are not physical, therefore, they cannot be things! Our language contains many such dichotomies, it is either..., or it's not.
Dictionary.com defines. "dichotomy" as a: "division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups." Therefore, a thought cannot be a thing--as, it is generally believed, that only something physical can have an affect on/in the physical world.
In this gift to you today, I plan to tell you how we have fallen into a mental trap. Firstly, an important element of reality is that everything is vibration--everything has a vibration signature; which means everything is positive, negative or neutral. (I cannot recall ever, in my lifetime, of reading or hearing this expressed anywhere!) Just as in everything else, the contents of all of our thoughts can be labeled--any thought or part of thought can be categorized as being one of those three: positive, negative, or neutral.
It is quite common for us, for example, to have negative feelings about ourselves, our bodies, how we look, etc. (I remember one episode of Star Trek, in it the ship had aboard a group of women whom were perceived as being, "beautiful." On trying to understand why they thought this, the crew agreed that these women were no more, "beautiful" than their female crew members. Later in the script, it was learned the those women had been, through hypnotic suggestion convinced that they were , indeed, beautiful.)
Understand that, when we have negative thoughts about ourselves, or others, we are mentally attacking them or ourselves psychically!
In a previous blog I retold a story told by Ruth Montgomery in one of her books. (Ruth Montgomery was a very well-known D.C. political reporter); in her later years, she discovered and took up automatic writing, (the source of such information is believed to come from the spirit world.) Her correspondent was a spirit who called himself, "Lily." In one such session Lily suggested to her to try an experiment, which was that she should choose someone, and spend some days thinking kind thoughts about him/her, as well as praying for that person. Ruth chose another reporter whom she thought of as an enemy; this was a mutual lack of regard.
She did as was suggested. The next function she attended, at which the other reporter was present, the woman came up to her, hugged her, and told her how happy she was to see her! End of enmity. This story is one I shall never forget. I guess it is an example of, "turning the other cheek," something which the Christian faith encourages, but says nothing as to, why.
As indicated, the why is the secret knowledge that thoughts are things! Worrying is a train of projected negative thoughts, into the future. By using positive statements and words, when thinking, we are also setting in motion a positive result in the future. Thus, positive affirmations. I have discussed this in my blog previously in talking about creating one's reality. Every thought we have, about ourselves, others--the world--is creating the future. One of those, I like and use, is the affirmation: "Every day, in every wary, I am better and better, and better."
Affirmations have become commonplace since the 60s. The one above was re-popularized by Jose Silva and his Silva Mind Control. In none of the books and articles I have read about the subject, do I recall any placing an emphasis on the fact that, "Thoughts Are Things"!
Also, not included, is the knowledge that everything carries a vibration, in particular, the words we use to create our thoughts. By examining one's thoughts, and beliefs, through Journaling, or otherwise, you will be able to see what you are projecting forward for yourself.
If you look positive thinking up on the internet you will find that it is a firmly established idea. However, do you practice it, as though your future depended upon it, because it does! I expect you will find for yourself, if you really accept it as truth, and practice monitoring your thoughts, it will benefit you greatly.
Yours for a changed New Year and World!
Shirley Gallup
This gift its the revelation of a great secret I have learned over time. It is the secret underlying much that has been written and published about what has come to be known as, "The Secret." It is tha: Thoughts ARE things!
When I say, "thoughts are things", I am stating something that is contrary to what is built into our language: things are physical; thoughts are not physical, therefore, they cannot be things! Our language contains many such dichotomies, it is either..., or it's not.
Dictionary.com defines. "dichotomy" as a: "division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups." Therefore, a thought cannot be a thing--as, it is generally believed, that only something physical can have an affect on/in the physical world.
In this gift to you today, I plan to tell you how we have fallen into a mental trap. Firstly, an important element of reality is that everything is vibration--everything has a vibration signature; which means everything is positive, negative or neutral. (I cannot recall ever, in my lifetime, of reading or hearing this expressed anywhere!) Just as in everything else, the contents of all of our thoughts can be labeled--any thought or part of thought can be categorized as being one of those three: positive, negative, or neutral.
It is quite common for us, for example, to have negative feelings about ourselves, our bodies, how we look, etc. (I remember one episode of Star Trek, in it the ship had aboard a group of women whom were perceived as being, "beautiful." On trying to understand why they thought this, the crew agreed that these women were no more, "beautiful" than their female crew members. Later in the script, it was learned the those women had been, through hypnotic suggestion convinced that they were , indeed, beautiful.)
Understand that, when we have negative thoughts about ourselves, or others, we are mentally attacking them or ourselves psychically!
