North and South

Ben Huot

February 7, 2009

1 First Things

by Ben Huot

1.1 Logo

I should explain what the logo is meant to be representing. The guy is a pen, which is me, which comes from my first poem in Philosophy Core, called Creative Process, where I refer to myself as doing Tai Chi, with my pen being my body. The idea is based on "the pen is mightier than the sword" so I created "the Bible is mightier than the pen".

The Bible is shooting out flames because in Ephesians it talks about spiritual warfare and the Bible is the only armament that is offensive. (It means offensive instead of defensive. These are common terms used in combat. The sword is the only spiritual weapon. All the other armaments expressed in Ephesians are protective and defensive in nature like a shield, a helmet, a breastplate, etc.) The flames are meant as in James when it talks about being purified by fire or struggles with temptation in our lives. Isaiah also was purified by a live coal to his lips by a Seraphim. So the usage of fire is not evil or anything violent. Think of it as purifying.

I would ideally like it to show the sword turned inward to his chest, symbolizing like in many fantasy books that when they defeat the great evil force in the world, they are left with the greatest task, which is to defeat the evil within. The Bible is said to be a 2 sided sword, with the ability to cut between bone and marrow, and show the truth. Christ’s tongue is said to be a 2 edged sword in Revelations, to defeat the Devil with. The reason I didn’t show this is it looks like he is committing suicide.

The spiritual warfare is not against people, ideas, or even spirits. It is about fighting for the purity of our own minds. It is an internal thing. Like the Native American proverb "my greatest enemy is myself." This purity is in regard to our own sins and does not refer to purity in any other sense. But this is a process, not an outcome, as it is not possible for us to live without sin.

This warfare is only spiritual in the sense that it is not militant, social, economic, or political. This is for my own moral and ethical development and consists of practical qualities I try, with Christ’s help, to cultivate like humility, compassion, kindness, and seriousness and do not correspond to anything supernatural.

1.2 Other Books

My text books and picture books contain most of my work over the past 10 years. These include my reading of some 235 books containing the philosophical and religious thinking of the worldÕs cultures for several thousand years and the application of the main themes of some of the major Old Testament Prophets and major works of the New Testament.

The main point of this work is to get people to stopping living their lives with their minds, but instead follow their hearts. I bring a radically different combination of viewpoints that you have not heard of before. I am not asking people to follow what I have written, but rather let the words stir up some sort of emotional response in your heart.

I challenge my readers to come up with their own unique ideas and that can lead the world in a new direction. We need a much broader diversity of ideas in our culture to deal with the problems we are facing in America and throughout the rest of the world.

1.3 For More Information

For more books and information, visit me on the web at http://benjamin-newton.com/

Feel free to send me e-mail regarding the books and website at mailto:ben@benjamin-newton.com I even enjoy constructive criticism

1.4 Cover Graphic

1.5 License

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2 Postmodernism for Christians

by Ben Huot

2.1 Essays

2.1.1 Introduction to Postmodernism

Many people of my parents generation and many Evangelical Christians are perplexed about Postmodernism.

First, they fight the term and ask, "how can something be after the modern? " as that is often used as a term for the present. Postmodernism is a continuation of Modernism, as well as a rejection against it (more about this second part later). The word Modernism in philosophy is often equated with the Enlightenment and the two branches of philosophy that arose out of it: Rationalism and Empiricism. And Rationalism is another philosophical term that means something different than the common usage. Not being a Rationalist is not being irrational, illogical, or nonsensical, but, rather it means the person doesn’t belong to a specific school of philosophy, which may very well mean that the person is actually more logical.

The second common reaction is to ask, "then what does Postmodernism mean? " The simple answer is that it is a shift in world views, from one dominated by a belief in a common set of values, like: that democracy is best for everyone, the idea of perpetual linear progress in society, the idea of the supremacy of Western culture, and the idea that Science answers all our problems (this is the one it keeps) into one dominated by Skepticism and atheism, where there is no dominant world view, except doubting anything that sounds like an absolute.

It is common thinking amongst many Christians that this puts Christianity in a negative light and that this is bad, for the spread of the Gospel. This is because they were taught theology from an Enlightenment perspective. They think that having more people claim to be Christian and to be agnostic or sympathetic to Christianity without having any personal faith is a good thing. They think that having more money and higher numbers of church members puts Christianity in a better position.

But there is a Christian response to this, that goes back to what the Bible really says and which has been around for 150 years, but Christians are only just now seeing it in a neutral or slightly positive light. The Christian answer to Postmodernism is Existentialism. When a Christian stops fighting about proving God rationally and says that salvation is a mystery, while still advocating being born again, they shift from being the status quo ’rich white men’ in power and become a minority that can attack the establishment, by attacking their weakness: Science.

The Bible is a direct opponent of Science, in addition to the occult. I am not talking about rejecting technology and becoming Amish, but, rather that we attack prejudices that are advocated by people who see Science, not as a creative process, but as a world view. It is not about questioning the existence of the material world all together, but it is about fighting the things that Postmodernism acknowledges as absolutes, while at the same time supposedly rejecting absolutes. There is a commonly accepted idea in Postmodernism and this is about the supremacy of Science, to be our savior, in place of Christ.

This is what the ’rich white men’ are really about: they believe that Scientific proof means that something is absolutely true, but Biblical ideas only might be true. This has reached deep into the Church and it comes from Christians not understanding what Science is about. This is the establishment’s goal and it is the way of the world, not of God. Christians need to confront and expose the lies that are perpetuated as fact, through the Scientific establishment, be it: corporations, the media, the school system, or the Church itself.

The final step is to embrace the positive aspects of Postmodernism, that agree with Christianity, including: multiculturalism and diversity, seeing life as cyclical, and supporting the individuality and complexity of people, Christian or not.

2.1.2 The Theoretical and Everyday Life

In the first 30 years of the 20th century (1900-1930), discoveries made by leading physicists, challenged the old order of thought. Where we first saw the world in only three dimensions and fundamental particles as simple, solid objects, we now found that the absolutes, rules, and language that we were educated in did not hold true in many situations which we found ourselves.

Most people who believe in Science as a world view do not really understand the Scientific process. Science was never meant to be a world view, but was a creative process that would evolve its beliefs over time and continually change the foundations of its theories, as more evidence came in. Science does not have any definite assumptions, that which it does hold true is under a constant evolution, and science can not say anything about God one way or the other, but scientists are just as bigoted as anyone else. Scientists are experts about the scientific process and established theories, but they are not experts on ethics or spirituality.

And we don’t figure in the circumstances under which scientists work: scientists are usually employed by research institutions and get funding from the defense department and big business. They are taught to reject theories that are not approved, not only by independent verification, but also by the culture of assumptions that the Scientific community perpetuates. Announce to the world that you are a Creation Scientist and see how many publishers will publish your books, feature your work in established Scientific journals, or what research institutions will hire you.

Modern physics challenges everything we were taught in school. We are taught that the more we know, the more our questions will be answered, the more we will understand the world, and the easier things will get for us in life. But 20th century physics has proved just the opposite for us. And it is true as much in our everyday lives as it is in theoretical physics.

In the Postmodern world, nothing holds up as an absolute and their is no central or dominant world view. We have nothing to guide us, but our own intellects. For every view, there is a counter and the only thing that is believed as wrong is actually believing anything is absolutely true, or being committed to anything besides your job. We have no compass in this brave new world and the more we learn, the more we realize our limitations.

We understand that we live in a world carefully crafted for us and we are standing at the edge of a cliff, trying to balance between chaos and totalitarianism. We cannot be free to the point of having no beliefs and no direction morally and expect to keep our affluent existence. We have to realize that building prestige and building wealth is not the answer to our problems.

There are two worlds in violent opposition to each other. We have the first world where we are dying from being so well fed and are biggest problem is getting rid of all our waste, where we are technologically advanced but morally bankrupt. The other side of the world is rich in culture, history, and diversity. But it is at the stone age in technology and the greatest problem is where the next meal is coming from.

We have to learn from each other if we are to survive, because technology doesn’t always win. And when someone else is defeated, we lose more of our soul.

2.1.3 Phenomenology and Existentialism

The Objective world, the world that exists for me, that always has and always will exist for me, the only world that can ever exist for me –this world, with all its Objects, I said, derives its whole sense and its existential status, which it has for me, from me myself, from me as the Transcendental Ego, the Ego who comes to the fore only with transcendental-phenomonological epoch.

¹

A Christian Existentialist believes in an objective God and doubts their subjective self/ego. An Existential Atheist or Skeptic believes in their subjective self and doubts the objective world/reality/God.

Which all boils down to the question: does God control people or do people control God? This all depends on your unstated a priori or basic assumptions about life.

Husserl shares the same a priori with Descartes, which is "I think therefore I am." So in the Husserl/Descartes view, ego is the starting point, but Hussserl, instead of deducing God from self/human existence like Descartes did, doubts the objective world, based on the limitations of the ego to be certain of of his perceptions (this is his subjectivity).

This also involves the idea that human evolution of culture is always progressive with Reason (or people in control) being superior to Mysticism (with God in control). I am a Christian Existentialist and I believe that Mysticism is superior to Reason, because I believe having God in control works better. And medieval and modern world history definitely proves my point.

Phenomenology can be reconciled with Science in that the transcendental subject (yourself) and the scientist exploring objective reality both gather information from experience. The scientist interprets it through an intermediary of measurement and analysis based on deduction, while the ego experiences the object directly, but must later filter out the psychological.

The Phenomenological a priori is fixed, but the ones of Science continue to evolve. This is because Science is based on a causality, viewed through the history of experiments and theories and phenomenology is concerned with the eternal present. This brings the modern mystical experience, as opposed to Biblical mysticism, or the general idea of Non-Duality, into a direct relation with Science, in the study of the paranormal.

The Christian Existentialist on the other hand focuses on the paradoxical nature of the foolishness of God where the mystery of salvation is based not on supernatural power or intellectual reasoning but on the free will of the subject and the undeserved free gift of the objective reality, Christ.

So in Existentialism, from a Christian point of view, while not denying the factuality of the supernatural or Scientifically understood phenomena, does not base his world view on either. Christians should not worry about Scientific or supernatural power, because it is in fact God who is in control of history and who has already defeated the Greek’s wisdom and the miraculous of the world.

2.1.4 Rules of an Ashram

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith...

²

First of all, I should start by saying, I have nothing against Gandhi, or any other civil rights/equal right activists. They probably were part of the inspiration for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which I am sure I benefit from, being that I am mentally ill.

If it is humanly possible to live up to these rules and someone does that, to say I respect them deeply would be a great understatement. In an age of so much violence, I have to agree that peace is more powerful than the sword. Many of our wars are so childish, on both sides, most were just for material gain, and could never even be worth the cost of one life, even insect.

I don’t serve any guru or religious leader no matter how famous. I get my rules straight from God as revealed in the Ten Commandments and interpreted by Jesus. This doesn’t mean that I follow all the rules all of the time. The Ten Commandments are an impossible standard and that was understood by Paul and even Jesus himself.

