Age...

...is so much more (or less) than a number. We obsess over reaching certain "milestone ages". The process of growing older is more known for its increased wrinkles and decreased athleticism than for its wisdom and experience. I've never been one to give in to any of that. I embraced turning thirty. One day, I hope to actually become a grown up. However...

There is one part of "growing older" that is becoming a concern. You see, I'm nearing the age when one typically "becomes who they will be for the rest of their lives". I am apparently solidifying--or perhaps petrifying--my values and perspectives on life. I am supposed to be settling down. I'll become more outspoken about that things that concern or bother me. Those things could be perceived as positives, I guess. But to me, it sounds more like a stubborn, crotchety old fart. (Man, I really wanted to have a blog that never used the word "fart". Oh well.)

Yeah, that part of growing older scares me. I don't want to become close-minded. I don't want to refuse to even listen to new ideas or, more importantly, different ideas. I don't want to give the impression that I'm always right and everyone else can just go to you-know-where.

In many respects, I want to grow to maturity. But I sure don't want to grow up like that.

Jubilee...

...is a somewhat odd word. Usually, it pertains to some kind of musical event or celebration, but it simply is not used much these days. In fact, not only is it an odd word, but it also represents a rather odd concept.

Ancient Jewish custom honored the "Year of Jubilee", which happened every 49 years. Here is the strange part--during this year, all property had to be restored to its original condition and to its original owner. In other words, it didn't matter how many times property had changed hands during those almost five decades. It didn't matter if one found himself in a desperate situation and sold his property for some quick cash. It didn't matter if the original owner was homeless and penniless and twenty pounds overweight. The land returned to the original owner during that year.

The idea, in that day, was that nothing is really ours. We don't really own anything. All our efforts to accumulate property and money and fame and popularity are really very much in vain. We entered this world with nothing, and we will leave it with nothing.

Some would say this is socialism. Perhaps it is. Some would say this is ludicrous. And, to be honest, it sounds like it is. Some would say this is Utopian and impossible. It's hard to argue with that.

Or, maybe, there's some wisdom here. Maybe everything we strive after truly is "here today, gone tomorrow". Maybe everything we claim to "own" really belongs to nobody in particular, or to somebody far above us. Maybe we need to reintroduce this word "jubilee" into our language. And maybe we need to allow this concept to influence our worldviews as well.

Equality...

...is a simple mathematical concept. Beyond the math, it becomes foggy, misunderstood, and darn-near unattainable. "All men (people) are created equal." We believe in that. Or, maybe, we merely believe some folks pronounced that a long, long time ago. Belief, however, is always proven by behavior. We act based on what we believe.

We're scared of being labeled as an opponent of equality. Such a label means we might possibly be racist, sexist, intolerant, or downright mean. Therefore, we have no beef with the "equality" of all people. Instead, we just say that certain folks are "different" than us. They are "not like" us. And on a certain level, that's true. Every person looks different than every other person, for the most part. Hair, eyes, skin, facial features, height, and weight vary for each person. Values differ for many of us. Language differs for many of us. Personality differs for many of us. Yep, folks aren't like each other.

The problem surfaces when "not like us" becomes "not one of us". We don't easily accept what's "different", therefore we tacitly reject it. Oh, we may not verbalize such rejection. But one can see it in our uneasiness around certain people. One can observe it in the change in our expression. One can hear it in the condescending tone of our voice. Before you know it, not only are those people "not like us", but we treat them--however unknowingly--as though they were beneath us. Where's the equality in that?

All people are created equal? I very much believe that. But I certainly don't believe it because it came from the mouth of any human.

Justice...

...escapes me, to be honest. I just don't think I fully understand the concept, but I like to think I'm getting there. If you demonstrate "justice", you do what is "just", meaning "fair" or "right". The problem is we tend to look at justice with a comic book mentality. You know, something like: "You've been chosen as part of the Justice Squadron, meeting at the Fortress of Solitude!" It's all about bringing criminals to justice. Vengeance shall be ours. People do wrong, and, by bringing justice to the situation, we make things right.

But doesn't it go deeper than that? Don't we believe that we are all created equal? Shouldn't every human have the same rights as every other human? To be sure, humans make detrimental decisions, and those decisions have consequences. But does that mean we should assume that the homeless man, the divorced woman, and the angry teenager find themselves in those circumstances simply because they screwed up? After all, aren't we all, in some way, screw-ups?

