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The World is My Idea—I Gave My Heart to Thee
The World is my idea—this is a truth which holds good for everything that lives and knows, though human beings alone can bring into reflective and abstract consciousness. A useful approach is to let the love for God replace the willfulness that is driving the seeking. One can release all desire to seek and realize that the thought that there is anything else but God is a baseless vanity. It can be seen that both the body and the mind are the result of the innumerable conditions of the Universe and that one is at best the witness of this concordance. Out of an unrestricted love for God arises the willingness to surrender all motives, and expect to serve God completely. If one really does this, he or she has attained to philosophical wisdom. It then becomes clear and certain to that individual that what one knows is not a Sun and an Earth, but only eyes that sees a Sun, hands that feels an Earth; that the World which surrounds us is there only as an idea, i.e., only in relation to something else, the consciousness, which is oneself. If any truth can be asserted a priori, it is this: for it is the expression of the most general form of all possible and thinkable experience: a form which is more general than time, or space, or causality, for they all presuppose it. #RandolphHarris 1 of 14
Time, space, and causality, which we have seen to be just so many modes of the principle of sufficient reason, is valid only for a particular class of ideas; whereas the antithesis of object and subject is the common form of all these classes, is that form under which alone any idea of whatever kind it may be, abstract or intuitive, pure or empirical, is possible and thinkable. No truth therefore is more certain, more independent of all others, and less in need of proof than this, that all that exists for knowledge, and therefore this World, is only object in relation to subject, perception of a perceiver, in a word, idea. This is obviously true of the past and the future, as well as of the present, of what is farthest off, as of what is near; for it is true of time and space themselves, in which alone these distinctions arise. All that in any way belongs or can belong to the World is inevitably thus conditioned through the subject. The World is idea. I have noticed in the course of our psychoanalytical work that the psychological state of an individual in attitude of reflection is entirely different from that of a person who is observing the psychic processes. Light is a great enemy to mystery, and mystery is a great friend to enthusiasm. #RandolphHarris 2 of 14
It is curious to imagine people of the World, busy in thought, turning their eyes towards the countless sphere that shine above us, and making them reflect only images their minds contain. In reflection, there is a greater play of psychic activity than in the most attentive self-observation; this is shown even by the tense attitude and the wrinkled brow of the individual in a state of reflection, as opposed to the mimic tranquility of the person observing. In both cases, there must be concentrated attention, but the reflective person makes use of their critical faculties, with the result that one rejects some of the thoughts which rise into consciousness after one has become aware of them, and abruptly interrupts others, so that one does not follow the lines of thought which they would have otherwise open up for the individual; while in respect of yet other thoughts one is able to behave in such a manner that they do not become conscious at all—that is to say, they are suppressed before they are perceived. In self-observation, on the other hand, one has but one task—that of suppressing criticism; if one succeeds in doing this, an unlimited number of thoughts enter one’s consciousness which would otherwise have eluded one’s grasp. #RandolphHarris 3 of 14
We cannot deny the existence of matter, that is, of solidity, impenetrability, and extended figure (to deny which would be lunacy), but in correcting the popular notion of it, and in contending that is has no essence independent of mental perception; that existence and perceptibility are convertible terms. These words adequately express the compatibility of empirical reality and transcendental ideality. With the assistance of the material thus obtained—material which is new to the self-observer—it is possible to achieve the interpretation of pathological ideas, and also that of dream-formations. As will be seen, the point is to induce a psychic state which is in some degree analogous, as regards the distribution of psychic energy (mobile attention), to the state of the mind before falling asleep—and also, of course, to the hypnotic state. On falling asleep, the undesired ideas emerge, owing to the slackening of certain arbitrary (and, of course, also critical) action, which is allowed to influence the trend of our ideas; we are accustomed to speak of fatigue as the reason of this slackening; the emerging undesired ideas are changed into visual and auditory images. The inward reluctance with which any one accepts the World as merely one’s idea, warns one that this view of it, however true it may be, is nevertheless one-sided, adopted in consequence of some arbitrary abstractions. #RandolphHarris 4 of 14
In the condition which it utilized for the analysis of dreams and pathological ideas, this activity is purposely and deliberately renounced, and the psychic energy thus saved (or some part of it) is employed in attentively tracking the undesired thoughts which now come to the surface—thoughts which retain their identity as ideas (in which the condition differs from the state of falling asleep). Undesired ideas are thus changed into desired ones. And yet, it is a conception from which one cannot free oneself. There are many people who do not seem to find it easy to adopt the required attitude toward the apparently freely rising ideas, and to renounce the criticism which is otherwise applied to them. The undesired ideas habitually evoke the most violent resistance, which seems to prevent them from coming to the surface. However, the essential condition of poetical creation includes a very similar attitude. If you complain of a lack of creative power, the reason for your complaint lies, it seems to me in the constraint which your intellect imposes upon your imagination. Apparently, it is not good—and indeed it hinders the creative work of the mind—if the intellect examines too closely the ideas already pouring in, as it were, at the gates. #RandolphHarris 5 of 14
Regarded in isolation, an idea may be quite insignificant, and venturesome in the extreme, but it may acquire importance from an idea which follows it; perhaps, in a certain collocation with other ideas, which may seem equally absurd, it may be capable of furnishing a very serviceable link. The intellect cannot judge all these ideas unless it can retain them until it has considered them in connection with these other ideas. In the case of a creative mind, it seems to me, the intellect has withdrawn its watchers from the gates, and the ideas rush in pell-mell, and only then does it review and inspect the multitude. You worthy critics, or whatever you may call yourselves, are ashamed or afraid of the momentary and passing madness which is found in all real creators, the longer or shorter duration of which distinguishes the thinking artist from the dreamer. Hence your complaints are of unacomplished aspirations, for you reject too soon and discriminate too severely. And yet, such a withdrawal of the watchers from the gates of the intellect, such a translation into the condition of uncritical self-observation is by no means difficult. #RandolphHarris 6 of 14
Most of my patients accomplish it after my first instruction. I myself can do so very completely, if I assist the process by writing down the ideas that can flash through my mind. The quantum of psychic energy by which the critical activity is thus reduced, and by which the intensity of self-observation may be increased, varies considerably according to the subject-matter upon which the attention is to be fixed. The theme to which these point is, of course, always the history of the malady that is responsible for the neurosis. Pay attention to what occurs to you in connection to your dream, and interpret the details, not the mass; like this, it conceives the dream, for the outset, as something built up, as a conglomerate of psychic formations. While overcrowding and pollution rank high on the list of environmental stresses, they are only two of the many challenges that press for attention. Let us sample some of the solutions that psychologist have provided for environmental problems. Many problems that we are seeing arise is urban fears. The way people think about the environment greatly affect their behavior. Mental maps of various areas, for instance, often guide actions and alter decisions. A case in point is a study done in Sacramento, California USA. #RandolphHarris 7 of 14
In Sacramento, California USA, researchers found that an existing school bus route contributed to truancy. The problem was that many of its stops were where children where afraid of being attacked and beaten. The solution was that by doing an environmental assessment, psychologist developed a picture of environments as they are perceived by the people using them. An assessment often includes such things as charting areas of highest use in buildings, using attitude scales to measure reactions to various settings (such as school, businesses, and parks) and even having people draw a version of their cognitive map of a building, campus, or city. In the case of the school children, residents of the neighborhood were asked to rate how much stress they felt when walking in various areas. The result was a contour map (somewhat like a high- and low-pressure weather map) that showed the areas of highest perceived stress. This stress map was then used to reroute school buses to low-pressure areas. Cause and effect thus constitute the whole nature of matter; its true being is this action. This relation is no conclusion in abstract conceptions; it does not arise from reflection, nor is it arbitrary, but immediate, necessary, and certain. #RandolphHarris 8 of 14
When the children had been tested, prior to rerouting the school buses, the test showed that the noise they were facing was quite damaging. Children from the noisy schools were compared with similar students attending schools farther from the disturbances. These comparison students were from families of comparable social and economic makeup. Testing showed that children attending noisy schools had higher blood pressure than those from quieter schools. They were more likely to give up attempts to solve a difficult puzzles. And they were poorer at proofreading a printed paragraph—a task that requires close attention and concentration. A recent study of children living near a fairly new airport in Munich, Germany, found similar damaging effects. The greater tendency of the noisy-school children to give up or become distracted creates a serious and unnatural intellectual disability, which can be corrected by a reduction of external threats and noise pollution. This situation may even reveal a state of learned helplessness caused by daily, uncontrollable blasts of sound. Even if such damage proves to be temporary, it is clear that noise pollution (annoying and intrusive noise) is a major source of environmental stress for children, adults, nature, and pets. #RandolphHarris 9 of 14
Researchers have linked noise with impaired learning ability, less tolerance for frustration, and a reduced willingness to help others. A major finding of environmental research is that much of our behavior is controlled, in part, by specific types of environments. Society is an aggregate of interacting individuals whose relations are governed by role-confronting rules and practices which give their actions their characteristic significance. Moreover, communities seem to have a lifespan greater than that of any generation of individual members, which cannot be explained, as might that of a corporation, by the continuities of constitutional procedures. It is, rather, that from generation to generation there passes an attachment to a common set of symbols and a common history, a participation in a collective representation in a collective consciousness—a common culture, in short—which enables members to identify one another where other criteria are uncertain, which gives the society its cohesion, and which provides the standards by which its members’ actions are regulated and assessed. Boundary maintenance is a necessity for every society. #RandolphHarris 10 of 14
To possess an identity, a society must furnish criteria whereby its members can identity one another, since their actions and attitudes toward one another will be different from those toward outsiders. Society’s existences depend so crucially on commitment to common values and collective components that the political boundary tends to settle automatically the limits of the society. People have talked of the society to which they belong, they have thought primarily of the social order contained within the boundaries of a state and sustained by its organized power. Our notion of a society as the most inclusive framework of social interaction depends on the political not only for its boundary maintenance but also for its very identity. There may be a danger that pressing the antitotalitarian, pluralistic account so far that it dissolves the state, it will lose thereby its capacity to define the society. We cannot tax our way out of problems either. So many people are worried about their retirements because the rents are going up so high, cities becoming overpopulated and democrats spent all the Social Security money, so we had to sell the post office to pay the rent on the White House. #RandolphHarris 11 of 14
The California bag ban, which requires stores to stop including the price of bags with the food, but to charge the consumers an extra fee per bag, was a tax disguised as an environmental protection project, and has killed more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs, slowed down lines at grocery stories, which reduced productivity, and it has also eliminated the jobs of the people who bag your food and help you push your cart out to your car. Not only that, but the bags are thicker, and more harmful to the environment and wildlife. And many people get back to the house and find they have squashed their bread, broken their eggs, or spilled shampoo all over the meat by trying to force more than they should into into a bag. People who are trained to package your food know how to properly distribute the amount and types of food per bag, and have it down to a science, where consumers do not. Also because bags are an option, people are now going into stores a wheeling out carts loaded with goods and not being immediately detected, which is causing store to reduce hours, services, and cut back on jobs to offset cost, and charging consumers more for items to make up for lost revenue. In addition, people who buy food on credit cards, at the end of the year, end up possibly spending hundreds of dollars on plastic bags for their food. Then the cigarette tax in California, comes at a time when the state makes the cultivation, sale and distribution of marijuana legal, in hopes that people will not spend $10.00 on a pack of cigarettes, but instead buy some weed, get high, and forget that they are going broke. Just puff on a joint all day long. #RandolphHarris 12 of 14
