• The Riches of the Church
    It is What it is...,  Psychology of Life,  Spirituality

    Chapter 2: What do we do Without God?

    March 17, 2022

    God is a very complicated thing and how humans relate to God is even more complicated.

    As an agnostic, I don’t deny the presence of God, I simply define God in a different way than others do.

    God is infinitely unknowable and a powerful presence that manifests in billions of ways. Humans have not the ability nor the insight to comprehend this presence in full.

    Anyone who claims to know the secret of God is either lying or woefully ill informed.

    We don’t know and that’s the point. So, what has happened is that for thousands of years (maybe longer) we have made up stories. Those stories were turned into the Bible, both the old (Judaism) and new testaments (Christianity), the Veda (Hinduism), the Tripitaka (Buddhism), The Four Books (Confucianism), Tao Te Ching (Taoism) and the Qur’an (Islam). These books were turned into religions and those religions have been managed by men.

    No, white men aren’t the only ones who wanted to “lord” it over others, all men enjoy that activity. The books had to be interpreted and they were exclusively interpreted by holy men. Most of the time (not always) these men used their community standing as a benefit to self and built huge palaces for worshipping and prayer and of course, the most important of all, tithing. Giving the church as much of our money as possible has been thought to give glory to God. It does not.

    The Riches of the Church
    Joao Amadi from Unsplash
    The Riches of the Church

    This is not to be derogatory towards men. It is simply that men have used their power to write and then promulgate the writing into religions that are exclusive and that glorify holy men. This is how we know beyond a *shadow of a doubt* that religions is not *real*.

    If this narrative sounds derisive and ironic it is because the truth of religions has not usually been discussed in any way that approaches the realistic truth. The emphasis here will be on a realistic truth.

    There are many versions of “the truth” and even of “a truth”. There are as many truths as there are humans on planet earth. I will attempt to provide insight and information about the state of religion today and how we as humans can understand our relationship with life. These are two very different concepts.

    According to Britannica.com, Carl Jung introduced the concept of the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS as a “form of the unconscious (that part of the mind containing memories and impulses of which the individual is not aware) common to {hu}mankind as a whole and originating in the inherited structure of the brain.”

    According to Jung, the collective unconscious is made up of knowledge and imagery that every person is born with and is shared by all human beings due to ancestral experience. Google May 15, 2020

    A Universal Collective Unconscious

    There is a collective unconscious that is a psychology concept and there is “the” collective unconscious (COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS) which is much broader and wider than a psychological concept. It is the basis from which I write. That is to say that the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS includes all humans that are alive. Yes, that includes ALL humans that are alive, as well as all of those who have left us and passed away.

    When we pass away, we pass into the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS and join all of those that have gone before us. We are not of any form when this occurs, we are simply all of the invisible parts that make us up, including energy. For some, such as Mother Teresa, much love and giving was returned into the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS to be circulated and distributed once more.

    We also carry the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS within us as a part of us that includes all of who we are, our historical memories all the way back through time and the part of the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS that collects all of the energies of those who pass. Currently, very few humans can access, in a conscious way, the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS, it is just not available to us. Many have touched it, lived it and can access it now. Many are blind to it and cannot access it in a conscious way.

    What are we but stardust?  Deepak Chopra

    This life energy is a part of each and every human that is alive today. We bring with us all of the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.

    Here is the truth of the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS: it does not require tithing, it does not require that we build churches, statues and paintings to honor it. The COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS is simply what is. You will not find that in 2000 years the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS is the greatest landowner on the planet (such as the Catholic Church has been). You will not find a preacher or an interpreter. It will continue to simply exist as it always has. It exists without the acknowledgment of humans and will continue to do so. Though in time, the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS becomes more well known by people.

    We dissipate into the COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS with all of our deepest human traits intact, if our love is deep and strong, it comes with us. Our traits then fulfill other constructs as needed. When we pass, we are no longer a form, we are not separate or individual, we are part of the universal COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS.

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  • Economic Equality (A Goal),  Justice, the Human Construct,  Politics,  Psychology of Life,  Wise Words,  Womens Issues,  World Affairs

    Chapter 1: Justice is a Human Construct

    January 25, 2022

    There is no jealous God, there is no angry God and there is no vengeful God. Those emotions are all about humans. There is no such thing as the western rendition of karma. Karma is an Eastern concept, and it is neutral, it doesn’t take revenge on people who have wronged you.

