that are unknown however known, undefined however (not) uninformed. In this manner, immanent knowledge is understood by ideas that lay hidden and unseen, yet intuitively understood. Such explains a child‘s (implicit) trust in a parent however untested.
69
• • •
That the media considers it their sacred trust to correctly ―inform‖ their viewers rather than properly ―informing‖ them, speaks volumes about our society‘s collective (intellectual) lassitude and (general) lack of critical thinking. The public‘s reflexive response to fast food journalism and casual explanations that otherwise require measured thought runs interference for individuals who, for convenience sake, are prepared to accept (almost) anything at its face value without (first) questioning its authenticity.
• • •
The Stock Market reacts irrationally at times although ―irrational‖ (investor) behavior, influenced by (seemingly) plausible signs, (oftentimes) represent illogical adjustments or illogical responses operating under illogical assumptions whose illogical designs are seemingly logical. Every market hiccup seems to trigger what has predictably evolved into wholesale (selling) frenzies under pretexts that (otherwise) appear to validate sporadic selling or profit taking by institutional investors whenever relatively sound (market) economies would (otherwise) dictate staying the course. In this manner, an occasional (market) quirk or (uncertain) political event would seem to ―justify‖ bailing out; in turn spooking unsophisticated investors into selling off their own shares in order to cut their losses before their portfolios hit rock bottom thereby setting the table for savvier investors to acquire them on the cheap.
• • •
Wealth, in whatever manner acquired or however abundant, is never entirely our own; that is to say, an individual‘s (purported) wealth is oftentimes contingent upon a government‘s need for Revenue. In this manner, Wealth, however much an individual accumulates, remains a provisional (financial) arrangement between the ―owner‖ and the government. How much or how little a government decides to spend generally determines what portion of earnings or savings, for that matter, an individual will be permitted to keep; that is to say, individuals are ―entitled‖ to whatever portion the government is willing to allow in proportion to its (own)‖urgent‖ requirements. If this sounds like so much hyperbole, the reader might properly consider the confiscatory tax policies of socialist governments that have routinely driven many of its most productive citizens to safer (tax) havens in order to ward off efforts designed to appropriate their wealth. Individuals are subject to indirect taxes as well. These taxes include, however are not limited to, consumer taxes, school and property taxes, ―sin‖ taxes, egregious taxes on inheritance or the ―death tax‖ and capital gains taxes whose earnings are taxed twice, no less. It should not be inferred from the aforementioned that I am principally opposed to taxes. I would be the first to argue that any orderly, well governed society requires the cooperation of all its (productive) citizens and that each should properly contribute his or her own proportionate ―fair‖ share of the burden otherwise required for public services available to every citizen regardless of income. There was a time, however, when our government was less prolific and wasteful, the demands placed upon it less urgent; a time when most individuals looked to themselves and their families first, rather than the government for assistance. These are different times in which we live, however. I fear that there is no turning back the hands of time. By having surrendered our inherent right to make personal decisions considered appropriate to our own particular lifestyles and needs, we have summarily relinquished our customary right to appeal such decisions made on our (own) behalf by government institutions that we‘ve provided with (reckless) authoritative powers far exceeding their intended scope and purpose; institutions that no longer pretend to be our servants but the masters, rather, of our own determined way of life.
• • •
Is Ignorance the beginning or the ―end‖ of Wisdom?
• • •
Social Engineering and Micro-Management have become the political norm(s); government largess broadening its horizons, transcending every segment of society, bar none, including the ―Middle Class(es),‖ once counted among the government‘s severest critic(s), nevertheless compromising its middle-class principles and values in exchange for its own ―fair‖ share of the (public) spoils—for shame!—disregarding the effects of (historical) extravagance(s) in proportion to its own evolving―requirements‖…unprincipled chameleons and unwitting accomplices of (Big) Government‘s unending designs to expand its scope and meddling influence over the private affairs of its citizens, maintaining lockstep precision through its march to the promise land of
‖milk and honey‖ and prodigal spending that must inevitably disappoint many, including unlikely bases of support!
• • •
…indifference to national loyalty…. not its (material) assumptions, however………highly recruited…..functioning (best) in free and open markets……neither affirming (formal) allegiance to (host) nation………nor its customs and manners…… indifferent to domestic affairs…….. unless prevailed upon…faithful to its (own) appointed ends……wherever (such) commitments (may) lie….operating within ―unassigned‖ parameters…inconsonant with prescribed (legal) authority….. circumstantial or variable…….in whatever manner…..incidental to intended design(s)… morally ―neutral‖… unencumbered by borders… exploiting market opportunities…..
