One of the most cunning aspects of the adversary’s efforts to thwart our Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness is his deceitful teaching that there s no evil influence or devil and this attempt to redefine evil as good and good as evil, darkness as light and light as darkness, and bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter. “And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance,” reports 2 Nephi 28.22.  Let those who wish complain of evils or criticize: that is their affair. However, to take such adverse attitudes is not a laudable way of life. They, men or women, could find enough material to occupy wholes days at a time. We are all vulnerable. Denouncing negatives is unhealthier than announcing benefits. “Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” reports 2 Nephi 15.20. He is too psychologically perceptive not to understand the character of others but too generous to judge and condemn them. The student should not go about criticizing or abusing others. He should not do so because it is mentally unhealthy and hinders his own progress, because it will one day bring down criticism or abuse upon his own head, because he has to foster a compassionate outlook, and because he ought to understand that everybody on Earth is indeed here owing to his own imperfection so that the labour of showing up faults would be an endless one. #RandolphHarris 1 of 25

The wise student should emulate the masters when encountering a man who insists on controversial argument but who has no desire to learn the truth, no humility to accept it from those who, from broader experience, know more about the matter or who, from superior intelligence, judge it better than himself. The student should lapse into silence, smile, and take the earliest opportunity to get away! He should not waste time and breath or fall into friction and disharmony by letting himself be drawn into further talk. For the truculent and bull-headed man who argues against every standpoint he takes, who disputes each explanation he gives, will be impervious to whatever truth is given him. It is better meekly to acknowledge what he asserts, without criticizing it or correcting its errors. Since its change is not possible, it is better to let the man remain in the smugness of his mistaken views and let the situation be accepted. Such people do not come to hear the truth about themselves or to learn the truth about life. They come for confirmation of their own ideas, flattery about their own character, and endorsement of their own conduct. This is why they will vehemently reject all criticism or correction. It is stupid to bring conversation with others’ beliefs which they are certain to scoff at but which one cherishes as holy. The philosopher would not waste his time in hair-splitting arguments or bickerings about trivial, unimportant details when discussing a metaphysical or mystical theme with the unconvinced. #RandolphHarris 2 of 25

It is useless trying to explain his loyalty to the philosophic ideal to those who can see no use and no truth in philosophy itself. Those who are unready for the higher truth will also be ungrateful to anyone who foolishly brings it to them. Few couples would have any trouble understanding exactly what a cynic means when he says that marriage, as a part of life, is like a dual being fought in the midst of a battle. To a considerable extent, it can hardly be otherwise. Even as individuals, we are often at cross-purposes with ourselves, waging inner battles as we struggled to resolve confused or contradictory intentions and desires. With marriage, the problem is inevitably compounded. No matter how obliging by nature a husband and wife may individually be, they must expect to engage in a certain amount of disagreement as they try to reconcile their personal wishes so that together they can pursue the goals they share. What is more, culturally conditioned attitudes toward pleasures of the flesh and sexual identity could hardly have been designed to insure conflict between man and woman. However, for those men and women who basically accept and respect one another as independent and equal human beings, differences can be a stimulus for growth rather than a threat to happiness. A sharp point of disagreement can prod them into testing their feelings and thoughts and beliefs, thus possibly brining them to a deeper level of understanding. #RandolphHarris 3 of 25

These feelings, thoughts and beliefs reflect values that the individual, from childhood on, is continually crystallizing out of the totality of his or her personal experiences. Originally, the experiences have no direct association with the act of pleasures of the flesh. They are simply memories attached to happy or unhappy feelings. They may be linked to a parent’s actions, for example, or to a favourite teacher’s counsel, a passage from a novel, a scene from a movie or the derisive laughter triggered by an unsavory joke. Through the drift of emotions imperceptible ways over a period of time, these memories become charged by pleasures of the flesh. They acquire the power to define for the individual the circumstances which make pleasures of the flesh something to be actively enjoyed or simply endured or even dreaded, and to be remembered with good feelings or bad feelings—or indifference. Thus, if satisfying feelings of intimate passions are to result, every individual evolves a unique set of needs that have to be met. In a sense these needs, these factors, might be considered prerequisites to pleasure; our term for them is the value system of pleasures of the flesh. At baseline, it includes all the considerations—the time, the place, the mood, the words used, the gestures made, the thousand and one little signals that a man and woman send to each other with or without language—that the individual requires in order to respond emotionally, to let feelings come to the surface. #RandolphHarris 4 of 25

