ingebird

[ingebird]

https://youtu.be/8cQ-C76q9F4

#kindness #love wins #be kind #compassion we are one namaste #Youtube

[ingebird]

[ingebird]

Simple Life.

[ingebird]

[ingebird]

[ingebird]

[ingebird]

[ingebird]

#meditation #cats

[ingebird]

This year is nearly over and what a year it was. I thought 2020 was bad but 2021 was quite the encore. For me it was hard, no, impossible most of the time to walk the Eightfold Path. Right Speech was the hardest. I cannot keep my mouth shut when I see humans acting like dicks to other sentient beings and that goes double for humans who are supposed to have our best interests at heart. I am talking about our elected officials. This year has been an eye opener for me. The ones who are supposed to be impartial when it comes to reporting the news have helped spread misinformation, fear, division and outright censorship of any type of robust dialogue. In the 66 years that I have been alive, I have not witnessed such divisiveness since the late 60s. This time it's worse, much worse. The good thing is that the veil of deception is being lifted. The “owners of this country” (as George Carlin liked to say) are no longer hiding their behavior. They are crooked. They are greedy. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want. How many times have we heard both parties say we need money out of politics? We need term limits. And blah, blah, blah. Nothing gets done. Nothing changes. They play good cop (the dems) vs bad cop (the repubs) but they are both cops. It's one big scam and we are the mark. All of us. This is why I am angry. One of my college professors told us decades ago, “Media doesn’t tell us what to think, they tell us what to think about.” I think they now do both. Look at social media. Look how easy it is to get humans to tweet and/or repost information that has not been researched or verified? Social media makes it easier to control opinions. Censorship is alive and well in 2021. Tweet or post something that goes against the establishment's narrative and get a “time-out” or banned altogether. I am against censorship. Period. I recently found this Monty Python clip which reminded me of how humans on social media are today. https://youtu.be/yp_l5ntikaU In the 90s I attended a school board meeting in a city where there was a large population of ultra conservative Christians. They wanted the book. “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, written by Shel Silverstein, banned from the school library. Why? They didn’t like his poems and stories. Especially about the little girl witch Halloween story, and (get this) he looked like the devil. I had not witnessed such craziness in my adult life. These parents were really freaked out about a kid's book. In the end, the book stayed but I am willing to bet any copies mysteriously disappeared before the school year was over. What is happening now reminds me of those crazy parents and how the elected officials with the help of mainstream media are fueling the fires. Keeping us divided. Common sense has all but disappeared. There hardly is anyone stopping to think and asking questions. It shocks me. I used to write for an online progressive blog until last September. I questioned the mandates. I did my research. I included articles from (at least back then) reliable resources who exposed companies track records. Companies who were in charge of our health. I was called a Trumper. How the Hell someone came up with that conclusion after reading my article is beyond me. I wanted to write a follow up which included information about private support groups where people who were harmed by the you-know-what could go. The editor said no. Not only was I now considered a Trumper, but an anti-vaxxer. None of his arguments made sense. The funny thing is that we met during the Occupy Movement. He considers himself to be progressive except when it comes to thinking for himself. So this brings me back to my original thought. It is harder for me to walk the Eightfold Path. I think some things cannot be hugged out. They require vigorous debate that includes evidence to support one's opinions or in this case, mandates. Our system is clearly broken. We keep voting in the same old humans who are greedy. They have learned to tell people what they want to hear and as soon as they are sworn, it is business as usual. In 2008, I volunteered at a campaign office to help get Obama elected. I believed his promises. I believed in his vision. Then he took office and he turned out to be like the rest of them. He was not as bad, but he followed orders from the ones who own this country. Now I am with George Carlin. I will remain cynical until I see change. Meaningful change.

#politics #mainstream media #censorship

[ingebird]

#happines #contentment

[ingebird]

I guess I have been a non-conformist all my life. Even as a child I refused to conform to what society expected me to do. I spent a lot of time in the school principal's office because I refused to follow rules. Rules that I was supposed to follow because I was told to do so. For example, I refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom. I thought it was dumb and told my teacher, especially when she could not give me one good reason as to why I had to. "Because I told you so" never convinced to follow her "orders." I still don't for the same reason. What does saluting the flag have to with watching a sporting event? Starting the school day? As a society we do not question authority figures enough. We need to ask more "why" before we do things that do not make sense. I will never pledge allegiance to any group or ideology... instead I willingly pledge allegiance to Mother Earth and her inhabitants. We humans have been given a beautiful place to live and it is in our best interest to take care of her not just for ourselves but for future generations

#non conformist #mother earth #pledge of allegiance

[ingebird]

#consciousness #spirituality #george harrison #bliss

[ingebird]

I have been listening to #AlanWatts lately https://youtu.be/GTSXBkHlUJE

#spirituality #meditation #spirituality zen buddhism #Youtube

[ingebird]

#non conformist #rebel bohemian non conformist free spirit

[ingebird]

https://youtu.be/3vv0363gLr8

#nonconformist #Youtube

[ingebird]

The key to happiness

#wisdom #happiness

[ingebird]

"Be abundantly authentic"

#empowerment be yourself love yourself 100% self love