We do not want people smoking marijuana, and I cannot even believe the state of California would make it legal for recreational use. People walk down the streets getting high and you and your kids are stuck behind them and getting contact high. Marijuana alters your state of mind and is a dangerous controlled substance, which the federal government still deems as illegal. Then, it was pretty much a law that all liquor had to be carried out the stores in bags, so that kids would not see it and be influenced to drink. However, with the bag ban, people are now walking around sucking on cans of Colt 45, pints of vodka, and jugs of Carlos Rossi. The concept of community in California is getting lost, and being replaced by a model of conflicting pressure groups operating within a very nebulously defined area. A civil society has social organization including the market economy and the forces of civil order, and realizes the ethical ideas and ethical spirit. Under leadership of Governor Jerry Brown, the rifts developed in the social fabric are an effort to keep people in ignorance. Idols and sources of delusions set forth in California, and as rationalists, we need to unmask these ideologies. The reality would offer a different face in society. Under Jerry Brown, no one has stopped to see how these circumstances have influenced social forces on the human mind. We need a superstructure, which is the starting point in the development of the modern society of knowledge. #RandolphHarris 13 of 14
It is not our consciousness which determines our existence, but on the contrary our social existence which determines our consciousness. Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they out to rip you off some way or another. Do not be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or finances. People who are insincere are not good and will be punished by God. Infinitely merciful God, most tender Father of souls, and in a particular way, you carry with special tenderness between your divine arms, I come to you and ask you, through love and merits of your sacred heart the grace to comprehend and to do always your holy will, the grace to confide in you, the grace to rest securely through time and eternity in your loving divine arms. If life be harder, love makes it also stronger, and only this love can be blessed a thousand times. I believe in you Lord, and strengthen my faith. I give my heart to thee and I so enclose it in thee that it may never be separated from thee. I am all thine, and take care of my promise. It is time to restore sanity, justice, and to do your fair share, obey the laws and practice righteousness. #RandolphHarris 14 of 14
Beauty Must Not be Destroyed by Character
Beauty must not be destroyed by character, nor character by beauty. The magic of the soul is essential to the life of a culture, and is constituted by the religious consciousness and serves not to meet immediate external goals, but to augment the powers of the person. The true peace of God begins at any spot a thousand miles from the nearest land. Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power should dare to sweep off people in multitudes; for it is only the one that can know the necessity of the judgment; and what is there, short of the other, that can replace the creatures of the Lord? With the rising of the Sun the visible World appears, so at one stroke, the understanding, by means of its one simple function, changes the dull, meaningless sensation into perception. What the eye, the ear, or the hand feels, is not perception; it is merely its data. By the understanding passing from the effect to the cause, the World first appears as perception extended in space, varying in respect of form, persistent through all time in respect of matter; for the understanding unites space and time in the idea of matter, this is, casual action. As the World as idea exists only through understanding, so also it exists only for the realization. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
In sculpture, beauty and grace are the principal concern. The special character of the mind, appearing in emotion, passion, alterations of knowing and willing, which can only be represented by the expression of the countenance and the gestures, is the peculiar sphere of painting. For although eyes and colour, which lie outside the province of sculpture, contribute much to beauty, they are yet far more essential to character. Further, beauty unfolds itself more completely when it is contemplated from various points of view; but the expression, the character, can only be completely comprehended from one point of view. Because beauty is obviously the chief aim of sculpture, some believe that crying out is incompatible with beauty. Laocoon, in Greek legend is a seer and priest of the god Apollo; he was the son of Agenor of Troy or, according to some, the brother of Anchises (the father of the hero Aeneas). Laocoon offended Apollo by breaking his oath of celibacy and begetting children or by having the sexual intercourse with his wife in Apollo’s sanctuary. Thus, while preparing to sacrifice a bull on the altar of the god Poseidon (a task that had fallen to him by lot), Lacoon and his twin sons, Antiphas and Thymbraeus were crushed to death. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
In the afterlife, it is thought that Laocoon does not cry out, and the universal and every-renewed surprise at this must be occasioned by the fact that any of us would cry out if we were in his place. And nature demands that is should be so; for in the case of the acutest physical pain, and the sudden seizure by the greatest bodily fear, all reflection, that might have inculcated silent endurance, is entirely expelled from consciousness, and nature relieves itself by crying out, thus expressing both the pain and the fear, summoning the deliverer and terrifying the assailer. As a work of art, the expression of crying out is missed, and Laocoon is turned into a Stoic, who considered it beneath his dignity to cry out secundum naturam. It is also added to his pain the useless constraint of suppressing all utterance of it. Therefore, many people see Laocoon as the tried spirit of a great man, who writhes in agony, and yet seeks to suppress the utterance of his feelings, and to lock it up inside himself. He does not break forth into loud cries, but only anxious sighs escape him. In the place of the psychology, the purely aesthetic reason that beauty, the principle of ancient art, does not admit of the expression of crying out. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
The essence of Laocoon can be applied to the family structure of suburban middle-class life in a form of a metaphor. The American Dream is to have a picture-perfect family, beautiful house, successful career, and a peaceful life. So, in middle-class families from the suburbs, people are taught to behave well and always express that they are happy and life is personal and to never go into much detail about anything. Their houses are supposed to be crystal clean, well-maintained, and their yards are immaculate. And much like Laocoon, no matter how much pain you are in, you smile and keep it to yourself and only express it in confidence, behind closed doors. The goal is, not only do people want to look normal, but they want to be normal and be considered to have good mental hygiene. The purpose of having good mental hygiene is it leads to better social acceptance, more career options, and better opportunities for reproduction. What is not pink is not a flamingo. What is not just is not to be done. Come you lost Atoms to your centre draw, and be the eternal mirror that you saw; rays that have wandered into darkness wide return, and back into your Sun subside. The relegation of spirits to Heaven or Hell from the intervening spiritual World depends on the spirits themselves, since their utmost desire (amor regnans) leads them into suitable company. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
It is clear that God is a specific deity humans have devised, and is a controlling force or intellect within the Universe, and it is clear that God, like the Universe and everything within the Universe, is in a continuous state of change and evolution. God, like matter, energy, or consciousness, is dynamic, not static. It is certainly true that actions speak louder than words, but words become as monuments to thoughts. May God the Father bless us, may Christ take care of us, the Holy Ghost enlighten us all the days of our life. The Lord be our defender and keeper of body and soul, both now and forever, to the ages of ages. Alone with none but thee, my God, I journey on my way. What need I fear when thou art near, oh King of night and day? More safe am I within thy hand than if a host did round me stand. We live in a society that puts a premium on competition and individual effort. One problem with that competing with others fosters desires to demean, defeat, and vanquish them. When we cooperate with others we tend to share their joys and suffer when they are in distress. If you feel you have nothing in common with people whose backgrounds are very different from your own, remember this: if we do not find ways to cooperate and live in greater harmony, everyone will suffer. That, if nothing else, is one thing that we all have in common. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Everyone knows what it feels like to be different. Greater tolerance comes from remembering those times. Over-population is major World problem, often reflected at an individual level in crowding. The Earth’s population is expected to reach 12 billion by 2040. Further population increases at the present rate could be disastrous. How many more people can the forests, oceans, croplands, and atmosphere support? The most pessimistic experts believe we have already exceeded the number of people the Earth can sustain indefinitely. Nowhere are the effects of over-population more evident than in the teeming cities of many under-developed nations. Closer to home, the jammed buses, subways, and living quarters of our own large cities are ample testimony to the stresses of crowding. Is there any way to assess the effect crowding has on people? One approach is to study the effects of overcrowding among animals. Although the results of animal experiments cannot be considered conclusive for humans, they point to some disturbing effects. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
In an interesting experiment, John Calhoun let a group of laboratory rats breed without limit in a confined space. John Calhoun provided plenty of food, water, and nesting material for the rats. All they lacked was space. At its peak, the colony numbered 80 rats. Yet, it was houses in a cage designed to comfortably hold about 50. Overcrowding in the cage was heightened by the actions of the two most dominant males. These rascals staked out private territories at opposite ends of the cage, gathered harems of 8 to 10 females, and prospered. Their actions forced the remaining rats into a small, severely crowded middle area. What effect did crowding have on the animals? A high rate of pathological behavior developed in both males and females. Females gave up nest building and caring for their young. Pregnancies decreased, and infant mortality ran extremely high. Many of the animals became indiscriminately aggressive and went on rampaging attacks against others. Abnormal sexual behavior was rampant, with some animals displaying hyper-sexuality and others total sexual passivity. Many of the animals died, apparently from stress-caused diseases. The link between these problems and overcrowding is unmistakable. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
However, how does this example apply to humans? Many of the same pathological behaviors can be observed in crowded inner-city ghettos. It is therefore tempting to assume that violence, social disorganization, and declining birthrates as seen in these areas are directly related to crowding. However, the connection has not been so clearly demonstrated with humans. People living in the inner city suffer disadvantages in nutrition, education, income, and health care. These, more than crowding, may deserve the blame. Nevertheless, the laboratory studies using human subjects have produced similar finds with the animals who were crowded in small areas. Crowding is when people feel overstimulated by social inputs or a loss of privacy. Whether high density is experienced as crowding may depend on relationships among those involved. In an elevator, subway, or prison, high densities may be uncomfortable. In contrasts, a musical concert, party, or reunion may be most pleasant at high density levels. Thus, physical crowding may interact with situations to intensify existing stresses or pleasures. When crowding causes a loss of control over one’s immediate social environment, however, stress is likely to result. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
Stress probably explains why death rates increase among prison inmates and mental hospital patients who live in crowded conditions. Even milder instances of crowding can have a negative impact. People who live in crowded conditions often become guarded and withdrawn from others. Overload is unmistakable. It is the result of high densities and crowding is a state that is called attentional overload. This stressful condition occurs when sensory stimulation, information, and social contacts make excessive demands on attention. Large cities, in particular, tend to bombard residents with continuous input. The resulting sensory and cognitive overload can be quite stressful. City dwellers learn to prevent attentional overload by engaging only in brief, superficial social contacts, by ignoring non-essential events, and by fending off others with cold, unfriendly expressions. Basically, many city dwellers find that a degree of callousness is essential for survival. Simplicity is very frequently said to be a desirable characteristic of the concepts, laws, and theories of natural science. Some people do not even like being asked questions about their personal life at all. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
Dear God, we give thanks for places of simplicity and peace. Let us find such a place within ourselves. We give thanks for places of refuge and beauty. Let us find such a place within ourselves. We give thanks for places of nature’s truth and freedom, of joy, inspiration, and renewal, places where all creatures may find acceptance and belonging. Let us search for these places in the World, in ourselves, and in others. Let us restore them. Let us strengthen and protect them, and let us create them. May we mend this outer World according to the truth of our inner life and may our souls be shaped and nourished by nature’s eternal wisdom. Pray with simplicity. And when you come before God, do not turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Find a quiet, secluded place so you will not be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense his grace and the rest of your life will be the best of your life. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
Our father in Heaven, reveal who you are. Set the World right; do what is best as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You are in charge! You can do anything you want! You are ablaze in beauty! God, please bless me and enlarge my house and land. Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. Heavenly Father, thank you for your guidance. Forgive me for getting ahead of your plans, and help me know when to stop and listen to your direction. Your ways are perfect, Lord. Thank you for offering gentle grace. Lord, I pray you would move the Spirit more boldly in my life, and I pray against temptation. Help me crave your presence more than anything else. Help me grow in the accomplishments of the Spirit and so walk closer with yourself. I pray for guidance from your Spirit—let your will and promises always be a meditation of my heart. As I face tough choices and hard situations, help me remember that I am your child and your representative around the World. Help me live today in a way that brings honor to your holy name. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
But Why do You Want an Ornament for the Nursery?—You Who had Your Child Killed!
