JUST SAYIN'
Monday
January 28, 2013 9:43 am
Today
is four weeks since I began trying vegan fare again. As of this
morning I am down 16.4 pounds. I still have a long way to go as this
time I am trying to get back to the weight I was when I was 27 years
old. Periodically I will keep everyone apprised where I am and what I
still need to do in order to reach my goal weight.
This
morning for breakfast I had a vegan pancake with Maple syrup and
fresh strawberries and one veggie “sausage” patty. I also had
coffee w/soy milk. After I upload this I will work out with my small
barbells I have here at home, then this evening after work I will go
to the gym before I come home.
I
thought that for today's blog I will include one of my DB posts from
a different class I am taking. This particular one was commented on 8
times. I will try and record something this morning before I leave
for work (as I close the next two days) and upload it before I leave.
Otherwise, it will probably be pushing midnight before I get my video
on for this blog.
(For
this DB we were supposed to be discussing who should hold power in
America, versus who actually does hold the power?)
“I
suppose that I am a complete naiveté for believing what seems so
obvious in a true democracy. That is, “We the people...” ought
to be the only group in America who should wield real power. However,
in practice the American voting bloc seems to be impotent. It is
because life-long politicians do not fear the electorate, all they do
is get their own television stations to feed misinformation and spin
stories and people will believe it simply because it was stated on
TV. In essence they can buy all the votes they need to remain in
power.
“In
reality if there is enough PAC money to go around then votes and
politicians are bought and herded much like cattle. Of course, that
makes the average American voter nothing more than sheep being led,
at times to their own slaughter. I am 57 years old and never have I
believed more fervently in my life that any resemblance to the
America we were taught about when I was young and in school... is
today, nothing more than a failed dream. (16 + trillion dollars in
debt... our troops spread thin on many fronts of war, with new war
being threatened in other countries... kids killing kids in
classrooms... and more than a million babies being aborted every single year!
It seems painfully obvious that we are a dysfunctional society with
no respect for the life of a helpless baby, to the innocent children
sitting in a classroom, to soldiers dying in un-winnable wars.
“Yeah,
the people who should hold power... us the electorate: sat at home to
the tune of 90 million Americans who cast no ballot in this last
election. Alexis de Tocqueville famously said, “… we get the
government we deserve.” If that is true, then America, and
Americans must not be a very deserving people?
“Naturally
the groups who do have power are large corporations, certain unions,
lobbyists, Hollywood celebrities, appointed federal and state judges,
and politicians: who seem to be of the worst sort of humankind as
most have no real convictions about anything? It seems that most of
them, and on both sides of the aisle make statements which are
nothing more than trial balloons in order to see how people feel
about a topic. Then, if the mass of people are against it they will
backpedal.
“Then,
there are those who have strong beliefs but they completely misuse
their power. Examples are the many activist judges and courts who are
only supposed to interpret law, instead... they overreach and try to
make law from the bench!
“To
me it seems like for the last many years it is a case of the tail
wagging the dog. The only group who ought to have power doesn't...
and the groups who should have very limited power... control
everything.”
After I uploaded this video I watched it again and realized in its stark bleakness the day is still beautiful. I thought of a famous Longfellow poem and decided to add it here for everyone's enjoyment. I would be willing to bet that almost everyone has heard at least one famous line from this poem, even if you didn't know where it came from? "... Into each life some rain must fall..."
THE RAINY DAY (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
The
day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.
My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But
the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
And the days are dark and dreary.
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
There are certain lines, especially in the second and fourth stanza that he could have been writing about me. Or, perhaps if I had the skill I could have written them myself. I suppose though that is what makes good poets and those who are good at writing songs so famous. In almost all such works... they speak to the secret places of our own hearts. Those places that no one, save for perhaps one or two know anything about?
Well, Deb just left to go somewhere with Tammy and I need to shave and get ready for work. I hope everyone has a good and happy day today on this rather bleak Monday :)
posted by Robin Johnson @ 9:43 AM
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