The difference in the rules is very significant in detail, but not so much in spirit. Some of the rules, like no sex between husband and wife, are hard to believe, but there may be value in this for some people. And I definitely agree that as an American, putting some ground rules for how much we eat has great value for our physical health alone. Also the rules on poverty should do wonders for our dealing with clutter and stress.

But I see the way of Christianity to be less about outward rules of behavior and more about attitude and relationship with God. I think it is great for there to be ways in which we can come together, from different belief systems, and work together for social progress. But I don’t see true religion as the problem. I see sin as our greatest problem.

Our greatest division, according to Paul, is within our own lives: the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. I believe that there are many paths to God and many paths our lives follow afterwards, but true religion starts with repentance and continues into sanctification. It is very little about what we do, although that is essential, but almost entirely what God is doing for us.

We should learn to be more disciplined, as we grow in Christ, and maybe even many of us in planned communities, but we do not have the strength to go it alone. We may be good enough to start revolutions and win Nobel Peace prizes to the betterment of all humanity, but the only way we will live forever is by God’s grace, in the form of the death on the cross and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2.1.5 Diversity, Freedom, and Confidence

Like phenomenology and theoretical physics of the early half of the 20th century, the modern art of Picasso was visionary for his time. The variety of his interests in art and the diversity of his creations reflect a complex person. His bold break from tradition showed a confidence in his vision. Picasso and his work are the epitome of freedom of expression.

The twentieth century has brought in many concepts that are poorly understood, because they are strikingly different, than any ideas in the past, and they are so sudden, that there are few frames of reference for evaluating and relating to the revolutions in: art, science, philosophy, and politics.

Although few people understand Picasso and can describe his art in a way that gives him the credit for the changes he inspired, and his personal creativity, confidence, and unquenchable freedom of human spirit, we can see his art bringing about a fundamental shift in the range of forms in which artists are able to express themselves and be accepted by part of the population.

It is hard to understand abstract art and it is even harder to create good abstract art. This is partly because our imaginations are often confined to what we can see, hear, and touch. We do not dream big enough, to allow ourselves the freedom to capture ideas, that we have not been told by others.

Art is not what people think photography is. It is not a Science, and it is not intended to be a reproduction of images or an exact duplicate of what was seen. Art is a way of expressing emotions and if we want everything to be recognizable without thinking, we would probably prefer photography.

Art transcends the limits of a strictly empirical and rational approach to life, where we observe things in a way that can be measured, and hold to some predetermined beliefs about life that other people have come up with. Artists have to have the freedom, to imagine a world of possibilities, and their works are meant to elicit emotions, beyond just what the subject can be described in words.

Abstract art also allows more freedom of interpretation and encourages diversity in points of view. It is not as accurate as a worded description, but is not limited to narrow interpretation either. The whole creation is greater than the sum of its parts in art, which is much harder to so with words.

It is not an understanding of life that is academic, in its strictest sense. It is something that must be experienced. The feelings it brings about, in the observer, are more important, than a technical understanding of how it was made, or the exact intent of the artist.

In a world when we get into wars over words, try to explain phenomenon in purely mathematical formulas, and reduce morality down to legalese, we need something to get us to see the world with our heart, instead of pursuing understanding, with only our heads.