Concerning self-inflicted injuries of my own experience, I cannot report anything in clam times, but under extraordinary conditions, I do not believe myself incapable of such acts. When a member of my family complains that he or she has bitten his tongue, bruised her finger, and so on, instead of the expected sympathy, I put the question, “Why did you do that?” However, I have most painfully squeezed my thumb, after a youthful patient acquainted me during the treatment with his intention (naturally not to be taken seriously) of marrying my eldest daughter, while I knew that she was then in a private hospital in extreme danger of losing her life. One of my boys, whose vivacious temperament was wont to put difficulties in the management of nursing him in his illness, had a fit of anger and threatened to kill himself: a way out suggested to him by the newspapers. In the evening, he showed me a swelling on the side of his chest which was supposedly the result of bumping against the doorknob. To my ironical question why he did it, and what he meant by it, the twelve-year-old child explained, “That was my attempt at suicide which I threatened this morning.” However, I do not believe that my views on self-inflicted wounds were accessible to my children at that time. #RandolphHarris 1 of 16
My son had been behaving different, ever since he went to the mall with one of his friends from work, and would not tell me why. He had also recently fallen out with the love of his life and they ended their relationship. He locked himself up in his room and was sad, and I could feel his pain. Whoever believes in the occurrence of semi-intentional self-inflicted suicide, there also exists semi-intentional annihilation—with unconscious intention—which is capable of aptly utilizing a threat against life and masking it as a casual mishap. Such mechanisms are by no means rare. For the tendency to self-destruction exists to a certain degree in many more persons than in those who bring it to completion. Self-inflicted injuries are, as a rule, a compromise between this impulse and the forces working against it, and even where it really comes to suicide, the inclination has existed for a long time with less strength or as an unconscious and repressed tendency. Even suicide consciously committed chooses its time, means, and opportunity; it is quite natural that unconscious suicide should wait for a motive to take upon itself one part of the causation and thus free it from its oppression by taking up the defensive forces of the person. #RandolphHarris 2 of 16
Some argue that the only rationally acceptable philosophy is that there is no ethical value in living just any sort of life; the only life that is worth living is the good life. We may define the good differently, but no matter what or conception of the good life is, it presupposes a physical basis—a certain indispensable minimum of physical and social well-being—necessary for even a limited realization of that good life. Where that minimum is failing together with all rational probability of attaining it, to avoid a life that at its best can be only vegetative and at its worst run the entire gamut of degradation and obloquy, what high-minded person would refuse the call of the poet mourir entre les bras du sommeil? We must recognize no categorical imperative to live, but to live well. A common thought is that is life ceases to be a pleasure, the remedy for a free person is to end it because it is regarded as part of human freedom that an individual should only continue to live by one’s own consent. Some philosophers believe that the most excusable incitements to suicide are pain, and the fear of suffering a worse death. In 1644, it was expressed that the prohibition of suicide was merely a part of the economic enslavement of laborers, who could not be allowed to escape from the tasks expected of them. #RandolphHarris 3 of 16
The most excusable cause seems to be an emaciated body, when a person labours under the torture of an incurable disorder, and seems to live only to be a burden to oneself and one’s friends. And in contrast to the view expressed above, some see death as a necessity for the economy. For instance, in China, the population has been aging rapidly, increasing the stress on an already troubled health care system. There is currently 1.4 billion people living in China, the population is expected to grow 1.45 billion by 2050, and the number of elderly people is expected to reach over 330 million by 2050. The problem is many of the elderly are cared for by family and only 2 percent are institutionalized. China also does not have a system that can accommodate the elderly, and many of their children are investing their money into the care of their own children, leaving the elderly to fend for themselves. To afford medication, some of the elderly are cutting back on the amount of food they eat. If the aged and the sick did not die within no long span after they have ceased to be self-supporting, the burden on society will be disastrous. #RandolphHarris 4 of 16
So, therefore, death plays a wholly favourable, indeed, essential part in human economy because the by 2050, China’s dependency ratio for retirees-those aged 65 or older divided by the total working population is expected to be 44 percent. Still, humanitarians, like myself do not believe death is the best option. Euthanasia of humans is indirectly evil, and it leads to the danger of abuse. In America, in 2014, it was ruled that terminally ill patients have the right to have assistance in self-killing, making it legal for a doctor to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to a terminally ill patient. The problem is with the elderly, disabled, and ill to be looked at as a burden on society is dangers because it can lead to abuse; the risk of an incorrect diagnosis, so someone can conduct research, kill their enemy, harvest organs, or steal someone’s material and non-material assets. Also, the risk of administering euthanasia to a person who could have later been cured by new medical developments; and the wedge argument (condoning euthanasia would lead to general disrespect for the sanctity of human life. #RandolphHarris 5 of 16
No great mistake, whether acted or endured, in our mortal sphere, is every really set right. Time, the continual vicissitude of circumstances, and the invariable inopportunity of death, render it impossible. Another problem with euthanasia is that the physician, whether or not he or she may rightfully help to shorten life, may rightfully desist from attempting to prolong the life of a patient in great pain and may rightfully supply or administer pain-killing drugs even though one realizes that their effect may be not only to kill the pain, but also to shorten life. Of all the events which constitute a person’s biography, there is scarcely one to which the World so easily reconciles itself, as to one’s death. In addition, some people are also trying to kill American citizens, so they can steal their identities and sell them to illegal immigrants, then swap identities and no one would know. God alone, it is never lawful for one on one’s own authority to kill the innocent directly. When dealing with suicide, the sixth commandment can be invoked, which is regarded as applicable to self-murder. #RandolphHarris 6 of 16
The mental agony of approaching death is part of the sacrifice that God demands for the sins and faults of life. Suicide is an error on the ground that it affords an apparent and not a real release from the sufferings of life. Such a release is only apparent because the will as a thing-in-itself is outside of space and time, and the person committing suicide cannot destroy the will itself, but only its manifestation at this place and time. At the same time, some do not believe that suicide should be considered a sin nor a crime. It could be considered preposterous to view suicide as a crime when it is quite obvious that there is nothing in the World to which every person has a more unassailable title than to one’s own life and person. Although it is now universally conceded to be useless and harmful to punish those who attempt suicide for any reason, because the punishment of one who attempts suicide can only increase one’s depression and render a renewed attempt more likely, prevailing opinion still holds that it is right and efficacious to punish those who knowingly and willfully assist in suicides (or kill with consent), even though they act from the strongest humanitarian motives. #RandolphHarris 7 of 16
There are also cases of apparently accidental misfortune which are now known to me whose surrounding circumstances justified the suspicion of suicide. For example, during an officers’ horse-race one of the riders fell from his horse and was so seriously injured that a few days later he succumbed to his injuries. His behavior after regaining consciousness was remarkable in more than one way, and his conduct previous to the accident was still more remarkable. He had been greatly depressed by the death of his beloved father, had crying spells in the society of his comrades, and to his trusted friend has spoken of the taedium vitae. He had wished to quit the service in order to take part in a war in Africa which had no interest for him. Formerly a keen rider, he had later evaded a riding whenever possible. Finally, before the horse-race, from which he could not withdraw, he expressed a sad foreboding; in the light of our conception that it is quite comprehensible without any further cause that a person in such a state of nervous depression cannot manage a horse as well as on normal days. #RandolphHarris 8 of 16
I was quite agreeable that depression could affect the way ability to handle a horse, only I should like to look for the mechanism of this motor inhibition through nervousness in the intention of self-destruction here emphasized. It is evident that the situation of a battlefield is such as to meet the requirement of conscious suicidal intent with, nevertheless, shuns the direct way. “They said he wished to die.” Suicide is probably a problem of psychiatry or social engineering rather than of abstract morals. The rejection of suicide is implicit in the belief that life is worth living. Another analysis of an apparently accidental self-inflicted wound, detailed to me by an observer, recalls the saying, “He who digs a pit for others falls in himself.” Mrs. X, belonging to a good middle-class family, is married and has three children. She is somewhat nervous, but never needed any strenuous treatment, as she could sufficiently adapt herself to life. One day, she sustained a rather striking through transitory disfigurement of her face in the following manner: She stumbled in a street that was in the process of repair and struck her face against the house wall. #RandolphHarris 9 of 16
The whole face was bruised, the eyelids blue and oedematous, and as she feared that something might happen to her eyes, she sent for the doctor. After she was calmed, I asked her, “But why did you fall in such a manner?” She answered that just before the accident she warned her husband, who had been suffering for some months from a joint affection, to be very careful in the street, and she often had the experience that is some remarkable way those things occurred to her against which she warned others. I was not satisfied with this as the determination of her accident, and asked her whether she had not something else to tell me. Yes, just before the accident, she noticed a picture in a shop on the other side of the street, which she suddenly desired as an ornament for her nursery, and wished to buy it at once. She thereupon walked across to the shop without looking at the street, stumbled over a heap of stones, and fell with her face against the wall without making the slightest effort to shield herself with her hands. The intention to buy the picture was immediately forgotten, and she walked back to the house in haste. #RandolphHarris 10 of 16
I asked her why was she not more careful. She told me it was perhaps only a punishment for that episode which she had confided to me. I could not believe that episode was still bothering her. However, she said that she regretted it very much; and considered herself wicked, criminal, and immoral, but at the time, she was almost crazy with nervousness. She was talking about an abortion which was started by a quack and had to with the consent of her husband, as both wished on account of their pecuniary circumstances to be spared from being additionally blessed with children. She said that she often reproached herself with the words, “You really had your child killed,” and she feared that such a crime could not remain unpunished. After I assured her there was nothing seriously wrong with her eyes, she was quite assured that she had already been sufficiently punished. This accident, therefore, was on the one hand a retribution for her sin, but on the other hand it may have served as an escape from a more dire punishment which she had feared for many months. #RandolphHarris 11 of 16In the moment that she ran to the shop to buy the picture, the memory of this whole history, with its fears (already quite active in her unconscious at the time she warned her husband), became overwhelming and could perhaps find expression in words like these: “But why do you want an ornament for the nursery?—you who had your child killed! You are a murderer! The great punishment is surely approaching!” This thought did not become conscious, but instead of it she made sue of the situation—I might say of the psychological moment—to utilize in a commonplace manner the heap of stone to inflict upon herself this punishment. It was for this reason that she did not even attempt to put probably lesser, determinant of her accident was obviously the self-punishment for her unconscious wish to be rid of her husband, who was an accessory to the crime in this affair. This was betrayed by her absolutely superfluous warning to be very careful in the street on account of the stones. For, just because her husband had a weak leg, he was very careful in walking. #RandolphHarris 12 of 16
