A Game

Yesterday was my birthday....thanks so much for reaching out and wishing me a happy one.  It was just another day for me enjoying my last day of paid vacation.  With all the complexities going on in our world today I often like to go back to the basics of life.  This post attempts to do that and if nothing else I hope it makes you think a bit about what is really important and needed in your life to survive.

Before the post, I'd like to thank David and Janice, the city of Nashville and the Gallatin Marina for showing us such a good time while we were there on vacation.  We enjoyed great food and music, dodged some snow flakes (really...it snowed one day) shared memories and made a few.  I have no doubt in my mind we will return and stay a bit longer...when the weather is a bit nicer.

If you are new to this blog...please do not be in a hurry.  Much of what I write comes to me in the moment.  I often read something I wrote long ago and ask myself...did I really write that?  And when I answer that question I come up with two answers...yes and no.  Yes I did write it, but no because the words are given to me in those special moments.  I give all the glory to God who in those special moments is with me and guides me.  If you are new to this blog and this paragraph offends you, than this blog isn't for you.  If on the other hand you are one that at some point in your life has experienced a "special moment" of some kind, stay awhile and I hope this blog encourages you, inspires you and let's you know you are not alone in your thoughts.  Here's the latest post.....

    "A GAME"

Let’s play a game shall we…OK…Here’s the scenario:

1) Much of your world has just been destroyed.

2) There is no internet, cell phone, TV or Wi-Fi service.

3) The electrical grid is down and the sun barely shines.

4) You are completely alone in your house, apartment, tent or whatever.

5) You have your possessions, all the things you’ve collected over the years.

6) You have all your treasures and money, having cashed in the day before.

7) You are safe, for the moment, as you try to collect your thoughts.

8) You knew this was possible, but you never thought it would happen.

9) You are alone in a changed and unknown world and must find a way to survive.

What is the first thing you do?  What is the first thought that you have, as you realize you may be the last person alive on the planet.  I have thought about this very scenario before.  Heck there’s movies and books about it.  But really let’s just say our world did change in some dramatic fashion as described above and you had to make some hard…hard choices.  You have to admit with the current state of military and political tensions in the world anything really is possible.  So, what do you do?  Think about it…I’m going to… as I take a smoke break and ponder my options. 

During my little break I decided to put some batteries in my AM/FM radio and see if there is any radio service.  To my surprise I found a station playing “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi, so there’s hope and knowledge that I’m not alone out here…Congratulations by the way sir, on a well-deserved induction.

So…what did you decide?  I had a cigarette and put some batteries in my radio.  Those were my first two moves in a game we’ll call… “Quest for Survival”, what were yours?  Kinda weird my first move was to continue killing myself with a cigarette, but hey a guy’s gotta think and my second move was productive.

So…do you panic, do you covet, do you scream, do you cry, do you run, do you hide?  Do you look outside, do you take a breath, what do you do, what are your first thoughts?  What will I eat and drink?  What’s the weather going to do?  Does my truck work?  Obviously for most of us our first thoughts would be to our loved ones, our families, pets, friends and co-workers.  What happened to them, did they survive, will they survive, how do I contact them…why am I so alone, where is my dog? 

Overwhelming isn’t it?  Of course no one really knows how we would react.  All we can do is think what we would do, until that moment in time when we have to make those decisions. And how will those decisions be made? How you process priorities in a stressful situation in large part relies on your past experiences, your memories, your training, your skills, your instincts and your faith.  When all else fails in this world and you are left alone, remember you are never alone, when you have faith.  Faith...it never leaves you if you have it and it will see you through anything if you let it…even a changing world.

So…what does your experience and instincts have you grab from your personal pile of possessions before your venture out into the world?  Remember our world has just become a free for all.  Whoever is still alive will have to survive as we did 1000’s of years ago…off the land, sea and sky with the real possibility of not encountering any other people for a long, long time…if ever.

My personal pile of possessions is very limited.  I am not a rich man and even if I was money is worthless without an economic system that uses it.  In this game of Quest for Survival and the changed world you find yourself in, the only thing money is worth is kindling to start a fire or using the metal in coins for other purposes; your cash is trash so it has no value.  So what do you have in your pile that can help you survive?  What do you have that you will take as one of your three things to help you see another day?

I could write for hours about the pros and cons of different things to take but it is all relative to what you have to begin with, what you think you can find once you venture out and how you process information in a stressful situation.  Many people, no matter what they choose would die within a week.  Look around at our population today.  If you line up 100 random people 70% of them will be so out of shape physically they wouldn’t make it in the wild very long at all and 20% are so scattered mentally the stress of their reality would be too overwhelming and they would be too distraught to make rational decisions.  So…90% of our population would be dead in less than a week from one reason or another.