It is possible to ―go home again‖ provided (that) we have properly mended our fences.
• • •
Intellectual Lassitude is conditioned by Habit reinforced by lazy attitudes; that is to say, a tendency (not) to investigate ―questions‖70
thoroughly through applied effort.
• • •
An individual‘s essential makeup in conjunction with that individual‘s acquired habits oftentimes (render) popular opinion problematical although such difficulties that are likely to ensue, in the absence of a broad-based consensus, necessarily submits (to) a communion or joining together of distinguishing viewpoints commonly agreed upon, in whatever manner construed, (by) gravitating towards some amenable, plausible center that most individuals are willing to concede in the interest of a well-ordered society.
• • •
Freedom is informed by National Custom(s).
• • •
Truth, however ―self-evident,‖ when indecisive or poorly crafted must inevitably succumb to the unwavering dynamics of deterministic authority.
• • •
Loyalty in the workplace was once considered a (corporate) virtue. In today‘s increasingly mobile/faster paced environment(s), however, dedication and (long-term) commitment to one‘s company is likely to raise a few eyebrows rather than merit approval!
• • •
Events in and of themselves do not necessarily shape (public) opinion in whatever manner such events are (oftentimes) regarded by the (public) general.
• • •
I was reading recently where prime time commercial advertisements appearing on Superbowl Sunday are running upwards to $53,000a second. Are such sums imaginable? Commercial Vulgarity in its lowest form, unparalleled and unequaled by any conceivable standard, gives pause to the hordes of unemployed; cast aside by their employers because of specious budget ―constraints.‖ How many layoffs does each advertising unit measured per second equate to the number of potential jobs that might have otherwise been created (or retained for that matter) for every marginal reduction in advertising expense? How to transform precious seconds into jobs; a suppressed yawn for each livelihood, including employee benefits every year!
• • •
Ambition must oftentimes concede, if not altogether abandon, its challenging assumptions by softening its (own) urgent requirements that (otherwise) justify its Will to Power and Influence (inevitably) superseding rooted sentiments that (otherwise) kindled such eager designs to begin with!
• • •
Every society is subject to an undetermined, however certain life expectancy that varies in proportion to a society‘s demographic components, (the) statistical effects of (its) technology and medicine, temperament, market designs and……..evolutionary standards of (moral) decency! At some indeterminate juncture, having (nearly) exhausted its loftiest social, cultural and intellectual ideals, a society begins striking diminishing or marginal returns, also understood as the ―law of relative increasing costs.‖ In this manner, a society ceases to evolve and begins to (gradually) retreat from its traditional boundaries until it is no longer able to effectively fulfill its intellectual and moral obligation(s). Whenever social costs begin to (marginally) exceed their intended benefits because (limited) resources are either inefficiently allocated or mismanaged or depleting revenue is (simply) unable to keep pace with spending requirements or whenever non-recoverable anti-social attitudes begin to compromise that society‘s quality of life or whenever that society‘s efforts to rehabilitate its economic, intellectual or moral infrastructures or restore flagging morale are no longer effective or have lost their (spirited) momentum or whenever (public) proposals fall short of (private) expectations is that society said to be in a state of decline. This not so unusual phenomenon is oftentimes apparent in densely populated (urban) areas whose complexity and
‖urgent‖ requirements demand a higher level of financial, intellectual and moral support. Although it is unlikely that aging societies will……or could, for that matter, be restored to their former rank, (age has a manner of setting limits on its own resiliencies or ability to heal itself), each retains a remarkable capacity (or genius) for transforming itself into something new, that is vibrant and wholesome although not altogether new however retaining, in some manner, its former character; allowing a society to maintain its relevancy in a changing environment in search of a ―new‖ identity. A society that hopes to (otherwise) reinvigorate itself must redefine itself; that is to say, determine beforehand what it hopes to become. Such decisions should be carefully mapped out as they are likely to impact the course of future generations (curiously) different however (remarkably) similar to present conventions. In a word, change must inspire confidence in a society that must ―die‖ in order to be reborn again.
• • •
Dietitians seem to be in a state of confusion; one moment commending the nutritional value of certain foodstuffs and the next warning the consumer of their harmful effects on the basis of controvertible studies predicated upon questionable assumptions and flimsy 71evidence ―consistent‖ with politicized ―science‖ and ―popularized‖ eating habits rather than (true) nutritional science, whose open-ended studies must necessarily promote uncertainty. A well-balanced diet consumed in moderation is therefore prescribed to the uninitiated and hopelessly naïve who have allowed dietetic hysterics to (otherwise) inform common sense.