In a previous blog I retold a story told by Ruth Montgomery in one of her books. (Ruth Montgomery was a very well-known D.C. political reporter); in her later years, she discovered and took up automatic writing, (the source of such information is believed to come from the spirit world.) Her correspondent was a spirit who called himself, "Lily." In one such session Lily suggested to her to try an experiment, which was that she should choose someone, and spend some days thinking kind thoughts about him/her, as well as praying for that person. Ruth chose another reporter whom she thought of as an enemy; this was a mutual lack of regard.
She did as was suggested. The next function she attended, at which the other reporter was present, the woman came up to her, hugged her, and told her how happy she was to see her! End of enmity. This story is one I shall never forget. I guess it is an example of, "turning the other cheek," something which the Christian faith encourages, but says nothing as to, why.
As indicated, the why is the secret knowledge that thoughts are things! Worrying is a train of projected negative thoughts, into the future. By using positive statements and words, when thinking, we are also setting in motion a positive result in the future. Thus, positive affirmations. I have discussed this in my blog previously in talking about creating one's reality. Every thought we have, about ourselves, others--the world--is creating the future. One of those, I like and use, is the affirmation: "Every day, in every wary, I am better and better, and better."
Affirmations have become commonplace since the 60s. The one above was re-popularized by Jose Silva and his Silva Mind Control. In none of the books and articles I have read about the subject, do I recall any placing an emphasis on the fact that, "Thoughts Are Things"!
Also, not included, is the knowledge that everything carries a vibration, in particular, the words we use to create our thoughts. By examining one's thoughts, and beliefs, through Journaling, or otherwise, you will be able to see what you are projecting forward for yourself.
If you look positive thinking up on the internet you will find that it is a firmly established idea. However, do you practice it, as though your future depended upon it, because it does! I expect you will find for yourself, if you really accept it as truth, and practice monitoring your thoughts, it will benefit you greatly.
Yours for a changed New Year and World!
Shirley Gallup
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Stories We Are Told
It is that time of year again, the one which, in the past, was when many took the opportunity to put aside their differences. It is also the time when adults have told their children stories; around Christmas it has mostly been about Santa, and as a, "carrot" to get some better behavior.
In the years of this new Century, Thanksgiving and Christmas have become more and more conflated to the point that there seems to be little left of any real meaning of each. However, along with these days, most of our children continue to be told various tales about Christmas and Thanksgiving. I can't even imagine what they must think about the New Year's Eve celebration!
What I am grateful for is, that, as difficult as it was growing up on a farm in the 40's and '50s in Northern Minnesota, there was a sense of family, and being cared for and little fuss.
Having reached full maturity, I have been continuing a lifelong process of self-education. That information has, and continues to, contradict pretty much everything which I and others were told were Facts about: human behavior, history, science, healthcare, our government, other peoples of the world, etc., etc.
I an talking about what is and has been taught being shockingly false. The stories we have all been told during getting an education in our schools is more akin to the stories our children are told about the Easter Bunny, Santa and his Elves and Columbus' supposed discovery of the Americas, than the true facts. Currently, I am reading travel records about the American explorers, Lewis and Clark, and their excursion across the North American Continent at the behest of President Jefferson for the purpose of taking the land from the Native Peoples living on that land.
The one great thing about our time is that we have access to the Internet and various contemporary and historical information which is still, for the most part, still being kept hidden away. More and more, individuals are becoming willing to risk being vilified for giving out information which the many who want to keep it all hidden's wishes, in order to keep us asleep and/or preoccupied waiting in line to see a new version of Star Wars, or get deals on products we want on Black Friday.
I'm doing my best to keep calm and believe that everything will work out for the best despite large numbers of my countrymen, and women (?), seeming to think Donald Trump would be a good person to be made President at our next Election!
Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
Shirley Gallup
In the years of this new Century, Thanksgiving and Christmas have become more and more conflated to the point that there seems to be little left of any real meaning of each. However, along with these days, most of our children continue to be told various tales about Christmas and Thanksgiving. I can't even imagine what they must think about the New Year's Eve celebration!
What I am grateful for is, that, as difficult as it was growing up on a farm in the 40's and '50s in Northern Minnesota, there was a sense of family, and being cared for and little fuss.
Having reached full maturity, I have been continuing a lifelong process of self-education. That information has, and continues to, contradict pretty much everything which I and others were told were Facts about: human behavior, history, science, healthcare, our government, other peoples of the world, etc., etc.