2.2 Complexity Poetry

2.2.1 Sources

My sources of inspiration

Are a web of relationships

Which cannot be numerated

In any kind of list

Books give me direction

And my experiences give me vocabulary

But the Holy Spirit

Is my muse

This is an oversimplification

Because I cannot track the source

Of each line of verse

Or how the topic came to be

All I know is how I feel

And what I want to communicate

The words come in a stream

Sometimes faster than I can type

But understanding my method

Would drive a person mad

Even understanding where I come from

Is quite a feat

What is important is the message

And hopefully nothing obscures the meaning

I take responsibility

For the errors

And God deserves credit

For the good points

2.2.2 Creativity

I reach but cannot grasp

I struggle but it never gets easy

The answers are numerous

But the question is singular

I simplify as much as possible

But some things are just complex

With a pen in one hand

And writing on my heart

My mind spins without ceasing

And my body shifts slightly

Where the light is bright

You cannot see

But even in the dark night

You can make out some things

You can know too much

And things can be too easy

Without struggle

There are no rewards

And without a path

There is no destination

I can change my mind

But I cannot change the world

Sometimes we think too big

And miss what is right in front of us

It is not that things are too complex

But that we expect them to be too easy

Big things can be divided into smaller things

And schedules can give meaning to lengths of time

We cannot expect to finish

What we have never started

We cannot expect to surpass

The skill of the ancients

We can invent something new

But to solve problems

We need to use our creativity

To keep under the radar

There is a way to change things

Without violence or patience

But we must think

In our own space

And not wait for others

To come on board

2.2.3 Organization

As numerous as

The needles of a Douglas fir

As irregular as

A guerrilla army

Each aspect is unique

And each discipline distinct

They come together

Like the organics in an ecosystem

Each plays their part

And each element is essential

A projects has its limits

A website can only be so big

There are not just theoretical boundaries

But practical ones as well

Complexity is easy to create

But difficult to manage

Simplicity is difficult to create

But easy to manage

Plan when you are small

And grow in a pattern

Focus is the key to being understandable

Consistency is the key to being clear

Write with discipline

Draw with intent

Organization is easy

When the components have similarities

Separation is easy

When the pieces are different

Management is intuitive

When you understand your field

Public speaking does not frighten people

When they know their audience

Creating and organizing

Must be done simultaneously

Creation must be done

With thought to the completed project

Organization must be done

With creativity in mind

2.3 Celebration Poetry: Asian Edition

2.3.1 Clear Snow

Wind swept clouds of white debris

Brilliant blue patches of Heaven

Ascension means letting go

While transcending our limits

I relax my desire for control

Because what I believe in is true

With a step onto the bus

I set foot in another world

Of the Ten Thousand Things on my mind

I can only remember one

The ox is no longer yoked to the cart

The bird’s wingspan triples

There is a subtlety

That cannot be transmitted by words

There is a reason some things are not written

Sometimes writing is too direct

But the joy of self knowledge

Is comfort for the perpetual student

There is little more satisfying

Than being granted vision

Of possibilities and potential

That cannot be quantified

The answers lie behind the dot

At the end of a sentence

But their complexity is too great for a supercomputer

And has more strangeness than a super string

I walk a line perpendicular to my thoughts

And I dance along the circumference of my room

I do not wish to advance forward

But rather to side step along

The world seems too small to me

And too many things are already answered

But I cannot even fit one Bible verse

In my head with a fraction of its significance

I feel as though I have completed a long journey

But the adventure has just begun

I wish I could explain one second

Of the dream God has for us

The snow has gone and it has come again

But the sky is always blue behind the clouds

And when the air pollution has dissipated

The sunlight shines more brilliantly

2.3.2 Abundance

A pagoda of bright orange

And bunches of arched yellow

The blue heavenly lights glimmer

Off the dew on the produce

The fragrance of natural sugar

Arouses the senses

Within inches of each other

Green leafy vegetables

Bound and invisibly covered

A brilliant rainbow of fruit from the tropics

Diced and neatly stacked in trays

People wearing matching aprons

Tend to the harvested crop

People wander in to smell and pinch

And gently place the chosen ones in a colorless bag

Weighing the fruits value

In steel gages hanging from the ceiling

The people place the bags in a cart with wheels

Which the person pushes

And they are loaded into brown bags made of paper

Then they take off in their personal transportation vehicle

Upon arriving at the place of rest and family

A blinding white door is flung open

And the lights flash on in their full glory

The packaged crops are loaded into drawers

And the door is swung closed

Such care and time is taken

For something we will dispose of in a few days

Cherish the moments

When the fruits you like are in season and ripe

And do not let brown and blacks spots

Spread across the delicate harvest

For every plant under the sun

Their is a harvest

For every season

There is a fruit or vegetable

We rejoice in our abundance

One day of the year

But we live in abundance

Every day of the year

2.3.3 My Home

I sit down on my couch

After a very full day

The wind pressing the cold

Through my jacket

Many decisions and errands

The routine and the rare

With each step my legs

Feel the brunt of the winter air

Looking through long shelves

For unforeseen treasures

The house is saturated with heat

And the cushions are fluffy and supportive

My home is comfortable to live in

And this is a great luxury

My power went out for an hour

A tiny inconvenience

But in many parts of the world

They are surprised when it is on

And we have no shortage

Of clean drinking water

If I were less exhausted

I would dance and sing

Because the elements are brutal

And a warm home is a treasure

I live in the suburbs

In a good part of town

Where the streets are safe

Even at night

And no one is pushing drugs

Or driving around with weapons drawn

I live in a college town

Where books are plentiful

The events are varied

And the venues are numerous

2.3.4 The Forest

My time in the forest was predestined

There was a reason for my forest years

But I was not cheated

And was not a victim of a petty game

The forest is a time of building character

And learning life lessons

I learned new ways to fight

I found weapons more powerful than a pen

The forest is filed with trials and traps

Mine were paranoid and obsessive compulsive

I feared things that are irrational

And was obsessed with the least important

I learned that play is as important as work

And that relationships with people are as important as ideas

I learned that I can survive things

Most people will never have to go through

The only way to learn is trial by fire

And the only way to live is with wisdom

God watches over me

As I am one of His children

And is ever ready especially in the deep forest

When it is common for the details to be violent

To help my character

As He writes the story of my life

With special powers I can do more good

The special power I want is to be normal

But unlike the epic hero

My forest journey is always with me

Because it is a part of who I am

And I am willing to go the distance

With my tribulations

If I can learn from each challenge

So that I suffer less each time

2.3.5 Overgrown Path

In the blink of an eye

I stop in mid sentence

I have absorbed the intent of the book

After reading one line of verse

Understanding is spontaneous

It is the result of many years of toil

When you are in the eternal moment

The path does not matter

Realization of the way

Is unique to each person

Studying the classics

Is a noble path

Truth is abundant

In books tested by time

Style is diverse

The substance is pure and discrete

Methods are multiple

But principle is a unity

It is most difficult to grasp

When you are almost there

With each concept

Clearly eluded to

Doctrine is clear as mud

When the qi is brilliant

There is no formula

That gives the same result

There is no way

To mark the solution

The answers are not in the texts

But in your heart

There is nothing I can teach you

That you don’t already know

Don’t seek a guru

Decide to become a sage yourself

The road is not indiscernible

But it is unclear where to turn

The way is overrun with vegetation

And the path is indefinite

When you are totally lost

You are almost there

And when you have arrived

Your journey has only just begun

2.3.6 Severity

I will never wear red again

When going to church

To miss the morning mass is a crime

Punishable with death

Before I set off for the Holy Land

I must quit my job

I must severe all ties

That bind me to life

Before I take the sacred journey

As the road is dangerous

I must realize that luxury is only temporary

And that I will rest in a tomb

I must perform the rituals

With seriousness and reverence

Doing the sacred rites correctly

Is the equivalent of ten thousand hail Marys

It is good to live as close as possible to Calvary

But to commit one of the seven deadly sins

Within eyesight of the Jordan River

Can send the soul straight to Hell

In our daily prayers

Our focus must be only on Jesus

Praying without concentration is like not praying

The proper attitude and mindset

Is what makes a prayer acceptable to God

Acknowledging the unity of God is the first step

But prayer and fasting are the bread and butter

Part of our crop belongs to God

And part of our income too

Fasting for Lent

Must not just be done in the light of the day

And after fasting

Succeeding meals must be light

To fast diligently

Only to return to gluttony

Is missing the point

2.3.7 Proper Methods

I run with joy

To great my boss

I embrace him

And kiss his cheek

He is everything I want to be

He is my best friend

Loyalty is next to Godliness

And friendship is just good business

With each new presentation

I bring my boss more business

I work for the government

The only game in town

I practice the only business

Of noble worth

After passing my government exams

I was granted oversight

Of many plots of land

I represent Heaven

To the farmers of the earth

I am overburdened with a pile of books

Which I carry everywhere

To be a leader is to be a scholar

Things must be run with virtue

We learn from the ancients

On how to cultivate manners

And proper business ethics

And how to avoid vice

Heaven must govern Earth

And everything has its proper place

Nothing is done without good reason

Which we find in our books

Planning is meticulous

Especially at funerals

We have so much respect for our elders

That we show filial piety

Long after death

In public morning for the proper time

2.4 Celebration Poetry: European and American Edition

2.4.1 Dubious

See the reason for everything

But do not accept it

Understand the proof

Yet doubt its validity

Be able to explain the cause

But doubt the outcome

Understand causality

Yet see no connection

Between cause and effect

Just because you can measure it

Doesn’t mean its there

You can understand the order of things

Yet be in doubt

That things will continue to function

In the prescribed manner

Develop a test

And ignore the evidence

Use a control group

Yet doubt the objectivity

What we perceive

Is not reality

And what we understand

Is only part of the truth

When Science explains everything

People will reject the conclusions

When there is a analytical reason

For human behavior

People will breaks the rules

When there is nothing unknown

We are totally ignorant

What holds the multi-verse together

Is something we cannot define

The power that lies behind matter

And the momentum behind energy

Is not fixed and logical

Nor is it concrete and linear

That which defies explanation

Is the source of order

The substance behind the material

Exists beyond the limits of time

The empty space between quarks

Stretches beyond the fabric of space-time

Gravity bends space time and even light

But the power that rules the entire multi-verse

Became a Man and dwelt among us

2.4.2 Deceit

It is the absurdity of life

That we revile in

And in the mistakes of others

That we celebrate

But our own foolishness

We are too blind to see

We seek the praise of others

Based on dubious claims of merit

We invent accomplishments

Out of thin air

We pad our resumes

And announce products

That will never be released

We revile in the gullibility of others

And end up deceiving ourselves

We get all the promotions

And lavish benefits packages

At the expense of others’ retirements

We pat each other on the back

Even when we cost others their jobs

Our whole marketing plan is a scam

And we pay off officials to avoid penalties

We are corrupt to our very core

And our hearts were hardened at birth

There is no reason to confess

When we have no morals

There is no reason to start fresh

When we can continue the same scams undetected

2.4.3 Stalker

I am in love

With a young lady

She doesn’t know me

And I have never introduced myself

But I see her everyday

Through my telephoto camera

To me love is a game

And I am there to teach a lesson

Not to commit and love

Each day I get closer

To meeting her

While the photos of her are so numerous

I have no wall space left

When I finally touch her

I relive it many times in my mind

I fixate on her appearance

I cannot forget her smell

I describe every detail of her life

In my journal in minute detail

Every aspect of her life

I analyze with amazing focus

My goal is to have her dump me

And find out love is a disappointment

I want to scare her away from all other men

I never want her to find love

Because I was never able to

Commit to marriage soon enough

And lost my love to another

I have this wound inside my heart

That never heals

I know not what else to do

But continue the charade

2.4.4 Consistency

I hear people of faith

Try to win arguments

As if they will convince others

To convert to their belief system

By cheap tricks

And petty games

True faith is a choice

Made freely and with conviction

Not based on who argues the best

But on the basis of which one helps

And which one makes life better

You can try to convince people

To give up on this life

With a promise of eternal bliss

But how can they understand

If they can’t experience

A life more abundant in this lifetime

Doctrine can be beautiful

And rituals meaningful

But if faith is not freely made

Then there is no reason

For the trappings of religion

With a Bible in one hand

And a sword in the other

When people finally read the book

They will realize the messenger is a fraud

You cannot preach for toleration of the government

And fail to call the government on persecution

It is like talking out of both sides of your mouth

It is fraudulent and hypocritical

2.4.5 Without Faith

What is religion?

Belief in a supernatural?

How can we believe in a power

Higher than ourselves?

We explain everything rationally

And have no provable records

Of a more advanced species

We understand we share

Much in common with animals

So we are so much better

We are our own gods

But we are really

Just animals with over grown egos

How ignorant they must have been

How dull a society

Without facts people are naked

Without knowledge we suffer

Wars have caused more suffering

Since we believe only in ourselves

But we say we need more time

And Science is young

Will our planet survive

Another hundred years

With no reason for values

And no restraints on greed

If we survive that long

It will truly be a miracle

But we have no time for the supernatural

If we cannot put it in a lab

It does not exist

The only power is ourselves

We are our own role models

If there is nothing better than man

We have no reason to exist

Without a power

Greater than ourselves

We are just an accident

It would be better

If we were never born

2.4.6 Destructive Toys

When we were young

We made mistakes

But we were limited

By the power of our toys

As we grew up

So did our toys

As we began to learn

We got better at destruction

We found creating problems

Was easier than solving them

We began to compete

Bigger, better, faster

At any cost

First we dominated

The land and the animals

Then our mothers and sisters

Then we moved on to our young

And then to outsiders

Eventually we conquered

Whole ecosystems

It wasn’t enough

To dissect and reassemble

Believing man could make better

Than what God created

We created powerful poisons

To destroy each other

With greater efficiency

People became afraid

Of each other

Instead of fearing

The wilderness and the elements

As we became stronger

Than God’s creation

We became more arrogant

As we learned what we destroyed

And how to prevent it

We lashed out

On the animals and the land

And now little is left

And much more is wiped out

Faster and faster

2.5 Practical Poetry

2.5.1 Addicts

I have heard more sermons than I can count

I have been to every church in town

They all blend together

And mean nothing to me

I have believed what no one else understands

I have written in koans for many years

I cannot find anyone to share my joy

I cannot find meaning in my culture

All that line the pews are empty faces

With blank stares

No has the time to stop and think

No one cares what is right

My neighbors only care about sound bites

And what is convenient

They only believe what they were told

There is no originality or creative spark

I carry the world upon my shoulders

And no one understands

They say I am important

But I am void of plans

And see no way out

God is always silent

But I can always feel evil

We are consumed by desire

Our economy is based on destruction

We don’t care if the world ends tomorrow

As long as we don’t miss our TV show tonight

We think we make a difference

By watching the news

But we are in too deep

We have brought about our own destruction

There is nothing more to do

But wait for the big one to get us

Our media is obsessed about the end

But we ignore the obvious

No one cares about tomorrow

No one cares if the white man

Lives or dies

We are a dying race

And just a blip on the radar

No one feels sorry for my country

And everyone plots its doom

There is no time for explanations

Or even just time to talk

They are too busy building bombs

And planning attacks

Will God intervene this time

On our behalf

Or will this time be worse

Than the holocaust?

Maybe if I clothed myself

In the finest fashions

And did a miracle diet

And got hooked on meth

Or acted like a fool on film

And sent it across the web

People would buy my book

And listen to me for 10 minutes

There is no reason to bore yourself with the truth

Or stop listening to drivel

There is a time for revolution

But only to avoid our taxes

We would rather save 10 percent on care insurance

Than give to the needy

We would rather watch NPR

Than take the time to think

Our solutions only cause more problems

And there is no one who really cares

2.5.2 A crowded vehicle

Each has their own destination

Each exits and enters at different times

Each stop is a routine

Each stop is an opportunity

We are all here for different reasons

Some made the choice

And some have no choice

Each route links us to another path

Each bus has determined ending and starting points

Each time the crowd is different

Some destinations are more popular

But they are never exactly the same

Each time the bus passes by

We know we are in for a wait

Each stop we are closer to our end point

When we board we seldom talk

On each bus there is someone loud

The rules are few

And the penalties light

Eating is a crime

And our feet must remain down

Exits are to the front and to the rear

The bus is heated in the winter

And cooled in the summer

It is a refuge from the elements

And we have time to dry off

2.5.3 Just say no

Just say no to beef

Just say yes to your bovine friends

When you look into their big brown eyes

How can you continue to participate in their deaths?

