Tuesday, August 8, 2017

for pleasure or profit

 You may have heard. The city of Baltimore called for a 72 hour cease fire. That's right activists groups asked the crooks and criminals to stop shooting each other for 72 hours. It almost worked too, only two people killed over the weekend. They are calling it a victory. So far this year something like 240 individuals have been shot and killed in the streets of Baltimore. Isn't that a staggering statistic ? So the cease fire was called. Now just exactly who the cease fire was between wasn't clearly defined in the news. What I am left wondering about is just who controls that ? Was it just a general plea to all criminals and thugs to quit shooting ? Then, all but at least one did ? If that is the case find that one person, lock him up, and ask the rest to stop it !
 A cease fire. That is always associated with a war. What war is being raged in Baltimore. It isn't a war against drugs, it is a war to get drugs !That is what the majority of the violence concerns. The buying, selling, and controlling of the drug market. All of the underlining causes are being used to explain this, except for the true one, greed. It is money and the making of it that drives this business and it is business. Yes the media and everyone else calls it the war on drugs. Well you can't kill drugs. You can't stop people from buying, selling, or in some cases manufacturing those drugs. Not when there is so much money to be made. The big drug companies aren't much different. You are forced to pay whatever price they wish to set. The drug dealers in the street are doing the same thing. It is simply a matter of supply and demand. What we need to wage war against is that demand.
 It is the source of that demand that we need to address. The common ones are poverty, a feeling of helplessness, despair, social status and discrimination. All those things create a demand for an escape. The drugs provide that escape. That is what the phycologists will tell you. The liberals will tell you to just give those folks everything and that will solve the problem. It is the democratic solution. Some will tell you it is the Christian thing to do as well. If society provides for their needs they will quit using drugs. That is the narrative there, plain and simple. I don't agree. You can give them all of that and all that will happen is that that will demand more. What needs to be done is the removal of desire. Yes, we need to teach abstinence ! Yes, we do need to deny ourselves. All our Gods demand one thing, obedience. What is obedience ? It is the denial of our own pleasure to satisfy that of another.
 The issue here lies with what, or to whom should we all be obedient ? Is it for ourselves, our families, our communities, our country or our God ? That is what needs to be answered. That has always been what needed to be answered. Man has been obedient to Kings, Emperors, Monarchs, Dictators, Marxists, Fascists, Socialists and a whole gamut of Gods and Goddesses. Isn't that what we are taught in school ? In America the motto has been, for God and Country. For those things we are willing to give our lives. Unfortunately man has also been willing to give his life for profit and for pleasure. We will not deny ourselves.
 It is no wonder to me that he more divided our country becomes, the less we deny ourselves. To me it is a simple equation. If you wish to be disobedient you need to justify that. The easiest way to do that is just separate yourself from the rules. In other words, create a division. In that way I am not subject to the " rules " of that society. In that way I can practice whatever " lifestyle " I enjoy, whatever feels good. Little to no effort is required to maintain that lifestyle. It is even easier if I can convince the " other " bunch to take care of me. Better still to have that group assume responsibility for it in the first place ! And in America we all know who that is. It goes without saying. The bottom line to me is this. We are not going to stop this " war " without the participants all agreeing to deny themselves of pleasure or profit. That is what this war is providing. Yes the cry is, these people need hope ! The truth is, hope is not given, hope is received. Hope is received through faith. Faith doesn't have to be a specific God worshipped in a prescribed fashion. Faith requires no proof, no set rules. Faith doesn't come in degrees. Faith is an absolute. Hope springs from faith. 

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