• • •
Suffering (oftentimes) defines or softens the heart of an individual by making that individual (more) receptive to of other individuals who are suffering or who have suffered in some manner. It would seem that compassion is not some feeling ―acquired‖ outside an individual but rather an impression internalized within that individual who, having endured his or her own (private) hardships, is likely to display a more benign, sympathetic attitude toward other individuals who he or she shares or has shared a trying experience; although suffering (in kind) is not a necessary requirement for individuals who would naturally express sympathy for other people because it falls within their ―nature‖ to do so.
• • •
A wholesome environment, that is morally and spiritually instructive, guides and directs the activities of an individual. An exemplary environment, however, should never be (overly) excessive or overbearing that it discourages creative thought or initiative. It should be flexible enough in a manner that allows an individual some (important) measure of intellectual continuity and free-expression. There are notable exceptions such as our armed forces, for example, where the successful achievement of some military objective oftentimes requires absolute compliance and uniformity of purpose vital to its success. (On the other hand, brilliantly unconventional strategists have oftentimes altered the course of History)
• • •
Democracies have historically degenerated into the meanest populist forms or an equality of social and intellectual mediocrity or leveling (diametrically) opposed to the highest standards of achievement and exemplary behavior, for that matter. For this reason, modern societies are experiencing a (societal) devolution of manners from the cultured to the lowbrow, from the genteel and refined to the vulgar and crude, from creative imagination to common expressions, from the enterprising to the feckless, from (thoughtful) liberalism to (intellectual) intolerance, from broad-mindedness to censorship, from inquiring attitudes to moral and intellectual indifference, from gallantry to loutishness, from economy and prudence to improvidence, from principle to expediency, from Rule of Law to Mob Sovereignty.
• • •
We are all limited to some extent by our (natural) designs or (social) conditioning; that is to say, by ―origin‖ or customs and manners influenced, in part, by our imperfect natures or, as some might correctly argue, the consequence of (original) sin that is shared by everyone although varying by degree that is partly negligible, however, when measured against every individual‘s (underlying) potential for improvement.
• • •
A comparison of Liberal Attitudes past and present: Upton Sinclair‘s graphic exposé (The Jungle) written in 1906 was a resounding indictment of the meat packaging industry at the turn of the present century. Its theme centered around inhuman working conditions, squalid housing environments, disease, illness, (premature) death, ruthless commercial exploitation, below average wages, rip-off company cooperatives, prohibitive mortgage rates, economic uncertainty, innocence, hope, anguish and despair. Fast forward to 1999where Modern Liberalism is more likely to raise (moral) objections over the ―mistreatment‖ of animals led to the slaughter.
• • •
The noblest (social) inheritance is model citizenship.
• • •
Pardon the Sinner, never the Sin!
• • •
It‘s not how one starts, inasmuch as how one finishes!
• • •
The Nativity confirmed the coming of The Christ. The Resurrection consummated the Faith.
• • •
Liberty, unless affirmed by (popular) consent and validated by (lawful) customs and practices must (inevitably) devolve into Libertinism.
• • •
As a rule, every student should (generally) concede prudence and ―wisdom‖ to those best qualified to teach, keeping in mind, however, that, however well-intentioned, the possibility of error and invalid assumptions are always present.72
• • •
The Law seeks to preserve, not to promote Freedom. It therefore remains impartial to the (broader) designs of any individual.
• • •
When America‘s Public School System was first establish in 1830, its primary mission was to assimilate Americans into the (collective) mainstream at a time our nation was predominately agrarian and (widely) dispersed; to harness our (fledgling) nation‘s intellectual resources as well as laying the moral foundation(s) of model citizenship by instilling Republican Virtues and establishing guidelines for being or becoming an American.
• • •
First Amendment interpretations have gradually evolved from verbal expressions to (expressive) manners, whose (penumbral)―legalities‖ must continue reinforcing every conceivable form of ―inappropriate‖ language or behavior.
• • •
Whenever our daily routines are (being) constantly modified in order to promote serialized forms of amusement do we (quickly) tire of new diversions?
• • •
…commissioned to ensure that the Natural Rights of Man remains inviolate and uncompromised in whatever manner an individual chooses to worship without prejudice or bias to (any) individual with respect to that individual‘s (religious) customs and beliefs including nonbelievers; upholding such practices privately invested in the Individual and not the State without undermining the Public‘s (inherent) awareness of an Almighty Presence…. (including) other inalienable rights, for that matter, afforded to every citizen; providing equal access and protection under the law and the right of every Individual to redress affronts to person and property without ruinous (material) effect on that individual or that individual‘s character or standing….