With each veggie burger and turkey jerky stick

A cow’s life is saved

Eating other farm friends is not ideal

But sometimes soy beans give too much gas

Eat more pork products

My stuffed toy cows say

Because we had stuffed toy pig who was bad

It is not that I hate the taste

Or that I am afraid of getting sick

It is just that I cannot bear

The look of sorrow

On my little stuffed toys’ faces

There is nothing worse than the sound

Of a crying stuffed toy

There is nothing worse

Than when you hurt their feelings

I continue to avoid beef

And they are happy

When they smell piggy on my breath

2.5.4 Ethics of shampoo

The brand of shampoo you buy

Is an ethical choice

Little furry animals will thank you

If you buy the right brand

Do you want rabbits and mice

To suffer for you saving a dollar

You don’t have to sacrifice safety

For cruelty free shampoo

And the shampoo will be just as effective

Your hair will be soft and thick

Look for "not tested on animals” on the label

To save the little ones from torture

If you don’t want to be a guinea pig

Think how much worse the little animal feels

We can see how much we care

By how we spend our money

We should not worship animals

Or torture them either

They are our friends

They are like little children

2.6 Memories of a Soldier

2.6.1 The Dark

Is is dark now

And I fight to stay awake

I never was this tired before

But my time in the Army

Sure was exhausting

And many things I still remember

Happened at night

The night of our arrival

At Reception Battalion

Lasted far past midnight

It took us hours to get into formation

And to stop talking

I don’t remember

What processing they were doing

That took all that time

The night watch was so long

I read my green Gideon’s pocket bible

And scoured its indexes

Finding helpful verses

I still don’t know

What we were watching for

At Basic Training

Day started in a flash of light

The light switch was flipped

And we jumped out of bed

And ran into formation

Then we ran out into the dark

And stopped under stadium lights

My arrival to my Duty Station

Was in the deep of night

So idyllic with the palm trees

And the fresh sea air

I was lost of course

Following Drill Sergeant’s orders

I didn’t get on the bus

With the rest of the soldiers

But I found my way to my unit

With a lot of help

Ironically the cab dropped me off

Within feet of my assigned battalion

I walked to and from my job

Usually in the dark of dawn or dusk

And I wore my sleeves long

And wore mountain boots

Because it can get chilly

With the air conditioning so high

2.6.2 Fear and Excitement

My experience in the Army

Was full of fear and excitement

I was terrified of being tortured

But I was thrilled beyond imagination

At being part of history

The risk is beyond human

But with the adrenaline going

You forget all the problems that could arise

I knew what I was doing was important

And it was exciting work

For someone just out of high school

Hawaii was a dream on earth

And the activities were plentiful

The land and ocean are breath taking

But the people are what keep you there

One bus travels the perimeter of Oahu

From North Shore to Waikiki

By Scofield Barracks and Pearl Harbor

Location is everything

And that was perfect

But my mind was tormented

With long bouts of depression and paranoia

In my barracks

I was kept awake

With fear of deployment

And fear of chemical attack

I had no trouble at work

My supervisors were amazed at my performance

I tested out of a year of college

And maxed out my sit-ups portion of the PT test

But worries worked at my stomach

And I could never relax

I saw the island

But had trouble enjoying anything

It was not that I was just negative

But my mood kept me on a bad course

When I went in for counseling

They knew something was wrong

2.6.3 Churches Numerous

God was very real to me

When I was in the Army

And the church was the safest place for me

A place where little was expected

I went to church during Basic Training

There were no Drill Sergeants there

And there were no orders to follow

At Advanced Individual Training

I attended a Methodist church

A block from our barracks

The other soldiers wondered why

I went every week

But that was all I had left of myself

When I arrived at my Duty Station

I tried a number of churches

I found a church next to my barracks again

But I was the only white person there

It was full of excitement

And people even danced in church

It was Church of God in Christ denomination

But I don’t remember their theology

My roommate drove me to his church

At the other end of the island

This was the best church in Honolulu

It was Word of Life Christian Center

Or something like that

This was the First Charismatic/Pentecostal church

I attended regularly

It was a great place to meet

Nice young women my age

And they had activities for 20 somethings

Another church I went to was called

Oahu Church of Christ or something like that

They met in the form of potlucks

At a different place every time

And there were always outdoor baptisms

At every service

The final church I went to

Was just outside the base

Every Sunday was a salvation message

And members were expected to come

Other times of the week as well

Saturday nights the preacher answered questions

And there was prayer and speaking in tongues

Every other night throughout the week

3 Religion and Ethics

by Ben Huot

3.1 Time of Great Change

Time in the West is perceived as linear and progressive. We believe that Science will always bail us out of our social problems. We believe that we can create a Utopia, if we learn enough about Math and develop the Social Sciences enough.

In the Non-Western world, time is perceived as a cycle, where we have different problems at different times but the cycle repeats itself indefinitely. Most belief systems see our present time as a period of social problems and moral decline.

We are coming to an energy crises, because we in the West want to have more and more material things, to make us happy. We are especially addicted to personal transportation and we consume so much, that we are running out of resources, that are not renewable.

We continue to push our way of life to the limits, wanting free reign, to do basically whatever we, want and not prepare for the future. We don’t want to invest in education; we would rather spend our resources on entertainment. We don’t want to be moral sexually and we feel we have a right to unlimited amounts of others’ property that we can easily copy. We are eating ourselves to death and dying as a consequence of our sexual immorality.

We are already fighting wars over oil and will continue to do so, until there is non left, and not even the promise of any. We are addicts to cheap energy, especially oil, and continue to expand our needs exponentially. And the multinational corporations are getting more and more control of the government and don’t care what the consequences are, as long as they can make one more dollar.

Those who are far sighted will prepare now for how to live, without personal transportation and to live, using less energy. We are at a time of crises and we may very well fight a civil war over this. The time to really worry about is when we elect our first environmental president. By the time that happens things will have gone too far, and instead of helping the ecosystem gradually recover over time, we will take great risks, in the hope of solving our problems quickly. But the solution will create even bigger problems.

If we can get our consumption under control, we may well live thousands of years into the future, as the human race, but if we are unwilling to do with less now, while we rebuild, we may not make it to the end of this century. Ultimately it is in God’s hands. If God wasn’t bailing us out, then we would have destroyed ourselves long before, due to nuclear holocaust or a prolonged world war.

The best thing we can do is to pray for God’s help and repent of our gluttony. The Lord our God is slow to anger and quick to forgive, so we still have hope in Him.

3.2 Heavenly Father Poetry

3.2.1 The Perfect Programmer

God is the perfect programmer

We are all his programs

I am a flawed program

How can this be?

My source code was perfect

In every respect

But I let others add code

I started out stable and efficient

I was useful to my Creator

But the other code was sloppy

And my executable became corrupted

I kept on throwing up error messages

I blamed the kernel and other software

Everyone was wrong but me

My file formats were universally compatible

But I decided not to publish my new source code

Or even document my APIs

I would only release a software development kit

If people purchased a service plan

I used other peoples programs

I downloaded illegally off the Internet

I began to see nothing wrong

With being infested with viruses

I was getting more bloated by the day

And my features grew so great in number

That I became too complex to compile without errors

I began to seek other business models

I released some source code but not all

No one will develop me anymore

I rely on my my public relations staff

To buy my way into your computer

I claim no responsibility for damage

I would be recalled

But people don’t expect computers to work

3.2.2 Praise and Criticism

I have a memory problem

And a vision problem

My eyes are fine

And my mind works great

But I have huge blind spots

I constantly pray for protection

And I have a great memory

For how people have hurt me

But it is only when I stop and rest

That I remember to give thanks

For all God has protected me from

My greatest problem is fear

And I have struggled with chronic

Physical and mental suffering

And my life has not been easy

For a middle class American’s standard

But what I was saved from

Is greater than I could have imagined

I lost my mind due to my service in the Army

But I still have all my limbs and organs intact

I was able to get out of the military

When my mental illness interfered with my job

And my peace of mind

I had allergic pink eye for 3-1/2 years

But it ended with my first anti-psychotic medicine

When we watch the news

It is mostly negative

And people are quick to point out problems

But rarely offer solutions

It is easy to criticize others actions

When they do not act heroic

But how do we know what we will due

When we are in a crisis

3.2.3 Praise God for Everything

Praise God for everything good

We know of or have experienced

Praise God for everything good

We have yet to or may never discover

Praise God for everything good

We have labeled as a coincidence

Praise God for what we have learned

Jesus is the best teacher

Praise God for what we have learned

Sins to avoid and the way to salvation

Praise God for when we have peace

Spiritual as well as physical

Praise God for when we have plenty

God provides for His creation

Praise God for when we have stability

In our jobs and in the universe

Praise God for His forgiveness

For when we treat each other bad

Praise God for healing us

From bad decisions and from injuries

Praise God for everlasting life

If we only submit to God

Praise God for His suffering

For our bad choices

Praise God for our freedom

We can choose good or bad

Praise God for being who He is

Supreme in character, wisdom, and power

Praise God for loving us

Even when we don’t return His love

3.2.4 Awesome God

God is not your little sister

Who you need to protect

God is not in debt

You don’t need to finance Him

God does not need an advocate

He is God whether He is worshiped or not

God is not pressed for time

He has plenty of time for you

You do not need to argue God’s case

Creation speaks out His name

God doesn’t need you to fulfill his plans

God is in control of history

If you can travel back and forth in time

God is already there and everywhere else

If we travel to another planet

God is just as much in control

If we have a multi verse and parallel realities

It is there because God created it

God is not limited by having poor followers

God is all powerful in and of Himself

God doesn’t just watch you in church

God sees all

God doesn’t like Christians better than unbelievers

God loves us because He chooses to

God will not do evil

This does not mean His power is limited in any way

God does not play favorites

You don’t get points for good deeds

God will judge everyone

And none of us will pass without Christ

God does not struggle to defeat evil

He destroys it in His timing and with His methods

God doesn’t care what we think is immoral

He invented morality

God is not fooled like people are

God knows your heart

3.2.5 Family Appreciation

Thanks God for my family

Thank God for my mom

Whose encouragement uplifts

And who continually advocates for me

Thanks God for my dad

Whose advice has saved me from harm

His prayers give me hope

Thank God for my sister

Who listens carefully to what I say

Whose visits cheer me up

Thank God for my Uncle Clive

Who faithfully looks through my work

Whose careful words brighten my day

Thanks God for my stuffed cows

Who are always near by

Whose humor and thoughts keep my company

Thank God for giving my a family

That is always near in spirit

And who put my needs ahead of theirs

Who are anxious to hear what I have learned

And who consider what I say

With open minds and careful consideration

Who care enough to consider my feelings

And adjust their words and tone

Who I can consider colleagues

And who understand what I am doing

Better than anyone else

Thanks for your inspiration

And your love

3.2.6 Tolerance

Is is better that we not offend

The pride of those doomed to eternal death

Or better that more have eternal life?

Is the preservation of one more year of life

Of significance when we count in eternity?

Is it so important that we have personal transportation

That we sacrifice our young men’s lives?

Do we seek to be so tolerant of the wealthy

That we let the poor suffer violence?

Are we so addicted to popular culture

That we no longer care what is right and wrong?

Are we so far devolved morally

That we throw away our future?

Because some people used Christ’s named for evil

Does that mean that there is no truth in the Bible?

Why do we give to charity

When we vote against those in need?

Why speak out for what is wrong

When we don’t even try to live morally?

Do we need to rewrite history

To prove what we are doing is right?

Isn’t it a bad sign that we have no faith?

There is more to the world than white America

God values those in the Asia and Africa

Even if we won’t even help feed them

When the rest of the world hates you

You might think you did something wrong

When you read the Bible and get offended

Do you think you are you better than God?

Who are we to judge the world

From our Postmodern point of view?

Atheism is a blip in world history

And the future is more Christian than pagan

And there are more Muslims than atheists

Do we only tolerate those with big lobbies?

Do we only look after those who can speak for themselves?

When we choose to give some rights and not others

What is the basis for this decision?

Why do we put women and children

Above the lives of our soldiers?

Why do we disregard the lives of animals

When our society is built on their labor?

There is more to life than American football

And there is more going on in the world

Outside Hollywood and Wall Street

3.2.7 God, Help!

We look around us

And we hear rumors

All point to our destruction

Our imminent demise

Our fresh water is infected

Garbage drifts in the sea

Our forests are destroyed

Daily more are burned down

Our food make us sick

And we eat ourselves to death

We generate dangerous waste

For ten thousand years

Deadly incurable diseases

Spread like wildfire

Our rich steal from the poor

And conduct scams without penalty

Our president is a dictator

He starts wars out of revenge

Our politicians don’t care about us

They follow the largest sum of money

Our religious leaders

Preach hate and prejudice

The people don’t seem to care

As long as they can see the football game

And there is plenty of beer

They will sell their souls

To not have to get up off the couch

God, we repent of our sin

Please have mercy on us

We take full responsibility

And are willing to pay the penalties

Please forget our sin

And be our God

And we will be Your servants

We will put the poor and the rejected

Above our own desires

We will honor You

With our actions and not just our words

3.2.8 Walking Forward

With back straight

And eyes level

A relaxed walk

With long strides

Brilliant blue sky

And radiant sun

Long rows of books

Quick glances

And moving on

With each turn

And a rapid survey

Passing by numerous sections

Already absorbed

With each step

I pass walls of books

And with each shelf

Years of study

I am beginning to feel

More relaxed

And sure of my ideas

There is a subtlety

That exists in the mind

And a slight change in pace

That signals growth

And increasing certitude

The times of clarity

Multiply in number

I still don’t have plans

For tomorrow

But there is a stillness

And a gentle attitude

Overflowing from my heart

And my head is a little lighter

On my shoulders

The weight is slowly receding

And I get glimpses of peace

And times of conviction

That experience exponential growth

And continued enthusiasm

3.2.9 Morning Sunshine

In the cool of the day

Darkness fades gently

And the sun rises confidently

Over the distant horizon

At what point does it become day?