I an talking about what is and has been taught being shockingly false. The stories we have all been told during getting an education in our schools is more akin to the stories our children are told about the Easter Bunny, Santa and his Elves and Columbus' supposed discovery of the Americas, than the true facts. Currently, I am reading travel records about the American explorers, Lewis and Clark, and their excursion across the North American Continent at the behest of President Jefferson for the purpose of taking the land from the Native Peoples living on that land.
The one great thing about our time is that we have access to the Internet and various contemporary and historical information which is still, for the most part, still being kept hidden away. More and more, individuals are becoming willing to risk being vilified for giving out information which the many who want to keep it all hidden's wishes, in order to keep us asleep and/or preoccupied waiting in line to see a new version of Star Wars, or get deals on products we want on Black Friday.
I'm doing my best to keep calm and believe that everything will work out for the best despite large numbers of my countrymen, and women (?), seeming to think Donald Trump would be a good person to be made President at our next Election!
Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
Shirley Gallup
Thursday, November 26, 2015
The Shifting Nature of our Holidays
In today's blog, since this is Thanksgiving Day, here in our Country, I want to ruminate primarily around what our holiday stories now mean to us. When I was young, it was an important day for families to get together. Other than the food bought, there was not much commercialization of the day. That is, more recently, except for the extra-large daily paper with all the ads for the sales on Friday!
In those days it was usually grandparents who gathered members of their family together; there was no TV, so there were no games to watch. There were relatively few divorces in those days either. Primarily, it was a day of stuffing oneself and interacting with those you were, like-it-or-not, related to.
This year there were protests by school students regarding Columbus Day as being a day celebrating an event supposedly proceeding the advent of European Pilgrims to the Americas. The evidence that Columbus did not, "discover the Americas," is overwhelming, should one chose to look at it. What took place after the arrival of Europeans, and the National effort to cover up what was here is, mostly, an untold story. Also, pretty ugly!
I have questioned the nature of the Thanksgiving Day previously in my blog. I am currently reading a book regarding Lewis and Clark's travels across the land to get to the Pacific Ocean on behalf of the government's intention of claiming more of the land and removing the Indians who lived there.
Having read a good deal about those early times in the Americas, the book only adds to the true history underlying the stories we have been told. The European conquest of the Americas is not a pretty picture; it is little wonder that it has been all prettied up with stories such as the ones children are taught in school regarding this time of the year.
There is now little left of belief in that made-up history, if younger people are now protesting the name, "Columbus Day"! Essentially, the traditional "Thanksgiving Day" is, also, mostly gone. However, since it is a recognized National Holiday, (read, "day off,") it is not likely to disappear off the calendar.)
Also, a main reason for not going away, for some years now, instead of focusing on family's getting together on this day, the focus has been on getting people out, on this National day off work, and start their Christmas shopping. For many years, the focus had been on the following Friday, come to be known as "Black Friday." (Dictionary.com gives the following explanation of this term: "the 1951 sense "day after Thanksgiving" originally so called from the troublesome traffic caused by shoppers and later re-explained with reference to the use of black ink to record business profits.")
I can think of little else to say about these two days, as I have tried to ignore them for some years now, although I do have fond memories of some large, non-family events I have attended. I think our upcoming year may have some major surprises, so I'm going to do my best to stay calm, and advise everyone else to do likewise.
With that hope, I end this Holiday blog.
Shirley Gallup
In those days it was usually grandparents who gathered members of their family together; there was no TV, so there were no games to watch. There were relatively few divorces in those days either. Primarily, it was a day of stuffing oneself and interacting with those you were, like-it-or-not, related to.
This year there were protests by school students regarding Columbus Day as being a day celebrating an event supposedly proceeding the advent of European Pilgrims to the Americas. The evidence that Columbus did not, "discover the Americas," is overwhelming, should one chose to look at it. What took place after the arrival of Europeans, and the National effort to cover up what was here is, mostly, an untold story. Also, pretty ugly!
I have questioned the nature of the Thanksgiving Day previously in my blog. I am currently reading a book regarding Lewis and Clark's travels across the land to get to the Pacific Ocean on behalf of the government's intention of claiming more of the land and removing the Indians who lived there.
Having read a good deal about those early times in the Americas, the book only adds to the true history underlying the stories we have been told. The European conquest of the Americas is not a pretty picture; it is little wonder that it has been all prettied up with stories such as the ones children are taught in school regarding this time of the year.
There is now little left of belief in that made-up history, if younger people are now protesting the name, "Columbus Day"! Essentially, the traditional "Thanksgiving Day" is, also, mostly gone. However, since it is a recognized National Holiday, (read, "day off,") it is not likely to disappear off the calendar.)