    We project all of that out there because it is easier than acknowledging and feeling our emotions around pain and grief and anger.

    God's Kiss
    Where is God? JB Collection

    What Humans Do ~

    We (humans) constructed justice and its systems in order to manage the affairs of humanity in the fairest way that we could think of. In America, we are failing miserably and that’s because we have fallen far into the abyss of idolatry of wealth. Here in the United States, people care about money. Hard stop.

    There is no objective universe that will “even out” our very real suffering at the hands of others. Life is not fair, karma does not exist as a vehicle for revenge, God does not exist. If the meek inherit the Earth it will be after it has been robbed of all treasure by billionaires.

    So here we are, in our beleaguered lives, wondering what went wrong.

    And Here is What Went Wrong ~

    1. Americans weren’t paying attention the first time the minimum wage was suppressed. We bought into the idea that generating business was good for everyone. “Keeping wages low encourages businesses to invest.”
    2. No one was paying attention (or cared) when legislators increased their own incomes in nefarious ways such as expanding campaign finance regulations. We wrote angry articles but it didn’t help, the draw of money kept legislators in lockstep.
    3. These two concepts came together making an unreasonable space in America for the middle class and completely compromising the poor. Legislators with heavy contributions from big businesses have kept minimum wage very low; taxes on the wealthy low, and their own pockets full. Living in America has become a nightmare.
    4. Health care expenses are very high because insurance companies are making money on our illnesses, full stop. If healthcare wasn’t profitable, America would have nationalized healthcare thirty years ago.
      1. Next time you hesitate to see a doctor, thank a congressperson for making your illness more expensive than anyone can afford. Big business and Pharma have paid your friendly local congressperson enough money to keep the healthcare status quo, status quo. How do you like that American Patriot?

    With billionaires in charge of our lives, as Americans, we only function to meet the billionaire’s needs. We are consumers, always contributing to the “bottom line” of the wealthy.

    Lucy Parsons on Wealth

    How do you create equity and equality, in other words, Justice, out of this?

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  • Psychology of Life

    Amendment 28 of the Constitution of the United States

    September 27, 2021

    Under Amendment 1 of the United States Constitution is the “Right to petition the government to fix problems”.

    Problem Statement: Corporations have bought and paid for the United States House of Representatives and the Senate (with few exceptions). This means that legislation with *no benefit to human beings* is being voted on and made into law. This legislation benefits the corporations and not the American people.

    Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

    The American people shall make a new amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America that shall not be abridged.

    No member of the senate or of congress may accept any monies from any company, whether that company be in or outside of the United States.

    If a member of congress or a senator, has a history of having received such money, then that member or senator will be excused and excluded from voting in any matter that is *in any way* related to legislation. An example is that a senator who has accepted any benefits whether they be monies or otherwise from a defense contractor, may not vote on defense spending or anything related to defense spending.

    No member of congress shall be able to make laws or vote on laws that are as a result of having received any such benefit or contribution.

    All people who work for any government of the United States, whether that be either Federal or of the states or territories shall agree to personal financial transparency. There is no exception to this rule.

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  • Personal Growth,  Philosophy,  Psychology of Life,  Womens Issues

    Being Ignored

    July 7, 2021

    Being ignored is being dismissed and it’s meanness personified.

    Loneliness
    The expression of pain. Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

    Have you been in situations where you are consistently ignored? You can be sure that those who are ignoring you have dismissed you. You have no importance to those who ignore you. They can’t be bothered with what you need. They actually cannot be bothered with you at all.

    Make no mistake, those who ignore, also dismiss. Dismissing makes you less than human in the eyes of those who ignore you. This also makes it easier to ignore you. If you have no value, you can be pushed aside.

    How is this interaction created? At what point do we allow ourselves to dismiss other humans?

    1. Many people actually do believe that they are superior to other humans and so we don’t have to explain for those. We know why the “superiors” ignore human beings. They are often people who don’t recognize their own bad behavior.
    2. For those who love and support others, why would they ignore other humans? Talking with others, I am told that often, people don’t have time for everything that they need to get done. Thus, they run through their days only focused on what they must. No one gets a pass for this busy person. They can only focus on the things on the list.
    3. Others; simply do not have the energy to give another. You will find them ignoring others as a matter of survival.
    How do I tell you?
    How do I explain my pain? Photo by Jose Pablo Garcia on Unsplash

    Responding is important.