It also includes—and this is very important—those elements that permit the individual to be comfortable with those feelings. For example, if he is to be stimulated for pleasures of the flesh, a man might have a desperate need to be held, to be touched and stroked, and this is a requirement that he, as an individual, must have fulfilled. However, if it happens, will he then accept the touch with pleasure? Or might his response be blocked by guilt or embarrassment? Or plain discomfort? After all, if the pure physical fact of being touched was an automatic turn-on, there would be daily orgies, instead of murders, on the subways! Another example would be the woman who is with the man of her choice, when the time and the mood are both right, and she wishes he would do X—whatever her particular X might be—but she cannot tell him to do it or signal him to do it because, in her system of values, that would be “unromantic.” And if she forced herself to tell him and he then did what she asked, she might be completely unresponsive, turned off by any of a dozen ideas: he did not really want to, a woman should not tell a man what to do, a real man would not obey a woman that way, and so on. All these considerations are part of what makes up her pleasures of the flesh value system. For a man and woman who want to satisfy each other’s needs without sacrificing their own, a delicate process of accommodation is required. Even in an exemplary marriage, differences in temperament and spontaneous feelings make it certain that at all times a husband and a wife will find themselves emotionally at odds. #RandolphHarris 5 of 25

With or without words, one partner may signal a wish to make love, for example, and the other partner either ignores the signal or counters it, saying, in effect: “I am not in the mood.” Often the refusal is tempered—not now, not here, not that way. Ans there is the “yes” that means “no,” communicated in a veiled message that means: “If you insist, all right.” No matter how the response is phrased, whether it expresses outright refusal or conditional acceptance, it puts an emotional discrepancy in sharp focus. The feelings of the husband and wide are in conflict. Perhaps the disagreement arises because one of the two likes to use four-letter word during pleasures of the flesh while the other partner finds them discordant and abrasive, or perhaps one of them wants to have pleasures of the flesh occasionally on the spur of the moment, in unlikely places, while the other cannot relax except in the security of their chamber. However, no matter what the specific argument may be about, the problem is more than just a difference in preference. The real issue is not having pleasures of the flesh; it is feeling loved. Although the wife may never say the words, she is thinking: “If he loved me, he would not insist.” Or else: “If he loved me, he would be understanding enough not to ask.” And the husband thinks: “If she loved me, she would not refuse.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 25

The emotional stakes are higher than is generally realized, a fact that is underscored by the bitterness and hurt feelings that quarrels over gender differences often generate. However, these differences can also be successfully negotiated. The negation will be simpler, however, and the outcome more certain, in cases where husband and wife share the same fundamental convictions about pleasures of the flesh. Particularly if one partner holds conventional views and the other takes an unconventional approach, success becomes more problematical for the couple with a basic disagreement in philosophy. Major differences divide the latter couple. Should the wife accommodate her husband and accept the traditional female role, for instance, or is she equally free to express desire and initiate pleasures of the flesh? Must pleasures of the flesh be reserved for a customary time and place—in bed enjoyed whenever and wherever the mood dictates? Should the physical embrace be restricted to the familiar position and practices—with the woman supine, the man prone above her, and foreplay intended to facilitate pleasures of the flesh—or should the exchange of intimate passions be adventurous and experimental, utilizing every imaginable method of stimulation and every available orifice? Obviously, if a man and wife hold diametrically opposing view on such questions, they will have difficulty compromising their relationship with dealing with pleasures of the flesh and it will be a trial for one or both of them. #RandolphHarris 7 of 25