People need to be free, and a lot of folks everywhere are not. People need to be free to choose their path in life--not a path of wanton selfishness but a path that betters humanity and themselves. This freedom is not something we necessarily deserve. In fact, one could easily argue that humanity deserves bondage and punishment. Rather, this freedom simply seems right. It seems to be the intended order of things. If justice is truly defined as that which makes things right, then this "qualified freedom" must be available to all. And, moreover, all the selfishness, hatred, and violence must be eliminated from our world, because those are the things that inhibit such a freedom.

So it's election day. You tell me which of these two fellows is going to pull that off...

Community...

...is a completely foreign concept, at least here in America. We've taken the patriotic concept of "independence" and twisted it to mean "privacy", or "no trespassing", or "stay the heck away from me!". Self-reliance is highly valued. One shouldn't have to depend on others. Rather, we should all be able to make it on our own. Of course, "self-reliance" is probably a fancy word for "foolish pride".

A neighbor is no longer someone with whom you have a connection. Instead, it's a term based solely on geographic proximity. A "family meal" is rare enough these days, so you can imagine how often we get together as a close-knit community to dine. Sharing is not too popular. Borrowing (with interest) appears to be the favored path. Our children seem to learn the word "mine" without ever hearing anybody verbalize it.

There just might be a problem with this whole way of life. It inhibits love. When we isolate ourselves and merely focus on how circumstances affect us (or our families), then we tend to become enamored with the self. And love, it would seem, was not meant to be an inward thing. It's meant to be shared. So, thanks to a skewed view of "independence", we become a loveless society. We either experience the widespread absence of love, also called indifference, or we suffer under the burden of love's counter, also known as hatred.

Get what you can get for you and yours. It's the American way. But what's it costing us?

Politics...

...suck. Forgive such a crass observation, but one would be hard-pressed to argue with it. For the most part, politicians are in it for themselves--at least that's how it seems. Blanket statements are made about "caring for the public", "providing equal opportunity", and "returning the nation to the people". And, if elected, these politicians will legislate all this while sitting in a million-dollar mansion, wearing a three-thousand-dollar suit (or pants suit, if you will), and donning a four-hundred-dollar haircut. To be sure, some of them really do mean well. But the political machine sucks them in and consumes them. Their noble pursuits are drowned out in a sea of bureaucratic red tape and meaningless policies and procedures.

And what of this business of "returning the nation to the people"? Frankly, I don't know that we'd do such a good job of running this place. Even if, by some miracle, we put a person in office who actually delivered on a promise to take care of us, do we think he or she could really do it? Will everyone's needs--or better, desires--be met? If Person A wants "this", and Person B demands "that", how in the world can "the people" run the nation? There is too much dissension, too much selfishness, too much unintelligent drivel out there. Before you know it, "the people" have paralyzed the nation.

Maybe we'd be better off if the real authority didn't lie in the hands of any person whatsoever. Hey, there's a novel concept...

Awareness...

...is quite possibly the key to everything. Those who are best at what they do--be they doctors, athletes, teachers, or what have you--are often those who are most aware of the present needs and constant variations of their surroundings. The Enlightenment period pushed the concept of awareness to new heights. We entered the Age of Reason. Our common sense and ability to logically process data created a profound sense of self-awareness in our society.

And self-awareness is a very good thing--for the most part. We need to constantly evaluate ourselves, being aware of those tendencies that pull us off-course. A problem arises, however, when self-awareness becomes self-obsession. Sadly, this is often the case. We become consumed with what we think. We cannot see beyond how certain situations affect us. Through reason, sound thinking, and trained ability, we can push through any difficulty and accomplish anything.

Of course, obsession borders on worship. You worship that which you spend the most time focusing on. So, in many ways, humanity worships itself. We are the be-all and the end-all. Thus, our object of worship becomes the Nobel Prize-winning scientist, the Olympic athlete, the suave politician, or the heroic rescuer.

But if the obsession really is with humanity in general, then the object of worship is also the child abuser, the rapist, the serial killer, the man who lies for a living, the woman who cheats on her husband, and the hit-and-run driver. That, my friends, is one schizophrenic object of worship.

Ah, humanity. We are so aware of ourselves, our own needs, and our own surroundings. Yet many of us are aware of little else. We run and scurry, fuss and hurry over a measly little life that lasts just over seventy years. And the eternal things? No need to be aware of those, because we couldn't have invented them...