BUNDLED SERVICES CONVENIENCE???

TELEPHONE, INTERNET, TELEVISION__They all quit working! I am irritated and frustrated. On the phone I get wrong numbers, on the television I get a slow slide show instead of continuous video, on the internet I get s l o w, intermittant, on again and off again service. This has been happening for two days! Can't make important emails, personal and business information has been lost or delayed. And I cannot contact my service provider because they are experiencing "service problems". I am wondering what would happen if this becomes a permanent condition? Would my life slow down and become less stressful? Would I read more books and become more intelligent? Would I write and receive highly anticipated long hand letters? Would I be able to spend more quality time with friends and neighbors? Would I have more time to help my family? Would I receive less bad news from all over the world, instanteously? Would I get healthy and live longer because I would have time to excersize? Maybe, I (and everyone else) would be better off! Should I cancel my bundle of services? What do you think? So many questions; so few answers.

IS PERSISTENCE THE ANSWER?

I used to think that perseverance could accomplish anything. When I was a young insurance salesman, my mantra was, "No one has endurance like the man who sells insurance". I thought that endurance and perseverance could accomplish anything. When I became older and wiser I realized that one must also have a cognitive connection with reality, and some common sense. This morning, as I enjoyed my breakfast, I watched a young male robin continually bang into my window. He was seeing his own reflection in the glass. He wanted to either fight or make love to the bird in the window. Over and over again he banged into the glass and each time he did it with a little less force because he was getting exhausted from banging his head on a glass wall. But he did not give up. Talk about persistence! However, he was disconnected with reality. Hobbs, my old cat, calmly watched with fascination. Because his brain is larger than a bird's brain, he did not waste energy trying to catch the bird. He just waited until the bird finally fell to the ground, and enjoyed a nice breakfast of his own. There is a lesson here: Stop acting like a bird brain! Don't give billions of money to failed banks, insurance companies, and automobile manufacturers. There is a big Chinese cat waiting to devour us. Instead, let's spend some money helping new innovative, entrepreneurial companies get started to fill the void. And, while we are at it, let's stop spending money and time trying to broker a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine. For two thousand years they have been building the current balance of power. Israel is a fortress surrounded by people who hate them and want them to leave. If you think you can solve this problem, you are truly a bird brain! They must solve their own problems or suffer the consequences. Breakfast is over; I must go beat my head against another wall. Have an enlightened day!

"SEEK, AND YOU SHALL FIND"

The recent religious holidays got me thinking about God and religion. What a mind boggling subject. Initially, what you believe depends on where you are born, your parents religion, and how your brain is wired. Then, the thinking begins. As you live, learn, and have experiences, your personal beliefs are developed and even change over time. I think it is safe to say that it is impossible to rationally prove whether there is a God, or not. I have studied most of the world's sacred holy books such as, Vedas, Bhagwad Gita, Pali Canon, Torah, Christian Bible, and the Koran. I have read about Yahweh, Christ, Allah, and the Buddha. I am sure that other people have done the same, and arrived at different conclusions from mine. The holy books of the great religions are filled with poetry, history, myths, parables, philosophy, "Gods Word", and symbolism, which is the essence of all religions. Mystics and Prophets do a better job explaining God than theology or science. Personally, I feel that God is involved in all the religions. It is too bad that dogmatic religions divide humanity into warring camps. Ironically, love one another, and Do unto others as you would have them do onto you, are important commandments in all the great religious traditions. Why can't we do what we preach? If the Bible (and other holy books) are interpreted literally, the idea of God becomes impossible. To imagine a deity who is literally responsible for everything that happens on earth involves impossible contradictions! The God of the Bible ceases to be a symbol of a transcendent reality and becomes a cruel and despotic tyrant. God is real, but has yet to reveal himself and his nature to me. It is a mystery.

What The Heck Is Going On?

Wednesday has arrived and I do not have a blog subject. However, I have some questions. Everywhere I go, people are talking or texting on their cell phones. Constant communication about what? Why do so many people feel the need to talk when walking, driving, shopping, eating, going to the rest room, working, playing, standing around, etc. When do they think, listen, reminisce, wonder, have quiet time, look around and enjoy silence. I don't get it. Why are they doing this? What is this modern compulsion to have conversations going all the time on a phone instead of face to face, person to person? Most of the phone talk that I overhear is mundane, inane, silly, and serves no important purpose. If someone could explain this phenomenon to me, I would appreciate it. What the heck is going on??!!!