It is unlikely, however, that any substantial number of marriages fit this pattern. It represents the extreme. However, in countless marriages, including those where husbands and wives are essentially of the same mind about pleasures of the flesh, whether conventionally or unconventionally so, conflicting feelings about pleasures of the flesh on any given occasion are the rule, rather than the exception, and rarely are they easily resolved. How such conflicts are handled is one of the crucial factors in establishing the prevailing atmosphere of a marriage. A negative approach to this vital problem creates defensiveness and resentment on the part of one or both partners, undermining their relationship. A positive approach leads to the openness and trust that strength the bond. The difficulty, of course, lies in understanding the difference between the two approaches and, what is even more difficult, implementing that understanding. Negative approached to conflicts involving pleasures of the flesh are characterized by fear, hopelessness or ignorance. Fear, for instance, impels some couples to minimize their dissatisfactions and to tell them that if they are patient enough, the problem will go away. (A young wife, whose husband rarely has pleasures of the flesh with her and who even on those occasions is unable to bring her any measure of enjoyment, may console herself for years with the belief that “nature” would soon assert itself.) Other couples may acknowledge the problem but become defensive about it, each partner seeking personal reassurance in the belief that “it is not my fault”—an attitudes that produces nothing but anger and endless recrimination. #RandolphHarris 8 of 25

The necessity of forgiving others for what they have done to us is paramount. Nay, it is a duty to be constantly and unbrokenly practiced, no matter what provocation to disobey it we may receive. Our contact with others, or our relation to them, must bring them only good! never bad. To the degree you keep ego out of your reaction to an enemy, to that degree you will be protected from him. His antagonism must be met not only with calmness, indifference, but also with beneficial forgiveness and active love. These alone are fitting to a high present stage of understanding. Be sure that if you do so, good will ultimately emerge from it. Even if this good were only the unfoldment of latent power to master negative emotion which you show by such an attitude, it would be enough reward. However, it will be more. Noble indignation and just resentment are on immensely higher level than grossly selfish indignation and greedy resentment. However, in the case of the disciple, for whom the scale of moral values extends farther than for the “good” man, even they must be abandoned for unruffled serenity and universal goodwill. To the definitely wicked and the evilly obsessed, he need no give his love. However, he must give them and all others who wrong his his forgiveness, for his own sake as well as theirs. Every thought of resentment at another’s action against him, every mood of bitterness at the other’s refusal to do something he wishes him to do, is a crude manifestation of egoism in which, as disciple, he cannot indulge without harming his own self and hindering a favourable change in the other person’s attitude toward him. #RandolphHarris 9 of 25

The man who burns with hate against an enemy is, by the fuel of his own thoughts, keeping the fire of the other man’s mutual hate alive. Let him remember instead those glorious moments when the higher self touched his heart. In these moments all that was noble in him overflowed. Enemies were forgiven, grievances let go and the human scene viewed through the spectacle of tenderness and generosity. Only by such a psychological about-turn towards goodwill and forgiveness will he open the first door to abatement of his enemy’s feeling. Mr. Lautreamont demonstrates that the rebel dissimulates the desire to accept appearance behind the desire for banality. In either case, whether he abases or vaunts himself, the rebel wants to be other than he is, even when he is prepared to be recognized for what he really is. The blasphemies and the conformity of Mr. Lautreamont illustrate this unfortunate contradiction, which is resolved in his case in the desire to be nothing at all. Far from being a recantation, as is generally supposed, the same passion for annihilation explains Mr. Maldoror’s invocation of the primeval night and the laborious banalities of the Poesies. Mr. Lautreamont makes us understand that rebellion is adolescent. Out most effective terrorists, whether they are armed with bombs or with poetry, hardly escape infancy. The Songs of Maldoror are the works of a highly talented schoolboy; their pathos lies precisely in the contradictions of a child’s mind ranged against creation and against itself. #RandolphHarris 10 of 25