    It’s the first group that deserve disdain. Ironically, this is exactly their treatment of others and should be our treatment of all those who believe they are “better” than others. “Superiors” only concern themselves with self. They could care less what feelings they are causing the ignored person. They usually have no reason to believe they are superior – and believe it anyway.

    Our minds love to be righteous, when we have a belief about superiority, we will find ways to confirm our belief. I’ve heard the arguments: “She’s ugly, he is clumsy, look how stupid they are!” On and on the arguments roll and they include no self reflection. They are simply expressions of the baser parts of the human brain.

    If you are being ignored and dismissed, you can make some choices. You may know the person who is ignoring you, if you do, you may know if 1, 2 or 3 is the source of the ignoring. It helps to know, and it does make a difference to how you respond.

    To respond to #1 which is the most insidious of moods of Americans, is to be aware that you are with an extremely rude person. Treat them so. You don’t have to do anything, in fact, perhaps you can ignore them back.

    To respond to #2, you can be respectful with your interruption. This person is struggling.

    To respond to #3, don’t.

    It really is awful to be ignored. Dismissing is a way of telling some one “you don’t matter to me”. Don’t be this person.

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  • Love and Relationships,  Personal Growth,  Psychology of Life,  Wise Words

    Freedom for Life

    July 5, 2021

    Valuing your life and what you do is the way to steer a course of success.

    All my life I’ve needed a rudder to go with my oars, and that rudder has always come in the form of words. Those words never had to be mine. I didn’t mind copying the great philosophers and writers. Each year I set words of commitment and direction to my life, these words helped me make all subsequent decisions so that I stayed on track.

    When 19 years old, I wrote this…

    A young woman dressed in a red suit looks towards the camera.
    JB Collection

    A LONG CONTRACT (for me)

    Hobbes maintains that survival is basic in nature and therefore ought to be paramount in man’s value system as well.

    To Patrick Henry’s question, is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Hobbes would have answered “absolutely!” How precious is life itself to you? Are there certain advantages and qualities of life without which it would not be worth living to you?

    How precious life and living is for me. In my absence what sweet revenge for then do people know my support. But what then of my support if all I want is appreciation? Love so paramount in my life support system. Love and all of its intricacies being the fine line of my sanity.

    And yet I know deep inside of my soul that happiness is synonymous with life and that it can be found anywhere. Comradery the loving and the living of friends. Enjoyment and freshness of one sweet hello, one new soul to learn about all the while knowing that the lessons are of myself. The reflections of my own tears, sadness, happiness and joy. And those who stay and stand by and for me through the years like the growing process of the redwood. The more and more I know the strong the broader, the taller I glow. Delving deep into my soul for new things to share with an old friend. The bond being cleaner and more beautiful.

    My sons the reflection of years spent in service to my being. The vehicle for purity and time spent; love that went. And so now I see in my years the longing for the total acceptance that thus far only my sons have given, possibly all that I allow. Because I know that the real total acceptance is only within and is not coming from anyone else. So to life — the sweetest gift and all the beginnings are from there. All else that I create within my life, I must own. Even should it be chains and slavery.

    I changed no words; this is an accurate historical accounting of what was written. Circa 1976

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  • Anger and Pain
    Economy of Effort,  Love and Relationships,  Personal Growth,  Wise Words

    Anger and your Life Energy

    March 31, 2021

    I’ve always been one of those people that defines my world as increments of life energy. My life energy is the most valuable thing I have to offer to anyone, be it my child, my husband or the Bank of America. Life energy is the expression of me through my work, my attention, my love and my actions.

    My life energy is a reflection of my values and commitments. My commitment to my children is endless and that is reflected in the time, money, emotion and work that I invest in them. Any of these things can be called life energy; all of these things reflect the commitment that you make to your life.

    I am always surprised when people invest a lot of energy into their own anger. They will recount their stories of frustration and anger, over and over and over again. It is as if they cannot get enough of this recountenance. Each time the story is told, the person gets angry all over again, as if getting angry again was somehow redemptive.