• • •
…television‘s (gross) mischaracterization of ―Conservatives‖ and Conservative ―Viewpoints‖…targeting impressionable young audiences and rallying their (intended) victims…
• • •
Wisdom and Justice, in whatever manner they may vary as practical matters, remain the (twin) cornerstones of Truth. Each ultimately defines a society‘s probable place in History. The rejection of this simple (truth), however, must inevitably ―reassert itself and exert greater wonder than that which was previously understood.‖ (Rudyard Kipling).
• • •
The (supposed) demise of Socialism has been greatly exaggerated. It continues flourishing in a variety of different forms in ―free and open markets‖ much in the manner Organized Crime operates under the pretext of Legitimate Business.
• • •
Liberal strategies aimed at dividing our nation along racial and ethnic lines will continue heightening (social) unrest until their political designs are finally exposed for what they are; a pretense for harvesting votes while deceiving otherwise well-meaning individuals who are (otherwise) hoping to promote ―honest‖ dialogue among a divided nation. (Divide and Conquer!)
• • •
Once the Supreme Court succumbs to external (political) pressures or its own unqualified assumptions of Justice, without regard to legality, that legal body can no longer be properly considered an objective interpreter of our nation‘s laws; its critically-minded reviews and summary conclusions centering on the (penumbral) legality of questionable (historical) assumptions…. and its (subsequent) mischaracterization of Original Intent, must remain foremost in the minds of thoughtful individuals….. and the legitimacy of rendered opinions (morally) non-binding to the sensibilities of affected establishments.
• • •
A woman defines (the) Sex; a lady defines (the) Character.
• • •
A society‘s notion of the ―Ideal Society‖ is oftentimes baffled by its own (inestimable) understanding of Perfection.
• • •
Ours is a generation that nourishes a morbid and irrational fear of growing old…and death, perhaps; thereby occasioning (a) need to retain its youthful appearance(s) at whatever cost; inconsonant with age, at the expense of its (own) dignity, ―eternally young,‖ ―young as one feels,‖ (youthful) fashions and lifestyles, (adolescent) designs, the accomplices of artificial youth, pining for what is no longer 73retrievable, envious of younger styles also marking time.
• • •
…whereby we seek to become the architects of our own salvation…a salvation grounded on shifting sands…on death‘s denial…and self-deception…wherefore have we abandoned God…our eternal (spiritual) comfort…and (final) ray of hope?…mischaracterized by modern times as a disinterested bystander…(some) intangible being of uncertain (spiritual) quality or substance….exceeding worldly comprehension… who has (seemingly) withdrawn his (unconditional) love and support…leaving each of us to our own devise(s)…in our own manner… in desperation…seeking to ward-off growing old(er) by renouncing age ….or remanding its inevitability to some uncertain future…for that which awaits Death, may well bide its time…
• • •
A memo to (insecure) parents: Unconditional Love is (oftentimes) an Immature Love. A truly loving and thoughtful parent understands that meaningful guidelines are essential for a developing child who hopes to one day stand on his or her own two feet.
• • •
More irritating to conservative sensibilities than a Northeastern Liberal, perhaps, is a Guilt-Ridden Southerner with a ―Conscience!‖
• • •
The social upheavals that typified the sixties resulted in a (net) reduction in (higher) culture as well as a devolving of (traditionally) sound arrangements. The nihilistic zeal to ―reform‖ society in its entirety, vanquishing the good as well as the bad, has (subsequently) left an intellectual and moral vacuum in its wake.
• • •
A (social) courtesy or kind word may seem (relatively) unimportant to some people; of no remarkable occurrence. Nevertheless, its composite impact on polite society cannot be overstated. This is especially true in modern societies where formal manners and/or casual expressions are oftentimes feigned or forced; cheerless gestures or conveniences, artificial and insincere, neither genuine nor real; impersonal, lukewarm and detached, a solemn duty performed without conviction (or meaning). Our society‘s casual indifference to traditional amenities that have come to typify modern attitudes, must eventually shatter (the) social conventions that have―habitually‖ fostered goodwill.
• • •
I have encountered a number of practicing Christians over the years who are (seemingly) unable to resolve religious ―questions‖ such as the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption or Transubstantiation, for example; considering such (doctrinal) propositions set forth by the church as operating outside the prescribing (rational) limits otherwise informed by Reason, who are unwilling to contest, however, the Incarnation, Resurrection and the Holy Trinity as matters of Faith.