Like the Rimbaud of the illuminations, beating against the confines of the World, the poet chooses the apocalypse and destruction rather than accept the impossible principles that make him what he is in a World such as it is. “I offer myself to defend mankind,” says Mr. Lautreamont, without wishing to be ingenuous. Is Mr. Maldoror, then, the angel of pity? In a certain sense he is, in that he pities himself. Why? That remains to be seen. However, pity deceived, outraged, inadmissible, and unadmitted will lead him to strange extremities. Mr. Maldoror, in his own words, received life like a wound and forbade suicide to heal the scar. Like Mr. Rimbaud, he is the one who suffers and who rebelled; each, being strangely reluctant to say that he is rebelling against what he is, gives the rebel’s eternal alibi: love of mankind. Ordinarily, it is not easy, not natural, to forgive anyone who has wrong us. The capacity to do so will come to us as understanding grows large enough or as a meditation penetrates deep enough or as grace blesses us. For Darrell, nothing flowed. He was angry about something all the time, and the tool it took on his well-being was tremendous. He was born Jewish—and sixty years, thought that was the problem. In the San Francisco community where he was raised, his was the only Jewish family. His father and mother ran a successful dry goods store, took part in local politics and had many good friends. On the surface, they were respected, valued members of the community. However, Darrell’s father was never allowed to join the country club, even though he could easily afford it. Darrell’s mother was not invited to play bridge with the wives of other prominent businessmen. And when Darrell was in high school, many of his classmate were asked to rush the unofficial “fraternities” to which all the affluent boys belonged. Darrell was as affluent as they were, yet he was not asked to rush. #RandolphHarris 11 of 25

Darrell’s parents were resigned to the subtle, unspoken prejudice. The boy was infuriated by it. He was, in fact, infuriated by just about everything. School infuriated him. As a result, he was bored, surly, disobedient, a troublemaker. The other children infuriated him. The boy talked only about sports and girls. The girls talked only about make-up and clothes, and boys. None of them were the slightest bit interested in anything he talked about or anything he wanted to do. Korea infuriated him. By the time he was ready for college, he could not wait to leave the little town—and its little-minded people—for good. His parents were not surprised that during his time at school in Davis, he visited home just once a year. Yet they were surprised that after he finished law school, he moved to Sacramento. They were surprised again when he told them he had eloped with a large-framed, unremarkably Jewish girl. When Darrell’s mother asked him why the couple had not announced their plans and has a proper ceremony, he simply replied, “I didn’t want to put up with all that Jewish wedding crap.” At his law firm, he was called the “wild man,” because he had clients who were guilty and as a result, he would argue down every fact. He relished the role. He was untamed in the way he practiced law. He ignored professional courtesy, even scoffed at it. He scrapped and bullied and muscled his way through each case until the opposition sundered when they saw him name at the bottom of a pleading. #RandolphHarris 12 of 25

Darrell and his wife had a son and daughter, both of whom infuriated him from the time they were able to talk. They were bright: they had problems in school much the same as he had. They were strong-willed and refused to do as they were told. Most infuriating of all, both children began to experiment with drugs when they were in their early teens. Darrelle tried to impose the strict Jewish discipline his father had used with him. It did not work. His children would simply run away from home and stay with friends rather than take the punishment. Darrell despised their friends, whom he considered “hippies,” lazy and unambitious, with minds destroyed by drugs. One of the ironies of Darrell’s life was that, while he was fiercely proud of the traditions and accomplishments of the Jewish people, he despised the fact that he was Jewish himself. Being Jewish had only caused him difficulty and pain. Never had it helped make his life easier. He despised the Jewish stereotype and went out of his way to give people the impression he was gentle. Darrell would get mad at his friends for going against his orders. He wanted to punish them, thrash them, strangle them. However, many of them stayed out of the reach of every kind of punishment. Darrell had heard about an obscure Jewish practice, a carryover from the “old country,” in which a family would declare one of its members dead. In earlier times, this was sone when someone committed, in the eyes of the parent, an unpardonable violation of Jewish law or tradition, rendering that person unfit to be among the living. He decided the actions of some of his friends were unpardonable, that they were such persons. #RandolphHarris 13 of 25