If such a rage against one’s own integrity and one’s own life can be hidden behind apparently accidental awkwardness and motor insufficiency, then it is not a big step forward to grasp the possibility of transferring the same conception to mistakes which seriously endanger the life and health of others. Human life is of no more importance to the Universe than that of an oyster. If the disposal of human life were reserved to the Almighty, almost any action would become an encroachment of his privilege. “If I was attacked by a gang and robbed and suffered a fatal blow to the head, I disturb the course of nature and I invade the peculiar providence of the Almighty by lengthening out my life beyond the period, which, by the general laws of matter and motion, he has assigned it to. However, are we not all guilty of extending our lives beyond their natural capacity with medical care, vaccines, and the like? In considering the true nature of God, one must first consider the nature of human beings and the Universe, for without understanding oneself or the Universe in which one lives, how can we approach an understanding of God? #RandolphHarris 13 of 16
Each human possesses a consciousness independent of any other creature. One is aware of a separation between oneself and the World around one. One experiences images, sounds, scents, tastes, and physical forms through what one perceives as one’s physical body. Each one of us also experience thoughts, emotions, and other phenomena which do not manifest either visibly or audibly but which influence us nonetheless and which we perceive as coming from within or consciousness. From the earliest time, human beings have attempted to reconcile this condition of separation from the Universe. Early humans, in terror of the images and sounds which bombarded them from all directions and of the Earth which seemed ready to swallow these beings once more as if the Universe itself realized that is had made a terrible mistake, scared of this thing called life and yet equally scared of death, began to imagine hideous gods and demons all about them. These monsters appeased or else death could be imminent. As human beings survived fire and flood, disease and famine, the anxiety they felt concerning their condition lessened. #RandolphHarris 14 of 16
Humans learned to live and even thrive in a hostile and evil World. Civilizations rose to power and raised animistic deities as gods who now demand worship and sacrifice in return for their beneficence and bleeding. The threat was no longer against an individual human, but against an entire society. To gain the favor of the gods, these deities had to be appeased or else famine, pestilence, or war might come upon a nation and destroy it. Ultimately, the priests of many of these gods decided that their particular deity was the true God, that all other gods were Devils, and that the followers of other gods had to be converted or destroyed. Satan has certainly been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years. On Saturday night, I see men and women at the club lusting after half-naked guys and ladies dancing on the dance floor, talking about “Booty me down.” On Sunday morning, these same people are sitting in the pews with their wives, husbands, lovers, and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. And the next Saturday, they are back at the club turning tricks. #RandolphHarris 15 of 16
The battle with these demons will either be won or lost. Find out what all of their legal rights are with that person, then get all of them properly taken care of and broken with the Lord, and then the demons will have absolutely nothing else left to be able to hold onto. If those heavier types of sins are being done on some kind of regular basis for quite a long period of time with no intent by the person to try and pull out of it, that means you are committing direct and willful sins against the Lord, and that is a major door opener for demons. Many people believe that God will turn a blind eye to the sin of fornication. However, if by chance you are fornicating with a partner who has demons attached to them, then you will give full legal rights for the demons to be able to come directly after you if God will allow a hole to occur in the protective armor that he has set up on you and your life. Dear Lord in Heaven, you are all our riches, and you suffice for us. God, you are justice and moderation, peace, joy, and gladness. You are our protector and defender, courage, faith, and our great consolation. God, you are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord. God Almighty, Merciful Savior please protect us all, and let people know, young and antiquated that their lives are valuable. #RandolphHarris 16 of 16
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Murder by Doctor and Suicide by Police Officer?
Some believe that death plays a wholly favourable, indeed an essential, part in human economy. A great majority of so-called attempted suicides are not in fact single-minded efforts at self-destruction, but have a hidden appeal character; in others words, the suicide seemed to gamble with one’s life, consciously or subconsciously hoping that either the attempt would succeed or, if it failed, one’s life would be improved as a consequence of the attempt. Attempted suicide ceased to be punishable during the nineteenth century in Europe, either as a matter of law of in the practical application of law. Religious and ethical difference still affect the treatment of those who assist the suicide, particularly in the case of the doctor who assists his suffering patient to commit suicide. (Closely analogous is the case of the doctor who himself kills his patient, perhaps without the patient’s consent, for humanitarian reason; in law, this is murder on the part of the doctor, not suicide on the part of the patient, but from the ethical point of view there is little difference. Both are forms of what is commonly called euthanasia. God knows how much each person needs. Suffering for the Christian is not absolute evil, but has redeeming features. It may be occasion for spiritual growth and an opportunity to make amends for sin. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
The prohibition suicide, or self-killing, can be looked upon as a matter of natural aversion, primitive superstition, religious belief, or philosophical argument; but there has always been a current of libertarian opinion which has succeeded in removing most of the penal sanction against suicide. Suicide differs from euthanasia in that the latter is either assisted suicide or a killing by another for humanitarian reasons and by merciful means, generally with the consent of the person killed, in which case it is referred to specifically as voluntary euthanasia. Suicide by police officers occurs when people want to die, but do not want to kill themselves, so the individual puts him or herself in a position where a police officer is forced to shoot them. Voluntary euthanasia by police officer could be for political and financial gains. In 2016, police killed 1,091 people, and more than 250 of them were Black. With so much attention being placed on the number of Black men killed by police, some may seek to be voluntarily euthanized because they do not see their lives as valuable, to become famous, to provide a hearty settlement to their families in a wrongful death civil suit, and also to exacerbate the explosive situation of racial tension in the United States of America, in hopes of starting an all-out revolution. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
In Saint Paul, Minnesota USA, the officer who shot and killed Philando Castile (age 32) was acquitted in the killing, meaning he was found not guilty. The killing happened in 2016, when Officer Yanez, pulled Mr. Castile over, because the two people in the car looked suspicious. As the car was pulled over, Mr. Castile’s girlfriend Diamond Reynolds was recording the event, as if they knew something was going to go wrong. When officer Yanez approached the car, they told him that Mr. Castile had a gun, the officer told him not to reach for the gun, but supposedly Mr. Castile was reaching for his identification to give to the officer, when the officer felt his life was in danger and shot Mr. Castile. The shooting set off large marches across Minnesota, and blocked off major highways as the public was enraged that another Black man had been killed by an officer. And the sitting President, Barack Obama asked, “Would this have happened if the driver were White, if the passenger were White?” However, the fact of the matter is Mr. Castile admitted to having a gun, officer Yanez told Mr. Castile not to reach for his gun, and he should have let the officer guide him out of the car and remove the gun off of his person, then furnished officer Yanez with his documents. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
It is possible that some people do not want to live anymore, and want to provide a way for their families and go down in history and by being voluntarily euthanized is a way to do that people these cases involving police create a lot of media attention and there is usually a high settlement paid out to the families that lose a loved one. I watched the footage and think it is possible that the two adults made a suicide pact with each other, and in this pact Mr. Castile knew that his actions would cause him to get shot, while the girlfriend videotaped the event and the little girl in the car was there to heighten tensions and make it look like a vicious murder. Mrs. Reynolds was being calm the entire time, and if I had seen someone’s brains blown out in front of me, I would probably be frozen in fear, so it is possible that this was a premeditated situation. Suicide by officer occurs more frequently than most people would imagine. Sometimes people want someone else to kill them because they fear the wrath of God, experience deep shame and extreme distress of poverty, or affliction by any extraordinary sorrow or inevitable turn of fortune. Some people also view suicide as an act of cowardice and an offense against the state. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
The soul is a depositum received from God, so a person is seen to be acting wickedly in casting it from his or her body, unless it was done through force or coercion. In subjective matters, like suspected suicide by police officers, one cannot definitively say that was the case, all one can do is speculate. Only God truly knows for sure. Furthermore, some Christians commit suicide to avoid the sins of the Word, and the only logical answer from the church is that suicide is itself a greater sin than any that could be avoided by it. Yet, we are not here to judge people and that is God’s job, and none of us would ever want to be in the position that we felt taking our own life was the only answer. I am sure some of these people are forgiven by God because their circumstances are beyond our understanding. Only God can judge you. However, one thing about suicide is that it deprives people of the opportunity for penitence and by trying to escape the ills of life, some may be acting ignobly. Suicide, generally speaking, acts contrary to natural inclination, natural law, and the charity a person owes to oneself; these individuals deprive society of their activity, and usurped the function of God. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
When the soul is separated from the body, there is no less order and regularity in the Universe. On the other hand, a being is compounded of two parts, body and soul, and the necessity of preserving their union is the greatest mark of submission to the decrees of the Creator. Some people have also been involved in situation where they knew they could die, from let us say a loss of blood or something, and have been in so much pain and could foresee a dark future, so they made up their minds to go ahead and die. However, maybe someone convinced them to get a few blood transfusions or whatever. And I think that is the right thing to do, in some cases, because by extending your life, even if you were to die at a young age, you have more time to make things right in this life and humble yourself to God, and learn about the love of God and how beautiful the World is. It would be nice if no one died and we had enough resources to make sure everyone lived comfortably and was mentally sound and peaceful and someday, God promised that will be a reality. So, give everyone the liberty of finishing his or her part on the stage of the World, in what scene God has placed you in. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Will Spaceship Earth Endure?