Also, a main reason for not going away, for some years now, instead of focusing on family's getting together on this day, the focus has been on getting people out, on this National day off work, and start their Christmas shopping. For many years, the focus had been on the following Friday, come to be known as "Black Friday." (Dictionary.com gives the following explanation of this term: "the 1951 sense "day after Thanksgiving" originally so called from the troublesome traffic caused by shoppers and later re-explained with reference to the use of black ink to record business profits.")
I can think of little else to say about these two days, as I have tried to ignore them for some years now, although I do have fond memories of some large, non-family events I have attended. I think our upcoming year may have some major surprises, so I'm going to do my best to stay calm, and advise everyone else to do likewise.
With that hope, I end this Holiday blog.
Shirley Gallup
Monday, October 26, 2015
What Do You Believe?
In this blog I want to go back to examining personal Belief Systems,
(if you can get to the place where you can acknowledge people have
them). I do not, and have not advocated, not having any beliefs, just
becoming aware of what they are, and how they influence personal
behavior.
Whether one believes in Belief Systems, or not, in becoming aware of the news of the world, more-and-more an obvious factor is that: the beliefs held by an individual, group or culture is, every day, smacking us over the head. Examples are the actions of a group called ISIS/ISIL, elected Democrat/Republican representatives, Catholics, or whatever other label is applied, their beliefs are clearly paramount. (It is clear these people will do, or continue to do, whatever it takes to impose those beliefs on everyone else; for example, TEA Party Republicans, The Gun Lobby, One Percenters, etc.)
Usually, one needs only to mention, for examples: gun control, abortion, illegals, unemployment, etc., to get an explosion of personal beliefs. (Unfortunately, beliefs are too often confused, in the owner's minds with, "Facts".) It is a fact, however, that Cultures and Religions are interrelated sets of Beliefs which has to be accepted to begin to be understood. It seems, however, that many, have not only NOT been inculcated in cultural/religious and other beliefs, many younger people seem now are becoming adults without having been acculturated as to any basic beliefs; they are just, "winging it"!
Examples: there are other news reports about events/people, where you have to wonder if the individuals have any fundamental beliefs at all! And, also, How did they get that way? In particular I am thinking of young men and women in this country who have abandoned everything and set off to join the ISIS/ISIL groups fighting and killing in the Middle East.
Also, something that has to be added to this topic, is the seeming increase in self-destructive behavior. In this regard, it appears that there are many who are willing to ingest and/or do anything in order to get a high? (An example that comes to mind is mimicking hanging oneself for a high!?!)
As a nod to this time of year, there is also the rise of the importance given Halloween, which has become an adult Holiday. An aspect of this Halloween thing is that of the fascination of, "Zombies", which seems to me be growing, instead of going away!
Is all this an indication of a path: that Western humans have chosen to embrace, a total breakdown of society as a whole?
Presumably, you are not one of the above. So what, if any, are your Primary Beliefs? Do you have a belief that says, "An individual life is important," or, perhaps: "People die, okay," (so taking a life does not matter)? Does our environment matter, other than the amount of snow, no rain, too-much water, fires, disrupting our lives? Rather than that we humans have totally unbalanced life on this planet?
It seems that not only are most individuals not aware they have a Belief System, and that one aspect of that System has become THE dominant focus, or, at minimum, a primary one, of their lives. As indicated above, major activities, which seem to have taken over the lives of many people in this Western world, besides sports, especially younger menbers, is getting high on anything, having sex, taking pictures of oneself--selfies--or passing-out drunk.
First, we need to discuss beliefs.... So, just what are, "beliefs", anyway? The official definitions, which Dictionary.com gives are three:
1. something believed; an opinion or conviction: a belief that the earth is flat.
2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof: a statement unworthy of belief.
These first two definitions reflect the Scientific Western World idea that conflates beliefs with, ("something not true.") opinions; "that's just your opinion," i.e., has no relationship to facts.
The third (3), which is: "confidence; faith; trust: a child's belief in his parents." This definition brings in the idea of having confidence and trust in what one believes, (however misguided(!)).
Nowhere will you learn that little, if anything, we think of as, "Facts," scientific, or not, as opposed to, "beliefs," are anything other than postulates.
Personally, I think it is time that we, as humans, intentionally start developing Personal Belief Systems. That is, to switch to: "Okay, that is what I have been conditioned/indoctrinated to believe, now, this is what I chose to believe in", and go ahead and spell them out.
It doesn't matter what your Belief System is, it does matter that you know what it is you Believe. If you believe in, say: 1) The individual's right to carry a gun, if one has trained in it's use; 2) The individuals right to practice birth control; 3) Belief in a Supreme Intelligence in the Universe; 4) That the major need in the world is Free Energy; 5) A belief in Angels; 6) In a fair distribution of wealth in the world; 7) Etc.