Darrelle forced his wife to go through the procedure with him, even to the extent of “sitting shiva,” the mourning ritual of Jewish family. Their daughter was horrified, refused to participate and left home without saying good-bye. The family was in shambles. Shortly after, Darrell got an exciting opportunity. He was offered the position of chief counsel in an aggressive merger-minded California company that was on its way toward becoming a conglomerate. The offer included a huge salary, moving expenses, a new home and stock. He and his wife moved willingly, ecstatically. There was little to keep them in Sacramento. Three months after taking the job, Darrelle was fired. The official reason for the dismissal was that Darrell’s approach to legal problems was “inconsistent with established company policy.” Privately, one of the junior attorneys told him that the company brass found him to be “too heavy-handed, too loud, too pushy.” Darrell had his own translation: “too Jewish.” Darrell was so devastated by the firing, he could not bring himself to look for another job. He began to have feelings he could not explain and could not deal with: deep depression, moroseness, impotence with pleasures of the flesh. He had no friends to consult, so he went to a rabbi. The rabbi sent him to therapy. In the group, Darrell was a terror. He even intimated the therapist, challenging everything that was said about him, losing his temper when his arguments failed. His spats with other clients became so butter than he and others threated to leave the group. He was known for telling anybody off at anything—and making their ears burn. #RandolphHarris 14 of 25

Other men in the group would tell Darrell to keep his mouth shut so he could learn something. One man in particular moved Darrell to the level of resentment. What really upset Darrell is when someone said to him, “Oh, I don’t have the privilege of being right? You’ve got a monopoly on it? You guys have a monopoly on being right like you have a monopoly on the banks and everything else?” That did it. Darrell’s face went red. He stood up and growled at this other man, “You mealy-mouth bigoted son of a b*tch. When you say ‘you guys,’ what you really mean is ‘you Jews,’ don’t you? And you don’t know anything about Jews, or what it’s like to be one! All you know is counting those stupid rows of numbers and overcharging people for it. God, I hate you! I ought to break your bigoted Nazi neck. And get a medal for doing it!” So far for Darrell, he was merely acting out levels of anger, something he had been doing all his life: irritation, annoyance, resentment, hatred. Darrell has a fear and unrestrained emotions have no limit, unchecked, he will fly off into hysteria, blind rage, bottomless depression. The unwillingness to experience and express one or more emotions leads to manipulation and other forms of unnatural behaviour. However, what happens when we do allow ourselves full expression? So we turn into raving lunatics? Fo we go on endless crying jags? Do we become monsters? No. Because within each of us, there is a natural restraining function. Cars have many controls besides the brakes. When you let go of the accelerator (which is a speed control mechanism) the natural friction within the engine begins to slow it down. Other natural forces, such as wind resistance and the friction of the tires on the road, also contribute to the slow-down. Thus, to stop a car, you do not have to slam on the brakes immediately, just as you do not have to push the accelerator to the floor every time you want to make it go. Downhill to can take advantage of natural forces and make the car go without the accelerator at all. #RandolphHarris 15 of 25

Similarly, we have a restraining function which is entirely internal, natural and automatic. It works every time, yet we have little or no faith in it. Sometimes parents’ show a perfect side of themselves in the “front room,” but show another side of themselves in the “back room,” which is often times a full 180-degree difference. This can have an impact on their child’s behaviour and cause the child to act out in ways no one understands because they come from this picture-perfect family, live in a good community and go to a good school. People will suspect that there is something wrong with the child, but not that their parents have a dark side that they hide behind closed doors. Children become aware very early in life that their parents have several sides to their character, but they do not know how to evaluate that until they are adolescents. If they live in homes where there is “front room” behaviour and “back room” behaviour, they may resent this as part of the World’s hypocrisy. A woman took her eighteen-year-old son to dinner when he came home from college for the holidays. She ordered a Martini for herself, but told him he could not have one, although she knew he liked liquor, and indeed, dark excessively. The group members had spent hours listening to her complaints about her son’s drinking. Now, if she had either not ordered a drink, they agreed that it would have been better, or else allowed him to have one with her, but that they way she did it she was setting him up for an alcoholic script. In script language, the front room represents the antiscirpt, where the parental precepts hold sway, while the back room represents the script, where the real action is. #RandolphHarris 16 of 25