In the course of a person’s life, there are moments of clarity and there are instances of darkness. There are many behavioral challenges that accompany life in restricted environments. At optimal mental operations, one experiences great clarity of thought and profound realization of all the opportunities in the World. At the low, people experience depression, anger, or sadness. What will it take to sustain emotional well-being and efficient performance? Drugs, chemicals, foods, and lifestyle changes may affect an individual’s thought process in various way. Provisions must be made for regular exercise and full-body showers. As trivial as it might seem, a lack of showers has been a major complaint among people in confined living spaces, like high rises. Ideally, there should be some flexibility in the use of living and work areas inside a house or apartment. Behavior patterns change over time, and being able to control one’s environment helps lower stress. At the same time, people need stability. Psychologist have found, for instance, that eating becomes an important high point in monotonous environments. Eating at least one meal together each day can help keep people working as a social unit. #RandolphHarrs 1 of 13
Sleep cycles must be carefully control to avoid disrupting bodily rhythms. In many communities, people have found they could not sleep while other community members continued to work and talk. Problems with sleep will be worsened by the constant noise in any community. At first, such noise is annoying. After weeks or months, it can become a serious stressor. Researchers are experimenting with various earmuffs, eyeshades, and sleeping arrangements to alleviate such difficulties. Disregarding for the moment the objective existence of spirits or demons, ritual magic is a way to control the mind. Without the use of drugs or chemicals, one who practices the occult controls directly his or her level of conscious awareness. An individual experiences being awake mentally, a state which the mundane only experiences after large amounts of coffee or other stimulants. The spirits or demons one calls upon exist within the subjective mind and respond to that individual’s invocation. As the person practices the occult, one gains control over one’s emotions and experiences more peaks of optimal performance than lows and disability. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
Psychologists are helping engineers design habitats so they meet human needs for privacy. However, privacy must be based mainly on temporarily blocking out visual and auditory contact with others. Forced togetherness is stressful mainly because temporary retreat from others is difficult or impossible. Thus, control over the amount of group contact is more important than actually having a private residence or room. Designers do recognize, however, the need to define private territories. It is important to identify small areas that can be personalized and owned by each individual. Desks, lofts, offices, bed rooms, and the like, could fill this need if they are not shared with others. Sensory monotony will be a problem in any community, even with the magnificent vistas of Earth. (How many times would you have to see a garden, park, or statue before you lose interest?) Researchers are developing stimulus environments that will use music, videotapes, and other diversions to combat monotony and boredom. Again, they are trying to provide choice and control for people. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
Studies of confined living make it clear that one person’s symphony is another’s grating noise. Where music is concerned, individual earphones may be all that is required to avoid problems. Most people in restricted environments find that they prefer non-interactive pastimes such as reading, listening to music, looking out windows, writing, and watching films or television. As such as anything, this preference may show again the need for privacy. Reading or listening to music is a good way to psychologically withdraw from the group or community. A variety of passive entertainment looks like a must for any community. Russian community members, who make much use of music, have also reacted with delight to grab bags containing unexpected toys or novelties. I am quite ready to postpone the gratification, but how do I know whether I shall still be alive tomorrow? I am quite willing to give up all the paths to gratification interdicted by society, but I am sure that society will reward me for this renunciation by opening for me—even after a certain delay—one of the permitted paths? #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
One can plainly tell what these witticisms whisper, namely, that the wishes and desires of human beings have a right to make themselves perceptible next to our pretentious and inconsiderate morality. And in our times, it has been said in empathic and striking terms that this morality is merely the selfish precept of the few rich and mighty who can gratify their desires at any time without deferment. As long as the art of healing has not succeeded in safeguarding our lives, and as long as the social organizations do not do more towards making conditions more agreeable, just so long cannot the voice within us which is striving against the demands of morality, be stifled. Every honest person finally makes this admission—at least to oneself. The decision in this conflict is possible only through the roundabout way of a new understanding. One must be able to knit one’s lift so closely to that of others, and to form such an intimate identification with others, that the shortening of one’s own term of life becomes surmountable. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
One should not unlawfully fulfill the demands of one’s needs, but should leave them unfulfilled, because only the continuance of so many unfulfilled demands can develop the power to recast the social order. However, not all personal needs allow themselves to be displaced in such a manner and transferred to others, nor is there a universal and definite solution of the conflict. The objective existence of spirits or demons does not need to be proven in order to show the effectiveness of the occult. Parapsychologists have shown, through years of research and investigation which only the most cynical will deny, the definite existence of telepathy or mental communication. The human brain operates like a radio, receiving the brain waves broadcast by others of similar frequency. For this reason, telepathy is most common among twins, close friends or family members. One who practices the occult may be seen, then, as someone who has converted the receiver of one’s brain into a transmitter. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
At first, one may only be able to influence those who are on a similar frequency to his or her own will, but to learn how to change frequency in order to influence those on different frequency, which takes intense control over your own thoughts and emotions. The more powerful one’s transmitter becomes, the more people one will be able to influence directly. The quickest and most direct route to the brain is through the optic nerve. Mental transmissions from the brain are sent through the optic nerve to the eyes and out through the eye cavities. This is the origin of the evil eye and fascination, as well as the expression the eyes are the window to the soul. In the Middle Ages, witch-hunters used to remove the eyes of witches so that they would not be able to look upon them and curse them. Once a person who has tapped into the occult has acquired control of one’s own mental states (through ritual magic), and has converted the receiver in one’s brain into a transmitter, one is able to influence rather than be influenced. One may feel contempt for those who are led around upon rash emotional whim without the slightest balance or direction. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Many people carry around with them subconscious masochistic tendencies, causing them to do thing which will bring pain or misery upon themselves. This is called a curse. In its most severe form, the human mind becomes unbalanced, resulting in mental illness, paranoia, psychosis, or schizophrenia. Many people have cursed themselves or have been cured by others, either intentionally or unintentionally. Wishing to place a cure on one’s enemy, an accomplished individual may enter into a ritual chamber (in a waking state in which one’s mind is fully active), invoke a spirt of destruction (create the mental image of the spirit within one’s subjective mind), and command the spirit to go forth and destroy one’s enemy (send out the mental transmission of hate.) Love is one of the most intense feelings felt by people; another is hate. Forcing yourself to feel indiscriminate love is very unnatural. If you try to love everyone you only lessen your feelings for those who deserve your love. Repressed hatred can lead to many physical and emotional aliments. By learning to release your hatred towards those who deserve it, you cleanse yourself of these malignant emotions and need not take your pent-up hatred out on your loved ones. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and they in turn, treat you badly, it goes against human nature to continue to treat them with consideration. You should do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but if your courtesy is not returned, they should be treated with the wrath they deserve. The person who takes every opportunity to pick on others is often mistakenly called sadistic. In reality, this person is a misdirected masochist who is working towards his or her own destruction. The reason a person viciously strikes out against you is because they are afraid of you or what you represent, or are resentful of your happiness. They are weak, insecure, and on extremely shaky ground when you throw your curse, and they deserve it. I believe that our God is a God of perfect order and reasoning. And if demons are able to get inside of a person’s body, then there has to be come kind of specific reason that has allowed this to occur within them. Otherwise, we would all be having demons living inside of us. Bottom line—demons cannot enter into a person’s body without having some kind of legal permission and legal right to be able to do so. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
They need some kind of entry, and it matters not whether spirits exist objectively or not. They are real to the occult member who invokes them and to the victim who suffers the force of the mental transmission. If spirits or demons exists objectively, as actual intelligent beings, then one might think that they would have more important things to do than appear before a magic circle and serve the whims of mere mortals. Many spirits are accredited with giving knowledge of arts and sciences. The Lesser Key of Solomon, a book of goetic sorcery, list 72 demons which Solomon allegedly bound inside a brazen vessel. The word demon comes from the Greek daemon, an influencing spirit of intelligence. Djin (or genie) is also the foundation of the word genius. Although the word genius is often used by the mundane, one who is called a genius is said to be under the influence of an intelligence, daemon, or genie. If demons do not exist objectively (only subjectively), then the question arises: how can we explain sudden knowledge acquired through contact with a spirit? #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Parapsychologists, in the study of telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition, have only been able to prove the existence of telepathy. The reason for this is that, while there is a great deal of evidence concerning the precognition of future events, it can always be attributed to telepathic communication. The same is true of clairvoyance and clairaudience. The clairvoyant who sees the spirit of a woman’s dead grandfather standing beside her does not see the actual spirit of the man but, instead, reads the mind of the woman and, from the image of the man in her mind, imagines him as a spirit. In dealing with the question of acquired knowledge, we may consider that all of unknown subject thousands of miles distant, the one dabbling in the occult may acquire instant knowledge of various arts and sciences. This does not prove the objective existence of demons, only the ability of the human mind to become a powerful receiver and transmitter of telepathic signals. Unlike the mundane, who are influenced continuously by thoughts which are not their own, the person involved in the occult may receive the information one desires without being controlled by the desires or aims of others. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
There is an interesting phenomena which occurs in magic and which involves the creation of thought-forms. The person practicing the occult can create an image within his or her subjective mind and impose it upon the objective World so that it influences the subjective minds of all those individuals who come into contact with it. Objects may be charged with this magical energy and become charmed or cursed. Within a magical group or coven, a group-consciousness develops and acts as if it were an individual entity. These thought-forms are also responsible for buildings and locations assuming an aura; becoming sacred, holy, defiled, unholy, and so forth. These thought-forms were used by Egyptian magicians to guide burial chambers and resulted in the deaths of archaeologist, after they raided the tombs thousands of years later. This phenomena cannot be explained by telepathy, but is rather a form of magnetism or mesmerism, concerning which much research has also been done. If this is, in fact, the case, then those who have a great understanding of the occult may use telepathic (and vocal) communication to communicate with (summon) all manners of gods, angels, and demons as well as to control the minds of others. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
Many studies have shown steady declines in motivation by those who think they are cursed or who have done a lot of evil things in their lives. Most inhabitants intend to use their free time for creative pursuits. In reality, they end up marking time and may become apathetic. As many as 5 percent of subjects might experience some psychological disturbance. Most often the problem will be depression. However, in rare instances people have become paranoid, psychotic, suicidal, or uncontrollably aggressive. The threat of nuclear war, social conflict, crime, prejudice, infection disease, over-population, environment damage, famine, homicide, economic disaster—these and most other major problems facing us are behavioral. Will spaceship Earth endure? It is a psychological question. Oh, God, teach my heart this day where and how to see you, where and how to find you. You have made me and remade me, and have bestowed on me all the good things I possess, and still I do not know you. I have not yet done that for which I was made. Teach me to seek you, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor find you, unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in my desire, let me desire in seeking you. Let me find you by loving you, let me love you when I find you. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
How do I Love Thee?