Really, I am serious about this, it is time to start, not only believing in the possibility of having a Belief System, and studying how it influences one's life. We need to go on from there, creating an outline, not only spelling those beliefs out, but adding others one has developed through living, or choosing to believe. At minimum, studying how they do and have influenced how you act will bring one's intellect into play.
With that, I end today's blog.
Shirley Gallup
Whether one believes in Belief Systems, or not, in becoming aware of the news of the world, more-and-more an obvious factor is that: the beliefs held by an individual, group or culture is, every day, smacking us over the head. Examples are the actions of a group called ISIS/ISIL, elected Democrat/Republican representatives, Catholics, or whatever other label is applied, their beliefs are clearly paramount. (It is clear these people will do, or continue to do, whatever it takes to impose those beliefs on everyone else; for example, TEA Party Republicans, The Gun Lobby, One Percenters, etc.)
Usually, one needs only to mention, for examples: gun control, abortion, illegals, unemployment, etc., to get an explosion of personal beliefs. (Unfortunately, beliefs are too often confused, in the owner's minds with, "Facts".) It is a fact, however, that Cultures and Religions are interrelated sets of Beliefs which has to be accepted to begin to be understood. It seems, however, that many, have not only NOT been inculcated in cultural/religious and other beliefs, many younger people seem now are becoming adults without having been acculturated as to any basic beliefs; they are just, "winging it"!
Examples: there are other news reports about events/people, where you have to wonder if the individuals have any fundamental beliefs at all! And, also, How did they get that way? In particular I am thinking of young men and women in this country who have abandoned everything and set off to join the ISIS/ISIL groups fighting and killing in the Middle East.
Also, something that has to be added to this topic, is the seeming increase in self-destructive behavior. In this regard, it appears that there are many who are willing to ingest and/or do anything in order to get a high? (An example that comes to mind is mimicking hanging oneself for a high!?!)
As a nod to this time of year, there is also the rise of the importance given Halloween, which has become an adult Holiday. An aspect of this Halloween thing is that of the fascination of, "Zombies", which seems to me be growing, instead of going away!
Is all this an indication of a path: that Western humans have chosen to embrace, a total breakdown of society as a whole?
Presumably, you are not one of the above. So what, if any, are your Primary Beliefs? Do you have a belief that says, "An individual life is important," or, perhaps: "People die, okay," (so taking a life does not matter)? Does our environment matter, other than the amount of snow, no rain, too-much water, fires, disrupting our lives? Rather than that we humans have totally unbalanced life on this planet?
It seems that not only are most individuals not aware they have a Belief System, and that one aspect of that System has become THE dominant focus, or, at minimum, a primary one, of their lives. As indicated above, major activities, which seem to have taken over the lives of many people in this Western world, besides sports, especially younger menbers, is getting high on anything, having sex, taking pictures of oneself--selfies--or passing-out drunk.
First, we need to discuss beliefs.... So, just what are, "beliefs", anyway? The official definitions, which Dictionary.com gives are three:
1. something believed; an opinion or conviction: a belief that the earth is flat.
2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof: a statement unworthy of belief.
These first two definitions reflect the Scientific Western World idea that conflates beliefs with, ("something not true.") opinions; "that's just your opinion," i.e., has no relationship to facts.
The third (3), which is: "confidence; faith; trust: a child's belief in his parents." This definition brings in the idea of having confidence and trust in what one believes, (however misguided(!)).
Nowhere will you learn that little, if anything, we think of as, "Facts," scientific, or not, as opposed to, "beliefs," are anything other than postulates.
Personally, I think it is time that we, as humans, intentionally start developing Personal Belief Systems. That is, to switch to: "Okay, that is what I have been conditioned/indoctrinated to believe, now, this is what I chose to believe in", and go ahead and spell them out.
It doesn't matter what your Belief System is, it does matter that you know what it is you Believe. If you believe in, say: 1) The individual's right to carry a gun, if one has trained in it's use; 2) The individuals right to practice birth control; 3) Belief in a Supreme Intelligence in the Universe; 4) That the major need in the world is Free Energy; 5) A belief in Angels; 6) In a fair distribution of wealth in the world; 7) Etc.
Really, I am serious about this, it is time to start, not only believing in the possibility of having a Belief System, and studying how it influences one's life. We need to go on from there, creating an outline, not only spelling those beliefs out, but adding others one has developed through living, or choosing to believe. At minimum, studying how they do and have influenced how you act will bring one's intellect into play.
With that, I end today's blog.
Shirley Gallup
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