Where exactly is the horizon?

I learn sometimes in leaps

Sometimes at a slow walk

God continues to rise in my heart

I do not know when I will fade

But I know God will continue

To outshine the darkness of my soul

We bow to God’s brilliance

And are blinded by His Presence

We are dark and low

Not worthy to be the dirt

On which He treads

We live most our life in the shadows

It is hard to watch the sun

We hide from the intense light

But are afraid when it leaves

We scatter far and wide

To our own devices

When night falls

But we need to return

To the radiance of our Lord

Before we start our day

Under the direct light of the sun

3.3 Son of God Poetry

3.3.1 The Missionaries

God does not love America

More than any other country

God does not condone wars

Over natural resources

God is not Republican

He does not support the Religious "Right"

Bush is not following the Bible

America was never a Christian nation

The Bible does not promote capitalism

Christians should speak out against corporations

TV evangelists are seldom

Preaching from the Bible correctly

The Bible is incompatible with Science

The way it is taught in schools

The Bible is more Scientifically sound

Than the theory of evolution

God is not in danger of being outdated

America is regressing

God is worshiped in the Third World

Only Europe has no faith

Religion is not a competition

The Bible has no equal

We don’t need to denigrate others

To support our beliefs

God is not White

God loves all races

God is not a God of hate

God loves all people

No matter what they have done

And no matter who they are

3.3.2 God Speaks

God speaks all languages

He speaks to us in our language

Arabic and Chinese

Spanish and Pali

Hebrew and Russian

Croatian and Pigeon

Farsi and French

There is a word for Christ

In every language

There is a word for suffering

There is a word for submission

There is a word for sacrifice

There is a word for humanity

There is a word for hope

There is a word for joy

There is a word for peace

There is a word for life

There is a word for eternal

There is a word for forgiven

There is a word for repentance

There is a word for belief

There is a word for sin

There is a word for good

There is a word for heaven

There is a word for love

There is a word for victory

There is a word for change

There is a word for compassion

There is a word for service

3.3.3 Religion Means Education

The Bible is not just words

For memorization and quotation

It is not a means to control

Or a way to win arguments

The Bible is not a set of rules

To conform to

The Bible is not a goal to achieve

Or a means to a higher consciousness

Christians do not ascend

And God is not trying

To advance us technologically

God does not make you rich

If you are devout

God is not a reason for bad behavior

Or an excuse to give up

God does not want us

To be workaholics

The Bible is a weapon

Against our own selfishness

And our pride and stubbornness

But we must plunge the sword

Into ourselves

God wants us to learn

He wants us to grow

Not to be wealthy or more advanced

But to be moral and healthy

We do not grow by secret knowledge

Or by special powers

We learn who God is

And learn how to submit to Him

We learn the source of our problems

Is our own poor choices

And we get deliverance from them

To the extent that we give God control

Of our minds, our hearts, and our souls

3.3.4 Campus Community

Under the cover

Of strong oak branches

And on the carpet of

Carefully manicured grass

The entire campus

Is overflowing with deep green

And on these memorial benches

Of weathered cedar and black iron

I watch with fading eyelids

As people pass the Frisbee by

Which dogs catch in mid air

And students cover the lawn

Leading up to the ornate marble library

Ivy is digesting the brick halls

And the sounds of construction

Permeates the adjacent buildings

All the vertical wood surfaces

Are covered in propaganda

A gray bearded man

Plays the guitar

And sings songs

Only fully understood by him

Softly a block away

What a community

What an idyllic atmosphere

I like to think that

Maybe some are believers

3.3.5 Open Market

You can smell the incense a mile away

And you can see everyone’s toes

It is Saturday again downtown

The booths are all assembled

And manned with merchants

There are pamphlets and stickers

Posters and pens

All carrying the logo

Of a charity or small business

This is how capitalism was envisioned

This is a diverse gathering

Fresh picked produce

And organic baked goods

Hemp clothing and more

Everything is produced locally

Or a product of fair trade

There is silver jewelry galore

And every kind of clothing tie dyed

The local charities are out in

Solid numbers and well stocked

With sign up sheets

And passionate volunteers

There are dozens of groups

Fighting to save the forests

And dozens of groups

For equality and justice

Globally and locally

There is continual music

And the aisles are crowded

The lines slowly shift forward

And the restrooms are portable

A Christian group lurks in the distance

If you squint real hard

3.3.6 Epic Hero

Christ is the greatest epic hero

The most powerful and the strongest

But His goal was not war

And He did not kill

His message was second

To His example

And greatest of all

Was His humility joined

With His divinity

Conquering the spirit world

Or starting an empire

Was not His way

He conquered the greatest enemy

The most entrenched traitor

Our heart and our minds

And our sins and bad attitudes

He healed and He prophesied

He was merciful and had authority

He was a descendant of the Jewish people

And He was the One who created all

Because of my Hero, Jesus

I have eternal life

He did the hardest thing anyone has done

To make it as easy as possible for me

I do not have the energy to do yoga

Or the leadership to start an ashram

I don’t have the discipline to pray 5 times a day

Or the money to journey to Mecca

Christ has provided the only way

For my salvation

And He has invited everyone to join

And the cost is free as in freedom

3.3.7 Ancestor

Born as a descendant

Of the Scottish monarchy

And with many castles to

Our family name

If we could prove it

Starting out to free Scotland

From the brutal English

I later gave up

The quest for nationalism

Not only did the Stewards

Inherit the throne of England

But I have a greater legacy

Which I have given up on

The previous ancestry for

I am born again

And grafted into

The lineage of Israel

And am part of the inheritance

Of the Son Of God

The second Adam

Christ, the Creator of All

Has chosen me

Before the beginning of time

To be one of His children

And any who will believe

Are all God’s chosen people

Whether Asian or European

African or North American

Latin American or Australian

3.3.8 Center of Gravity

Night has fallen on Europe

And it is late afternoon in America

But the sun is just rising in Africa

And it is still morning in Latin America

And it is a few hours before dawn in Asia

Christ is universally understood

And is available to all believers

In Europe and North America

The white man is diminishing in numbers

And his power does not extend

Beyond his own continent

Even at home, foreigners from the south

Are overwhelming the West

But Christ loves the South

Just as much as the North

But the white man has lost his religion

And those from Africa and Asia

Are embracing and comprehending God

In ways that the West never could

Christ is not just a moral teacher

He is a living God

Christ loves the poor

And identifies with the losers of war

The spiritual world is real

Even more than Science could theorize

Christ is not an abstract concept

But a real force in everyday life

God is not just our Creator

He is our Ancestor

He wants to adopt us

To be a part of His lineage

And to share His inheritance

God shapes history

In ways we could never imagine

And God has a special plan

For those in the Africa and Asia

For the persecuted and the fatherless

From those rich in Spirit

3.3.9 Crossroads

We are at a turning point

As believers worldwide

We have passed on the torch

To our friends in the South

What does God have planned

For those who understand Christ better?

What more will God reveal

In the 21st century?

There is no need

To spread the Gospel southward

We need missionaries in the North

There is nothing we can teach the South

Now we need to learn from them

Africa is becoming the leader

The younger child that God loves

And we have become wealthy

We have given up our inheritance

For things of this world

We can no longer see the truth

Of God’s divine intervention

And the miracles available

For those who truly believe

We look down on the humble

And reject those with problems

We blame the sick

The physically and mentally weak

For our declining power in the world

We don’t realize

Our lack of character

And are unable to comprehend

What sacrifice means

We are an empire on decline

Will those in the South pray for us?

3.4 Ambitions Poetry

3.4.1 Global Crises

I am tired now

I have stretched so much

To get where I am now

But my ambitions

Keep moving farther ahead

There is so much evil

In the world today

And most people in my country

Are a big part of the problem

We get used to having so much

And we struggle to give up

Even a little, now and then

But the planet can only

Withstand so much

And we are some of the most fragile

Forms of life on Earth

The planet may live on

Minus humanity and its people

Prayer is the only thing

That can save us now

We need God to intervene now

Because the problem is too great

For any human group to solve

We wait until the last minute

And then we do something radical

But it backfires and things get worse

This is what I fear of

For the future of humanity

There is so little time left

And so much left to do

If only I can reach someone

Who can commit to prayer

And inspire people to help in small ways

I am certain that God will be faithful

And multiply the effort applied

I believe that miracles

Are not just for the Bible times

But that God is amongst us

In purpose and in power

That Christ is willing and able

To bring us from destruction

If only we submit ourselves

To God and His plan

And we are patient for His timing

3.4.2 Self Mastery

Not only do I seek

To help the world

But I seek to conquer

My own pride and selfishness

I seek not to control others

But to control myself

To gain mastery of my mind

By turning my heart to God

In more and more aspects

Of my life and will

I seek to grow quickly

In wisdom and in purity

Sometimes I push for too much

And go forward too fast

But it is hard to be patient

When you know

How long the road is

And how difficult each step is

It is easy to get discouraged

When the reading only goes so fast

And I can think of little to write

There are no new technologies

To develop and improve with

There is no inspiration for art

And no images to draw

There is so much to absorb

In just a few books

If I knew how hard and long

The journey would be

I am not confident

That I would proceed

There is only so much

That a person can handle

All at once

3.4.3 Encouragement

With a long nap

And something to drink

I feel energized

My mood is up

And my depression has ceased

I am thankful

My depression has not the severity

Of my continual terror

There is much to do

And thank God

My strength is renewed

I pray that I have the will

To push myself far enough

And I have the elasticity

To rebound gently

There is little I can leave to others

My work is unique

Few understand the significance

And no one really grasps

The methods to my madness

People may be inspired to think

But they do not wrap their minds

Around the intent of my verse

Or the mood of my thinking

We are taught not to think

And we develop a weakness

For independent thinking

If someone can follow my thoughts

And the balance of ideas

But have the courage and the will

To chart their own course

I will be satisfied

That my work will carry on

To another generation

3.4.4 Fine Art

Fine art is not imitative

It is not photography

Creations are not just objects

They are representations

Of the epic heroes

And of the spiritual realm

Art is meant to teach

And people must understand

Not just feel something

The art does not mean just anything

The meaning is determined by the creator

Art is not meant to teach conformity

Or imitation of a specific style

It is meant to uplift the heart and mind

Art is religion and philosophy

We learn to create beauty

By learning morality

We improve ourselves spiritually

By God’s direction

And this is what makes art classical

Art must communicate

And people must contemplate

Art is a reflection of culture

And it does not evolve over time

Or at least it hasn’t in modern times

When we seek to be expressive

And to enjoy the appearance

This is not fine art

Art is serious and it is ancient

We learn from the classics

But emulate no one

3.5 Existential Ethics

Nature and history and their kingdoms do not stand on the same plane as Him...The sovereignty of the Word of God is distinguished by the fact that it has no competitors

³

Existentialism mean human being and is about defining what is human by what abstract qualities that are uniquely human, rather than defining humans by a certain set of DNA. Existential ethics emphasize the responsibility of the individual and are a way to be more moral than the establishment, not less.