Soul food taste better when listening to soul music like Stevie Wonder, BB King, Eartha Kit, Sade, Anita Baker, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Correspondingly, life is better with love. Millions of people go by, but they all disappear from view—because I only have eyes for you. I can spend more time gazing into your eyes since you are the only person I see. Those who are married know that when their relationship with their spouse is healthy, everything else seems a little better, a little lighter, and sounds a little better. When the relationship goes bad, dark clouds or doom and gloom seem to hover over other aspects of life, making us more anxious, fearful, angry, and defensive. Primary emotions can be reduced to just two categories: optimistic and pessimistic emotions. Ordinarily, we might think that good emotions and negative emotions are opposite. However, this is not the case. Emotional feelings are a person’s private emotional feelings. People sometimes have mixed emotions. For example, ten-month-old Leo feels both joy and fear as he eats a cookie he took without permission, when he was supposed to have vegetables. The result? Guilt—as you may recall from your own childhood. Likewise, jealousy could be a mixture of love, anger, and fear. Emotional health comes from knowing what you want to do, not dwelling on what you should do, ought to do, or should want to do. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7
Another way of stating this idea is that emotional health comes from taking full responsibility for one’s feelings and actions. People are urged to stop intellectualizing and talking about feelings. Instead, one must learn to: live now; live here; stop imagining; experience the real; stop unnecessary thinking; taste and see; express rather than explain, justify, or judge; give in to unpleasantness and pain just to pleasure; surrender to being as you are. As in the case of Leo’s cookie guilt, it implies that people can experience good and negative emotions at the same time. How is that possible? Recordings of brain activity show that good emotions are processed mainly in the left hemisphere of the brain. In contrast, negative emotions are processed in the right hemisphere. The fact that optimistic emotions and pessimistic emotions are based on different brain areas helps explain why we can feel happy and sad at the same time. Soul-love replicates the longing and loneliness associated with real-love. When was the last time you felt lonely for God? Not simply making intellectual statements of need, but really longing for him? #RandolphHarris 2 of 7
Falling in love is a lot like learning how to spell, it takes a long time. We know that we are supposed to love God with all of our heart and everything that we have, we must have a high-quality relationship with God that is based on secure, companionate love. Psyche, the Greek word for soul, denotes the point of contact between the material and immaterial, the connection between the outside and inside, the link between the inner and outer person. Soul stands for the whole person in all one’s faculties and facilities. When you fall in love with another person, no one is sure what happens, but it has something to do with how you smell. That is why showers, perfume, and deodorant are so popular. Friendship love makes time, speaks truth, corrects errors, forgives faults, and goes on loving in common acts of friendship. Love is unselfish, unconditional, unattached. It seeks one’s highest good on the basis of a decision of the will and an inclination of the heart. Real love is not accidental, haphazard sensation. Love cannot be coerced, because a lover must decide to love the loved one. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7
Do you freely and really choose me as your first and real love, because by choosing me, you will create and acknowledge my increasing importance in your life until I really pull into first and foundational place among your allegiances? The soul not only grounds one’s actions, it is the source of emotions and desires. Soul love must also be filled with that emotional aspect. Obviously, we must be able to love with our soul for Jesus tells us that doing so is the most important thing in life. The human soul is the very essence of a person. It is your life, given to you by your creator. And while your soul has something to do with your body, your feelings, your mind, your will, and your relationships, it is also beyond all those things, not limited to any of those things, and perhaps even greater than the sum total of these elements. When know you it is real, love is all you feel. Love until the stars are dancing in the sky lighting up your life, showing you a true love. In critical ways, your enthusiasm for a particular object reveals what you feel about it. And vice versa. Sometimes you need more than you can say, taking it all inside. Longing just to hear the words he or she will say. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7
Your emotions reveal what your heart and soul have selected as value to you. Love until it hurts to walk away. In all loves, the value of the beloved is an importance in itself to me. And keep in mind, that being in love should make you feel good or happy, and secure and desirable. The purpose of loving is satisfaction, but there is danger in expecting to live forever on a romantic cloud of milk and cookies. When you love, elevate the values that are good in themselves, like honesty, trust, kindness, understanding and compassion, and love them because they make us feel better. However, numerous dangers lurk within a subjective reading of truth and reality. To follow your heart, to discover your soul, to obey your intuition can cause you to follow hazardous paths. Recently, Conrad Roy III loved someone so much, that by her advice, he tried to die, and when he wanted to back out of this dying, she convinced him it was the right thing to do and he ended up passing away. Others have moved to overseas for love and they have found themselves sad and wanting to die because you need more in your life than love. Love is important, but it cannot be your main focus or reason to live. Couples sometimes reach a point where there is little passion or intimacy left in their relationship. If they stay together merely out of commitment or habit, they experience empty love. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7
No matter how close a relationship may be, it is probably impossible to completely know another person. You see, your soul, is the deepest part of who you are, and it was created for being connected. We are built to have foundations and be in places that are deeply satisfying. Break away from all conventions that do not lead to your Earthly success and happiness. God, you already see the ways I fall short and mess up. However, right now, I consciously switch your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize your love for me is not based on my performance. God, give me strength in my weakness. Give me faith in my fear. Give me peace in my powerlessness. I am trusting you. Grant me tenacious winsome courage as I go through life. When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things do not go my way. And give me courage to do whatever needs to be done. When a person commits a wrong, one realizes that it is natural to make a mistake—and if one is truly sorry about what one has done, one will learn from it and take care not to do it again. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7
If an individual is not honestly sorry about what one has done, and knows one will do the same thing over and over, that individual has no business confessing and asking forgiveness in the first place. When demons enter in on the inside of a person’s body, they need something specific to feed on. In order for a person to be able to be set free from the demons who are attached to them, they have to be willing to go before the Lord in sincere and heartfelt prayer, and confess out their drug usage, dabbling in the occult, or whatever it may be. When dealing with the occult, the Devil is in the details and often the buyer pays the price. Demons can also attach themselves to buildings. A sinner has to be willing to repent and renounce this sin, telling God that they will never go back to it again. Once that person has fully confessed and repented of their sins, then the demons will no longer have any more legal rights to be able to stay attached to that person, and they will leave once this person starts commanding them to leave. However, it is right to be involved with loving God, preoccupied with loving Jesus, simply because God is God, our creator. Have we become a nation of people who would sell the Sunset if someone would put a price on it? Money degrades all the gods of humans and converts them into commodities. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7
In Loving Memory of Conrad Roy III
On Predicting Our Future—I Do Not Want to Have a Beer with Him
I came in the World cryin’ and fussin’. We had nothin’. Every ghetto I know is the same. Once I am on top, I am never going to stop. It is impossible to gaze always upon a lovely countenance with equal admiration, for the sense becoming saturated, the heart requires something more—something to interest, to delight, to fix beyond the moment. Take a moment to make a list of your closet friends. What do they have in common (other than the joy of knowing you)? It is likely that most are similar to you in age and the same gender and race as you. There will be exceptions, of course. However, similarity on these three dimensions is the general rule for friendships. Nevertheless, sometimes things are so little different one from another, that there is no making pleasure out of anything, so sometimes people expand their circle of friends to include people from other cultures and genders. The most important thing about friendship is that it is an idle title of a thing, which cannot be where virtue is not established. People have a need to affiliate (a desire to associate with other people) and it is a basic human trait. This is probably because affiliation helps us meet needs for approval, support, friendship, and information. We also seek company to alleviate fear or anxiety. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
What is the secret mesmerism which friendship possess, and under the operation of which a person ordinarily sluggish, or cold, or timid, become wise, active, and resolute, in another’s behalf? Beautiful people tend to be rated as more appealing than those of average age appearance. This is due, in part, to the halo effect (a tendency to generalize a favorable impression to unrelated personal characteristics). Because of it, we assume that attractive people are also likeable, intelligent, warm, witty, mentally healthy, and socially skilled. Basically, we act as if what is beautiful is good. Physical beauty can be socially advantageous. However, physical beauty is generally unrelated to actual personal traits and talents, and in reality, physical attractiveness has almost no connection to intelligence, talents, or abilities. Overall, good-looking people are less lonely, less socially anxious, more popular, more socially skilled than unattractive people. Does that seem shallow? If so, it may be reassuring to know that beauty mainly affects initial acquaintance. Later, more substantial personal qualities become important. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
Still, in the Ricki Lake culture of the 1990s, when gushing out one’s insecurities and body shaming became popular as a tool to use against people who are naturally thin, people who were uncomfortable with their size began to lash out against others who were considered traditionally beautiful and privileged, and because these instigators had been demonized for so long, if the traditionally beautiful person responded, people would gang up on them and call them names and make that individual feel bad about being thin and beautiful, like the image that is so accepted by the fashion industry. So basically, people who felt undesirable inside, might be overweight, or have thinning hair, or did not like themselves for whatever reason, had a license for revenge, they got to go out and take out all their frustrations on people they were jealous of without any retaliation. And because some people who are considered traditionally beautiful are really nice and find all types of people attractive and valuable, they could not respond because in hurting that person for attacking them, they knew that they would be also hurting themselves and their friends, so it made these traditionally beautiful people feel shamed for being thin, pretty or handsome, and they started feeling like rejects. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
As a result, more people started turning to suicide because they felt bad for being who they were and could not respond. People would shout things at them like, “Go eat a burger, b*tch,” and think it was funny, and because Americans tend to be more heavy set than most of the World, that culture became acceptable. To make thicker people feel more socially acceptable, people started to shame the thin and beautiful. Art may disguise complexions, but never improve them. Similarity refers to the extent to which two people are alike in background, age, interest, attitudes, beliefs, and so forth. Social psychologists have repeatedly found that similar people are attracted to each other. And why not? It is reinforcing to see our beliefs and attitudes shared by others. It shows we are “right” and reveals that they are clever people as well. So eventually, hordes of people who felt like social rejects, even after plastic surgery, buying wigs, or wearing makeup, felt good about teaming up and harassing people who seemed to have it all. And when the witch hunters got into positions of power, they collectively, and systematically started harassing and terrorizing these individuals they did not like, to try and make them believe that they were cursed and would be better off dead and that even God was against them and that is why they had so much bad luck. One professor even told a student that suicide was probably his best option. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