    I have watched people tell me stories about an ex-husband (that has been gone for 10 years) who did something damning and perhaps unjust. The person will get so angry that they can froth at the mouth. I can almost see their life force ebbing away. Anger is such a huge investment of life energy. It’s not the initial anger that I am pointing to here; it is the idea of hanging onto that anger. When you hang onto that anger and re-express the anger over and over again you are investing a lot of life energy into nothing. There is no good outcome for this behavior.

    If you keep adding up your anger over the years, and you hang onto it each incident, grasping it for all it’s worth, your anger can squeeze out other things in your life. It’s just a universal law that two things cannot be in one space. So, what are all the things that are blocked from your life because your anger is so huge that it consumes you and your life energy?

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  • Love and Relationships,  Mother,  Personal Growth,  Psychology of Life,  Womens Issues

    Loving My Mother

    January 18, 2021

    This love is so personal and so intimate that I have rarely spoken of it. For long months after she passed away, I couldn’t even say the word “mother”. I remember being at CVS and realizing it was Mother’s Day and leaving immediately in tears.

    I realized recently that I had given my daughter an impression that I loved her paternal grandmother the most, partly because I spoke of her often. This is something that I do not wish anyone to think. It is my mother who has my heart *more and always*.

    Mama the JB Collection

    The most important gift that my mother gave me was adult acceptance. No matter what our discussion included, she always accepted me.

    Mama in 1944, she is a 16 year old bride

    I tried not to model my life after hers. In the end I did to my daughters what she had done to me. She neglected me during my childhood and I suffered. I thought I was being different with my life. I went to school, got a couple of degrees and worked full time in white collar jobs. Mama worked as a bartender for the last thirty years of her life. Several years during the time of my childhood she worked two jobs or split shifts. She was always trying so hard to feed us. We were home alone. Inevitably, I did the same to my daughters, I left them home alone while I worked two jobs or attended school for my master’s degree.

    Mama was the center of my universe. She was my go-to, my wisdom, my fail safe. She accepted me perfectly and loved me fiercely. Of course, she was my center. Twenty five years ago on MLK Day we went car shopping. We spent the whole day together without any little ones. We went to lunch and talked and talked. When I went back to work the next day, my soul was full. I felt loved and treasured.

    Less than three weeks later, mama passed away. They called me in the middle of the night saying that she had a stroke. I got in the shower to get ready to go and while I stood there, I felt an energy rush that stopped with my body. I felt my mother and a full measure of her grief. I felt her saying to me with sorrow “I have to go”. I tried in my soul to grab her and hold her, it was desperate, but she was gone.

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  • Justice, the Human Construct,  Politics,  Psychology of Life,  World Affairs

    January 6th, 2021

    January 8, 2021

    When Trump took office four years ago, many of us knew that it was the “White Mans’ Last Stand”. He was working hard to keep women in their place (as sexual objects) and to keep white male superiority at the top of the pyramid.

    Because of his history as a businessman *we all know that was a charade* we thought he would change Washington. However, there was a secondary agenda. This secondary agenda was simply the hope of the people being placed onto a man (Trump) who disregarded them. Americans are tired of politics as usual; they are tired of losing ground on the economic front and people are tired of being pushed into poverty by every piece of legislation that comes down the pike. These Americans mistakenly believed that Trump would help. Trump supporters looked to this man to shake up the status quo (drain the swamp), because nothing was working to get lawmakers to pay attention to the average American.

    That hope in Trump was misplaced.

    He courted the ‘white man’ with power grabs and blatant hostility to everyone else. He was vicious, condescending and openly; a cheater. He justified all of that with the language of superiority. He did it because he could. It became evident that Trump was not interested in the average person; what he really needed was a way to make money.

    A ‘White Man’s’ War against, well, Everyone else

    Trump told America that he would “drain the swamp” referring to the backroom politics in Washington that allows lobbyists influence over legislation. He actually did drain the D.C. swamp and set it up in a way that has never been seen in American politics before. He openly and publicly courted the wealthy to donate to his causes and stay in Trump hotels if they wanted to gain favor with America. “The Times found over 200 companies, special-interest groups and foreign governments that patronized Mr. Trump’s properties while reaping benefits from him and his administration.”

    The ecology of our Earth has suffered greatly under Trump’s leadership. This is not hearsay, it is fact, that the Earth is worse off because of Trump’s presidency.