Sparta was one of the major Greek powers, at the time of Plato and Socrates. The Spartans were the conservatives of their time. They held the locals in slavery, to produce goods, for the soldiers to consume. They made the slaves get drunk and make fools of themselves, as an example, for the soldiers not to behave like. They paid off the religious authorities, to support their frivolous wars. Their male children were taken off, to indoctrinate into warriors, and when they came of age they were assigned a male lover. The women were only educated and kept in shape, to make them worthy of serving their husbands. Many babies who were not of the right lineage were killed, even after being born.

Existentialism is a break away from this kind of Greek culture, that is the basis for our modern society.

3.5.1 Christianity and the establishment

If you hear popular evangelists on TV speak, it is often in blind support of the establishment. You might assume that the Bible says for us to give to the multi-national corporations that control these institutions and support their policies. What Jesus taught was non-violent resistance, a spiritual revolution based on humility to God and equality to other people and compassion for those society does not value. Jesus did not teach the detachment, that is prevalent in popular culture, nor the violent and negative view of the world, that is common of the establishment.

3.5.2 Why we should not support the establishment

Nietzsche based his philosophy around strength. He did not like Christianity, because the kind of Christianity he saw in Europe promoted weakness and was the basis for a slave race of workers, who in the name of Christianity had an unquestioning form of patriotism and support of the establishment, much like it is today. Tolstoy was Christian, but took the example of the New Testament Church seriously and understood that the basis of God’s interaction with humanity is unconditional love and the Church should be separate from society because the goals of society are at fundamental odds, with what Christ taught.

According to Foucault, the judicial system, the military, hospitals, and schools (the establishments TV evangelists traditionally support) seek to make people conform to society’s values by observation, normalization and examination. Kierkegaard realized that Christ’s life on earth and death was based on a paradox understood by faith and was not something reason out and understood intellectually. We were to realize that we cannot think objectively and to have the sense to not use our theories to have God-like control over the earth and other people.

3.5.3 Why they support the establishment

These TV evangelists support the establishment, because they are funded by the establishment. People believe them, because they have been taught to think dualistically. Instead of recognizing that humans are both good and evil, and are free to choose, as the Bible says, people are taught today that man is at the center of the universe and that instead of all people having a dual nature internally, that some people are good, while others are evil and those who are in power are there because God put them there. They believe they can take everything apart and put it together better than God created it, because they believe in man and not in God. This can be traced back to the enlightenment with Descartes.

3.5.4 Free Thinking

Most people follow an average course out of a desire for safety or for a lack of creativity. There are some amongst us who follow their own way. Why do they follow their own way?

They do not do well following others. It bores them. They cannot conform to the ways that others want them to live. They must run free with their desires. They must struggle with death. They must find who they are.

Free thinkers have a desire to explore and be fascinated with simple things. Free thinkers don’t give up on their dreams. They fight for them harder when there is opposition.

Being a free thinker is a state of mind. Having the courage to start your own course and a desire to teach others are a part of it. There must also be a special spark that makes you want to write or create.

Writing is important for a free thinker. It is where they can fight their ideas out against those of others. They can know for themselves whether they really believe what they say.

Being a free thinker is not just about following a different course. It is about knowing your heart and the hearts of others. It involves a respect for all life.

Thinking freely means not setting arbitrary limits on yourself like jobs do. Being a free thinker means working when other are playing. It means rushing in from a day at the beach ahead of everyone else to write.

There are sacrifices for being a free thinker. You must be first not always to think of new ideas but to fight for another’s right to do so. You must encourage others to explore the limits of their own creativity.

Thinking freely means thinking. You can’t just rush out and do something on a whim. Free thinking is hard work and you might just want to give up.

Most people are only free thinkers in certain areas of their lives. Free thinking in all areas of your life requires commitment. Not just time but mental effort when you are tired.

Ideas can come at any time. You have to fight for them. They can be easily forgotten but so hard to put down.

You must constantly struggle to see life honestly. The easy way or the pleasurable way is not always the way you choose. You want to live your life passionately and take risks.

Thinking freely doesn’t mean you’re a freak. There is no set music or style of clothes that defines a free thinker. Being a freak is cool though and special.

Evangelizing is important. You have to want others to be free too. You must want to work to help others break out on new courses.

You are responsible for letting the truth out. You don’t have to live a lie. Choose your friends carefully so they don’t compromise your search for truth.

Thinking freely doesn’t need to occupy all your time. Its ok to be normal if you are honest about it.

Free thinkers are defined by their commitment to the truth that they find. They live by what they write, even though they may not live by what they write.

Being a free thinker doesn’t mean you have artistic talent. It means you take the difficult road when you need to. Artistic talent does help you define your beliefs though.

Any generation can be free thinkers and you need to be accessible to different generations. There have been true free thinkers for generations and now there are a lot of wannabes.

Thinking for yourself doesn’t mean defying the laws. Only if they violate truth that you believe do you want to resist the law. You don’t get inspired very often in prison.

No one is going to confirm that you are a free thinker. Others will probably notice. You have to know what you are yourself. You can’t count on anyone else.

There is no time when you reach a pinnacle of being a free thinker. You must fight for it each day. You must convince yourself.

You should be easier on yourself. Most free thinkers are too hard on themselves. You are already choosing to live life harder.

You don’t have to be published to be a great free thinker. You’re ideas are your ideas and you reveal them to others at your leisure.

3.5.5 Taking Responsibility for your Actions Means Thinking for yourself

Human being is defined by action and a person determines their own destiny. When a person becomes part of a crowd and makes their decisions based on a value system, they lose that essence that make human being stand out, from other modes of being. People are treated inhumanely, when people do not think for themselves on an individual level.

When a person is thrown into the world, there is not a manual to life, within reach. A person experiences a consciousness which something, that just exists-in-itself does not have. There are no laws or standards as to how humans interact. For some people, their lives are a constant struggle to suppress their innate desire to self-destruct and take down others with them. As they grow older, they learn how to hold these desires, within a certain set of established parameters. For others, pre-conceived notions about how they should interact with others do not answer the questions, that life throws at them. They embrace life for what it is. They celebrate all life, knowing that the suffering that serves to define consciousness and the absurdity that brings sudden joy play at each other much as shadows dance under candlelight. The joy is greater when the suffering is more intense.

Subatomic particles like quarks are the fundamental building blocks of all matter, in this space-time continuum. These particles have no mass and do not have definite locations. They exist, within a range of possible locations, and carry a given charge and direction of spin that define what they are. This kind of existence is being-in-itself. When people act within established parameters, and take on value systems, that were decided upon within a group, they do not have any more individual identity, than the fabric of space time. Laws and statistics describe how a person will act, to the same degree of predictability, that matter can be described, using Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. As the quarks exist, as separate entities, defined by their charge and spin, so can people, in mass, be defined by their value system and their economic status. People do not make use of their fundamentally distinctive quality of self-determination on a large scale.

When people behave in predictable ways, their consciousness can be abstracted. Abstractions like math and Social Science are the main vehicles that drive the technological buildup, that has changed the conceptualization of our bodies and our ecology as spiritual manifestations, that demand awe and respect to material ones, where components can be isolated and manipulated, without having any unpredictable effect on the whole. When certain pieces are singled out, that are seen on a given level of abstraction as harmful or useless, they are dealt with, without making any fundamental distinctions between human being and being-in-itself. When a human being is not treated, with a respect for qualities that are not transparently useful to the beholder instantaneously, there is no serious concern for ethics.

When people are not judged based on a value system and are not commoditized as material objects, they are treated with a respect that acknowledges their unique human mode of being. When people no longer take identity from the crowd, they are faced with feelings of anguish, abandonment and despair. Anguish is felt when we realize that we are choosing what is best for all mankind and realize that we have no right to do so. Abandonment is felt when we realize that, without God, everything is permitted and we cannot use values to legitimize our behavior, or base our decisions on feelings, that we have not defined through action. Despair is felt when we do not rely on supernatural intervention, or a default nature of man, to help us make our decisions. These feelings do not stop a person from functioning as a productive member of society, but, on the contrary, motivate them to thoughtful action.

3.5.6 Animal Rights

Should we pride ourselves on our ability to capture [animals] and make them work for us? But that is no more than the advantage we have over each other; our slaves are in the same condition

⁴

What does define a human? A popular modern answer is DNA. But even a frog has 95 percent of the same DNA as a human. And DNA differs among races and even among families, right down to the individual person. What makes a person human is their humanity: having ideals and not living up to them.

We are famous for our technology, but we can’t make our robots swim as well as fish. We learn about art and design from nature. Are some cultures more human because they have faster computers? Even the largest computers doesn’t come close to the billions of processors inside each human brain. And with all the more information in our century, do we cherish ideals as a possibility, or are we too overwhelmed by the violence of the 20th century and how our knowledge just turns into better weapons, weapons that don’t make mistakes - they’re just programmed wrong.

Animals also have compassion and humility as well as other ideals that we long to emulate. Does your cat get impressed by your new gadgets? Does your dog expect you to be economically successful? Does your cat comfort you when you are sick? Does your dog try to help you when you are hurt?

People often quote the Bible that there is a hierarchy of God, then angels, then humans, then animals. But, if animals are not considered to have humanity too, then are we considered to be less important or moral than aliens or angels? Is it ethical for aliens to experiment on humans? They are certainly more technologically advanced and more intelligent than us.

Even if we don’t consider animals to have humanity by some technicality, then why do we not strive at least for our ideals of compassion and humility and consider their pain and their weakness? It is not because we believe deep down in our heart that animals are actually more cultured and sophisticated than us? Do animals destroy other species, in large numbers, or fight to kill off their own species, because they think differently.