God, send me a friend that may tell me of my faults: if not, any enemy, and he will. There are friendships which are only bottle-deep. How do people who are not yet friends learn if they are similar? Through self-disclosure. Our friendships and intimacies are only calculated for strong life and health. Forming a group to terrorize someone is really not a great option to being accepted. However, getting to know others requires a willingness to talk about more than just the weather, sports, or nuclear physics. At some point, you must begin to share private thoughts and feelings and reveal yourself to others. Such self-disclosure is essential for developing close relationships. A lack of self-disclosure, as noted above, is associated with anxiety, unhappiness, and loneliness. We more often reveal ourselves to persons we like than to those we find unattractive (physically or mentally). Disclosure also requires a degree of trust. Many people play it safe or “close to the vest,” with people they do not know well. Indeed, self-disclosure is governed by definite norms about what is acceptable. For instance, if you sit next to a boy you think it cute in math, you might start off by saying, “I hope this class is not too difficult.” Moderate self-disclosure leads to reciprocity (a return in kind). #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Young men of open, generous dispositions are naturally inclined to gallantry, which, if they have good understandings, exerts itself in an obliging complacent behavior to all women in general. Overdisclosure is self-disclosure that exceeds what is appropriate for a relationship or social situation. For example, imagine standing in a line at a supermarket and having a stranger in front of you say, “Lately, I do not know how I feel about Black people. I think I am pretty well adjusted, but occasionally I have some questions about them advancing in society and wonder if they are sharing their wealth with their family?” When self-disclosure proceeds at a moderate pace, it is accompanied by growing trust and intimacy. When it is too rapid or inappropriate, we are likely to back off and wonder about the person’s motives. Thus, as friends talk, they influence each other in ways that gradually deepen the level of likening, trust, and self-disclosure. Gambling requires as much coolness as the most austere school of philosophy. Women and men display an interesting difference in patterns of self-disclosure. To carry on two controversies at the same time is favorable to neither. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
Two male friends share lunch at a restaurant. In the next hour they talk about sports, cars, sport cars, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, sports, cars, and basketball. (Did I mention sports and cars?) Jill, who sat at a nearby table overheard the entire conversation. Here is her summary of what the men said to each other: “All they talked about was cars and sports and beautiful women.” In North American culture, most male friendships are activity based. That is, men tend to do things together—a pattern that provides companionship without closeness. You know, going to the mall means going to the mall, not drive me to some dark, secluded location and start feeling on me. Having a drink and shooting pool, means playing sports and not getting me plastered or pressuring me into drinking so I am unaware of what is going on. Increasingly, homosexual men are not attracted to other homosexual men, they want a guy who seems like a traditional father, fraternity guy, or a nerd. And so these guys are often preyed on by men, who they think genuinely want a friendship, but actually have ulterior motives. I was watching a documentary, and the author says that guys who are negative and not into drugs have to be very careful. Because sometimes party boys will pick up on them and take them to a club and turn them out. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
It is especially dangerous to take an unsuspecting man, or boy out of his element because they are used to having a drink meaning having a drink, not let me spike your drink and have my way with you while you are unconscious and unable to consent because you will not report it. And sometimes people will get them hooked on drugs and some of these people have terminal illnesses and in their manic party phase, they lose their inhibition, may forget and get you sick in the process. So, in modern times, you have to be very careful with gendered friendship, the day next door type, may secretly be a homosexual male trying to turn you out. People usually want what they cannot have and that is why they come at you sideways or use ulterior motives. I think more men, especially in World Class Cities are catching on to what coming over for a beer means to some guys. I was talking to a guy and he told me to be careful about drinking with guys around here. And I heard another guy recently defending, to his girlfriend, why he did not want to go out with his guy friend, without going into details. When his lady asked him, “Why not?” He replied, “It is not that I do not like him, I just do not want to have a drink with him,” and I knew exactly what he meant. (I do not trust him and I am not about that party and pleasure lifestyle.) #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
The face of gay men is changing and their modus operandi (distinct pattern or method of operation that indicates or suggests the work of a single criminal in more than one crime) is changing. Not all gay men are open about their sexuality, and you might think some guys are just nice and want to be your friend, but they may be trying to get over on you. So, you have to be cautious when it comes to drinking with the guys and make sure you really know these guys. A lot of people grew up in good communities with family values, but times are changing. This is not the days of Archie Bunker, where having a beer meant having a beer and people openly discussed their feelings about culture. True bigots often hide in places where you least expect them, and will pretend to be neutral. When it comes to women, in many cases, the friendships of women are more often based on shared feelings and confidences. If two female friends spent an afternoon together and did not reveal problems, private thoughts, and feelings to one another, they would assume that something was wrong. For women, friendship is a matter of talking about shared concerns and intimate matters. Actually, the differences between male and female friendships are smaller than implied here. Men do know something about the private thoughts and feelings of their friends. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
Often times, people assume they know you and have ideas about who you are and could be wrong. A lot of people think because men are nice and smile and do not speak up about things that they are slow, but they actually may not really like you and just be trying to avoid you and any conflict. Nevertheless, most contemporary men do not form close friendships with other men. Many could probably learn something from female friendships: Men live their friendships side by side; women live them face to face. Decision does not give one knowledge of anything that will occur in the future because the mere fact that a person has decided does not ensure that he or she will not falter, change one’s mind, or die tomorrow. Hence, it appears to be mistake to assume that because decision entails ignorance prior to decision, this ignorance is of something which one will know later as a result of decision; what one comes to know when one decides is nothing in addition to the decision itself appears to be that decision is an intentional concept. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
“I really wanted it. I really wanted it. I was being the Wander Slut in those days. I kept a list on my computer of all the people I seduced. I seduced Randall. He nearly shot himself on account of it. It was perfectly disgusting.” I already got some designer to hold up my pants, I just want some ice on my wrist so I look better when I dance, have you lookin’ at it put you in a trance. Lord, may nothing separate me from you. Teach me how to choose only your way so each step will lead me closer to you. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions and the Devil and his red hot pitch forks so they do not try and stick them in my hiney. And help me rest in the truth. And keep me from being distracted by my thoughts, desires and ideas how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as opportunity. God, you are my rock and my fortress. You are my shield and my strong tower. Teach me how to stand strong and choose only your way. Thank you that you love me and nothing can every take that away from me! Thank you Father in Heaven. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
The Dole Foundation’s Hidden Criminal
The mass media plays an important role in defining deviance in the United States of America and other industrialized and technological societies. The United States of America has approximately 300 million guns, nearly one for every member of the population. There were 372 mass shootings in the United States of America in 2015, killing 475 people, and wounding 1,870. Altogether these deaths by gun violence consisted of 13,286 people being shot and killed by fire arms in the United States of America, 26,819 people were injured. On 2017 June 2017, Gunman kills 3, wounds 2 and shoots himself at a UPS facility in San Francisco, California USA. Also, on this day same day, in Alexandria, Virginia USA at about 7am, at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park, about seven miles away from the White House in Washington, D.C., where several lawmakers were practicing for the annual charity congressional baseball game planned for 2017 June 15, James Hodgkins (age 66) of Belleville, Illinois USA opened fire and shot Republican Representative Steve Scalise, and four others, including 2 capitol Police officers. The suspect died from his injuries and Steve Scalise is in critical condition. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
Coincidentally, these shootings on Capitol Hill happened the same day, Ryan Phillippe, the star of a TV show called Shooter, which is glorifying gun violence testified in a hearing about service for veterans. Ryan Phillippe was selected by Senator Elizabeth Dole as ambassador for Dole Foundation’s Hidden Heroes program. As the son of a Vietnam Veteran and grandson of a World War II veteran, I am deeply offended by Ryan Phillippe representing veterans because he is a desperate and deeply troubled man. He is reckless and involved in the production of a show that promotes gun violence, and he also has a fan page that engages in soliciting nude photographs from fan and shares them without their knowledge. Ryan Phillippe has done nothing worthy to be the ambassador of anything that has to do with veterans. He is an embarrassment to Americans and a disgrace to veterans everywhere. Veterans are people who stood up and gave their lives for this country, sacrificed their freedom and quality of life, as well as their finances to defend our honor, and many of them passed away in battle, came home deeply injured, and were not able to life full lives and be there with their families. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
It is absolutely despicable that the Dole Foundation would have a sleazy actor such as Ryan Phillippe, who fails to correct his own material, moral, and spiritual defects and evils to represent American heroes. Ryan Phillippe never can become independent and recognized as a human being who is truly equal with other human beings. He hides from the truth behind his wigs, makeup, and a façade of grinning, foot shuffling, and head-scratching. And Ryan Phillippe has no conscience whatsoever because he has built up, deep in his psyche, an absolute conviction that he is superior. How can the Dole Foundation figure on selling they are concerned about the caregivers, veterans, and their families, when they are represented by someone engaged in trouble and peril? Just face the truth. Facts! Whether or not Ryan Phillippe is able to face truth, and facts, about the true reasons for his trouble, he should not be the one that essentially will determine what kind of care surviving veterans should receive. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
Today, we are seeing this revolution of people who are frozen in horror by gun violence, and Ryan Phillippe and exploiting veterans and their families for profit, and recognition. If you hear every day of the unethical and illegal situations Ryan Phillippe is involved in, how can he be used to represent a class of heroes who have loved America, slaved for America, tended to America, and nursed America? These veterans have jumped into uniform and gone off and died when this America was attacked by enemies. Such a faithful group of people, many of who when came home from war were spit on, had dogs set on them, fires hoses on them, beat bloody, and a manner of other crimes inflicted upon them. When these veterans were acting as Ambassadors for America, their limousines were burned, they were stoned, they experienced defilings and wreckings of embassies and legations, they were told they were not welcomed home. Our veterans have had to face attacks, and bombings, and tearing down of their flags they so deeply care about. American veterans deserve someone who is a veteran representing this Hidden Heroes program, someone who cares about people and this country and understands their struggles. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Veterans and their caregivers and families deserve someone of their own kind, representing them, and that is the way we can make sure they get the respect they deserve and have someone representing their legacy who truly cares about their struggles, and victories, not some wig wearing, fake, like Ryan Phillippe, who is engaged in criminal activity and cannot even be considered a real man. He does not even take care of his own children, he does not spend time with his son or daughters, he does not even care about them. All Ryan Phillippe cares about is fame and money and tattoos, and will use anyone in his path to get what he wants. Ryan Phillippe is one installment payment away from disaster, what does he look like downtown out to dine, grinning at some headwaiter who has more money than he does? That bourgeois wig wearing monster out draping big tablecloth-sized napkins over his knees and ordering quail under glass and stewed nails. Veterans deserve a representative who will make sure their heritage is persevered and not a fraud like Ryan Phillippe. Take time to find out how Ryan Phillippe used and exploited the son of a veteran to rebuild his career. Ryan Phillippe is nothing more than a tattooed thug. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
Agent Orange: Hidden Heroes—What about the Real Heroes?