• • •
Had we the means of prolonging our lives so we might allow ourselves ―sufficient‖ opportunity to correct our historical indiscretions (or private failings), our (naturally) stubborn/inquisitive nature(s) might very well produce the same deleterious effects!
• • •
The liberal establishment appears reluctant to provide proper allowances for the underlying influence of genetics on (intellectual) achievement; brushing aside native assumptions in favor of environmental arguments lest such discussions undermine (custodial) efforts aimed at micromanaging the everyday affairs of the American People at every level of our society.
• • •
When legal customs fail to impart Wisdom or properly inform Citizenship are Republican Institutions destined to collapse!
• • •
How ironic that Republican Principle(s) designed to protect the rights of the American People are oftentimes the very catalysts that contribute to their debasement!
• • •
…Revenues projected years in advance…subject to volatile (market) conditions likely to invalidate forecasting assumptions…suggesting, perhaps, that financial ―windfalls‖…as they may occur….should be used…instead…to reduce The Deficit…
• • •
―Pro-Choice‖ advocates oftentimes employ specious arguments in order to support their abortionist agenda. One such argument, quite common among PC Advocates, centers on sketchy (Quality of Life) issues likely to recommend Abortion as a preferable alternative to 74raising children in potentially hostile, otherwise unwholesome environments whose unpromising future would (―probably‖) offer few, if any, tangible rewards for many. (Preferable or Unpromising for whom remain esoteric assumptions understood by custodial interests, only.) Adopting conspicuously faulty and (otherwise) self-serving reasoning conveniently side-steps a very important fact; that we all exist in a less than perfect world subject to changing fortunes and other unexpected events that routinely challenge our mettle; and that Nature, however, has its own inestimable manner of compensating each of us with an innate capacity to endure hardships and rise above our present condition however unfavorable or improbable our prospects for a ―better‖ life may appear and that an individual‘s threshold for suffering and privation oftentimes vary in proportion to that individual‘s (mental) endurance and acquired habits in spite of that individual‘s accustomed environment and in any event, such (gratuitous) impressions are problematical at best and should not serve as a litmus test in determining who should or should not be permitted to live or given an equal opportunity to exercise free choice(s) pre-empted by selfish motives indifferent to such rights; motives whose arbitrary designs are (otherwise) impervious to the apparent limits or consequences of questionable solutions whose (hardened) indifference to Life must inevitably diminish the (inherent) value a society confers upon its citizens regardless of their station in life. Once these unwholesome attitudes are carried to an extreme, who‘s to argue against a ―final solution‖ to questions regarding race, color or creed or national origin or income, for that matter, or an individual‘s sexual orientation, eccentricity, or the elderly or others feeble in mind or body or other
―distasteful‖ qualities incongruent with ―desirable‖ standards designed to rid a society of its ―undesirable‖ elements?
• • •
We are not Owners, merely Custodians!
• • •
God‘s Eternal Absence is Punishment enough!
• • •
President William Jefferson Clinton recently pardoned 14 FALN Puerto Rican Terrorists on the condition that each agreed to renounce Terrorism. You Betcha!
• • •
Friendship achieves its ultimate expression once common experience rather than private designs or exceptional requirements seals the relationship.
• • •
The Present receives its instructions from the Past by ―restructuring‖ its customs and manners and ―adapting‖ them to accommodate modern requirements. It does not seek to alter traditions that no longer seem relevant or consequential to conventional practices merely to fulfill neo-modernistic ―requirements‘. The Present is informed by History; rejecting its failings, whenever appropriate, while retaining its merits. In this manner a (thoughtful) society seeks to promote dialogue and affect (meaningful) change(s) without (unduly) upsetting the natural ―order of things.‖ A society that is either unable or unwilling to properly reconcile the Past with the Present, or has historical axes to grind, however, cannot properly evolve into something more meaningful.
• • •
A myth is a traditional story or product of an inventive imagination that may or may not be fictional or real. A belief, on the other hand, is predicated on intuitive impressions that, although not factually proven or supported by (observable) evidence, nevertheless provides Reason sufficient grounds to advance faith-based assumptions affirming its truth.
• • •
Inasmuch as perceptions matter, it behooves an individual to cultivate favorable impressions!
• • •
A society that has developed an immunity to shock or feigns indifference to offensive or inappropriate behavior when it should be properly outraged should consider itself in a transitional state of moral decline!
• • •
A savvy investor is seldom carried away by high P/E (Price/Earnings) ratios occasioned by frenzied speculation, overvalued stocks and lower than average earnings. With few exceptions, P/E Ratios should normally fall in line with industry averages. Insert appropriate stop features wherever possible!