    Erin Schaff – Pool/Getty Images

    While Trump is using his office to gain immense amounts of money and influence; Americans were suffering in a pandemic that was ruining the lives of millions of people. Trump proved over and over again that he was never interested in America or the people who live here. It wasn’t a surprise that he did not want to give up the office of President.

    From the summer of 2019, Trump’s only ambition was re-election. From strong-arming Ukraine officials to American voter suppression, Trump kept his eyes on the prize. When he lost the election, he could not accept it. He tried anything to stay in power. He was aware that prison could be an outcome of his own civilian status.

    Trump’s sedition~

    When it came down to it, he wasn’t going to let the presidency go easily. From the beginning, white men have loved Trump. Q-Anon and Antifa and the Proud Boys were groups of people that he would use. Trump always courted the white men and they courted him back. Trump put out a call to action to his white men and they responded.

    Not only did the domestic terrorists and rioters travel from all over America, they were already present in Washington D.C.’s police force and even the capitol’s police force. They were ready for insurrection, and so it happened.

    Some among America’s military allies believe Trump deliberately attempted a coup and may have had help from federal law-enforcement officials.

    Whatever he had planned, it did not work. Thank the human collective that it did not work. For those of us who felt attacked by Trump’s hostilities and disrespect, we can finally breath a sigh of relief. It really has been a struggle for the last four years and that struggle is over. Joe Biden is our next president, and so it is!

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  • Psychology of Life

    Finally, That Year is Over

    December 31, 2020

    I don’t want to hear about this year anymore. I don’t want to hear about how bad the virus has been on all of us. We know how bad it has been. We suffered it and we continue suffering it. It’s not news.

    The election was hectic. It was so stressful drawing party lines with friends and family. Who knew that our relationships were so vulnerable? Who knew that there was a secret between us? Bigotry is so much more common than we thought.

    Reaching for the truth was so difficult. When I discussed Clinton and Biden and Trump, I was told that I was lying. “Who are you going to believe? Me, or your lying eyes?” Which way led to the truth? Who was the pedophile? How do you know?

    The truth is knowable and important.

    The virus revealed what an inadequate financial system we have. We came to realize that the stock market is irrelevant to most of the people in the country. We came to see that the billionaires had stacked the deck in their own favor. Every politician in a power position had been bought and paid for, so the minimum wage stayed at it’s debilitating 1990 level. As businesses closed, it was the most vulnerable that paid the price of the pandemic. We suffered it and we continue suffering it.

    For all the posturing of the politicians, the Paycheck Protection Program ended up being wildly and inadequately distributed. The wealthy companies borrowed, some embarrassingly returning the loan money. While some companies put the money to good use, others squandered the loan and did not save jobs.

    We saw how inadequate our health care system is, designed to make a profit, human beings are forgotten. America rations health care based on ability to pay. If you don’t pay, you don’t get life saving care. How many diabetics lost their lives in the summer of 2020?

    What a disappointment.

    The food lines got longer and they never went away. As soon as a week ago, thousands of families were waiting in line for food. What does this tell us about our great country?

    So where do we go from here? Relentlessly forward into the future is where we go. We must grow our generosity towards each other. We will vote to make sure that we express our commitment to a democratic future. We can and we will find answers to our problems. We can and we will make our country a good place to live.

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  • Psychology of Life

    Change is Coming and it’s Spectacular

    November 30, 2020

    Lift Off
    JB Collection

    We have become aware that war is a no-win (white) man’s game.

    We have become aware that capitalism doesn’t serve the majority anymore, only a very small minority.

    We have become aware that justice is a social construct.

    We have become aware that if humans starve on this abundant planet; we have made a mistake and must change that mistake.

    We have become aware that poverty is for no one and no one is for poverty.

    JB Collection

    We have become aware that inequality is a deliberate tool and must be destroyed.

    We have become aware that our grief binds us in a way that nothing else can.

    We believe that health care is a right and not a privilege for the few.

    We are aware that our planet Earth is finite.

    We are aware that there is no such thing as human supremacy.

    We aren’t looking to preachers, or pastors or ministers to make our way in this world, we see what is good.

    We have become aware that it is our own perception and willingness and love that will bring us through the time that is dark.

    The good, the brave, the honest: abundance, truth, non-violence, love and honesty, these are what will guide us.

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