The schools of psychology are sectarian variants. They translate the unique World of an individual into an agreed upon frame of reference. For instance, the classical Freudians would discover pleasures of the flesh and aggression in any person and explain present behaviour by reference to psychosexual development. Like, churches, these sects communicate well to their own brethren but look askasnce upon those of other creeds. Schoolism is psychology is quite common, and to anyone who has dealt with church groups it looks to be a remarkably similar phenomenon. It seems to me the schools are saying largely the same things in different languages from different viewpoints—sort of a modern Babel. There are taboos between the scientific and humanistic camps. It is a serious violation for the humanist to pretend his observations or opinions of man have any relationship to science. This can lead to modern civilized forms of the cat-o-nine-tails to be laid on. It is less of a taboo violation for the scientist to pretend he is a humanist. Invasions from this direction are common. There is an immutable law of Neuro-Geography which governs terrestrial politics—the evolution of intelligence moves East to West. When you go back East—note the retrograde terminology—you are going back in time, down in intelligence and lower in evolution. Let me restate it simply: Westerners are significantly smarter, freer, more creative, more future-oriented than Easterners. Easterners operate at lower forms of evolution. Easterners, it is true, are more specialized—but, as we have learned from dinosaurs, specialization means Terminal Adulthood. Civilizations are, by definition, adult, id est, passe. #RandolphHarris 17 of 25

Western gene-pools are always freer, more adolescent, more mobile than Eastern gene-pools. In the Genetic Breeding Book, mobility is nobility. The most intelligent and the freest people on the planet have been propelled by their gene pools to the Western belt of this continent- Arizona, Texas, California, Oregon, Washington—the ecological niche of the future. Each Westerner is the hopeful adolescent blossom of the old Eastern roots. When you move back East from the Pacific—be on guard. You are moving down into primitive, inflexible, cynical terrain. Chicago is a tough, mammalian jungle compared to San Diego. New England is a monument to the statis past. Easterners, in their neolithic shrewdness are skillful, political mammals. They are adepts in Newtonian competitions. Do not try to hustle Easterners on their own turf. New York is the center of money power, Washington is the center of barnyard political force, and Boston the capital of antiquated Puritan culture—but there is no freedom, no spirit of growth and development, no enthusiasm for change in the Adult Eastern Hive. These remarks are in no way chauvinistic. All Westerners are migrated Easterners! I was born at West Point, New York and teenaged in Massachusetts. I honour my damp roots and respect their venerable, unchanging traditions. I thank the New England educational system for activating my migration button. #RandolphHarris 18 of 25

It is no accident that all the laws which restrict youthful freedom come from grim, prudish Eastern hives. We must be aware of the natural tendency of Eastern hive leaders to frighten stay-put yokels with stories of Western instability. Sure, Californians and Arizonians and Texans are diverse, flamboyant, juvenile and easy to deride. It is always that way. Frontier regions encourage the formation of new gene-pools, wide-open territories that allow cultural experimentation and future fabrication are always easy to ridicule from the docile, adult, traditional bunkers of the East. The age-old Chinese think that all Occidentals are crazy kids because we believe in individual reality and personal change. To the old Soviets individualism is hooliganism! We grant that an Easterner, in the secure cocoon of adult conformity and centralized dogmatic repetition, is shocked by the insane insistence of Westerns to “be themselves.” We grant that the individual or small cult is kooky-vulnerable in contrast to the monolithic stability of specialized gene-pools which repeat what their parents did and cling to the myths of their grandparents. The independent Western pioneer is easily ridiculed. However, the fact remains—freedom to experiment, courage to change, energy to recreated is always a Westward high. The moral purification involved in casting out all hatred and granting complete forgiveness opens a door to the Overself’s light. #RandolphHarris 19 of 25