3.5.7 Pumped up for War

1. Bush: bush

2. Cronies: martial artists

3. America: oil drill

4. Saddam: whip

5. Cronies: babies

6. Iraq: s and m shop

In a vast expanse of desert

For hundreds of miles in every direction

With no one to observe our every action

Anyone snooping can be seen from miles away

The small pools of water lapping at the sand

Are quickly and silently sucked up into the hot air

The wind caresses the soft sand

And smoothies the mounds rising from the desert floor

With a oil drill pumping up and down

Deeper and deeper it penetrates the earth

The sand falls away to the rhythm

Of the hard pounding steel rod

Dark liquid sputters up in bursts of oil

And streams down the sides

Clumping with some of the dirt

The heat burning the sides of the dig

A bush with prickly thorns rolled along

Lingering long beside the oil drill in action

The desert bush was losing too much water

And began to wither in the heat

The oil splattered on the bush

And stained the fresh parts

It picked up speed again

And dropped some of its prickly thorns

Into a bright pink and shiny black building

Some men in black spandex slid down the pillars seductively

And came inside

There was a black leather whip hanging over the door

Someone had left several children in strollers

Under the dirty counter

The floor was sticky with oil and sand

They lit the floor on fire

The babies were left in the building

The Ninjas tried to run but they stuck to the floor

The flames licked all the oil off the floor

And the whip fell and slashed the back

Of one of the Ninjas

The rest of the Ninjas escaped

4 Poetic Evolution

by Ben Huot

4.1 Histories

4.1.1 Going Home

I am going home today

This home is like a dream

Away in the Army

For just over a year

I feel great excitement

And serious relief

Today is the anniversary

Of when World War 2 ended

I shall never forget today

August 15, 1997

Everything is surreal

And I do not believe

Anything is real

With the awesome release

I feel a failure

I did not serve my full tour

I did not know now

That I was mentally ill

Or that this was why

I was given a discharge

All I knew

Was my eyes burned

And I would have this condition

Indefinitely

I met people from my home church

And I heard of others

Triumphs and failures

I was introduced to a girl on the phone

Who was a few years younger than me

When we talked I realized

I had no hobbies or interests

I don’t know how it was for others

But the military life

Did not allow me time for leisure

Or maybe it was just the mind set

That I could never let my guard down

Or ever relax

I was told by my CO

That I should enroll in college

And I did so that fall

4.1.2 Community College

A few days

After I came back

I bought my first computer

I was going to major in business

So I bought a PC

I had saved 5,000 dollars

Of my military income

And I got 10,000 dollars

For college expenses

Because of my service

I realized that I had enough for tuition

But not enough for housing

So I stayed at my parents’ house

I did ok in calculus

I excelled in economics

But I had to take accounting

5 times to pass

I missed so many French classes

Because I was using the Internet

With the free hours from AOL

I started out researching my pink eye

But got diverted to finding

A different way to be Christian

Later on I would realize

That the answers lay in the church

I grew up in

Despite those attitudes were the ones

I was trying to escape

I didn’t study much

And slept as much as possible

As the pink eye never relented

That summer I took several required

English courses

And started my website

This was the first time

I was introduced to Postmodernism

4.1.3 University

Not only did I have a Community College

In the town I grew up in

We also had a University

And there are several other colleges there too

Besides my business courses

I took History of Philosophy

And Chinese language course

Both these fell through

For different reasons

The philosophy course required

Weekly papers

And I missed the first

So I had to audit it

As I missed the deadline to withdraw

I stopped going as I thought

Socrates was a smart ass

In my Chinese class

I couldn’t learn as fast as they taught

So I had to drop out of it too

But I stayed in my Chinese Literature class

And I really enjoyed it

This is how I was introduced

To Chinese philosophy

That spring I had to find an apartment

And I switched to Linux

Cold turkey

After researching it for 6 months

I was trying to figure out

How to get Microsoft applications

From crashing

So I looked into programming

And all roads led to Linux

That summer I went back

To stay at my parents house

And I took summer courses again

For the credits I missed

During the school year

I took several electives

On was Existentialism

One was about Ecofeminism

I switched my major

To Journalism

Which made much more sense

As I have always been

Good at writing

I took business initially

As my dad recommended it

4.1.4 Schizophrenia

When school let out that winter

I thought I was wrestling with

Spiritual warfare

But as I found myself

In the mental ward of a local hospital

I knew I was having emotional problems

I didn’t know until a month later

That I had Schizophrenia

My parents came to see my all day long

But I only remember them

Coming in the evening

I was explaining trigonometry

We were all afraid of one of the guys

He was big and not very nice

And he controlled the TV

I remember how excited we got

When we realized we could order

More than one of the food items

To one of the residents

My pastor came to see me

And said he could get me out

I knew better for some reason

I was so excited to leave the first room

Which they called Hell

And to go out into the next area

In the hospital ward

I remember we got to do

Group activities there

One guy showed me how to dance

I was hyper-religious

According to my psychiatrist

Who kept asking me if I heard voices

He didn’t introduce himself

So it was a few days later

Before I realized he was my doctor

I remember how hard it was to sleep

The dementia patients next door

Kept screaming all night

To get out

I had to under go an MRI

Which was very scary for me

But my mom was there for me

And I was given a mirror

So I could see out

When I left the hospital

I watched TV most of the day

And I slept a lot too

I finally decided to read and write

Which was very difficult at first

I was only able to

Write after 4 months

It was hard for me

To even ride across town

At first

I remember when I got back

From the hospital

I threw out

Everything sharp in my room

I was afraid to be alone

For several months

I started attending

A local recreation group

For the mentally ill

I also worked on learning Javascript

And eventually started

On my website again

4.1.5 Group Home

That fall I entered

A group home

I shared the house

With 8 other men

With mental illnesses

And there was a staff person

There at all times

They basically ignored us

We had to clean and cook

All by ourselves

There was no help in this

They just required that we did this

The TV was always on VH1

And we had to leave the house

For at least 1 hour at 11am

I started volunteering

At a local Internet Service Provider

Doing tech support

I also volunteered at a local music hall

Taking tickets and checking IDs

We had to be in

By a certain time each night

And had to stay inside until

A certain time in the morning

They wouldn’t let me go to bed

Before a certain time

And I had to get up by a certain time

The reason why I was here

Was because I started out with only

200 and some dollars a month

From the state agency

And this was the only place that would take me

I visited my mom once a week

She was on the other side of town

And I got 20 dollars a week from her

Which I spent mostly on books

I kept writing poetry and reading

Mostly about Buddhism at this point

And I continued to work on the website

I started on a new medicine

Which made me less tired

When I was on the previous medicine

If I didn’t fight to stay awake

I would always be asleep

Then my money came in

From the Veterans

And I moved into my own apartment

4.1.6 On my Own

My first apartment was downtown

I was only a few blocks

From the bus station

So I could get to anywhere in town

With only one bus

I lived on the 6th floor

Of a 12 floor building

I never lived up this high before

And it was nice for a while

But I had to go

All the way down

6 floors to get food

Or something to drink

And it was hot in the summer

The place was heated by a boiler

And I could not control the temperature

We started off with cleaning help

And realized we needed someone

To do the wash for me

And so we started with our several year

Adventure with in home care

One person couldn’t walk or read

Other people took 3 hours to dust a fake plant

One of the guys waited until

Half way through the time

To cash the check for groceries

One lady kept falling asleep

One guy made fun of fat people

Another one kept looking through my trash

One of them was mentally ill himself

One lady said I wasn’t supposed to

"Snitch" food from myself

With everyone things were moved

Around everywhere except where they found them

The next apartment was out in west side of town

It was a few blocks from

A Bible college

Which I was thinking about attending

Until they told me I shouldn’t

Watch sitcoms, die my hair, or study Buddhism

The apartments were duplexes on ground level

And the site was like a big park

Most neighbors were young families with small children

Which is good noise wise

I continued with the in home service

The big problem with the in home service

Is that they wouldn’t check my medicine

So I was set up with a group

The other side of town

To hold my medicine and monitor it

But I had to get there every day

Within a one hour window

Early in the morning

This stressed me out

And led to my next living arrangement

4.1.7 Retirement Home

At first this sounded fine

Although unusual

This group would take care of

Managing my medicines

Doing my laundry

Cleaning my room

And provided me with 3 meals daily

This place was definitely cheap

And I thought at first

That they were just smarter about things

But I found out later

That this basically summarized the place

The food was too small

It did not taste very good

And it was all old people food

They only spent

1 dollar person/meal on food

If you were a few minutes late for the meal

You didn’t get it

The medicine was always screwed up

The residents constantly harassed me

If I was out for even 5 minutes

10 people would want me to help them

The rooms were tiny

And they were just one room

I was very patient at first

But gradually lost patience

As no one would leave me alone

I lived there for almost 2 years

The average age was mid 90’s

The average stay was 6 months

And most people had a memory of 5 minutes

Residents would scream insults at me

They would physically hurt me

They would order me around

They would repeat the same stories

For hours on end

They were very loud and up all night

The staff did nothing about any of this

I got ants in my room

I left no food in there

And they gave me grief

About wanting another apartment

4.2 Morality

4.2.1 Sex and Violence

Our knowledge of right and wrong

Does not appear

To increase with time

Should our songs, movies, and games

Be filled with violence or sex

How can something

That reflects reality be bad?

Do we need to see every aspect

Of the act of sex

In order to understand the plot

Of a romantic comedy?

Are only games

Where we break laws

And abuse women

Worth playing?

Are songs not filled

With cuss-words

Worth hearing?

Are there aspects of life

More mundane

Worthy of art?

Can our writers and artists

Create jokes without

Putting others down?

Is there a world

Worth exploring

That doesn’t require

Parental advisories?

We fight for freedoms

But how do we use them?

We pollute our minds

With inappropriate thoughts

We then speak

Out of hearts filled

With deplorable images

Is every act of pleasure

Ok under any circumstances

Don’t civilized people

Show restraint in their passions?

To what end

Are we expanding our rights?

Do we want no boundaries

For our children?

Do we want to legalize

Every act that is illegal?

What has a search for equality

Led us to?

With what standard

Do we judge decency?

Have we lost all manners?

Is there still such as thing

As going too far?

Do we need to continue to shock

To get laughs?

Shouldn’t there be a a good reason

For acts of violence

And a framework and a prerequisite

For fleshly pleasures?

Don’t our hearts cry out

For meaning beyond punch lines

And reasons beyond what feels good?

How many times do we need

To see others having sex

Or see people killed

Until we are satisfied?

4.2.2 Cause and Effect

We see the women

Covered from head to toe

And they are separated from the men

In jobs and status

There are barbaric things

Done to keep a women from infidelity

But the men can have many wives and

Can get a divorce without merit

It seems that the worse

Hollywood and the western media gets

The more violence we see

In the news

In the Middle East

Our opinion leaders

Glorify adultery

And their opinion leaders

Plan more bombings

When will the cycle of sex and violence

Be reduced and begin to dissipate?

Is it worth the lives of our youth

To partake in Hollywood fantasies

On the TV and the computer?

Isn’t there something more useful

To accomplish online

Than reading trash about celebrities

And practicing killing people in games?