I was watching a commercial on the TV about a class action lawsuit for people exposed to Round UP, which is a weed killer, if they developed cancer. This commercial got me to thinking about my dad and how he, nor myself was every compensated from exposure to Agent Orange. Agent Orange is one of a series of defoliants used to clear dense jungles, riverbank vegetation and trees, and will rice paddies. Unfortunately, these agents were made from the deadliest dioxin known. Many soldiers serving in Vietnam were sprayed from the air with this poison, while they were defending our country, and they were told that the Agent Orange was harmless to humans. The chemical companies and our own government knew Agent Orange was deadly to humans, but used it anyway. Over twenty million gallons of agent orange was sprayed, over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 through 1972. Once it was sprayed in the dense jungles by airplane and helicopter, it killed grass, palm trees, and all other vegetation in just two days. Everything would be brown and dead in a very short time and witnesses said it looked like a scene from a horror film. The defoliant eventually would wash down into the rivers and canals where the fishermen were fishing and little did they know the fish were also contaminated. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
Then, Agent Orange would eventually carry out to sea, where naval vessels would pull in the contaminated sea water for the crew to use. The sea water would be distilled for cooking, bathing, and drinking. However, the distillation process did not remove the dioxins of agent orange from the sea and river water, so people were drinking and bathing in poison. Once in your system, through skin contact or ingestion, Agent Orange manifests rashes and skin irritations, miscarriages, psychological symptoms, various cancers, diseases such as Parkinson’s, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, leukemia and diabetes, and genetic alterations, resulting in birth defects for six generations. It is truly the gift the keeps on giving. Agent Orange diseases did not always manifest within just a few days of being exposed, some symptoms would take four or five decades to show up. My dad served in the Vietnam war and got cancer from agent orange and I was born with spinal bifida, which is caused by Agent Orange. An estimated 4 million people in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange and about 3 million suffered serious health problems, and this includes their children who were exposed. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
The chemical is capable of damaging genes, resulting in deformities among offspring of exposed victims. There are documented cases of still-births, cleft palate, and neural tube defects, with spina bifida being the mist statistically significant defect. Some children of veterans are given compensation and medical care because they were exposed to Agent Orange, and my father was in the process of filing a claim with the department of Veteran’s Affairs right before he passed away. It is really a sad story because it was around finals time, and I was in college preparing for my exams and I found out my dad was sick, but I did not think much of it because he had survived the cancer he got from Agent Orange and seemed to be doing really well much of his life, so I thought. He had initially been given three to five years to live after Vietnam and was told that he would never have kids, and he beat those odds. So anyway, my father’s caregivers did not want to tell me he was dying, and three days before he passed away, my mother told me he was in the hospital and to go visit him. They have not planned to tell me he was dying until after he passed away. And unfortunately, as he was dying, I turned my back for a moment, just to sit down, and then I heard him gasp for his last breath, and he died. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
His eyes were opened and I closed them for him, and his caregivers did not even want me to do that. Later on, I discovered that his air tube had been unplugged. They claimed the dog did it. Years later, they went on to say doctors in the hospital do that type of stuff all the time, but he died in his caregiver’s house, and they made sure to let me know I was not getting anything. Now that I reflect on what happened, I see why growing up my dad would flake out of coming to visit sometimes, he was not feeling well, but kept on living and working to support his kids. And right before finals, I thought he was being cheap, he would give me $5 a day for gas and I would have to come see him every day to get gas money, I had no idea that he was dying and he was doing that so he could see me every day before he died. And when I finally found out he was in the hospital, he could not even speak, he had no voice and was on a breathing machine. Unfortunately, my father nor myself were compensated for exposure to Agent Orange, nor were a lot of others. And some people are not satisfied with government research and want to conduct their own unethical and illegal experiments. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
It was really sad. I truly did not know how ill my father was, because to me, he was superman and could pull through anything, but apparently, years later that Agent Orange was still in his system and took him under. While he was in the hospital, he wrote me a note telling me he had put away some money in a CD, but who knows what happened to it because I was not allowed to find out much information. It is hard when you lose someone who is supporting you, but even more hard when you lose the only person in the World who truly loved you. My dad used to tell me stories about seeing his friends blown up right in front his eyes, while at war, dodging bullets and bombs, waking up to the stench of burning flesh, and how he was cut open from his neck to his stomach to remove the cancer he had and I did see the scar. My dad also told me to never buy Dole products because they manufactured Agent Orange. He was an amazing man and a truly kind guy. Those who you who still have your father’s in your life, be sure to treat them to a wonderful Father’s Day. In a way, I am happy my father never went through the hearings for this compensation for Agent Orange because the memories of war and knowing you passed on a birth defect to your son would probably drive a person insane. And could you imagine not having your father and being tormented by the media and local government…I am sure some have heard. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
He will Never do Violence to the Sunshine anymore
You need no mercy, and therefore know not how to show any. A single bad act no more constitutes a villain in life than a single bad part on the stage. Moral memory is a matter of the heart. I had not been a villain had she not been so much an angel. Here, we get closer to what memory is, its true function and magic. All this is yesterday’s event. Events of later date have floated from me to the shore where all forgotten things will reappear, but this stands like a high rock in the ocean. In our nature, there is a provision, alike marvelous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what one endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it. The actual experience of soul or of spirit cannot occur through persuasion that such realities exist. The felt sense of soul or of spirit is a memory coming from above and below. It is not possible to account for these experiences based on the past. Memorizing is an act through which something that is foreign and alien is folded back into oneself and becomes oneself; that which existed apart and alone is folded into the totality of the body. A similar process takes place with whatever we take in from the World. Digestion is not limited to food we consume. #RandolphHarris 1 of 6
We perceptually and cognitively take in events and they become experiences, and when they go deep enough, they become soul experiences that nourish the life of imagination. A reflection on the life of every memory shows the range of this process of psychic digestion very clearly, and where it can go wrong. Obsessions and psychic trauma are undigested memories. They keep coming back up in exactly the form in which the experience occurred. When we undergo events that are too strong, that overwhelm us, these experiences return as emotional, autonomous, automatic, fixed forms endlessly replayed, and we are haunted by what has happened. It is not so much undergoing trauma per se that makes for psychological difficulties; it is the fact that such experiences often cannot be digested. It is important to learn how to dissolve these experiences because later in life, these undigested experiences will turn into bodily ailments. It is like having something foreign in the body, sitting there for years, rotting, putrefying. Often times, these unwanted memories are painful and frightening and seem to have no known source. The good old theory of our forefathers that vice was in the naming of it. #RandolphHarris 2 of 6
I have had one or more bad experiences in my life that I have learned a lot from. However, once in a while, I still think about those bad experiences and thing about them is stifling my progress towards my own life goals. When helped me was admitting that I am a sinner and not perfect and asking the Lord for forgiveness. When a person does not like you, and wants nothing to do with you, it really upsets them if you keep appearing around them. If you notice every time you go looking for someone, and they run away, it is because you are encroaching on them and making them feel trapped. The worst thing you can do to a person is make them feel trapped. Someone you just have to recognize that your love, friendship, or whatever you think you have to offer may not be what someone else desires, and it is best to stay away from them. We need to learn to let go. We need to be able to forgive, so we can move on and be happy. Forgiveness does not mean that you erase the past, nor forget what has happened. It does not mean the other person will change his or her behavior, we can only control ourselves. All forgiving means is that you are letting go of the past and moving on to a better place. #RandolphHarris 3 of 6
When people are made to learn mechanically, without story or image or rhythm, then that material taken in cannot be transformed into soul nourishment. Undigested memories are a lot like trapping someone in a situation that they do not care to recall. It can be compared to a crying child, and all of the sudden, we feel immense waves of uncontrivable sorrow, yet it is not sorrow for the child, but sorrow for ourselves that will not go away and leave us alone. Sometimes these memories project rage and make a person upset. When people let go of things from the past, it is not good to constantly bother them of keep looking in their face like you lost your mind. Memory is a magical act in which things not present are evoked. What one loves, one does not forget because the event is take in and fully transformed into the eternal stream of love, to be retrieved at any time, full of life and feeling. However, if a situation did not work out in the past, twenty years later it is still not likely to workout. Modern people are different, they do not harbor old feelings or think “What if?” People let go and find new things to think about. Chances are if a person did not want anything to do with you in the past, they still do not, and you might get yourself in legal trouble or get physically hurt for persistently harassing them. #RandolphHarris 4 of 6
High pressure situations can make dealing with someone else’s ambivalence more unpleasant, but that does not make ambivalence less real. Not everyone needs closure. Confidence can actually be a bad thing when it comes to confronting contradictions. People with a higher need for closure tend to be the most confident and report the least fear of being wrong. They are also the least likely to interpret behavior in multiple ways or to look at things from different angles. The experience of the thinker, intent upon the value and significance of things, must guide an individual in confronting existence. Experience offers knowledge of God, the World, and people. This linkage helps people to discover the interrelationship and interaction of the elements life by way of an intricate logical construction. Creation denotes the action of God upon the World; revelation, the encounter of God and people; and redemption, the relation of people to the World. God is hidden in the mythical beyond, appears to give the World reality. However, creation implies tranistoriness, finiteness, death; the process of creation is renewed and perfected in revelation, through which God, in his love, turns to human beings the experience of this love evokes in human beings the consciousness of being a self and accords people reality. Vices are sometimes only virtues carried to excess. #RandolphHarris 5 of 6
Now because of the reality that God has blessed us with, our original isolation and dumbness are overcome; the human response to God’s love is our own love. Human beings translate their love for God into love for our neighbor, and by so doing we participate in leading the World toward redemption. Through the deeds of love the temporality of life and the finality of death are overcome. Ultimate redemption is anticipated, and a sense of eternity in time experience, primarily in the rhythm of the days which constitute the sacred aspect of faith, authentic, though different, manifestations of reality, and this is concerned with the existential situation of individual human beings. In contradistinction to abstract, timeless, purely logical, solitary thinking, the new existential thinking is grammatical: human language, the word, the name, dialogue, are keys to understanding of reality; the speaking thinker thinks for someone and speaks to someone. In such language-bound thinking, utmost importance is accorded to time; past, present, and future are actively involved in the process of thought. #RandolphHarris 6 of 6
Randolph Harris II International Institute 