Religion

My own personal beliefs, for those of you interested in learning more about something unfamiliar to many, are those of the old pagan ways. I happen to believe that there is more than one god in our universe and that for every side there is an opposite... like a goddess for instance. It would make sense that there are two at least given the nature of our world which is made up of mostly pairs. Many plants even have a counterpart... one male, one female. One of the most attractive things about following the old pagan ways is that the main tenet is "Harm none." Another thing is that one does not necessarily have a set of rules to follow which is typical of institutionalized religion.

Be that as it may, no matter what religion one follows or not, doesn't it make sense to strive towards a unity of people? More wars than I know of have been fought in the name of religion. Notice I said, "...in the name of..." Religions don't start wars, PEOPLE DO! One of the great attributes of following a pagan theology is that we focus on the fact that the world is made up of energy and that it is possible to manipulate that energy. Whether or not you believe in a god or goddess, both or none, you can take the energies around you and turn them into a positive force that works for you. A smile can be a great catalyst. Many people think that Wicca or any other pagan belief is evil or bad and I'm writing this not to convert you but to enlighten you. Wiccans do not proselytize. All that I want you to come away with from this is a broader understanding of a little known religion and the wonders it can work. You can take some of the ideas and apply them to your own religion and still be working towards the cause of uniting the people. We should not tolerate anymore the ignorance of people who don't believe in religious freedom. We must enlighten them gently and with love. For those of you interested in learning more about paganism/Wicca I've set up a series of links to guide you on your way although I practice in a solitary way. There are those out there that would be more than willing to give you the information that you need. I've also set up a list of books here to help you get a start on understanding the old ways.

Politics

Have you ever found yourself in a group of people where everyone is arguing about how bad our government is or who is a good candidate or some such thing? Yes? Now ask yourself how many of you have ever gone away from that group and actually DONE something about it? It seems that we're all affected from time to time with a case of run- away mouth and yet most of our complaints never see the outside of the room they were made in. The only way to stop fighting amongst ourselves is to join together and MAKE a CHANGE. It is possible because we have this thing called the "VOTE" and we must utilize it to the utmost. Have any of you ever wondered how many families the cost of one F-15 would feed? Or the cost of a S.A.M. missile? We're not talking disarmament here... just one. An F-15 costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 MILLION... that's a HUGE chunk of change. If anyone knows the math of how many families that would feed for a year e-mail me and I'll post your results here... I promise! We have a voice and if we make it collective instead of arguing amongst ourselves we'd be able to make changes... anything is possible... If you want to give the president a piece of your mind or an idea to work with, (like selling ONE F-15 and giving the money to the poor or to schools), then you can send an e-mail directly to THE WHITEHOUSE! If enough of us send mail to him WILL listen... why not just start with the F-15 idea? Whatever you decide try to remember that it takes unity to make things happen on a large scale! Next on our list? Parenting...

Parenting

This is always a tough issue to tackle because it is a very subtle one at times. People always fight about who is a better parent or who is a bad one. I think that the theme of this could easily be a discussion on judgement. Once again we get back to our central idea which is the promotion of unity. It must cross over into every area of our lives. If you think that someone is abusing their child you do have an obligation to report them but if it is something more along the lines of your child fighting with theirs... why not let the kids settle it? Quite often the parents end up fighting and the two kids are already buddies again. Ironic isn't it? Children are not complete idiots when it comes to socialization... they do have basic skills for settling disputes. We insist though on getting into the middle of things and it just mucks it up. If you see no other alternative to getting involved why not try to resolve the issue in a gentle manner? It will go a long way towards soothing hurt feelings and preserving your relationship with your neighbor. You may think that these issues are trivial but I assure you that they affect people in more ways than you may be aware of. Quite often we don't strive towards unity with our neighbor because we think it doesn't matter. The fact is, it does. The GREATER picture needs to have EVERYONE involved in it! If you need someone to vent on... join a discussion group for parents, practice some form of meditation, take a hot bath... but DO SOMETHING! All parents have hit the point at one time or another where you feel like you just can't take it anymore... that's normal... what isn't good is when you don't take that much needed break... TAKE IT! You deserve it...*grin* I know... I've been there with my two... and I can vouch for the fact that I'm no saint and that I need to escape every now and then...It's called being human. Now onward... I'm almost done... if you've made it this far you're amazing....!!! *pats on the back*

Individuality

This particular issue seems to be one that comes down through time. We all seem to pass judgement at one time or another on others... even if only in our minds. Today we have many things to judge it seems. We have people with hair every color of the rainbow, body piercings, tattoos, ...the list goes on...and on... and on. Since these examples concern young people mainly I must say that the parents do have an obligation to create an awareness within their children as to the long-term effects of some of these choices. This is why there are legal age limits such things. Once they are adults it is up to them to decide. Be that as it may, would it not make better sense and better living to live and let live? If someone doesn't look the way you would like them to, or have a job you consider "worthy", so what? Ultimately, they are the ones that have to live with their choices and if they are happy then that is the most important. Happy people are secure and productive and THAT is what this world needs. The arguments over individuality extend, however, beyond a tattoo or hair color. Often people are judged by this concept of "class". Who, I wonder, said that our garbage collector or mechanic is any less important than our president, Fortune 500 executive or some other "white collar, upper-class" person? Why is it that people look down upon these people and say that they are so "unfortunate"? Do we not need someone to deal with our refuse or fix our cars? If one is driving a Jaguar is it better than someone else's beat up old jalopy? Whatever we want in this world is out there for the taking but who is to say that one person's dream of a "simple" life without the large house, extra car, RV, etc. is any less of a dream than someone who goes out and works to get all those things and more? We should all try to view our neighbors and even those who don't live in our neighborhood with equality. They are just as necessary as we are.

Other

I kind of created this choice for those of you with any ideas on other things that we fight and argue about. If you have an idea that you feel is important for all to see just e-mail me and be sure to include your name so that I may give you credit should I see the idea as a good one... I will post it. This page is truly for the people and I would love nothing more than for this page to be filled with other people's ideas, comments and topics. I want to try and get across to you all that it is time we started paying attention to our own lives and actions. Where do they lead us? Ask yourself this, If you were to die today could you say that you are happy with the way you have lived your life and with the way you have treated others? We all can leave marks on this world for those who follow. Even the most seemingly insignificant mark can make a difference. Always remember that nothing is impossible!!