When we download music and software

Without consent of the copyright holders

We are committing crimes

When we run red lights in traffic

We are committing crimes

The distinction between so called violent crimes

And traffic violations is miniscule

A car is more dangerous than a gun

When the 3rd world sees us

Jumping over each other to get the latest

Video games consoles and cellular phones

We look too wealthy

And this inspires more attacks against us

In the poorer parts of the world

They see our luxury

And our disregard for their lives and welfare

As a legitimate reason

For bringing about our destruction

In many ways

The west is morally bankrupt

And the rest of the world is more civilized

4.2.3 Addictions

We are a people of addictions

We are addicted to alcohol

We are addicted to personal transportation

We are addicted to information

We are addicted to everything on demand

We are addicted to pastimes

We are addicted to sports and video games

We are even addicted to food

But the supply is not endless

And our luxury comes at the cost

Of other peoples’ welfare

People go without any food

So we can stuff ourselves

People live in slavery

So that we can have the latest electronics

People die in wars

So we can have fancy jewelry

People become killers themselves

Because of our addiction to oil

People live without medical care

So we can play games

Not all are simple cause and effect

But the more we consume

The less others have their needs met

We can afford many things

Because others work for starvation wages

Our prisons are better than

Living free in most of the third world

How can we live in such peace

And not speak out against the lobbyists

When those of the same faith

Are persecuted for practicing our shared religion

How can we continue to throw away

What others would be blessed to receive

The arrogance and callousness runs deep

We find the world depressing

So we just ignore the problems

But when others suffer

We lose part of our own humanity

4.2.4 America Inc.

Our nation was founded by anarchists

Who didn’t want to pay their taxes

Now we have sold our souls

To corporations and big business

We believe that greed brings good

And that it is immoral to share wealth

We believe that we have a voice

When the only ones heard

Are the few who own everything

We think we get free information

But a couple people own all the outlets

It is shocking for people to realize

That what they believe and fight for

Was promoted by those in power

We fight for our freedom

To be in financial bondage

To the few and corrupt

We are so desperate

To save a few dollars

That the wealthiest pay no taxes

We are so scared

That we might be convinced

To become gay

That we give up the fight for

Clean water and air

We are so afraid that

We might lose the ability

To get killed in our sleep

With our own weapons

We give up the fight

For family wages

We are so afraid

That we might have to drive less

That we give up our children

In wars that we can’t win

We are so afraid

That our team might not win a game

That we give up on

Basic medical coverage for all

We are so afraid of alienating

A big corporation

That we leave our nations’ computer networks

Free for grabs

We are so angry at those who bombed us

That is doesn’t matter

If we get revenge

On a country not responsible

We are so afraid of alienating voters

That we allow people to come in our country

With no background checks

We are so quick to point out flaws

Instead of finding solutions

That we give the terrorists more options

On what to bomb

4.2.5 The Club

A group of people

From the community

Meet in a building

In folding chairs

And on industrial carpet

Once a week

To discuss politics

And sing along

To live music

Most people are conservative

And affluent

They spend most their free time

Enjoying American football games

They work together

To bring Republicans

Into power locally

They raise money

For their children’s’

Summer camps and activities

They spend most the money

On recruiting new members

They meet

Several other times of the week

To socialize

There are groups

Just for women

There are groups

For each age group

For the children

And others

Just for men

There are always coffee and donuts

Whenever they gather

People pay dues

At the main weekly gathering

There aren’t many young people

Most people are over 50

And there are some small children

The leader gives lectures

About politics and sports

They recite quotes

That sound like cliches

Can you believe

That this is a church?

Where is God

In this group?

4.2.6 Competitive Nature

We think we are so much better

Than any other nation

We feel we need to win

Every single Olympic event

We have so little respect

For other countries

That we don’t even count

The fatalities of those

Who lost the war to us

We don’t care what happens

To most of the world

We only want news

On those who are

Rich like us

We don’t bother

To study world literature

Because we think

Rich white men

Have more important

Things to say

Than everyone else

We don’t learn other languages

Before we go

To other countries

We expect everyone

To speak English

We think we are poor

If we make 6 digit salaries

While others survive

On less than 3

We think that

We are too good

To offer good service

We think we are too good

To grow our own food

We shop like kings

With giant versions

Of every commodity

We don’t bother

To get an education

Because we think

We can get money

From our rich parents

Once we complete high school

We feel no need

To ever read again

4.3 Toys

4.3.1 Legos

I still dream of legos

Little blocks

That fit together

There are some basic shapes

That keep on repeating

And some specialized parts

The box comes with instructions

But they are only for

People without imaginations

The fun is not in

Following the blueprints

There are no rules

Except certain things fit

In certain ways

The joy of creation

And the satisfaction

Of something accomplished

Thousands of hours

And never the exact same

Configuration or pieces

It is not like a puzzle

That you have to have

Every piece to finish

There is no beginning

And their is no end

It is the process that is fun

And there is no reason

To stop building

4.3.2 GI Joes

I spent many an hour

Arranging my GI Joes

3 inch tall

Plastic action figures

Good and bad soldiers

The dolls boys play with

They don’t stand up very well

Without leaning against

Something else

But they could move

Their arms and legs

And they could carry

Backpacks on their backs

And weapons in their hands

I would spend all my time

Admiring them

And setting them up for battle

But I never enjoyed

Having them destroy each other

I would make a terrible officer

As I would never

Want to risk any men

After putting all the money into them

I wanted to take good care of them

I remember my Christmas present

When I got a troop transport

An amphibious troop carrier

So I could put the GI joes in seats

And carry or roll them around

I saw some GI Joes

At the store recently

I was not impressed

As the GI Joes are now

Much bigger

And they aren’t all plastic any more

If I went back into the Army

It would be similar

I wouldn’t recognize much

And it wouldn’t feel the same

They actually play video games

For training now

4.3.3 Hot Wheels

I still remember

My Hot Wheels city

I rolled my little toy cars

Down the plastic hill

I really liked

The ambulance

The fire engine

The police car

And the military jeep

I also liked my

Little gas station

It is funny the jobs

I liked at an early age

Most kids like

These kind of professions

But few people

Become one of them

We liked the uniforms

I guess

And the jobs seemed exciting

Now in my life

I get excited reading a book

Writing a poem

Taking photos

Or watching a movie

I remember the excitement

In joining the military

But there was a terror

That accompanied it

When you grow older

You like different things

Than when you are young

I wanted to be an astronaut

When I was young

Now I am happy to do

What I do

I don’t know if I could have

Understood what was so great

About being a philosopher

When I was young

4.4 College Education

4.4.1 Conservative Curriculum

Some study to learn

What others have dreamed of

Some study to learn

What is popular

Some study to learn

The values of the past

Some study to learn

The traditions of their ancestors

Some study to learn

What they already believe

Some study to learn

What is well understood

Some study to learn

To be respected by others

Some study to learn

The path well traveled

Some study to learn

From a specific ideology

Some study to learn

From what others tell them

Some study to learn

To be opinion leaders

Some study to learn

To memorize information

Some study to learn

Rules others have made

Some study to learn

What is practical

Some study to learn

What is widely accepted

Some study to learn

What isn’t controversial

Some study to learn

Without questioning

4.4.2 Liberal Arts

There are few colleges

Where you can create

Your own major

There are few colleges

That encourage you to think

There are few colleges

That care about

More than reputation

There are few colleges

That don’t bend over backwards

For a few dollars in grants

There are few colleges

Who dare to have a vision

There a few colleges

Who don’t depend on sports

For getting funding

And recruiting students

There are few colleges

Who are not indebted to

Government and big business

There are few colleges

Who control their own curriculum

There are few colleges

That challenge the status quo

There are few colleges

That prepare students

For unpredicted changes

In the future of society

There are few colleges

That take pride in

Creating controversy

On campus

There are few colleges

That spend as much

On human development

Than on Scientific research

4.4.3 College Football

America is a society

Oriented around sports

We believe that competition

Brings positive change

We believe that physical fitness

Is more important than education

We believe that winning

Is the most important method for change

We are aggressive in business and politics

We are not interested in the community

The leaders only care about

Their own status and wealth

Our young all believe

That they will play

American football for money

They either want to get money

For being famous

Or get a welfare check

Our athletes make millions of dollars

For running a ball across a line

The players feel tough

Because they run into each other

We think that being a man

Means memorizing sports statistics

We spend most our time

Talking about what teams win

And about our football team

We played on in high school

We believe that we peaked in college

And that the only thing important

Is whose team won the game

4.4.4 Lost Opportunities

How will we compete

When every one

Has a college degree?

Will we have to get doctorates

For a family wage job?

How are we to pay

For our education

When our families

Are too rich

To receive aid

But too poor

To afford to help?

Will anyones be rewarded

For a liberal arts degree?

The only degrees that pay

Are business and engineering

Is that what

We want to base

Our future on

Technology alone

With no room

For the arts or religion?

We only care about

What is the quickest way

To build things

Bigger, better, and faster

We have no culture

And no reason to create

We have no imagination

Or reason to live

Other than for

Getting drunk after work

Or losing ourselves

In virtual worlds

We are afraid

To confront reality

And solve real problems

We are told

The problems are too complex

And we need

To solve problems

Through politics and business

We don’t have the creativity

Or the time and energy

To pursue positive change

4.5 Potential Futures

4.5.1 Healthy Living

Whenever I get energy

I spend it on work

But rest and free time

Is as important

As the effort

I continue to reduce

The weight on my back

I need to keep

Making time for music

And stopping to watch movies

And traveling for photography

Americans tend to be too busy

Always working

And seldom leaning back

I need to forget

My awesome burden

And take time

To cool down

In the night breeze

And sleep in late

The reading needs to slow down

And the writing needs to come

When it is ready

I need time to think

And to take breaks from thinking

I need time to experience

The freedom and peace

I continue to fight for

It has been 10 years

Since I returned from

My service in the Army

But I continue to

Put in the same effort

Even my free time

Is used to further my cause

I use recreation activities

As a way to learn more

I receive immense

Joy and satisfaction

From what I am able

To give to others

But even Jesus

Took time for Himself

4.5.2 Smart and Moral

I know better

Who it is I want

To have a relationship with

After years of meeting

Different kinds of people

I used to believe I wasn’t smart

But I finally gave up fighting it

I use to think

Intelligence didn’t matter

In a lifetime mate

But so many things

That are important to me

Require a certain level

Of intellect to grasp

I need someone

Who can understand

Why what I do is important

And why it motivates me

But more important

I want to find someone

Who follows her heart

And does what

She believes is right

And is willing

To make sacrifices

For her convictions

I need someone

Who wants to make

The world better

And is willing

To invest in it

I need to get out more

And invest the time

In the pursuit

But no matter

Where I am

We will meet

When the time is right

I have faith

That God has a plan for me

And I pray

That someday

That will involve

An equal partner

For the rest of my life

4.5.3 My Cows

When I pass away

I pray my stuffed cows

Will join me for eternity

After an initial interest

In Hinduism

They have converted

To Christianity

Because when Jesus died

No cows needed to die again

I am unsure

In what way

They are connected to me

Are they another

Aspect of my personality

Or are they part of my soul?

Do they exist

Only in my mind

Or do they have

An independent existence?

How do I know for sure

That the ideas I hear

Are their own

Or just another form

Of my ideas?

Am I talking

To my objective self

Or are they

Separate souls?

What is God’s plan

For animals?

I know as an artist

I don’t throw away

Good work

So I know

The Lord has a future

For His other creations

Especially since animals

Are nicer than people

And more willing

To be born again