Anyone can observe similarities in emotional habits within a family or between two close friends or spouses. A father and his sons may all display similar emotional responses to politicians, salespeople, women, and animals. A woman, before she became married, may have responded emotionally after the fashion of her mother and siblings; after several years of marriage, her parents and siblings notice she no longer feels about things the way she used to—she has changed. She has come to share some of the emotional habits of her husband, and he in turn has acquired many of hers, so that his former bachelor friends notice striking differences in him. He is no longer amused by the same things, angered or afraid of the same things, we when he was “one of the boys.” The mechanism responsible for the acquisition of emotional responses that resemble those of someone else is identification. Identification is a learning process by means of which one person models himself, herself after another. It may be a deliberate attempt to imitate the other person, or it may be an unconsciously purposeful emulation, It is not known whether emotional habits are acquired through direct identification or whether the similarity in emotional habits between two person derives from identification with each other’s values, expectancies, and attitudes. Nevertheless, it can be asserted that, either directly or indirectly, persons acquire certain of their emotional habits by means of identification. #RandolphHarris 20 of 25

Sacramento Fire and Rescue is an I.S.O. Class One fire department. The department provides all fire suppression, prevention and education programs in the city as well as paramedic emergency medical services to the residents and visitors of the Sacramento community. The department also has a Bomb Squad, Hazardous Materials Team and Technical Rescue Team that provides services for the city and the rest of Sacramento County. “There are some things that simply come with the territory, and if you’re a firefighter you might as well learn early that there is no point in fighting them. The first thing is that just about everyone wants Christmas and Easter off. It’s an American culture state of being, but you’re going to have to go to work. Not only because arsonists don’t follow the Gregorian calendar, but because the fire department never closes shop. I remember working Christmas or Christmas Eve for six years straight. But at least I had a job to go to, and a steady income, unlike to many others in America who haven’t been able to put order and progress in their lives. Certainly, my children were often out of sync with their classmates, but I think they understood that their father worked a job that was different than most. They never complained, and I don’t think they ever realized the inconveniences. After all, if I wasn’t home Christmas Eve, I would always be home on Christmas morning. Unless, of course, there was an especially terrible fire in Sacramento. #RandolphHarris 21 of 25

Another thing is that in your twenty- or thirty-year career, you vacation period might actually occur in the summer months about half the time. The other half might be spent writing postcards to the wife and kids who will be travelling around in the BMW X5 visiting relatives, or packed away in the summer rental up at the lake. Still, my family always loved being a part of a firefighter’s family. There were all those company picnics and ball games, those three-day camping trips, times that etch in the memory like shells on a tree trunk, organic interlockings that grow more solid each passing year. The best times, perhaps, were spent playing baseball. It has always been a great crew. It never mattered what we did, or where we were, though, the idea and the reality of service and courage were always with us. Someone in the hose was always doing a great thing.” If an enemy who is guilty of doing wrong toward him comes to him, whether out of personal need or by the accident of social life, there will be no hard feelings, no bitter thought, no angry word. For the other man, he sees, acted out of what was truth for him, what was valid by his own understanding. Even if his enemy had sought to gain something through injury to himself, then it must have seemed right to the greed in his enemy’s ego, which could not then have acted otherwise. In this attitude there is an immense tolerance, and an immeasurable forgiveness. If it is proper to forgive a man’s crime, it is not proper, through emotionalism and sentimentality pushing forgiveness to the extreme, to condone his crime. #RandolphHarris 22 of 25

In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. As money flows, it influences further investment. #RandolphHarris 23 of 25

Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. Also, to ensure that we have farmland for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrant to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a populations that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in American, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in American which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. #RandolphHarris 24 of 25

When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send more money overseas. Buying American made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards in regard to pollution. American companies have to be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human minds to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy.  I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 25 of 25

The Winchester Mystery House

Experience an unforgettable journey back to the time of kings and queens with this entry ticket for The Winchester Mansion in Santa Clara, California which was the residence of Sarah L. Winchester. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.

Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion.

For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/