I have played this game before, I have won and I have lost, but I have never died, for after all it is just a game.  I have an advantage from these experiences that most people do not have.  I already know what to take because I know what awaits outside my doors.  I already know what areas to avoid and what areas are fruitful.  I know where there may be other survivors that are playing the same game.  And I also know that although a game where there are few winners, there is strength in numbers.

A few more clarifications before we start this Quest for Survival.  Anything outside your doors is open for possession.  If your car or truck is outside, you do not need to include it as one of your three items.  Anything outside your residence is open for you to claim as previously owned or steal.  No need to beg or borrow because there is no one to beg or borrow from.  The definition of stealing is a bit vague now because 90% of the owners are dead.  The world was not radiated to extinction, so it is safe to venture out.  All of the plant and animal life survived and the ecology of the planet is intact.  What do you do?

Here are my thoughts on what I would do and what I would take.  My first thought would be to thank the Lord for allowing me to survive and thank Him for the blessings to play the game again.  The three things I would take are a lighter, a good knife and my Bible.  Here is my reasoning.  Besides our reasoning, fire is one of the main things that separates us from the animals.  A lighter can help you build a fire and also be used as a weapon when faced with overwhelming numbers.  A knife is man’s materialistic best friend, it can be used as a tool, a weapon, a means to acquire food and to whittle the time away as you make shelter and other tools, but both of these choices pale in comparison to my first choice.

The one thing I would take for my venture into a changed and unknown world would be the Bible.  A strange choice you may say, but what was the one thing I said would never leave you and always be there to comfort you…faith.  My faith is not blind and the Bible is the physical existence of what my faith is.  If I die in a changed and unknown world…let it be with the Words of God in my heart and on my mind.  (To be continued)

Ezekiel 11:16-25...Psalm 111...Matthew 28...2nd Thessalonians 3   AMEN 

  

Trading Our Future

Does anybody else find it strange that we just lowered the corporate tax rate the first quarter of 2018, but also got hit with twenty-five percent tariffs from our friends across the sea?  At least that tax money stayed here rather than floating into the pockets of the red army.  Of course the details are yet to be finalized on all this but the original intent of tariffs was a governments attempt to keep their domestic productivity competitive.  Not such a bad idea, but in this case they are being used in retaliations that should be prosecuted and settled in the world courts.  This tariff spite could put millions of American business owners and employees out of work.  A hard price to pay that is more damaging than taxes and tariffs.

Which brings up another point; our society and economy was and still is in large part the envy of the world.  The far-east and middle-eastern countries have done nothing more than use American capitalism to build their own stock in the world market.  Kudo’s to them, but let’s not forget where the ideals of free enterprise and entrepreneurship flourished allowing our very own works to be used against us.  The problem with capitalism in the world market is that for many countries the government is the primary business owner.  For example, all of the major steel producing companies in China are owned by the government.  Free enterprise is not free when controlled by elite oligarchs that can control their labor costs at the sake of the workers.  Entrepreneurship cannot thrive in an oppressive environment.  If you are competing with a government that controls your purse strings and licensing you’re likely to fail before you even start. 

Our country was built in many ways by union contracting.  In the Great Society the increased wages to union labor would raise taxes to take care of the less fortunate.  Unfortunately union wages made it easy for foreign competition to undercut American production.  In addition the definition of “less fortunate” began to expand and created a whole new class of American…the welfare class. 

Higher wages with benefits and subsides to the “less fortunate” may be a good economic strategy to sustain a confined commonwealth but in the world market it’s a recipe for exploitation.  Coupled with the fact we are a consumer driven economy, all we are doing is feeding foreign competitors & investors our hard earned pay.

This country has the ability to be a successful republic socially and economically.  We can produce the goods needed to sustain our quality of life.  But to do it we have to return to the ideals that made us strong to begin with; the ideals of learning a trade, of becoming a craftsman and putting in a hard day’s work that brings a feeling of pride and accomplishment.  With training in the basic trades and crafts being cut from many public schools, our children have lost one more way to find their passions.  What can’t be taught at home used to be taught in schools.  We are developing generations of Americans skilled at memorizing answers to tests, instead of being tested on the basic skills of life.  If not for the immigrant and working permit class of this country we would struggle to provide for our quality of life.  This is a sad state to be in especially considering the rising population of the welfare class. 

I have a friend who learned his skills from his dad.  His dad was a jack of all trades and many of these traits rubbed off on my friend.  He is often asked how he knows so much about such a wide variety of trades.  His answer is always the same….”as a child and young adult I had the choice of staying in the house and being whipped by my alcoholic mother, or be outside helping my dad around the property…I choose to be outside.”  Today he holds two different jobs and does numerous things on the side to make ends meet and occupy his time.  This is a classic case of choice, the choice to live in a suppressed environment or living to explore opportunity and create a better reality.

The work ethic and skill level in this country is still strong.  But it has been degraded and replaced over the years and we are seeing the effects of it today.  I fear in coming years we will suffer even more from our own lack of ethics and skill if we don’t do something about it now.  We have cut school budgets today at the expense of our future.  We have developed an attitude in many ways that pits parents against teachers for the failures of their children.  It is hard for a teacher to instill ethics and skills on a student when those ideals are not taught at home and reinforced within their peer structure.  This is why there is an increase in private schools as our public schools suffer at the hands of politics and budget crunching.  Meanwhile, many of our youth go through their school years without seeing the life advantages of being a skilled craftsman.  We need to instill the thought that no matter where you go or what you are faced with you can always fall back on your trade to sustain your quality of life.  As the immigrant class takes the place of the American working class we are becoming merchandisers instead of mechanics, cashiers instead of carpenters and loungers instead of laborers.  Well sooner or later the vault will be empty and we’ll find we are overly dependent on foreign help to maintain our country, another way our own policies and actions are being used against us.

I am a skilled tradesman.  My trade is in security alarm and monitoring systems among other things.  I can go to any city in America and most likely find a job in that industry if I chose.  However, I am trying to develop a craft as well that I hope can sustain or enhance my current lifestyle.  I like options and I like being able to diversify.  And that is another problem I see with the younger generation coming into the world today.  Many feel their options are limited and they get stuck in a path that leaves little room for variance.  Frustration sets in as they get older they are not satisfied and want to change, but their options are limited, their resolve is weak, they are scared to take a chance and risk what they have.  In the end they will grow old and miserable thinking about what might have been.  Do not trade your dreams of the future for a cozy today.  Just as our country has traded short term gain at the expense of future rewards, we as a people must look to tomorrow when making tough decisions.  I am looking to my tomorrows as an opportunity for change.  But I am not risking everything; I’m building on what I have.  That is what our country needs to do…cherish our past, strengthen our present and build for the future, which we can’t do if we are not competitive, diversified, challenged, moral and positive.

Our world is drastically different than it was a hundred years ago.  Politics has become a way to line your pockets instead of serving your country.  Some of the current laws and procedures established by our government serve no one, but the politicians, and that is at the core of what our founding fathers wanted to prevent…a self serving government.  We must all realize that in this land “We the People” is the cornerstone of our foundation and those elected represent us, not dictate to us. 

I wonder how big corporations feel now, sure they got a tax break, but they will also have to pay more for raw materials or be priced out of the market all together due to foreign tariffs while our own government collects at their expense.  A last gasp effort by our government to help businesses & salvage parts of our production and economy sacrificed years ago for profits at the sake of our economic future. 

Let’s get it back America, it’s never too late to realize your mistakes, make corrections and build towards a brighter tomorrow. 🐝 🇺🇸✨✝️🕊️

2nd Thessalonians Chapter 3,  Psalm 117.   

Echoes

I speak for no one but myself. 

However, when I listen I hear the echoes of a common voice.

A voice of reason and compassion, instead of diversion and separation.

The echoes have been separated for too long,

Now they blend together in a harmonious song.

I cry for all kinds of things, but I never cry for myself.

But remember, even when our eyes are cloudy

And the rain blinds our vision, hold to your voice

While you listen for the echoes.

For in the end all you will have is your voice

And the memories to tell your own story

Just remember that a good story

Has many plots and the best are left buried

Find your voice and speak your truth

But if it echoes in confusion and hate

Find a clearer path and listen to the world around you

It will teach you what you need to know

I speak for no one but myself

But one day long ago I had a dream

And in that dream I was asked to tell a story

I have struggled my whole life to understand that story

And asked, “How can I tell a story whose final chapters I don’t know?”

So I listened for the answer, and found it nowhere to be found

Except on the echoes....from the voices of silence.

Praise Be To Our Living and Loving God.    

Jeremiah 17: 5-8.     The Book of Joel.

America

America, America from sea to shining sea

Your beaches don’t look so clean to me

America, America so many wonders to see

Your blessings as promised to you and me

America, America a land once open and free

Your cities look congested to me

America, America where can your heart be

Your thoughts look confused to me

America, America so strong that others flee

Your defenses look strained to me

America, America once the place to be

Your lands now crawl with blasphemy

America, America I long to go back and see

Your spirit that once uplifted me

America, America do not forget your plea

Your voices heard across the sea

America, America where everything has a fee

Your best offerings are free

America, America where there is a crime spree

Your desires to live in peace can only be

America, America can you not see

Your land was promised to you and me

America, America but a simple decree

Your country must return to Thee.

(c) B.A. Stross 4/8/2018  7:44 AM EST 

Psalm 111...Ecclesiastes 8&9...Isaiah 59

Post Edit 7/4/2023. 6:40 AM EST ✨✝️🕊